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Advice for my wife's first adventure?
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<blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 1034736" data-attributes="member: 99"><p>I can relate somewhat to your situation, Avatar V. I am currently running a solo campaign for my wife who has gamed before but is still a relative beginner compared to the gang I normally game with. She is playing a Wizard so I've had to deal with similar issues to what you're looking at.</p><p></p><p>My first advice is to start small. With due respect to Tessarael, I would avoid starting her higher than 1st level. A 1st level character has a relatively small set of abilities to juggle and it is instructive and fun to see a character grow from the ground up.</p><p></p><p>I think the Aristocrat/Sorcerer route sounds like a great idea and would try and combine them via the 1st level multiclass idea from the DMG. That will give her good hit points, good skill points, a few spells and so forth. A well rounded starting character that is going to give her lots of room for roleplaying, which is what many women seem to like from the experience.</p><p></p><p>It can be tough to come up with challenges for a 1st level character that aren't deadly so a focus on roleplaying and overcoming low-combat or non-combat encounters works well. For my wife's wizard character, her first adventure was the series of tests that her mentor put her through before she could end her apperenticship and strike out on her own. I think a similar type of adventure could work in your situation.</p><p></p><p>How about something like this:</p><p></p><p><em>The Princess is one of the most beloved people in the royal family (she's got a high Charisma). As she has gotten older, she has already become one of the more accomplished diplomats in the family and she is perceived as one of the most eligible women in the kingdom. Doubtlessly a political marriage is in her future.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>But she doesn't want that. She wants to determine her own destiny instead of being a trophy to some other royal (her high Charisma again, manifesting itself in a strong personality). But she'll likely only be able to pull this off if she establishes herself as more than "profitably marriagable material". She needs to become important to the royal household in some other capacity.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>So she has badgered the palace Vizier (a Wizard) into trying to teach her some magic. But the musty piles of tomes and drudgery of constant study served mostly to frustrate her. Knowing that she must prove herself and do it soon if she wants to avoid a political marriage, she becomes increasingly angry until that anger boils over and manifests itself in the form of her sorcerous powers.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>She is suddenly afraid of what her family members will think of having a Sorcerer in the family. If the legends about Dragon Blood or pacts with Demons are true, it could reflect on the whole royal family. So she decides to keep it a secret.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Except for one thing. One of the palace guards, a man of few scruples, saw her do her magic. Seeing an opportunity for monetary gain, he attempts to blackmail her to keep her secret. Panicked, she pays him off at first, but his demands for money or jewels become more frequent and more ambitious.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>While seeking a way out of this mess, she uncovers the fact that this guardsman is also involved in a scheme by which criminals sentenced to minor punishments are being smuggled out of the royal prison and sold into slavery to a nearby kingdom where such things are allowed.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>So, the Princess decides that she must battle against this conspiracy by sneaking into the palace dungeon, confronting the slave smugglers and ultimately the crooked guardsman. If she can do this, she will have done her father's kingdom a great service and will have proved herself an asset that should not be quickly married off for the greatest political gain.</em></p><p></p><p>That's a very off-the-cuff sort of idea, but it abounds with roleplaying potential while having the opportunity for some small battles (fights with the slavers, maybe some vermin in the dungeon, a climactic showdown with the guardsman). You have a fairly small pool of NPC's to develop and can focus on fleshing them out well. She should be able to gain a level or two during the process and be ready for greater adventures beyond this (while retaining the roleplaying opportunities that will arise from a Princess of the royal family being a Sorceress and getting involved in "adventures").</p><p></p><p>Above all, this solo experience will yield some benefits from the one-on-one nature of the sessions. You will be able to explain the rules as you go without other players around who might be bored by it. She won't be self-conscious about "acting" in front of other people or doing something wrong. And if you fudge things in her favor or give her magic items along the way, you don't need to worry about keeping her balanced with other party members.</p><p></p><p>I think it is nearly the perfect environment to teach someone to play in.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rel, post: 1034736, member: 99"] I can relate somewhat to your situation, Avatar V. I am currently running a solo campaign for my wife who has gamed before but is still a relative beginner compared to the gang I normally game with. She is playing a Wizard so I've had to deal with similar issues to what you're looking at. My first advice is to start small. With due respect to Tessarael, I would avoid starting her higher than 1st level. A 1st level character has a relatively small set of abilities to juggle and it is instructive and fun to see a character grow from the ground up. I think the Aristocrat/Sorcerer route sounds like a great idea and would try and combine them via the 1st level multiclass idea from the DMG. That will give her good hit points, good skill points, a few spells and so forth. A well rounded starting character that is going to give her lots of room for roleplaying, which is what many women seem to like from the experience. It can be tough to come up with challenges for a 1st level character that aren't deadly so a focus on roleplaying and overcoming low-combat or non-combat encounters works well. For my wife's wizard character, her first adventure was the series of tests that her mentor put her through before she could end her apperenticship and strike out on her own. I think a similar type of adventure could work in your situation. How about something like this: [i]The Princess is one of the most beloved people in the royal family (she's got a high Charisma). As she has gotten older, she has already become one of the more accomplished diplomats in the family and she is perceived as one of the most eligible women in the kingdom. Doubtlessly a political marriage is in her future. But she doesn't want that. She wants to determine her own destiny instead of being a trophy to some other royal (her high Charisma again, manifesting itself in a strong personality). But she'll likely only be able to pull this off if she establishes herself as more than "profitably marriagable material". She needs to become important to the royal household in some other capacity. So she has badgered the palace Vizier (a Wizard) into trying to teach her some magic. But the musty piles of tomes and drudgery of constant study served mostly to frustrate her. Knowing that she must prove herself and do it soon if she wants to avoid a political marriage, she becomes increasingly angry until that anger boils over and manifests itself in the form of her sorcerous powers. She is suddenly afraid of what her family members will think of having a Sorcerer in the family. If the legends about Dragon Blood or pacts with Demons are true, it could reflect on the whole royal family. So she decides to keep it a secret. Except for one thing. One of the palace guards, a man of few scruples, saw her do her magic. Seeing an opportunity for monetary gain, he attempts to blackmail her to keep her secret. Panicked, she pays him off at first, but his demands for money or jewels become more frequent and more ambitious. While seeking a way out of this mess, she uncovers the fact that this guardsman is also involved in a scheme by which criminals sentenced to minor punishments are being smuggled out of the royal prison and sold into slavery to a nearby kingdom where such things are allowed. So, the Princess decides that she must battle against this conspiracy by sneaking into the palace dungeon, confronting the slave smugglers and ultimately the crooked guardsman. If she can do this, she will have done her father's kingdom a great service and will have proved herself an asset that should not be quickly married off for the greatest political gain.[/i] That's a very off-the-cuff sort of idea, but it abounds with roleplaying potential while having the opportunity for some small battles (fights with the slavers, maybe some vermin in the dungeon, a climactic showdown with the guardsman). You have a fairly small pool of NPC's to develop and can focus on fleshing them out well. She should be able to gain a level or two during the process and be ready for greater adventures beyond this (while retaining the roleplaying opportunities that will arise from a Princess of the royal family being a Sorceress and getting involved in "adventures"). Above all, this solo experience will yield some benefits from the one-on-one nature of the sessions. You will be able to explain the rules as you go without other players around who might be bored by it. She won't be self-conscious about "acting" in front of other people or doing something wrong. And if you fudge things in her favor or give her magic items along the way, you don't need to worry about keeping her balanced with other party members. I think it is nearly the perfect environment to teach someone to play in. [/QUOTE]
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