I have been approached by a player that wants to begin a one player game, maybe with a squire-style GMPC.
Any advice? Is this a good idea, or even doable?
How would CR work?
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I have been approached by a player that wants to begin a one player game, maybe with a squire-style GMPC.
Any advice? Is this a good idea, or even doable?
How would CR work?
It's totally doable. Though it works better if your one PC has healing abilities of some sort. Having a good selection of skills is also a very good thing. I'd go Inquisitor or one of the more selfish kinds of Bard for a solo game.
As for CR, the game assumes a party of 4, and four creatures of CR X are generally CR X+4...so, probably make the normal assumptions but subtract 4 from the CR, less if he's got NPC backup. So, at level 7, a CR 3 would be a typical encounter, a CR 7 would be a good boss encounter.
You'll need to modify that quite a lot, though, based on the PC's particular capabilities, ie: if he uses spells and doesn't deal damage then the HP aren't meaningful, and the saves matter a lot more, so a high HP, low save, creature is a lesser threat, while a low hp creature with good saves and spell resistance is a much worse one.
A single PC with a few retainers can be a very fun in-depth game, give him a squire, and maybe a physician , and a few animals (mount, wardogs etc), and have at it.
Using gestalt rules is generally a good idea for solo adventures.
What class does your player want to play? Some classes have a much easier time at solo adventures than others.
Having 2-5 henchmen could be fun. The PC saves the day while the henchmen play support and clean-up. "You guys keep the soldiers busy and get the prisoners out of here. I'm going after The Black Knight." None of them need to be great builds or even high level - they just need to be able to survive a hit from time to time. The image of Captain America and his WWII buddies keeps on popping into my head.
Last night, a considerably more experienced player told me he believes it is the best way to introduce somebody to the game, since it allows the whole universe to revolve around them.
Mechanically, it can be more complicated. I believe it's doable with most characters, BUT you have to tailor the adventure.
I have run and played in many solo games, and with several npc follower types its very easy to have a great game.
PC gets the limelight and if any bad dice rolls threaten a game breaker, NPCs can rise to the occasion.
Let the Pc pretty much control the NPCs, with GM override when required, also paying them and equipment and maintenance of them can be another fun element.
Don't worry the mechanics of it and just have fun, some of my best games were done like this.
I'm not sure what class he wants to play, but it's probably going to be something noble-like, the big hero, or villain.
So, paladin/cavalier/etc.
I really like the idea of the 2-5 henchmen idea (thanks Ciaran!) along with the gestalt rules.
I get the basic idea of gestalt, but what is it, exactly?
I have been approached by a player that wants to begin a one player game, maybe with a squire-style GMPC.
Any advice? Is this a good idea, or even doable?
How would CR work?
It's totally doable. Though it works better if your one PC has healing abilities of some sort. Having a good selection of skills is also a very good thing. I'd go Inquisitor or one of the more selfish kinds of Bard for a solo game.
As for CR, the game assumes a party of 4, and four creatures of CR X are generally CR X+4...so, probably make the normal assumptions but subtract 4 from the CR, less if he's got NPC backup. So, at level 7, a CR 3 would be a typical encounter, a CR 7 would be a good boss encounter.
You'll need to modify that quite a lot, though, based on the PC's particular capabilities, ie: if he uses spells and doesn't deal damage then the HP aren't meaningful, and the saves matter a lot more, so a high HP, low save, creature is a lesser threat, while a low hp creature with good saves and spell resistance is a much worse one.
Hmmm...that makes sense. So, at level 1, what would be good competition?
I get the basic idea of gestalt, but what is it, exactly?
Basically, you pick two classes each level and take the best from each. You take the better BAB, the better number of skill ranks, etc. and grab abilities from both classes.
Oh, that's it?
Hmmmm, that's cool.
How do abilities that are similar interact, like mounts/companions?
Oh, that's it?
Hmmmm, that's cool.How do abilities that are similar interact, like mounts/companions?
I think they act in parallel, but I've yet to see any official gestalt rules.
Oh my god. You gotta mess with him. Have him be one of the lackeys, and have one of the "supporting" characters be the leader of the party.
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Hmmm...that makes sense. So, at level 1, what would be good competition?
Well, at level 1 that sorta breaks down, since most monsters below CR 1 are really designed to operate in groups and sorta fail to be effective sans their group. I'd stick to CR 1 or lower things though.
Now, this gets a lot easier with an NPC cohort and gestalt, which makes them like a 2 and 1/2 man party. With those, you could probably just drop CRs by 1 from his (and said cohort's) level and get by solidly.
Oh, that's it?
Hmmmm, that's cool.How do abilities that are similar interact, like mounts/companions?
They don't stack, but you get whichever is better. Same on saves, BAB, skill points, etc. About the only thing you can get two of is two sets of spells.
This does mean a Druid/Cavalier should take a Domain though, since he'l then have a Mount and a Domain. The same applies to other, similar, options (a Paladin/Cavalier should take Divine Bond on his weapon, etc.)