Running ROTRL for 3 players. 1 veteran that is more RP than min/max and 1 veteran that's more min/max than RP but not obsessively so, and 1 player completely new to tabletop RPG's. They have a gnome sorcerer, a kobold fighter/rogue, and a Human shield fighter. They are still 1st level but very close to second level. They have no healing and a local cleric npc has joined with them. I'd love to run this without having to play an NPC but they need some healing and I can't find another player to join the group.
Ideas i've considered.
1) let them try it and if they die, lesson learned.
(I introduced the NPC right before they were going to TPK 20 minutes into the 1st game)
2) have one of them play a second character that is a healer
(not fair to the others if only one, and all of them would require beefing up the adventure. The newest player would be very lost running 2 characters)
3) Somehow convince my wife to play (ain't never gonna happen)
4) Allow gish characters (might unbalance things, and not really sure how gish works)
5) Suck it up and run the cleric for them. (seems the best bet)
Anything i'm missing that might help..
Use the 10-Minute rest period.
Mark L. Chance | Spes Magna Games
You could help them out with some extra healing potions and wands of CLW. Remember, it's not their fault that there are only three of them.
Another option is to knock a couple hit points off of some of the enemies. I have to do the opposite in my RotRl game because I've got too many players.
I'd go with the healing potions idea too. No reason to punish them for playing the characters they want to play.
I'm sure you're not in the Vermont/ New Hampshire area, otherwise I'd volunteer to play a cleric. :)
I'd just run a healbot NPC. Just make sure they know your NPC is gobbling up a share of the XP :P
I ran RotRL through Chapter 3 (game folded), with 6 PCs including a Bard, so he could use Cure Light Wands. It also included an NPC healbot cleric or they *would* have died many deaths.
This AP has to have a cleric. There were times that he used up all his healing bursts in one battle, and he had extra channeling and a 16 charisma!!!
-- david
Papa.DRB
4) Allow gish characters (might unbalance things, and not really sure how gish works)
I assume by 'gish' you mean gestalt where characters have more then one class? the rule are actually open content, you can find them here
In terms of balance 3 gestault characters should be about as strong as 4 regular pcs provided they dont munchkin the hell out of the gestalt rules. There is some pretty good advice on balance in that link though it doesnt all perfectly translate to pathfinder ofcourse.
In my view if your players dont min/max it gestalt characters dont end up alot more powerful then normal characters, just more versatile. Which is what you need, just make sure one of the covers cleric and rogue in the deal :P.
I'd go with the healing potions idea too. No reason to punish them for playing the characters they want to play.
I'm sure you're not in the Vermont/ New Hampshire area, otherwise I'd volunteer to play a cleric. :)
NH seacoast area actually
4) Allow gish characters (might unbalance things, and not really sure how gish works)
I assume by 'gish' you mean gestalt where characters have more then one class? the rule are actually open content, you can find them here
In terms of balance 3 gestault characters should be about as strong as 4 regular pcs provided they dont munchkin the hell out of the gestalt rules. There is some pretty good advice on balance in that link though it doesnt all perfectly translate to pathfinder ofcourse.
In my view if your players dont min/max it gestalt characters dont end up alot more powerful then normal characters, just more versatile. Which is what you need, just make sure one of the covers cleric and rogue in the deal :P.
silly me, yes gestalt, had a brain fart
Make sure the rogue picks up ranks in UMD, toss in a wand of CLW, and they should probably be fine.
Hmm hadn't thought of the local church providing them with potions and a wand, and if you know ROTRL then that's definitely plausible.
This has given me some ideas, thanks folks.
If you don't mind a little house rules, you could simply add CLW to the sorcerer's spell list. He can pick as a spell known, and regardless, he can use wands without needing UMD.
Also, just make sure someone has Heal ranks. There's a new use of the Heal skill that lets you blow 2 charges from a healers kit (very cheap, buy them in bulk) which takes an hour and heals someone of 1 hp/hd. Quick and dirty, faster than a nights rest but gets the same job done.
Also, just make sure someone has Heal ranks. There's a new use of the Heal skill that lets you blow 2 charges from a healers kit (very cheap, buy them in bulk) which takes an hour and heals someone of 1 hp/hd. Quick and dirty, faster than a nights rest but gets the same job done.
Well, going back to the "don't punish the players because there's only three of them" argument above, then this would take some of the sorceror's limited spell selection away.
While some back-up healing is always good planning, prevention should be their primary focus. The sorcerer should focus on magics that allow him to prevent damage to himself and to the party. If they work as a team, they should be able to survive combat with minimal healing effects.
Running ROTRL for 3 players. 1 veteran that is more RP than min/max and 1 veteran that's more min/max than RP but not obsessively so, and 1 player completely new to tabletop RPG's. They have a gnome sorcerer, a kobold fighter/rogue, and a Human shield fighter. They are still 1st level but very close to second level. They have no healing and a local cleric npc has joined with them. I'd love to run this without having to play an NPC but they need some healing and I can't find another player to join the group.
Ideas i've considered.
1) let them try it and if they die, lesson learned.
(I introduced the NPC right before they were going to TPK 20 minutes into the 1st game)2) have one of them play a second character that is a healer
(not fair to the others if only one, and all of them would require beefing up the adventure. The newest player would be very lost running 2 characters)3) Somehow convince my wife to play (ain't never gonna happen)
4) Allow gish characters (might unbalance things, and not really sure how gish works)
5) Suck it up and run the cleric for them. (seems the best bet)
Anything i'm missing that might help..
2. As long as they understand the 2nd character is done for the benefit of the group, and not just to get more screen time they might go for it. My group has done this more than once for an extended period. They might consider having to run a 2nd character more of a punishment* than a benefit since it is one more thing they have to keep track of.
*Not the right word, but could not think of anything better at the moment.
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Well if they don't have a healer you shouldn't give them one as a crutch. They need to use their intelligence to solve problems without direct conflict unless it's absolutely necessary. Maybe a few hirelings, illusion spells, trickery, diplomacy, etc.
That group should easily be able to properly scout out a lot of areas before they head in and has the potential to do a lot of interesting and fun things. Now getting to know the local temples and getting on good terms with them might not be the worst idea of course, but no freebies unless they earn it! :)
I'm definitely up for #1. If they aren't smart enough to run away from challenges that are too much for them that's their fault. They'll become better players if they have to constantly come up with ways to deal with that kind of a perceived shortcoming. Encourage one of them to get some ranks in Heal.
Well if they don't have a healer you shouldn't give them one as a crutch. They need to use their intelligence to solve problems without direct conflict unless it's absolutely necessary. Maybe a few hirelings, illusion spells, trickery, diplomacy, etc.
That group should easily be able to properly scout out a lot of areas before they head in and has the potential to do a lot of interesting and fun things. Now getting to know the local temples and getting on good terms with them might not be the worst idea of course, but no freebies unless they earn it! :)
I'm definitely up for #1. If they aren't smart enough to run away from challenges that are too much for them that's their fault. They'll become better players if they have to constantly come up with ways to deal with that kind of a perceived shortcoming. Encourage one of them to get some ranks in Heal.
my concern with this approach is i don't see away around the tougher encounters in an AP. Like the lamia they will have to face. She's a very tough fight and has tpk'd plenty of groups. I'd like to put a tad more effort than normal becasue one player is playing for the 1st time. It would be nice if they lived past 2nd level and some bad roles made it so they almost didn't make it out of the festival at the very beginning of the game.
I'm running RotRL for three players, and they're all running two characters each. The initial party was Bard, Barbarian, Cleric, Rogue, Sorcerer, Spellsword. They nearly lost two PCs in the Catacombs of Wrath, literally surviving thanks to one lucky die roll. The Barbarian was killed at Thistletop and replaced with a Fighter. They were forced to run through all their healing spells/potions/channel energy uses in Foxglove Manor near the start of the second book; they were 5th L at the time.
I really do not see three PCs surviving this without a serious nerfing of the encounters.
I'm running RotRL for three players, and they're all running two characters each. The initial party was Bard, Barbarian, Cleric, Rogue, Sorcerer, Spellsword. They nearly lost two PCs in the Catacombs of Wrath, literally surviving thanks to one lucky die roll. The Barbarian was killed at Thistletop and replaced with a Fighter. They were forced to run through all their healing spells/potions/channel energy uses in Foxglove Manor near the start of the second book; they were 5th L at the time.
I really do not see three PCs surviving this without a serious nerfing of the encounters.
I'll be curious how your group does when they get to magnamar and the lamia.
Your post basically confirms my thoughts that as is its a lost cause and they wont make it past thistletop let alone survivng the manor.
I'll be curious how your group does when they get to magnamar and the lamia.
Me, too. They've just arrived in Magnimar and done what they needed to do at the townhouse. I'm not too worried about their planned visit to the Seven's Sawmill, even if they arrive while the full group is present there. But the lamia -- heck, just the Scarecrow could take one of them out fairly easily -- is going to be a serious problem.
The quasit in the Catacombs was running rings around them, until the party Cleric shouted out that they'd only been exploring, they hadn't meant to disturb anyone and could they please just collect their wounded and leave in peace? The quasit thought this was hilarious, but I decided it should have a small chance of working. One natural 20 later, and the party was in an organized retreat, being taunted the whole way and warned never to return.
That's not the sort of thing that should happen twice. No one in the party currently has access to fly, levitate, dimension door, feather fall, etc. I don't think anyone can become invisible. Perhaps the only thing that will stop a TPK is if they return to Sandpoint before finding their way to the Shadow Clock. They came to Magnimar for two reasons: to try and find the "agents" who might contact Aldern at the townhouse; and to secure a Hallow scroll to remove Vorel's phage from the manor. No agents showed, and they do have the scroll now.
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I don't think three bodies is enough to get by with wands or potions. If you had 4 or 5 maybe, but if the human fighter is in bad enough shape to need healing, then one of the other two would need to come to his aid. I really don't see any viable means to get around an NPC healer, whether you like it or not.
We have a similar issue in the Savage Tide AP (3.5 rule). Human Druid (going to multiclass wizard for arcane hierophant and specialize in summoning). Aasimar melee cleric. Drow Samurai and human rogue (going to multiclass wizard for unseen seer). The first two can be counted on for maybe a CLW each, but it's on their spell lists for wand usage. We had a gnome bard, but he dropped after one week. That cut out a bit of healing and the need to cover more skills cut into the points the rogue has available for UMD. We're only 2nd level at the moment, but time dependent advnetures are either going to be very expensive or impossible.
I currently run for a group of only 2 and have done for sometime now, real-life is a git when you all have families :) I have allowed them to gestalt if they wish and they have always used this to add classes that help them as a group, but I also give them ready access to wands of clw as at least 1 will have a class that allows them to use them.
This has worked great for me and I have finally got them (and my bigger group when we can 4-5 players to understand they dont need an arcane caster, cleric, rogue and a fighter in the group)
I run my games to challenge my players and help make a great story which is fun and part of that is having them play charcaters they want to play.
This game is a modified (pathfinder-rised LOL) version of 'Cormyr - The tearing of the weave' and they are playing a cleric/fighter and a ranger/summoner and they are doing fine, they feel pushed when I want them to and easy going when I want it too.
Its down to you as GM to make the game fun for you and your players in what ever way you can :)
Just my 2cp
Make sure the rogue picks up ranks in UMD, toss in a wand of CLW, and they should probably be fine.
A Fighter/Rogue is going to be WAY worse at UMD than a Sorcerer.
The 3.5 Sorcerer does not have UMD on his skill list, but he is still going to be better at it than a Fighter/Rogue, at least depending on how the class is made.If Pathfinder, the Fighter/Rogue shouldn't even consider taking UMD compared to the Sorcerer doing it instead.
my concern with this approach is i don't see away around the tougher encounters in an AP. Like the lamia they will have to face. She's a very tough fight and has tpk'd plenty of groups. I'd like to put a tad more effort than normal becasue one player is playing for the 1st time. It would be nice if they lived past 2nd level and some bad roles made it so they almost didn't make it out of the festival at the very beginning of the game.Well if they don't have a healer you shouldn't give them one as a crutch. They need to use their intelligence to solve problems without direct conflict unless it's absolutely necessary. Maybe a few hirelings, illusion spells, trickery, diplomacy, etc.
That group should easily be able to properly scout out a lot of areas before they head in and has the potential to do a lot of interesting and fun things. Now getting to know the local temples and getting on good terms with them might not be the worst idea of course, but no freebies unless they earn it! :)
I'm definitely up for #1. If they aren't smart enough to run away from challenges that are too much for them that's their fault. They'll become better players if they have to constantly come up with ways to deal with that kind of a perceived shortcoming. Encourage one of them to get some ranks in Heal.
If the Lamia was the fight I am thinking of, our group's remarkable insanity (and a DM just throwing his hands up in the air and rolling with it) made the fight incredibly easy.
Make sure the rogue picks up ranks in UMD, toss in a wand of CLW, and they should probably be fine.A Fighter/Rogue is going to be WAY worse at UMD than a Sorcerer.
The 3.5 Sorcerer does not have UMD on his skill list, but he is still going to be better at it than a Fighter/Rogue, at least depending on how the class is made.
If Pathfinder, the Fighter/Rogue shouldn't even consider taking UMD compared to the Sorcerer doing it instead.
Yes, forgot the whole thing with sorcerers having UMD.
Yes, forgot the whole thing with sorcerers having UMD.Make sure the rogue picks up ranks in UMD, toss in a wand of CLW, and they should probably be fine.A Fighter/Rogue is going to be WAY worse at UMD than a Sorcerer.
The 3.5 Sorcerer does not have UMD on his skill list, but he is still going to be better at it than a Fighter/Rogue, at least depending on how the class is made.
If Pathfinder, the Fighter/Rogue shouldn't even consider taking UMD compared to the Sorcerer doing it instead.
Which is why I qualified my statements based on version of the game you are playing. They only have UMD in PF, not 3.5
Which is why I qualified my statements based on version of the game you are playing. They only have UMD in PF, not 3.5Yes, forgot the whole thing with sorcerers having UMD.Make sure the rogue picks up ranks in UMD, toss in a wand of CLW, and they should probably be fine.A Fighter/Rogue is going to be WAY worse at UMD than a Sorcerer.
The 3.5 Sorcerer does not have UMD on his skill list, but he is still going to be better at it than a Fighter/Rogue, at least depending on how the class is made.
If Pathfinder, the Fighter/Rogue shouldn't even consider taking UMD compared to the Sorcerer doing it instead.
Forgot to say, pathfinder rules all the way, so the sorcerer would be the best for wands.
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I ran one player who was an Inquisitor through this. He did just fine by himself on the first one. The next one takes place in a major city so I made the services of an NPC cleric available to him at standard book prices, he blew through that like it was tissue paper, I didn't even pull any punches.
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Running ROTRL for 3 players. 1 veteran that is more RP than min/max and 1 veteran that's more min/max than RP but not obsessively so, and 1 player completely new to tabletop RPG's. They have a gnome sorcerer, a kobold fighter/rogue, and a Human shield fighter. They are still 1st level but very close to second level. They have no healing and a local cleric npc has joined with them. I'd love to run this without having to play an NPC but they need some healing and I can't find another player to join the group.
Ideas i've considered.
1) let them try it and if they die, lesson learned.
(I introduced the NPC right before they were going to TPK 20 minutes into the 1st game)2) have one of them play a second character that is a healer
(not fair to the others if only one, and all of them would require beefing up the adventure. The newest player would be very lost running 2 characters)3) Somehow convince my wife to play (ain't never gonna happen)
4) Allow gish characters (might unbalance things, and not really sure how gish works)
5) Suck it up and run the cleric for them. (seems the best bet)
Anything i'm missing that might help..
Or just run it. I got two players through RotR and they were a sorcerer, and a ranger (later changed to rogue upon death). The party adapts the the sorcerer decided to become a theurge so the party would have healing, allow them to convince NPCs to tag along, but don't shove a DMPC down their throats, have a stable of allies that every once in a while will accompany them on adventures (for example, in my game Balor, The owner of the Goblin squash stables, a couple of guards the group got to know during the skinsaw farm, the paladin from the docks, the monk from the house of blue stones, and shelelu could all be convinced at one time or another to accompany the PCs if requested, but wouldn't be with the party all the time). You don't need anything other than #1 and stop treating #1 like its a punishing lesson, the game works fine without a healer, it's more difficult, but don't try to turn it into DM vs. player so that they learn and make a healer (its your job to run a fun game, not try to teach them some lesson). At level 7 they can take leadership and get a healer if they want or one can multiclass to add some healing. But don't try and force any decisions like that on them.
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I ran RotRL through Chapter 3 (game folded), with 6 PCs including a Bard, so he could use Cure Light Wands. It also included an NPC healbot cleric or they *would* have died many deaths.
This AP has to have a cleric. There were times that he used up all his healing bursts in one battle, and he had extra channeling and a 16 charisma!!!
-- david
Papa.DRB
BS I ran two (sometimes 3) players without a cleric to level 7 where they took leadership to get a cleric, but had gotten that far without me pulling punches or altering the AP hell I even made golarion a low magic setting where there wasn't ready access to bought magic items. You had to get what you got through adventuring and didn't add a single wand of CLW unless it was randomly rolled for town items for sale.
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Hmm hadn't thought of the local church providing them with potions and a wand, and if you know ROTRL then that's definitely plausible.
This has given me some ideas, thanks folks.
Yeah father Zantus can brew potions, and even give them a minor discount (In my game father Zantus was a 4th level adept so could brew at max a cure moderate potion, but only had the magic and time for one potion a day, and there are other NPCs in town who occasionally need potions, so he didn't always have stock, he did give a 15% discount on price and when he knew they were going to thistletop gave them some extra cure lights for free as a thank you, but only 2 free potions), but don't just give them for free or let them buy an unlimited #, they made their bed, you can give them a pillow, but don't go and remake it for them, otherwise where's the challenge.
Appreciate all the input.
They will either each run 2 (the new player might just run 1 for now) or they will go gestalt.
I ran one player who was an Inquisitor through this. He did just fine by himself on the first one. The next one takes place in a major city so I made the services of an NPC cleric available to him at standard book prices, he blew through that like it was tissue paper, I didn't even pull any punches.
You're saying that you had one player complete the first two books of RotRL on his own?! That's insane!
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I'm running RotRL for three players, and they're all running two characters each. The initial party was Bard, Barbarian, Cleric, Rogue, Sorcerer, Spellsword. They nearly lost two PCs in the Catacombs of Wrath, literally surviving thanks to one lucky die roll. The Barbarian was killed at Thistletop and replaced with a Fighter. They were forced to run through all their healing spells/potions/channel energy uses in Foxglove Manor near the start of the second book; they were 5th L at the time.
I really do not see three PCs surviving this without a serious nerfing of the encounters.
I'll be curious how your group does when they get to magnamar and the lamia.
Your post basically confirms my thoughts that as is its a lost cause and they wont make it past thistletop let alone survivng the manor.
And I have to tell you that that's a ridiculous assumption.
I think what bugs me the most is that you're not even giving the players a chance to adapt before giving them a solution, how do you know that in a level or two one of them won't multiclass to get healing on his own. On top of that simple encouragements like using the healing kits and UMD ranks, you're basically saying, I don't think you guys are smart enough to do this, so I'm gonna hold your hands, and remember children, next time someone make a cleric no matter what.
I mean if they were level 5 and the only reason they got where they did was because you pulled punches and fudged rolls that's one thing, but you've had one session and are rushing to fix it yourself, instead of seeing what your players can do. First you should let them know their options with the characters they have, are they experienced, do they even know about treat deadly wounds or UMD? I mean at least give them till level 3 before you start "fixing" things that may not be broke.
The manor will kick your ass if you are a skill monkey with weak saves.
I dislike that most games will have parties that play with all bases covered. Healing is a prime example - there are plenty of ways to cope without healing characters; the simplest of which is that people take a week (game time) to just heal naturally. Having a healer present in-game during encounters can be useful - certainly - but potions, feats, scrolls and wands will do the job just fine.
I dislike that most games will have parties that play with all bases covered. Healing is a prime example - there are plenty of ways to cope without healing characters; the simplest of which is that people take a week (game time) to just heal naturally. Having a healer present in-game during encounters can be useful - certainly - but potions, feats, scrolls and wands will do the job just fine.
Potions shouldn't be available in infinite supply, especially in a small town like Sandpoint. Scrolls and wands must be used by someone who'd [at some point] be able to cast those spells himself, so they can only be used by healer classes or someone who can fake it with UMD.
UMD is good but doesn't work every time, and several encounters in the first two books of RotRL have required one or more healing efforts during combat, when less-than-certain UMD, or stopping mid-fight to take a week off isn't usually an option.
My players know they don't have to fight everything they encounter, they know they can retreat when outmatched, and they do stock up on potions, scrolls and wands whenever they can, but supplies are limited.
NH seacoast area actually
I'm sure you're not in the Vermont/ New Hampshire area, otherwise I'd volunteer to play a cleric. :)
I'll be darned. I hadn't expected that. Alas, still too far for me to offer, since I'm on the opposite side of the state.
I'll be darned. I hadn't expected that. Alas, still too far for me to offer, since I'm on the opposite side of the state.NH seacoast area actually
I'm sure you're not in the Vermont/ New Hampshire area, otherwise I'd volunteer to play a cleric. :)
Lol, i was laughing when I read your orginal post
having read through the 1st 2 of this AP, they will not make it through the manor, period. Its not very easy to lay traps for haunts and use diplomacy on undead. They just aren't very social. I can see the group finishing catacombs, thistletop will be tough but there is always aligning with the goblin druid, though he'd betray them once it served him. The manor will kill them, perhaps just the sorcerer having a CLW wand will do it but i think not.
1 PC making it past the Lamia is an exception, not the rule, but bravo to the PC. Not all groups will have trouble, but this one is and I'd like to make it a close to fair shot of them seeing Magnimar. perhaps combat goes against them and the quasit or Malfeshnekor or Naulia do them in, or maybe it's alden, but at least then it would seem meaningful.
They have used some of the best illusions I've seen in a while to alter the battlefield and are a very cautious group but in keeping with the spirit of ROTRL i don't see them going into the manor meet a haunt or 2 then leaving to travel back to sandpoint, heal, and go back 3 or 4 times.
I'd love to kill them in a battle, but wholesale slaughter is no challenge or fun for the DM. Epic battle that takes everything out of both sides, or unexpected skill uses to avoid situations is great.
Sandpoint strikes me as too small a town for large quantities of magic potions and wands, and I don't want them thinking "If i can buy this, then why isn't this available"
I new going into this we were ideally short 1 PC. My thought was to play it out and see how it went, and they basically got destroyed by the goblin warchief, his dog (repesented by a small odie figure) and the other goblins that saw the fighter fall and found some courage. They had some very bad roles and since then have done better at staying alive but they are using every resource really quickly to maintain equal footing. Having a new player who isn't even sure what a combat maneuver really is and when he should try one puts them at a small negative.
Once they are all familiar with the rules and the new guy feels comfortable enough to play something other than a basic fighter and can start grasping the tactics(combat and skill) then i have no problem running them through a gauntlet and let the blood flow, but this is not the time. I don't plan on fudging any roles to coddle them, there has to be a real chance of failure.
Considering Sandpoint's church has just been rebuilt, it's fair to say they are not stocked up on much in the way of supplies.
4) Allow gish characters (might unbalance things, and not really sure how gish works)I ran a group of three gestalts through a 3.5 conversion of the original Temple of Elemental Evil. Two of them had a blast, and when I could keep up and keep everything balanced, I had fun. But gestalts can get out of hand *very* quickly, and, since it's still only three bodies and three actions per round, a few bad rolls can still leave you with a TPK.
There are ways to make gestalt less freaked out, especially in the saves department. If you only give them a +2 the first time they get a Good save it really helps keep it from exploding. Also you need to outright ban PrCs that combine classes, Eldrich Knight, Mystic Thruge, etc.
Personally I 100% approve of hirelings. Adepts are in the game for more then just being goblin shamans. Or at least a by-standing allied NPC helper. A modified Cloistered Cleric who is a personal pacifist would work. If you have it, the Healer from the D&D 3.5 Miniatures Handbook is also a highly specialized nearly useless class great for this role.
My perception must be skewed because I've often run 3 PC groups and they seem to do just fine for the most part. Then again my players tend to be extremely lucky rollers and are brutal tactical players. What tends to happen when there isn't a healer in the party is most of it comes from items and UMD (which anyone with a halfway decent charisma can take now) out of combat. During combat they follow the motto, "the faster it dies, the less healing we'll need." They also have no problems with running away which leads to the first group motto, "run away, comeback and burn the place down."
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having read through the 1st 2 of this AP, they will not make it through the manor, period. Its not very easy to lay traps for haunts and use diplomacy on undead. They just aren't very social. I can see the group finishing catacombs, thistletop will be tough but there is always aligning with the goblin druid, though he'd betray them once it served him. The manor will kill them, perhaps just the sorcerer having a CLW wand will do it but i think not.
Dude stop making assumptions, I ran a sorcerer 3/oracle 1 and a rogue 4 through the haunted house by themselves, allow them to flee rooms to get away from haunts, (my PCs did that a couple of times when they made their perception checks to spot the haunt and beat the haunts initiative) and don't activate haunts that are activated by touching stuff (the piano, or the footprints) if they don't touch it. If 2 PCs in a low magic world can do it, then three PCs can certainly do it. Not to mention something you somehow completely keep ignoring. THEY'RE 4TH LEVEL BY THAT POINT, they could multiclass and have cleric levels by then. Stop projecting an aura of stupidity on your players (which is what you're doing when you say there is NO way they could do it).
Not all groups will have trouble, but this one is
Have there been more sessions that you haven't been telling us about because from what I'm reading you've had ONE session. So your saying "they had trouble once, I've got to retool the whole campaign.
Part of the reason this bothers me so much is that I've had DMs pull this on me before, I get a character all thought up and ready, then when I see that there's a missing niche, I start seeing how I can fill that niche and bam next session the DM comes in and throws in a DMPC, or lets players ghestalt or something. You need to actually let them play and see how they adapt to challanges, not adapt the challanges to them.
I'd I'd like to make it a close to fair shot of them seeing Magnimar. perhaps combat goes against them and the quasit or Malfeshnekor or Naulia do them in, or maybe it's alden, but at least then it would seem meaningful.
They have used some of the best illusions I've seen in a while to alter the battlefield and are a very cautious group but in keeping with the spirit of ROTRL i don't see them going into the manor meet a haunt or 2 then leaving to travel back to sandpoint, heal, and go back 3 or 4 times.
I'd love to kill them in a battle, but wholesale slaughter is no challenge or fun for the DM. Epic battle that takes everything out of both sides, or unexpected skill uses to avoid situations is great.
Which is funny because you seem dead set to prevent that from happening by throwing them solutions to their problems instead of letting them deal with it.
Sandpoint strikes me as too small a town for large quantities of magic potions and wands, and I don't want them thinking "If i can buy this, then why isn't this available"
That's really easy to establish, if you stat up the person making the potions and think of the general call for them from the town, then it becomes easy to say "I can only make x for you and it will take Y days, if not you can have buy my inventory of z but I still need to keep q in stock for other people so you have to buy all but q. My party adjusted to the fact that they could get potions from Zantus but only a limited number at a given time, and I'm betting I run a much lower magic world then you.
I new going into this we were ideally short 1 PC. My thought was to play it out and see how it went, and they basically got destroyed by the goblin warchief, his dog (repesented by a small odie figure) and the other goblins that saw the fighter fall and found some courage. They had some very bad roles and since then have done better at staying alive but they are using every resource really quickly to maintain equal footing. Having a new player who isn't even sure what a combat maneuver really is and when he should try one puts them at a small negative.
Once they are all familiar with the rules and the new guy feels comfortable enough to play something other than a basic fighter and can start grasping the tactics(combat and skill) then i have no problem running them through a gauntlet and let the blood flow, but this is not the time. I don't plan on fudging any roles to coddle them, there has to be a real chance of failure.
Just so you know, both players in my game were brand new players, neither one ever played a roleplaying game and they had to literally drag Belor's Body and retreat from the goblin warcheif on his dog. I still didn't change a thing from further games, they adapted. let them seek NPCs for assistance if willing, if you look at the gazateer you'll see there are people in town that would be capable allies for an encounter or two. My PCs got a random guard to accompany them into the glassworks, the guy fell after a round or two, but the party still continued and cleared the glassworks. My basic point is that you aren't helping your players, you're stifling them by providing solutions before they even have a chance to adapt and solve problems on their own. Wait till you're at least heading into the thistle to make big changes like the ones you're proposing. And new players are easier to encourage to try new things like CMBs then older players.
Give them a healer. Literally "give"! Hand them the sheet and tell them they have to run that character now. One guy can do it, or they can take turns.
The character gets his share of XP and loot (but maybe not a full share), and is a full-on healer.
Make it an oracle of life or a cleric with the healing domain (as well as one more that is more about defence than offence, maybe protection). The character will learn/prepare/know/use only healing spells (or nearly so - mostly healing with other curative stuff, and then maybe some defensive spells) and will be quiet out of combat (that way they don't have to roleplay two characters in social situations).