Originally Posted by Anska
Say, Crimsom, did you just write a justification for why Ascended Astarion is a good guy actually? Because everything you wrote in the (edit: by now second to) last longer text is applicable to our dear scheming vampire lord. ^^

*shrug* I'm exclusively talking about the Emperor here. Never played through Astarion's storyline, so I wouldn't know nor see any reason to have it brought up.

And no, he does not only do what's convenient for him. He's a heavy pragmatic, one who did everything in his power to ensure survival and freedom, but if he can't have it then so be it. If he is betrayed he accepts that he can no longer have his freedom, so he joins the Grand Design instead so that he can at least live as a slave if he can't be free. Even his fate defining moment is not born out of malice, he just wants to live.

As for the tadpoles; incorrect. Do remember that the tadpole's cravings for power take control of you for the first time ever when you interact with Edowyn's corpse, which you can fully resist by passing a Wisdom check.

So no, he does not manipulate you into using them at any point throughout the story nor forces you to. He merely suggests, the choice however is always yours. He merely mentions they'll enhance you (which is true) and that we'll need to become stronger to face the Absolute (which is also true) and that he'll protect you from ceremorphosis (which is also true for unconsented ceremorphosis from the Absolute), so the decision to use them is exclusively up to you.

Then he offers you the Astral tadpole which isn't being forced upon you, instead your illithid parts of your own body are craving for it due to its power. If you consume tadpoles, your tadpole is once again craving for power and you need to pass yet another Wisdom check. So this is in fact your fault for accepting to consume them in the first place knowing their effects, because you wanted to get strong. Why is it now an issue suddenly that you're being offered more power? Because of the yucky face?

[Linked Image from bg3.wiki] Minthara's Compendium Of Issues