New DM!

[FTG82]

Okay so I’ve made a thread asking for help on a few things. And I’m taking the advice on it and everything. But now I’m looking at running my first session. I’m nervous and I’ve decided on a few rules. First I’m going to let the players make their own character but restrict the books ( we have lots of books but I’m thinking maybe only stuff that you could find on D20SRD). Second I’m going to run a module and sense I’m not the best yet at improv and the likes we’re going to try and keep it on the rails at least for the first session or two. And Third this is a one and done adventure. They do not get to continue this adventure or anything. We’ll start with a new batch of characters and a new module After we finish the module I’m going to be going to the next one. And I want experience with PC’s from level 1-20 so I kind of want like modules that line up level wise. Like the first one would be like level 1-5 then the next is a shorter one for 5-7 then the next starts at 7 and do on and so forth until level 20. So here’s my question to all you experience GM’s (you might not like the restrictions for characters or the adventure but this is so I can learn to GM then I’ll be making the story fun and they can derail it as much as they want) my two best friends have agreed to help me learn and be my players. Ones our usual GM and the other is the groups rule lawyer. And in our group the DM usually has his own player character so that he can have a little fun too. So I need modules going from 1-20 for a party of 3 or 6. So any guides, advice, blogs, videos or anything that you can recommend would be amazingly nice and awesome and I’d love it. Thank you for your help and recommendations.

[Zombulian]

Okay so I’ve made a thread asking for help on a few things. And I’m taking the advice on it and everything. But now I’m looking at running my first session. I’m nervous and I’ve decided on a few rules. First I’m going to let the players make their own character but restrict the books ( we have lots of books but I’m thinking maybe only stuff that you could find on D20SRD). Second I’m going to run a module and sense I’m not the best yet at improv and the likes we’re going to try and keep it on the rails at least for the first session or two. And Third this is a one and done adventure. They do not get to continue this adventure or anything. We’ll start with a new batch of characters and a new module After we finish the module I’m going to be going to the next one. And I want experience with PC’s from level 1-20 so I kind of want like modules that line up level wise. Like the first one would be like level 1-5 then the next is a shorter one for 5-7 then the next starts at 7 and do on and so forth until level 20. So here’s my question to all you experience GM’s (you might not like the restrictions for characters or the adventure but this is so I can learn to GM then I’ll be making the story fun and they can derail it as much as they want) my two best friends have agreed to help me learn and be my players. Ones our usual GM and the other is the groups rule lawyer. And in our group the DM usually has his own player character so that he can have a little fun too. So I need modules going from 1-20 for a party of 3 or 6. So any guides, advice, blogs, videos or anything that you can recommend would be amazingly nice and awesome and I’d love it. Thank you for your help and recommendations.

Bold: why?

Actual answer: Savage Tides and Shackled City are both modules that go 1-20 I think. There may be a few more that I'm forgetting.

[Crake]

Bold: why?

A new DM limiting the sources to things he's familiar with is totally fine, it saves him a lot of overhead time having to look over the characters, then look up abilities he's not familiar with, consider the implications of such abilities on the game he wants to run, all while actually performing his duties as a DM.

People on this forum tend to shame DMs who limit source material, but I'd say being a new DM and limiting source material to what you're familiar with, and slowly expanding it as you get familiar with new material is totally fine.

[Fizban]

First I’m going to let the players make their own character but restrict the books ( we have lots of books but I’m thinking maybe only stuff that you could find on D20SRD).
Just remember that book restrictions does not automatically equal good "balance." Once you're comfortable the best move is to have the players ask for specific things, check them over, allow stuff that seems okay, and be ready to change or remove them if it turns out they're not so okay.

Second I’m going to run a module and sense I’m not the best yet at improv and the likes we’re going to try and keep it on the rails at least for the first session or two.
A lot of "1st" level modules aren't- they're far more lethal than expected. Which makes suggestions difficult.

And Third this is a one and done adventure.T hey do not get to continue this adventure or anything. We’ll start with a new batch of characters and a new module After we finish the module I’m going to be going to the next one.
I mean, if someone wants to "remake" the same character there's no reason they shouldn't be able to.

And I want experience with PC’s from level 1-20 so I kind of want like modules that line up level wise. Like the first one would be like level 1-5 then the next is a shorter one for 5-7 then the next starts at 7 and do on and so forth until level 20.
There are plenty of 1-20 adventure paths, though that's not neccesarily the best place to start (because if you want to connect all the chapters to best effect you need to know them all in detail. There are also plenty of adventure series with some number of chapters to some level. In theory I'd like to recommend the old 3.0 series, but I find The Sunless Citadel to have some grievous errors and arbitrariness.

Ones our usual GM and the other is the groups rule lawyer. And in our group the DM usually has his own player character so that he can have a little fun too. So I need modules going from 1-20 for a party of 3 or 6. So any guides, advice, blogs, videos or anything that you can recommend would be amazingly nice and awesome and I’d love it. Thank you for your help and recommendations.
"DM PCs" are generally frowned upon, so good that they're finally player instead? A party of 6, in addition to presumably being 2 characters per player and thus much more complex, will also overload most modules (written for 4 PCs).

(I'm searching up my previous posts to see if I've got a list already.) No list, just previous posts on the subject.

You appear to have run into the same problem I've found with most 1st level adventures: no one writes 1st level adventures. They write a bunch of EL 2 or EL 3 encounters, maybe space them out so you fight one per day (instead of four EL 1's in a single day) but more likely putting you on a event timer and springing them on you with fiat instead, and then write "1st level" on it.

This isn't surprising though, when you consider the large and mostly justified derision of 1st level adventurerers as glorified exterminators. Because it's true. Four humanoids vs one humanoid doesn't make you feel heroic, it makes you feel like a bully, and it's well known how four people rolling four initiatives and four actions per turn can crush a single target. (Which is the whole point, because you're supposed to crush encounters with level equal to yours, four times in a day if necessary.) So if you want an actual 1st level adventure, with encounters that include multiple foes, those foes need to be weaker than even 1HD NPC humanoids, which leaves. . . rats and bugs. (Or kobolds, or maybe goblins, but these have the problem where many DMs think they're supposed to make the intentionally underpowered 1st level fodder enemies super tactical and char-op'd because reasons.)

But people have seen way too many videogames start with killing a bunch of rats and/or bugs and few DMs would actually set this up as a serious problem that requires drastic, dangerous, and immediate action, so we don't get that. Instead we get encounters full of multiple humanoid NPCs or multiple CR 1 monsters, vs the 1st level party, and they're basically just supposed to luck their way through it.


Now, it's possible this encounter is not actually supposed to be a fight against all of those NPCs. If the text explicitly states that the PCs are only challenged by one CR 1 guy and that's all they have to fight, then it's pretty fair. Though even if it did have such a limit, I have a sneaking suspicion they'd be calling for a duel, which is even worse than the 2nd-3rd level adventures claiming to be 1st.

Here's a secret you might not have noticed about "1st level" adventures: they're almost never 1st level.

Sunless Citadel? Well let's see, the very first fight is against three Dire Rats, full EL 1, except they ambush the first party member that comes down the rope. The first encounter is literally a gank squad. Let's see, second major encounter is 3 skeletons, again EL 1- but these were 3.0 skeletons, with AC 13, +0/1d4 attacks, and only half damage from slashing instead of DR 5, so if you use the humanoid warrior templated skeleton from the 3.5 MM that gets way more dangerous. There's a Quasit which is absolutely not appropriate for a 1st level party, nor is the water mephit, thoqqua, shadow, or modified troll, though you might argue those are supposed to be fled from and fought after the party levels up. The kobolds are "CR 1/6," except their crossbow attacks are more powerful than the rats, plus range- while 3.5 jacked up skeletons and zombies thanks to templates, they fixed the kobold entry by changing that to a sling. But in the module as written, all those little 3 kobold clusters which should be EL 1/6*3=1/2, allowing you to clear several in a row for easy xp, are actually as dangerous as other CR 1/2 creatures with their 15 AC +2/d8 attacks (3.0 crossbows didn't care about small size) and effectively EL 3/2 for no additional payout. And a whole psychological effect of "tiny cowards we should be crushing" baiting players into overextending.

Forgotten Forge? Openly admits its second combat is EL 3, followed by an EL 2 which is immune to weapons, and its final fight is another EL3 which attacks the party on their way back to the civilized part of town when they're likely to be tired and expecting safety. First areas of World's Largest Dungeon? EL 2-3 across the board. Expedition to Undermountain? Well the cover says 1st-10th and the random encounters for the first area are 1st-2nd, but the rooms themselves are no lower than EL 2 with an average of EL 4 or so. That short web adventure A Dark and Stormy Knight? Starts with 8 rats which sounds easy until you see their +4 attack/14 AC and minimum 1 damage per hit, multiplied by 8 rats, then also brings in a "lesser" version of a more power monster with an area save vs helpless, and ends with a 42 hp zombie.

1st level adventures seem to think they need two things: encounters with multiple foes, and "boss fights" which are deliberately above the party's level. Except the DMG explicitly points out that going *any* amount above the party level drastically increases the chance of death, which will obviously be even worse at 1st, and worst of all when you set it after multiple previous fights. If the intent is to bait new players into getting wrecked so they learn the world is dangerous and unforgiving, because Oldschool, well then I guess its working. Additionally, some adventures (particularly 3rd party) are written for a party of 4-6 characters, or even just 6 flat out, which is easy to miss when you're just looking at the level- but the former reasons are the big ones. There's also a bit of mechanical difficulty: a novice group starting at 1st level is quite likely to miss how reach 0', AoOs, and 5' steps work, so even the appropriate Tiny pests become more dangerous as the PCs don't get their free defensive attacks.

The alternative is to have an Actual 1st Level Adventure, which is. . . pest control. If your encounters are all CR 1 or less (true CR 1, not lol Orc warriors), then they're gonna be bugs, small animals, and average or Small humanoids with poor quality weapons, outnumbered by the party with their full elite stats, max hp at 1st, and 50-100gp in quality handpicked weapons and armor. It's not a fair fight, the CR system is not made to produce fair fights. It's not glamorous. It's four powerful privileged people killing things that normal (1 HD average commoners) could fight, but it would be a dangerously fair fight for those people, so they pay adventurers a fat stack of cash instead. There's also a ton of fomula mileage in traps, which give full party xp despite generally being bypassable with zero damage. One random/leadup encounter, a trap, a room encounter, and then another trap is a full "day," and 1/3 of a level if you kick in a story bonus somewhere. Instead of 3 dire rats/dogs/goblins/spiders/belligerent commoners/whatever at once because party level=1 so El=1, have 1 and then 2 next room: same xp, less lethal, more rooms.

Another thing you can do, blunt but effective, is frontload their supplies. DMG p53 shows the difference between expected treasure and expected wealth gain, with the difference being expected consumable use. 1st to 2nd is 100gp per character, 2nd to 3rd is 200. A wand of Cure Light is 750gp, and will be "paid off" by the end of 2nd level for a party of 4 characters, as long as you don't drop any other consumables. Their employer hands them a wand on the way out, done.

The only 1st level adventure I've seen that was dynamic without actually being overpowered for a 1st level party was the start of War of the Burning Sky. It does this by pulling every trick in the book: NPC healer ally, deliberately staggered waves, a series of non-combat opportunities, a chase where the foe fighting you isn't trying to kill you, more social/non-lethal combat options, some animals and humanoids, then finally after the party should definitely be 2nd level you get the half dozen 1 HD thugs. With an NPC waiting to bail them out. It's not perfect by any means, but it's a sight better than just ignoring the problem.

[MicHag]

Okay so I’ve made a thread asking for help on a few things. And I’m taking the advice on it and everything. But now I’m looking at running my first session. I’m nervous and I’ve decided on a few rules. First I’m going to let the players make their own character but restrict the books ( we have lots of books but I’m thinking maybe only stuff that you could find on D20SRD).


As said, restricting the books because you don't want players to use stuff you are not familiar with is fine. Especially since this is your first time DM-ing.
If the reason is to keep the power of PCs balanced, it doesn't work.


Second I’m going to run a module and sense I’m not the best yet at improv and the likes we’re going to try and keep it on the rails at least for the first session or two.

I think i would have had more trouble running a module, than just creating my own story. But maybe that's just a personal thing, and i never even ran modules, i just looked through a lot to see if i can steal some of the content for my home-made campaigns, and generally, i did not like much to steal.


And Third this is a one and done adventure. They do not get to continue this adventure or anything. We’ll start with a new batch of characters and a new module After we finish the module I’m going to be going to the next one. And I want experience with PC’s from level 1-20 so I kind of want like modules that line up level wise. Like the first one would be like level 1-5 then the next is a shorter one for 5-7 then the next starts at 7 and do on and so forth until level 20. So here’s my question to all you experience GM’s (you might not like the restrictions for characters or the adventure but this is so I can learn to GM then I’ll be making the story fun and they can derail it as much as they want) my two best friends have agreed to help me learn and be my players. Ones our usual GM and the other is the groups rule lawyer. And in our group the DM usually has his own player character so that he can have a little fun too. So I need modules going from 1-20 for a party of 3 or 6. So any guides, advice, blogs, videos or anything that you can recommend would be amazingly nice and awesome and I’d love it. Thank you for your help and recommendations.

I can't say if this is normal, but our group the process goes something like this:
- There are two usual DM's who alternate campaigns
- The story and characters was always different, the worlds were (with one exception) always different as well
- The campaigns usually last about 6 levels (level 3 to level 9)
- The campaigns usually takes about 50 sessions.

To put that in perspective, if our group, that only plays weekly, would go from 1-20, that would take us over 3 years, but since we also skip some weeks, it will be 4 years easily. I am not sure how it will work out for your group, but that might not be what you expected.

I only play in this group, so my experience is limited (although i play for 20 years now).

[Zombulian]

A new DM limiting the sources to things he's familiar with is totally fine, it saves him a lot of overhead time having to look over the characters, then look up abilities he's not familiar with, consider the implications of such abilities on the game he wants to run, all while actually performing his duties as a DM.

I agree that if that’s the reason they’re choosing to do it, it’s no problem. That’s why I asked why, instead of outright condemning it.

[FTG82]

Bold: why?

It’s as everyone says I don’t know a lot of books yet so I can’t plan around then. Restricting so I’m not spending 10+ minutes looking for a ability I haven’t heard of to check the ruling on it and how it’d effect the game. I want it to be as fun as a first time campaign can be. So limiting the time they’re sitting there waiting on me to read something I haven’t heard yet sounded good. As I get more experience I’ll open up the restrictions.

Just remember that book restrictions does not automatically equal good "balance." Once you're comfortable the best move is to have the players ask for specific things, check them over, allow stuff that seems okay, and be ready to change or remove them if it turns out they're not so okay.
and yeah Like I said before. Not for balance issues. Our dnd group is usually using all the books. We’re a bit of a min-max type of group. But while playing as a player I notice I didn’t know what half the books said were sometimes. Like I’d know one thing from it or something. But that’s it. So I’m going to get used to the basics of DMing before allowing things to go at that rate

A lot of "1st" level modules aren't- they're far more lethal than expected. Which makes suggestions difficult.
Yeah I read that. And it makes sense. So maybe level 3 then? So like 3-20

I mean, if someone wants to "remake" the same character there's no reason they shouldn't be able to.
and I don’t either. I’m just meaning like it’s be like a new experience completely with these characters so I don’t have to think up reasons why they’d go from a Lich killer to half way around the world or into another dimension to help fight the evil dragon (not really going to do that but you know what I mean)

There are plenty of 1-20 adventure paths, though that's not neccesarily the best place to start (because if you want to connect all the chapters to best effect you need to know them all in detail. There are also plenty of adventure series with some number of chapters to some level. In theory I'd like to recommend the old 3.0 series, but I find The Sunless Citadel to have some grievous errors and arbitrariness.
And those adventure paths sounds good and everything but I mean a multitude of modules. Like a module that’s made for 3-6 then a completely different one made for 6-10. That way I can experience with different scenarios and monsters and rolls and everhtning. But maybe once I’m more comfortable with dming but don’t think I can do a home made campaign yet I’ll do one of those 1-20 adventures

"DM PCs" are generally frowned upon, so good that they're finally player instead? A party of 6, in addition to presumably being 2 characters per player and thus much more complex, will also overload most modules (written for 4 PCs).

And stories are written for 4 PC’s? Okay I’ll keep that in mind but the DM PC’s have usually been NPC’s filling in roles others usually don’t. The DM has added them for balance reasons and role playing a single PC the whole time is a little fun I’ve been told. It’s that one constant in a world of change. And like I’ve said it’ll be me, my old dm, and our rules lawyer friend. Us three are the most experienced out of the DnD group so we’ve adapted to many things my old dm used to throw at us. Like if there are a few NPC’s that need to follow the group he’d come to me and the rules lawyer and give us one or two of them and teach us about them. So we have expense on playing multiple characters. But I thought dnd campaigns were balanced around 6 man parties (never looked at the dm side of stuff so my dm could surprise me with it if he wanted to) so might just let them have two PC’s and maybe throw in 2 NPC’s for balance sake?

[JNAProductions]

If you have to have an NPC with the group at all times, I'd be very careful. If you have confidence in your players' experience and abilities, perhaps see about having them run two characters instead?

[rrwoods]

If you’re running from actual level 1 I’d recommend not limiting the books, and asking your players to explain their choices and abilities to you. The reasons for this are:

1) at level 1 there are not going to be that many abilities any one character has. 1-2 feats, one level of class features from only one class, maybe some spells or some other subsystem.

2) aside from subsystems (see below), stuff that is not core is not really more “complicated” or “difficult” than stuff in core. E.g. if the rogue wants to take Darkstalker it’s really easy to explain — you don’t need to know the rest of Lords of Madness to understand it.

3) opening up options this way can potentially let your players express their characters more accurately (and besides core is the most unabalanced subset of DnD so you actually increase balance by allowing things outside it.

That said, subsystems in particular are really hard on a new DM, for two reasons:

1) the subsystem itself (psionics, incarnum, maneuvers, spellcasting) comes with a whole slew of rules to learn before you learn any of the character’s actual capabilities

2) the diversity of options available to even a level 1 character is often extremely wide

For these reasons I strongly recommend restricting subsystems rather than sources. You probably don’t know all there is to know about core — why limit based on source if familiarity is the concern?

All that said, you know yourself and your players better than we do, so take all this advice with a grain of salt. My advice is purely based on the information as presented in this thread and my own experience with new players.

[Tiktakkat]

Second I’m going to run a module and sense I’m not the best yet at improv and the likes we’re going to try and keep it on the rails at least for the first session or two.

Modules have a tendency to require more improv than people think.
They are written for characters the author expects, and a style the author prefers, either or both of which may be completely different from what the players want and prefer.
You have to read through the module very carefully and heavily limit player choices and motivations based on the content, or you are going to wind up improvising way more than you expect. And because you are a new DM, you will likely have to do that anyway. You could ready extensive modification notes before running the module, but that can be a resource management problem when starting.


And I want experience with PC’s from level 1-20 so I kind of want like modules that line up level wise.

I would advise you to avoid that when starting.
Get used to specific level ranges one at a time, then move on to gaining expertise with the next one. Each level range offers a different set of challenges.
Low-level, generally 1-3, but extendable to 1-5, offers fewer customization options and higher random lethality. PCs die from one bad die roll rather than a succession of bad choices, including to otherwise minor challenges. It can take a lot of finesse to avoid persistent TPKs at this tier, but learning it helps learning how to handle random mayhem at higher tiers.

Mid-level, generally 6-10, but it can include 4-10, is usually the "sweet spot". The PCs are unlikely to die from a minor run of bad luck so you can get a bit wilder with the combat set ups, but they do not have the raw power to just roll over everything. A lot of modules wind up in this range as a result.

High-level, generally 11-15, is when the game system begins to break down. PCs start to be able to walk over encounters with minimal resource expenditure unless combats are designed specifically at their weaknesses. If the PCs are of different optimization levels, such designs can leave some PCs being overwhelmed by encounters that other PCs barely notice. Managing things at this level becomes increasingly difficult. Expertise is often reduced to just accepting that the PCs win and breaking any sense of attachment to monsters, no matter how cool their write up is in the module.

Very High-level, generally 16+, is when the game system is just plain broken, and combats are rocket tag. PC wealth by level means they can do nearly everything, and optimization can typically cover that with little effort. As a result, very few modules are available for this level. Expertise at this level is often just controlling the urge to bang your head on the table after the encounter that took 3 days to design is dealt wit

Once you have expertise in multiple levels you can start running "mini-campaigns" where the PCs gain more and more levels with each group of PCs.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Okay so I’ve made a thread asking for help on a few things. And I’m taking the advice on it and everything.

Alright. I'll help if I can but be warned; I can be unpleasantly blunt.


But now I’m looking at running my first session. I’m nervous and I’ve decided on a few rules.

A bit of pregame jitters is normal enough for a new DM or even just a new group for an experienced GM. Just don't let it lead to bad decisions.


First I’m going to let the players make their own character but restrict the books ( we have lots of books but I’m thinking maybe only stuff that you could find on D20SRD).

Like this one. I understand the urge to minimize what you need to know but limiting sources doesn't help with that as much as you'd think. If you want to cut psionics, incarnum, ToB, and ToM then that's reasonable, because they're whole subsytems with their own internal rules, but most books just add a few minor modifiers to normal mechanics and some new spells and items. Of those latter two there's very little that's problematic and it's all -well- known within the community so you can just ask if you feel you must.

If you must do a source restriction, for pity's sake don't go that extreme with it. The whole point of choosing 3e over its competitors is that there is so much more of it; the wide variety of options accross literally dozens of books is the headline draw. I seriously wouldn't go any tighter than having the core rulebooks, the spell and magic item compendiums, and one more of the player's choice, excluding the subsystems I mentioned above.

Really though, from what you've said about your group's normal use of sourcebooks this sounds less like you don't trust the players to not break your game more than you're worried you won't know how to handle something.



Second I’m going to run a module and sense I’m not the best yet at improv and the likes we’re going to try and keep it on the rails at least for the first session or two

Nothing wrong with that. As mentioned upthread, this won't make improv completely unnecessary but it'll give you a framework to build on rather than having to come up with something from wholecloth. Red Hand of Doom is great for getting through the mid levels.


And Third this is a one and done adventure. They do not get to continue this adventure or anything. We’ll start with a new batch of characters and a new module After we finish the module I’m going to be going to the next one.

That's really just a taste thing. I'd roll with it easily enough since I have a dozen characters on the back burner and can put something simple together in a hurry if I need to. Others might grate a bit at it though if they make characters slowly or like continuity from one adventure to the next. Maybe talk this one over with your players before locking hard onto it.


And I want experience with PC’s from level 1-20 so I kind of want like modules that line up level wise. Like the first one would be like level 1-5 then the next is a shorter one for 5-7 then the next starts at 7 and do on and so forth until level 20.

This idea's a bit dodgy. Low levels are easy enough but as your level increases so does complexity with even single-class, core-only casters. The reason the so-called "sweet spot" for most games is around level 12 is because hitting 7th level spells and beyond gets -hard- unless you've really studied the game plus a few other things; war, security, information theory, etc. Given that e6 is a thing, even level 7 plus is more headache tha a lot of people are willing to deal with.

Rather than run one adventure through a certain level range and then go straight to the next level range with the next adventure, maybe run several adventures at a given range before moving up. You will probably hit a wall somewhere before 20 unless your players all prefer to avoid massive complexity, which your description of the group makes me doubt. Don't try to just blow past the wall. Step back, figure it out, then move on once you're proficient at dealing with whatever stymied you. Divination and teleportation seem to be two of the bigger ones.

Biggest, most key thing when dealing with the inevitable caster supremacy problem: read the spells carefully and -don't- let the players just breeze past the spells' limitations.


So here’s my question to all you experience GM’s (you might not like the restrictions for characters or the adventure but this is so I can learn to GM then I’ll be making the story fun and they can derail it as much as they want) my two best friends have agreed to help me learn and be my players. Ones our usual GM and the other is the groups rule lawyer. And in our group the DM usually has his own player character so that he can have a little fun too. So I need modules going from 1-20 for a party of 3 or 6. So any guides, advice, blogs, videos or anything that you can recommend would be amazingly nice and awesome and I’d love it. Thank you for your help and recommendations.

Kinda already scattered my advice throughout the post. Don't make a GM PC though. You can have all the fun you want with the NPCs. I mean it's not like there's gonna be a scene where you have nothing to do.

[soullos]

As a new DM, I firmly agree with you limiting sourcebooks. You're going to have a lot on your plate to worry about, you don't need obscure player sources to add to that learning experience muddying the waters. Keeping it simple is ideal to learn the basics and move forward from there. Your rules lawyer friend should also be a valuable resource helping you with rules so there's less need to look them up. And of course the one with the most DMing experience can and will help you, guide you along. I think you have a good set up to learn and grow as a DM. :)

As for adventures, there is a set of modules printed at the start of 3.0 that go from 1-20. I don't know how well they are after the first two (the first two are amazing), but it's something to look into. They are 3.0, so you will need to convert a few things, and I hope that won't be too much of a hassle. Here they are:
The Sunless Citadel 01–03
The Forge of Fury 03–05
The Speaker in Dreams 05–07
The Standing Stone 07–09
Heart of Nightfang Spire 10–13
Deep Horizon 13–15
Lord of the Iron Fortress 15–17
Bastion of Broken Souls 18–20

But, an alternative but this time it's 3.5 modules, you can start with The Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde (levels 1-6) and then move onto Red Hand of Doom (level 6-12). That'll at least get you up to the early teens. After that it's slim pickings, at least for official publications. I feel those will keep you busy regardless. After finishing those, you might feel comfortable making your own stuff to go to 20. Shattered Gates is pretty combat heavy from what little I've read, but Red Hand of Doom is something special. One of the best modules in the entire edition. ;)

As for the DM PC. Well, most modules are designed around a group of 4. You'll have 2 PCs, and I'm wary of the DM PC, but having a 3rd member makes it easier to adjust the modules, if needed, for 3 PCs rather than 2. Far easier. Might be best to have an NPC to tag along and treat it as an NPC. Don't get attached to it like a player does to his character.

[rrwoods]

There are some longer posts about this, including mine, but I’m going to say it short and sweet:

Don’t limit sourcebooks.

Limit subsystems.

If you want an explanation as to why... read my longer post above :)