Running Ironfang Invasion as 2-Player Gestalt

[jshort_gm]

Hello, I am looking for advice on running this AP as a two-player gestalt game. I would especially appreciate advice from anyone who has run APs for two players before. I've run Curse of the Crimson Throne, Hell's Rebels, and am also running Hell's Vengeance now, but for all of those, I have had parties of 4-6, so I'm used to having to buff things rather than tone them down.

I have already run the first session. I have two experienced players who regularly build fairly optimized characters. One is running a Chosen One Paladin/Psychic Bloodline Sorcerer (Tiefling.) The other is running a Trophy Hunter Ranger/Gun Chemist Mindchemist Alchemist (Human.)

The session went about as well as they usually do at early levels. Combats were a bit swingy to start. And then we got to the bridge. This is where things got dicey. Even with Kergi getting rendered blinded by an emergency color spray, the paladin/sorcerer got crit three times and died. I think twice by the wolf and once by an Ironfang recruit. The gun-user was struggling due to an ill-timed misfire that made him switch to a bow. The dice were very much not in their favor. I almost immediately removed the advanced template from the wolf because it was so rough for them. The gun user ended up unconscious but was stabilized by Rhyna who cleverly pretended that the wand casting failed before fleeing the two surviving recruits who had no spellcraft and just wanted to go back to their nap. The NPCs were able to recover the two after that, fleeing across the bridge, which the ranger/alchemist was able to destroy once healed to consciousness.

Now, for the Chosen One paladin, I recovered the dead character by having a chance for her deity intervene on her behalf, with the other character doing a ritual reincarnation that consumed the +1 buckler neither of them were going to use/have a chance to sell for a while. It was a good story moment, at least. In the Boneyard, she had the opportunity to get some closure saying goodbye to her adopted dad, Father Noelan, who died fairly unceremoniously in the attack on Phaendar, before he moved on to Erastil's realm.

Still, 2 con ability drain is going to hurt a bit this early on. They really have no way to fix that for a while. I just didn't want to kill a character off in the first session, before I had a chance to work out the balancing of the campaign.

So we have the two characters back, and I am wondering: is this a sign of how things are going to go for this campaign? Should I up them from 20 point-buy to 25? Do I give them additional boons? Should I implement an altered version of Leadership/let an NPC or two (GM-controlled) travel with them? Should I give it a few more sessions and see how it pans out?

Also, I've heard (and seen) that this campaign throws a lot of wealth at the characters. Should this be adjusted for two players or should I just roll with it given the difficulties of a two-player campaign (and limited availability of crafting compared to what they are used to)?

[DM_aka_Dudemeister]

Give them two ranks of Mythic. Add some stuff about them being chosen by the gods or something. But two ranks of Mythic will give them Extra hit points, a pool of Hero points, they won't die until they hit double negative Con, and they can spend mythic to help their action economy.

I mean your Paladin is already a chosen one.

[Erpa]

What I'll say is that Ironfang is filled with Troop squads-which are essentially pools of hit points and damage types just like a swarm. There are A LOT of these foes.

So it'll end up with your 2 PCs charge a 4x4 or 5x5 square of just pure enemies.

Having an NPC along may help out, or a DMNPC, or gifted warmounts or something.

[ckdragons]

I believe your biggest hurdle with 2 PCs, even when those PCs are powerful, will be action economy. Single boss fights are going to be heroic, but with multiple enemies, its either going to be a lot of nothing because the baddies can't hit/effect the PCs, or the PCs are going to get worn down by attrition. For these reasons, I agree with Erpa that a DMPC would be helpful more than providing the 2 PCs with Mythic levels.