History Fridge / BaldursGateIII

* Raphael's stats are a bit inconsistent, but he generally has only above average Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom, but high Strength, Constitution, and Charisma. The former stats make it appear that he isn't as clever, smart, or crafty as he projects, while the former lets him project a sense of strength and charisma that he doesn't actually have. One of the easiest ways to get under his skin is by showing yourself to be more clever and crafty than he is, which is put on display by sneaking into the House of Hope without his permission, and managing to get Hope, as you've managed to show yourself as more clever and intelligent than he thought.

* While it's undoubtedly a trade-off Karlach would be happy to make, anyone who knows the basics of thermodynamics knows that the second upgrade to her infernal engine actually shortened her lifespan. By preventing the engine from losing heat through Karlach herself, that upgrade made it so the engine would accumulate enough heat to melt faster than it would have otherwise.

* In some idle chatter, Gale asks Astarion if he's ever considered worshipping a god, which Astarion replies he prayed to them all and no one answered. This unfortunately makes sense as most if not all good and neutral aligned deities despise the undead and probably wouldn't be interested in saving a vampire spawn.

* While Astarion freaking out if the player chooses to joke about him having a mole or sagging skin is a funny poke at vanity (Tav smirks and slightly squints their eyes), he then genuinely looks upset and ends the conversation with an "Excuse me." Firstly, he's a ProudBeauty who sees his lack of reflection as another thing Cazador took from him. Secondly, he's spent two centuries being forced to use that beauty and charm as a tool, and most likely has devolved to seeing his looks/body/allure as a major, if not the sole, determinant of his worth. Depending on player choices, he may also snap that he supposes there's not much point to him if he won't have sex, and that it's his only talent.

* If you romanced Astarion and bring him to the Drow Twins after dealing with Cazador, he'll enthusiastically agree to it; saying that he wants to experience things like that for himself now that he's free to explore his own desires, and promises he'll bail if he doesn't enjoy it. However, the narration will still say that he looks like he's a million realms away--the same text if you bring a non-romanced Astarion along. This has two interpretations, and neither are good. One possibility is that he still struggles with saying no, and feels like he owes you for helping him deal with Cazador, and that's the only reason he agrees to it. A worse possibility, albeit more likely given that he reacts to the foursome suggestion before you do, is that he's jumping at the chance to experience sex on his terms to prove to himself that things are all better now that Cazador is out of the picture, only to be forced to face the reality that 200 years of sexual trauma did ''not'' die with Cazador, and he has a long way to go still before he's ready for stuff like this. Ascended Astarion "boldly" throws himself into the center of the group to be worshipped (something he possibly had little of in his past as an abuse victim), but afterwards the player character notes that "there's no joy in his eyes, only an intensity that makes [them] shiver".

* If you romanced Astarion and bring him to the Drow Twins after dealing with Cazador, he'll enthusiastically agree to it; saying that he wants to experience things like that for himself now that he's free to explore his own desires, and promises he'll bail if he doesn't enjoy it. However, the narration will still say that he looks like he's a million realms away--the same text if you bring a non-romanced Astarion along. This has two interpretations, and neither are good. One possibility is that he still struggles with saying no, and feels like he owes you for helping him deal with Cazador, and that's the only reason he agrees to it. A worse possibility, albeit more likely given that he reacts to the foursome suggestion before you do, is that he's jumping at the chance to experience sex on his terms to prove to himself that things are all better now that Cazador is out of the picture, only to be forced to face the reality that 200 years of sexual trauma did ''not'' die with Cazador, and he has a long way to go still before he's ready for stuff like this.

* While Astarion freaking out if the player chooses to joke about him having a mole or sagging skin is a funny poke at vanity (Tav smirks and slightly squints their eyes), he then genuinely looks upset and ends the conversation with an "Excuse me." Firstly, he's a ProudBeauty who sees his lack of reflection as another thing Cazador took from him. Secondly, he's spent two centuries being forced to use that beauty and charm as a tool, and most likely has devolved to seeing his looks/body/allure as a major, if not the sole, determinant of his worth. Depending on player choices, he may also snap at Tav that he supposes there's not much point to him if he won't have sex, and that it's his only talent.

* Astarion, pre-character development (depending on the run) consistently approves of cruel actions. It's because cruelty is all he's known for two centuries; the torment he went through had thoroughly convinced him that cruelty was the rule of the world, and anyone who isn't cruel would not survive.