Summary
One of the countless reasons behind the success ofBaldur’s Gate 3is how wellLarianadopted tabletop RPG rules into the video game. Of course, the Baldur’s Gate IP is part ofDungeons & Dragonsand owned by Wizards of the Coast, but adapting the freedom of a TTRPG into a video game was a herculean effort by the devs.
While the game and all its characters fall under the Dungeons & Dragons umbrella, none of the characters from the game have ever appeared in a D&D rulebook or handbook or manual. However, it seems this has finally changed, as one of the characters from the game has officially been named, and it’s everybody’s favourite sexy vampire.
Astarion Makes An Appearance In The 2025 Monster Manual
Spotted bythewhoovesianon Reddit, Astarion has officially been name-dropped in the 2025 Monster Manual (thanksGamesRadar+). His quote was used as flavor text in the Vampire Spawn section, saying, “Darling, you are simply delicious.” Yup, that’s definitely the Astarion we know and love.
You might be thinking that Astarion has already appeared in 2024 Player’s Handbook as artwork created by David Astruga. You’re right, but also wrong. As noted byEN World, while the artwork was created to showcase the Daylight spell and features a vampire that looks a lot like Astarion, the handbook never mentions him by name, like in the 2025 Monster Manual.
It was only later that Astruga admitted that he sneaked the likeness of Astarion into the artwork as an easter egg after approval from the art directors. “I added him on my own from the sketch of that image, and the art directors thought it was fine to leave him there as a small easter egg for those who notice,” said the artist. “It doesn’t have any further relevance, but it’s good to remember that Astarion is a Wizards character, so he could obviously appear here or there.”
So there you have it, Astarion is the first original Baldur’s Gate 3 character to be named and made canon in Dungeons & Dragons.
