Solo and Elite PCs

[Will Doyle]

Has anyone ever tried to create a solo PC class?

I was thinking how neat it would be to have a 4E solo character you could airdrop straight into an unmodified, 5-character adventure. After all, scaling an adventure for one player is a headache, and loses much of the cool monster synergies that make encounters shine. Running multiple characters is something I've never been keen on. But one-on-one gaming can be fun.

Such a class would be best-off being built from scratch, instead of creating some hybrid monstrosity. Loads of reaction powers that let you take actions off-turn. Elevated healing, naturally. Perhaps something a bit more left-field, like a hardwired power that lets you summon minions. Roles become a bit tricky, so maybe just a single uberclass based on each power source?

On a different tack, I'd also like to see some sort of template I could slap onto an existing, normal character to boost their powers up to elite status. So I could play an adventure pretty much as-is with 2 characters. No idea how that would work though...

Anyway - has such an idea ever been discussed/attempted, and if so, can you point me to where?

 

[Stalker0]

1) Buff hp, attacks, and defenses to elite levels.

2) Give your encounter powers a recharge roll so they don't run out.

3) Roll initiative twice per combat. Go twice a round.

 

[Will Doyle]

1) Buff hp, attacks, and defenses to elite levels.

2) Give your encounter powers a recharge roll so they don't run out.

3) Roll initiative twice per combat. Go twice a round.

This could work for that Elite boost. Maybe second wind twice per encounter too...

I may run a few trial combats with that. Thanks!

 

[Halivar]

I'd advise cobbling some kind of gestalt system for 4E. Buffing stats will help, but 5-man dungeons are tuned with the assumption of having a variety of roles in the party.

 

[Zero Cochrane]

Take one or two monster or class templates from the DMG and apply it to a standard character. One template makes an elite, two templates make a solo.

 

[RangerWickett]

We call Solo PCs "Batman Mode."

Simply granting 5 actions a round is a bit crazy. You'd need to custom build something, or else you'll have someone running 50 miles an hour or something. Which, again, works if you want to play superheroes.

 

[pippenainteasy]

A decently designed PC is already equivalent to an Elite monster already, and a strong defender is easily equivalent to a Solo monster durability wise. The only thing is action economy, which can be made by adding turns.

Obviously you will need to use tactics...if you just want to waltz into a 5-man adventure and charge in like a Terminator I would suggest starting level 1 with the baseline stats of an Adult Red Dragon

 

[Will Doyle]

Simply granting 5 actions a round is a bit crazy. You'd need to custom build something, or else you'll have someone running 50 miles an hour or something. Which, again, works if you want to play superheroes.

Yeah, this is actually the main thing I'd be worried about.

I'd prefer something that doesn't feel sped-up. Instead, (assuming a martial theme) you'd have a bunch of free reaction powers that mimic ripostes, dodges, or shield bashes against closing enemies - each dealing encounter power damage. Burst 1 weapon attacks as an at-will, again dealing encounter damage - mimicking huge sweeping blows. Your encounter powers would be like dailies, and your dailies could potentially strike down a standard enemy in a single hit. But you'd still get one move, one standard, one minor, so you couldn't outrun a horse, for example. You'd operate, in a sense, just like any other character. Just a whole load better.

 

[S'mon]

Adding 9 levels to the PC should work.

 

[Will Doyle]

Adding 9 levels to the PC should work.

I'd want it to be balanced though - adding levels just means that enemies never hit you, and you've got powers that may unbalance the adventure e.g. paragon flight, and so on.

There would have to be the same sense of danger that you get with a decent, balanced encounter.