The penultimate battle as our heroes defile a Yuan-ti temple to save their friend from a fate worse than death.

When last we left our heroes, they had been captured by Yuan-ti snakemen and were now trapped inside their temple. They were split up, all their gear had been confiscated, and each had to discover their own way to escape their captors. Three of the four had escaped by various means, and were now wandering the dungeon looking for each other. Incredibly, they found each other, but it was all about to go horribly wrong.

Martic, Gwen and Thames had all killed their individual captors and then disguised themselves as Yuan-ti. Martic and Gwen were wearing the clothes of the human-looking Purebloods while Thames cast disguise self to appear as a Yuan-ti Malison with the legs, arms and torso of a man but the head of a serpent. Then as luck would have it, all three bumped into each other in a random hallway while still disguised as the enemy. Of course, the three players knew that they had found each other, but their characters did not. This could turn into a PvP bloodbath if the players screw this up.

Gratefully, the players wanted to fight Yuan-ti and not themselves. They each asked if they could spot anything unusual about the others. I let them have a Perception check to detect if something was off with the disguises. They all rolled high enough to allow a conversation to occur. Thames asked, “How do I know this isn’t a trick? Prove you are my friends.” Martic, pointing to the beleagured cleric, blurted out, “She can’t cast any spells right.” Thames exclaimed, “It is you!” I love that the well-established incompetence of the cleric proved to be the crucial point that averted a calamity here.

With (most of) the band back together, we just had to find Roland, the soon to be sacrificed paladin. Unfortunately, Roland’s player was unavailable this week, which really made me feel bad that I never gave him the shot last session to escape on his own. He doesn’t even get to enjoy the satisfaction of being rescued. So, it’s up to these three to save the strongest member of the party. But first, they almost abandoned him.

Immediately after finding each other, they found the exit from the temple, down a long tunnel with the obvious cool breeze. There was a single Broodguard Yuan-ti guarding the exit. They are basically mindless brutes, so the disguises worked perfectly and the monster let them pass.

Typically, my Broodguards don’t talk (although they can), but I couldn’t resist giving the group one last moment of doubt. As they walked past the guard, it called out, “Wait a minute! Where do you think you’re going?” Convinced they were caught; they looked back to see the Yuan-ti pointing to a rack of weapons. “You can’t go out with a sword.” This explains why so few snakemen carry weapons in the temple. They store them here to be used by anyone going outside. Relieved, my players gladly helped themselves to some scimitars and, even better, a quiver of arrows tipped with the same blue poison that had caused their recent TPK.

After what seemed an eternity, (although it’s been less than 4 hours of game time), our heroes were free, free at last. But now they faced a major dilemma. They could cut their losses here and just walk away. But they would have to abandon all the innocent civilians to the torment of slavery and eventual death, not to mention the even darker fate that awaited their fellow adventurer. Like the reluctant heroes they are, they trudged back into the temple to save them.

They were unprepared when the guard demanded they relinquish their weapons, so the party killed it and stuffed the body in an alcove. Unbeknownst to the group, I gave them a 50% chance that a wandering patrol would discover the various corpses now littering this dungeon. But luck was on their side and no one sounded the alarm. I guess everyone was busy preparing for the ritual that is due to begin just as soon as our heroes enter the temple. As much as I like a dynamic, active dungeon, sometimes it’s better that the NPCs simply wait around for the players to arrive at the right location.

Although they had a good idea where Roland was, they went to rescue the other captured slaves first. They knew that this group of civilians was only guarded by two Yuan-ti; who knows how many are with Roland. (I do, it’s ten.) Plus, these Yuan-ti are the weakest of the lot. This time, Gwen remembered where the prisoner cages are. Using their disguises again, they bluffed their way into the prison. These Broodguard Yuan-ti are pretty dim, so they were easily duped, taken by surprise, and quickly dispatched.

I forgot to mention that our heroes had also rescued another captured guide, Faroul, from the torture chamber. They had been leading this nearly dead man around with them the whole time. Faroul has done nothing to help the party, but as soon as the prisoners were freed, Faroul’s partner, Gondolo, cried out, “Faroul has saved us from these evil snakemen. Three cheers for Faroul! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!” The players tried to protest and claim they did all the work, but they were chastised by Gondolo for being greedy, glory-seekers. Eventually, when the players finally return to Port Nyanzaru, this will evolve into a hilarious situation where Faroul and Gondolo have taken all the credit for our heroes’ actions.

From a DM time-management perspective, we quickly played through all the preceding because I’m determined to have enough time to get through this temple’s climax. Finally, after countless delays, it was time to desecrate a temple and save their friend. Back in the basement, as they headed toward the chanting, which was still going on, they came upon a room with an unlikely ally in it. Trapped in a cage, was a beautiful leopard with six writhing snakes attached to its shoulders. This is the legendary kamadan, one of the mythical Chultan creatures and the embodiment of the trickster god, Shagambi.

As cool as these Chultan creatures are, I’ve had to wait some time before revealing the first of these legendary monsters. They wouldn’t be considered rare if the group just bumps into one on their first random encounter. But right here, right now, the kamadan is perfect with its serpent-like attributes and soon-to-be-revealed special ability. But it was almost too perfect. Thanks to the shoulder snakes, my group was worried that this thing was in league with the Yuan-ti. But once I told them that this beast has been whipped, malnourished, and mistreated, they knew that it was another thing needing to be rescued. Thames offered it food, while Martic attempted to calm the creature. This is the great example of a player assisting another to gain advantage on a roll. Martic easily passed his Animal Handling check and the enormous beast began purring like a house cat. On to the temple.

The temple has convenient balconies from which the party was able to view the area while staying hidden. This is not something I added, it is in the original Yuan-ti lair found in Volo’s Guide. The temple is 90 feet long by 30 feet wide. There are entrances at all four corners and another balcony opposite their current position. At the far end of the room is an altar with an enormous statue of a snake behind it. I tell Thames that he knows that this statue represents Dendar, high goddess of the Yuan-ti religion, destined to destroy the world. Months ago, his character did some down-time research into the local customs and such. I’m glad he did, because now that player gets the reward of being more knowledgeable and I get to give the entire party more backstory and lore that would otherwise go unnoticed.

I also added that there was a toppled statue of a handsome Chultan male beside the altar and a shallow bathing pool in front of the altar. The first is more proof that this is a converted temple of Ubtao and the second further reflects the weird Yuan-ti obsession with bathing. But the water is also there just in case one player wants to reveal a secret he’s been keeping. Martic has held on to his small (6 card) deck of illusions for months now. They require water to activate and could be a critical distraction during a major battle. I have provided a nearby water source in nearly every battle waiting for him to use his cards. Most fights I’ve staged on the river, but even in this temple, many rooms have had a barrel of water, or a bath, or this shallow pool. Sadly, we’ll have to wait for another day for the grand reveal. Martic considered using them, but once again he held on to his secret.

There are five Yuan-ti in the room; two Broodguards protecting the southern entrances and three Yuan-ti (two purebloods and one snake-headed Malison) prostrated and chanting in front of the northern altar/statue. As the party watches from their perch, four more Malisons with the snake heads enter from the north-west doorway. They are carrying between them, tied to sturdy poles, two sacrificial victims. The first is one of the silent natives. The other is their missing paladin. While Roland waits his turn, the native is strapped to the altar for sacrifice.

From the north-east door slithers the last member of this unholy ceremony. It is another Malison, but this time instead of a snake head, this one has the head, arms and torso of a man, but the lower body of an enormous constrictor snake. This is the first time most of the group has even seen this variety of Yuan-ti and it evoked the appropriate sense of awe and dread. It glides into the room to the altar and after a few words in the vile tongue of the snakemen, it produces a jade chalice filled with a thick black ichor. He begins to pour the ooze down the throat of the hapless native strapped to the altar. Thames asks if this is the same Yuan-ti he spoke with before. It is not. Thames will have to find that specific Yuan-ti later if he wants his revenge.

Of course, this combat would be a death sentence under normal circumstance. Ten strong bad guys against three weakened heroes who are low on health with no healing. They would be screwed. This is supposed to be an epic finale battle so I can’t reduce the danger too much. But I can give them allies. The five natives rescued from the prisoner pens can take on a few Yuan-ti. The Kamadan will also take out a few more. Even better, it will do it in an unexpected way. This will mean the heroes will be fighting five Yuan-ti; still dangerous but survivable. So, instead of a dull 5-on-3 slugfest, we now have a thrilling 11-on-9 temple siege with our heroes as the wounded underdogs fighting to survive. And since I’ve established that the Yuan-ti don’t carry bows and arrows inside the temple they don’t have access to their OP poisoned arrows. You’re welcome.

Battle plans are hastily made. The five natives will run to the southern entrance to attack the broodguards and keep them occupied. The kamadan, following another successful Handling check to understand her instructions, will head to the northeast entrance and cause some sort of distraction. Our “heroes” will hide on the balcony and take out the Yuan-ti with their range weapons (ironically, stolen from the Yuan-ti) from the high ground, Anakin. All the rescued civilians from Port Nyanzaru will cower in the room where the kamadan was found with instructions to run if any Yuan-ti comes near them. Not a great plan, but it will have to do. Because I’m such a nice guy, I’ll let my players have a free surprise round of attack. They’re gonna need it.

To no one’s surprise, the temple assault started with a bang. Thames cast his catapult spell on the Yuan-ti cult leader. Thames wanted to hit the guy with a called shot, trying to knock the poisoned cup out of his hands. What to do here. There are no 5e rules for called shots, and I secretly want the cultist to succeed with at least this part of the ritual. There are a dozen ways to homebrew a solution for this situation. Feel free to invent your own, or use mine, which favors the players slightly.

For the called shot, I have Thames roll to hit with disadvantage. If Thames makes the roll with disadvantage, the cultist takes damage and drops the cup. If Thames misses both rolls, then the ceremony is unaffected. But if one roll misses and the other (discarded roll) would have hit, then the cultist takes damage and he has to roll a Concentration check to hold on to the cup. And this is exactly what happens. The cultist is hit, barely holds on to the poisoned cup, and continues to pour the vile ooze down the hapless native’s throat, while he cries out to the others in classic bad-guy speak, “Don’t just stand there you fools. Get them!”

What came next was the single greatest event of the entire fight. Every session has one key moment that will get talked about and proudly remembered long after the session, and this was it. Gwen, the completely spent cleric, was out of hit points and spells, but she wasn’t out of ideas. And she had a whip. “Is there anything on the ceiling that I can latch onto the tip of this whip?” I had not planned on it, but I said, “I don’t know what it is, but there absolutely is something.” Following a successful hit roll to latch the whip onto, uhm, a bas relief carving on the ceiling, and a passed (easy) Athletics check, Gwen swung across from one balcony to another like Indiana Jones in the Temple of Yuan-ti Doom.

It was glorious. And it produced the effect Gwen was hoping for. Two Yuan-ti abandoned the main battle to try and catch this Tarzan wanna-be. (I rolled a d20 for each Yuan-ti against a DC8 to see who would chase this obvious distraction. Two failed.) Gwen proceeded to lead them on a merry chase through dungeon, effectively taking them out of the fight for now. I always love it when random objects found throughout the game get used in unique and impossible to predict ways.

Next the kamadan joined the fray, and to the surprise of everyone, immediately dropped two more snakemen into a magically induced coma, a function of its Sleep Breath ability. I love these out-of-left-field powers and I liked that this one helps the party instead of hurting them. Since the kamadan had had his mic-drop moment, I have it wander off to help the native villagers and out of the main battle. Now with three active Yuan-ti for the players, we have a fight the players might actually win.

Martic was afraid that one of the remaining Yuan-ti might murder the defenseless paladin, so he leaped off the balcony to engage these cultists hand-to-hand. Soon enough, everyone was engaged on the temple floor. Thames ran out of range options and had to get up close and personal. Gwen ran out of corridors and ran back into the temple with two Yuan-ti on her heels. By this time, some of the Yuan-ti were down but most were still fighting and here is where it got really dangerous for the players.

Little did they know that they had an ace up their sleeve. Throughout the dungeon, the group had been collecting magic items that would help them during this battle. Of course, no one knew the identify spell, so they had no idea what they had. Thames was wearing an amulet of mind immunity making him nearly impervious to the Yuan-ti devastating command spell. Martic had found a bronze breastplate that was imbued with resist poison. Can you guess which players I targeted with charm spells and which got bit by these venomous jerks?

Even with these advantages, the players were forced to fight tooth and nail for the victory. I had intended for a new complication to enter the scenario about half-way through. But the players were barely surviving and I didn’t want to arbitrarily make the fight harder than necessary. Fortunately, I got to use this event later. Never feel obligated to make an encounter nigh-impossible just to satisfy your need make it slightly cooler. You can always save that cool moment for another day.

I’m glad I didn’t use it, I was having enough trouble keeping track of all these bad guys, plus the natives and the kamadan, that I didn’t need to add another complication. I love epic battles, but they are getting to the point where they become a bookkeeping nightmare. And my players aren’t even 5^th level, where their powers seemingly double and creating challenging encounters gets even more difficult. Plus, these Yuan-ti have a lot of hit points and it’s easy to turn a fight like this into a slog. I even had the leader “fail” his morale and try to run away (toward the hiding commoners) just to spice up the fight. Fortunately, the heroes chased him down and slaughtered him before he got away.

Finally, after 90 minutes of hard-fought combat, the Yuan-ti lay dead, two were captured, and they had managed to save Roland. Sadly, one of the native villagers was killed during the battle and the one who was being sacrificed was alive, but probably wished that he wasn’t. Turns out, the Yuan-ti were not murdering their victims but rather transforming them into mindless broodguards. This is another gruesome aspect of Yuan-ti life, but after such a long fight, I think the moment was lost on the players and not fully appreciated. I’ll make sure that they are sufficiently appalled in the next session.

Next week, the party hits a major crossroad where they have to decide between obligation, morality, or friendship.

As always, if you have an opportunity for an Indiana Jones reference, you take it, and Game On!

I hate snakes, Jock! I hate ‘em! – Indiana Jones, with a sentiment shared by our heroes

Don’t forget to check out my Tomb of Annihilation Resources Page, filled with all the stuff I use to make this epic campaign even more epicier: My full Campaign Diary, plus Handouts, Maps, Charts, PDFs, Images, and more to use, abuse, or ignore at your peril.

And written specifically for this adventure, read my Explorer’s Guide to Chult to delve into all the legands, lore, history, religion, and culture that I used to bring even more life to this adventure.