D&D General Greatest one-shot adventure for a solo character?

[Dispater]

Hi guys,

Bit of an unusual request here; as I don't really turn up here to post much else apart from Dark Sun content, but a bit of background.

I am the best man for my buddy who's getting married in two weeks, and it's been a crazy time for him trying to get something organized due to the crisis. The stag do isn't going to be spectacular - in fact, it's just going to be me and him - and we're planning to just go out and bbq meat and drink beer in the countryside.
But - I've had this idea of bringing a short, fun game of D&D along for him. We're both veteran players (played since 2e) but haven't played d&d or indeed together in a long time.

So what I'm looking for is:
A releatively simple one-man adventure i can DM with some cool twists and turns that can be played in a couple of hours.
Preferably 5e, but I can do 3e or 2e.
Some old school feel.
And yeah, he has to come out a hero at the end, rescue the helpless maid, burn the evil high priest's temple down or kill some BBEG. It has to be fun.

Thanks for any tips!

 

[Dispater]

Not even one suggestion?
All right; I suppose its too much to ask.
Headed off elsewhere.

 

[jayoungr]

Not even one suggestion?
All right; I suppose its too much to ask.
Headed off elsewhere.

I actually only just saw this thread. I've never run or played a solo adventure, but my first thought is that you might try adapting this adventure:

 

[jayoungr]

Here's another possibility that I found, although it doesn't say how long it would take to play:

Rebels of the Drifting City - Space Daddy Games | Dungeon Masters Guild

Rebels of the Drifting City - Rebels of the Drifting City is a one-shot adventure for the fifth edition of the world’s greatest role-playing game. T

www.dmsguild.com

 

[aco175]

For a few hours, you need about 4-5 encounters. You should start at higher level, maybe 3 or 5 to get some cool powers and be able to do more and stand up to more. Maybe throw a sidekick NPC for comic relief or healing.

You could be a bit cheesy and have a maiden locked away by the evil stepmother who can transform into a dragon that needs to be slain in the end. Then they can ride off into the sunset. Steal liberally from Disney and other movies.

 

[Volund]

Beowulf: The Hermit's Sanctuary might be what you're looking for. One hero and their band of followers travel to a remote island beset by a Monster. Arrive at the island, talk to a few NPC's, figure out what's going on, and go fight the BBEG. It's 5e but with a few changes. The four pregen heroes don't fit into any particular D&D class, but are each some version of a heroic warrior with unique abilities listed on their character sheet. The hero can activate followers to help out when needed. If you streamlined it by paring down the the exploration and clue gathering section in the middle I think you could play through it in 2-3 hours. The module has an event flow chart showing where the clues and battles happen that would help you decide what you can skip. I'm prepping it but haven't run it yet. It's free now for play testing prior to their KS.

 

[Dispater]

Thanks guys! I am going to check out your suggestions.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

I've always run UK5 Eye of the Serpent for solo games.

 

[robus]

Not even one suggestion?
All right; I suppose its too much to ask.
Headed off elsewhere.

Probably the word "greatest" in the subject turned a lot of people off from making suggestions!

Don't forget that Morrus has also been posting a bunch of one-page adventures that could probably be easily adapted to your needs.

 

[pogre]

The Essentials Kit adventures have lots of small quests for one DM and one player. These are not true solo adventures as the player is given a choice of a number of sidekicks to accompany their character. I am running it for a larger group right now - just heading into the last adventure - we have had a lot of fun. Others have reported a positive experience with one on one play.