Sadly in BG3 there are a few points during the game when our main character's base avatar undergoes a change in the visualization. You know, that we then have to see reflected back at us in cutscenes, especially during the final third of the game. Sometimes it seems less egregious than others, since stuff like the signature blood and mud can be rocked or washed off using create water, although even there it frequently happens that our main character or one of our companions will start railing off their lines looking like the end cuts from a 'Punch-Out!!' game or something hehe. I don't know, like after a climactic fight to save some NPC, but then in the very next scene with 1 HP they have two shiners, and are bleeding from both ears, with like purple cheeks and dirt all over their mug for rousing dialogue. Seems like overkill. The first branch in any convo tree should probably be something like "Oh my god, are you alright?" and then they hand us a handkerchief or just start praying for healing words to clean us up before the cutscene proceeds lol
It's whatever, blood and mud isn't really run ending. The astral touched tadpole on the other hand can sink my motivation to play out the third act a bit, depending on how it ends up looking on a given character. Not every character is the same in this regard. It looks quite different if playing as a Dragonborn or a lineage with scales, or as a Half Orc or maybe a Tief who already has horns and crazy demon eyes. For the more mundane humans and elves the visual is somewhat more overpowering. Volo's Eye I can ignore, but the half-Illithid stuff nearly ruined me again.
Thankfully Runa Vall doesn't care all that much and just rocks the scales now I suppose. I had been using the shredder hood, since I have light armor proficiency with the 2 lvls in warlock, but that jacks with the AC bonus from our bracers of defense and the scales. It's the difference between 19 AC and 14 AC so can't be wearing that one. Had me rethinking the itemization I went for now.
It shouldn't be a shocker I suppose that listening to the Dream Guardian all those times just came back to haunt us, but unlike some other story based choices we might make (like with Volo's eye) this one requires a check and that check is also weighted against how many abilities were unlocked. Passing the point of no return, no reload, there's just nothing to be done for it really without giving up the ghost. At least with the mud we can break out our canteen for a shower, but the tadpole bit is more perma style, with no backsies. It's like darkside corruption that can't be hidden. Even in a setting full of magical disguises, there's still just nothing for it. We get some facepaint and body art options sure, some zombie makeup or similar at the mirror, but no matter which pattern we choose the tadpole visual is always telegraphed from a mile away. We see Ethel and Orin guising about and doing stuff to make themselves inconspicuous, but for our main characters it's no such luck, even with the mask that changes our appearance. All those avatars just do the same thing and end up looking the same way, veins around the eyes and such.
No facepaint option to just paint over our whole face at once to cover up the half illithid-ness. Like the full venetian plaster foundation method. All the paint and tattoo options are just some version of a Darth Maul or like tribal whatevers from the late 90s, with a lot of gaps. I tried a few glowing face tats but didn't really fit the vibe. There are some masks and helmets I guess, if I feel like watching all the cinematics without any facial expressions, but I can't masquerade much there either. The optimal shredder hood of Menzoberranzan competes with other headgear that would be better for my character concept, and it has those special armor proficiency requirements that nerf anything based on wearing no armor. You're also then locked into that armored appearance for the duration, rather than using the camp appearance, since the latter doesn't have hats or headgear of any sort.
I feel like the visualization they foist on us for this stuff would recommend some headgear like Zorro, or Visas Marr from KOTOR 2, maybe a hood with a deeper cowl like Kreia's (also from KOTOR 2). Basically riding hats with the brims super low, such that we never see our characters eyes at all. The Shar/twister sister look I suppose, but again, not on offer for the custom character. I searched the whole sewer for a phantom of the opera mask, but never came across one lol. Plenty of capes with clips, but no scarves or like habits with a veil to gloss things over like sister Lidwin. I think probably the best one can get is to crank one of the face tattoo options so it's glowing, maybe with the devil lines over everything to knock it back, but again just kinda looked weird to me.
Since the main offender here happens pretty far along in the campaign, it just feels like there should be a way to choose how the Half-Illithid transformation will present on the character with a bit more nuance. You know, with more than just a one-size-fits-all approach. For example, the blackout sclera or demon eye effect might be separated from the spider neck veins or whatever, maybe a slider to change the colors etc. Depending on the base avatar model chosen initially, the portraits will also show this half-ilithid effect pretty differently. Wyll getting horns, or Shadoheart going platinum is similar, but both those characters are companions, it feels different when the same thing happens to the Player's own creation.
When it comes to the main character I feel like the game shouldn't be all trying to yank the steering wheel away from me or force us to course correct the character's sense of aesthetic progression (or lack of) in that way. Not when there's still like another 100 hours of gameplay to go after that point.
It comes across as an obvious malus for the character who leans villainous, because there is nothing we can really do about it in terms of dissembling. Whereas if there was an option to "Hide Illithid Appearance" whether through magic or mundane UI button means, then the same thing happening would probably come across as a cool bonus.
Choosing to look like the worm when you want would be a bit different than just always looking that way, if there was a toggle for this like there is for camp appearance it wouldn't be the same issue, but this feels more forceful than it needs to be. The choice during the final ascent is largely similar where my attachment to any specific character concept just immediately tanks if going for the full Illithid transformation. This is framed as the self sacrificing choice rather than a power play, so that's a bit odd.
You can eschew the initial half-transformation thinking you're doing the right thing there, only to get hit by that same train again at the end. If instead the player chooses vanity and just wants to keep their initial appearance it might be too late for honour. The way that scene goes down the choice comes after a long fight and a long expository monologue, with dice rolls for the checks too. Comes at a somewhat inconvenient point in the campaign too, right before we head back to a situation with normal lighting. On the surface in Rivington, with a lot of mini-cutscenes and convo dialogs in rapid succession where of course I just notice my face a lot more. Stuff like this hammers the replay in Act III for me, because I start making meta choices based on the appearance changes that I know will eventually occur.
The game goes out of its way to present that one as a particularly consequential choice, but for me it was a consequence of the choices that I already made, the dialogue looped me cause I was too far gone. I think the only option was to stomp the tadpole, which I declined to do. It's just kinda funny. I'm hiding in the slums right now trying to figure it all out lol
This is what we're dealing with...
This my current solution.
I ended up leaning into the Red Dragon lineage, red tone 5 with the glowing pink tattoos just cause it gave an alright portrait and seemed to fit the draconic vibes. Redder than Orin at least, maybe not quite as red as Raphael lol
I keep running back into the barn to make adjustments, I guess it's our dragons lair now lol.
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I did some reading about the recommended MC options and some of them are indeed very powerful (if not outright broken), but that's fine by me. I'm running a mod that eliminates the party size limit so I'm fairly sure there's nothing that my 11-man party of myself, Shadowheart, Lae'zel, Gale, Astarion, Wyll, Karlach, Halsin, Jaheira, Minsc and that Bard henchman can't handle. ;P
