Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

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IanFordam
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Re: Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

Post by IanFordam »

edised wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2024 4:01 pm
IanFordam wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2024 10:56 am You are assuming that the PCs are students, then?
Most likely but there is a turnover for staff, really they are under staffed.
Ah, I hadn't thought of that approach, but that's a good hook for spellcasting PCs.
edised wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2024 4:01 pm Npc ideas:

Prof. Argist Bitter: spiritualist teacher, he is a master of the magic of the soul. A good teacher but with high expectations and at times harsh criticism, he is not afraid to let his students fail. He shows favoritism to the better students and mentor’s a select few.
Secret: bitter is a lich and mentors promising students to recruit them in to his secret society “mortis finite” to look for secrets of life and death.

Prof. Stefin Feld: magical animal teacher, she is passionate and sunny she wants everyone to enjoy her subjects and much as she does.
Secret: is a member of the van rictaur society, she is mostly intelligence gathering on possible dangers the school poses, and scout out recruits.
I do appreciate that one of your NPCs isn't a villainous sort. Got to have those sparks of light in the darkness!
edised
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Re: Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

Post by edised »

Also non magic jobs, the school is so magical sometimes spells can go wonky. Like cast creat water and end up with ten gallons of it.

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Re: Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

Post by Chaotic Blues »

An Idea occurred to me after reading this. What if the agents of the school are either Wereowls, or Owlweres?

Most in the domain act as currirers, bound to the magical community out of a sense of loyalty. Perhaps the school founders welcomed them while they were facing harsh persecution. They pass on vital information to the school head, most unaware that the current headmaster or the Dark Lord of the domain. Others keep a lookout for potential students of the school.

A growing cancer among the parliament, are those who are aware that the headmaster is not as he seems. Worse they are actively helping him, and are his willing agents.

As someone who runs a PF1 campaign, I though the idea of a group of nonevil anthromorphs (ie Owlweres) would be interesting. Or would this be too close to the Wereravens?
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Re: Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

Post by Rock of the Fraternity »

Ravenloft welcomes all kinds of variations to existing creatures, so I wouldn't worry about Owlweres being too close to Wereravens.
Though it might be a fun twist to have Owlkin (as in Ravenkin) as benign messengers, and Wereowls as a dangerous variant sent to corrupt students the headmaster has his eye on.
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Re: Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

Post by edised »

I like the idea of owl people who serve the school but secretly thare is a diversion in loyalty, some loyal to the headmaster only, some to loyal to the school and work with others to oppose the headmasters work.
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Re: Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

Post by edised »

Npc ideas:
Agus Copperwell: gnome illusion teacher, he makes learning seem fun. Also know as a unstoppable badass, and master of the arcane.
Secret: he a fraud, he is not a caster of any kind. He is a talented stage magician(he is a rouge) and has a anti-magic field he makes, giving him a badass reputation as magic fizzles out to close to him. He was meant to be a anti-mage weapon by a secret society, he escaped them.

Arthur Bagast: head grounds keeper and gardener. Tall and rugged with a full beard. He is a druid with a lot of wisdom.
Secret: he is a weir-bear and leader of a animalism cult. Believing lycanthropy is the way of enlightenment. He can control his iner beast, his followers less so.
Last edited by edised on Tue Aug 06, 2024 11:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Chaotic Blues
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Re: Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

Post by Chaotic Blues »

NPC Idea

Mortamer Magnus: A sharp-faced man, with a long thin moustache (that he like to twirl). He's aware that he looks like a storybook villain, and plays it for laughs. Teaches Alchemy.
For the first few years his humour is good, but when his wife falls ill, and no one seems to be able to find a cure. He becomes obsessed with creating a Panacea. As his efforts fail he becomes increasingly bad tempered, and desperate.
A Dread Possibility is that he has found a Panacea, but it requires the distilled vital essence from ten innocents. He's not that desperate. Yet.
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Re: Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

Post by edised »

Chaotic Blues wrote: Mon Aug 05, 2024 5:22 pm NPC Idea

Mortamer Magnus: A sharp-faced man, with a long thin moustache (that he like to twirl). He's aware that he looks like a storybook villain, and plays it for laughs. Teaches Alchemy.
For the first few years his humour is good, but when his wife falls ill, and no one seems to be able to find a cure. He becomes obsessed with creating a Panacea. As his efforts fail he becomes increasingly bad tempered, and desperate.
A Dread Possibility is that he has found a Panacea, but it requires the distilled vital essence from ten innocents. He's not that desperate. Yet.
Nice
He also has a humuculis who is vary willing to kill for him
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Re: Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

Post by alhoon »

Some of the ideas here are very good and quite possible to be used standalone with a few edits. Thanks guys.
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Re: Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

Post by Chaotic Blues »

Here's another NPC

Professor Albert Pennyworthy. A stern but fair minded older man, that teaches Divination. As an outlander, he is fascinated by the way divination magic has changed in the Demiplan. His familiar is a hound, he calls Nostro.
Secret: Albert is a devout follower of Hecate, from his home world. While not a priest himself, he keeps on the look out for a likely students to guide into his faith. He has built a small shrine hidden within a long forgotten section of the School. He is missing a candidate to become a priestess of Hecate.
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Re: Magic school (Hogwarts from hell)

Post by edised »

The automaton: a dread clock work golem students say romes the catacombs and at night hall ways. Made by the artifice professor who went mad later killed by his creation. It hunts students . It resist most magic and has spells of its own.
The professors say it is an urban legend.
Secret: the basic facts of the story are true. Thare is a clockwork golem that hides under the school. It was made by the artifice professor who became obsessed with it and killed him. It has killed students. It also may have gained a soul, the soul of a student it killed. It knows it is different now, a hole in its metaphorical hart is filled but the human condition is a curse of its own. It has memory of a life it never lived, and a voice of a dead student whispers to them
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