Hey, usually I wouldn't bug anyone but I really need some advice.
One of my players had asked me if I'm willing to run Rise of the Runelord. I didn't fully understood what he was asking, so I said yes. Forward some time later, I only realized that he meant running the adventure path in a solo game.
...and I said yes.
Cue the thunders and lightning.
We've went through the first session just a few days ago, and he created Ashford the Human Arcanist. Gave the Arcanist "Toughness" as a bonus feat, some goodies and then we ran an introductory session where he increased his level to level 3 to give him some extra edge in Burnt Offerings as well as to give the player the feel for his character's background and personality.
Now I'm not sure where to go from here. My player is not familiar enough with the system to go gestalt or mythic, and I'm already tweaking the encounters so it's survivable. I'm also planning to get some NPCs (Mainly Shalelu in the beginning, and then a tweaked Devan from Hook Mountain permanently) to provide support.
Is there anything that I can do to not make this game a one-sided slaughter for the DM?
Gosh, running a solo game needs even more planning than a party of 4 or 5.
Hey, usually I wouldn't bug anyone but I really need some advice.
One of my players had asked me if I'm willing to run Rise of the Runelord. I didn't fully understood what he was asking, so I said yes. Forward some time later, I only realized that he meant running the adventure path in a solo game.
...and I said yes.
Cue the thunders and lightning.
We've went through the first session just a few days ago, and he created Ashford the Human Arcanist. Gave the Arcanist "Toughness" as a bonus feat, some goodies and then we ran an introductory session where he increased his level to level 3 to give him some extra edge in Burnt Offerings as well as to give the player the feel for his character's background and personality.
Now I'm not sure where to go from here. My player is not familiar enough with the system to go gestalt or mythic, and I'm already tweaking the encounters so it's survivable. I'm also planning to get some NPCs (Mainly Shalelu in the beginning, and then a tweaked Devan from Hook Mountain permanently) to provide support.
Is there anything that I can do to not make this game a one-sided slaughter for the DM?
Gosh, running a solo game needs even more planning than a party of 4 or 5.
If you had let him play as a party of 4 on his own there would be no issue but if he really wanted to play solo then be ready to make a lot of alterations. Optimize loot in his favor maybe, however I feel like by playing this adventure solo you will be missing out on a lot from this fantastic adventure IMO.
Thanks guys!
I've talked with the player and he is excited to be able to run another PC, but he's afraid that he couldn't handle the other two. We'll see how this goes.
I've also asked if he would mind asking another player to join us but he isn't too keen on it since none of our current players fit out time tables and that was the primary reason he wanted to play a solo game.
Eh, at least I got free dinner out of it so I don't mind.
There's an Arcanist archetype that focuses on summoning. Combine that with him picking up Scribe Scroll and you giving him extra downtime (plus a full party's loot for one guy) and it might be doable, just...
Still very difficult to pull off.
Okay. Here's a couple of suggestions.
First, use the Hero Point system found at the end of the Advanced Player's Guide (and found in the PRD). This can in fact be used instead of Mythic and if you look at the Mythic rules you'll see how Hero Points do form the foundation of some Mythic elements. I'd go so far as to say have him with 3 Hero Points and let them regenerate... and also let him save his character's life by spending only one Hero Point.
Second, if his stats are higher than a 15-point build, that should help him survive.
Last, consider reducing the number of foes he fights if he's not with NPCs or the like. While the goblins aren't an issue, you could say drop the number of Yeth Hounds by one if he ran into such beasts, or go from a three-ghoul pack to a two-ghoul pack.
Also, don't be afraid to fudge rolls. He wants to have fun. Let him. :) It's just a game, and ultimately both you and he win if he enjoys himself.
Good luck!
@FuelDrop: it's a bit too late for that since his Arcanist is already level 3, but good point with the crafting. I'll have to see if I should award him crafting feats... or making an Artificer npc dedicated to him.
@Tangent: I'll take a look at the APG later tonight and see what it does. But it doesn't sound like it needs a lot of work and that is always good. :)
I let him rolled 5d6 drop 2, and the Random Number Goddess was smiling at him so he got pretty good rolls. 2 18s and 1 17, and thank goodness he invested 18 in Con (the player is a role-player and not an optimizer, so...).
I'm already doing that with he encounter. I'm also going to single out bosses to give him a fighting chance against them.
Despite not fudging rolls usually, I find that being merciful has its merits in a solo game (already did it in the "prologue" game).