Playing RHoD with 2 players.

[Seruvius]

I'm probably going to start DM-ing a capaign with 2 mates that will be sporadic in the times we end up playing and weve decided to give RHoD a bash. However as there are only 2 players, I'm not sure how to handle this. The options I've come up with are.

A) give them each 2 chars to play. THis I reckon might work, but it will sort of break the whole personal connection to the PC thing. We are a more RP than Munchkin bunch.

B) Give them the Leadership feat for free and some NPC mooks to go with it. THis could work but i reckon the NPC's will just end up as Redshirts and the constant supply of new ones needed will stretch immersion.

C) Give the players higher levels than normal to make up for being just 2. This may help on the pwoer front, but may leave them lacking the flexibility of 4 people and gimping them in the action economy. On the other hand as spell pwoer goes up in an exponential fashion with spell levels, getting access to higher level spells earlier than the campaign is built for might end up with overpowered PC's.


Any ideas/suggestions? Am I overestimating the issues present, or am I just missing a really easy fix somewhere?

Thanks

[Borsek]

Look up gestalt characters, it's basically 2 in 1, make sure both get a char with a high hit die and a caster - a warrior mage and rogue cleric, for example. Still not the same as playing 2 chars each due to action economy, but it might be a fun experience (you figure out how to do PrC with those, either keep classes separate or not, depending on campaign difficulty).

[fishyfishyfishy]

I think the two best options are gestalt, which is found here: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/gestaltCharacters.htm , and giving them an extra PC to role play.

[Coidzor]

If they're big into RP, then why do you think they'd use any NPC allies in order to send wave after wave of their own men to die like Zapp Brannigan, hoping that the RHOD are actually killbots who have a preset kill limit? :smallconfused:

[Seruvius]

Well When i say into RP, I should clarify that its their own characters usually. They both have a track record of while caring for an NPC they still see them as disposable compared to themselves, so if push comes to shove the NPC's will be doing the dying, and in RHoD there's a lot of shoving =P.

Ill definitely look into gestalt. Thank e very kindly for the suggestions.

[(Un)Inspired]

Honestly, I think two strongly built characters can handle RHoD on their own. I'm running it in 3.P (pathfinder with access to 3.5 stuff) for a party of 5 who are pretty low on the optimization index and I'm having to seriously beef up every encounter.

[Seruvius]

True 2 powerful ones, especially with gestalt, should be ok in the early encounters. I do worry that some of the siege of brindol may be an issue with its length and lack of rests, but i guess i can always just give them more NPC Lions of Brindol to help them out, and otherwise its a fitting way to end as the temple of Tiamat is a bit of a dungeon grind.

[(Un)Inspired]

True 2 powerful ones, especially with gestalt, should be ok in the early encounters. I do worry that some of the siege of brindol may be an issue with its length and lack of rests, but i guess i can always just give them more NPC Lions of Brindol to help them out, and otherwise its a fitting way to end as the temple of Tiamat is a bit of a dungeon grind.


Do you know what sort of characters your dynamic duo want to field?

[Seruvius]

Do you know what sort of characters your dynamic duo want to field?

I know one loves playing various versions of rogue and is interested in a rogue/Fighter Gestalt for all the feat/skill goodies. The other tends towards spellcasters with battlefield control wizards being his favourite, though he does have a sweet spot for the barbarian, he hasn't replied on the gestalt idea yet.

[(Un)Inspired]

I know one loves playing various versions of rogue and is interested in a rogue/Fighter Gestalt for all the feat/skill goodies. The other tends towards spellcasters with battlefield control wizards being his favourite, though he does have a sweet spot for the barbarian, he hasn't replied on the gestalt idea yet.

If your rogue lover builds a factotum and your spell lover builds a wizard I think they could complete RHoD on their own without even gestalt.

[Kid Jake]

If they're big into RP, then why do you think they'd use any NPC allies in order to send wave after wave of their own men to die like Zapp Brannigan, hoping that the RHOD are actually killbots who have a preset kill limit? :smallconfused:

You mean you don't ask yourself 'What Would Zapp Brannigan Do?' when you're in a tight spot?

[HyperDunkBarkly]

Honestly, it's not that hard a module when it's mostly unaltered. I am currently doing one of my first DMing campaigns with 2 players(wizard+cleric) and 1 DMPC(I am running a knight and I just stay rather low key to help fill a spot or to prompt a few events for them. they know this and don't really mind since they know I don't glorywhore.)

honestly, they mop the floor with it. We're currently approaching Act 3, having just beaten the Rhest Castle even, gotten the ghostlord's phylactery, and made our way back to the Elven Town of Starsong. Early game blaster spells are decently effective against the waves of trash. I am even adding in a couple of waves to some encounters, making the occasional custom encounter with many mobs, and they're keeping up. If your players come prepared, they should be able to hang in there, even when understaffed.

[endur]

I would just run RHoD with each of the two players running 1 character.

There are NPCs in the module, and you could let the party recruit NPCs if (and when) its appropriate.

I would probably let the PCs be +1 or +2 levels above the level that the module is rated for.

[HyperDunkBarkly]

I would just run RHoD with each of the two players running 1 character.

There are NPCs in the module, and you could let the party recruit NPCs if (and when) its appropriate.



this is true. lemme attempt to remember what I've run into.

there are a lot of melee and ranged specced human fighters available, a minotaur fighter if your players used the right kill order, the occasional town cleric(that could even be a quest giver) at one point an elven bard, maybe an elven ranger too.