Solo Game for New Player

[Cardea]

Hey everyone. So oddball question. Because I have no other kind.

I'm running a solo adventure for a new player to 3.5. He's playing a Rogue, going Weapon Finesse/Two-Weapon Fighting. Wants to play like a detective in a primarily urban environment.

Problem is, I have no idea what to do. I'm used to full parties doing all kinds of heroic deeds. Can anyone give me some plot hooks or ideas for a game, or give me general advice on this?

[weckar]

If you are looking for a setting, seems like a job for Ptolus.

If you want a story, cannibalise ANY sherlock holmes story.

[jedipotter]

Well, fiction is just full of ''detectives in urban environments''. Really, there are tons and tons and tons of cop shows. And there are more then just cop shows, as lots of fantasy and sci-fi shows have them too. So all you need to do is take one the the shows, and make a it a game.

And the same is true of comics, even more so the urban ones. And movies. And books.

So just take the basic plot, and make it D&D.

[Red Fel]

Pretty much what others have said.

One of the problems with one-player campaigns is that, unless the player gets multiple characters, they tend to be fairly lethal. The PC has no backup - if he hits the ground, he hits the ground hard. This, however, works in your character's favor - he's playing a Rogue, a notorious skillmonkey. Simply de-emphasize combat (apart from a few choice, small-scale encounters, perhaps a climactic one-on-one with the chance to strategically use the environment) and instead emphasize social skills, perception rolls, and various other skill checks and roleplay opportunities.

Basically, just work out a detective story, or some sort of skulking-in-the-shadows plot, or simply crib from your favorite books and movies.

[NecessaryWeevil]

"A Familiar Dragon" by David Hood is a well-written series featuring mysteries in a fantasy environment, if you want to see this done well. Protagonist is basically a Rogue or perhaps an Aristocrat if I remember correctly.