Introduction:

Introduction:

KJW - Since joining these boards I have seen numerous threads discussing and usually praising the merits of solo campaigns. After contributing to many of these threads, I felt that one thread that truly fleshed out solo campaigns would be of considerable use to many DMs. I contacted Illion the Red for assistance, mainly because Illions contribution to previous threads discussing solo campaigns was always phenomenal. Both of us are fairly experienced DMs and run Group Campaigns, but we are also both married and have run a staggering number of solo campaigns for our wives. Thus all that follows comes from experience and a deep appreciation for the magic of solo campaigns.

Illion the Red As KJW mentioned, I too, have a passion for solo campaigns as well as a number of years of experience with them. In fact, the homebrew world I am currently running for my Group campaign has the cities and regions developed from a myriad of solo campaigns dating back as far as 1997. I have found solo campaigns to be richly rewarding in roleplaying and nearly every other form of gameplay. When KJW contacted me about this project, I jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with someone who not only shares my passion for the topic, but also always managed to hit upon aspects of solo campaigns that I had not considered or had neglected. I truly hope you find this guide as helpful as working on it has been.

Why a Solo Campaign?Solo campaigns arise from two situations desire or necessity. Desire usually is a result of having been part of a solo campaign and wanting to once again enjoy the experience. Necessity often results from a DM having only one player or the DM needing to run a player separate from the group for reasons important to the campaign. These reasons could include providing an introduction to the campaign world or maybe to teach a new player the rules of the game. Necessity will often lead to desire as many players quickly become enamoured with solo campaigns.

A solo campaign is often quite different from other D&D campaigns. Solo campaigns tend to be more intimate with far stronger character development, more complex story lines, and incredible roleplaying depth. There are a number of factors that contribute to this, but the primary one is the simple fact that everything revolves around a single character. Once freed from the constraints of a Group Campaign, there is far more freedom for the DM and the Solo PC to create something truly special.

Beyond the potential for great roleplaying opportunities, many DMs and players find that solo campaigns are just plain fun. Without anyone to share the spotlight, a player will often find the ability to directly influence the pace and style of play to significantly enhance the game beyond what a Group Campaign is capable of achieving.

Solo campaigns provide a near perfect opportunity for both the DM and the player to try out new ideas and explore options that may have not been explored previously. In short, its a time to take some chances and see what happens.

Character Creation:

When creating a character for a solo campaign, the DM should discuss the campaign world/idea with the player and decide on a creation method. A creation method that allows for more powerful characters than normal is recommended. This is to compensate for the character having to essentially fill every role in the party. Such methods can range from 32+ point-buy, to 10+1d8 per ability, to 18, 17, 16,15,14,13 array, to arbitrarily selecting abilities.

Another option for increasing the power of a Solo PC is to use the Gestalt option in Unearthed Arcana which takes the best of two classes and combines them into a single class. This will give you a PC that covers more bases than the single-classed or multi-classed PC.

Yet another option is to have the player create, and run multiple characters simultaneously. This is not the recommended practice as one character inevitably becomes the primary character and the other(s) become little more than PC-controlled NPCs.

A final option is to create a number of NPCs that will adventure with or support the PC throughout the campaign. Although this option can make things easier for the PC in terms of survival, it makes the DMs job significantly more complex. This leaves the DM in the position of balancing NPC knowledge and abilities with his own knowledge and abilities. The DM in this case often winds up metagaming with the NPCs or underutilizing their abilities significantly. This is far from an ideal situation and may contribute to dissatisfaction on behalf of the player, the DM, or both.

The most important thing to consider however is the style of gameplay that the campaign will be centered on. If the campaign is going to be combat-heavy, the PC had better be able to fight. Similarly, if the campaign is going to be a roleplaying-heavy affair, a character with social skills is pretty essential. As a DM, it is critical to tailor your campaign to the PC created.

The player should be reminded that all essential skill checks will be made by his or her character, so skill selection is important. A potential modification might be to make certain skills class skills for all classes such as Listen, Search, and Spot. Additionally, increasing the PCs skill points per level is often a wise move.

The DM should weave plotlines throughout the campaign that interact with the PCs background and facilitate development of the character. In order to achieve this, a richly detailed character background is essential. Remember, there is only one character in the story and, as such, the story should revolve around that one character. The details of the characters background serve as a source of material for the DM to draw upon and create plot hooks from. In a normal campaign with four characters, 3-5 plot hooks from each of those characters should be enough to fill the entire campaign. With one character, more depth is needed to provide plot hooks that are relevant to the character.

Specialization & Attention:

It's a common thing for players to pick or create characters based on a concept that inspires and intrigues them. This ranges from wanting to play Drizz't or Legolas to expressing interest in playing a ninja or even a bard. When a player, for instance, proclaims that she wants to play an amphibious race, it suggests that the player is interested in doing the kinds of things that amphibious humans (in this case) would do.

As the DM, it is easy for forget that such a player will often want to be given situations in which her specialties are at a premium, in order to feel, well, special. Excellent advice was given on focusing on the culture of the aventi and making the player feel as though she is truly part of a non-human culture. At the same time, it is quite possible that the player wants to feel unique and special. In the case of a campaign such as was described for the aventi character, with travels that take her far (even through a desert), an amphibious humanoid will definitely be different. (Though, admittedly, the Forgotten Realms is a place filled with eccentric beings...)

Catering to the talents, abilities, and specializations of the PC in a solo campaign can greatly enhance the feeling of satisfaction (and fun!) This is true for all campaigns, but especially in a solo campaign, where a considerable amount of time can be devoted to the central PC without minimizing the role of the other players. I believe there are some passages about this in the DMG II, but I have not read much of it. From a solo perspective, it bears repeating and expanding on.

Generally speaking, it can be helpful to create plot hooks and opportunities to shine based on the character's traits. This is true even for a character that isn't specialized in the true sense of the word. Some examples:

Tervinniar, the Draconean Scholar, is a sage who has spent decades of his precious time studying draconic lore. As a result, he has mastered the language of dragons. One day, while visiting the Kingdom of Nwashe, he grew weary of listening to his comrades debate strategies for toppling the Gallwood Consortium, and went for a walk. His feet brought him to the local library, where he happened to overhear a conversation between several scholars who kept switching back and forth between common and draconic. Intrigued, Tervinniar listened in on their conversation (which seemed to focus on a book they pored over), and to his great dismay, he found that the neophytes were butchering the noble language of dragons. Politely, he pointed out the proper way to translate 'ruisumahere,' and was promptly invited to join the stunned scholars. After a short conversation, it turns out that the scholars are in the employ of the king, and are attempting to translate an old tome written in draconic. The scholars believe that the contents of the book hold the key to renewing the ancient wards that fortify the mudflats beneath the capital; knowledge that must be gained before they crumble, and the city sinks. Naturally, they request Tervinniar's capable help...

Sorry, I love examples. Anyway, such plot hooks do not have to be the result of a specialized character. Indeed, it's enough that a character has, to use the example above, skills in an uncommon language. If the player has spent skill points on learning a language (or been given it as part of her back story), it stands to reason that she wants these linguistic skills to be used at some point. In my D&D campaign, I recently designed an adventure based around the idea that the player would get to use one of his less common languages. (He had previously communicated an interest in getting to use his languages, and I personally love linguistics, so...) The adventure doesn't revolve around language; it's just what enables him to partake of the activities at all, and makes him special. Those crazy fey should learn common or leave the country!

Another, more commonly adaptable example:

Elia-Tera spent her sheltered childhood with the elves. Her father, a human expatriate, taught the wilful girl swordplay from a young age, despite her wavering interest. (Those kids and their bardic music...) In later years, she has taken up the life of a wanderer, searching for clues about the malicious nature spirit that has descended upon the elven forest and keeps its defenders occupied. While searching for a reclusive druid reportedly living in a hidden garden within the walls of the massive city of Karianimm, Elia-Tera visits a theater of some sort and is surprised to find the group on stage apparently performing the ceremonial kata of her father's school of swordplay. Elated by this reminder of home, Elia-Tera walked onto the stage and joins into the familiar patterns (which she repeats each morning as part of her meditation). As it turns out, the group is none too pleased, considering her intrusion onto the stage a challenge. Before she knows it, Elia-Tera is forced to defend herself, and does so admirably. After forcing the four rather clumsy practitioners to yield, she finds herself cheered on by an ecstatic crowd thirsty for her skills with the blade.

In my humble opinion, showing up arrogant people is one of the staples of satisfaction. Especially if the abashed Elia-Tera blurts out "I'm sorry! I didn't know you were beginners!" after the fight.

For closure, I should give an example using the aventi. Let me take a look at my copy of Stormwrack before I mouth off about their abilities...

Sheresk is an aventi tutor from a medium-sized colony in the Pearlescent Reef. She would often regale the children in her ward with tales of the great seas, and the lands above, while imprinting upon them the knowledge of ancient Aventurnus. Several moons into the past, sahuagin slavers raided the Pearlescent Reef and captured several of the children under her care even as she stood petrified, too frightened to help. Wracked with guilt, Sheresk eventually left her home in order to appease her burning conscience by rescuing the children from the predations of the vile sahuagin. However, after breaking into the sahuagin settlement where the children were taken, she finds to her horror that several of the girls have been traded to fiendish aboleths from the Brine Flats, realm of the most heinous Demon Prince Demogorgon. Determined to bring them back, Sheresk set off on a journey. During her travels across the parched lands, she reaches the coastal town of Autrim, where apparently a great storm has recently sent a ship to the bottom of the sea just a few miles out of the harbor. The problem is that the ship carried the town's annual tribute to the Council of Lords in Abiarthet. During the riots that occur in the city following this awful event, Sheresk convinces her traveling companions to help her acquire a small ship, and spends several days hauling the gold and silver from the depths of the bay. Returning to the town with the tribute, she is praised as a hero.

Ugh, that introduction was much too long. Sorry; I just can't help it! Not the coolest example, but these things do not always have to be, either. There are more dramatic twists to the above example for those who are inclined. The important thing, to me, is that she got to show off her amazing amphibious skills in a society dominated by humans.

This type of plot hook (Event Trigger, really) can be used for even the smallest things. If the PC is a sorcerer who picks an uncommon spell, such as ventriloquism, the DM will do her game a favor by catering to the selection by providing interesting opportunities to use the spell. The player will often try to direct play towards such situations, but it's best to help her along the way. No one needs an incentive to pick fireball, but illusory script is a liability in most campaigns. This is because the former spell's utility is built into the game (it destroys things, and D&D has lots of rules on destroying things) while the latter needs the DM's cooperation to be useful.

Again, druids want to do druidic things and parley with fey, while a cleric with a penchant for oratory skills will want to preach. Players will attempt to find such situations themselves, but the DM can do so much more. Back in high school, I'm sure that many of us have daydreamed about being thrown into a situation where the girl we stammered around would get harassed while you were present, so that you could save her. This is the same thing: It's all about facilitating unlikely scenarios that make the player feel satisfied. (Pardon the lack of a feminine variant; do girls dream about being knights in shining armor...? I hope so.)

This brings to mind one of the greatest moments of a campaign I'm currently playing in (not a solo campaign, but it has solo aspects). There, I play Ronoc, a humble priest of a Redan, (a farmer's god, basically) from a small village. While delivering a religious icon to the priests of the faith in a larger town nearby, he was robbed, and the icon was taken. Through the attempts to regain it, the house where it had been taken was, ahem, unfortunately burnt to the ground. The icon was destroyed. When Ronoc explained this to the local priest, the latter was furious, and accused Ronoc of attempting to withhold the relic. Then and there, Ronoc, who had a much more lenient view of his god's teachings, and cares little for icons and material wealth, entered into an argument with the priest. While a small group of devout listened on, he argued theology, and was questioned by the throng of people after the priest left. This was awesome fun.

Campaign & Story Development

Solo campaigns allow a PC and DM to explore the campaign world in a depth not typically possible with group campaigns. With only one PC, the DM can tailor adventures directly to the interests of the player/PC which allows a break from the more generic campaign arcs commonly found in group campaigns.

Game Balance & ExperimentationAs there is only one player, keeping a balance between PCs is an obviously unnecessary exercise. Additionally, the focus of a solo campaign is usually more on roleplaying, so many of the mechanical elements, such as combat, often fall to a secondary role. This allows the DM to experiment with the rules, perhaps to give the Solo PC abilities or resources that would not be wise within a party dynamic or to playtest a house rule before the DM adds it to her group campaign.

Character Development v. Story Development Group campaigns are typically story driven with character development as a secondary goal. While story is an important element in a solo campaign, character development assumes primacy. Whereas a group will usually amble along with a good story arc, a Solo PC is more prone to refuse to follow a story arc that does not mesh with their vision of their character. This situation ties to the fact that neither the DM, nor the player need be concerned with party cohesion or other players enjoyment; thereby freeing the player to directly pursue ideas and story arcs that mesh with the PCs long-term goals and aspirations.

The story needs to be tailored to the PC, and this means tailoring the story to the goals of the PC. This is usually an easy task, but the DM must be cognizant that the story must be about the Solo PC and not necessary a brilliant campaign idea that would work for a group.

Greater Depth Group campaigns often fly through campaign worlds skimming the surface, while solo campaigns usually plunge deeply into the campaign world. Because there is no need to share game time with other players or to reach a consensus on direction, the Solo PC is wont to pursue their interests in far greater depth that they ever could in a group campaign. There are some advantages to this greater depth. Firstly, the PC will likely remain tied to a location far more readily than a group of PCs would, thus the DMs work in designing a city or other base of operations is far more likely to be used. Secondly, the solo campaign will greatly increase the depth of a campaign world, far more than a group campaign as most NPCs will have significant interaction with the PC and need to be fleshed-out with history, goals, and objectives to support lengthy conversations. Jezebel, the Barmaid needs more than a name, a physical description, and a menu of drinks. Thirdly, the roleplaying opportunities for both DM and PC are more numerous and rewarding, which is one reason solo campaigns are so popular. The DM in a solo campaign should expect and, indeed, encourage extended roleplaying sessions to develop both the PC and the world surrounding him or her.

DM Tool: Political Structures solo campaigns often thrive on politics and intrigue. The DM should take steps to ensure that there are opportunities for these activities, which means a complex political structure should be developed. This is not just for governments, but also for churches, guilds, and other organizations. What follows are some ideas and considerations for developing political structures: 1) Power should be decentralized. For example, while there may be a sovereign of a kingdom, he should be reliant on the trade guilds for revenue, on the churches to manage the courts and keep the people content, and the nobility to manage the kingdom and lead his armies. The more distributed and delegated the power and authority, the more intrigue and politics. Another alternative is having a Monarch who must answer to a council of Nobles who ratify the Monarchs decisions.2) Pseudo-democratic institutions are excellent political structures. For example, the thieves guild is ruled by a council of nine master thieves and requires majority vote for any decisions, there is political manoeuvring and even assassinations to win votes. In any situation where votes are required there will be ample roleplaying opportunities.3) There should be a faction that the PC will support. This is important. The DM should always try to create a faction that the PC will at least respect. This provides the PC with a discernable interest in the political structure. The faction could be in power if you have a PC who thrives on loyalty and service to a cause, or the faction could be out of power for an ambitious PC who could lead the faction back to power. 4) Conflicting loyalties create roleplaying opportunities. For example, the PC is a knight in service to the king, but the PCs noble family is opposed to the king and the PCs secret faith is being persecuted by the central church that is allied to the king. 5) Distrusted allies and respected opponents are a necessity. The PC needs friends she doesnt trust and enemies she can respect, this may seem like reverse logic, but it really adds to the quality and realism of the campaign. For example, the PC rogue belongs to a thieves guild populated with backstabbing and ambitious individuals, but a paladin-constable opposed to the guild has worked with her to oppose a greater evil. 6) A crisis is needed. As crisis is essential to the conflict that will build the Character into an entity greater than the paper it is written upon. This is the heart of any campaign focusing on politics and intrigue, but, in this case, the crisis should be specific to the Solo PC. For example, the king is planning on ceding dominions to a neighbouring kingdom as a result of defeat in war, and the Solo PC is one of the lords of these dominions, this is a massive crisis to the Solo PC, but not necessarily the rest of the kingdom. The level of the crisis should be tied to the abilities, stature, experience, and driving motivations of the Solo PC.Prologues

The first time I encountered the idea of the prologue was in the second campaign my friend DMed for me. This campaign, which he has titled Shrouded Stars, is a science fiction campaign initially based on the premise of piloting gritty, "realistic"-style mecha. In order to show my character's past, my character, Ralward, was started off as a 12 year old boy on a fairly recently colonized moon called Fallowmist.

In this campaign, set in a made up solar system, the science level isn't outrageous, but rather a few hundred years beyond our own. There's no such thing as interstellar travel, and only a few planets have been colonized. Fallowmist, a moon orbiting an inhospitable mining planet called Bane, has been largely abandoned by the solar community, and had degenerated into a struggle between two armed factions that dragged the entire moon into their conflict.

During the first session, Ralward's mother was accidentally killed by a gunshot when a fight broke out between thugs from the two factions in a roadside tavern. Following this event, his father, previously an optimistic colonist, became obsessed with getting off of Fallowmist with what remained of his family. In order to do this, he needed a ride, and in order to get a ride, he needed to participate in the one feature that made Fallowmist and its backwards "misties" famous on Homeworld: The annual MotorGames.

The crux was that the MotorGames have no rules. You're supposed to cross the finish line with a vehicle, and that's it. Ralward's father spent years building a motorcycle he called the Lunar Comet, and finally participate in the event. Unfortunately, quite near the finish line, as Ralward watched, a ruthless participant named Hendar "the Hammer," knocked him off of his bike and got him killed. Not a great day in a 14 year olds life, so Ralward got sad, and then he got mad. The ambush that followed ended with both of them believing that the other had died, which later led to the most awesome showdown I've played... but I digress.

Later on, Ralward helped his employer prevent an act of terrorism against one of the moon's Atmospheric Formatters (a terraforming device), but was picked up by the Alliance military as he passed out, and was taken into space. Waking up and staring out at the shrinking moon in the night sky of space was quite a roleplaying moment.

Ralward is 22 now, and Fallowmist seems a long time ago, but as player, I'll never remember what his life was like back and, and what his thoughts were. This back story could have been simply retold to me before the first session, but the fact that it was played out added an immeasurable depth to my character. These days, we almost always do some sort of prologue to our solo campaigns.

An effective prologue is as long as the player wants it to be. In the Wheel of Time campaign I mentioned earlier, the prologue kept getting longer as circumstances prompted more detail. The difficult part is knowing where to start. Actually, I've played a 2 year old once, and loved it Guiding vs Railroading

How do I discourage or prevent my PC from making certain actions without making the game to constricting?

I like to have my game rather free and constricting my PC's actions doesnt really appeal to me, however, there are some things that I would like to keep the way they are without my PC attempting to destroy a certain important item, rubbing an NPC the wrong way and thwarting a quest I wanted to give them, making trouble in villages (stealing important items, going on a rampage etc.) For example: in my current game - the PC ran into a woman who is the wielder of a mysterious sword (it turns out that the sword is an intelligent sword using the woman to convey its thirst for adventure and conquest). When faced with meeting the couple, his first reaction was to ransack her shop (she owns an appraisal shop in the city he is currently in), stalk her in hopes that he could steal the sword if she sets it down and generaly not wait until he is offered an opportunity to adventure with them for a short while.

How would you suggest I could handle situations like this without being notoriously constricting and making it seem like things are "out of his grasp"?

The first thing you should do is ask both yourself and your player if this campaign is going to be an evil campaign. If the answer to the question is "yes" then you are going to have to rely on your player to show enough maturity to not turn the campaign into a free-for-all.

Make sure that you create reasonable consequences for the PC's actions. The ransacked shop might spark a thorough investigation by the city guards. If the shop owner has any significant wealth, she would likely hire a diviner to find out who did it - and since he is stalking her it shouldn't bee all that hard to identify him.

If he does manage to steal the sword, remember that the sword is intelligent and should be treated as an NPC which could lead to all sorts of interesting situations.

Certainly freedom to act is one of the hallmarks of a good solo campaign, so you certainly have the right spirit in not wanting to unreasonably restrict your player. Start off with the "evil" conversation and perhaps move it into a "what is fun" conversation. This should help you decide if you can modify the campaign to fit the player or if (it does happen) you simply are not compatible from a style standpoint.

You have a few problems here, first it seems like there is a lack of communication between you and the player, second it sounds like you have a CN PC, and third you do not know the secret of creating the illusion of freedom. I will try to tackle each of these in order and hopefully this will help.

You and your player need to talk about the PC and his goals, a lot of times when the PC is doing things completely unexpected it is because either the DM does not understand the PC or, just as likely, the player has no vision for his PC. Use the alignments, try to get the player to settle upon an alignment. Find out what the PC's longterm goal is. With alignment and goal it will be easier to DM the PC, but do realize the player may not be completely honest with you, because he may not really know what he wants.

I find that lawful, good, and evil alignments are all fairly easy to predict and manipulate in game. With lawful alignments you have some cause or order that allows you to guide a PC, with good alignments you have their conscience, and with evil alignments you have their greed and ambition. You can use the alignments to guide the PC, sometimes overtly sometimes secretly without their knowledge. For example, if the PC was a good alignment this female hero and her sword could have been under attack and the PC would likely rush in to help her. Instant bond and very unlikely the PC would take any action against her. It is always good to introduce a new NPC in a way that makes the PC have to come to their aid or seek their assistance, some positive action that if the NPC responds positively will cement their relationship.

Evil is a little harder, and your PC seems borderline evil, but you can design the adventure for the female hero to hire the PC for a quest to a location with great wealth known only in her mind, so he has to tag along for awhile. Also don't forget a sense motive check by the female hero and she will know he is trying to rob her, which may mean she takes action against him, either preemptive or an ambush. Finally, what if the sword doesn't want him...because he is inferior to the female hero in some way, then even if he gets the sword he is in trouble.

N and CN are wildcards and these are very difficult to predict, especially with a new PC who you haven't DMed, players choose these alignments when they have no idea what they or their PC believes in for the campaign.

I am now going to give you one of my secrets of DMing these rudderless PCs...instead of crafting the campaign for the PC craft the campaign for the player. You know your player, so cheat and use this knowledge to your benefit. For example, I have players who have weakness for women, respect, admiration, power, and so forth, often things a little lacking in their real life. I use that weakness to maneuver them in a campaign, carrot is always better than stick, just make sure you are using the right carrot. Don't abuse the PC, but give them what they want if they take the course you want.

Now the above secret is part of creating the illusion of freedom, which is a necessity for any DM to be successful. Complete freedom is a disaster for most campaigns, so you have to create the illusion of freedom. Here are some random tips:

1) Incorporate background information into the campaign, this is important if they player feels like you are using the player's ideas then the player will give you the benefit of the doubt. This is true in group campaigns and gospel in solo campaigns, demonstrate that it is a two-way street. I have found that no matter how detailed the background is that I am given there is more than enough room for me to tweak it as desired for my story arcs, plus it gives you a foundation to build upon.

2) Give several viable options, this is key. Infinite choice is a disaster at the beginning of a campaign, so is no choice, give the player 2-4 routes that come up for them to choose. I do not start designing my major story arcs until after the 3rd or 4th session, which is when I have a good idea what the PC is shooting for. If the PC has the freedom to make a choice then that PC will often stick to that choice. Do not fully develop your 2-4 choices, just a few sentences and a hook, once the player bites do a side adventure or travel adventure that could work for all choices. For example, you give a player four choices of adventure away from the town where you are starting, no matter which way he travels you will spring the same random encounters and a situation with a witch burning in a small hamlet, which you can use to introduce a NPC spellcaster once he saves her. You end the session and you have had a fun adventure, introduced a NPC, and now know what the PC will want to do for the next session. Trust me this works great for groups and solo campaigns.

3) Indulge the rebellious player, sometimes players like to test if they have freedom. They try to kill NPCs, wander in random directions, and do all the stuff they are not allowed to do in video games. Let them, just give them consequences, and realize that after a little testing they will come to trust that you as a DM will give them as much freedom as they desire.

4) Drop failed story arcs, yes, just drop the failed hooks and move on. A good DM knows when a track has failed and when it is time to change things up. When you feel the resistance of the player to the current story arc, not just normal frustration born of a challenge, but a genuine unhappiness then you should drop the story arc and go in a completely different direction. DMs sometimes get tied to their ideas, in group campaigns this is alright as you are shooting for the mean, in solo campaigns your ideas need to work for your only player, if they don't drop them and try again.

Remember a good campaign is one where the players know there is a cook, and a few assistants, working in the kitchen of the inn, without the PCs having to open the door to see it. This also extends to freedom of choice, as long as the players know that as a DM you are giving them freedom, they are content to follow the limited choices you give them. In either situation it takes practice and trust, which takes time and effort. Solo Campaigns and Epic Play

Once a solo campaign gets to the point where a character has entered the Epic levels, the world changes significantly. There are few monsters that can challenge a single Epic character once they get past about level 25 that do not come down to a single initiative/save roll or will wipe out the poor PC utterly.

So where do you go from here?

In order to reach such an upper echelon of levels, the Player should have had a great deal of time and effort in developing their character both mechanically and, more importantly, through roleplaying. Therein lies the key to Epic Solo Campaigns roleplaying.

At this point in the game, the usual state is that the world has been saved at least once and the PCs name is known to peasant and king alike. Physical challenges require equally renowned individuals or creatures which can be obscenely difficult and unbalanced for a single PC. Roleplaying challenges, however, are largely unlimited by such things.

Utilizing the established network of NPCs and organizations, challenges can (and will) arise that cannot be solved through force of arms or force of magic. These are the challenges that remain for an Epic Solo Character. Certainly, mix in the occasional non-roleplaying encounter, but take extra care to not overmatch the PC and remember that most Epic foes were designed to be able to kill a single member of a party in a single round as spells like true resurrection are readily available in Epic play.

How to Start a Solo Game:

Warning: Long and somewhat rambily ... /end disclaimer

Hey I'm going to be running a solo campaign soon, with the PC being a Paladin. Now the twist is he took a devil bloodline from Unearthed Arcana. So obviously he's touched / tempted by evil. The player has told me he has absolutely no quams if the pally turns evil.

The problem that im running into is how to get the whole ball rolling, i've kind of got the starting location started and some small quests to get things started, but i really cant think of anyway to bring contact with devil and other evil people in without being too blatantly obvious about it. Now we're starting at lvl 1, and the pally of course has no idea where he's from (orphaned on a church step of course) so basically i've got a completely blank slate to work with and thats the problem, i dont have any context or starting point.

The PC's goals right now are to find out more about his past and figure out why, despite the fact that he is a force of righteousness and good, he has an undeniable urge to kill everyone sometimes. Thats the sum total of what I have to work with.

I was thinking of having a noble come to the town to visit the temple elder, who is an old friend of this noble, and also the PC's mentor. Now i was thinking of either having the noble recognize the PC (has a very distinctive scar, his mark of being devil touched) and denounce him as evil forcing him to prove himself. And then he can travel with the noble for a while until some other big event happens (something like an invasion by undead or evil outsiders).

On the other hand i was thinking having his mentor send him away for the exact reason above, he knows that the noble will take unkindly to his having sheltered and raised a person tainted with the touch of evil. This would force the PC in a much more indepentant role, but would leave me with little to work with.

I want this to be a really good campaign, because this is probably the most interesting character I've ever seen, like comeon a scyth wielding paladin that has a devil's blood in them? Thats just asking for tons of wonderful temptations.

So any help would be great. And this threat rocks.

What you have here is the classic internal struggle taken to a supernatural level. How far you want to take it is, of course, up to you.

Idea One: The PC hears voices telling him to commit escalating evil acts as he progresses through his training. Being in the church, the voices are very faint, but once he starts adventuring, the voices become stronger and stronger. The voices are, in fact, a devil trying to awaken the devilish blood flowing in the PC veins. This could lead down several different avenues with the PC giving in, fighting it, or seeking out the devil to silence the voices of the damned once and for all.

Idea Two: The PC is sent to help a distant missionary for the church with a problem. After the adventure to get there (this could span many levels depending on preference) the PC discovers the missionary beset with the possessed or even devils themselves.

Idea Three: Can a paladin really remain a paladin with a bloodlust raging within him? Not sure where you could take this one yet, but you might get somewhere.

One of the things that helps get me started is reading D&D (and whatever other game system you have access to) source books. Prestige Classes in D&D, for instance, often give me ideas for NPCs around which I can build events and adventure arcs. As I might have insinuated before, I find that it helps to begin with the smallest possible component and build from there.

Although this topic doesn't necessarily pertain exclusively to solo campaigns, I think that it bears more thought, and I will think on it. I believe I have more to say if I dig deep.

Anyway, if I can help you with more or less specific ideas somehow, feel free to send me a PM or point me in the direction of a thread.

would advise patience. You do have a good PC concept here, but you may want to take some time building things up. Take some time to develop the setting and the personality of the PC.

Off the top of my head here is a rough outline how I would try to tackle this:

1) Introduction Quest: Mentor sends PC and NPC paladin on minor quest, the two are rivals, the NPC has long believed something is wrong with the PC. For example, what if sometimes the PC radiates evil due to certain astrological phenomena affecting his devil blood, while he isn't evil there is a a lingering shadow upon him. This will cause the NPC to be suspicious, and maybe also cause the PC concern. This quest could be a couple of adventures and should have nothing to do with the PC and his bloodline. Protecting a border community, tracking down a murderer, settling a dispute, clearing out an evil forest, and so forth would be good.

[BTW I like Illion's idea of voices in the player's head...see below for more on this.]

2) The Enemy: The PC and NPC have returned from their recent quest (maybe closer to friends maybe further to enemies) to find that the temple has been attacked. The Mentor and a few others survived and say that some unknown emeny attacked and was looking for something. He sends the PC to consult with a distant oracle and gives him an item to conceal his journey.

[OK here is where I am stealing from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the PC is a Key to some ritual of great evil...I mean a paladin with devil blood that screams uber dark rite. Of course, the enemy thinks it is an item held by the Mentor and the PC has no clue that he is the 'item' they seek. The Mentor is just trying to get the PC away from the area. About the voice in the head...maybe that is related to the rite, maybe they are trying to bring back a dead god and the PC is the key and he is a talkative sort. Now I am thinking about Scorpius in the mind of Crichton from Farscape, basically use the ego from intelligent items in the DMG, start weak and make it become stronger as we get closer to the rite.]

3) The PC heads on his quest to the oracle and this is a journey of discovery where the PC should find out what he is, instrument of evil or good. Though this may change shortly. Here is where I would give the PC a few NPC allies and beef him up with XP and magic items. Make the PC think he is being followed, which may lead him to take a longer route to conceal his path.

4) The oracle is really a friend of the Mentor who gives the PC sanctuary and tells him the truth, what little is known, which to be honest is mostly prophecies, weird results from divinations and the like. But on the heels of the PC come the enemy, which could be normal humans, half-fiends, or really scarry evil half-celestials seeking the end of the world. This is the PCs first look as his enemy and should be a big battle, but winnable by the PC and his allies, though with some loses.

[If you can build up a romantic attachment to the PC and have her killed by the enemy you can move him toward evil. Just do better than Attack of the Clones with botched the whole transition to evil thing. Seriously, if the PC has voices in the head and the enemy is pushing his buttons you have a great situation for an evil PC. ]

5) The PC still has questions, at this point no one knows A) what the ritual is supposed to do, B) who are these enemies, and C) who was his father. They are all tied together and the PC will have to tackle them. You could go a million ways with this.

I would make the father mortal and the mother the devil and may a consort to one of the Lords of Hell. In fact, the Mentor is really his father, but has kept this secret for if it was learned he had been seduced by a devil then he would be shamed from his place in the faith. Also maybe, the mother is evil, but why shouldn't she love her son, maybe she becomes an ally, well or more accurately, she appears to be an ally until the advantageous moment.

As you see, I take the obvious cliches and worn ideas and twist them just a little and then everything is fresh and interesting. Don't reinvent the wheel just paint it a different color and increase the air pressure.

Building an Organization:

Solo campaigns are indeed great opportunities for a PC to build something lasting, be it an organization or a kingdom. What follows are some thoughts and ideas about building organizations in solo campaigns.

1. Vision Organizations are founded on visions, not prophetic ones, but an idea that drives someone to make something that they hope will be lasting. This is the beginning of the organization, maybe it is the PC's idea, maybe the PC inherits the idea from a NPC, regardless the PC must embrace the vision. It is important to make sure both the PC and DM understand this vision, confusion about the purpose of the organization will cause difficulties.

Ex. 1: A cleric of the God of the Dead wants to expand the worship of his deity to include not just the dead, graves, tombs, and the like, but also wealth. To accomplish this the cleric needs to form a society of like-minded clerics to influence the hierarchy.

Ex. 2: A fighter has witnessed the destruction of the Bone Horde in several lands while adventuring and realizes that someone needs to stand against this undead threat. To accomplish this he will need to build a network to organize resistance to the Bone Horde.

2. FoundationThe foundation is important to organizations, they need to have rules, financial support, bases, and a membership. This is the real challenge for a PC, to secure the assets and resources needed to establish an organization will be a campaign upon itself. If the PC is building from an existing organization the task is easier, but more confined by the traditions of the existing organization. If the PC is building from scratch there is more freedom, but far fewer assets and more work.

Ex. 1: Our reformer cleric decides to join other societies within the Church of the Dead that are similarly minded and begins trying to change those societies to match his vision. He makes friends, but also enemies from conservative elements, thus he decides to form his own society. To be successful he must recruit other powerful clerics, but if he does this he may lose control of his organization.

Ex. 2: The fighter goes to kingdoms still free from the Bone Horde and asks for funds to fight this enemy, he then goes to churches opposed to the Bone Horde, and then he recruits refugees from the lands conquered by the Bone Horde. While he has not been as successful as he hoped, he is laying the groundwork for the organization. Unfortunately, the Bone Horde is signaling another invasion and his patrons want his group to do something.

3. PeoplePeople are key, the PC will need NPCs he can trust to handle his many tasks and he will need to recruit members. The problem is that allies, patrons, and members may not all agree and the PC will have to deal with politics, perhaps far sooner than he expects. It is the managing of these NPCs that will define the success of the organization.

Ex. 1: Our reformer cleric has a few allies in the faith, including a High Priest who desires to be the Grand Priest for the kingdom. More troublesome is conservative clerics trying to discredit him and the merchant guilds who want divine favors from the church if they are to start patronizing the Church of the Dead.

Ex. 2: The fighter has a diverse group and while their motivations are unquestioned there are some with unquestionable strategies. While the fighter tries to keep his group united and has patrons applying pressure for action against the Bone Horde, the Lich-King has taken notice of the group and dispatched forces to crush it.

4. ChallengesYes, the whole process is a challenge, but the purpose of an organization is to face and overcome challenges for which it was designed to address. These are adventures which showcase the organization and are the whole point of the campaign.

Ex. 1: Our reformer cleric is trying to get the High Priest elected as Grand Priest, but is also dealing with a conservative sect which has actually marked him for death. In addition there is a disease running through the merchant class caused by another god who wants dominion over wealth. If this was not enough the king is raising taxes to strengthen defenses against the Bone Horde and the merchants want the cleric to oppose this.

Ex. 2: The fighter is desperately trying to keep his group together against the many pressures against it, worse of all the Bone Horde is not on the march to conquer the rest of the world. Things are bleak and this little organization may be the only hope to unite the free kingdoms to win the war.

5. Keep it FreshFinally, keep it fresh, sometimes running an organization will get tedious. To prevent this throw in adventures that have nothing to do with the organization. Also don't hesitate to do something revolutionary.

Ex. 1: The Society of the Golden Crypt is doing well, but needs funds so our cleric journeys off on a quest to reclaim a lost tomb complex and its wealth. While he is gone the High Priest is elected Grand Priest and incorporates wealth into the portfolio of the faith, the question now is what is the future of the Society of the Golden Crypt.

Ex. 2: The Knights of the Silver Cross are fighting the Bone Horde, when our fighter is called back to his home kingdom to be knighted and if he marries will inherit a dominion. When he returns the society launches a bold attack that destroys the Lich-King for good, the question now is what is the future of the Knights of the Silver Cross.

For some insight into designing organizations go to WDMT #2: Create an Organization that is in my signature. There are some nice examples, plenty of general tips, and a checklist right before the final scores.The Organization Checklist: Churches1. Purpose: A church has two purposes, secular and dogmatic. For the secular purpose ask what the goal of the church is in regards to its relation with the secular government and its congregation. For the dogmatic purpose, ask what the goal is for the souls of the members of its congregation. 2. History: Who founded the church and when? Why was it founded? What major events have shaped the course of the church? What is happening right now with the church?3. Hierarchy: Who is in charge? How is the leadership structured? How does authority change hands? What are the names of priests as well as any special titles? Are there important orders within the church that need to be mentioned? 4. Congregation: Who are the worshipers? How are they recruited? How are they inducted? What must the worshipers do to remain in the congregation?5. Teachings and Precepts: What are the special rules for the priests and worshipers of the church? Where do these rules come from? How are the rules of the church enforced?6. Meeting Place: Does the organization have a headquarters, chapter houses, or other place for meetings?7. Resources: What special resources, such as martial forces, does the church have? How does the church fund its operations?8. Machinations: What are the secrets or plans of the organization? What is the current goal of the organization? This is also where you can discuss allies and enemies of the organization.9. NPC: It is always a good idea to have a few NPCs for an church, ideally the leader and the NPC with whom the PCs are likely to interact with. Usually all you need is a level and class, alignment, and a few sentences that answer the following questions: Why is this NPC with the church? What does this NPC do for the church? What is the current goals of the NPC?10. Adventure Hooks: This of course is the whole point of any organization, or church, and this should be in the back of your mind during the whole design period. A good adventure hook should intersect the goals of the church and the players to be effective, maybe in alliance, maybe in opposition, but they both should be focused on the same object.Fully Self Reliant Games:

Raw Power

In order to survive as a self-reliant Character, such Solo PCs tend to be built and operate on a significantly higher power scale than other PCs. This often includes increased ability scores, additional class features, maximized Hit Points, or unique powers. The result of this is that the PC is often able to handle encounters that are only slightly weaker than a group of the same level could handle. This, of course, leads to the PC garnering treasure at a significantly greater rate than he or she would in an equivalent party.

The first issue that arises in analyzing such an instance is game balance. The PC has significantly more wealth and power than a PC of his or her level normally should, creating an imbalance in the system.

My response to this issue is (bluntly) so what? The only important Character in the entire world is overpowered. This is a good thing. Game balance is irrelevant in this case as there is no other members of the party to balance the PC against. The "star of the show" is larger than life and more capable than anyone else around. This is often the case in the classic fantasy novels and makes for a good model in this case.

Another issue that arrises is providing a challenge for the PC who is at such a high power level. This may be a significant challenge for an inexperienced DM.

The good news, however, is that as the PC's power grows, he or she can shift encounters to include varying types of challenges. A group of creatures presents a significantly different challenge than a single creature since the effects of flanking and "aid another" can really swing in the group's favor. In addition, purely roleplaying encounters can, and should, be used to further the Character development without regard to the PCs combat capabilities.

Selling Stuff

Solo PCs tend to accumulate a lot of stuff - a great deal of which is not directly useful to them. The natural tendency is for them to sell stuff off that they can't use. In most normal group Campaigns, such loot is sold off at the recommended 50% of market value as a matter of convenience and to keep such events from taking up the totality of a session which generally makes the uninvolved parties rather bored and frustrated.

One interesting aspect of selling items in a Solo Campaign, is that the simple act of bartering and chatting with an NPC merchant could take up the totality of a game session without taking away from the fun of the game (providing the Player enjoys the interaction). Because of this in-depth interaction, Solo PCs tend to get a much higher return on the items they sell to merchants - especially so, if the PC is more socially adept. This has the net result of increasing the wealth of the PC.

Making Stuff

This section mainly applies to spellcasters, but in some respects, it could apply to other Character types.

One of the things that prevents a significant amount of item creation in group campaigns is that the caster has to spend the time to make the items as well as spend the experience to do so. Meanwhile, the rest of the group either takes significant downtime, or continues adventuring without the item maker. While this may work in some Campaigns, it often is not a model that is either effective or practical as the "outside world" continues to evolve while the PCs are taking their downtime.

In a Solo Campaign, the entire Campaign focuses around the single PC and having that PC take the downtime for item creation often isn't a big deal, especially in more roleplaying-focused Campaigns. Therefore, the Character benefits by creating items for a fraction of their "purchase price" as well as not having to be concerned with falling behind the rest of the party in experience.

In the more mundane realm, I had a Solo Elven Ranger that I was DMing for spend months crafting a Masterwork Composite Longbow with a +5 Strength rating to match her significant Strength. During this time, she concentrated her time when not crafting on working with the leaders of the community in strengthening their defenses and planning on pushing the steadily encroaching "invaders" (otherwise known as settlers) back.Handouts (News & Rumors):

What follows is a handout from my group campaign. I do one of them every three months of game time, one for each season. These are very broad and the party was given this handout when they were in a major city (Calagard). For my solo campaigns I do the equivalent about every two-three weeks of game time and it is usually more focused on the PC and local events. My main solo campaign at the moment is in Rifts, so that handout is more stylistic, thus I decided to use the one from my group campaign. I posted this as an example to give depth to a campaign world with just a few sentences, many of the stories you read are from continuing story arcs completely separated from the party. This is also from a homebrew campaign world so I apologize if a lot of it make no sense.

Adventuring News [Calagard, Month of Archon 118] The Second Army of the Stardrop Crusade was ambushed at sea on their way to the Stardrop Islands by a Yuan-ti armada that destroyed most of the fleet transporting the Second Army. Lord Patrian Subaq the commander of the Second Crusade and a famous Blue Knight was lost in the battle. Prince Neones of Alphatia and the husband of the River Goddess Alphatia had organized the Second Army to reinforce his brother Prince Sorian and the First Army currently defending the Stardrop Islands. The destruction of the Second Army is a serious blow to the defense of the Stardrop Islands and High King Maevan II is reportedly going to the Council of Princes for permission to send aid to Prince Sorian before the Yuan-ti take over the Stardrop Islands.

The Knights of the Glass Dragon under Sir Eurid Debane has been accused by Queen Tione of attempting an assassination of Jabazon the Archmage of Ironfast in an attempt to overthrow the rule of Queen Tione of Maerithia. Queen Tione has ordered the borders closed and has placed a 50,000 gp reward for the head of Sir Eurid Debane. Royal Commissioner Erias Hubas has not as of yet rescinded the charter of the Knights of the Glass Dragon.

The Jousting Jesters have cleared out the Tomb of Revan in Anduran and have presented the ancient Grim Stave of Grand Demarche Revan Netherlord to their employer the Diocesan Council of the Western Kingdom. It is believed that with this relic, Arch Demarche Devon Graveguide of Maerithia may be able to win election as the Grand Demarche in two years when the position becomes open. Arch Demarche Graveguide has been focused on acquiring relics and treasures for the dioceses of the Western Kingdom, which have greatly profited from his efforts over the last decade.

The Vassals of the Drunken Baron have uncovered an ancient elven ritual to create a companion spirit for a group of people, in this case for adventuring companies. The Vassals of the Drunken Baron are sharing the ritual with other adventuring companies and there is about a dozen that have now performed this ritual. The ritual channels the power of the group to create a spirit that can provide guidance, protection, and magical augmentation to the group. [Companion Spirits from DMG II pg. 194-203]

Ganav Leonic, Hollis Mon, and Yadira Kulona of the treacherous Courageous Company were caught and slain by the Knights of the Midnight Eclipse in a tremendous battle in Egilstad in the Kingdom of Timbron. The Courageous Company fell into a battle with the Lav-Nair Merchant House when it failed to pay them for a contract, in the end the Courageous Company destroyed three ships, two warehouses, and killed over fifty people belonging to Lav-Nair. They escaped custody and have become brigands across Nor-Kaeda for the last year until the Knights of the Midnight Eclipse finally caught up with them.

The Ascendants and Glorious Destiny have merged their companies to form Glorious Ascent. The Ascendants are a magic heavy group while Glorious Destiny is mostly physical combatants, the new group is more balanced and both groups hope will be more successful, though both groups have a good reputation. The two groups met during the Royal Adventurers Tournament and their leaderships develop the plan for the union of the two groups.

The Sons of Lady Almaan has slain the mercenary bandit Garlan Iron Hand and his band of cutthroats in a battle in Anduran ending a major threat on the major trade roads through Anduran to Calagard. The Purple Lions have destroyed the Fist of Tyranny which they stole from Archduke Nevibaz of Hueshala; this artifact has the power to suppress free thought in a community. Its destruction was a blow to Hueshala and has angered Emperor Gannon V.

Little Folk News [Calagard, Archon 117] Lord Rupi Glenwhistle, a Blue Knight and paladin of Arvoreen, and Lady Wisteria Clearbrook, a Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Aurine, have married at the Royal Castle in Calagard. High Queen Aurine and High King Maevan II were in attendance along with numerous dignitaries of Lorien and Calagard. High King Maevan II has rewarded Lord Rupi with dominion over the town of Rose Stone in southern Calagard. Lord Rupi is considered the greatest hero of the Little Folk and is famed for his slaying of the Three Swamp Sisters and the taming of the Ghost Hound of Zarae.

First Mayor Juliana Tealeaf has moved to restore Calagards faith in Lorien by eliminating traditions that fostered the corruption scandals that led to the Royal Cheese Affair under her predecessors rule. She has instituted restrictions on gifts to officials and established familial limits in the granting of contracts. First Mayor Tealeaf has also moved to reorganize the Lorien Militia, which was embarrassed when three companies got lost in the Bard Moor looking for a lost child, who was actually just visiting an aunt in Deer Shire. The lizardfolk of Bardmoor feared a Little Folk invasion and prepared for war, First Mayor Tealeaf personally went to Lizard King Ssrok to apologize for the incident, which was settled with a few barrels of spiced pickled trout. Regardless, First Mayor Tealeaf was not happy with the incident and has fired most of the leaders of the Lorien Militia, but since this is well beyond her authority most are remaining in their positions, though a few did leave and have been replaced.

The Little Knights under Sir Gellen Briarwood have been hired by First Mayor Tealeaf to help her with problems plaguing the Little Folk. Sir Gellen Briarwood is considered the greatest hero of the Little Folk for his solving of the Riddle of the Goldern Brook Crossroads and the blinding of the Green Dragon Vezbargul, who killed himself a few years latter when he fly into a mountain. The Little Knights did very well in the Royal Adventurers Tournament getting third place in two events and finishing in the top ten in all of the events, there was much rejoicing in Lorien.

First Priest Brudi of Arvoreen has announced a tournament to reward the Shield of Arvoreen to the most dedicated and skilled member of the faith. The invitation has been extended to followers of Mithras, who is a manifestation of Arvoreen.

First Priestess Tabana of Brandoberis wishes to sponsor three Little Folk only adventuring companies and is interviewing people for the three companies. Remembering her days as an adventurer as well as a dream she recently had, she felt the need for Lorien to field more than just the Little Knights as heroes to the Little Folk.

There are reports that the spirit of Mayor Willa Windyhill who died last year is still lingering around the town of Sunnybrook. It is said that people have seen here whistling away her song Sunnybrook and smiling at young children. Hundreds have been flocking to Sunnybrook to get a glimpse of the late Mayor Willa Windyhill. There is still a debate if she is a ghost or a town spirit and Sunnybrook has asked First Priestess Sabani of Yondalla to come and determine the matter.

The famed archer Kelpi Goldfields, the giant-slayer Dazi Marigold, and the wizard Minder Rosebloom have survived the ambush of the Second Army and arrived in the Stardrop Islands with a hundred other Little Folk who traveled on the Floating Barrel. Sadly the legendary Apple Bluewillow died in the ambush. Apple Bluewillow reportedly sunk three Yuan-ti ships before she went down as well, giving the Floating Barrel time to escape. While the ambush devastated the Second Army, a message from Minder Rosebloom says that the Yuan-ti have also lost a huge part of their fleet in the battle.

Magic News [Calagard, Archon 117] Mystic Kavara Morningstar of the Church of Miridum has asked all faithful to refuse to provide magic to the states of the Western Kingdom until High Royal Magician Banthera the Grey ceases the registration and taxation of arcane magic practitioners. There is no registration for divine magic practitioners and the Church of Archon has recently begun policing the new laws for the Western Kingdom, and has already collected thousands of marks in fines. The new restrictive policies have caused concern across the Western Kingdom, especially in Maerithia and Pailanus the two most magically reliant states.

Queen Tione has created a new spell, which has become known as the Plague Herald. The spell creates a compulsion that causes those to hear the enchanted message to travel to find a crowd of people to deliver the message. Those in the crowd will also be compelled to carry forth the message. The message will be carried across Nor-Kaeda, and has been used by Queen Tione several times, including recently to accuse Sir Eurid Debane and the Knights of the Glass Dragon for crimes against Maerithia.

Prince Damien VII of Pailanus has ordered construction begun on a flying ship modeled on elven sky ships. This fantastic project is costing a fortune and is employing dozens of wizards and hundreds of workers. There is an ancient law among the elves that no non-elves may have sky ships it remains to be seen if the elves will enforce their law against Pailanus. Rumors are that Hueshala not to be outdone by Pailanus has launched their own sky ship project. Sky ships could provide faster and safer transportation of goods across Nor-Kaeda.

Reports are that a group of adventurers slew two dragons under the control of Hueshala along its southern border with Kouen. This was a blow against Hueshalas plans to build a great horde of dragons under its commands as several dragons have abandoned Hueshala as its promises of protection are not that potent. Still the Imperial Circle of the Arcane has made it clear that it will have two hundred true dragons in service with Hueshala within five years; this will be the largest force of true dragons in service to a state outside of the Elven Jewels. This does not include the estimated five hundred wyvern riders employed by Hueshala. With the collapse of the Empire of Visantia many fear that Hueshala is preparing for expansion as it has no real rivals along its borders.

Tophanes Erashire Kaedor the Chosen of Miridum has created a new spell known as Life Fire, which creates a fire of positive energy that can linger like a wild fire in an area. He recently used it to great effect against ghouls plaguing the Rot Swamps in Dalbathon. He also reportedly recently nailed the lich Bavdrek the Miserable to the Moon, though this is likely exaggeration. His new apprentice and lover Lady Rowena Ereolan recently slew Gromon Vexal a member of the Imperial Circle of the Arcane in Kithril in a very public duel for his insulting of her master; she reportedly cast a spell which rendered the member of the Imperial Circle from properly chanting his spells due to a massively swollen tongue. She then proceeded to blast him with various offensive magic.

In Esilaan all fire magic has ceased to function, it is unknown the meaning of this though many believe it is a sign from the Water Dragon King that she will soon return to life. No fire-based spell functions in the land of Esilaan on the Island of Themele. The Pantheon of Waters is in Esilaan and is the largest temple to the WDK known to still exist. The complete cessation of fire magic is truly a miraculous event and the people of Esilaan have considered it a great portent. Neighboring Themele a land dominated with fire magic is said to fear that this is instead a new weapon of Esilaan that will be used to conquer its neighbor. There have been a few events like this before, but none within many centuries.

Holy News [Calagard, Aeolan 117] Pontiff Erasmus IX, who was struck blind by his god, has renounced Balidan and declared himself the new Blind God of Knowledge in an act of apparent madness. The Church of Balidan has tried to remove Erasmus IX from the Halls of Knowledge in Maerithia, but somehow the blind and reportedly powerless Erasmus IX has used magic to seal the Halls of Knowledge. The clerics of the faith have been driven from the grounds and have found no way to enter the temple, there is great fear for the largest and most complete library in Nor-Kaeda. The Church of Balidan is without a leader and many congregations are establishing their own independence from Erasmus the Mad.

The Church of Lendys has announced that the gods of Cardyzan, Lalorien, and Ximargon are now vassals of Lendys and their faiths are being integrated into the Church of the Dead. Cardyzan is the new God of Necromancy, Lalorien is the new God of Wealth, and Ximargon is the new God of Messengers. Cardyzan is poised to be recognized in the Western Kingdom, which could be the end of the faiths of Orcus and Thasmudyn. None of these gods was that significant or even known before the announcement, Lalorien was the God of Sieges and Ximargon was a mortal given divinity to watch over doors. Grand Demarche Soulguide is due to retire in 3 years and has made this bold realignment due to a vision from Lendys according to reports.

The Church of Suran has been rocked by a scandal as it has been discovered that the Church of Suran uses summoned iron and stone for many of its projects. The Church of Suran has admitted to this and says that summoned iron and stone is better than that mined and they have the spells from their God to provide them with the best materials. The Merchants Congress and the various Mining Guilds and the Dwarven Kingdoms have long argued that iron and stone well-mined is superior and safer than such materials conjured by magic.

High Druid Ajarion of the Circle of the Black Flame has ambushed and killed the ancient Grand Druid Nelva and has called for all druids to rally in favor of the Many Races against the humans. There is numerous schisms among the druids because of this event, in fact the Western Kingdom has allowed the Circle of the Black Flame within its borders and will arrest any who pledge allegiance to this group.

Aiwe the Healer has renounced King Jared III for his conquest of Eridara and other neighboring states and has been thrown into the Royal Dungeons of Agisdon. Before this Aiwe was praised by King Jared III for her work in Eridara and provided her protection in those lands he conquered, he was using her for publicity and to show his compassion to those he conquered. Aiwe gained a huge following in Eridara and has become a spiritual leader in the name of the Water Dragon King, but when she challenged King Jared III she was captured and imprisoned.

The faiths of Cybele and Silvestira have merged their faiths into the Faith of the Moon & Stars and are converting their temples to worship of both deities. This move has strengthened both faiths across Nor-Kaeda against a growing challenge by Aurora, Miridum, and others. These are two old faiths and have long been need of a revival. There are also rumors that they are also merging their holy books, with the new book providing even greater insight into the mysteries of the world.

The Grand Sentinel of Mithras is mobilizing forces for the Stardrop Crusade to stop the Yuan-ti before they reach Nor-Kaeda. The current Grand Sentinel has organized more crusades than the past three Grand Sentinels combined and there is concerns she is stretching the faith too much and in too many directions.

CONSEQUENCES:

KJW already handled this admirably, but I will add something. Firstly, I've mentioned before that I don't use PC death. Each campaign I build relies heavily upon a premise revolving around the main character, just as Return of the Jedi relies heavily on Luke Skywalker. Return of the Jedi could still be an entertaining story if Luke died at the hands of Jabba the Hut, but a lot of potential would have been lost. In short, I consider killing off the solo PC a waste of time. Therefore, to answer your secondary question; I create new characters at level 1. Still, this relies on trust and reciprocity between the DM and player, and I realize that not all campaigns work this way.

Consequences were touched upon by KJW. This is what I use most frequently. Rather than end the campaign, a character might be imprisoned, forced into servitude, thrown into a chasm with a narrow survival, or, as KJW also mentioned, the afterlife might not be the end of the campaign.

Among others, I'm playing in a solo campaign where the DM killed me off after about an hour of playing, catching me by complete surprise. The campaign then entered the true stage; an afterlife theme where my character was sent to a city where the souls of people who died with grief were brought. In this place, those with the worst fates have the most power, though (thankfully) few remember their lives before death. My character remembers, but suffered a fairly light fate in comparison to, for instance, Ristin, the oldest of the champions that defend the city (and a very admirable woman.) Since arriving, I have risen to take up the vacant position of Possessor; a person who is sent to inhabit the bodies of the living in order to try to change the outcome of their last moments in life, preventing crises that would swell the ranks of the city.

It's not always easy to come up with a reasoning for allowing a character to survive in the same manner that a cartoon villain keeps being let off the hook. Still, with enough ingenuity, quick thinking, and some foresight, you can usually come up with a good explanation. A person with power and knowledge is seldom useful dead to a smart villain.

Fear of death is a staple of "classic" D&D, but there are other things to fear; consequences, as mentioned. If the PC is imprisoned or falls down a chasm, I would consider separating her from her equipment in the meanwhile. Give it to someone she hates, and make her earn it. This is a consequence that most players would fear. Physically maiming someone in some fashion (blindness, loss of an arm, for example) can lead to a new sequence of the campaign, where the PC struggles to compensate for her handicap, and ultimately conquers it/is alleviated of it. The best consequences, in my opinion, are the ones that lead to new adventure arcs.

When the PC fails to defeat the general of the besieging army and turn the tides of the battle, the whole darn city she was trying to protect might very well be looted. Make it clear that her failure meant that this catastrophe was not averted. If the PC is at all engaged in the plot, this should get her attention.

The bottom line is, my suggestion is to find ways to give consequences for failure that enhance the fun of the campaign rather than ending it. Death is fine now and then, especially if there are people in this world who care enough about the PC and have enough money to resurrect her. (My campaigns are extremely light on resurrection aside from necromancy.) This idea comes to mind:

During Kerialda's early adventures, she happened to rescue a young priest of the death god from a rather insistent succubus while thwarting a cultist attack on the ancient temple in Ceremian Falls. Much later, Kerialda died fighting the King's Champion of Lourne, and the tides of darkness descended upon her home nation. Struck with admiration for his savior, the priest, Hraldon, fought on against the invaders. Through great tribulations over the course of four years, he sought and found the means to resurrect Kerialda through reincarnation, and she returned to life in a different bodyincidentally, that of the King's Champion's sister.

In game terms, the PC dies, as they are wont to do, and you tell the player that you need some time to prepare before running the next session. When the campaign continues, you tell the PC that she wakes up in a strange body, feeling as though no time had passed at all, even though years have gone by and the face of the nation has been thoroughly rearranged. (This assumes an afterlife without traditional sentience.) Her old nemesis survives, and the young priest she barely remembers has risen to nearly rival her power.

Don't plan for these things. When something happens, adjourn, and consider this question: What would be the coolest thing that could happen?

To summarize, I should clarify something. If the PC does something incredibly dumb, I won't hesitate the kill her dead. Again, avoiding PC mortality requires trust and reciprocity between DM and player (and, to be honest, house ruling of instant death spells.) Keeping the campaign going is a cooperative effort.

DMing (and roleplaying) is a real challenge to do right, I consider myself pretty good at it due to the response of my players over the years, but I was horrid when I started out. The trick is two fold, playing under a few good DMs, which I did in college, and to keep tinkering with your game.

Playing with a good DM can be a great experience, it can show you new tricks and push you to do better. My group had a player a few years ago who started his own campaign and he did pretty good and it was a competition between us to make our respective campaigns better. It reminded me of college over a decade ago, when we had 4 DMs each running games and trying to show up one another, it was a great experience to really learn how to DM. Most of my most successful DM tricks I stole at that time.

These boards are a great way to tinker with your game and keep pushing it to improve. If you learn something from every campaign you can get pretty good, I have run over 50+ campaigns, though the vast majority were solo campaigns, and at this point I can run a good adventure on auto-pilot. Yet, if I want to run a great adventure I need to work hard and really push myself, which means getting new ideas and trying new things. The neat thing is that if you raise your game a level then your players will too and it can be awesome, put it is a lot of work.

Speaking of maintaining the fear of danger with the PC, I asked my wife and she said that all I have to do is hit her in the gut once every few campaigns and it lingers. A few campaigns back (I think I mentioned this campaign) she player a cleric of my god of the dead, Demarche Camina Gravescribe. She had a mute companion who had the gift of prophect, her name was Merise and she really was a ward of the cleric. I played the NPC well with gestures and writing and she was both sarcastic and vulnerable at the same time and the PC adored her as a ward and assistant.

Prophets in my campaign are messengers of the gods and the god who sponsored Merise had a divine enemy, suffice to say the enemy sent an assassin who killed and decapitated Merise. The PC discovers this in the morning when she goes to see why she hadn't woke up yet. My god of the dead does not approve resurrections and this was a crisis of faith as Demarche Camina considered ways to bring back Merise, in truth the PC and player were thrown by this brutal death. We ran a few adventures just dealing with the death, eventually Demarche Camina buried Merise and left her soul in the afterlife having resolved her conflict of faith. My wife says that this one incident has kept her very nervous in the three campaigns that have followed.If someone could please answer this question to me. I have a problem. I can't let my PC die, I always end up fudging the rolls so he doesn't, I do that because if he dies it would be a TPK , and besides, I passed some days creating this character with my friend .The problem is that, if the player doesn't feel there is danger he will get bored, and so would I. Is there any solution to this, and in what level will you create the new character.

Depends upon the player and the character but here are some suggestions....

* Kill the PC: Seriously, I have killed PCs in solo campaigns. In some cases there is someone who can rescue the PC and have then raised, in others the solo PC is dead and has to draw up a new character. The first time you kill a PC in a solo campaign, that player will always take the risk seriously.

* Afterlife Adventure: The PC dies and now you have a Planescape Campaign, now being a petitioner isn't much of an adventure, nor is being a lesser outsider, but with a little work this could be a cool experiment. Or you can have the PC sent back by an angel or deity to complete some task.

* Kill a NPC: Sometimes killing a friend or companion of the PC will send the message, especially when it is the PC's risk taking that leads to the death. This only works if the PC cares about NPCs, which is a solo campaign is likely a given. Do not overdo this or the PC will not get close to NPCs, but it is a great mechanism for roleplaying.

* Maim the PC: By this I mean you injure the PC, not necessarily with a bodily injury, maybe he loses a magic weapon or mount, but if the PC is taking unnecessary risks there should be consequences.

* Consequences: The end result is consequences, yes, solo PCs are the center of the campaign and you need to give them some rope, but the consequences still need to be there. Because the PC is the focus their actions can be disastrous and the consequences should reflect this.

Finally, maybe your player loves taking risks there is nothing wrong with this, it is only a problem when the player starts metagaming that since he knows he can't die he can do anything. This can cause boredom, but it also undermines the realism.

Romantic Entanglements

My wife is much the same, she loves the roleplaying and adventure, but it is often the romantic entanglements that make or break a good solo campaign. What follows are some questions and suggestions for designing a good object of affection for the Solo PC.

Designing the Romantic Interest 1) What are the strengths? The romantic interest needs to be a compelling character, he should be confident, humorous (though it may be sarcasm), and should have a presence to match that of the Solo PC. Remember the Solo PC is often a near legendary character of great ability, connections, and ambition, so her romantic interest must be impressive to catch their attention.

2) What are the flaws? The romantic interest MUST have flaws. This could be a lack of ambition, too dedicated to their work, or some other element of their personality that is a genuine shortcoming. Flaws are what make great NPCs and when they can overcome these flaws they can become legends.

3) What does he do? The romantic interest should have a job or responsibility, perhaps they handle this responsibility poorly, but they need something to help the Solo PC and DM figure out his connection and relationship with the Solo PC.

4) Why is he interested in the Solo PC? This is a question the DM must ask. If it is beauty or other shallow reasons then the relationship may quickly hit rough waters when the ambitions of the couple come into conflict, if the romantic interest sees deeper then this will help the relationship in troubled times.

5) Is there a future in the relationship? Like in real life it may take some time for the Solo PC to find the right person, the DM may well go through a few tragically flawed romantic interests, before the soul mate is found. Additionally, they may be the perfect couple, but one has an arranged marriage or some other obligation that may spell doom to the relationship. A good happy ending takes a lot of work.

The Key BalanceAs Quarkstomper states, the difficult balance is between keeping the Solo PC in the spotlight and making the romantic interest heroic. If a romantic interest becomes too subservient or less compelling then the relationship with collapse, whereas if the romantic interest steals the spotlight then the relationship can become patronizing. The best track is to give them related but separate careers, where both can shine and be as heroic as possible. For example, the Solo PC is an adventurer and the romantic interest is a respected court magician, yes they can help one another, but they have separate responsibilities. They both may serve the king and this is something that may unite them, but they work separately. They need to be separated physically and professionally to keep the relationship thriving during the campaign. When the Solo PC and romantic interest are close together, like both are members of a party of adventurers then things become more complicated.

DM Tool: Friends & Family Sometimes the best way to sell a romantic interest is to have others sing his praises, this could be his friends, family members, or even underlings. These conversations will also help evolve the romantic interest. When a soldier under his command states "the General is always with us in the field and he is among the ranks in battle, he is the best officer I have ever served with," the Solo PC now knows the General is a loved and good leader and the DM knows that the General is very dedicated to his duties, which could become a flaw in their relationship.

Previously, KJW and Illion the Red have spoken admirably on the subject of NPCs, but since some questions on this topic have arisen (and I see them quite often in other threads), I think it can be useful to talk about it some more.

NPCs, DMPCs, and Romance

Most people who have participated in a D&D campaign, and especially those who did so as teenagers, will have run into the concept of the DMPC (Dungeon Master Player Character--in itself an oxymoron). The gist of the concept is that the DMPC is an NPC that the DM is placing in the spotlight at the expense of the players. One classic example of such a character is when the DM bases a campaign around accompanying an epic fighter/sorcerer (drow half-dragon, probably) that is on a path bound for godhood.

Few DMs want to make a DMPC, but awareness on this matter has caused worry about doing it. It's rare to go a week without seeing a new post on these boards detailing some frustrated player's struggles with a DMPC. The qualities of a DMPC are inherent in the "big brother" syndrome, in which another person overshadows you utterly. As a side note, in real life, my elder brother and I have been born with completely different sets of talents, and it has led me to love and admire my brother without ever feeling inadequate as the result of his success. I believe that this is key to defusing a potential DMPC situation.

1) OvershadowingMy best friend once played in a campaign within which the basis of his character was that he was the only known survivor of a race of, essentially, large, muscular humans quite skilled at beating things. Though I do not specifically remember the name of the race, it went something like "Ferengar." His character's name was Fer.During his early adventures, Fer runs across another person who turns out to be another member of his race. This person is just like him, except he's stronger, bigger, and more mysterious. His name is Engar. True story.The point is that in order to be overshadowed, you have to first stand in someone's shadow. In a solo campaign, this means that if the PC is a wizard, it's (generally) not a good idea to consistently put a higher level wizard NPC in the party. If you do, make sure the PC has skills that the higher level character lacks. This also means that it's not necessarily a bad idea to put a 12th level rogue in a party where the PC is a 10th level fighter. In this example, the fighter still has more BAB than the rogue (and other benefits.)

2) Responsibility & InvolvementThis has been stated before, but it's part of the equation. In a solo campaign, the PC should generally be the leader. This doesn't mean that there's no one out there with more authority than the PC; it just means that such people should stay away from the adventuring party. In Eye of the Beholder II, Khelben Blackstaff sent the party on a quest to explore, uh, something. A temple, I think. Anyway, the important thing is that he did not come with the party. If you'd been running around in the dungeon with a 20th level wizard babysitting you, it'd have become boring quite rapidly.Similarly, if you go before the king, and you have an NPC speaking to the king, leaving the PC to listen and react at best, that is a bad thing, because it lowers involvement and makes the player feel as though his character doesn't matter. In a solo campaign, this is especially bad. Some DMs with good intentions have created an interesting story in which the scenes are scripted out, and the PC doesn't factor in too much; like a cut scene in a computer RPG. If, at any time, you have plans for an NPC to take the spotlight during a scene in which the PC is present, you have to ask yourself how this will add to the player's enjoyment. It might, but how? (More on this later...)

3) Information & DecisionsAnother devastating type of DMPC is the Tall Dark Stranger. In this case, the mysterious NPC might not be more powerful than or in any other way overshadow the PC, but he or she holds the key to the campaign. Such characters are most often put into a campaign in order to provide vital information and ensure that the PC(s) make the "right decisions." In a solo campaign, this can