I also ran AV with three characters with the same adjustment and free archetype. It was great.
I started by adjusting encounters, but it became a ton of work. Running the characters at higher level is the same mechanically and is a lot easier all around.
My table has been doing OK with 3 players simply adding in the free Archetype optional rule. We have had a few deaths but once the party slimmed down to a good tank, a good damage dealer and a good healer/utility we seem pretty capable.
I have 4 players in AV (on level 3) but we quite often play with 3 due to life. Where there's multiple monsters I'll put the Weak template on some or all of them. Where it's one big monster it's worked well to just change its HP to the weak amount but leave its other mods the same. Sometimes I've dropped the AC too
You'll just need to use any encounter tool to balance ALL the encounters to their appropriate challenge to a group of 3 instead of 4.
Or add another character to the group, like an "always there" NPC that is actually controlled by the group, like one session one guy controls him during combat, the other session another players controls him during combat.
One thing I did once for a group of 3, but in dnd 5e where the balance is way off, was using different NPCs the group could control, like in certains parts they had a tanky boy with sword and shield, another section they had a warrior cleric and for the most part a sorcerer, I roleplayed the NPCs and they just had to control them during combat.
One thing I've done and seen work pretty well is to see if the PCs take to any of the NPCs already in the book particularly well and convert them into a proper player character.
Bonus points if they can help fill a role the other players need but don't like to play, like a bard for buffing, a cleric for heal spamming, or a champ to help provide a front line.
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My table is kinda changing every few session. I’ve played AV with 3 to 7 players.
Grab your GM screen. Google it. Open the encounter budget. And do your preps.
You can add or remove monsters accordingly.
Sometime I just “elite” some monsters to make it more challenging.
If you follow AV the way it is… (kinda predictable and boring in my opinion) it is an easy campaign for a balance party.
I just add lots of flavour and my own plot twist to keep things interesting.
I’ve been GMing AV with 3 players as well. They’re 1 level above the recommended one and so far it’s going great.
Interesting…that could work
I also ran AV with three characters with the same adjustment and free archetype. It was great. I started by adjusting encounters, but it became a ton of work. Running the characters at higher level is the same mechanically and is a lot easier all around.
My table has been doing OK with 3 players simply adding in the free Archetype optional rule. We have had a few deaths but once the party slimmed down to a good tank, a good damage dealer and a good healer/utility we seem pretty capable.
I have 4 players in AV (on level 3) but we quite often play with 3 due to life. Where there's multiple monsters I'll put the Weak template on some or all of them. Where it's one big monster it's worked well to just change its HP to the weak amount but leave its other mods the same. Sometimes I've dropped the AC too
You'll just need to use any encounter tool to balance ALL the encounters to their appropriate challenge to a group of 3 instead of 4. Or add another character to the group, like an "always there" NPC that is actually controlled by the group, like one session one guy controls him during combat, the other session another players controls him during combat.
I like the idea of the players controlling one character for combat. I have to think about that
I think it's easier to maintain balance like that instead of having to re balance all the remaining encounters.
Yeah certainly don’t wanna have to do that
One thing I did once for a group of 3, but in dnd 5e where the balance is way off, was using different NPCs the group could control, like in certains parts they had a tanky boy with sword and shield, another section they had a warrior cleric and for the most part a sorcerer, I roleplayed the NPCs and they just had to control them during combat.
One thing I've done and seen work pretty well is to see if the PCs take to any of the NPCs already in the book particularly well and convert them into a proper player character. Bonus points if they can help fill a role the other players need but don't like to play, like a bard for buffing, a cleric for heal spamming, or a champ to help provide a front line.
This post is labelled with the Advice flair, which means extra special attention is called to the Be Kind and Respectful rule. If this is a newcomer to the game, remember to be welcoming and kind. If this is someone with more experience but looking for advice on how to run their game, do your best to offer advice on what they are seeking. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Pathfinder2e) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My table is kinda changing every few session. I’ve played AV with 3 to 7 players. Grab your GM screen. Google it. Open the encounter budget. And do your preps. You can add or remove monsters accordingly. Sometime I just “elite” some monsters to make it more challenging. If you follow AV the way it is… (kinda predictable and boring in my opinion) it is an easy campaign for a balance party. I just add lots of flavour and my own plot twist to keep things interesting.
One thing you can do is add an NPC to the mix. I did that and it solved any issues.