School of Magic Campaign

[Heru_Kane]

There are certain campaign concepts that come into my head and never seem to leave. The whole idea of setting a game in a school of magic with the main characters being students within it is one of them. I obviously have Harry Potter to thank for this, but there are numerous novels and movies that cover the same material. So with some work I have created the idea for an alternate campaign concept set in the modern day at a grand school of magic where all those who are Gifted go to learn the secrets and come to master the Hermetic Arts. Tutelage in the boarding school is for fifteen years, going from roughly ten to twenty-five, with graduation seeing them become a full mage within the Order of Hermes (which also sees them choosing what Hermetic House they might want to be in). The school itself was founded around the start of the first millennium AD and so by the present has had over a thousand years of history, making it and ancient and magnificent edifice. Characters in the school come from all over the world for in the present it is not Mythic Europe but rather Mythic Earth, and the Order of Hermes is simultaneous with being a worldwide magical culture, society, and government. Being sorted in one of six Tribes, it is within their tribe that the students of the school will eat, sleep, relax and be educated in the fine arts of magic and scholastics. Characters in the game are students, and the stories that will be told will be about their adventurers as they go about their time in the Scholae Magicae. Though they will be protected from having to deal with horrors fit only for an adult, they will still have there share of quests to work out. It is the friends they meet at school, and the knowledge they gain during the fifteen years, that will shape who they will be when they become adults.

While there are many formats that such a game like this could be played out, the one that will be tried is that of a letter writing campaign. The idea is that the children of the school are writing to their friends, siblings, and parents with news of their days and what they are learning. Such letters will get responses, as such will help to spur on the events of the campaign. When a particular interesting event occurs then the situation can be played out, allowing for a more normal roleplaying session. Letters can be as small as single paragraphs to vast essays, as sometimes one might want to cover a lot of material, especially if its interesting. Another benefit of this sort of format for a game is that players can take nearly all the time they need to come up with a letter, and they can post it when they are most available. I think in this day and age with people separated by vast distances and different hours with jobs that such alternate gaming opportunities might be very fun.

Any ideas on this would be welcome and appreciated - basically, I just really want to share this idea with those who love Ars Magica and maybe also the idea of magical schools.

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Some of the points I developed for the setting:

REFINED OPENING OF THE GIFT

The School of Magic uses an alternate (and somewhat secret) technique to open the Gifts of their enrolled students. Beyond the standard benefits of Opening the Gift this version has three special features.

Unaffected By The Gift: Those who have had The Gift opened using refined techniques are not affected by the negative social effects of The Gift in others. Even a Blatant Gift does not especially bother the character. [This means that it is not the Parma Magicae that provides sense immunity, it is the way their Gift was opened.]

Subtle Opening: The Arts are Opened using a subtle and flexible technque unique to them. Consequently, a magus does not suffer a penalty to the study Source Quality for his Arts scores when learning Supernatural Abilities (see ArM5, page 166). The magus is still penalized for scores in other Supernatural Abilities.

Teaching the Art: A character may teach several students the Hermetic Arts, and a student may learn by a teacher who is educating others. The number of students is still the teacher's Teaching Ability times five. No additional virtues are needed.

Transmission Secret

This variant of the traditional Opening of the Arts is a secret technique based on three Major Breakthroughs and combined with a fourth Major Breakthrough. Even those who have had their Arts opened using the new method do not actually have the appropriate knoweldge in order to Open the Arts of others using the altered technique. To learn the method of using the technique one must gain Hermetic Teacher (Minor Hermetic Arcane Virtue). Though in some ways the ability is considered a part of a mystery cult, the theory behind it has become fully unquestionablly a part of Hermetic Magic Theory. Until such a time that the virtue escapes, only certain members of the Scholae Magicae have the Virtue.

SCHOOL REALM

The Scholae Magicae exists in a regio whose real world location is unknown to all but the Headmaster of the school. The pocket realm has the appearance of a green and fertile valley surrounded by insurmountable cliffs in all directions. To the south there is a massive freshwater lake, home to various fish as well as beaches and even a small town called Laketown. To the east is a small cut out that is home to the majority of arrival gateways and also possesses the small settlement of Portville. To the north is a massive forest cut into three parts, the Green Grove which is open to all, the Deep Forest which is restricted, and the Dark Wood which is secured against entry by potent wards. In the west there is the expanded mountaintop of Mount Caem whose interior is accessible by various tunnels passages, some of which have purpose and others which are abandoned. In the interior region are various groves and patches of various fruit bearing trees, farming fields for grains and vegetables, and gardens containing many of the resources that a school might need to be self-sufficient as possible. In the very center is a vast yet small hilltop known as Castle Plateau which is where the towering castle-like school itself is built upon.

The Scholae Magicae castle itself is a single vast structure roughly twenty-five hundred feet in width constructed in the shape of an elaborate nine peaked star. Above the twenty foot foundations, the structure rises 100 feet into the sky and is divided into five twenty foot stories full of chambers and hallways of various sizes. The thirteen pentagonal chambers within the great Scholae Magicae are vast open spaces two hundred feet in width, though each center fifty feet is covered in a single majestic tower 200 feet high. On each parallel level equal to the main structure are covered bridges leading to inner hallways spanning the gap (all use the center tower as a connecting point). On the ground floor itself there are a multiple of stone paths surrounded by artificial ponds, waterfalls, benches and gazebos, and greenery of various kind. Though the span looks like its open to the sky there is a crystal clear glass-like roof covering it and keeping the space perfect no matter the outside whether conditions.

Coming and going from the regio is done through five methods. The simpliest method is by entering through one of the many gateways that exist in Portville. The other end of these gateways are located all throughout the world, though they only open at particular times in particular places. Another method is arriving by boat, for the river that connects to the regio's lake is capable of connecting to river's all throughout the world at various times and places. A third method is through the forest, for at certain times portals can appear in any and every forest in the natural world that could link to this regio. A fourth method is through the mountain, which links to various tunnels and caves and such in similar mountains in the real world. The final method is one of the most advanced and restricted, and is only available to those directly connected to the school through powerful ancestry or an official school position. This method lets a magus actually teleport directly to the school's regio through the use of highly powerful magic.

[silveroak]

What could be interesting is a school of magic that trains future apprentices. Teachers would not have to be gifted, as long as they know artes liberals, Latin, magic theory, and teaching. What would be essential however is making sure it would be more effective for future masters to pay for the tuition (plus interest) of the students they take on rather than simply abducting them. A few magical animals capable of granting the gentle gift or apt student for the duration of their stay would be usefull as well.

[Doctorcomics (Jason Tondro)]

I did a lot of work on an "Oxford Magica" campaign in which the players were students at a magical version of Oxford and learning Hermetic Magic. Some observations that you may find useful, or can cheerfully ignore!

The most boring part of apprenticeship is the first few years when they are all studying Latin and Artes Liberales. Instead, allow the students to have gone to a "prep school" for those years. This reduces the length of apprenticeship and allows them to come to school with Latin and other Academic Abilities.

The default apprenticeship is 15 years because apprentices are presumed to be toiling away in the lab getting only Exposure XP for 3 out of every 4 seasons every year. Your school will not do this. Even if they only have a Fall and Spring term, they will be getting twice as many useful seasons as Medieval apprentices. This allows you to shorten the study time and, combined with the idea of allowing everyone to attend Prep School before the start of play, allows you to do a 7 year school.

It's interesting that you decided to create Tribes, when Houses already do much the same thing. Why put off the House choice until Gauntlet? Why not put them all into Houses on day one? Are you worried that students from different Houses won't adventure or socialize together? If you put off the House choice until the end, that means that Houses with secrets -- Verditius, Merinita, Bjornaer -- cannot teach those secrets until after Gauntlet. Perhaps, if you want to keep Tribes or Nations, the students could pick their Houses, say, two thirds of the way through. I might do it in the 5th year of a 7 year study program. That would give them time to get their House Virtue, but after years of hanging out together, they will have formed social bonds that cross House.

[Heru_Kane]

silveroak,

I do really like the idea of magical creatures teaching at the school, presenting their knowledge of magic or some field of endeavor to the students. I think having such thing exist would totally present the nature of it as a world apart from the mundane.

Doctorcomics,

First I want to say, your apprentice campaign has been an inspiration for this. Some of the ideas you have written about have helped to form my own thoughts on what both an apprentice saga and a school saga would kind of be like. So for that I say thank you!

You make a really good point about coming to the school with some Latin and other Academic Abilities being known about. One of the things that I imagine in this world is that the Longevity Ritual doesn't actually cause sterility - so basically Gifted families (what I call Clan's) do exist. And I would imagine that the basics are probably taught to their children, even if they haven't had their Arts Opened yet. Also, I had some thoughts that if such a society as I am imagining takes off in the world then most would probably grow up using Latin as either their main tongue or at least be able to grow up to the point that even before they get to the school of magic they know some latin. One of the things that I am doing is using the Exposure rules for latin - because latin is being used in every class (even those which are mostly mundane) students get like five experience points per year which they can put in Latin.

I do agree with you on the fifteen years worth of training being a little too much. But then I thought about it and I realized that in the distant past when the school was started apprenticeship was fifteen years. Basically the founders made it so that multiple apprentices could be trained at once, which is a radical notion in some ways, and so they tried to make it as familiar as it could be to what most others would consider traditional. And such over time the age ten to twenty five and fifteen years of school became Tradition! So, yeah, in some ways it doesn't make sense (lol) but in others its all about remembering the past and paying homage to it. Plus, this system allows parents to basically not have to raise their kids and thus can use their time for research and other pursuits. And then once they come graduate and come home they can move out and be a productive society member. [This is where my idea of Clan comes from, another category based on blood and family ties.]

But yeah, in many ways I do agree with you on the idea of reducing it from fifteen years to some other number.

You make an interesting point about how it would only be at the point of graduation that they would get to choose what House to join. You are right on the idea of making membership in a house something chosen around halfway, maybe at year 8 or even 10. That way bonds of Tribe are strong and bonds of House are strong as well - I want it to be that members of different Tribes are in the same Houses and members of different Houses are in the same Tribe. I don't something like all of one Tribe is Tremere or something like that.

Speaking of the Houses both the Societies and the Cults are easy to fit in - members can join at anytime. I had some difficult with the True Lineages, though I solved some of it by having those four Houses negotiate with the school in some special way (for example, Tremere always has at least one professor who teaches Certamen). Though I am still deciding on the best way to go about that.

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Oh, after some analysis I realized that there was no way that if the Hermetic Order became a truly global phenomena that this could be the only school that teaches magic. So I have decided that the school that would be the focus on would be one school of fifty-one, the best of them all. The other fifty are considered geographic - they only take Gifted students who live in their region - while this one can accept students from anywhere and everywhere on and around the Earth. They only take the best of the best, the magically brightest, which of course has no mechanical impact except to say this is why they are the players. One of the nifty things about having multiple schools is that I can make it mandatory that every student has at least one pen-pal with a student from another school. And it could be cool if certain school assignments are given that need help from those in other schools.

Another benefit is that I could create the concept of the Fifty-One School Tournament where students from all fifty-one schools come together to compete in a massive olympic like event - which would of course be a momentous occasion and one full of magic and mystery and mayhem.

I also had the idea that where there is a single set of residence towers for each tribe, thanks to the spacebending nature of regio (which the school is in) every year is basically in a further regio level from the last, though this doesn't automatically cause aura increases. That way I don't have to truly overanalyze why there is enough space for some 21,000 students in a tribe all at once, hehe.

[MarioJPC]

I've made something near to this.

mariojpcsimon.blogspot.com.es/20 ... e-las.html

I will check all your work for that, excellent work.

[Doctorcomics (Jason Tondro)]

Well, to hear that your new saga is in some way inspired by work I have done is terribly humbling and a very kind and generous thing to say. Thank you very much for that.

It sounds like you're having great fun doing the world-building. Not only do you have the whole "School of Magic" thing to design, you also have the modern Ars Magica to figure out. That's a lot!

Two things I might bring up:

First, don't feel like you have to figure out everything before the game starts. As long as your players are, for example, stuck in school grounds most of the time and can't wander too far before a faculty member shows up to reel them back in, you can leave the entire world to be developed AS YOU PLAY. Look, for example, at the Potterverse as a good example of this. We got all the way to the Goblet of Fire before we learned about any other schools of magic out there. Now, of course, Beauxbattons and Durmstrang are part of the universe and it is hard to imagine the world without them. But until Goblet of Fire, it didn't exist!

There is something that we, as GMs, can learn from this: don't do more work than you have to. Focus on things like faculty, staff, classrooms and other students. That is going to take up an enormous amount of time. After the game gets rolling, you can start worrying about inventing all the stuff that players need NEXT.

Second, consider what is more important to you: playability or "what makes sense." Look to your example of the 15-year apprenticeship. I'm not saying to change that -- you have a reason for it and that makes sense in your game, and you're cool with it. But make sure that, when you make these rulings and make these decisions, that you are happy with the way it's going to PLAY. Having something in the setting "make sense" is fine and all, but if it results in a boring or problematic game, consider changing it to something ELSE which is also makes sense but which is more playable.

You've already done this with, for example, getting the students Latin and Artes Liberales early on. That way, they can get right into learning magic which is, after all, where the real fun is. You're already changing so much, you don't need me to encourage you to change more. I'm just suggesting: don't keep an element of your setting if the result, at your table and with your players and their characters, isn't fun. You're creative enough to come up with a reasonable explanation for almost any rule change. So embrace that!

[Brutus]

I love this concept, but I do have a few possible suggestions. Please ignore any or all if they don't fit your idea.

A)
How about splitting the 15 years into 3 lots of 5, the second two lots are optional but recommended? That way you can have your standard school leaver at 15/16, someone who has college/university to 20, and someone who does their post-grad to 25.

Joining a house could be a decision they make in the final year of their first set.

B)
You have a lot of boys/girls turning into men/women - what happens when they start noticing each other, dating and even marrying? Are there measures in place to stop pregnancies until they graduate? Does a woman have to drop out to have children? If this is modern day, with modern values, there will be plenty of sex happening (unless you have a building wide PeMe to remove those desires...).

C)
Cost - who pays for the children to spend 15 years at this school? What about those from poorer families?

D)
Experience points - if you assume that they spend 3 seasons at school and 1 at home this gives a more balanced character - especially if you slightly alter the rules allowing XP to be spent in more than one subject per season. Each season they get xx XP to spread over yy subjects they studied. After a few years of the basics they get to pick their classes from a small group you set. xx is modified by virtues/flaws and how well they studied.

E)
Houses - you could have a House Master for each of the Hermetic Houses, it is their job to support their members and try and recruit more young people. They could run "open days" where they give people an idea of what their house is like. This way anyone can join any house, and receive the proper instruction. Perhaps a part of the curriculum could include lessons on each house by that Master - general lessons for everyone, private lessons for members. This way everyone gets a general idea of the houses before they pick, and when they do they get to the training to earn their house virtues/knowledges.

F)
Discipline - how are the rules enforced?

[Heru_Kane]

Doctorcomics

On your first point, yes very much so! I am actually forcing myself not to figure everything out. Which is very difficult for me as I LOVE world building and figuring out nuances and stuff like that. But I want the players to basically create the world through their mentioning of 'facts' that they learned in class. So while I am creating the basics - the way the school is organized, the names of the Tribes and their purposes, and stuff, I am letting the mystery of the school and the world to be left alone for them.

Example, (And this is not considered 'canon', but its an example) I would love for at some point a student sends a letter home to their parent about their lessons in the Third Wizarding War that was fought a century ago. When the letter returns (also written by the player) that says, "yes, we know all about it, while we were children when the war was fought our parents were in it. They actually were part of the First Tribunal Spellblasters Brigade and fought in the Battle of Iron Hill." I would then take the Third Wizarding War, First Tribunal Spellblasters Brigade, Battle of Iron Hills, and even Career: Spellblasters and add them to a growing lexicon of material that is now canon. Then, let us say 'years' later, one of the characters writes to their professors about possible careers and asks what a spellblaster is. I will show what is listed in the canon about them, but then give the player the right (subject to my oversight to make sure it remains in theme to the setting) to develop it further. All that will be added to the lexicon. Basically, the world itself would be build as the stories and sagas and letters and time progress - going from a nearly blank world to one that is probably highly personalized, developed, and amazing.

This is of course hoping two things: 1) a game actually gets started, sadly, all tbhose I have asked in my actual knowing people circle have not answered, I might consider expanding it to maybe those on this site, I think Ars Magica fans might be interested, hehe. and 2) the players are interested in such collaborative world building, that they want to think and write and develop. And they want to have the fun of making the world one letter or point or proper name at a time.

On your point Two. I have considered things and I made it Ten Years of training not fifteen. So they start at 10 and go till 20. Then at 20 most people head into the wider workforce world with their official declaration of training and their status as a full member of the Hermetic Order. Joining Houses and finding others to create Covenants with (its still Ars Magica after all). Some of course can join one of the masters programs where they enroll in the Scholae Magicae and become either a part of the Graduate Studies program or the Associated Research program. Either way they use the school's resources but enable the school to benefit from any product developed (there are laws that protect both the researcher and the school, so let's say its fair, I don't need to develop it further at this time, lol. )

But yeah, your points are well thought out and very helpful and I am quite thankful and apprecaitive that you gave them. I know its been a while since I responded but I have been reading them - its just that besides going "oh yea totally" there wasn't much I could say till right now when the ideas and points came to me.

Brutus

I love point by point posts, it lets me answer in a point by point manner. So thank you for all of this, I very much like it!

A)

After some debate and discussion I have decided to make it ten years, from age ten to age 20. That way it is as an adult just starting off that they get to go into the world. There are programs that they can come back to learn a masters in whatever subject or just to continue their development. Its called Graduate Studies and Associated Research.

I do like the idea about joining a House being in the final year. Probably with lead up through meetings, and activities and stuff like that. Its a very good thought.

B)

You make a lot of really good points about children turning into adults and thus experimenting. One thing is that the boys and the girls will be 'segregated' in different residence towers within each Tribe, and those of the opposite sex cannot go into the other's tower. Other than that there will be a heavy use of mentors and chaperones and stuff like that to make sure people don't break the rules. On whether its taboo and stuff I don't know, such nuances will probably not be developed by me till the campaign would get to the ages where the players are starting to have their characters experiment and stuff. I do want Hermetic culture to be more open to sex and stuff like that - very much more Greek and Roman than modern day Puritan-based stuff. I will also make heavy use of magic to make sure that unwanted pregnancies are not really a concern, same with sexually transmitted diseases and stuff like that - its a magical world and I don't see any need for any such thing to be worried about. I will also make it quite apparent that the Hermetic world as a general thing does not care about who the partner is as long as both are consenting adults (or minors of the same age given their decision freely), so same sex relationships and even relationships between a magical or faerie creature and a Hermetic human are all considered okay. Finally, I am altering the longevity ritual to say that it does not induce sterility, the life extension part of the magic and the ability to have children and families all remain intact. This all said, the various taboos and rituals and cultural traditions and ceremonies are all up in the air - and probably vary based on region of the Hermetic World - and will be developed only when the game needs it.

Oh, and nobody will be kicked out of the school because they have children young. The school has access to some of the most advanced medical magic available and a whole bunch of staff that can help the mother (or father) with the baby while they attend class and continue to grow and develop into their magic.

C)

The school itself is located in a vast pocket regio home to vis sources that would put most of the rest of the world to shame. Such vis sources (from the nearby lake, forest, mountains, valleys, and plains of the regio) are often collected by school students for classes and workers for purchase and sold to other covenants and tribunals as income. Furthermore, the vast libraries and personnel gathered at the school are all accessible by outsiders willing to pay certain costs, though the school doesn't allow outsiders to wander the school areas without monitoring them. This plus the fact that the school sits on the 'patent' for numerous spells, rituals, and powerful artifacts provide much income. All in all the cost is negligible, probably nearly nothing, due to a thousand years of tradition and magic all coming together to make the place as efficient and self-sustaining as possible.

And woe to be any foe that dares try and invade the school, it is protected and secured and will not go down without a fight.

D)

This is exactly how I do it. They get a pool of experience points for each class they take (within certain guidelines) that can be placed in any of the abilities listed as being taught by the class. See below for I will post the Roll of Years, the schooling chart for the school. I basically charted it to the point that students get around fifty experience per year, though it is a lot more structured than "do anything with it as you please". In the end it makes characters at 20 years of age a little more powerful than standard Hermetic characters, but in all honestly since all characters (and thus all players) would use this system its not unbalancing.

E)

Very good and very awesome ideas. I totally like the fact that the Houses don't come out of nowhere, that there is some sort of build up to it. I already have the idea that at least one Dueling Master for the school is always Tremere, as part of the old treaty and contract developed at the founding. The other Houses also have some sort of connection and contact with the school. So there being House Masters to represent their houses and to try and get people to join sounds like a very nifty idea.

F)

In various ways that I haven't developed yet because such things will probably need players to come up with ideas. But yeah, there will be enforcement of rules when students break the laws. It isn't going to be arbitrary and it isn't going to be cruel, but it will exist. I already have the idea that every student has at least a professor mentor and a student mentor, and there are prefects and tribunes made up of students of older age to monitor behavior. But I don't have a Code of School Justice where all acts and stuff that are banned are listed. hehe

Such things would probably come up in play - "so my character snuck out of the hall at midnight to go to the swimming in the pool, we are eleven." "right, well, its past curfew and you are outside of the school building; did you get caught." "Hmm, well, how about not while we were swimming but that on our way back one of the teachers caught us." and then some negotiation on cool story punishment could be given out, like "oh, can the detention be to assist the school in gathering some vis soruces from the nearby plains. My character would hate it but I think it would be a nifty chance for some side mini adventure to occur in the plains." and stuff.

The End

Thank you very much for your nifty ideas and thoughts, I appreciate it and I thank you. I will now take your comments and my answers and figure out how to best add them to the setting so as to make it more awesome.

Below is the Roll of Years, to showcase how the experience chart will work. As a note I am considering that the schooling is three seasons with a fourth season being analysis of what went on. hehe

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Roll of Years

Year One and Year Two
SCHOOLING: 7 classes
-Mythic Scholastics: 5 XP
-Natural Scholastics: 5 XP
-Transmutation: 5 XP
-Methodologies: 5 XP
-Elementalism: 4 XP
-Naturalism: 4 XP
-Mentalism: 4 XP
SPELLS: 5 XP on spells each year.
PRACTICE: 5 XP in Latin.
EXPOSURE: 5 XP, may use anywhere.
ADVENTURE: 0/5-15 XP (varies based on events)

Year Three to Year Nine
SCHOOLING: 7 to 10 classes
-Mythic Scholastics: 5 XP
-Natural Scholastics: 5 XP
-Arcane Courses (pick 3 to 5): 4 XP each
-Auxiliary Courses (pick 2 to 3): 3 XP each
-Extra Credit Courses (up to 3): 1 XP each
SPELLS: 15 XP on spells.
PRACTICE: 5 XP in Latin.
EXPOSURE: 5 XP, may use anywhere.
ADVENTURE: 0/5-15 XP (varies based on events)

Year Ten
SCHOOLING: 4 to 6 classes
-Mythic Scholastics: 5 XP
-Mundane Scholastics: 5 XP
-Arcane & Auxiliary Courses (pick 1 to 3): 3 or 4 XP
-Extra Credit Courses (up to 3): 1 XP each
-Enchanting: Special
-Unlocking Parma: 5 XP
SPELLS: 15 XP on spells.
PRACTICE: 5 XP in Latin.
EXPOSURE: 5 XP, may use anywhere.
ADVENTURE: 0/5-15 XP (varies based on events)

Remember the experience listed above is gained each year.

Core Curriculum: These two courses are mandatory for all students for all ten years of apprenticeship within the Scholar Magicae. As one moves up in year than the classes themselves get smaller in student body and more specialized in topic covered.
*Mythic Scholastics: This quite varied course covers the past and present and teaches all about the whys and hows of the magical world and the Order of Hermes. (Code of Hermes, Hermetic Lore, Magic Lore, Faerie Lore, [Area] Lore)
*Natural Scholastics: This multifaceted course covers the core studies of what scholars consider necessary for a proper education. (Aretes Liberalis, Philosophiae, [Area] Lore)

Arcane Courses: These five central courses cover the basics of Hermetic Magic
*Transmutation: This course covers both the transmutation of atoms into other types of atoms (alchemy) and the creation of potions that can enhance characteristics, heal the wounded, cure the diseased, and assist the poisoned (herbalism). For details see Chapter 5: Experimental Philosophy in Art & Academe and page 80-82 in Hedge Magic for expanded details. (Mythic Alchemy, Mythic Herbalism, various learned formula)
*Methodologies: This course seeks to provide an understanding of the essential manipulations that Hermetic magic can perform. (Hermetic Magic Theory, Creo, Muto, Perdo, Rego, Intellego)
*Elementalism: This course works to provide an understanding of the raw elemental forces that make up the world. (Aquam, Auram, Ignem, Terram, Vim)
*Naturalism: This course seeks to grant students an understanding of the magics revolving around life in all its forms. (Animal, Corpus, Herbam, Vim)
*Mentalism: This subject covers the more immaterial phenomena that can be manipulated by Hermetic magic. (Imaginem, Mentem, Vim)

Auxiliary Courses: Within this category are the various additional course subjects that a student of the Scholae Magicae may take. Every course chosen provides 3 XP which may be put in its listed abilities or used to learn its virtue.
*Magic Theory: Studying the theoretical depths that make Hermetic Magic so powerful as well as methods needed to manipulate and alter magic. (Hermetic Magic Theory, Magic Lore, Finesse, Concentration, Penetration)
*The Realms: How the four supernatural realms of existence interact and affect the universe and the mundane world. (Magic Lore, Faerie Lore, Divine Lore, Infernal Lore)
*Care of Magical Creatures: This teaches about magical creatures, their behaviors, wants, needs and societies. (Animal Handling, Ride, Hunt, Survival)
*.... (there are a lot more, I just didn't want to post them all)

[Brutus]

Thanks for that list - it was far more than I had imagined.

One last question, are there any physical courses, like Single Weapon, or craft courses?

It would be nice if every student learned the basics in a craft so they know what to look for in an item they are buying.

From what I have seen you have put a lot of thought into this world, I hope you get to run it and post some letters here.

[Heru_Kane]

Brutus,

Its funny my mind, I find that when people give me lists or questions I can often ramble on forever. With every point of thought I come up with to answer the question leading to a thousand more ideas on how to organize things. It was also quite fun answering your questions.

And I welcome more if you have any!

To answer your question, YES! hehe - Seriously, though, the education of the Scholae Magicae (I still need an actual name as I have decided that there are multiple Scholae Magicae in the world, though this setting is all about the main and largest one). But yeah, there are a number of auxilarly courses that can be chosen for physical activities and crafting activities. To be honest, pretty much every ability in the game has at least a course that the school teaches for those who are interested in learning about them. The education given at the Scholae Magicae is all around and highly broad and after a thousand years is pretty comprehensive.

Also, I totally would love to do this. I think the letter writing nature of the campaign would allow players who have different life situations (be it job or time constraints or whatever) to be able to play. I just need to find people who want to do it, want to write and are interested. Honestly, with the holiday season just past and the new year upon us I totally understand the lack of communication - people are relaxing and celebrating and stuff. So I hope that when things calm down I will get responses. hehe

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Since I might as well post it, hehe, below is the entire chart I have for the Auxiliary courses, the extra credit courses and the graduation courses. I haven't done it in my notes yet but I do plan that some auxiliary courses have prerequisites before entrance into course (be it age or another course or some skill) and some have different course lengths (be it one, three, five or seven years). I won't narrow such things down at this time, but in the end I do want it to make sense. hehe

Also, I will probably add additional courses to this list as I develop the ideas. If any of you get ideas I will be more than happy to hear them and maybe even add to it.

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Auxiliary Courses: Within this category are the various additional course subjects that a student of the Scholae Magicae may take. Every course chosen provides 3 XP which may be put in its listed abilities or used to learn its virtue.
*Magic Theory: Studying the theoretical depths that make Hermetic Magic so powerful as well as methods needed to manipulate and alter magic. (Hermetic Magic Theory, Magic Lore, Finesse, Concentration, Penetration)
*The Realms: How the four supernatural realms of existence interact and affect the universe and the mundane world. (Magic Lore, Faerie Lore, Divine Lore, Infernal Lore)
*Care of Magical Creatures: This teaches about magical creatures, their behaviors, wants, needs and societies. (Animal Handling, Ride, Hunt, Survival)
*Artifice: A course teaching how to imbue magical energy into objects. Though related to Enchanting, this class mostly covers the lesser types of magic items. (Craft[Type])
*Mechanica: This course teaches about the creation and animation of magical-mechanical devices. (Craft Mutable Device Minor Hermetic Virtue, Awaken Device Major Hermetic Virtue)
*Runic Studies: Learning the history and power behind the magic of runes. (Rune Lore)
*Astronomy: Learning the movements of the heavens to determine the most effective times to perform magical operations. (Celestial Magic Virtue)
*Divination: This courses teaches the highly falliable and not completely reliable field of Hermetic Divination. (Divination & Augury Supernatural Virtue)
*Theurgy: This course deals with the names of spirits and how to invoke such names in magic. (Name of Power Virtue, Invocation Magic Virtue, Hermetic Theurgy Virtue, Hermetic Synthemata Virtue)
*Arithmancy: This course teaches the magic of numbers, which can be used to empower and enhance various other spellcasting attemps. (Hermetic Numerology Virtue, Hermetic Geometry Virtue, Hermetic Architecture Virtue)
*Oneiromancy: This highly advanced course teaches the magic of dreams. (Dream Magic Virtue)
*Unlocking the Soulbeast: This advanced course teaches the magus how to unlock his spirit beast, enabling him the natural ability to take on his allied beast's physical form. (Shapeshifting, though really Heartbeast [I want animagi but I don't want to step on House toes, hehe])
*Healing: Learning the arts to heal the body, mind, and spirit of oneself and others. (Chirgury, Medicine, Medical Magic)
*(Supernatural Ability): A number of classes each of which center around a Supernatural Ability. Students must have or be able to quickly get the related ability.
*Mystical Languages: This course teaches a number of foreign, forbidden, and dead languages. (Dead Language)
*Etiquette: Learning all about proper behaviors when walking through halls of power, be it mundane, supernatural, or Hermetic. (Etiquette, Intrigue, Leadership)
*Law: The legal codes of the world, mostly magical but also mundane as it applies to areas with a lot of magi. (Code of Hermes, Civil & Canon Law, Common Law)
*Weaponry: This class trains its students in the arts of combat, mostly those with weaponry. (Bow, Brawl, Great Weapon, Single Weapon, Thrown Weapon)
*Physical Fitness: Training the physical body so that it is as fit and healthy as possible. (Athletics, Survival, Stealth, Swim)

Extra Credit Courses: Up to three additional courses may be chosen. These provide an additional 1 XP per year.
*Music: This teaches about music, be it through singing or through the use of musical instruments. Being in this class is also a requirement for being in one of the school choirs. (Music)
*Dueling: This teaches all about Bellum Certamen and even provides proper experience through controlled dueling. (Bellum, Certamen)

Graduation Courses: These two courses are mandatory for every fifteenth year student.
*Enchanting: This Year Fifteen mandatory class teaches the fine art of creating enchanted items, of various types. Success in this class sees the student creating a unique and personalized magic item. (Enchanting)
*Unlocking Parma: This specialized course is taught to all students who have passed all exams and who have been approved for gauntlet. This subjects teaches the Parma Magicae, the final element all Hermetic magi need to fully take their place as a member of the Order of Hermes. (Parma Magicae)

[Doctorcomics (Jason Tondro)]

This looks like a really fun campaign.

I have had some success recruiting for games using Google Hangout, a video chat service. Visit Google+ communities like The Ethereal Tribunal (devoted to Ars Magica: plus.google.com/u/0/communities ... 0881104663).