So I recently started DMing for my partner in a 1 PC game (using the Essentials Kit, as was recommended to me several places) and she just finished the Dragon of Icespire Peak campaign. As a finale for that campaign as we move into Storm Lord's Wrath, I thought it would be a cool idea to give her PC and the two sidekicks she met along the way some feats that play into her playstyle. These would be awarded by the town of Phandalin as a thank you for completing this first quest. I don't want them to be particularly complicated or powerful, just a little extra something to make it feel like a true accomplishment (this is both of our first times, me DMing and her playing)...
Anyways, my thoughts were:
For her expert sidekick, a once-a-day use of Mass Healing Word. (Her party is lacking healing.)
For her warrior sidekick, a once-a-day use of Attack as a Bonus Action. (Might help quell some unforeseen baddies when she gets in a tight spot.)
For her sorcerer, a once-a-day version of the Portent ability; that is, she'd roll a d20 first thing each day, and could replace any roll with that result on that day. (This is the one I'm worried will get OP quickly -- but it also seems fitting, as she was taking time out of each adventuring day to put some coins on the Shrine of Luck in town, so this would symbolize a blessing from the goddess of luck. The alternative is a once-a-day use of a Luck Point, but personally I like that idea less.)
My other thoughts is Find Familiar and/or Summon Beast, since she loves furry friends. However, she already gets an animal companion through a Bag of Tricks (which I made permanent, because she really liked Weasel Knievel) and Summon Beast may be OP thanks to its Pack Tactics and her Hound of Ill Omen's Pack Tactics.
Otherwise I'm open to something with a limited number of uses, or some other non-sorcerer spell that would add flavor but not too much power.
I don't want these to be game changers, more just something to add a little flavor. Thoughts?
Some magic items might do the trick. It also makes sense when you think about it as a reward from the town. You can invent them or use an existing one. I'm not sure how many she already has, as the adventure does give a few, but it might do. It might also give the same properties of your ideas, just flavoured in a way that to me seems more fitting, rather than a weird power spike. (Although she is a sorceress so I guess it kinda makes sense?)
I don't think the once-a-day Portent ability is such a game-breaking feature. It's strong, but not too strong. Also, since she gets it from praying to the goddess of luck, you can make it an ability she gets only when she gives that goddess an offering of some kind. In Phandalin it can be a coin or two thrown to the well, in other places... whatever fits you. Since I assume she already has a lot of GP, one or two a day for this probably won't even matter for her, but it's still nice flavouring.
I considered the magic item route, but she's already flush with those (both from the adventure book proper, and stuff I added in mostly as flavor). She forgets about most of it -- like she's had an immovable rod for several quests now and only used it immediately after she found it. She has several magic weapons (Dragon Slayer, +1 Greataxe, +1 Longbow) but really those are only useful in the hands of her warrior sidekick, so any more would be unusable at this point.
Her go-to attack spell (aside from cantrips) is Magic Missile, so I considered a Wand of Magic Missiles, but that would really just be giving her about 3 extra spell slots a day and essentially +1 spell known, which is very powerful. Otherwise, I can't think of many other spellcaster items that are (a) useful but (b) not overpowering. And I can think of none for an expert sidekick.
I had been using a house ruled "Luck" mechanic similar to Bardic inspiration for when she left coins on the shrine (basically, roll a d6, if the number on the dice was less than the number of gold coins she left, then she could add a d6 to any d20 roll once that day). I considered giving her that ability permanently, but that seems somehow more powerful? It's essentially meant one auto-success each time she has had it.
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So I recently started DMing for my partner in a 1 PC game (using the Essentials Kit, as was recommended to me several places) and she just finished the Dragon of Icespire Peak campaign. As a finale for that campaign as we move into Storm Lord's Wrath, I thought it would be a cool idea to give her PC and the two sidekicks she met along the way some feats that play into her playstyle. These would be awarded by the town of Phandalin as a thank you for completing this first quest. I don't want them to be particularly complicated or powerful, just a little extra something to make it feel like a true accomplishment (this is both of our first times, me DMing and her playing)...
Anyways, my thoughts were:
I don't want these to be game changers, more just something to add a little flavor. Thoughts?
Some magic items might do the trick. It also makes sense when you think about it as a reward from the town. You can invent them or use an existing one. I'm not sure how many she already has, as the adventure does give a few, but it might do. It might also give the same properties of your ideas, just flavoured in a way that to me seems more fitting, rather than a weird power spike. (Although she is a sorceress so I guess it kinda makes sense?)
I don't think the once-a-day Portent ability is such a game-breaking feature. It's strong, but not too strong. Also, since she gets it from praying to the goddess of luck, you can make it an ability she gets only when she gives that goddess an offering of some kind. In Phandalin it can be a coin or two thrown to the well, in other places... whatever fits you.
Since I assume she already has a lot of GP, one or two a day for this probably won't even matter for her, but it's still nice flavouring.
Varielky
I considered the magic item route, but she's already flush with those (both from the adventure book proper, and stuff I added in mostly as flavor). She forgets about most of it -- like she's had an immovable rod for several quests now and only used it immediately after she found it. She has several magic weapons (Dragon Slayer, +1 Greataxe, +1 Longbow) but really those are only useful in the hands of her warrior sidekick, so any more would be unusable at this point.
Her go-to attack spell (aside from cantrips) is Magic Missile, so I considered a Wand of Magic Missiles, but that would really just be giving her about 3 extra spell slots a day and essentially +1 spell known, which is very powerful. Otherwise, I can't think of many other spellcaster items that are (a) useful but (b) not overpowering. And I can think of none for an expert sidekick.
I had been using a house ruled "Luck" mechanic similar to Bardic inspiration for when she left coins on the shrine (basically, roll a d6, if the number on the dice was less than the number of gold coins she left, then she could add a d6 to any d20 roll once that day). I considered giving her that ability permanently, but that seems somehow more powerful? It's essentially meant one auto-success each time she has had it.