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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    DwarfFighterGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2014

    Default Things to ruin your students’ day

    A friend of mine is looking for help stocking a random table of events for a campaign she’ll be running, so I thought I’d ask here.

    The players are 14 year old students in a magic academy, run by a group of arch wizards who have decided train up the next generation of wizards. Said archmages are more interested in getting a leg up on their rivals (each other) or doing research rather than teaching students, so it’s an accidentally, unintentionally dangerous place. Deaths are rare but not unheard of, magical disasters are almost weekly.

    Speaking of which, I’m looking for minor to major events that could happen while the PCs are trying to study/sleep/survive. These are intended to be background hazards to make life difficult rather than the actual adventures. The setting is still being designed so I’m just looking for fun ideas. I’ll start us off:

    1. Due to the recently risen banshee outside the school, all students in the North Wing need to sleep in the cafeteria until that gets sorted out in 1d4 days.
    2. No food today! The porridge is staging an uprising.
    3. Flora and Fauna is canceled today due to the curriculum escaping. Unrelatedly, if you see any toads wandering the halls or mysterious, eye-level acid scorings, please let us know immediately!
    4. Please budget an extra hour to ensure you make it to class on time today. The janitor has rearranged the halls again. Remember, being trapped in a labyrinth is no excuse for tardiness!
    Last edited by NRSASD; 2022-11-15 at 12:04 PM.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2011

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    Originally Posted by NRSASD
    2. No food today! The porridge is staging an uprising.
    Student project: develop a cantrip able to detect oozes with the porridge subtype, to help with cleanup and disposal. Must be done before the porridge oozes get into the alchemical storerooms.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Midwest, not Middle East
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    1) Everything tastes Purple. Seems harmless until you get to alchemy class and realize it all smells Purple too.
    2) Time is a bit... off. Some areas are going faster than others, and where is how fast changes sometimes. Good chance to sneak in a nap, if you don't mind the risk of a mini rip van winkle.
    3) Crossover! With any property you like: Charles Xavier's students wander in, or a boy with a lightning bolt scar, or even a local high school or shared school experience irl.
    4) Emotions are now written above people's heads in beautiful calligraphy. Hide your crush, don't let the history teacher know what you think of their class, challenges abound.
    5) Dire Platypus.
    6) Everyone is disappearing. This is actually non-magical, they are working on a surprise party for one of the PC's.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Orc in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2020

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    1) A poorly scrawled rune in Theoretical Arcana has resulted in a fog of wild magic covering the entire campus. It is advised that students use magic sparingly until it clears up (2d6 hours).

    2) Somebody’s Alchemy homework was spilled in the Herbology compost bin and there are now an unknown number of giant earthworms (grick stats) roaming the grounds.

    3) You wake up to find that there is no sound. As it turns out, the upperclassmen have covered the dormitories and dining halls in Silence bubbles to ease their hangovers.

    4) An envoy of telepathic snails has come to meet with the head janitor whom they believe to be your peoples greatest warrior.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jul 2021
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    1. Someone seems to have summoned a bunch of techno angels. They will politely ask for food. If given food they grant a techno blessing that makes any roll involving tools get a bonus. They are also adorable.

    2. Some turtles seemed to have mutated and trained in martial arts.

    3. Everyone except maybe the arch mages have swapped bodies!

    4. The school is now dealing with levitating sharks!

    5. No gravity!

    6. Everyone shrunken down to the size of ants.

    7. Someone made a seinent golem lady who is now looking for books on the world. She's very strong and can help out in a pinch.

    8. The books are talking.

    9. Everyone now is blind.

    10. There's doppelgangers in the school now!
    Last edited by Ameraaaaaa; 2022-11-15 at 11:07 PM.

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2016

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    There’s a doppelgänger loose in the school. An escapee from one of the teacher’s experiments. It doesn’t want to harm anyone, but school security is making it hard for it to escape. It is now impersonating students and starting to enjoy studying magic. Some students’ marks have improved when the doppelgänger has doubled for them.

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Bohandas's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2016

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    The furniture is being repaired. Mimics are filling in for the furniture.
    "If you want to understand biology don't think about vibrant throbbing gels and oozes, think about information technology" -Richard Dawkins

    Omegaupdate Forum

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  8. - Top - End - #8
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Lord Torath's Avatar

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Sharangar's Revenge
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    Pop Quiz! Everyone's favorite!
    Warhammer 40,000 Campaign Skirmish Game: Warpstrike
    My Spelljammer stuff (including an orbit tracker), 2E AD&D spreadsheet, and Vault of the Drow maps are available in my Dropbox. Feel free to use or not use it as you see fit!
    Thri-Kreen Ranger/Psionicist by me, based off of Rich's A Monster for Every Season

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Firbolg in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2011

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    Quote Originally Posted by NRSASD View Post
    The players are 14 year old students in a magic academy,
    Well, that rocks! I’ve got a friend who would be jelly. Forget the game, just having your players tell tales would be awesome. If such players wanted to teleport into one of my games, I’m sure they’d be welcome.

    Ahem. I’ll see if I can contribute to the thread now that that’s out of my system. Because it’s an awesome setting for characters, IMO.

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    DwarfFighterGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2014

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    Quote Originally Posted by Quertus View Post
    Well, that rocks! I’ve got a friend who would be jelly. Forget the game, just having your players tell tales would be awesome. If such players wanted to teleport into one of my games, I’m sure they’d be welcome.
    Hahaha oops!

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Firbolg in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2011

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    Someone’s Masters project was to rewrite the laws of reality… and they succeeded! Congratulations, you’re now playing 2e D&D. Next week, you’ll be playing M&M. When you find a system you like, shut down the project. Big money, no whammies, Stop!

    Due to a magical mishap, smiles are now contagious. Or freckles. Or hair color. Or maybe someone’s entire appearance. Is the cute worse than the disease? It may depend on who “patient zero” was.

    Everybody is operating at 110% today - which would be fine, except that they’re operating at 10% even when at rest! The head pyromancer is constantly aflame, and has burned the swimming pool. The head Chronomancer is constantly “adjusting” the flow of time. The head Cerebromancer is in your head - she can’t help it. Whatever the PCs are good at, they have to deal with constantly doing that. While attending class, of course.

    Invisible clothes, that actually turn invisible with you, are all the rage. There’s just one slight problem… they don’t distinguish who the wearer is when the caster is touching them.

    School dance! Dress to the 9’s, show ‘em that you’re Magical. What’s your style? (Mine is trained Animated Object clothes to dance for me, and my hair is on fire.)

  12. - Top - End - #12
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2016

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    School inspection.. The inspectors are coming and the school needs to look perfect and highly illegal experiments hidden.

  13. - Top - End - #13
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Griffon

    Join Date
    Jan 2022

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    One of the instructors requires all students complete a magical experiment...on necromancy. Doing a second project to include demon summoning earns extra credit.

  14. - Top - End - #14
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    Doesn’t anybody else read the historical documents?

    “Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death.”

    “Now if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed - or worse, expelled.”

    “Troll! In the dungeons! Thought you ought to know.”

    “A pity they let the old punishments die. Was a time detention would find you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons… God, I miss the screaming.”

  15. - Top - End - #15
    Firbolg in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2011

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    Quote Originally Posted by Jay R View Post
    Doesn’t anybody else read the historical documents?

    “Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death.”

    “Now if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed - or worse, expelled.”

    “Troll! In the dungeons! Thought you ought to know.”

    “A pity they let the old punishments die. Was a time detention would find you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons… God, I miss the screaming.”
    (Snape’s voice) “Obviously.”

    But like when someone plays a Jedi in D&D, and another player doesn’t get it, it’s fun to see what people come up with when their thoughts aren’t colored by such RP-destroying preconceptions.

  16. - Top - End - #16
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Bohandas's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2016

    Default Re: Things to ruin your students’ day

    *we lost the Tarot cards, Cards Against Humanity cards will be used instead until we can find them

    *gravity is backwards today

    *everything is in black and white

    *the sun and the moon are loudly arguing

    EDIT:

    Half the team is back here riding mops
    Last edited by Bohandas; 2022-11-17 at 02:48 AM.
    "If you want to understand biology don't think about vibrant throbbing gels and oozes, think about information technology" -Richard Dawkins

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    WoTC Forums Archive + Indexing Projext

    PostImage, a free and sensible alternative to Photobucket

    Temple+ Modding Project for Atari's Temple of Elemental Evil

    Morrus' RPG Forum (EN World v2)

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