How to Run for 2 PCs

[Rurric]

Hey Folks!

So here's the issue - we have a standing game every Thursday - 4 players, 1 DM.

We knew one of our four guys was out today but this morning, our tank bailed too.

Any "outside the box" ideas on how to run for 2 PCs (a bard and a zen archer)?

[nate lange]

ummm... its tricky to give meaningful advice with absolutely no context. if they're playing some kind of AP run it down a tier or pick a module that's designed for PCs a couple level lowers. if you build you're own adventures just use enemies with a lower CR and/or provide more opportunities to be rewarded for strategic thinking, e.g. build the environment for each encounter in a way that allows the monk to engage from a distance (with a little effort) or for the bard to kick off a couple buffs before combat and those sorts of things.

you could also have an NPC hire them to assist him with something (this would work with an adventure you've built or a module); you have decent damage output from the monk plus skills and buffs from the bard (and maybe even some healing)- build an NPC that you'll play along with the party, who covers some of their deficiencies and allows you to steer where they go and what they do (to make sure they don't get into too much trouble). given what your 2 players are you'll want someone tough and/or a caster/controller... if they're low level any solid melee guy should do (and if you give him a guisarme and imp.trip you'll get some control too); mid levels a blackened flame oracle could be built with a pretty solid AC and HP and would be able to kick out decent AoE damage and some control/buff/debuff; higher levels you could do something with an Eldritch Knight with arcane armor feats (maybe scarred witch doctor/barb to get in, that way you'll have a huge Con and if you fight something with immunities or high SR he can just rage).

if they're already in the middle of an adventure, or for some other reason none of these will work, make two completely new/different characters and have them each pick one... run those two characters through a little adventure tailor made for their skills. the players might be disappointed that they didn't get to use their normal characters but if you make the outcome of that adventure explain some campaign plot point that just took place (or takes place next session) they'll probably enjoy that enough to get it over :)

[YuenglingDragon]

Find a sweet side quest that rewards them with strange new powers and let them run as gestalt. My group is regularly run with two gestalt characters and I run it with very few changes to AP's and modules.

The only tings you'll need to change for gestalt is the occasional use of save or die and save or suck spells and abilities. While it's ok to take one player out of a 4-person party, taking one out of a 2 person party effectively doubles the pain because it halves what little action economy they have.

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk about running gestalt.

[notabot]

If its just custom campaign lower the CRs of encounters by 2. Perferably through removing extra mooks or applying lowering CR templates to enemies.

Or you can just make up an NPC or use the NPC codex to give a couple of allies for either you or your PCs to help with combats. I usually hand off NPCs to the players because I'm lazy and it give Players ownerhip of that NPC rather than being treated like cannon fodder.

[Rurric]

Thanks Guys - some good feed back here... sorry I didnt give much context. Our DM writes his own stuff wich generally has an over-arching story line and then multiple, smaller, story archs. But he's really good about incorporating the players ideas into the game... so on such short notice I wanted to try and give him a couple of ideas instead of just cancelling

Right now we are on a journey to Osirion from Kerse (just south of Isle of Terror).

[ub3r_n3rd]

I've ran multiple characters a few times and I allow others in the games I run to do the same.

Basically you run them with two different personalities, but have one be the leader and the other the follower. This can be done any way you wish. Examples include father/son, older brother/younger brother, knight/squire, slaver/slave (if evil campaign), rich noble/bodyguard, or hired help like a wizard/fighter.

[Ciaran Barnes]

I ran two players for a couple years when I was a teenager. I tried to tie more of the adventure to their personal backstories. In this way, there is more going on in the game than simply hacking monsters to death. There is more incentive for out-of-combat accomplishments.

Of course, this is a good strategy for any size group, but PC death in combat is less random when there are more players to respond to bad stuff.

[Mr.Fishy]

Ok...you ever seen the "Hangover"? Do that. The two availible characters "misplaced" the rest of the party. The adventure could be them back tracking looking for they missing friends. Neither are in any real danger, but the group needs to return a stolen pet or rescue a crimnal from the guard for infomation about what happened.

Or the two available players where kiddnapped and have to fight/sneak out of captivity and meet up with they friends.

Mr. Fishy and his wingman Rufie. Never remember the party but according to the cops and the news it was AWESOME!

[nate lange]

context- yay!

you're on a journey, so you probably don't want to progress that without the rest of the party... so the best option is something that will side track the two of you temporarily- a side quest, as it were... plenty of good options:

one of you falls asleep on guard duty, when you wake up the other 2 PCs are missing- one session adventure to find/rescue them.

other two PCs come down with some kind of magical illness/curse/whatever and the local healer tells you that the only cure requires some herb that only grows in [insert dangerous location]- one session adventure to obtain herb and cure them.

do you and the other PC who will be there share a skill that nobody else in the party has (like maybe stealth)? someone could hire/recruit/beg the two of you to help him with some short job that requires that skill while hiring/recruiting/begging the two APCs (Absent PCs) to guard his wagon/family/home/whatever while he's gone.

these side quests would follow the same suggestions from my previous post. hope that helps :)

[eakratz]

My groups has been running into this problem lately. Last week I used the chase deck and sent some red shirts along with the two PCs ( fighter and wizard). After the chase it was pretty much just role play and skill checks for,the rest of the night as the PCs set up for tonight's adventure. There was no real danger of losing a PC and the story advanced.

For tonight it is going to be a dungeon crawl so I am doing what others have suggested already. There is going to be a reoccurring NPC arcane trickster coming along, and I invented a plot related reason for a cleric to show up out of the blue with a desire to go with the PCs. We are all used to someone not being there (real life and all) so we have become pretty adapt at playing two characters at times.

We also have a cadre of cohorts in all of our games that usually tag along. It just so happens that for this one is dead, one is a monkey, one is 'away' and one is a goat.

As far as the missing PCs, I have used kidnapping, behind the scenes stealth missions, mysterious disappearances, studying, got hired to do a different job, lost in the woods...

[Rurric]

You guys and gals are awesome! I'll be working these in the next I run. Really great ideas!

Much appreciated!