Astarion Makes Another Cameo Appearance in 2025 Monster Manual

Astarion, the beloved vampire spawn rogue in Baldur's Gate 3, makes another appearance in Dungeons & Dragons' new Monster Manual. A few months ago, we reported on Astarion making a surprise cameo appearance in the Player's Handbook and how the rogue popped up in the artwork. Now, the character makes a second cameo appearance of sorts in the 2025 Monster Manual. In the entry for Vampires, Astarion is featured in a flavor quote (pun unintended.) The quote reads "Darling, you are simply delicious...," and specifies Astarion as a Vampire Spawn.

While Baldur's Gate 3 references are relatively rare in the new Core Rulebooks, players can expect to see more references to the popular video game franchise in the upcoming Forgotten Realms Adventurer's Guide, which features an entire section on Baldur's Gate. During a press event last month, D&D rules designer Jeremy Crawford noted that the upcoming Forgotten Realms books would serve as the best bridge yet for Baldur's Gate 3 players looking for a familiar entry point into the D&D tabletop game.

Wizards of the Coast has leaned on the Baldur's Gate 3 cast to promote D&D in recent months, with multiple cast members making appearances at various D&D Live shows. The next show will take place at MagicCon in March and will feature four BG3 cast members (including Astarion's voice actor Neil Newbon) playing their characters in an adventure run by Aabria Iyengar.

 

[Dire Bare]

It's really not.

If they're being pushed to squeeze more money out of D&D, I'd prefer it that they squeeze more money out in a way that benefits the fans, including bringing in excited BG3 players who've never played tabletop before and maybe sell them some more new products that echo a lot of the good stuff about BG3.

If they instead just flail around and monetize through strange licensing deals, that has a good chance of devaluing the game in the eyes of potential players and actually driving them away rather than drawing them in.

And if they don't bring in more revenue, that means more layoffs.

So doing this right is good for players and staff. Doing a bad job is potentially bad news for both groups.

It really is.

I mean, could WotC have done more to build on BG3's success to market D&D itself? Sure. They chose not to. You think it's a terrible breach of all that is holy and righteous, I'm more, "Eh."

But this, is just an easter egg. It's just including popular D&D characters in the artwork for the books, just like Drizzt, just like the kids from the 80s cartoon show.

Do you really think the D&D team is thinking, "Well, since we dropped Astarion in the DMG and MM, that'll catch all of those BG3 fans for sure!" Come on dude.

 

[michaeljpastor]

The movie is definitely in there, but the secret sauce of BG3 is it's training future players. There are so, so many elements of BG3 that just teach you how to play D&D. Not quite like "regular" D&D certainly as it's a video game, but pretty darn close, close enough to make a BG3 player playing D&D for the first time WAY more comfortable with the terminology than someone coming in cold.

No argument there, and maybe you can tailor the version of the starter set that references BG3 differently, if you know that's where they're coming from.

And a starter set based on the movie is attracting new players from a completely different vector, so it could tailor it more for that crowd - more shenanigans and failures with slapstick successes perhaps.

How were the Stranger Things and Rick and Morty sets tailored for their respective audiences?

 

[Dire Bare]

Of course BG3 is now a edition behind.

Huh?

BG3 adapts the 5th Edition of D&D. We are currently in the 5th Edition of D&D. Or are you referring to the 2024 revised rules, which are still 5th Edition? The 2024 rules are about as far away from the 2014 rules as the BG3 adaptation of those rules are themselves.

It's fine.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I've never played BG3 but it would be pretty sweet if they built a way to send your character from BG3 to D&D Beyond. Then BG3 players could build a first level PC in BG3 and use it in a table top game.

Offcourse BG3 is now a edition behind.

D&D Beyond doesn't have an import feature that I'm aware of, but exporting a BG3 character as a D&D character sheet should be pretty trivial. I wouldn't be surprised if there were mods doing this. The only potential issue is that the game has a good number of magic items that aren't in tabletop, but most of them aren't problematic.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Do you really think the D&D team is thinking, "Well, since we dropped Astarion in the DMG and MM, that'll catch all of those BG3 fans for sure!" Come on dude.

Did you read the stuff I was responding to? WotC is explicitly thinking about ways to draw people over, which is why I posted my original post.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

How were the Stranger Things and Rick and Morty sets tailored for their respective audiences?

They each used the voice of the franchises.

The Stranger Things was meant to be the dungeon we see in the first episode of the show and resemble one created by a middle schooler.

Rick and Morty has a lot of Rick making fun of the rules and saying to not worry about stuff, while having an edgy-ish adventure, and day-glo green dice that's definitely in the Rick and Morty palette.

 

[talien]

They each used the voice of the franchises.

The Stranger Things was meant to be the dungeon we see in the first episode of the show and resemble one created by a middle schooler.

Rick and Morty has a lot of Rick making fun of the rules and saying to not worry about stuff, while having an edgy-ish adventure, and day-glo green dice that's definitely in the Rick and Morty palette.

And both of these are...hmm. They are more "hey, want to play D&D once because you saw this fun thing and your D&D buddies want you to play?" I felt like they weren't very serious attempts to get folks to play the game, and more just trying to give them a taste and hope that LIKE SHOW > PLAY D&D > MAGIC! > BECOMES D&D PLAYER FOR LIFE happens.

BG3 is different. You aren't just a fan, people playing it are picking species, classes, learning the spells, just like the old D&D gold box sets. Hell, I learned about AD&D rules we never used from the Gold Box sets, which then made me realize I hated some of the AD&D rules.

The opportunity is considerable, but that requires bridging "video game mega money company" with "geeky and complex tabletop company." That is, even today, a very large gap. Both sides have to admit they need the other, and it's hardly an equal relationship (if there's a relationship at all). In theory, the guy in charge of WOTC is a video game guy, so you'd think this would be happening way more often than it has to date.

 

[Dire Bare]

Did you read the stuff I was responding to? WotC is explicitly thinking about ways to draw people over, which is why I posted my original post.

Yes, and this isn't that.

This is just an easter egg.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yes, and this isn't that.

This is just an easter egg.

You should go back and re-read my initial post. I was never talking about the Monster Manual entry.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

I wonder why certain actors are more interested in the live plays that others. Karlach and astarion are 1 and 2 but i
Wonder why the gale actor etc aren’t doing even 1/100 of those 2?
I disagree. If your playing Bg3 and are a d&d player you can just search for astarion etc

Not sure why the slot machines bothers people? I kind of like it. If I was to go to Vegas I’d play the d&d machine over say the other graphic 1

Doesn’t bother me that’s there’s game of thrones or Star Trek whiskey

These are legal products?

Iirc Neil Newbon was the only member of the main BG3 cast who was familiar with d&d 5e but I imagine their agents are really encouraging the rest to learn since they keep getting invited to play the game.