D&D 5E House Rules for Two Players

[Blue]

or do nothing different and just throw fewer/weaker monsters at them

Yes, as I covered many times, D&D can handle it. I hit that point multiple times to be absolutely sure that no one would be feel the need to give advice how to do it with the existing rules, and we could just discuss house rules as explicitly requested.

sigh

 

[Blue]

Yeah gods folks. I just read through the replies and was astounded by the bulk of them.

YES, YOU DON'T NEED HOUSERULES. If you think I was confused about that, please reread the original post again. If you're still confused, keep reading again until you get it. Hopefully by then it will have sunk in that I was starting a post to explicitly get house rules. Not a discussion that they aren't needed. Because I know they aren't needed. But I want to see what's out there.

Please contribute positively to a threat explicitly asking for houserules with HOUSERULES. No need to threadcrap to just repeat that they aren't needed - that was stated in the original post. It's known and doesn't add to the conversation.

 

[Blue]

If you like roleplaying and not just tactics, having 2 PCs is really hard to roleplay. I'd advise against that.

I also generally advise against a DMPC. DMing is hard enough without splitting your ego in half.

Sidekicks are a decent plan. That is different than a DMPC or a 2nd PC, as the sidekick is definitely a supporting character. Players can control the sidekick 90%+ of the time, and know that they aren't "their character".

Animal companions/mounts make good sidekicks on many kinds of adventures. They are quiet, don't talk, and loyal to a specific person. Just ensure they aren't ridiculously stronger in combat than the players are. Or something like a pixie friend.

I'm with you on DMPCs - I have a strong dislike of them. There may and likely will be NPCs that the PCs can recruit to go with them short term, but none of them will be a DM alter-ego.

I was thinking about adding in sidekicks or companions, but one of the players wants to do a beastmaster (using the better ones from the UA Class Features) and I don't want to walk all over her primary subclass feature. Otherwise a splendid idea. May still do it some.

I don't expect a problem with RP with just two players - in addition to intra-party RP there will be plenty of RP with NPCs of all stripes.

 

[Blue]

This is such an obvious solution it blows my mind that people don't think of it first. I've been running 1 on 1 games (often with a DMPC but often without) for over 25 years and the answer is ALWAYS "adjust to the group."

It's so obvious it was addressed in the very first line of the original post.

That does not mean it is the only solution.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I allowed to save 2 points of inspiration and I allowed it to be used as a reaction to give yourself +5 AC. Worked well enough.

 

[aco175]

I wonder if you can skip the 2 PCs each and have one that gains 2 levels each time they would gain one. It is like having a multi-classed PC but levels as only one PC. You only get one set of actions, but have twice the stuff.

 

[jayoungr]

I would just let them play 2 PCs each.

This is what my group did back when we only had two players.

Now there are eight ... sigh ... though I suppose it's a compliment in a way!

 

[Oofta]

Since I've run games with 2 or even 1 person without house rules I'm not sure what the concern is. The current edition is pretty forgiving if you want it to be, you just have to tailor to the players.

But if you see it as a problem my list would be

• Drink potions (or administer healing potions) as a bonus action
• Give them something similar to a periapt of wound closure, except that if they drop to zero they have the option of misty stepping out of combat and take their ally with them.
• Give them a mentor that can nudge them if they're stuck. Maybe make it a friendly ghost they have a goal of putting to rest. Give general, perhaps slightly cryptic advice if they don't know what to do. Heck, even an old adventurer that was polymorphed into a small animal.
• Give them special plot armor. They're blessed by the gods or other supernatural beings that occasional help them out.
• Give them the prodigy or skilled feat at first level so they can have a handful of skills they're good at.

Those are the types of things I can think of.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Or change to multiclassing rules to cover more niches (not that 5e requires them).

I'd especially like to hear about rules you put in play, and if they worked or didn't

Well, I'll be more direct this time since I have the time to write more.

I am currently running an online game with only two players and for that game, I have an NPC, but he (literally last session) just died. The PCs are level 4 now, so if they want to try to bring him back (that is the plan), cool, otherwise I will probably have a new NPC-type (scout, dwarven mage, etc.) based on NPCs from the monster manual that are there for that adventure. Once the current story arc is done, the PCs will move on and I'll throw in a new NPC, etc.

In our CoS game, in which I play, we use two characters each for two players. Not suggested for novices, as you are aware, but it works and might be an option later on?

In our main game, at one point with two players moving away, another tied up with family, we dropped down to just the DM and two players. He instituted old-school multiclassing which I mentioned earlier. It is a stronger option, however, and I am worried the power-level might lead to analysis-paralysis with novice players. It does however allow you to cover the niches (if you want to) and you won't see much crazy synergies until level 10+. We have more detailed rules for determining hp and some other things, but nothing too hard to learn, even for novices (we've since had a novice join and he handles it just fine).

And, of course, as others have suggested, have fewer/weaker foes to match the PCs being half a party.

FWIW, all the above suggestions can work fine IMO and I've never seen much issue with any of them. I've played in them or DMed them. My advice would be to just talk to the players, present different methods for dealing with only two players, and go with what everyone thinks will be the most fun.

 

[delphonso]

Ran a game for 2 before: houserule was that 0hp but stable means defeated and out of the fight, but can move, carry, and do skills at disadvantage. (The other PC was a gnome and couldn't reasonably be dragging a half-orc fighter around)

Ran a game for 1: Basically no rules changed. They encountered less challenge and more things suited to their skills or abilities, but no house rules were introduced.