Roanoke Academy Roleplaying Game

 

Here are the rules for anyone who wishes to run or play in a Roanoke Academy roleplaying game:

 

You may be from:

 

The World of the Wise – a family that knows about the magical world.

 

Or

 

An Unwary family – a family that lives in our modern world, except all religion is worship of the pagan gods. There are no monotheists.

 

Social Attributes: You have 20 points to spend over these stats:

Fame

Fortune

Family

Familiar

Friends (Contacts)

 

Sorcery Attributes: You have 25 points to spend over these stats:

Scholastic Aptitude

Innate Magic

Perception

Body

 

Meaning of levels:

0 – none or horrible beyond belief

1 – weak or ineffective

2 – occasionally succeed, but very seldom

3 – bad at it but passable

4 – a little worse than average

5 – average exactly

6 – a little better than average

7 – notable – the best many small towns would have.

8 – very good

9 – excellent

10 – best possible for humans

* – you may star one stat of 6 or above.

Whatever you choose to star is increased in a special way. (Starring a 10 raises you to an extraordinary level.)

 

You must spend:

At least 2 points on innate magic, Unwary must have an innate of at least 5.

You must have a body of 3.

If your perception is below 3, you cannot read omens or see ghosts.

If you are Unwarry, you may not spend more than 7 points in family.

 

All-Purpose points:

You have 10 All-Purpose points that can be used on:

Skills (30%) per point

Magic items

Social Attributes

 

NOTE: All-Purpose points cannot be used to raise Sorcery Aptitudes.

 

No more than 3 All-Purpose points can be spent on one thing.  Unwary may not take a skill that requires magic, such as broom riding.

 

So, a skill can have a 1 (30%) a 2 (60%) or a 3 (90%).  You cannot start with a skill above 90, but you can increase your skill during the game, if your character practices/works at it/etc.

 

Magic items are also on a 1, 2, or 3 point basis. 1 point is a simple magic time. It can do one thing, or it could just be more durable. 2 points is a pretty good magic item. 3 points is fantastic. (Harry's invisibility cloak and the Marauder’s Map are 3 point magic items.)

 

 

 Extra All-Purpose Points:

You may earn up to an extra 3 points by buying down a particular related to one of your stats.  (Example:  You have a good scholarly aptitude, but you are bad at Math.  You have a high body, but you’re slow.) 

 

You receive All-Purpose points in direct relation to how far below your main stat your limitation is.  (Example:  Scholar stat: 6  Math: 3) 

 

You may not buy down an attribute on which you have spent more than 7 points.  (As this would not be much of a disadvantage.)

 

All-Purpose Point Pool:

You can hold on to your all purpose points and apply them later to skills if you wish. This means you’re naturally talented at them and pick them up extremely fast.

 

ALSO,

 

You can hold on to them and spend 1 point to keep from dying.

 

Even in the worst situation can be escaped by spending a point. Spending this point only affects you. You may spend an extra point so that your familiar lives as well, otherwise its life is left to fate.  This point ONLY leads to your escape, it does not lead to your victory in a fight (unless you escaping alive is a victory condition).

 

Enemies:

You may also get All-Purpose points by taking an enemy. You have up to 5 points in enemies, which you can get any way you like. 

Point value of enemies:

1 point – another student

2 points – an upper classman or family member or a minor magical being

3 points  – a club, or dorm, a major magical being, or a teacher at Roanoke.

4 points – The Dean, or the Grand Inquisitor, or a Member of Parliament, or equivalent.

5 points – Unknown

 

 

Levels:

Here are some examples of what the levels mean for various stats.  Level interpretation may be altered to fit player’s character concept.  Also, the meaning of certain stats can be modified by other stats – as seems appropriate for the character.

 

SOCIAL ATTRIBUTES:

Fame:

0 – no one has ever heard of you.

1 – no one knows of you outside of your family.

2 – you are known in your home town, but not necessarily anywhere else.

3 – someone at Roanoke Academy may have heard of you.

4 – A few people may know who you are, possibly because of your family members.

5 – average

6 – recognized occasionally, known at school

7 – relatively well know

8 – distinctly known.  Certain people have a strong reaction to you (true of 9 and 10, too.)

9 – very well know…family or name recognized most of the time.

10 – known by all the World of the Wise/or Unwary world

            *                      *                      *

* – famous in both the Wise and Unwary world.

 

Fortune:

0 – No money and in debt.

1 – $20 to your/your families name

2 – poor but you at least have your books and robe…though old and tattered

3- respectable poor

4 – middle class but struggling

5 – middle class – not wealthy but respectable

6 – middle class – well off

7 – well-to-do

8 – distinctly wealthy

9 – quite rich, fortune 500 level

10 – extraordinary rich, might own a small country or major corporation

            *                      *                      *

* – Richie Rich level.  Wealthy in Wise and Unwary world

 

Family:

0 – you live in horrible horrible circumstances

1 – you are mistreated by your family and liked by no one

2 – you are mistreated but someone, the old grandma?, likes you.

3 – your family life is lousy.

4 – your family life is decent but you don’t get along with certain members.

5 – your family life is average. Some good, some bad.

6 – your family life is nice/for Unwary, your family life is very good.

7 – your family is good, and you’re well liked by several members./ Highest for Unwary.

8 – your family is very supportive.  You have at least one sibling at school.

9 – your family is really supportive. You have several family members at school.

10 – your family is large and supportive.  They all attend Roanoke.

            *                      *                      *

* – your large family adores you.  The Dean at Roanoke is your great aunt.

 

 Familiar:

0 – no familiar

1 – your familiar can’t do anything and often gets lost

2 – your familiar can do almost nothing and is troublesome

3 – your familiar is troublesome, but helps you when you really need it.

4 – your familiar helps you.  It does what it’s supposed to do, but little more.

5  – your familiar helps you and is a good companion.

6 – your familiar helps you and can be sent to do simple tasks.

7 – your familiar is very intelligent and can be sent to do complicated tasks.

8 – your familiar is can communicate with you through signs.

9 – your familiar your familiar can talk, at least to you and has a talent of its own.

10 – your familiar can talk.  It’s very intelligent and can do some magic. 

            *                      *                      *

* – your familiar is a magical beast.

 

Friends: 

(Friends can apply to well-placed people or cronies.)

0 – you know no one outside your family.

1 –  you have a friend in the outside world

2 – you know people in your local area.

3  – You know the name of another student – family friend.

4 – You have a contact at Roanoke.  A friend, a facility member.

5 – you know one well-placed Wise or 1 Roanoke staff member.

6 – you know two well-placed Wise or have two cronies. Or a teacher at Roanoke.

7 – You know an important Unwary.  (Parliament Member, Agent, or the Dean, etc.)  Or, you lead a small gang.

8 – You know two or three important Wise or you lead a larger gang. (Or some of both.)

9 – You know a number of important Wise, or you lead a club or are captain of a sport.

10 – You are an intimate of both the Dean at Roanoke and the Grand Inquisitor. All the professors love you (unless you take one as an enemy.) 

            *                                  *                                  *

* –You have well placed contacts in both the Wise and Unwary world. The president (or the leader of your country) knows you and like you.

 

 

SORCERY  ATTRIBUTES:

Scholastic Aptitude:

This controls your ability to learn and your accuracy.

0 – mentally retarded.

1 –  no ability to learn. You will not be able to attend school. –50% modifier to tests and schoolwork.

2 – very slow learner–30% modifier. Your magic is inordinately in accurate.

3 – you are a lousy student.  –15% modifier to quizzes. – basically least a student should have. You almost never hit your target.

4 – not the best student, but okay.  –5% modifier.  You tend to miss your target half the time.

5 – no modifier.  Average student.

6 – +5 % modifier to Scholarly subjects.

7 – Good student, learns quickly.  + 10% to Scholarly subjects. Can instantly memorize lists of 25 things. Magic is quite accurate.

8 – +15%  to Scholarly subjects. Very bright, learns rapidly. Can memorize long list quickly. Particular good in two areas. Very accurate.

9 – +20%  to Scholarly subjects. Excellent student. Can memorize whole pages. – fully familiar with one subject. Two areas of specialty. Almost never miss.

10 –  Extraordinary student. Learns tremendously rapidly +25% to Scholarly subjects.  Can memorize and recite whole text books. Good at three subjects. One area of tremendous knowledge (like a super math wiz or knows everything about plants.) Never misses.

            *                      *                      *

* – Extraordinary student.  Photographic memory.  + 40% to Scholarly subjects.

 

Innate Magic:

This is your innate natural magic. It is the amount of magic in you and governs how strong your spells are when you cast them.

0 – You have no magic.

1 – You have never used magic. It comes to you only with great difficulty 

2 – You once turned your cousin’s nose purple. Performing magic is difficult. 

3 – You can produce weird effects when you are angry but effects are minimal.

4 – You can produce a small charm from innate ability. Effects are ordinary.    

5 – Effects are as expected but magic without a wand (such as broomstick calling) is still hard.

6 – Magic come easily. You can do divination or summon a broomstick to your hand easily. 

7 – You have 1 spell you can do without training. The effect of your spells are more powerful than average. You have a talent in one innate magic subject.

8 – You have 2 spells you can do without training and two talents in innate magic subject.  Your spells are impressive

9 – You can do 1 entire type of magic naturally. You have a talent in two other innate magic areas, plus a minor hidden power.  Your spells are dramatic.

10 – You are a natural at 3 types of innate magic and have a major hidden power. Your spells are extraordinary.

            *                      *                      *

* –You are a natural at all innate magic. Your effects are spectacular.  You have a dread destiny! (If this * is used below a 10, you have a destiny but not a dread one.)

 

Perception:

This stat has to do with how sensitive you are to magic: seeing ghosts, getting intuitions, having visions.

0 –  Completely mundane. Cannot see ghosts, feel creeped out feelings or anything.

1 –  Occasionally gets a creepy feeling if ghosts or great magic is present…but normally not.

2 –  Can get creeped out by magical presences, but cannot see ghosts or scry.

3 –  Can make out ghosts, gets creeped out. Difficulty with scrying.

4 –  Can see ghosts. Scrying is a struggle.

5 –  Average, sees ghosts, can occasionally sense a magical presence. Scrying success occasionally.

6 –  Sees ghosts, senses presences, may have had a vision once. Scrying success slightly more often.

7 –  Aware of magical forces, may have vision in extraordinary situation, reasonable scryer.

8 –   Sensitive to magical forces, strong emotion sometime brings on visions. Good scryer.

9 –   Very sensitive and scrying comes easily, open to visions. Can sometimes sense advanced invisibility.

10 –  Regularly has visions, can discern very accurate information with scrying, can see through all but the most advanced invisibility.

            *                      *                      *

* –  Can invoke visions at will (if there is anything to envision.)

 

Body:

(Body stats can be modified to emphasize one quality over another.  Example: +2 to size –2 to appearance, to play a big hulking guy.)

0 – paralyzed

1 – wheel chair

2 – serious physical trouble.

3 – Lowest a student can have.  You are sickly.

4 – You are weaker and scrawnier than most kids your age. And shorter.

5 – Average.

6 – A bit tougher than average

7 – Athletic and attractive.

8 – Quick and strong (and or tall, as you wish.) Good looking

9 – Quick, strong, resilient, and attractive.  (tall if you wish.) really attractive

10 – Gorgeous, fast, strong, (tall if you wish.)

            *                      *                      *

12 – Can participate in any Olympic level sport. Shocking level of beauty

 

 

Any Stat can be modified to fit a character concept. For instance, you could buy down a stat in one area and put the points you took away into another area. Examples:

 

I have a Scholarly of 7. I want to be really good at Math. I chose to put my language skills down two points to a 5 and my Math up to an 9. My character learns at a 7, except in Math class, where she excels, or in language where she is merely an average student.

 

Or, I have a body of 6 for my overall athletics. So I put my appearance up 2 to an 8 and reduce my size to a 4. So, my athletics are at a 6. I am also am quite pretty but petite.