D&D 5E Rise of Tiamat - looking for input on our next session [spoilery]

[criticalfumble]

Hi everyone - I'm currently taking a group through RoT, and this next session is sort of transitional in nature. There are a few loose ends and storylines that might need wrapping up. Looking for a few suggestions. Here are some pertinent details:

• A few sessions ago, the group completed the Sea of Moving Ice episode. They rescued Maccath and were returning south when they chose to murder the entire crew of the Frostskimmer (they're 14, don't ask).
• They eventually returned Maccath to Luskan (she demanded to return there and not to Waterdeep), and there they heard about the hook for the Frozen Castle adventure (pulled from RoT, but available on DMs Guild). They headed up north again, befriended the crazy wizard Allac and his Yeti friends, ultimately getting away with the castle with Allac and the Yetis as crew members. They're headed south to Waterdeep in the castle as things stand now.
• As a practical matter outside the storyline, two friends have joined the group, taking the number of players to six. I had been playing an NPC party member (a cleric of Torm who is a bit of a goody-two-shoes), who now needs a reason to exit the party. He's no longer needed, as one of the new characters has healing, and six players will be a bit much with regard to balance.

I see a few problems here:

• As I said, I need to get the NPC cleric out of the mix.
• I'm OK with the party having the castle, but having Allac and the crew of ~25 Yetis seems a bit much, power-wise.
• I feel like there should be some consequences (maybe fun ones) for what the party did to the crew of the Frostskimmer. Some of them are good-aligned, or neutral.

My thoughts about how to solve them, so far:

• I think the NPC cleric is probably so thoroughly disgusted with the party's actions on the Frostskimmer that he decides to leave the party now that they're headed back to civilization.
• Maybe the Yetis don't like the warm weather in the south, so they and Allac decide it's not for them and return north, forcing the party to source a more conventional crew in Waterdeep.
• I'm toying with what seems like a rather outlandish, but possibly fun consequence for the party's cold blooded murder of the crew of the Frostskimmer. Perhaps Lerustah Half-face (the captain) comes back as a Revenant. Maybe he even encountered a Storm Giant in his watery grave during his transformation, and the giant was moved by his cause, returning with him to seek vengeance on the party in a showdown on the cloud castle, either before or after Allac and the Yetis depart. Perhaps the NPC cleric departs or dies during that encounter.

Any thoughts? I want to have the NPC cleric's exit make sense with the storyline and be memorable. He's been with the party through 11 levels of adventuring, and been a colorful, counterbalancing character during that time. I want the campaign from this point forward to be fun, but I also want to make sure things don't get wildly out of balance. Things are already a little bit like that, as some of the harder encounters in the AP are not as hard as maybe they should be.

Anyway, I welcome any inputs or suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[Eltab]

Half-Face does come back as a Revenant, he surprises the party camping at night, and he unloads on ... the Cleric of Torm. Because he cannot tell which PC is which in the dark. Then he launches on the 'most guilty' PC, until one or the other is destroyed. Let the PCs find somebody in Waterdeep who can explain what a Revenant is and what they can expect to happen in the future.

 

[criticalfumble]

I like the "slow realization of what's in their future" aspect of that. Hopefully they've not run across this one in the Monster Manual before. I can see where the next time they bump into him (in a new body) will potentially be even better.

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[robus]

Goody NPC cleric is not happy with the murder-hoboing of the innocent Frostskimmr crew? Says he needs to go on a pilgrimage as penitence for his sins?

Definitely resolving the Yeti and Frostskimmr developments in a battle seems like a great idea. I think you've got a good handle on how this should play out.

 

[werecorpse]

I think your ideas are good and you should probably go with them. here are a couple more based on the NPC no longer being needed as a mechanical crutch (healer) and is now useful as a storytelling tool - following the premise "If you can't be a good example be a horrible warning."

the good cleric either
1. Cracks due to the darkness of murdering the crew, goes maniacally evil switching to a death cleric (maybe Tiamat?) steals something and runs off to join the dragon cult - or maybe he always was a double agent?
2. During the next battle is stripped of his powers mid battle for major alignment violation -he may die horribly and when he does die his soul is obviously (to the party) rejected by Torm ("you are no true hero") and banished to purgatory or hell. if he survives he realises that in the battle against evil he has lost his way and must now return to his home temple to seek atonement.

The yeti
1. If they end up near a good town the yeti decide to go secretly hunting and bring back a bunch of dead citizens for the larder - provoking an attack by the forces of good
2. Have an internal yeti election where they essentially form into two factions that hate each other and the party has to choose which one they will keep and what to do with the other - otherwise the crew will just keep shiving each other until they are down to a manageable number.

 

[criticalfumble]

Nice! Thanks everyone. I think there are some great options here. I'm thinking NPC cleric's powers desert him, and the Yetis behave badly. That should make for some excellent drama. In the meantime, Half-Face becomes the party's new best friend... Plus I think the council will be none too pleased with certain aspects of this. A cloud castle to add to the final fray, but unwanted distractions.

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[Eltab]

I like the "slow realization of what's in their future" aspect of that. Hopefully they've not run across this one in the Monster Manual before. I can see where the next time they bump into him (in a new body) will potentially be even better.

He shows up next in a Yeti's body - which has a horribly scarred face, seems somehow familiar.

 

[criticalfumble]

He shows up next in a Yeti's body - which has a horribly scarred face, seems somehow familiar.

Now you're talking!

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