Gygax school of Wands and Wizardry

[Nishant]

So,because apparently we can never decide what we want for a game, and my friends and I had a roundtable discussion of what they and we wanted as a whole, I have another campaign idea I need to fill out; The Gygax school of Wizardry. So, the idea simple in idea, but a little tricky in practice, and I'd like your thoughts. The group would like to play a game mixing together Hogwarts from Harry Potter and Clocktower from Fate to make a game about a group of aspiring and young mages. While I don't see in problem with this per se, I struggle to find out how class structure and other things should work, and how to properly design downtime activities such as classes, studying, and advancement of personal magic. Should I allow feats, or limited multiclassing? I admit I'm really stuck, but I want to give them the game they want

[Toadkiller]

I would advance very, very slowly. Maybe a level a year? Otherwise the students don't leave any room for the teachers. Other than that I'm not sure what to say.

[Knaight]

I'd recommend something like a spell level a year, starting with custom level 0 characters (these are people in training after all), and stripping out conventional feats and instead tying feats to performance in particular classes. It's a heavy homebrew approach, but the game is odd enough that a heavy homebrew approach is probably a good thing.

On the setting side, I'd make it clear that even getting into the college is indicative of a lot of talent, and then have a pretty extreme drop out rate - thus explaining the prevalence of lower level mages elsewhere.

[Beleriphon]

On the note of Hogwarts, I think a very heavy lampshade needs to be hung on the fact that that school is stupidly dangerous and no reasonable adult would send their child to that death trap.

[Joe the Rat]

If you are seriously going Wizards, a level a year, starting at "0" for first years, works quite nicely. 2-3rd year is when they start working on their class focus - in D&D parlance, your school specialization. I would seriously recommend starting with 1 cantrip, and working up to your first level spells and cantrips by the end of the first year.

Starting position: Are we looking at Hogwarts (11-17), or something a bit more finishing/college - having some aptitude or clearing the most basic levels before arriving? Starting younger, I'd suggest holding a couple of stat points in reserve, that you can parcel out between ASIs. You may also want to scale back starting proficiencies from backgrounds. Going for Wizard College, have everyone start with their fulls stats and background. That gives you a little trained ability, and a foundation for concept - this is where you are from. This one is a Noble (possibly spoiled), That one is a Waterdhavian noble, and doubly pretentious (The background feature is literally "my father will pay for it"). This one came from a Guild family, and has the best handwriting (caligraphy proficiency), that one was an Outlander, and really needs a bath, etc.

If you are going to be using D&D, I'd highy recommend sorting the courses into 9 categories: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, Transmutation... and Lore. What you can add to your spellbook "for free" during a year depends on what classes you take. Lore courses represent the Skills - Arcana, History, Nature, Animal Handling, etc., as well as certain tools (Alchemy, Herbalist, Brewer- what?). If you take course each year for the first three years, that will inform you specialization options - with Religion opening the Theurge, and ....combat? music? pretentious frippery? opening Bladesinger.

You can only take a certain number of courses in a year, so you have to decide what you want to get. Lore classes may only need a few terms to master (250 days of instruction gets you a tool... maybe fiddle with that a bit. Each year gives you +1 to your proficiency bonus for a skill or tool, for example. This would draw you away somewhat from the standard progression, but that might be appropriate for what you want to do here.

I'd be tempted to leave feats in, to give you a way to dig into different focused aptitudes - Magic Initiate is great for "a particularly gifted student," Resilience for particularly tough/nimble/self-certain students, etc. You may give a limited range of options here.
Since your first ASI comes during "5th year", that might be a good place for "advanced" courses - + to stats can be defined by a particular course (+INT fitting a broad knowledge / critical thinking), while other options might include Advanced Combat Arcana (War Caster), Dueling (Spell Sniper), or something more "Intro to Auror" (Dungeon Delver / Observant / Keen Mind / Skilled for Insight, Investigation, and Thieves' Tools).


"Not-Wizards". Are other arcane casters taught here? You could do the different classes like Houses or Majors (and will need to adapt progression). Are other casters included here? Clerics would certainly suggest martial training being available "on campus" should the interest arise.
Warlocks are Slytherin. :smallbiggrin:

[DragonSorcererX]

I thought of doing something like this once and I was planning to do this:

1st level - You are basically a generic wizard with no specialization, you graduated of what would be a "Wizard High School".
2nd level - You started to specialize yourself in one school of magic and research it but you have no title yet.
5th level - Wizard <Specialist> (Change specialist for your specialization, for example: Evoker), at this level you can work as a teacher/master in one magic school.
Beyond 5th level - You are promoted inside the institution you work for at every new tier (every time you gain a +1 to your proficiency).
Beyond Level 17th - You are probably a member of some sort of high council inside the institution your work for and higher than you in the hierarchy there is only the Archmage, if he dies, you already have the nescessary requirements to be an Archmage and you can be elected to be one.