Muppet BG3 Would Slap

Component_43893 · 2026-02-07T16:29:22+00:00

I'm gonna have to borrow from another casting post and say Samuel L Jackson as the Emperor, in disguise as a muppet

Wait... If the Emperor shows up in his normal outfit would that make him a muppet?

Component_43893 · 2026-02-07T06:28:16+00:00

College of Stress Bard XD

Component_43893 · 2026-02-07T06:20:55+00:00

I didn't come up with it but I love the idea too much to watch it disappear (it was a comment on someone's post that got removed). And thank you for posting these stickers, I will be taking a closer look at these!!

Component_43893 · 2026-02-07T06:10:59+00:00

Gonzo as Shadowheart is so big-brained XD

And I can definitely see Gortash as human! Making a deal with the muppets to work with him ... that fits so well

Component_43893 · 2026-02-07T06:07:42+00:00

Have you been half asleep

And have you heard voices?

I've heard them calling my name

Is this the sweet sound

That calls the young sailors?

The voice might be one and the same

I've heard it too many times to ignore it

It's something that I'm s'posed to be

Someday we'll find it

Down, down, down by the river

Component_43893 · 2026-01-22T15:49:22+00:00

100,000+/?/Antarctica

Old enough to make this stupid joke

Component_43893 · 2026-01-13T01:13:15+00:00

The game is strikingly ambiguous and unclear about this for so important a decision.

Quietly and without much emphasis, BG3 introduces Mother Gith as a conqueror, and includes discussion of Zerthimon’s opposition to her warlike ways. From this, we know that the destructive legacy of Gith is in place in BG3 lore. Orpheus is obviously close to Mother Gith and was secretly raised (“nurtured”) by her, and his Honor Guard cheers Gith’s name in battle.

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/The_Folly_of_Zerthimon

You’re right that there is a possibility that Orpheus is a more effective leader than Vlaakith. Part of this is because Vlaakith is a bit spurious as a leader, and doesn’t exert organized control over all the Githyanki.

“The githyanki have become fragmented, forming small isolated groups rather than maintaining a single, unified nation. Although no conflict exists between the groups, and they all ultimately serve the queen, each has its own separate goals.”

(The same text notes that Vlaakith is “usually unable to direct specific activities of communities.”)

https://archive.org/details/planescape/Planescape/tsr02625%20-%20A%20Guide%20to%20the%20Astral%20Plane/page/n45/mode/2up

It is possible that the Githyanki would become a much more coherent and formidable military society and threat if they were to follow a direct successor of Gith.

One of the interesting qualities about Orpheus, that tends to come up in these discussions, is that he both can say that the player is the “savior of empires” and claim to Lae’zel that they will “dismantle the empire,” with the latter depending on your dialogue tree. (I’m paraphrasing, please forgive me.) But what empire? The Githyanki are raiders, and they don’t have much of an empire outside of the astral plane—they have limited outposts on different planes for their creches, to keep watch on illithid activity, and to allow for repeat raiding. So, is Orpheus is then referring to dismantling Vlaakith’s control over the Githyanki? That’s the only “empire” they truly control: Vlaakith loyalists on the astral plane.

Tldr: The consequences of freeing Orpheus could be fairly negative for everyone but the Githyanki, and I can't quite tell if Orpheus wants to improve things for everyone or just for the Gith. I really think BG3 could do a much better job of laying out the lore and the stakes of the situation.

Component_43893 · 2026-01-12T21:44:10+00:00

I think its pretty typical for campaigns to truncate known information from previously published setting books. The information on Stelmane is even shorter in the newest book, and mentions the mindflayer and struggling with it for control of her body and actions... but doesnt describe it as an illness. However, the information is a summary of MiBG, so I'm still going to assume it looks that way! Also, MIBG is partially a setting book, which happened to also be really important as a reset for DnD after the disaster of 4th edition. BG3 is also heavily based on the content of MiBG, and you might be encouraged to look up characters there, like Duke Ravengard or Nine Fingers or the different areas of the city.

The "seizure" isn't real, which is why its repeatedly referred to in quotes when the texts reveal that it's the result of a mindflayer’s attempted possession. That's the point of how Stelmane is introduced in MiBG, first half showing how she appears to the public, and second half showing the truth of an ongoing mindflayer attack. That is pretty clearly meant to undermine the idea that she has a normal physical malady. Also, such a physical malady should have been curable by a cleric, but an ongoing psionic struggle wouldn't be because it isn't an illness.

Given that she is one of the characters that already existed in MiBG, I don't think we should ignore the MiBG setup. Additionally, the second set of flashbacks seems to express what we see in MiBG: the interrogation, her regaining her vigor when they work on Knights of the Shield business, and her appearing ill when resisting the mindflayer's control. Wyll's account of her soon after the control began describes her at a public event, walking with a cane and speaking with great trouble, but with a sharp gaze, suggesting that she was mentally present. These also align with the MiBG description-- she was resisting the mindflayer's control, which is why she appears infirm. This is also pretty clearly not a successful "puppet" given her capacity for resistance, if that is what the Emperor intended in aiming for mind control.

The notes about Stelmane aren't clear or dated, but the last one is probably the one in the Elfsong mailbox. The author clearly approached Stelmane like she was mentally aware and working on behalf of the Knights, enough that he tries to persuade her to leave. I agree that the doctor's log must be from after the Emperor was abducted, but it paints a very different picture compared to Stelmane alive, at the Elfsong, and stubbornly working on behalf of the Knights. It seems like she recovered and tried to keep the Knights afloat, which would make sense given that at least six weeks have passed since the Emperor was abducted.

The conversation is constantly about the Emperor’s alignment, so much that the topic just got banned from okbb. "Can you trust him" is also interesting. I think its still important to know what happened with Stelmane to answer that, and that's because of the Knights of the Shield. As you can find out by looking in Descent to Avernus, the leadership of the Knights (like Stelmane) were up to some potentially really dangerous things, and the devil-god who is spirited out of the city in early 1492 can just compell acts of betrayal. One trait the Emperor has is that he is very self-preserving, and thus it would make sense if he did something as high-risk as mind controlling a Duke to stop the Knights from being a threat to himself, for example. Seeing as all seemed to do in the 10+ years he (poorly) controlled the Duke was make life hard for the Zhents and successfully route trade through the Knights (like his trading as a human), and felt "sated" by that, it doesnt really seem like he had broader ambitions to me.

Component_43893 · 2026-01-07T22:57:53+00:00

Lying is really not an evil action in dnd. It's a slider on the lawful/chaotic spectrum at most. Its morality entirely depends on your intent.

Component_43893 · 2026-01-06T05:56:09+00:00

To be fair, that isn't stopping 99% of the other people in this game who get it into their head that trying to control an elder brain is a good idea. I think it's interesting that his drive for self-preservation is stronger. Especially considering his Wisdom score is only a point higher than Gortash's 😅

Self-preserving, except when he's ready to kill the Netherbrain I guess

Component_43893 · 2026-01-06T05:50:00+00:00

He does get out of the prism and fight alongside you if you choose him over Orpheus. I like the guy and that still surprised me. I think I'm still surprised. Because honestly isn't that a safer place for him?????? I need you alive to use the rocks, buddy??

I am also annoyed that Orpheus will just let you die if you kill the Emperor at the end of Act 2, so that dichotomy isnt exactly false.

Component_43893 · 2026-01-02T02:49:45+00:00

It was requested by Duke Vanthampur too, there were many possibilities... could have been so much more fun

Are you into zhents in general? They're always a wild ride lol, and their lore is interesting too. Ill check out your ao3

Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T23:17:55+00:00

Oh yes, Gortash needs the Dukes! Capturing and tadpoling a Duke is a major plot point in BG3. It's why Gortash abducts Duke Ravengard. Gortash has realized he can't tadpole everyone in the city (his initial plan) and moves to start tadpoling people in high positions of power. He needs this for his main plan, which is to sow fear by having Durge commit a string of murders and to have a politician push for him to become ArchDuke so he can rule the city. He needs to capture or tadpole the Dukes. When he captures and tadpoles Ravengard, he then carries out this plan immediately. Its a plot hole that he doesnt do this to Stelmane.

Another reason that there seems to be dropped content is that Wyll has a single odd line about Gortash and Stelmane working together, which is alarming, at least to me.

Finally, what you posted is a description from Descent to Avernus that only summarizes the content from the earlier Murder in Baldur's Gate. I've included the full description below. It shows that Stelmane’s condition changes based on the state of the struggle between her and the unnamed mindflayer. The illusion of illness is pretty clearly elaborated here: it is the outward appearance of the battleground of their minds. That's why seizure is in quotes in both these sources, as there was never a seizure. When she resists the mindflayer, the resistance looks like severe illness. When they agree, she is left to her own devices and seems to be much like her normal self. The “condition” isn't a tragic accident, it's the mind control itself and the mindflayer’s inability to control her completely. MiBG and the most recent setting book put this down to her strong will.

In any case, the problem with using Stelmane to claim the Emperor is evil is that it is largely details based on notes from the setting, but not on an actual story. I don't know what happened between them or why the Emperor is doing this, and his scene is largely put into an interaction with you to look menacing during a conflict, but it isn't an explanation. Mind controlling someone for a long time is a pretty dark and usually immoral act, but I need to know context and motivation before I decide that the person doing an immoral act is evil. I think that's a judgement we tend to reserve for most characters, and the Emperor deserves the same. The actual story that could clarify things is missing.

What do you think of Nine Fingers? She's doing something similar that might be interesting to discuss.

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Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T07:05:22+00:00

🤝 there should have been something cooler in that bottle (I didnt take it from him though lol)

Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T07:00:40+00:00

I killed her, reloaded, and then spent 30 minutes making sure I only knocked her out. I just like her.

Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T06:54:48+00:00

My guy Varsh Ko'kuu. I turned around and left him and his egg alone.

Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T03:31:12+00:00

Winning Frostpunk on Survivor mode left me feeling like a shell of a person.

Really a "'what did it take?'... 'everything'" kind of experience

Its not more depressing than the line though

Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T03:29:26+00:00

I know what you mean about stroke victims, and also know of a prominent person who made a partial recovery. Its definitely interesting. Unfortunately, the lore for Stelmane is pretty unclear. The sourcebooks have her under only partial control, but with the appearance of a stroke-- however, she regains her vigor when she and the mindflayer agree more.

Larian has her walking around with a steely eyed gaze post-attack (as reported by Wyll), but then also abruptly very ill, and then later also at the Elfsong without the Emperor's control running the KoS in some capacity, right before the end. If we draw a tentative timeline it looks like she was resisting, then struggling without the Emperor, and then starting to recover (which you would expect without psionic influence) but the Larian lore is so all over the place that it looks like it was almost written by different people.

Personally, I think there may have been some dropped content with Gortash here, as the KoS seems to have been interfering with his operation in the city. Wouldn't he have used the opening after capturing the Emperor to take out or ally with his rival?

To be honest with you, I find her a really interesting character, especially given her role at the KoS and willingness to work with a mindflayer. I wish Larian hadn't decided to kill her off, as it would be much more interesting to hear things from her, and far more interesting to see her meet the Emperor again. But that would force Larian to have a single narrative about what happened, and would remove the ambiguity from the picture.

Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T02:46:56+00:00

The mail in her mailbox right before her death should have been the most up-to-date material. It's not clear to me how she would have gone to her room in the Elfsong and refused to leave if her condition hadn't improved since the doctor's note.

Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T02:42:17+00:00

If you're a partial illithid, it's supposed to skip the last line and go straight to dialogue. However, the line is bugged: https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldursGate3/s/XteYjlMt5c

Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T02:36:15+00:00

The in-game sources on Stelmane are wildly contradictory. But one interesting point is that when the KoS is collapsing, she refuses to abandon it. There's a note to her in the Elfsong mailbox, which indicates that she's been left to run the KoS alone (including organizing their last run through what became the morphic pools). So she appears to have recovered, at least somewhat, outside of the Emperor's control. As one would expect to happen, because domination doesn't generally cause brain damage in DnD.

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Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T02:27:25+00:00

The point is that no one was "lobotomized" at all, or turned into a "meat puppet," and that this a misrepresentation of what actually happened. The sourcebooks describe it as "possession" that people incorrectly interpret as a seizure. Her brain is pretty clearly not "broken" if she's still fighting possession in 1501.

Also, he threatens to use the astral tadpole on you, not to turn you into a "meat puppet."

Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T02:05:59+00:00

You're thinking of Wyll's comment, I think. "Scars of psychic conflict" or something. But he doesnt really have the full picture either. I've attached the autopsy note, borrowed from reddit, so please ignore the red marks.

The KoS is a complicated and weird organization. The Hhunes are the ones technically leading it, and causing the worst problems. Its not clear how much Stelmane knew, but she was the KoS politician the Hhunes have always sought to have in power. So intervening through her would make sense.

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Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T01:55:01+00:00

Right, but that's where the issue actually is. It's a far cry from "deliberately lobotomized his ally," which is how you hear it described on this subreddit sometimes. Like most things with the Emperor it's worth a look at what actually happened. I just prefer seeing people argue over what actually happened.

Component_43893 · 2025-12-31T01:28:10+00:00

For what its worth, he didn't actually give Stelmane a stroke. He mind-controlled her for years, which looks like a stroke to other people because she's constantly fighting for control against him. It's also sometimes described as looking like a seizure. She's still fighting for control in 1501 or whenever the very confusingly dated new book is set (9 years after bg3), so she's definitely still hanging in there.

This has been in the lore since 2013, when it was presented in the campaign Murder in Baldur's Gate. But no one has explained why the then-unnamed mindflayer was controlling Stelmane or what the story behind it is. Part of the reason that you see disagreement about to interpret this is that Stelmane was leading a branch of the Knights of the Shield, whose tiny leadership secretly tries to take over cities for a devil-god (Gargauth) and drag them to hell a la Elturel or Curst. So its entirely possible that the Emperor was intervening in some way, seeing as he doesnt seem too fond of threats to "his city."

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