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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MerakSpielman" data-source="post: 1253193" data-attributes="member: 7464">I'm going to be starting a group through the Sunless Citadel tonight. I've read through the adventure and it seems find and dandy, except that the encounters are balanced for the "default" party of 4. My new group is only 2 players - and one of them is a complete (but very enthusiastic) newbie. The newbie is playing a paladin and the other is playing a rogue. I know that, given time, the XP awards will add up and they'll level up faster than the members of a 4-person group will. The power level won't be too far off after a few levels. But until then, I have the annoying dillema of keeping them alive. I don't like fudging rolls - I want to keep this game as legit as possible. How should I tone down the adventure to compensate for only 2 players? There is a place in the adventure where they can rescue a 2nd level NPC who will join them, and that will help a lot, but I'm still afraid they'll die before that. I was thinking of halving the number of enemies or something... Many of you will say to send NPCs along. I hate doing that. It always feels wrong having the DM play half the party, just so they have enough firepower to make it through the encounters.</blockquote>