I'm currently about to start a level 1-3 campaign and have finished most of my planning. The big hiccup I have is the number of players is 2. I don't mind running a game for 2 people, frankly it makes the little stuff much easier. That being said I want to add to the party composition to cover any holes. What would people recommend. I don't want to make NPCs because I feel it's to easy to "let the cat out of the bag" on things pertaining to my knowledge as a dm when an NPC is in the party. Does anyone have a suggestion for what I could do?
Look at sidekicks. Each player can have their own sidekick which will fill up any holes you have and means you don't have to worry about running the additional characters yourself.
Loyal animal followers. I know that's pretty much a Ranger thing, but suppose your wizard pulls a thorn out of a lion's paw, and has a big growling brute insist on following him around and protecting him. (Sometimes when he doesn't want to be protected.) Or your barbarian has a surprisingly clever horse who chews the ropes off her wrists when she is tied up, or always shows up when it is time to run away. Animal sidekicks don't have the advantage/disadvantage of being intelligent enough to help solve puzzles, or the speech ability to give the players information they could ask an NPC.
You might also consider a speechless NPC like a Kenku, or someone who has just been let out of prison, is a newcomer to the country, or has amnesia, or is a dimwitted Sergeant Schultz, just so that there's no way they could 'let the cat out of the bag' because they know NOTHING. Or let them rescue a friendly fey creature of some sort who only shows up (magically) when they sense the party is in trouble and needs help.
Edeleth Treesong (Aldalire) WoodElf Druid lvl 8 Talaveroth Sub 2 Last Tree StandingTabaxi Ranger, Chef and Hoardsperson lvl 5, Company of the Dragon Team 1 Choir Kenku Cleric, Tempest Domain, lvl 11, Descent Into Avernus Test Drive Poinki Goblin Paladin, Redemption, lvl 5, Tales from Talaveroth Lyrika Nyx Satyr Bard lvl 1, The Six Kingdoms of Talia
You could just ask the 2 players to play 2 characters each, that way they get to make all the decisions etc without an NPC or DM Player leading them/helping them out
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I appreciate all the suggestions, I was considering brewing a couple "golems" so to speak. They'd be controlled by the players, they'd be weaker then a normal pc would be, but would be better then nothing at all and would add more targets to spread the damage so I could increase the difficulty of combat. I just want to find a way to limit the powers of the "golems" so the pcs can't just be like, oh well I have the golem go ahead and try killing the thing. Or breaking into the store etc. Maybe a distance to activate caveat. I don't know.
With your campaign starting at the beginning levels, I would suggest running some games with just the two players and see how it feels! You'll need to adjust encounter difficulty for sure, but a close knit duo can be a wonderful campaign to run!
Also after you've run a few games you'll have a better idea of what kind of characters they want to play, and if you then want to supplement with Sidekicks/NPCs/Animal friends you'll have a better idea what roles need to be filled.
well I think the focus is "I want to add to the party composition to cover any holes"
So any solution needs to know what the holes are, what are the players going to be playing? a NPC with a Bond like "vow of silence" or just "monosyllabic" could cut down on letting the cat out of the bag
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“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
If you feel confident in their abilities as a player, you could even just have them make 2 characters each. Instantly a party of 4 PCs with nothing else added.
This might be considered "advanced" given the number of things you need to watch out for (what character knows what, what abilities each have, etc), but it's still a possible solution.
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I'm currently about to start a level 1-3 campaign and have finished most of my planning. The big hiccup I have is the number of players is 2. I don't mind running a game for 2 people, frankly it makes the little stuff much easier. That being said I want to add to the party composition to cover any holes. What would people recommend. I don't want to make NPCs because I feel it's to easy to "let the cat out of the bag" on things pertaining to my knowledge as a dm when an NPC is in the party. Does anyone have a suggestion for what I could do?
Look at sidekicks. Each player can have their own sidekick which will fill up any holes you have and means you don't have to worry about running the additional characters yourself.
Loyal animal followers. I know that's pretty much a Ranger thing, but suppose your wizard pulls a thorn out of a lion's paw, and has a big growling brute insist on following him around and protecting him. (Sometimes when he doesn't want to be protected.) Or your barbarian has a surprisingly clever horse who chews the ropes off her wrists when she is tied up, or always shows up when it is time to run away. Animal sidekicks don't have the advantage/disadvantage of being intelligent enough to help solve puzzles, or the speech ability to give the players information they could ask an NPC.
You might also consider a speechless NPC like a Kenku, or someone who has just been let out of prison, is a newcomer to the country, or has amnesia, or is a dimwitted Sergeant Schultz, just so that there's no way they could 'let the cat out of the bag' because they know NOTHING. Or let them rescue a friendly fey creature of some sort who only shows up (magically) when they sense the party is in trouble and needs help.
Edeleth Treesong (Aldalire) Wood Elf Druid lvl 8 Talaveroth Sub 2
Last Tree Standing Tabaxi Ranger, Chef and Hoardsperson lvl 5, Company of the Dragon Team 1
Choir Kenku Cleric, Tempest Domain, lvl 11, Descent Into Avernus Test Drive
Poinki Goblin Paladin, Redemption, lvl 5, Tales from Talaveroth
Lyrika Nyx Satyr Bard lvl 1, The Six Kingdoms of Talia
You could just ask the 2 players to play 2 characters each, that way they get to make all the decisions etc without an NPC or DM Player leading them/helping them out
I appreciate all the suggestions, I was considering brewing a couple "golems" so to speak. They'd be controlled by the players, they'd be weaker then a normal pc would be, but would be better then nothing at all and would add more targets to spread the damage so I could increase the difficulty of combat. I just want to find a way to limit the powers of the "golems" so the pcs can't just be like, oh well I have the golem go ahead and try killing the thing. Or breaking into the store etc. Maybe a distance to activate caveat. I don't know.
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InsiderWith your campaign starting at the beginning levels, I would suggest running some games with just the two players and see how it feels! You'll need to adjust encounter difficulty for sure, but a close knit duo can be a wonderful campaign to run!
Also after you've run a few games you'll have a better idea of what kind of characters they want to play, and if you then want to supplement with Sidekicks/NPCs/Animal friends you'll have a better idea what roles need to be filled.
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well I think the focus is "I want to add to the party composition to cover any holes"
So any solution needs to know what the holes are, what are the players going to be playing?
a NPC with a Bond like "vow of silence" or just "monosyllabic" could cut down on letting the cat out of the bag
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
If you feel confident in their abilities as a player, you could even just have them make 2 characters each. Instantly a party of 4 PCs with nothing else added.
This might be considered "advanced" given the number of things you need to watch out for (what character knows what, what abilities each have, etc), but it's still a possible solution.