What would you all suggest I do with my PCs if I am only running the AP with 3 of them. Start at Level 2? Carve down the encounters? Give my players some extra perks?
What are your suggestions?
As of now, they haven't decided their classes or races, but they know to balance things out.
I'd give them 1 free level of commoner. It can simulate what they did before they went into the army/church/joined the local chapter of the teamsters union :)
Creative Director
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Giving them a level of commoner's a good idea. I'd even expand that and give them a choice of any of the 5 NPC classes to simulate what they got up to before the adventure begins.
Alternately, you could create a 4th DM-controlled character to help them out. If one of your players is up to the challenge, you can even allow him or her to control the fourth character, kind of like a free cohort.
Finally, you could just run the adventure as written but tone down encounters by throwing less bad guys at the PCs, or by adjusting hit point totals for monsters down a bit.
In any case, with only 3 PCs, they should rise in levels faster than a group of 4 does, and they'll individually end up with larger shares of loot and be able to individually afford better gear, so soon enough the problem may self correct to a certain extent.
When I run for a smaller group, I usually let them play gestalt characters (Unearthed Arcana variant, get the best features of two classes at every level). Makes 'em tough enough so I don't have to adjust the encounters at all.
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When I run for a smaller group, I usually let them play gestalt characters (Unearthed Arcana variant, get the best features of two classes at every level). Makes 'em tough enough so I don't have to adjust the encounters at all.
I have to agree with this approach. We've done Age of Worms and Savage Tide (half) with Gestalt characters, and it works well. You get your skill and ability coverage, leads to intersting combinations of classes, and requires little scaling. Overall there is a good balance.
When I run for a smaller group, I usually let them play gestalt characters (Unearthed Arcana variant, get the best features of two classes at every level). Makes 'em tough enough so I don't have to adjust the encounters at all.I have to agree with this approach. We've done Age of Worms and Savage Tide (half) with Gestalt characters, and it works well. You get your skill and ability coverage, leads to intersting combinations of classes, and requires little scaling. Overall there is a good balance.
I have seen references to Gestalt characters before but haven't seen more than that. Is it difficult to explain or do I need to go out and buy Unearthed Arcana?
It's part of the SRD here is the link http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/gestaltCharacters.htm
I have 3 players and that is what we ate using, So I am hoping it will work :). Good luck
Guys that is great idea- I only have 3 players so I'm going to try this route as well.. Thanks for the posts, link, and inspiration.
It's part of the SRD here is the link http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/gestaltCharacters.htm
I have 3 players and that is what we ate using, So I am hoping it will work :). Good luck
Thanks Tomovasky!