Advice wanted for DM'ing level 1 solo adventure

[leon666]

So, title is pretty self explanatory but obviously needs some elaboration.
I have been promising to run some sort of campaign for a buddy of mine for some time now, so its about time I did so.

I am a relatively inexperienced DM, but I know enough to run a basic game. My player has played a lot, but knows very little about power playing or character design. and will likely run a tier 3-4 class. He dislikes casters and usually during the games I run for him I struggle to get him interacting with npcs. sadly he prefers hack and slash style game, which I don't enjoy running for a relatively weak solo character as I am limited in what I can throw at him without flat out mincing him.

Basically he will start as a level one solo character and I was looking for quests/tasks suited to a character of his power and experience. I have considered having him play 2 characters so he can accomplish more varied goals, but he has trouble running the 1 and if I use a dmpc it basically feels like I am playing my own game as my dmpc ends up as the face of the party and he sits there listening to me have a conversation with myself.

That will do for now, apologies for grammar/formatting am on my phone and half asleep.
Thanks in advance for the help.

[Callin]

Use the Gestalt Rules for character creation. As far as encounters and such just remember the action economy. Too many mooks will destroy him before he has the chance to act. Though having a slug fest between him and 1 guy just isnt all that fun.

OH OH OH Make a Roman Gladiator Game. Let him be a rising Gladiator living in the pits and that way you can use NPC's to have bigger battles for when you want to change it up some. He could be a freed slave or a working towards his freedom. Then he could go out in town and explore after the fights.

For a change of pace they could use Magic to create a dungeon that the colloseum can see in and he could navigate it to bypass traps and foes to reach the end. Can be done solo or as a race against 1 or even multiple opponents. Could team up to defeat the stronger only to be stabbed in the back a the finish line.

[Eonir]

Don't use any baddies with huge crit multipliers. Monsters will get lucky crits too and a x3/4 multiplier will most definitely end the adventure. Also, you should probably avoid two handed weapons all together for baddies.