Originally Posted by Gray Ghost
Hmm, so something interesting is occuring to me reading your (very well written) post. I'm someone who's long said that the dream guardian is better than Daisy as a means of convincing a player to use tadpoles. At least they're better at convincing me to. I found everything about Daisy utterly untrustworthy and actively made me less likely to use a tadpole. But my main point is the seduction aspect. As far as seduction goes, I genuinely cannot understand how any character could fall for it. Honestly, I buy someone romancing the Emperor (not the guardian, the Emperor) more than someone romancing Daisy. Lke, there is nothing about her that indicates that she's interested in your character's well-being. I cannot imagine how anyone would fall in love with them. Only the most deluded of person would ever think Daisy loved them. So the idea of a character willingly choosing to spend their life in a mental paradise with her doesn't sound at all appealing. Like, sure you can have sex with her, but what are you going to do when you're not having sex? I think that's fundanemtally another reason she never worked for me. Sure she might look physically like your dream person, but as far as romance goes, she's in no way an appealing romantic partner. At least the Guardian and Daisy convincingly show tht they care for your wellbeing, they talk to you gently and express concern. Daisy was clearly only out for herself and seemingly out to transform you. The sweet nothings she whispered were about how you'd be evil and powerful. The guardian's gentle treatment was far more enticing.

I don't think Daisy was ever supposed to be a "love interest" for the player. Her EA incarnation was never presented as an actual person but rather a mental manifestation of your base desires. She's supposed to be a crude manipulation by an infant illithid squirming around in your brain BUT her promises are still true. She will make you strong and allow you to dominate the wills of others. She's a threatening presence but that's the only thing that makes sense given the circumstances of the plot and the fact that you have a tadpole in your brain. Yes, it's glaringly obvious but what's the alternative?

They "solved" the problem by neutering the tadpole's role in the story and turning Daisy into a benevolent mindflayer in disguise. Congratulations, you've subverted player expectations and turned a pivotal plot point into a gameplay gimmick. By rewriting Daisy they've effectively thrown out the baby with the bathwater. Yes, the guardian makes it easier to buy into the idea of using the tadpole... but they've also eliminated all negative consequences for doing so, removing the tension that made the concept interesting to begin with. So what is gained here exactly apart from more players engaging with a game mechanic?

We went from a bad guy seducing us to do bad things to for the sake of power risking a potential bad ending to a neutral guy seducing us to do neutral things for the sake of power with no consequences whatsoever. How is that an upgrade?
It's a story arc without stakes or consequences.