D&D 5E One player Dungeon crawl: Tips, helpful PDFs?

[not-so-newguy]

So an old friend and I want to play via Skype with One Player (him) and One DM (me). No maps or die roller; just TotM and honor system. I'd like to focus on dungeon crawls initially, using a town-to-dungeon style of adventure and OSR procedural play while in the dungeon (timekeeping, morale rules, etc). XP would focus on Gold and the Quantity of Dungeon Explored. We'd start at 3rd level and use the "sidekick" rules. Also, hirelings could be used.*

Random questions
Any good PDFs for using Sidekicks and hirelings?

Any adventures that focus on one player dungeon crawls? Judging by what's available, 'story-based' adventures seems to be the recommended way to go for one-on-one; but I'm looking for specifically dungeon crawls. If all else fails, I'll do it myself.

Any tips on running a One-on-one dungeon crawl?



*There would be a session 0 where we hash out 'house rules' and 'style of play.'

 

[commandercrud]

There are at least a couple old TSR era modules for a solo player. Actual solo, no sidekicks or hirelings.

Dungeon crawls are best at low levels, so don't skip levels. Start at 1st level especially if the player is going to have to control multiple sidekicks and hirelings. Otherwise you don't need to change anything because of the extra NPCs, any dungeon crawl adventure will be fine. If you were going to truly do a single PC and no NPCs, you'd want to adjust things.

 

[aco175]

The Essentials Box set was made for sidekicks, but I would think most any dungeon would do since you will have more than one person in the party, even if there is one player. Even Sunless Citadel or Forge of Fury from Tales of Yawning Portal would work. Seems like things will be kept kind of light between the two of you so do not worry too much.

 

[jayoungr]

Random questions
Any good PDFs for using Sidekicks and hirelings?

If you don't mind spending a little money, try this supplement:

Companion System - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild

Companion System - Ever wanted to have NPCs travel with your party, only to be discouraged by the extra time they add to combat? Or perhaps

www.dmsguild.com

I haven't had a chance to try it out in play, but I like the way it makes companions mechanically important while still keeping the focus on the main PC.

 

[EpicureanDM]

You should check out Scarlet Heroes, a system for adjusting the rules of a game like D&D to allow a single PC's value to scale up to match an entire party. The idea is that you can use old, published modules as written thanks to the way that Scarlet Heroes builds that single character. It will still feel just like D&D, just with slightly different rules for the lone character. From the author's description:

It shares the same classic statistics and basic game mechanisms as these old-school favorites, but by changing the interpretation of these numbers it makes it possible for a single courageous adventurer to dare perils that would otherwise threaten a half-dozen freebooters. With Scarlet Heroes, a GM can pull out a favorite module, grab a convenient friend, and a have a full night's adventure with no tweaking, alteration, or adjustment of the material needed.

DriveThruRPG

www.drivethrurpg.com

 

[robus]

There’s basic guidance in Essentials set for sidekicks but it’s nothing special. I’d definitely suggest having a couple of player companions to just provide more options for the player. The sidekicks can be helping out while the PC attempts things for example, offering more chances for advantage. (and of course alternate targets for foes in combat!

 

[Mannahnin]

You should check out Scarlet Heroes, a system for adjusting the rules of a game like D&D to allow a single PC's value to scale up to match an entire party. The idea is that you can use old, published modules as written thanks to the way that Scarlet Heroes builds that single character. It will still feel just like D&D, just with slightly different rules for the lone character. From the author's description:

DriveThruRPG

www.drivethrurpg.com

This is my recommendation as well.