one player, one dm

[BIGMamaSloth]

I may be starting up a game soon with me as the DM. the problem is is that i would be with only one player.

Is this at all doable?if so does anyone have any suggestions, like maybe a DMPC?

[Lurkmoar]

What edition are you playing? Has the player said what character type he would like?

[BIGMamaSloth]

ah yes sorry im playing D&D 3.5, and he doesn't really care about class but prefers to have a good amount of hit points. Part of my question that I didn't really say was if there were any good class suggestions for a one person party.

[Lurkmoar]

I'd say a Cleric or Druid. That would give them a fair amount of hit points and enough flexibility to take care of themselves without DMPCs. My suggestion would be to give him some sort of goal and perhaps a small position in some authority so he can get orders from his superiors and delegate small tasks to his subordinates. Do you have a campaign setting in mind?

GMing for one person is doable. It's how I started. Sadly, I had a Killer GM...
was fun, but it usually ended with a bit of a downer.

GM:"A massive fireball flies up toward you as venture down the old fireplace!"
Me:"Oh crap! I use the holy water the priest gave me!"
GM:"You were too late in sprinkling the holy water and take 14 points of damage. The holy water vial shatters and darkness begins to cloud your vision. What do you do?"
Me:"Climb out!"
GM:"Too bad, the vampire grabs your ankle and drags you down. Later that evening you're his snack."
Me:"...."

[DisgruntledDM]

Remember that CR assumes you have a good sized party. Depending on the level you're starting him out on, give him some magic items or some NPC companions to balance things out.

[Burnheart]

I am actual DMing a game like this with just one player and what we've done is added some variant rules to make things easier for the player: Gestalt here, Reserve points here, Armour as Damage Reduction here, Defense Bonus here, my player also talk me into adding a DMPC since its the first time either of us has played DnD.

[onthetown]

I do this regularly, with me as the PC instead of the DM. Solo campaigns can be really fun. One of the main reasons I like the one I'm in is because there isn't a limit on how many characters I can run at the same time -- as long as I'm not just firing out bland concepts to fill voids, if I'm actually putting time and effort into creating a good character then I can pretty much play the entire party. There's also a lot of DMPCs for what roles I don't take on, but he plays them well and I'm not annoyed by them.

So, yes, it's doable. It can even be enjoyable. I think a solo campaign with the player only running one character in it would be really interesting (as opposed to my usual complement of 5 - 8), as they would have to be quite clever with their build and coming up with ways to be able to keep alive by him or herself.

That said, keep an eye on how they're doing. If they feel really underpowered and complain that they're struggling, get them to hire an NPC, ask them if you mind if you bring in a DMPC (everybody has different feelings about this, so definitely ask first), or suggest that they could run another character if they feel up to it.

As for classes... A gestalt with Bard or Rogue will help them in a lot of areas. Allowing gestalt characters will probably help prevent a bit of the struggling feeling, too.

[Arillius]

I've played a solo where its just my one character, and a one-shot where there two of us in a dungeon built for four (we each played two characters). Both were fun, but my single character was a bit weird to play since I really had no one to talk to in character. I'd suggest going with an npc or two. GMPC's maybe.

[Bakkan]

How experienced is the player? If he has played 3.5 before and likes spellcasters, you might consider using the Recharge Magic variant in Unearthed Arcana with Warforged Wizard or Sorcerer. Warforged are immune to a bunch of stuff that can take a single-man party down very quickly, don't need to sleep (IIRC) and he has the Repair line of spells to heal himself. The Recharge Magic variant would essentially let him enter every fight at full health, so perhaps it wouldn't be necessary for him to have high HP.

[Xyk]

It doesn't matter at all what the class is. Those games are best played (IMO) as player-driven, meaning the character has personal goals he/she wants to accomplish and goes about accomplishing them. Shenanigans ensue.

[dextercorvia]

It might be fun to try stealth or espionage based character without the paladin tromping around wrecking your mojo.

[caden_varn]

Assuming you are writing the adventure, you can easily use any class he wants - just design the challenges with his capabilities in mind. He'll probably want to stock up on healing potions if he can't cast cure spells, but other than that it should be fine. He can always hire help to overcome specific obstacles if required, but there is no need for DMPCs/second PCs coming in regularly.

If he and you are happy to have him running more than one character it can increase his capabilities, but is likely to reduce the individuality of each.

I'd suggest getting to make his character first, then design the adventure based on that.

[Origomar]

I may be starting up a game soon with me as the DM. the problem is is that i would be with only one player.

Is this at all doable?if so does anyone have any suggestions, like maybe a DMPC?

i do this all the time, although what we play can hardly be considered 3.5 ed cause we change the rules, and have ridiculous point buys.

its doable but the annoying thing is if you set something up as a DM, you almost have to force them to go the right way. if he thinks, im gunna go do something theres no one else there to disagree, or want to do something else.

Edit: oh ya and a lot of the times you design(what the a few above said) the world based on the character because if hes only good at one thing, then he better be using that one thing in most scenarios if he is going to enjoy his character design lol.

[GodGoblin]

Im playing in one at the moment and yeah its much better to be player driven as far as surviabilty comes in well i play as a commoner so its ok as long as the encounters are tailored for the character

Any a city based, urban adventure is often best as there are lots of people to interact with.

Also if you want a class go with Factotum, PERFECT for a solo adventurer

[Tyndmyr]

I may be starting up a game soon with me as the DM. the problem is is that i would be with only one player.

Is this at all doable?if so does anyone have any suggestions, like maybe a DMPC?

I wouldn't bother with a DMPC, but I would ask the player how much 3.5 experience they have, what kind of character they want to play, and what that character wants to accomplish.

The rest goes from there.

[Acanous]

Druid is a very solid pick for a solo PC. Decent HP, you come with a pet that can tank for you, and you're still a spellcaster.

Solo wizard could work if he's a very experienced player. If you take this option, definately go focused specialist/master specialist something, and invest heavilly in reserve feats. I reccommend Illusion, Enchantment, or Abjuration.

[Tyndmyr]

Honestly, if he's a very experienced player, anything's a solid option. Scaling encounters is remarkably easy with only one PC.

It's if both players are new that you're likely to have problems. In which case, consider grabbing lots of material from published sources.

[pilvento]

he dont need to play alone lots of npc can join him or can be recrouted and change as game advances, ever played Dragon Age?

the best idea is for him to pick the class so he dosent reject ur pick in mid game. a rouge or a ninja are exelent for solo playing, sneaking or backstabing is usefull at least, skillpoints can cover lots of things and good cha or social skills can make the game more easy and fun. he can dip some swashbuckler and spend all the gaming seducing npc, and by npc i mean YOU!

every time u seduce a npc u are seducing the dm, accept it...