Dungeons and Dragons’ Forgotten Realms setting is filled with iconic characters. Elminster Aumar, Minsc of Rashemen, Jarlaxle Baenre, the list goes on. But the true ‘face’ of the Forgotten Realms, Faerun’s most famous and memorable denizen, has always been Drizzt Do’Urden, the daring but tortured drow ranger created by R. A. Salvatore. That said, with Salvatore’s retirement imminent and Baldur’s Gate 3 bringing hordes of new players to Dungeons and Dragons, another character is taking over as the central figure of the Forgotten Realms. The man coming for Drizzt’s crown is none other than Astarion, the vampire spawn rogue who captured the hearts of Baldur’s Gate 3 fans much as Drizzt himself first did so many years ago.
Drizzt Do'Urden: The Centerpiece of the Forgotten Realms
First introduced in the 1988 novel The Crystal Shard, Drizzt Do’Urden began life as a sidekick for the barbarian Wulfgar, another of Salvatore’s characters. But his unexpected popularity caused the author to give Drizzt more prominence in future novels, and his impact on Dungeons and Dragons as a whole was quickly felt.
It’s easy to see how Drizzt became so beloved — he’s a rare heroic example of the typically uniformly evil drow race; he’s an unquestioned badass who has faced dragons, giants, gods, and more; and he is, of course, devastatingly handsome. His appearances quickly increased, and he’s shown up in tabletop adventures, video games (including multiple previous Baldur’s Gate games), comics, and more.
While Drizzt is still popular, a new wave of Dungeons and Dragons fans, brought to the game via Baldur’s Gate 3, Stranger Things, or the Honor Among Thieves films, are less and less familiar with the drow ranger. Additionally, in an interview with Polygon in September 2025, R. A. Salvatore stated that he wanted to retire from writing about Drizzt following two remaining in-progress books featuring the character. This doesn’t mean that Drizzt’s time is fully at an end, but he will perhaps no longer play such a central role in future Forgotten Realms-based media.
Dungeons and Dragons Is Entering An 'Age of Astarion'
Since Baldur’s Gate 3’s release and subsequent massive success, Dungeons and Dragons has been increasingly pushing Astarion’s prominence as a character belonging to the Forgotten Realms setting as a whole. He made a cameo in the most recent version of the Player’s Handbook, and, in November 2025, will be receiving his own book: Astarion’s Book of Hungers, currently available as part of the Forgotten Realms Ultimate Bundle. The upcoming Heroes of Faerun and Adventures in Faerun books, which include both Drizzt and the Baldur’s Gate 3 adventuring party, truly feels like a “passing of the torch” moment, with the Realms’ former champion giving way to its new defenders.
Astarion’s increasing focus has not been limited to official books. He also recently featured as the central character of a story event in the mobile game Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms. He continues to appear in Dungeons and Dragons sessions hosted at fan conventions throughout the year — notably, when D&D introduced its Sigil platform, one of the very first things publicly shown was a character model of Astarion.
- May 2024: Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms unveils Vecna: Eve of Ruin campaign, with Astarion as a starring character
- August 2024: Dungeons and Dragons one-shot starring Astarion (and Karlach) reveals Sigil platform at GenCon 2024
- September 2024: Revised Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook features surprise Astarion cameo
- October 2024: Astarion appears in “What We Do In The Shadow-Cursed Lands”, a one-shot at MCM London
- February 2025: Dungeons and Dragons sponsors another one-shot featuring Astarion and other Baldur’s Gate 3 characters at MagicCon Chicago.
- May 2025: Official Dungeons and Dragons social media accounts significantly increase posting of Astarion and Neil Newbon content — including debuting a “Best of Astarion in D&D” playlist on YouTube
- Spring-Summer 2025: Announcement of several official Astarion merchandise items, including plushies, figurines, and more
- August 2025: Astarion’s Book of Hungers revealed at GenCon 2025
- November 2025: Official release of Astarion’s Book of Hungers
Additionally, various official Dungeons and Dragons social media accounts frequently share Astarion-related content: highlighting his Player’s Handbook cameo, quoting his iconic “Full, concentrated power of the sun” line, and clipping actor Neil Newbon’s best moments from one-shots and interviews. Notably, on October 3, multiple social media accounts, including Facebook and X, shared a clip of Newbon decisively stating “I’m not ready to let [Astarion] go.” Perhaps, given Astarion’s increasing prominence in Forgotten Realms-based content, he won’t have to.
Why Astarion Is The Perfect Choice To Take Drizzt's Crown
In addition to Astarion becoming a generally recognizable character due to his distinctive looks and popularity, there are many reasons why he is a good choice for Dungeons and Dragons to promote as the face of the Forgotten Realms. First among them is the fact that the two characters actually share a number of similarities — there is no confirmation that Astarion was directly inspired by Drizzt, but it’s definitely a possibility. Beyond the white hair, fondness for duel wielding, and alliterative names, the two have a lot in comic:
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Drizzt Do’Urden |
Astarion Ancunin |
|
|
Heroic member of a usually antagonistic group |
The first “good drow,” changed perception of race. |
Vampire spawn were previously primarily enemy creatures. |
|
Known for their good looks |
Considered extremely attractive but doesn’t know it, many admirers |
Considered extremely attractive and knows it, can be romanced by a player. |
|
Traumatic past involving a ‘master’ figure |
As a male drow, forced to be subservient to Matron Malice Do’Urden, eventually escapes Menzoberranzan. |
Forced to be subservient to his sire, Cazador Szarr, until freed by the tadpole |
|
Similar character arc |
Begins as a loner before reluctantly becoming friends with many others during his time in Icewind Dale. |
Begins as a loner before reluctantly becoming friends with the other Baldur’s Gate 3 companions. |
|
Anti-hero |
Brooding personality hides a genuinely good heart, ultimately a hero. |
Snarky personality can be revealed to be hiding a genuinely kind heart, depending on player choices. |
If Astarion is indeed going to serve as the face of the Forgotten Realms going forward, the setting couldn’t be in better hands. The character has already inspired many Baldur’s Gate 3 players to check out Dungeons and Dragons, and will continue to do so in the future. Plus, Newbon is a huge fan of Drizzt — when vampire spawn and drow met during an official High Rollers one-shot, Astarion immediately fawned over him and saved his precious scimitars from being eaten by Gale. The crown is truly passing from one icon to another, and it is unlikely that Drizzt will ever be truly put aside or forgotten — his influence in Dungeons and Dragons will always be present.