Very recently, a player of mine stated that they would like to "go solo" for a bit and play a rogue. He made it clear that he wanted to be a sort of criminal who starts off doing small stuff then graduates to dungeon delving, very limited of course since he's a solo rogue and we are going off 3.5 ed rules (by solo, I mean no help - no pets, no lackeys - nothing). After spending some time researching the internet and finding nothing for a solo rogue (found stuff for nearly every other class, just no rogue) as well as having none of the modules or living anywhere near a comic book store, I came up with a campaign. We started running it and he is enjoying it so far. Here is the first part of the campaign. This is sort of a trial. If I get enough positive feedback, more of the campaign notes will be sure to follow.
Chapter 1: Payday - Part 1
After losing his home and family in a goblin raid at the age of 11, then spending the next 10 years as a smuggler, Nym Huntinghawk (who goes by the name of Raptor, having forsaken his family name to forget about his past) has settled down in the trading village of Riverview where he works as a dock hand, unloading boats and delivering cargo. This, of course, is a front for how he really makes money: thievery. The dock master, a 'friend" from his days as a smuggler and who is a fence named Osmund Mason, regularly gives thieving jobs to Raptor. However, things have been quiet on the thieving front as of late and working on the docks does not really pay all that well. With the rent being due tomorrow and Raptor finding himself short of funds, he decides to pay a visit to the Withered Stalk tavern and "procure" coin from alternate sources...
For a solo campaign going Rogue isn't a bad idea. Perhaps the biggest hurdle to running such a campaign is that you should NOT run many straight up combat situations but have a lot of situations where skill use is important for any number of reasons. Remember that XP is gained for "overcoming" challenges which does NOT always equate to "killing" things; the fighter solution to a NPC guard may be to fight and kill it but a rogue would get the same amount of XP for sneaking around the guard or just bluffing his way past.
An issue with skill based challenges is that using a skill is often all or nothing. If you lose with Hide you get seen, if you fail a search you find nothing, and other things like that. Compounding this is that "take 10" should be viable much of the time but that could lead to too many "auto-wins" which leads to using DCs that are higher than they really should be. Even more troubling is giving the rogue time to "take 20" on allowable checks (which includes Searching for traps) because those should automatically succeed otherwise they'll never succeed and shouldn't be used.
Now I can't speak about your campaign but it sounds like you have a good opening. There should be a number of ways to "procure" coin and most shouldn't involve fighting although figuring out the DCs could be a challenge.
Yea, this is not going to be a real combat heavy campaign. If there are combat situations, they will be few and far between (maybe a monster here and there that is scaled roughly four levels below my player). Now my player did state intentions of being an assassin, but we will see how things pan out.
You found nothing? What about One on One Adventures from Expeditious Retreat Press? www.xrpshop.citymax.com/page/page/390659... #1 is written for rogues of level 2-4. The 3 Olinder adventures form a mini-campaign for a rogue.
I found nothing FREE is what I meant to say. Sorry for the confusion and lack of information . I have found a ton of modules and books online, but why pay for something i may never use? Additionally, nearly all material I find that is for free is for a whole party or for classes other than rogue. I really want something to skim and say "So that's how you do it." As for ideas, I have tons of them. I just don't know how to run them.
P.S. 4th ED skill challenges look pretty nice and I would love to incorporate them, alas, I don't really have experience running them. I have a module that has them (The Slaying Stone), but how do I run them? Just have my player(s) roll dice a couple times in a row and hope they pass all of them? Any information on this would help out a lot as well.
P.S. 4th ED skill challenges look pretty nice and I would love to incorporate them, alas, I don't really have experience running them. I have a module that has them (The Slaying Stone), but how do I run them? Just have my player(s) roll dice a couple times in a row and hope they pass all of them? Any information on this would help out a lot as well.
Unearthed Arcana includes complex skill checks, which are similar, as I recall.
The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance. - Good Omens
= My most popular campaign item; for all your adventuring convenience.Show
Zauber's Mutable Rod: This rod has a number of useful functions that make it easier to live in the wilderness. It is made of polished wood, with five studlike buttons on one end. Each button produces a different effect when pressed. Unless otherwise noted, the rod’s functions have no limit on the number of times they can be employed. • When button 1 is pressed, one end of the rod produces a small flame, equivalent to a candle. • When button 2 is pressed, the rod unfolds into a two-person tent, complete with bedrolls and warm blankets. • When button 3 is pressed, the rod becomes a one-handed hammer, suitable for pounding pitons into a wall. • When button 4 is pressed, the rod becomes a sturdy iron spade. • When button 5 is pressed, the rod becomes a wooden bucket able to hold 2 gallons of liquid. Once per day, it can be commanded to fill with fresh water. If the rod is seriously damaged or broken in any of its alternate forms (button 2, 3, 4, or 5), it reverts to its basic rod form and cannot be activated for 24 hours. Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, minor creation; Price 375 gp; Weight 2 lb.
cool, thanks. Thanks to all for the advice. I have not been receiving any negative comments so far so expect more of the adventures of Raptor the Rogue to follow starting tomorrow.
Ok, without further ado, the continuation of the adventures of Raptor the Rogue.
Payday - Part 2
The night was young and the spring air still held a bit of chill to it, as though winter was not yet ready to relinquish its grasp over the region. The door to the Withered Stalk tavern opened and a figure stepped through, the chill air made a mad dash inside only to be beaten back by the heat of the crackling fire in the fireplace. The person was greeted by a cacophony of noises: the conversations of patrons, the slams of metal tankards on wooden tables, and the playing of a lute accompanied by the singing of a woman. No one seemed to pay the stranger any heed; those that did only gave fleeting glances before returning to their cups and conversations. The bartender was the only one to acknowledge the entrance of the stranger by giving him a slight nod of his head. In response, the figure lowered the hood of his cloak, revealing a head of short, spiky, ash-colored hair; tanned skin; and pointed ears. Raptor gave the bartender a nod in return then seated himself at a table away from the crowd, in a somewhat secluded corner of the establishment. A barmaid came by and set a drink down in front of him. Raptor paid her, shooed her away, then passed the time sipping his ale and scanning the tavern crowd for a suitable mark.
The elf did not have long to wait before he spied his mark: a farmer who apparently had gotten paid and was busy drinking his coin away. "What a waste," Raptor said to himself. The farmer, so casually wasting away his coin on drink after drink, both angered and sickened him. The elf felt a burning desire to murder the man whenever he decided to stumble out of the tavern that night, but thought against it. No, a body would only bring unwanted attention. Best to help the poor wretch out by removing his ability to pay for said drinks. With that, Raptor drained his mug, rose, and made his way to the bar, choosing his path so that he would have to pass right by the tosspot. As he neared the table, Raptor made himself seem as though he was intent on getting another drink at the bar. He gave the slightest of glances at the drunken farmer, only to better understand the location of the man's coin purse, and struck.
Moments later, Raptor was back in his corner of the tavern, full mug in hand, counting his ill gotten gains. The farmer, having soon realized that his coin purse was missing, started spinning on his stool, looking this way and that in a vain effort to locate the missing pouch. Turning around, the farmer saw another tavern patron sitting directly behind him. This one had the ill luck of counting out his coin just as the farmer looked to him. Angrily, the farmer accused the man of stealing his pouch. The man, of course, denied taking the pouch, stating the coin he had was his. The farmer seemed not to care, though, and grabbed at the coins. At that point, the man's fellows, all of whom were sitting around the table, rose and went to defend their friend. The bartender came between the farmer and four men and broke up the commotion, yelling at the farmer that he had enough to drink that night and to leave his establishment. The farmer protested, or started to, when the bouncer came into view wielding a club the length of a man's forearm and as thick as a man's thigh. "TO THE HELLS WITH ALL OF YOU!" Shouted the farmer. With that he stomped out the tavern, loudly slamming the door behind him. "If the door's broken, I'm having ol' Geoff here take the cost of replacing it out of your hide!" The bartender yelled after him.
Raptor watched it all, hand to his face. It was all he could do to stop himself from laughing.
No comments on the campaign so far? I guess I must be a better writer than I thought. Anyway, for those wondering, posted below are Raptor's current stats. Please note that my player and I use Pathfinder and D&D rules (what one doesn't have, the other does: think of Pathfinder as the ex-wife of D&D, but the two are still really good friends). There will be some differences between Pathfinder and D&D, which will be quite noticeable.
Raptor Elf Rogue 1 NE Init +7, Perception (a combination of search, listen, and spot) +7 AC 14, Touch 13, Flat-Footed 11 HP 11 (d8 + 1 Con Mod +1 Favored Class bonus) Fort +2 Ref +5 Will +1 Speed: 30ft Str 12, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 14 Base Attack +0 Special Attack: Sneak Attack + 1d6 Feats: Improved Initiative Skills: Acrobatics +7, Bluff +6, Disable Device (which includes Open Lock) +7, Disguise +6, Escape Artist +7, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (Local) +8, Linguistics (Decipher script, Read language, Forgery, etc) +8, Perception +7, Profession (Laborer) +5, Slight of Hand +7, Stealth +7 Languages: Common, Elven, Draconic, Goblin, Orc, Gnoll Special Qualities: Trapfinding +1, Elf Traits Gear (equipped): Explorers Outfit, Padded Armor, Sap, Dagger
I know his stats are pretty high, but that's a combination of Pathfinder rules and very high dice rolls. In fact, I had to have him re-roll a few times because he kept getting 16's, 17's, and 18's. Soon to follow will be a map of Riverview...provided I can get one. I have tried those random map generators, but the stuff they give me looks so bland. I'm thinking of going on an old city building game (like Caesar III) and building a mock port city to use. Either later on today or tomorrow I will have another section of my campaign posted, so stay tuned. And please, provide feedback, the campaign is still very young and I have the ability to change things around.
. I have found a ton of modules and books online, but why pay for something i may never use? Additionally, nearly all material I find that is for free is for a whole party or for classes other than rogue. I really want something to skim and say "So that's how you do it." As for ideas, I have tons of them. I just don't know how to run them.
