D&D 5E Running HotDQ with three players and no healer in the party. Any advice?

[Wolfskin]

I'll be starting HotDQ in about two weeks with a group of three players (incompatible schedules shrinked our original group of five), whose characters are a Fighter, a Monk and a Warlock.

Any advice on what to have in mind when running the adventure? Should I adjust encounters to be easier? If so, how much?

FWIW, I've considered asking one of the players to play a class with healing, but I'm reluctant to do so after the feedback I got from running LMoP last September to the same group, since the Cleric's player had a really hard time and didn't enjoy his pregen (he said "I felt like a walking band aid kit with a lamp on top")

 

[Astrosicebear]

Get the body bags ready...

Seriously though, you have a few options.

1) Run an NPC cleric. 5e is very easy and quick to run, running an NPC char is a breeze.

2) Lower the number of enemies in each group approriately... usually by 1-2 per enemy type.

3) Keep the number of enemies the same but front load them on healing potions. Within a few sessions they should outpace the lvl of the module and it should balance itself.

4) Provide NPC healers, healing potions, and adjust on the fly. Do they need to know that the kobold died when it had 1 HP remaining? no. If they are clearly overwhelmed, play it up, make the enemies taunt them, not just fling themselves like mooks. Make the PCs want to run, or even surrender as long as then know its an option.

 

[Paraxis]

Give one of them the healer feat for free. At low levels that feat is amazing, it is like buying 20 potions of healing for 5 gold.

You could stat up a dependent npc, like a young lady that is important to stopping the dragon cult. Stat her up as a human bard with the healer feat, give her the once used to be a gold dragon background option. Have her mostly use vicious mockery cantrip but fluff it as her just yelling at the bad guys not to hurt the pc's.

 

[Jaelommiss]

I just finished running the first episode of HotDQ for a party of two. They were a druid and ranger. By the end they were level three. I think that cure wounds was only used once, and that was by the ranger to heal Governor Nighthill.

The very first thing I did was give both of them a pair of healing potions. One of the players was proficient in alchemy supplies, so I justified it as he made them on the road. They saved them from death more than once.

Second, I gave the enemies loot that would be immediately useful. I stuck mostly to scrolls (fireball and inflict wounds specifically) to help them conserve resources.

I scaled encounters down by roughly 40% and had the enemies assume that the PCs were mercenaries and allies. Giving them a surprise round was often enough to even the odds. I also had the NPCs run away if they started losing too badly. A couple of times I skipped random encounter rolls because they played intelligently.

Perhaps the most important change I made was giving the players two missions at a time. For instance, I ran the sally port mission and the dragon attack mission at the same time. Each time I merged missions I would give the players an extra hour to rest. In the end this worked out to two short rests. It wasn't much, but it allowed the players to at least spend hit dice and operate at full power. I made sure to allow rests on my terms instead of letting them plan for them. That way it was a pleasant surprise for them.

By the end of the adventure they were taking on encounters at full strength and even ended up giving Cyanwrath a run for his money (they agreed to a draw when both were almost down). It is worth nothing that they were only able to stay alive because they did all they could to avoid fighting on their enemies' terms.

 

[Elric]

3) Keep the number of enemies the same but front load them on healing potions. Within a few sessions they should outpace the lvl of the module and it should balance itself.

This doesn't work because the XP curve is very steep at low levels (I believe the module starts at level 3). Getting an extra 33% experience for a party of 3 versus 4 does little to level a character more quickly. You need to gain 1,800 XP to go from level 3 to level 4 and need to gain 3,800 XP to go from level 4 to level 5.

If the Warlock is a variant human and already has a feat, the Inspiring Leader feat gives a lot of temporary HP. The Healer feat is also excellent at low levels as mentioned.

 

[AntiStateQuixote]

In order of preference:

1. Recruit more players.
2. Encourage the PCs to hire other adventurers to join them on their quests.
3. Ask one or more of the players to control more than one PC.
4. Run a DM-PC cleric.

 

[aramis erak]

It works fine without, but note that rests become FAR more vital. Encourage some healing potions.
I ran most of section 2 without having a healer in the party, and then it was only a bard!

Note that level 2 bards are healers... at short rests.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Go old school, and encourage the players to hire henchmen. Noncombatants (unless forced) who can tend to wounds after the battle. This works especially well if one of the PCs has the Noble background: one of the retainers can be an acolyte with herbalism skill and minor clerical powers (spare the dying and healing word).

The Warlock is another option. If he takes a single level of cleric, he'll be able to cast any (1st level prepared) cleric spell using his warlock spell slots--and those slots are always at max level. For example, when that Clr 1/Wlk 5 uses a Warlock slot to cast Healing Word, it'll be cast at 3rd level. He can cast two of those per hour. So, with a couple hours' rest he should be able to patch the whole party.

Keep in mind that this party is not just missing a healer, it's missing spell diversity. Key spells like Protection from Evil, Dispel Magic, Zone of Truth, Teleport. Even if you cover HP replenishment with NPCs or items, they're going to lack some important utility spells.

There are two other ways to patch that deficiency: Ritual Caster feat, and/or the magic (and magic-like) paths of Fighter (Eldritch Knight) and Monk (Way of Shadow or of Four Elements). The Warlock could cover the rituals with Book of Ancient Secrets.

Alternatively, you could have them rely solely on spending their own HD. 5e does have a self-heal mechanism. And the fighter and monk (Open Hand) both have self-heal class features.

Feats can also help. Encourage the fighter to take Heavy Armor Master for DR, and the Warlock to take Inspiring Leader for a reliable source of a significant number of temp hit points. All three could potentially take Defensive Duelist for on-demand AC. Consider giving everyone a bonus feat, but limit the choices to the above (plus Healer).

Or, you could sidestep the issue. Just say that after a fight, everyone heals a certain amount. In previous editions I had some success with healing everyone up to the max of whatever threshold they were in. So if they were bloodied, they healed enough to put them at exactly 1/2 max HP. If they weren't bloodied, they healed to full. There's no bloodied state in 5e, but you could certainly add it (and the oft-mentioned Staggered for 1/4 max HP).

 

[Astrosicebear]

This doesn't work because the XP curve is very steep at low levels (I believe the module starts at level 3). Getting an extra 33% experience for a party of 3 versus 4 does little to level a character more quickly. You need to gain 1,800 XP to go from level 3 to level 4 and need to gain 3,800 XP to go from level 4 to level 5.

If the Warlock is a variant human and already has a feat, the Inspiring Leader feat gives a lot of temporary HP. The Healer feat is also excellent at low levels as mentioned.

The module starts at level 1, so with some healing, getting to level 2 could happen within a few short encounters. They might even be level 3 before they fight cyanwrath.

 

[Paraxis]

Having the warlock multi class is a great option, I would go with bard instead of cleric song of rest at level 2 is nice, and charisma is the ability score needed not wisdom.