D&D General Solo Rogue Urban Game?

[Zardnaar]

Haven't played for over a month in my South Pacific Police State. Going to run a solo game for my wife as she is on reduced hours and is getting most of this week off.
She's a level 8 Rogue/Illusionist using C&C rules. The rules don't matter to much after some ideas.

The basic idea is something similar to the Riftwar Saga. Port City with thieves and assassin's guild. The assassin guilds might be a guild or a death cult haven't thought that far ahead.

Yeah Olde Traditional races. AD&D only. Might change a bit of fluff but yeah.

Might even use 3.5 Era Waterdeep. The 2E thief handbook and 3.5 Power if Faerun have some ideas about urban type games.

Her PC is also solo. shes also very good at skills and will succeed around 75-95% if the time at basic skill checks she is trained in unless I increase the difficulty. I can shave 5-50% off those numbers using harder challenges.

Untrained it's 45-65% of the time. Excludes magic.

For foes I was thinking lots of mooks and things like guards can have hp totals in range of a backstab taking them out. Tougher does can be dealt with one shot magic items that she has to locate. Think finding a Dragonlance to kill a dragon. Dopplegangers, Vampires etc are ideas.

Assassin's Creed also gives me ideas.

So good people things like old school death attacks and energy drains exist, dungeon hacks not so viable. Brainstorming here haven't though things through to much.

Probably use some optional rules and generous amount of starting magic items to help out.

 

[Fenris-77]

I'd probably include some strong faction components. Different parts of the thieves guild, other groups. For D&D the easiest way to do that is a sliding scale from -5 to +5 that affects all social rolls with the faction in question. The character might start off with some +/- but mostly it will come out during play. I gives the PC another handle to use to get a grip on the setting.

 

[Zardnaar]

I'd probably include some strong faction components. Different parts of the thieves guild, other groups. For D&D the easiest way to do that is a sliding scale from -5 to +5 that affects all social rolls with the faction in question. The character might start off with some +/- but mostly it will come out during play. I gives the PC another handle to use to get a grip on the setting.

Yeah I've got faction rules but prefer the simpler what factions have you annoyed lately and the are memvers if that faction inclined to like you more than the faction or like you enough to give you a heads up.

 

[Fenris-77]

Having them is the important point. I also tend to use a lot of multi-roll skill challenges (or clocks) and I use a lot of success with complications. It sounds a little PbtA because it is, but I find it helps keeps the narrative rolling in the urban play environment.

 

[Zardnaar]

Having them is the important point. I also tend to use a lot of multi-roll skill challenges (or clocks) and I use a lot of success with complications. It sounds a little PbtA because it is, but I find it helps keeps the narrative rolling in the urban play environment.

I've done urban before but haven't run for very small group for a long time.

 

[Fenris-77]

I find even two can be a struggle, just one PC takes some fancy dancin'.

 

[aco175]

I would give the PC a few contacts in the city that they can go to for help. Maybe they know a fence that can get items to help out in a caper or a barkeep that can hide them from the local gangs and watch. Someone to get healing from. You can get some movie ideas like 007 or even Harry Potter.

 

[Weiley31]

You can even have a Sidekick be an Urban Druid. Dat Concrete Jungle baby!

 

[Zardnaar]

You can even have a Sidekick be an Urban Druid. Dat Concrete Jungle baby!

Old school. Urban Druid lol.

 

[jgsugden]

For a solo PC, I'd consider 5E. There is some innate healing in 5E that makes a solo (non-healer) PC more durable.

I'd watch some Veronica Mars and look at the season mystery structures they craft there. Then try to emulate it to build a bunch of seemingly unrelated sessions that all tie together to help her solve a greater mystery. A detective story works well for a solo PC.