Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion and Karlach show off new D&D rules in live event

Two of the most popular characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 have returned as part of a D&D live event at GenCon 2024, showing off the updated rules, as well as the new virtual sandbox for online play.

While Astarion and Karlach were created in Baldur’s Gate 3, there’s nothing stopping people from adding them to their D&D campaign. There are even official player versions of the characters for those who want to take them on adventures that don’t involve tadpoles stuck in their brains.

Indeed, the voice actors who played the Baldur’s Gate 3 cast have reprised their roles in D&D events in the past as part of a High Rollers show. The events of this show even became official, with the character of Bing Bong being referenced in the new Baldur’s Gate 3 epilogue.

The heroes of Baldur’s Gate 3 have returned, as Neil Newbon and Samantha Béart reprised their roles as Astarion and Karlach as part of a D&D live event at GenCon 2024, alongside Anjali Bhimani and Lee Mulligan, with Aabria Iyengar as the DM. The show is now available on the Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel.

The show featured a look at the new D&D rules, which were made available for the first time to attendees at the event, as the first Player’s Handbooks were sold at GenCon 2024. These are a heavily revised and updated version of the D&D 5E ruleset, which is receiving its first significant overhaul since 2014.

The game also featured a look at Project Sigil, the upcoming virtual tabletop experience currently in closed beta. This is a 3D sandbox that players and DMs can use to act out battles and dungeon exploration, which will be especially useful for online players.

The success of Baldur’s Gate 3 and the nature of D&D as a multimedia franchise means that we’ll probably see more of its cast in the future.

Tav’s companions have earned a lot of love among the fanbase, and their actors will always be welcome to reprise their roles in D&D video games and live shows for years to come.

This is to say nothing of the game itself. We should expect to see Shadowheart and Wyll hanging out with the likes of Drizzt and Elminster for decades to come, as they’re now part of the pantheon of beloved D&D heroes.