[CoS] Question re: leveling a character to match the rest of the party via solo 1shot

[wilhufftarkin]

I just wanted to pick the brains of some of yall DMs that are much more experienced than I. So I am running CoS for a party of 4 (cleric, monk, paladin, sorcerer) and I am having one more party member join the group. They have accessed the Dungeon level of the house and are at level 2 right now. An idea I had was running a solo one shot for the new character (who will be a druid) to make her feel like she earned the level from 1->2 instead of just having her make a level 2 character to start. My old Eberron DM once ran a solo one shot for me where my cleric went on a "spiritual journey" and ended up being pulled between the light (Dol Arrah) and the dark (The Mockery) and it was to this day one of the coolest DnD experiences I've ever had. It had lasting impacts on my character when I rejoined the party for our regular sessions. I know I've seen that solo adventures are hard to run, but I was thinking if I make it more narrative and not as much combat based it could work? I was also hoping to get some ideas as far as narratives that would be interesting for a level 1 elf druid. I kind of wanted to incorporate some kind of foreshadowing for things to come in Ravenloft throughout the rest of the campaign to fit with the mood of the rest of CoS. So, what are your thoughts? Is it a decent idea or should I just scrap it and have her make a level 2 character?

Also: what is a good way to explain a character joining the party in the middle of the Death House when it is surrounded by the Mists?