D&D 5E Running Rime of the Frost Maiden

[Reynard]

We finally played our first session last night. The PCs are starting in Easthaven, so I began with them on the way there from Bryn Shander at the behest of the Council of Speakers to be official witnesses of the execution of the Red Wizard. (As a reminder, I decided my PCs were going to be official agents of the Council to help solve problems and show that the Council was capable of ruling even as things get ever worse.)

Because some of my players are new to Fantasy grounds and/or 5E, we started with first a skill challenge (a sudden brief blizzard forced them to hunker down) and a combat. Dannika was in trouble: her dogs were all dead and a pack of hungry Yeti Tykes was about to eat her when the PCs arrived. After they saved her, she offered to buy them dinner at the White Lady. Once there, she made her chawinga capturing pitch.

It was a good first session.

 

[Reynard]

One minor issue that came up is that Yeti Tyke leaves a bad taste in some players' mouths. It's basically killing horrible monstrous puppies. I think I am going to explain them as diminutive "dwarf" yetis instead of young ones.

 

[MarkB]

One minor issue that came up is that Yeti Tyke leaves a bad taste in some players' mouths. It's basically killing horrible monstrous puppies. I think I am going to explain them as diminutive "dwarf" yetis instead of young ones.

Especially if anyone has the Littlest Yeti secret - though in that case it might lead into a separate "return the pups to their parents" quest.

Maybe just use wolves instead?

 

[Zaukrie]

One minor issue that came up is that Yeti Tyke leaves a bad taste in some players' mouths. It's basically killing horrible monstrous puppies. I think I am going to explain them as diminutive "dwarf" yetis instead of young ones.

In a place where food is at a premium......and people hunt wild animals for food....I guess I don't see the issue. If you think of them as food and not monsters.

 

[MarkB]

In a place where food is at a premium......and people hunt wild animals for food....I guess I don't see the issue. If you think of them as food and not monsters.

But they're so cuuuute.

 

[Reynard]

Especially if anyone has the Littlest Yeti secret - though in that case it might lead into a separate "return the pups to their parents" quest.

Maybe just use wolves instead?

I'm not using the secrets at all. I don't understand why someone would want to bake intra-party conflict into their D&D game.

I ran this encounter last night so it is too late to use wolves instead. The party ranger has Yeti as a favored enemy so it makes sense to diversify the type a little, anyway. I might reskin a couple other stock enemies as breeds of yeti.

 

[MarkB]

I'm not using the secrets at all. I don't understand why someone would want to bake intra-party conflict into their D&D game.

Most of the secrets shouldn't cause conflict even if they are revealed. There are only two or three that are potentially problematic, and it would be easy to leave them out.

Mostly they're just interesting or odd things that may crop up in play as unusual facets of a character.

 

[Eltab]

One minor issue that came up is that Yeti Tyke leaves a bad taste in some players' mouths. It's basically killing horrible monstrous puppies. I think I am going to explain them as diminutive "dwarf" yetis instead of young ones.

My own first impression was that Yeti Tykes should only be found with their parents (who are likely teaching them to hunt) - not just playing on their own. Blasting the adult should provoke them to retreat and bring the tykes along.

Killing "puppies" is no fun but if the alternative is to become puppy chow...

 

[Zaukrie]

I'm going to use this map as a lost shrine (probably to Lathander) that the PCs can find. Not sure exactly how yet.....anyway, enjoy.

Ruined Snowy Area Battle map - Mike's Thoughts

Here is a free ruined snowy are battle map, and an ice spider statblock. I'm not sure how I'll use this with Rime of the Frostmaiden yet.

mikesixel.com

 

[Azzy]

In a place where food is at a premium......and people hunt wild animals for food....I guess I don't see the issue. If you think of them as food and not monsters.

That's kind of problematioc though... Yetis are a sapient species.

 

[Reynard]

That's kind of problematioc though... Yetis are a sapient species.

Yeah, in addition to making the tykes a dwarf variety and reskinning other enemies into different subspecies, I am making them inherently evil non-people. I think maybe it will be the "reward" for Auril cultists: get transformed into a horrible monster! I will intentionally blur the yeti and wendigo I think, too.

I like stock enemies but I like them more when they are, like Nazis and zombies, guilt free kills for the heroes.

Also if it isn't clear thus far, I am not really going to be leaning into the horror aspects of the game. The trappings, sure, but that's all D&D. But I won't be trying to make this a "horror campaign."

 

[Zaukrie]

That's kind of problematioc though... Yetis are a sapient species.

hard to say how that would work in a starving situation.......I mean, some people won't eat dogs or cats, where would you draw the line?

 

[Zaukrie]

Yeah, in addition to making the tykes a dwarf variety and reskinning other enemies into different subspecies, I am making them inherently evil non-people. I think maybe it will be the "reward" for Auril cultists: get transformed into a horrible monster! I will intentionally blur the yeti and wendigo I think, too.

I like stock enemies but I like them more when they are, like Nazis and zombies, guilt free kills for the heroes.

Also if it isn't clear thus far, I am not really going to be leaning into the horror aspects of the game. The trappings, sure, but that's all D&D. But I won't be trying to make this a "horror campaign."

making them non-people is the easiest solution to the issue.....imo.

 

[Azzy]

hard to say how that would work in a starving situation.......I mean, some people won't eat dogs or cats, where would you draw the line?

True. Cannibalism has happened in times of food scarcity in the real world. In such a case, the people of Icewind Dale may try to justify eating yetis as them being a different species (and, thus, "not as bad" as eating their own species). If you want to play up the horror aspect, that might be something you could add to the adventure.

 

[Reynard]

True. Cannibalism has happened in times of food scarcity in the real world. In such a case, the people of Icewind Dale may try to justify eating yetis as them being a different species (and, thus, "not as bad" as eating their own species). If you want to play up the horror aspect, that might be something you could add to the adventure.

Most starvation cannibalism results in the eating of people that died of other causes. Hunting a sapient species for food is WAY darker than i would ever want to do for D&D.

 

[Azzy]

Most starvation cannibalism results in the eating of people that died of other causes.

Very true.

Hunting a sapient species for food is WAY darker than i would ever want to do for D&D.

Yeah, it's a bit darker than I want to go, too.

 

[Eltab]

Shoulda thought of this last night:

Yeti Tykes run away after taking any damage. (Think of IRL little kids who get an owie.)
Yeti Tykes run away if "there is more of them than there is of us".
Yeti Tykes hesitate and stay back if The Other Fellow is bigger than they are.

 

[MarkB]

It's a weather effect. Sometimes the refratory effect of the ice and snow can make one big yeti look like three small yetis.

 

[Reynard]

A good rule for me is to try and remember that if something is irredeemably evil it doesn't children. It's made in a vat or bursts forth from a chrysalis or is summoned by a vile rite. Problem solved.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

If you're introducing cannibalism to your IWD, I guess there will be no problem with making Yeti a part of your diet. I'd say it's easier to eat a sentient other species before eating your own. But cannibalism isn't part of the standard Rime... I wouldn't include fighting children of a sentient species in a regular game. In fact, I don't understand WotC on this: they want to make "monster races" more humanlike by giving them free will and removing the "always evil" tag, and at the same time provide us with a module where the fight with another sentient species involves their children. So far, AFAIK, the "orc baby" problem was a theoretical one. It's seems to be yeti babies and not yeti teenagers BTW, as they "understand yeti but can't speak" (and they have a cute picture). Infants, by definition. Happy hunting!