Hi,
Recently my wife has expressed playing DnD with me semi-seriously because I ran a game with her and her maternity group friends one day I was off work, and she really enjoyed it. Ive decided to run what is, in effect, deathtrap dungeon. The basic premise is that the Zhar of the city hosting the dungeon killed her family and the only way she can get close to him to exact her revenge is to win the "Trial of Champions" and get granted an audience with him.
She is going to be a human but I cant decide on what class she is going to play (as she asked me to do all the creating and stuff for her). I was thinking that maybe a beastmaster ranger would be a good idea, as it would give her a sense of "not being alone" and will hopefully be able to set up some cool interaction between her and her animal companion.
Any other suggestions/thoughts/comments?
A cleric is not a bad option, neither is the Invoker if you are not going to be above 3rd level. A cleric is never truly alone because they have their god with them, and can summon some things later on. The paladin is also not a bad option, healing is at a premium and since you are not going dwarf for the minor second wind, healing is even more important.
For the beastmaster ranger, it might be a good option to do the duel portion on the last post with maybe a minion or two thrown in. So your pet can keep the minions at bay while you take on their master.
I strongly suggest avoiding (or keeping to a minimum) any monsters that can daze or stun on a hit. Because there are no teammates to "rescue" a character who is incapacitated for a round, even a one-round stun essentially allows the entire monster group a second free turn.
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After doing some playtesting for my CoCT mini-game (running a few PCs and DMPCs solo to test survivability), I'm gonna recommend against leaders. They work best with buddies to lead (obviously). Their damage potential solo is way reduced compared to most other classes. That being said, a ranged-focused cleric could do some damage, and keep those precious Healing Words for themselves to use.
Personally, I'd recommend a defender (particularly a paladin, with its pseudo-leader abilities) or a striker (hit hard, hit fast--always good for solo types).
Seconded on the "no stun/immobilize/etc." monster recommendation. That is no good. in fact, status effects for the most part should be avoided, unless it's mano-a-mano and the PC can still fight. Big focus for a solo adventure should be on minions. While my DMPC cleric got her ass whooped the mostest by some minions in the playtest, a lot of PC classes have more multi-villain options than she did, so a few one-hit wonders can do some good for PC morale and supporting the general heroic feel.
"You swing your {INSERT APPROPRIATE WEAPON OR IMPLEMENT] in a circle over your head, and watch as the foes assembled before you fall! HOO-AH!"
Don't forget: a single monster of even a few levels over the PC can feel like a solo.
That's all I got. Hope it helps. :D
Becuase of the theme im going for here (I really want to make it almost tomb raider-esque - in fact ive replaced the initial section of the dungeon with the first level of Tomb Raider), I've decided to go for a Beastmaster Ranger.
Thanks for the advice about status effects, and I will definately be using minions in almost every fight.
Really looking forward to running this with the Wife.
Becuase of the theme im going for here (I really want to make it almost tomb raider-esque - in fact ive replaced the initial section of the dungeon with the first level of Tomb Raider), I've decided to go for a Beastmaster Ranger.
Thanks for the advice about status effects, and I will definately be using minions in almost every fight.
Really looking forward to running this with the Wife.
Yeah minions are a good plan, maybe give a couple of lower HP critters. Really it'll be a trial and error system, trying to balance the characters Surges with damage dealt by Traps and monsters etc. I'd have gone for a Rogue multiclassed with Ranger or Vice Versa. You could also input the odd NPC to assist.
Sounds interesting though.
I have been considering popping in a rogue multiclass. Im gonna whack some characters together tonight using the builder and see what I come up with that I think she will enjoy.
I have been considering popping in a rogue multiclass. Im gonna whack some characters together tonight using the builder and see what I come up with that I think she will enjoy.
I'd caution against picking the rogue class. Unless the PC has the luxury of allies in the fight, gaining combat advantage will be very difficult much of the time, making dealing sneak attack damage (the bulk of a rogue's damage output) a rare thing.
I have been considering popping in a rogue multiclass. Im gonna whack some characters together tonight using the builder and see what I come up with that I think she will enjoy.I'd caution against picking the rogue class. Unless the PC has the luxury of allies in the fight, gaining combat advantage will be very difficult much of the time, making dealing sneak attack damage (the bulk of a rogue's damage output) a rare thing.
Not necessarily, the rogue only needs combat advantage, Feint( via Bluff), Higher ground, enemy laying prone. I can see a prince of Persia\ indianna Jones style swinging to high places to attack with advantage, pulling carpets out from under opponent etc, lots of swashbuckly type stuff.
One of my characters was doing lots of this type of stuff in one of my games (he's a real sucker for copying game\film character styles) and worked really well. He kept about 8 guys busy whilst knocking out 1 or two in a round.
You might need to grant a couple of extra Action points to help with this ( so that she can throw a bluff and backstab in a round or pull out a carpet then attack the prone enemy) but the rogue isn't half as pitiful in toe to toe combat than previous editions.
Or go for the Ranger with rogue multiclass character which is still a good option.
I have been considering popping in a rogue multiclass. Im gonna whack some characters together tonight using the builder and see what I come up with that I think she will enjoy.I'd caution against picking the rogue class. Unless the PC has the luxury of allies in the fight, gaining combat advantage will be very difficult much of the time, making dealing sneak attack damage (the bulk of a rogue's damage output) a rare thing.Not necessarily, the rogue only needs combat advantage, Feint( via Bluff), Higher ground, enemy laying prone. I can see a prince of Persia\ indianna Jones style swinging to high places to attack with advantage, pulling carpets out from under opponent etc, lots of swashbuckly type stuff.
One of my characters was doing lots of this type of stuff in one of my games (he's a real sucker for copying game\film character styles) and worked really well. He kept about 8 guys busy whilst knocking out 1 or two in a round.
You might need to grant a couple of extra Action points to help with this ( so that she can throw a bluff and backstab in a round or pull out a carpet then attack the prone enemy) but the rogue isn't half as pitiful in toe to toe combat than previous editions.
Or go for the Ranger with rogue multiclass character which is still a good option.
1. Feinting requires a standard action, and can be done once per encounter. Sure, you could use a standard action to gain combat advantage. Or you could use that standard action to make an attack. Combat advantage (assuming you hit on your next attack) grants you an average of 9 extra points of damage at heroic tier (with the Backstabber feat). Attacking with Sly Flourish (without combat advantage, and assuming you hit) grants you an average of 9.5 extra points of damage at heroic tier (assuming decent stat bonuses). No, you don't have an extra +2 to attack since you don't have combat advantage, but you're making TWO attacks instead of one, so you're not putting all your eggs in one basket.
In other words, unless you have a VERY good reason for it, feinting is dumb.
2. Higher ground does not grant you combat advantage. In fact, higher ground does not grant you anything. The phrase doesn't even appear in the Player's Handbook.
3. An enemy lying prone requires some way to make that enemy prone. The first rogue power that knocks an enemy prone on a hit is at 5th level. It's a daily power. (disclaimer: I haven't checked Martial Power; could be something in there) It is possible to force an enemy into prone by using forced movement to push them over a ledge, but either way you don't have them prone for the initial attack.
4. Allowing the use of more than one action point in a single encounter is a house rule. It's certainly an option (and may be a good one), but it's not one the rules as written support. Also, as I've explained above, sacrificing an action point for no other purpose than to gain combat advantage isn't worth it, nine times out of ten. You simply are more effective using your extra action to make another attack.
The only real argument I can see against this is the fact that the PC will probably be fighting a majority of minion monsters which means damage is irrelevant. This, I think, only reinforces the idea that the PC should not be a striker, since a striker's primary purpose is to deal heavy damage to a small set of targets (or a single target).
I still strongly advise against a rogue as a solo character without significant changes to the rules to accommodate the character.
My suggestion: Battle Cleric of the Raven Queen.
It obvious to me that the rules are there to help a game, not hinder or indeed suck the life out of it.
Personally I'd put the option of making Bluff a move action and as we have done use the houserule of higher ground granting a combat advantage.
Using a cleric for a single character game whilst making the best solo character in the rules is also the most boring unless the solo person is inclined to playing clerics. For me the Rogue, Ranger or fighter gets my vote but it's your choice obviously.
As stated in pretty much every DMG 'Ultimately the DM decides the rules that are used whether in the books or home brew'. If it makes a good, fun game then do it.