Only 2 PC's - DM run character class should be ___?

[Mengu]

You want the two characters to shine, and the third to be mostly a sidekick. While a Paladin is a great addition to the party, I don't think they make very good sidekicks. I'd go with a sword and broad Fighter, probably human, maybe with Initiate of the Faith.

Another option is to forget regular classes, and just make an NPC. It would be much easier to give him a few abilities you think the players will need, without worrying about a "legal" character. Fewer abilities (and no dailies or action points) will make it faster to run. It's not easy to run a full blown character and be a DM at the same time. Any activation time you spend on that character, is time you're taking away from the two players.

 

[smathis]

Another option is to forget regular classes, and just make an NPC. It would be much easier to give him a few abilities you think the players will need, without worrying about a "legal" character. Fewer abilities (and no dailies or action points) will make it faster to run. It's not easy to run a full blown character and be a DM at the same time. Any activation time you spend on that character, is time you're taking away from the two players.

My first course of action would be to scale down the encounters. Not hard to do. In KotS, trade out Dragonshields for more minions and there ya go.

Assuming that you don't want to go that route, I'd follow Mengu's suggestion. You don't want to essentially create your own PC that takes away attention from the players.

Nothing is more banal or boring than watching the DM fight himself.

You might consider running without a DM. A buddy of mine got his books in from buy.com. There is actually a section in the DMG about that.

 

[Byronic]

Paladin, it has defender and healing abilities.

 

[Atlatl Jones]

I would recommend a Warlord, since it would enhance the coolness of the PCs, helping them without hogging some of the spotlight for himself. Warlords are also decent meatshields.

 

[Nifft]

I would recommend a Warlord, since it would enhance the coolness of the PCs, helping them without hogging some of the spotlight for himself. Warlords are also decent meatshields.

Now that is a good idea. Give him a high Intelligence and have him take Commander's Strike.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Gargoyle]

Personnaly, unless they hate each other, I would try to have 2 people from the group of 6-7 to switch to the group of 2. This will make both groups a more manageable size and solves the problem. More experienced players with newbies is always a good thing. You could even arrange a meeting before starting to see if everyone gets along.

Not going to happen unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, but of course that would be ideal.