How viable is this campaign setting idea really?

[Mr.Cobalt]

Ok, so I have this kinda odd campaign idea where the PCs are all students of a sort of Mage Guild mega-college made of four separate subschools each dedicated to a different form/style of magic. Each school offers different exclusive classes and school specialties in addition to a general "theme", but I am considering adding additional benefits i.e. campus facilities or exclusive bonus feats.

Ok, so the four schools break down like this-

Brown Institute of Science and Alchemical Study:
This school was founded for the purpose of studying magic from a more empirical viewpoint, and if possible break down its secrets into quantified laws and methods that can be exploited more easily than just the rote memorization of spells or possession of a magical bloodline. Its contributions to the field of arcane studies netted it honorary Mage Guild membership, then full membership once Alchemy became officially recognized as an equivalent "arcane art" unto itself. Also of note is the fact that it was from this school that the Mage Guild's highly sanctioned "approved" form of necromancy was developed, which is even today taught in both the traditional spellcasting variety and the alchemical variation known as "Reanimating".

Exclusive Classes:
-Alchemist
-Investigator

School Specialties Offered:
-Transmutation
-Necromancy

<Name not final- military-style academy>
By far the oldest of the Guild's four schools, this is often considered the more iconic "adventurer's college", where aspiring mages are trained in the use of magic for combat or self-defense, or even in the art of merging spellcasting with swordplay. Often considered the strictest of the four institutions, its students are often expected to fit a higher standard of physical fitness than is often expected of the average wizard's college. Those that survive however often go on to become some of the best warmages and mercenaries in their field.

Exclusive Classes:
-Magus
-Bloodrager

School Specializations Offered:
-Abjuration
-Evocation

<Name not final- Miskatonic/Byrgenworth-type "Lovecraftian" college>
Pardon me for breaking narrative format here- not entirely settled on the history of this one, but I'm leaning heavily towards Guild experiment for legalizing certain formerly "occult" forms of magic. Might have initially been a secret society formed for the containment and research of eldritch tomes and artifacts connected to the Old Ones, then through careful experimentation developed variations of the "old magics" that were considered safe to use, and eventually struck a deal with the Mage's Guild to get their approval to keep studying it. While these guys have made much headway in extraplanar studies and so far their "new" form of magic is proving about as safe as they claim, they've still had their fair share of... "incidents" they've had to take care of, and they are still the target of many a rumor even within the Guild.

Exclusive Classes:
-Summoner
-Witch

School Specializations Offered:
-Conjuration
-Divination

<Name not final- "_proper name here_ School for the Performing Arts>
Often considered the best bard's college in the land, this school teaches students in the use of magic as a form of personal expression- whether that be channeling arcane power through artistic performance, or simply the use of magic in and of itself as an artistic medium. It also teaches more practical skills, including but not limited to public speaking, diplomacy, and debate. Often considered the "odd one out" of the four schools- their track record is almost suspiciously clean compared to the other three, leading some to suspect that there must be some other reason beyond simple profit that the Guild had shown enough interest in this school to warrant acquiring it in the first place.

Exclusive Classes:
-Bard
-Skald

School Specializations Offered:
-Enchantment
-Illusion


I was considering making the campaign either be chronicling their years at the school- almost a sort of Harry-Potter-on-drugs-as-interpreted-by-someone-who's-never-read-or-seen-it-themselves, or just skip to their graduation exam quest that would net them full Guild membership, and let them decide amongst themselves whether and how they had known each other previously or not.


Ok, nutshells aside- I need some advice and world-building tips for this turkey. First off- how viable as a campaign does this really sound, and second, what are some things I would need to keep in mind when designing a "setting" like this?

Also, names- if any of you have ideas for names for the un-named schools I'm open to suggestions.

[RBVakarian]

The problem with doing in school stuff is if your players want to go to different schools, you're going to have a lot of plates to spin, and while you're at one school, others might feel left out. Maybe start out past Graduation, but then someone attacks one of the schools, and the players have to hop from school to school to figure out the mystery?

[Mr.Cobalt]

The problem with doing in school stuff is if your players want to go to different schools, you're going to have a lot of plates to spin, and while you're at one school, others might feel left out. Maybe start out past Graduation, but then someone attacks one of the schools, and the players have to hop from school to school to figure out the mystery?

I had considered something like that. The schools themselves would have been within traveling distance of each other- kinda envisioned them surrounding a sort of shared facility or two- but yeah, it would probably be best to do the post-graduation thing because then I have fewer reasons to split the party beyond returning to their respective dorms for the night.

On the topic of the post-grad option, should I do something like offer choices of items or bonus feats to represent particular academic achievements or projects they undertook during their education, with each school providing different bonus options, or should I just let their normal levels/feats/item purchases do that?

[RBVakarian]

On the topic of the post-grad option, should I do something like offer choices of items or bonus feats to represent particular academic achievements or projects they undertook during their education, with each school providing different bonus options, or should I just let their normal levels/feats/item purchases do that?

Normally in my games, I have people make their character slightly below WBL and make each character a custom item that fits their character. This item has a bit more significance, cause it's not just a feat; it's the sacred blah-blah that my uncle Terrell gave me.

[Mr.Cobalt]

Normally in my games, I have people make their character slightly below WBL and make each character a custom item that fits their character. This item has a bit more significance, cause it's not just a feat; it's the sacred blah-blah that my uncle Terrell gave me.

I could imagine doing something like that, something they made for a class project or found while wandering off on a dungeon crawl. Might still leave them a spending budget and/or a "standard issue" gear package in addition to custom items- I imagine certain kinds of gear would be provided by the schools themselves for field work.

[Mendicant]

Have you considered making them faculty instead of students? That would allow a lot more room for them to grow in power without the premise getting weird. Plus, I feel like playing as McGonagall and Snape could be a lot of fun, and would make the internal conflicts more interesting and meaningful than just picking jerseys and winning intramural games of wizardball. For instance, wizard colleges with rules against necromancy and certain kinds of conjuration are a common trope. When you're a student you've basically got the option of either flouting the rules or obeying them, while an administrator or teacher could be shaping them, working out exceptions, enforcing them, or secretly pushing the boundaries, with all kinds of interesting permutations and much higher stakes.

Also, how big do you want this school to be in terms of student body, and how separate do you want the various colleges to be? There's no need for them to be overly separate: after all, a modern university could have a liberal arts college, a college of medicine, a college of law, an ROTC program and any number of other divisions, but undergrads are still taking the same gen eds, and there's lots of cross pollination among graduate students and faculty.

I had considered something like that. The schools themselves would have been within traveling distance of each other- kinda envisioned them surrounding a sort of shared facility or two- but yeah, it would probably be best to do the post-graduation thing because then I have fewer reasons to split the party beyond returning to their respective dorms for the night.

On the topic of the post-grad option, should I do something like offer choices of items or bonus feats to represent particular academic achievements or projects they undertook during their education, with each school providing different bonus options, or should I just let their normal levels/feats/item purchases do that?

Giving out bennies is always appreciated by players, and picking the offered benefit sounds like a fun way to spur backstory writing. You don't have to do this though, especially depending on how you build non-graduates. Like, a newer student might be a commoner with a few cantrips, a sophomore could be that same commoner, but with more cantrips and the ability to use scrolls and wands appropriate to their virtual class, and an upperclassman could be a first-level wizard/alchemist/whatever who doesn't have all her bonus languages, class skills, and maybe some racial features like a bonus feat or weapon proficiency. With a system like that, it'd be relatively easy to recognize a graduate, even at 1st level.

[RBVakarian]

Have you considered making them faculty instead of students? That would allow a lot more room for them to grow in power without the premise getting weird. Plus, I feel like playing as McGonagall and Snape could be a lot of fun,

That would be awesome, and add some cool RP opportunities. And like Mendicant said, it should help from getting too cheese.

We had a campaign a while back that started when the magical wizardry school had been attacked by a cloak and dagger terrorist organization. We had to question students and faculty and go through the capital trying to root out the group. It was pretty fun.

[Mr.Cobalt]

Have you considered making them faculty instead of students? That would allow a lot more room for them to grow in power without the premise getting weird. Plus, I feel like playing as McGonagall and Snape could be a lot of fun, and would make the internal conflicts more interesting and meaningful than just picking jerseys and winning intramural games of wizardball. For instance, wizard colleges with rules against necromancy and certain kinds of conjuration are a common trope. When you're a student you've basically got the option of either flouting the rules or obeying them, while an administrator or teacher could be shaping them, working out exceptions, enforcing them, or secretly pushing the boundaries, with all kinds of interesting permutations and much higher stakes.

Also, how big do you want this school to be in terms of student body, and how separate do you want the various colleges to be? There's no need for them to be overly separate: after all, a modern university could have a liberal arts college, a college of medicine, a college of law, an ROTC program and any number of other divisions, but undergrads are still taking the same gen eds, and there's lots of cross pollination among graduate students and faculty.



Giving out bennies is always appreciated by players, and picking the offered benefit sounds like a fun way to spur backstory writing. You don't have to do this though, especially depending on how you build non-graduates. Like, a newer student might be a commoner with a few cantrips, a sophomore could be that same commoner, but with more cantrips and the ability to use scrolls and wands appropriate to their virtual class, and an upperclassman could be a first-level wizard/alchemist/whatever who doesn't have all her bonus languages, class skills, and maybe some racial features like a bonus feat or weapon proficiency. With a system like that, it'd be relatively easy to recognize a graduate, even at 1st level.

-Ooh, I wish I had thought of making them staff! Yeah that would make the story a lot more interesting/accessible and makes a bit more sense in-universe for why the PCs would have to end up in restricted areas or interacting with certain staff members

-I did plan on some degree of integration between the schools, like having certain facilities be shared among all four and/or let certain archetypes represent things like major changes or transfers (i.e. Arcane Bomber started out majoring in Alchemy but later changed to pure Wizardry, so they already learned how to do stuff like bombs but missed the courses on cantrips)

-Well I did kinda plan on making this be higher-level if the campaign was to be post-graduation, with the PC's gaining levels as their years progress, but I do rather like that idea. And I kinda thought some of the alternative starting benefits could be good backstory seeds, e.g. [I]how[I] exactly did that Conjurer Wizard come to own that tome/spellbook that grants bonuses to knowledge and comes with a lot of symbol/rune-based spells?

[aspekt]

The first Neverwinter Nights PC game had you start as a student right when the school is attacked. This gives you resources for training as well thrusts you right into the action.

Is the school mow besieged by random attacks?

[Mr.Cobalt]

The first Neverwinter Nights PC game had you start as a student right when the school is attacked. This gives you resources for training as well thrusts you right into the action.

Is the school mow besieged by random attacks?

Sort of- there would be a few events occurring within the school itself that would get the PC's involved in combat situations but mostly each school had their own dungeons used for different kinds of training, some of which still held some cool crap that would lead into the more intrigue-based storyline.