ASTARION'S BOOK OF HUNGERS - Vampires, Feats, and Baldur's Gate Treats!
RPGBOT.Podcast22 Des 2025

ASTARION'S BOOK OF HUNGERS - Vampires, Feats, and Baldur's Gate Treats!

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Baldur's Gate 3 romance options escaped into your tabletop rules? Today, we dive into Astarion's Book of Hungers, where vampires are sexy, feats are thirsty, and WotC's DLC pricing… is definitely giving "gaslight, gatekeep, vampire spawn."

The team reviews the digital-only D&D supplement Astarion's Book of Hungers, a Baldur's Gate-themed 32-page add-on focused on vampires, Dhampir characters, feats, and mini-adventures, tied to Faerûn but clearly intended as DLC-style tabletop content.

Highlights
  • Dhampir species updated, but weakened from 2014 (loss of Deathless Nature, bite now unarmed strike).
  • New backgrounds tied to vampire themes (Devotee, Survivor, Carouser) with strong roleplay hooks.
  • Feat quality varies from flavorful to "why is this here" (looking at you, Bomber).
  • Epic boons are thematically fun but situational.
  • Bestiary mostly devils + vampire variants (Infernalist, Wardens).
  • Two adventures, but they're basically the same fight twice set in Rat's Run Tavern.
Show Notes

In this episode of the RPGBOT.Podcast, the crew reviews Astarion's Book of Hungers, the digital-only supplement featuring the updated Dhampir species, vampire-flavored feats, new backgrounds, devil monsters, and two short adventures centered around the Rat's Run Tavern in Baldur's Gate.

The hosts analyze the design changes, compare Dhampir options between the 2014 and 2024 rules, evaluate feat quality, and critique the DLC-like release strategy. They share lore details about Astarion, his abusive sire Kassador, and how Baldur's Gate 3 influenced this supplement's tone and art direction.

Listeners get practical advice on when the rules matter, when the flavor shines, and whether this $15 digital release actually delivers value, or whether players are better off saving their money for bigger releases.

Key Takeaways
  • Dhampir changes are mechanical changes; same flavor, less abusable.
  • New feats range from fun to unoptimized; several needed Unearthed Arcana playtesting.
  • Bestiary is small but flavorful with devil-focused lore.
  • Adventures feel duplicated and minimal.
  • The value proposition feels overpriced for what's delivered.
  • Strong warnings that this sets an unwelcome D&D DLC precedent.
Join the RPGBOT Patreon

If you enjoy episodes like this, join the RPGBOT Patreon, where you can:

  • Listen to RPGBOT.Podcast recording sessions live
  • Get ad-free RPGBOT.net content
  • Listen to ad-free episodes of the podcast
  • And be part of every critical fail, hot take, and vampire thirst moment (purely for research purposes, of course).

Join the RPGBOT Patreon and support deep-dive TTRPG analysis with zero commercials interrupting your build planning.

Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you.

Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players.

Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings.

Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community.

Meet the Hosts
  • Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix.

  • Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme.

  • Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy.

Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos.

How to Find Us:

In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net

Tyler Kamstra Ash Ely Randall James Producer Dan

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(651)

PANDEMONIUM (Remastered) - Speaking of Things that are Chaotic...

PANDEMONIUM (Remastered) - Speaking of Things that are Chaotic...

Welcome to Pandemonium, the plane where the wind screams, gravity is a rumor, and every emergency exit has a reasonable chance of dropping you directly into the Abyss. Tyler explains the cosmology, Ra...

25 Jul 0s

ARCHIVE OF MESS-US - Everyone Failed Their Diplomacy Check

ARCHIVE OF MESS-US - Everyone Failed Their Diplomacy Check

Tonight, the RPGBOT.Podcast enters the discourse arena, where Paizo is financially bleeding, Archives of Nethys accidentally brought a flamethrower to a contract negotiation, and the internet has alre...

23 Jul 0s

UNEARTHED ARCANA - EVEN MORE VILLAINOUS OPTIONS: Evil Gets a Second Draft

UNEARTHED ARCANA - EVEN MORE VILLAINOUS OPTIONS: Evil Gets a Second Draft

We return to Wizards of the Coast's Villainous Options, now revised after the first round was lovingly pushed down the stairs by public feedback. Some subclasses survived untouched. Some got a makeove...

20 Jul 0s

2014 DnD 5e MONKS Levels 5 - 20 (Remastered) - Beyond the Flurry of Blows: Strategic Tips for Mastering the Class

2014 DnD 5e MONKS Levels 5 - 20 (Remastered) - Beyond the Flurry of Blows: Strategic Tips for Mastering the Class

At levels 1 through 4, the 2014 Monk is a beautiful dream: you punch, you kick, you spend ki like a raccoon with a stolen credit card. Then levels 5 through 20 arrive, and suddenly the class asks, "Wo...

18 Jul 1h 12min

CASTING MISSILES - Adapting DnD to Other Levels of Technology

CASTING MISSILES - Adapting DnD to Other Levels of Technology

This week on the RPGBOT.Podcast, the hosts ask the eternal tabletop question: what happens when your beloved fantasy RPG grows up, gets a driver's license, discovers firearms, and immediately becomes ...

16 Jul 1h 4min

PF2 ROGUE Part 2 - Scoundrels, Ruffians, and Weaponized Gaslighting

PF2 ROGUE Part 2 - Scoundrels, Ruffians, and Weaponized Gaslighting

Before the rogues can reach legendary proficiency, the episode must first survive the real high-level threats: Producer Dan being sleepy, Tyler's aggressively early bedtime policy, Ash explaining the ...

13 Jul 58min

2014 DnD 5e MONKS Levels 1 - 4 (Remastered) - Ascend to Greatness or Stumble in the Shadows

2014 DnD 5e MONKS Levels 1 - 4 (Remastered) - Ascend to Greatness or Stumble in the Shadows

Monks are supposed to be serene masters of body, mind, and spirit, which is adorable because in 2014 DnD 5e they mostly begin life as a lightly dressed Dex-Wis-Con spreadsheet sprinting toward danger ...

11 Jul 51min

PF2 ROGUE Part 1 - Accurate, exhausted, and one step from an infomercial

PF2 ROGUE Part 1 - Accurate, exhausted, and one step from an infomercial

Once the table finally escapes the opening chaos and cat crimes, Tyler, Randall, and Ash dive into Pathfinder 2e rogues, proving that the class is not just a sneaky knife gremlin. It is also a walking...

9 Jul 57min

Populært innen Fritid

rss-spartsklubben
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
nerdelandslaget
interiorradet
mil-etter-mil-en-podcast-om-bil
0-100-med-broom-mats-og-remi
rss-avskiltet
rss-gatebilpodden
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
rss-jegerpodden
level-backup
villmarksliv
fjellsportpodden
jegerpodden
jakt-og-fiskepodden
rss-var-forste-kaffe
hagespiren-podcast
sondagsquiz-med-hasse-tophe
klokkepodden
rss-jenzki-pang-slenge-med-leppa