D&D 4E How to Build 4E Solo Adventures?

[Garthanos]

"More positives to offset"? Could you rephrase that? I'm not sure I understand.

At minimum... I think I missed finishing my sentence

Interesting team work / game synergy in 4e offset problems that are intrinsic to having more players...

make more sense?

 

[aco175]

One of the neat things I like about 4E is that the NPC's can be simple enough that the DM can run a few and not get bogged down. You can keep them simple enough to have them in the background, but enough that they can assist in combat.

I always found that I like having a npc as dm, especially with limited players. I can use him to feed information, provide clues, assist in combat, etc.. One good way to have a npc is to make him a sidekick. He could be a squire to the knight, a butler to the noble, apprentice to the master, this provides not only ties between the two, but good roleplaying between the two.

 

[Garthanos]

Those team play elements really cant exist with 2 players nearly as much as with 5... so one uses old fashioned methods -- emphasizing player descriptions of there powers and rewarding when how there description of their action seems to interact well with the battle environment... is less regulated and more free form ( more page 42 ish) than the interaction of multiple pc actions we see... describe your archers 2 arrows as dropping big curtains on the enemy heads may be allowed to be more effective... especially when its something new and refreshing the players came up with.

 

[Storminator]

I've run for solo and for low PC games. You have to be careful in making encounters, but it's still fun.

Avoid lurkers. They tend to have powers that let them attack a PC and disappear. That's terrible if there's only 1 PC. I also used more than the usual number of minions. It still takes a single PC a while to fight thru 5 or 6 minions so it doesn't feel too cheap and easy, but it's survivable - unlike a lot of standard encounters.

I haven't used any elites or solos. Those would be too tough unless they were below the PC level in which case they aren't too fun.

I noticed that power usage can get pretty repetitive. In a single PC situation there are lots fewer interesting combos (like "Tide of Iron it into my Flaming Sphere!") and what good combos there are tend to get used a lot. Add interesting terrain, 3rd forces, and perhaps interesting magic items to round out the power choices. Also, encourage and plan on stunts a la page 42. If your PC is stunting half the time, it seems like he has twice as many powers.

And obviously, use the strength of single PC gaming - directly tailored stories. Every adventure should be hand crafted for that one, single person in the entire universe. The enemies should be personal, the allies as well, the locations should come from the PC's backstory or the player's desires. Everything should be important to the one PC.

PS

 

[Nathal]

Hello!

At minimum... I think I missed finishing my sentence

Interesting team work / game synergy in 4e offset problems that are intrinsic to having more players...

make more sense?

Oh, yes, and from the limited number of sessions I've played, I agree. In prior editions---and here I'm only speaking for myself---the experience was dampened by a player with no role-playing "spark". Players lacking panache
in larger groups tended to be unremarkable. But in 4E every character should have something interesting to do, even if the player himself is rather a boring fellow.

Those team play elements really cant exist with 2 players nearly as much as with 5... so one uses old fashioned methods -- emphasizing player descriptions of there powers and rewarding when how there description of their action seems to interact well with the battle environment... is less regulated and more free form ( more page 42 ish) than the interaction of multiple pc actions we see... describe your archers 2 arrows as dropping big curtains on the enemy heads may be allowed to be more effective... especially when its something new and refreshing the players came up with.

You're right; those are the tried and true methods. And what the other poster said about use of minions, avoiding lurkers, solos and elites (unless there are allies to help out) also rings true for any edition...except some of the terms have changed.

 

[Nathal]

One of the neat things I like about 4E is that the NPC's can be simple enough that the DM can run a few and not get bogged down. You can keep them simple enough to have them in the background, but enough that they can assist in combat.

That's one thing 4E has more in common with 1st and 2nd Edition than with 3rd, in my experience.

I've run for solo and for low PC games. You have to be careful in making encounters, but it's still fun.

Avoid lurkers. They tend to have powers that let them attack a PC and disappear. That's terrible if there's only 1 PC. I also used more than the usual number of minions. It still takes a single PC a while to fight thru 5 or 6 minions so it doesn't feel too cheap and easy, but it's survivable - unlike a lot of standard encounters.

Noted about the lurkers (unless there are enough NPC allies around). Ah, minions, yes! I love the introduction of that critter type, especially important for single adventurers...

I haven't used any elites or solos. Those would be too tough unless they were below the PC level in which case they aren't too fun.

Makes sense. Those would be saved for instances where there were NPCs ready to help defend the PC.

I noticed that power usage can get pretty repetitive. In a single PC situation there are lots fewer interesting combos (like "Tide of Iron it into my Flaming Sphere!") and what good combos there are tend to get used a lot. Add interesting terrain, 3rd forces, and perhaps interesting magic items to round out the power choices. Also, encourage and plan on stunts a la page 42. If your PC is stunting half the time, it seems like he has twice as many powers.

The battlemat. I haven't used one of those too extensively in the past, although more in 3E. In 4E, it's made more intrinsic to the game. So, yeah, I figure if a D&D miniatures skirmish game would be interesting to my player, then a 4E adventure would be even better, even without the other players. The minis and battlemat, with interesting terrain brings a level of tactics and "stuff to do" that appeals to people (like my wife) who enjoyed games like Magic too.

And obviously, use the strength of single PC gaming - directly tailored stories. Every adventure should be hand crafted for that one, single person in the entire universe. The enemies should be personal, the allies as well, the locations should come from the PC's backstory or the player's desires. Everything should be important to the one PC.

PS

So, really, you're not having to do anything too terribly drastic with encounter generation or individual monster stats to make it work. Just a bit of shuffling, and an emphasis on narrative in your case (which I'd tend toward as well).

 

[Garthanos]

Hello!
You're right; those are the tried and true methods. And what the other poster said about use of minions, avoiding lurkers, solos and elites (unless there are allies to help out) also rings true for any edition...except some of the terms have changed.

Minions are wonderful in this context lots of options surface with them -- including allowing them to be allies (bloodieable minions are healable - and intimidateable - making them better for roleplaying) and they won't overshadow ever ;-).

Some of the threads boosting pc's so they are elites and solo equivalents themselves actually do make sense in some regards.

 

[Griogre]

Don't over look minions for allies. Real minons along with the NPCs. You can set up Conan situations where both sides are dying like flys *except* the heroes.

Also for elites, while for one PC I agree they are too tough. However, try halving the HP but let it keep all the powers and the Action Point and it will be a good boss with minon support.

 

[cmrscorpio]

One suggestion for tweaking monsters is in regards to recharge powers.

Combats are going to have more rounds by virtue of the fact that multiple PCs can't gang up on a dangerous foe. If that foe has recharging powers, then it guarantees that enemy will use those powers more times.

I see 2 solutions to this:
1) Make Recharge 6 powers simply encounter powers. Other recharge powers are adjusted to happen less often.
2) Keep the current recharge values, but change from rolling a d6 to a d12. A recharge 6 still recharges on a roll of 6 and a recharge 5 still recharges on a 5 or 6, but a roll of 7-12 is never a recharge.

 

[FireLance]

Another thing to watch out for are conditions like blind, stun and weaken that are not too bad when one opponent applies them on one out of five PCs, but are too good against a single PC. It gets especially bad if the condition (a) is save ends; and (b) can be applied by an at-will or a recharge attack. Such abilities should preferably last for one round, and be encounter abilities.

The same also applies for PC abilities. The Champion of Order's encounter attack that dazes and weakens an enemy as long as he has it marked makes most single opponent encounters almost trivial for the PC.