So fiance agreed to play as long as it's just me and her
(She tried it before when we had 9 players but got bored waiting for her turn lol)
So I'm looking for ideas for a good campaign idea for one people (prob not buying nothing too broke lol)
Looking for char idea for her (synth or pally seen like smart ideas)
And looking for general beginner tips and stuff I can pass along (not the best at explaining some stuff)
Need some tips for one on one too
If you're starting off low level I recommend A spelleater bloodrager. At level 2 you gain fast healing, so as long as you win the fight you'll be at full hp in no time. Also they are strong and can take down stuff fast and even gain some spells to help them. Also it's simple first few levels is, rage and kill them. Then you get limited spell so it's still not confusing.
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Let her choose a simple class. Synthesist is probably the worst possible choice IMO, just because it's so complicated.
Sorcerer, barbarian, fighter, ranger, oracle, gunslinger, slayer, or swashbuckler would probably be good choices. Figure out which one of those seems most attractive to her. Let her design the character concept, and you can suggest some crunch to help her do what she wants.
You might end up wanting to play an NPC in a support role to help her. Nothing that will hog the limelight, but just something to complement her character. Like a fighter if she chooses a sorcerer, or a bard if she chooses a barbarian. But make sure it's subservient to her character and don't make suggestions about what to do unless she's really looking for guidance. You want to make sure she's in control, not just strapped in for the ride.
She said wanted to heal and fight that's why I figured paladin but she would probably choose fighter as well I definitely wouldn't make a pc that would over shadow her char being it her story she's the hero and all
Hardest part is nerfing the encounters so it's not a tpk(well single kill no real party lol)
Paladins are probably the best for what she wants
Since you're nerfing the encounters anyway I would convert the Ruby Phoenix Tournament to a game for a level 5 character.
Good Social play, most encounters can be one-on-one, and, if she gets to the end; you could give her a magic item to show off to other players and convice her to play with a group again.
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She said wanted to heal and fight that's why I figured paladin but she would probably choose fighter as well I definitely wouldn't make a pc that would over shadow her char being it her story she's the hero and all
Hardest part is nerfing the encounters so it's not a tpk(well single kill no real party lol)
In addition to a paladin, a pretty solid option is an archeologist bard: they have skills that go on for days*, and plenty of self-buffing; healing magic optional and recommended.
Here and here and here for great other threads with similar ideas!
One option to make her more powerful/harder to kill is to give her mythic, but I'm not sure if you're comfortable with that.
A "simple" form of mythic comes from the mythic simple template, especially the Agile template. This gives her some extra hp, two actions per turn (really important with action economy), evasion, and some extra speed and dodge bonus to AC.
If you provide a character, a simple one would be something like a wisdom-based celestial sorcerer who focuses almost exclusively on magic item creation, and buffing spells, who is probably a dwarf or (better yet) duergar - this will create a highly limited (though fairly tough and hard-to-affect) character.
The other benefit is that you can choose your spell-selection to make up for any skill-deficits that the two characters might have.
You could do something like that with an oracle, but they don't have an option that I'm aware of to lower their charisma, and they tend to have high healing, which would overlap with her own... so that's probably not the best idea.
Anyway, hope all that helps!
* Even better if you house-rule all five iterations of Versatile Performance to all be granted at 1st level instead of 2nd/6th/10th/14th/and 18th levels.
Oracle could heal and fight as well.
Melee tank classes like barbarian, fighter, sorcerer, gunslinger are simple and can gain high HP (important for solo characters), so far a lot of good advice.
I would give her a loyal pet (even without bonded animal companion or familiar), riding dog is a good choice, or maybe a golem or animated object (could be something funny) she can command. Unintelligent allies will let her stay in the limelight as well as provide flanking and tanking opportunities.
If she goes full melee, then I might suggest a basic buff/heal bot assistant (who dislikes combat and seeks safety rather than fights), keep the adventure spotlight centered on her though.
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First off, yeah, I think I would have been turned off of Pathfinder if I had to wait for 8 other players too. o.O
I think Paladin is a really good idea for her if she's cool with the alignment restrictions. With spells and swift-action healing she'd be fairly self-sustainable in a low-power game.
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If she's a paladin, cleric, oracle or even ranger or druid, you could send her on missions to expose a plot against her deity.
A good challenge against armor-wearers is to get them out of their armor, so to speak. Interrupt her sleep schedule, make her swim, make her go to a building that restricts arms/armor, etc. Also, build into the story that sometimes she can investigate out in public, but every once in a while find a reason that she has to go about her business more discreetly.
I always go back to it, but I think monks make excellent bad guys. Having them fight defensively makes for a good challenge.
Not sure what kind of game yet most likely heavy sandbox
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I would suggest NOT having her control more than one PC, with the exception of a class ability, like an animal companion, familiar, etc.
If she's new to the game, why would throw more work, more to track, and more system mastery on her all at once?
Also, let the spotlight shine. Harry Potter, Frodo, and Luke Skywalker were alone for some of their journey, why not here too?
I would also suggest you keep your friendly NPC's as "part time" members of her party. Again, let the spotlight shine.
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Running solo adventures is generally much more challenging than running anything for a group, both in terms of scaling and because of the "one bad die roll" effect (Hero Points may help alleviate this somewhat). I remember when this was a bit more common to help people "catch up" on missed xp for when folks missed games in earlier editions of DnD.
I would see what she thinks she would have fun doing and go from there.
If she wants a grrr-arrrr sort of "smash!" character, lots of crunchy monsters with their boss monsters having DR or the ability to escape might be appropriate. Maybe some rescue missions or some role-playing scenes with those she would need for support. Having some sort of helpful ally that's not at all combat effective, or some sort of conditional way to be healed would go a long way towards helping her continue in the smash! (ex. a wand-using familiar for a local witch who spends a lot of time with research / sleep might be able to use a wand of CLW in exchange for fun stories or favors, a local temple may have a some sort of place spirit that heals or grants fast healing while in prayer, etc.)
For the "super sneaky" characters, stealth missions are pretty optimal for single-character adventures as you don't have to worry about someone else the in the group botching your roll. Adventures where she is in the employ of a church, government or maybe even an established adventuring group (so she has some alternate support) could be good. Very James Bond-esque sorts of stuff with random equipment issued to her "just in case" can add to the fun.
For the magic-heavy, I'd recommend an "apprentice’s journey to mastery" sort of game where she begins as a lowly apprentice and is forced to improve her skills when her teacher is somehow removed from the equation. RP opportunities for seeking allies, understanding extra-planar hierarchies and maybe making deals with extra planar creatures for extra points and fun. For action economy and because casters tend to break easily, maybe have her accompanied by some sort of minor construct or allied creature that is relatively ineffective for anything that would be her area of expertise and doesn't scale well, but will allow her to survive long enough to be able to do more.
If she's interested in more of a healer / support role, it's a bit more difficult to do in a normal 1-1 game. Healer's / Buffers are generally much more reactive than proactive, so it's a bit more of a stretch. That said, self-sufficient classes such as Inquisitors & Paladins who can heal & smash are pretty easy to do. A bard is good at most anything and can also heal in a pinch. The problem becomes when the NPCs effectively drive the story and make decisions, it's a bit harder to avoid the Mary Sue problem when your only PC is as reactive. One thing I would consider is maybe have her go a bit more black hat for this sort of character and maybe pull a a few ideas from the apprentice thoughts just above this one and be a necromancer or negative channel cleric with several crunchy minor (and most importantly mindless) undead (ones that can't create spawns), which will keep the focus on her character. Roleplaying having to hide the undead when you go into towns can be fun, especially if done in a light-hearted way.
-TimD
thanks for all the help everyone if anyone has any more ideas or tips or advice or what ever feel free to post
cant find anything about legacy items but seen them on the forum quiet often can anyone clarify
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Its from a 3.5 supplement called Weapons of Legacy. Basically a magic item that grows in power with the character. The system was great in that it gave magic items a great history and feel but it had a flaw: The system had a cost (a small hp loss or other permanent penalty)y
for unlocking higher powers which should generally be ignored esp in a solo game.
Read the Legacy of Dhakaan trilogy for great implementation of Legacy items.
You can also let her discover magical abilities successively i.e. Find out a command word and boom +1 sword is a flaming sword too! An intelligent weapon might be a good dmpc/companion/foil. Let her discover it's powers slowly, can have provide some knowledge /pointers etc.
EDIT: Partially ninja'd by Thanael! Still leaving my post, because I had other stuff here, too! :D
Hm... don't see a mention of "Legacy Items" in this thread, but I do know one place where "Legacy Items" come from: an old 3.5 D&D Supplement called, appropriately enough, Weapons of Legacy.
In this supplement, items are bonded to individuals and gain greater power over time and via rituals.
Now, in Pathfinder, there is something called legendary items, which are a party of the mythic rules.
It would be easy enough (in my opinion) to give her a single magical item of your choice, and make it a "legendary item", regardless of whether or not she is mythic. It allows her some nice choice of power.
In general, to give you a sense of scale and number of powers a legendary item could have, a character cannot have more mythic tiers than half their level, thus, in this variant, according to the ability, she'd gain special powers for her item at first tier (or first or second level), at third tier (at sixth level), and at sixth tier (or twelfth level).
If you're interested in heirloom items:
- Do a search here for "heirloom" (Ctrl+F)
- Heirloom Weapon trait
- Harrow Deck heirloom by trait
You can also let her discover magical abilities successively i.e. Find out a command word and boom +1 sword is a flaming sword too! An intelligent weapon might be a good dmpc/companion/foil. Let her discover it's powers slowly, can have provide some knowledge /pointers etc.
thats probably what ill do have her find a rusty sword in the back of a house where the previous owner couldnt figure out what the power was ( he knew that was one through checks ((not that that matters much lol)))
after using it and it being slightly more powerful that it is suppose to be
(or )
a wizard or fighter sees her and is like (name of weapon) has been found by a worthy/unworthy (depending on situation) weilder
then she can discover parts of it at a time until it finally becomes a +5 flameburst what ever
EDIT: Partially ninja'd by Thanael! Still leaving my post, because I had other stuff here, too! :D
Hm... don't see a mention of "Legacy Items" in this thread, but I do know one place where "Legacy Items" come from: an old 3.5 D&D Supplement called, appropriately enough, Weapons of Legacy.
In this supplement, items are bonded to individuals and gain greater power over time and via rituals.
Now, in Pathfinder, there is something called legendary items, which are a party of the mythic rules.
It would be easy enough (in my opinion) to give her a single magical item of your choice, and make it a "legendary item", regardless of whether or not she is mythic. It allows her some nice choice of power.
In general, to give you a sense of scale and number of powers a legendary item could have, a character cannot have more mythic tiers than half their level, thus, in this variant, according to the ability, she'd gain special powers for her item at first tier (or first or second level), at third tier (at sixth level), and at sixth tier (or twelfth level).
If you're interested in heirloom items:
- Do a search here for "heirloom" (Ctrl+F)
- Heirloom Weapon trait
- Harrow Deck heirloom by trait
cant remember where i saw it i thought this was the thread but also thought it was legacy mighta been legendary im not sure lol
It might have been mentioned in one of the other threads I linked. :)
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You can also let her discover magical abilities successively i.e. Find out a command word and boom +1 sword is a flaming sword too! An intelligent weapon might be a good dmpc/companion/foil. Let her discover it's powers slowly, can have provide some knowledge /pointers etc.thats probably what ill do have her find a rusty sword in the back of a house where the previous owner couldnt figure out what the power was ( he knew that was one through checks ((not that that matters much lol)))
after using it and it being slightly more powerful that it is suppose to be
(or )
a wizard or fighter sees her and is like (name of weapon) has been found by a worthy/unworthy (depending on situation) weilder
then she can discover parts of it at a time until it finally becomes a +5 flameburst what ever
This is a great way to provide your fiancee with plot hooks, Suddenly-Successful-Knowledge, and all manner of assistance where needed.
It might have been mentioned in one of the other threads I linked. :)
mighta actually been in the tournament link i think not to sure though
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Magic eight ball of augury, for when she doesn't know what to do.
Once your fiancee gets more experienced, it might be good to introduce Leadership. Probably gradually, via Torchbearer or Herald Squire, and then upgrade to the full thing (although would be nice if these Feats had an in between stage). This would let her slowly build up a group, at a rate that lets her get used to how things work with more character types. It would also be a good way to run the Healer concept -- impress enough people with generosity, and you'll eventually pick up a bunch of loyal followers.
Well got race class and semi sword figured out now I can start with campaign she wants to be gripplis titan mauler weapon will be a rusty two handed sword eventually be a crystal green glowing lightning blade (her choice lol)
Huh. Didn't see that coming!
Enjoy!
Neither did I lol been fun trying to figure out whAt kinda campaign to make for her probably just go with a smash em up for a bit
The inquisitor is the one man army
Just came into my mind, but you probably want to give them plentiful access to potions. Never more than is needed for a single adventure. Maybe have a patron alchemist who regularly provides some equipment costs for the tasks she goes on.
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I know you mentioned being broke, but try and see if you can save up a bit for the one on one adventure compendium from expedition retreat press.
I have played the 3.5 versions, and while they are more seperate adventures with different characters, I found them to be a great way to get some quality one on one time :)
I also support a paladin here. They really work as a lone hero class. Also, they work in the narrative real well in a single game better because of the possibility of falling. It really adds more interest to the campaign imo than it would in a game with more players.
I recommend the Bloodrager, one of the archetypes has self healing. Its also a great primer to several things at once:
A) Melee combat as a beefy brute.
B) Selecting long term unique class features and perhaps an archetype.
C) Selecting and Casting spells.
Avoid the following classes like molten lava if you want to teach her the game from scratch:
Wizard.
Witch
Cleric.
Druid.
Alchemist.
Investigator.
Magus.
Warpriest.
Inquisitor.
Summoner.
Or generally just any class that changes its features regularly, has a lot of x/day abilities or has a lot of decisions you have to make in creation. Simple long term choices work best for new players. This makes Bloodragers and Sorcerers natural newbie characters, you only need to select a bloodline and then you're pretty much set.
Since youre 1 on 1 you can help her with most of the more complex mechanics so she can focus on roleplay, that ought to enable a more advanced character then otherwise.
As for NPC's and secondaries, the ideas of unintelligent companions is good, but so is having an assistant intelligent NPC, dont forget the NPC classes for this purpose, an Adept is pretty hard pressed to show up her the main PC with actual levels in an actual class. Also if he does ever take the spotlight and save her that is just a chance for you to impress her with the character and make her appreciate having him around.