Keep on the Borderlands is one of my favorites, and today I decided to run a solo session. If you click that link, you'll get the DriveThruRPG page to purchase the module.
I have selected 6 2nd-level PCs to run through the Caves of Chaos: Elf, Half Elf, Magic-User, Cleric, Fighter, and Ranger. I haven't selected names for them. Maybe next session.
The PCs have 3 NPCs with them, a drover and two man-at-arms leading 3 mules. They also have a collection of fun magic items. I selected them as they were both effective and fun. They have 3 Bags of Holding, 4 potions of healing, a potion of gaseous form, 2 Cloaks of Defence +1, Boots of Travelling, Eyes of the Eagle, 2 Scrolls of 3 Arcane Spells each, and +1 Leather Armor.
These are basically all of the items I would wish for as a low-level character.
They have one more "great" item, a map of the Caves of Chaos. They don't know the map is hopelessly incorrect. Because of this, they bypass the Keep and head due north into the forest. They are reading the map wrong and are expecting a road running east to the Caves. They are looking at a contour line.
Session 1:
This mess continues until they meet the Hermit. Well, his mountain lion first. The marching order was:
Ranger, Elf, followed by 1 mule and a man-at-arms, Magic User, and Cleric (side by side), followed by the drover and a mule, Half-Elf and Fighter, followed by the last man-at-arms and a mule.
Startled to see a lion racing at them, the Half Elf passes a javelin to the Fighter before they both heave at the lion. The Fighter hits for 4 points of damage as the lion flashes by, running up the right side of the line of characters. The mule spoils the man-at-arms' shot with a crossbow. The Cleric had his sling ready, and the drover and Magic-User drew daggers. The Magic-User goes down under a flurry of bites and slashes. He is bitten for 3 points of damage.
The Magic-User hits the lion with a dagger for 4 points of damage. The drover weakly swings and misses, while the Cleric drops his sling and lands an incredible kick for 2 points of damage.
The rest of the party is charging to the Magic-User's defense. The round is over. The mountain lion has 5 hp left, the Magic-User has 3 hp left. The NPCs are struggling with the mules rather than fighting.
Next round. Initiative is a tie; all attacks are simultaneous.
The lion bites for 2 points of damage and flubs his slash attacks. The Magic-User's dagger bounces off the lion's hide. The Cleric gets his warhammer out and kills the lion. As everyone is running towards the center of the group, only the Fighter and Half-Elf see the Hermit brain the man-at-arms, and they are at the rear. The module doesn't say what weapon the Hermit has. I like the idea of a massive wooden club. I am using my damage reduction rules, and the man-at-arms' chainmail absorbs 2 points of damage. It doesn't matter much. He goes down and has -3 hp.
The Half Elf elects not to throw his last javelin at the Hermit, but the Fighter knocks an arrow. I am using my modified attack rolls for archers. The Fighter rolls an 8, which would be a miss. However, being an even number, he realizes he would miss and does not actually release the arrow. Nothing happens, and the Fighter has an arrow ready for the next round.
Round 3. The party handily wins initiative this round.
The Half-Elf charges ahead with his javelin and won't reach the Hermit this round. The Cleric pulls the Magic-User up as the drover and the second man-at-arms struggle with the mules. The third mule darts up the road. The Ranger and the Elf hem in the Hermit with sword and mace. They hit for a combined total of 8 points of damage, again reduced by 1 point per attack.
Round 4. The party decides to make sure they both stay down. The initiative is tied again.
The Hermit misses the Elf. The Half-Elf flings a javelin, striking for 2 points. The Fighter holds his arrow on a second roll of 8. The Ranger and Elf close in again. The Elf hits for 5 points of damage, and the leather armor eats up one point of damage. The Hermit is down, and the Ranger makes sure.
The drover, Ranger, and Half-Elf go after the lost mule while everyone else attends the fallen man-at-arms and the injured Magic-User. The Cleric casts Cure Light Wounds, bringing the man-at-arms to 2 hp. The Magic-User forgoes healing.
It doesn't take too long for the Half-Elf and the drover to round up the mule. The ranger has a 50% chance of finding the tracks left by the Hermit. He does so. They take some time to strip the bodies, skinning the lion and picking over the Hermit's body.
They collect up their goodies; they have the club, the lion pelt, and the Ring of Protection +1. It doesn't take long to follow the footprints back to the Hermit's Hollow in the tree. They toss the place and find his treasure: a Potion of Invisibility, the +1 dagger, 31 gold pieces, and 164 silver pieces.
The party decides to bed down around the hollow for the day to rest up before tackling the Caves of Chaos tomorrow. The NPCs decide to roll for morale. They get a 9.
The party talks among themselves, attends to their weapons, and beds down for the night. They have been awarded a total of 175 for the Hermit and the lion, plus 47 exp for the treasure. That is 37 each. I will round this to 40 exp and award it now.
The next morning, the party awakes long after sunrise. It is strangely quiet.
They divvy up their stuff, sell the pelt (50 gps), the scrolls (300 gps each), the mules (15 each), and saddle bags (2.5 each). They are awarded 216 exp each. They also have 650 gp in cash, plus fine armor and weapons, a potion, and a +1 magic ring. They don't know what to do with the giant club, so they give it to a barkeep. They pop into the armorer's for a nice suit of leather armor for the drover turned thief and pay to have the platemail properly fitted to the newly minted fighters.
Rety the drover hears rumor 11, while Lefty and Punch are being fitted.
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