History Characters / BaldursGateIIIAstarion

* AgentPeacock: Astarion looks, sounds, and acts like a mix of [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Dr. Frank-N-Furter]], Creator/DavidBowie, and Creator/MattBerry, but he's also a full-fledged BloodKnight that loves being in the thick of combat.

** If a good-aligned playthrough where he wasn't romanced, Astarion can reveal in the epilogue that he's taken up the life of an adventuring hero, though not exactly an "Ideal" one.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Can receive one from a romanced player in Cazador's palace. [[spoiler:After finding most or all of his former marks imprisoned, you can ask if ''you'' might have met the same fate at his hands. Despite insisting that you would have been different, Astarion is clearly rattled by the idea. If you demand he face it and admit that he'd have led you to your death as much as anyone else in those cages if it meant his own power increasing, he's so rattled he even receives a brief debuff from the interaction.]]
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Throughout the game, Astarion encourages the player character to embrace the power of the mind flayer tadpoles and look for ways to grow stronger while minimizing the risk of being turned yourself. He even suggests that they should [[spoiler:use the Netherstones from the cult leaders to control the Netherbrain for their own gain. If they actually do, even a Vampire Ascendant Astarion ends up getting reduced to a mindless thrall under their control through the elder brain. Although this gets subverted if they romanced Astarion, in which case he becomes exempted from being enthralled by the Netherbrain and gets to enjoy the spoils of becoming the Absolute with his lover.]]

** On a darker note, [[spoiler:he spends much of the game acting like a WickedCultured {{Hedonist}} until the player gets him to soften up by befriending/romancing him. If he Ascends, the ritual corrupts him into a ''genuine'' WickedCultured {{Hedonist}}.]]
* BeneathTheMask: Judging by a large amount of his ambient dialogue and banter, he seems to largely uphold the facade of himself as the quintessential debauchery-loving foppish player with most of the party and even the player, if unromanced. Most of them will make it to the end of the game still fully believing that is truly who he is, teasing him as late as Act 3 about being a skirt-chaser and a sleaze. You will only ever see past that mask and learn of his romantic side and desires to be seen as a person if you romance him.

** Making insinuations involving Cazador. In Early Access, Astarion would go absolutely nuclear with rage and threatens to kill Tav brutally because of a tasteless joke about Cazador being his master in the bedroom. In the full release, [[spoiler:Ascended Astarion screams at Tav to shut up if they compare him to Cazador.]]

* BreakTheHaughty: His questline in Act 3 sees him lose his smarmy attitude. [[spoiler:Returning to Cazador's palace brings back unpleasant memories, but it's seeing Sebastian and thousands of other vampire spawns, many of which he brought to Cazador personally, that horrifies him to the point he starts having serious doubts about hijacking the Ascension ritual. If you manage to convince Astarion not to and kill his former master, he breaks down into a sobbing wreck.]]
* BrokenTears: [[spoiler:After convincing Astarion not to undergo Ascension]], Astarion will still stab Cazador to death. Afterwards, he falls to his knees and sobs as the weight of the abuse and fear he suffered under Cazador lifts from his shoulders.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] come Act 3. He repeatedly claims throughout the game that he can't even remember half the people he brought back to Cazador, and initially tries to uphold that charade; but [[spoiler: upon discovering that the many victims Cazador made him seduce and bring back to be fed on were actually turned into Vampire Spawn for the Ascendant ritual Astarion can remember them all, including their names and what went on between him and them. Seeing them again absolutely wrecks him.]]

* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: If you [[spoiler:don't prevent him from Ascending (or committ to Ascension while playing as him), Astarion becomes much more arrogant, possessive, and power-hungry. His attitude is more pompous and theatrical, also dripping with even more condescension and flowery words and an even more callous disregard to his companions and to the sacrificed thousands of souls he devoured out of fear and hunger. Notably, both Neil in an interview and the developer notes outright say that him being very theatrical is a mask. Another thing to note is if you found Vellioth's skull, you'll find out that [[ChainofHarm Cazador was also in Astarion's place under his predecessor]] and laid out his rules of control unto him. And if you play as Astarion being your Origin character, it turns out Cazador also has rules for his slaves to remember- which he will also eventually impose should he Ascend and let loose in the ending.]]
* AdaptationalDyeJob: Of a sort: Back in Early Access he had a few black strands in his otherwise white hair, implying he may have just turned gray over time (and/or from Cazador-induced stress). In the full release he's naturally white-haired.

* AgentPeacock: Astarion looks, sounds, and acts like a mix of [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Dr. Frank-N-Furter]], Creator/DavidBowie, and Creator/MattBerry, but he's also a full-fledged BloodKnight that loves diving headlong into the fray.
* AmbitionIsEvil: Once he learns what the scars on his back really mean, he immediately starts scheming to overthrow Cazador to become the Ascendant himself. The player can point out to him that too much power too soon can corrupt. [[spoiler:And "corrupt" is about the tamest thing you can call him if he Ascends -- Astarion basically becomes as bad as Cazador in haughtiness, arrogance, and self-assured confidence almost immediately after the ritual is over.]]
* AntiHero: Through CharacterDevelopment, he can become this. If you manage to get enough approval and get him to open up, Astarion will [[DefrostingiceQueen defrost]] and start going from an outright amoral prick to still morally grey but ultimately far less villainous person. This culminates if you convince him not to Ascend with Astarion breaking the the routines caused from Cazador's abuse by showing compassion and forming genuine bonds. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] if he Ascends, as Astarion becomes a straight-up villain and an evil shell of his former self.
** If a good-aligned playthrough where he wasn't romanced, Astarion can reveal in the epilogue that he's taken up being an adventurer and a hero, though one up to his standards.

* SavedToEnslave: He vaguely remembers that Cazador saved him from death by turning him into a vampire spawn, and then spent the next 200 years subjecting him to unspeakable tortures. [[spoiler:An evil Dark Urge run can also inflict this to him again in the ending, even in a playthrough where you get Astarion to ascend.]]

* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: If you [[spoiler:don't prevent him from Ascending (or if you play Origin as Astarion, committing to Ascension, should you choose to), Astarion becomes more arrogant, possessive, and power-hungry as a full ascended vampire. His attitude is more pompous and theatrical, also dripping with even more condescension and flowery words and an even more callous disregard to his companions and to the sacrificed thousands of souls he devoured out of fear and hunger. Notably, both Neil in an interview and the developer notes outright say that him being very theatrical is a mask. Another thing to note is if you found Vellioth's skull, you'll find out that [[ChainofHarm Cazador was also in Astarion's place under his predecessor]] and laid out his rules of control unto him. And if you play as Astarion being your Origin character, it turns out Cazador also has rules for his slaves to remember- which he will also eventually impose should he Ascend and let loose in the ending.]]

** He's probably the most adamant party member about using the tadpole's power early on and is keen on trying to encourage the player to try it for themselves too. If you try to dissuade him or say you're skeptical, he gets defensive. [[spoiler: That's until the Emperor introduces the Astral-Touched Tadpole, when he immediately refuses to have anything to do with it, since he only then realises the cost is 'turning into a grotesque beast'.]]

* EvilIsHammy: [[spoiler:If he becomes the Vampire Ascendant, he develops [[ChewingTheScenery a taste for scenery]] and a penchant for MilkingTheGiantCow. How he addresses the romanced player also depends on whether you chose to let him take over as an Ascendant usurper or killing Cazador but remaining as a spawn. He tends to use more flowery wording in the former while declaring world domination while being more straightforward but genuinely heartfelt in the latter.]]

* {{Revenge}}: Aside from learning how to control the tadpole, he intends to pay Cazador back ''several times over'' for everything he's done to him. He even admits that he wouldn't mind staying a vampire spawn forever if it meant he could kill him.

* SophisticatedAsHell: Astarion is pretty witty like a learned noble, but he's not above occasionally mixing it with "fuck" and "shit" and other crude words that he seldom uses, often for emphasis.

** As of patch 6, If the player character takes the evil route for the ending [[spoiler: and has romanced an Ascended Astarion, he's genuinely impressed by the cutthroat move of hijacking the Absolute's plot for themselves at the last minute, especially since the player character made the conscious decision to release him from thralldom out of [[UnholyMatrimony genuine love in spite of how Asterion's personality has changed]]. He makes it clear that - unlike the abusive hell the player would be trapping themself in otherwise, you've impressed him to the point he's totally okay with sharing the spoils of your conquests on even grounds, whether you've become his spawn or not.]]

* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Has a mop of pale grey-white curls[[note]]Despite the most common hair color for High Elves in the Forgotten Realms setting being black, and during early Early Access Astarion's character model still had black strands in his pale hair.[[/note]] and, barring the occasional [[PetTheDog dog pat]], is not a nice guy. It turns into [[spoiler:a grey heart if you steer him right, though- still weary and cynical, but definitely more open to help others.]]

* VillainRespect: If you play the role of ToxicFriendInfluence to turn Astarion into a worse person [[spoiler: and encourage his Ascension], he generally speaking becomes very dismissive of you and everyone around you. However, there are two exceptions that end the game with you still in his good graces.

* HaveIMentionedIAmSexuallyActiveToday: Astarion talks a ''big'' game about all the hedonistic debauchery he got up to in Baldur's Gate, although it's not to cover for a lack of sexual experience. [[spoiler:It's to cover for a lack of ''consensual'' sexual experiences while he was enslaved by Cazador, and the deeply conflicted attitude toward sex that resulted. When presented with actual opportunities for "debauchery," such as with the drow twins, it's unclear if he actually wants to or not, since he'll initially decline to participate, but will join in after Cazador has been dealt with, all while dissociating during the deed.]]

* HaveIMentionedIAmSexuallyActiveToday: Astarion talks a ''big'' game about all the hedonistic debauchery he got up to in Baldur's Gate, although it's not to cover for a lack of sexual experience. [[spoiler:It's to cover for a lack of ''consensual'' sexual experiences while he was enslaved by Cazador, and the deeply conflicted attitude toward sex that resulted. When presented with actual opportunities for "debauchery," such as with the drow twins, it's unclear whether he genuinely wants to or not, as he will dissociate during the deed.]]

* HaveIMentionedIAmSexuallyActiveToday: Astarion talks a ''big'' game about all the hedonistic debauchery he got up to in Baldur's Gate, although it's not to cover for a lack of sexual experience. [[spoiler:It's to cover for a lack of ''consensual'' sexual experiences while he was enslaved by Cazador, and the deeply conflicted attitude toward sex that resulted. When presented with actual opportunities for "debauchery," such as with the drow twins, he may sincerely desire to experience it, but still will dissociate during the deed.]]

* ReducedToRatburgers: One of the many ways Cazador degraded his spawn was forcing them to feed on rats and other pests. Now that he's free, Astarion relishes the chance to feed on higher creatures.

* AntiHero: Through CharacterDevelopment, he can become this. If you manage to get enough approval and get him to open up, Astarion will [[DefrostingiceQueen defrost]] and start going from an outright amoral prick to still morally grey but ultimately far less villainous person. This culminates if you convince him not to Ascend with Astarion breaking the the routines caused from Cazador's abuse by showing compassion and forming genuine bonds.[[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] if he Ascends, as Astarion becomes a straight-up villain and an evil shell of his former self.

* ButForMeItWasTuesday: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] come Act 3. [[spoiler: Upon discovering that the many victims Cazador made him seduce and bring back to be fed on were actually turned into Vampire Spawn for the Ascendant ritual Astarion can remember them all, including their names and what went on between him and them. Seeing them again absolutely wrecks him.]]