I have an idea for an arcane game set at a magic school. Characters are students and gain XP enough to gain a level once a year, new levels must be in an arcane class. At third level and at 6th level they take Tests of Refinement-success at third level on more than 50% of them allow them to continue, success at sixth level on more than 70% of them allows them to continue their schooling for one more level after which they can graduate.

I'll be honest this game is probably going to help me create school games for other classes. I would provide an exhaustive list of starting classes and be allowing all WOTC sourcebooks and everyone must be non-evil.

Years ago, I played in a game called D&D College (Or something like that). Basically, we entered the college, and we advanced through the classes (skill/spells/feats) and years (levels). Lots of fun, mostly because the iconics were the teachers of every class and specialization (prestige classes).

Of course, you could study any class in the college. I would like to encourage you to take that approach.

This does, indeed, sound interesting, and I suppose the 'fun' comes from field trips and such to gather exotic (or even mundane) spell components (such as retrieving an ordinary substance from a place where some monster(s) consider it their 'territory').

The only problem I can see is that the D&D game is sort of set up that any school you went to would have been one that you 'graduated' from in order to become a 1st level adventuring wizard. I suppose this could be countered by a decent premise for the school's existence (i.e. an alternate reality where this set-up is true).

Another option you might consider: start at a magical school (or academy) that trains apprentices, graduate to a college for intermediate levels, and then on to a magical university. That would give you a built in story arc for however many levels you want to deal with.

You should also figure out ahead of time what character classes you are willing to allow. Presumably they all have to be arcane spell-casters, and if it's a mixed character class, whether the other half/parts get side training as well. Bards, for example. Do they also get musical training, too? (Oh, no! Shades of Glee!)

This thread might be a good place for you to run your options, to get input from all the rest of us who wish they'd thought of it first!

Then I'd assume it would be in a tower, just outside of a town that while also providing the needs for the school, provides for the needs of a martial arts academy, a fighting school and a woodsman's school.

Hey this could be fun. I love the Mana Khemia games for ps2.

In reply to Merevel (msg # 5):

I ran an all wizard game in face to face one time. I remember my usual players complaining about me forcing them all to be wizards, but ultimately we had some of the most memorable times then.

I didn't do it as a school though, they were all apprentices of the same master who was mysteriously killed......they never did discover who killed their master though....they became to involved in plotting against each other.....still it was some fun.

It might be nice to revisit such a setting :)

Indeed, so long as people remember, not all wizards are cut from the same cloth.

Look up Clay from Mana Khemia, he was... well awesome. think a wizard who relies more on his fists and uses magic like a club.

Also... in dnd terms he would barely be able to cast magic, less he was a sorcerer.

So I'll assume interest enough to prep for it further. I'll post a Want Ad for Players around August 21st.

This looks like fun; better not be a Harry potter rip off ;) I'm kidding with you. Hey, I might be interested in joining but I will be honest; I'm bad with the numbers and stuff presented in D&D. While I consider myself a great roleplayer and strategist, I will struggle with the numbers and stuff. Also, I don't own any handbooks. Also, what races and stuff would you tolerate? Playing humans and elves is boring for me. I prefer to play Kobolds, Birdfolk, Nerubians (Although, that being a race from a "third party" thing, it's hard to find anyone tolerating them), Dwarves, Dragonborn, and...yea. Stuff like that.