OSR: Magical Industrial Revolution - Loxdon College Pt. 1: Courses and Halls

Magical Industrial Revolution is designed to support many different game types. The most obvious, and the most playtested, is dropping Endon into a generic fantasy setting and letting generic fantasy PCs interact with its moving (and exploding) parts.

Since most of my usual players were involved in test games, I'll need to run a different sort of game to make use of MIR. I'd also like to use bits from other books and blogs (Electric Bastionland's background/item tables, Goodberry Monthly's Wizard City material).

Nothing in this post is canonical, just as nothing in MIR is canonical. Everything changes.

Jan Matejko

Academic Magic

You are students at Loxdon College. You're not nessesarily a Wizard; more politicians in Endon can handle a broadsword than one might expect. You could be the paid bodyguard or servant of a student.

Loxdon College grudgingly allows women to attend, provided they fill out additional paperwork and follow obscure restrictions. Interestingly, the ancient College Charters make no provision for slug-people, phase-shifted entities, obligate polymorphs, or anyone else that might wish to check off [other] on a form. The general standard is the "beard test"; if it can grow a beard, it counts as male. This famously lead to Hamish Philostratus enrolling a mossy boulder as a student while shouting "Behold, a Man!". Some women carry false beards on campus to deter sticklers. Others carry wands of disintegrate, which tends to be a better deterrent.

You level up every Season, provided you pass your exams and survive the term.

You pass classes by completing  and Extra Credit Projects.

Each Season, students select a Major. For Wizards, this determines spells. For other classes, this might just be helpful background information.

Students also roll 2 Courses off the d100 table of Courses. (Optional: A PC can elect to take a Course another PC is taking or roll.) Lecturers offer courses at their discretion. PCs cannot take the same Course twice (unless they failed the first time).

At the start of the Season, students roll to see if they are currently passing their Major and their 2 Courses. Passing requires a grade of 51%. Passing with Distinction requires a grade of 80% or higher.

A grade is determined by: [The PC's Intelligence score] + [the Course's Difficulty score] + [some listed dice].

A student's Major is Int+35+1d4! (1d4 exploding, on a 4 roll an additional 1d4).

E.g. "Lyric Poetry in Ancient Gronk", which everyone agrees is a dead easy Course, is Int+40+1d20. You'd have to be as thick as two short planks not to pass. 

E.g. "Higher Thaumic Field Theory", which nobody fully understands except the lecturer, and even then only when they've had their special medicine, is Int+20+2d8.

If a PC is currently passing their Major or a Course, they don't need to worry.

If they are failing, there always extra credits available for dangerous activities, dungeon delves, looted treasure, and experimental work. Test new innovations. Track down escaped monsters, addled undergraduates, absent-minded professors, and students in arrears. Loxdon College wants to produce competent students... just not necessarily very many of them.

At the end of the Season, students roll grades for their Major and 2 Courses again (adding any bonuses for extra credit work). They can choose to take the new grade or keep the old one.

Once each Season, a PC can say "They Really Really Tried" for a +10 bonus to a Course or their Major.

If a PC fails one or more Courses, they don't level up that Season.

If a PC fails all their courses, they are put on Academic Probation, and must pass all their Courses next season or be expelled. Expelled students are forever barred from calling themselves wizards (or lawyers, etc.). Ancient law also says the Chancellor can lop two fingers off an expelled student. It's rare for students to be expelled; they either die while trying to improve their grades or quit.

Tuition at Loxdon College is 15gp per Season. Membership in a Hall or Academy (mandatory) is another 15-30gp per Season. Education is expensive.

This system is still in playtesting, and may be altered.

Month	Month (Real)	Month (Fictional)	Activity
1	January	Portia	Off-Season
2	February	Malbrogia	Roll Grades
3	March	Stump
4	April	Fillia
5	May	Omnia
6	June	Lestia
7	July	Hadria	Roll Grades Again
8	August	Clept	Off-Season
9	September	Paislia	Off-Season
10	October	Bastia	Off-Season
11	November	Doria	Off-Season
12	December	Destros	Off-Season

1d100	Courses at Loxdon College	Difficulty	Lecturer
1	Potion Miscibility Studies	Int+30+1d20	Prof. Barns
2	Nonessential Salts	Int+40+1d6
3	Phlogiston Distillation	Int+35+2d6
4	Principal Underground Rivers	Int+40+3d6	Prof. Wosgrab
5	Lost Islands and Continents	Int+25+3d10
6	Disagreeable Masonry and Columns	Int+40+1d10
7	Pendulum Harmonics	Int+25+3d8	Prof. Ziler
8	Tension in Unmoderated Solids	Int+30+3d6
9	Compression of Unusual Liquids	Int+35+2d6
10	Uses of Sieves and Filters	Int+30+2d20
11	Foundations of Endon	Int+30+3d6	Prof. Runcible (MIR pg. 12)
12	History of the Fifty-Six Years' War	Int+30+3d6
13	Dynasties of the Upper Rogat River	Int+40+1d20
14	Architecture Through The Ages	Int+30+2d20
15	Nomads and their Uncouth Ways	Int+25+3d10
16	Failed Parliamentary Reforms	Int+30+2d10
17	A History of Endonian Statuary	Int+40+1d10	Prof. Optott
18	Existential Countermeasures	Int+30+3d6
19	Sites of Ancient Magic	Int+25+3d8
20	Standing and Recumbent Stones	Int+30+3d6
21	The Intelligence of Enchantments	Int+30+3d6	Prof. Carmot (MIR pg. 90)
22	Practical Golem Logic	Int+25+3d10
23	Nebulous Mathematical Analysis	Int+35+2d6
24	Recent Runes	Int+30+3d6	Prof. Turnspit
25	Things That Should and Should Not Be	Int+30+1d10
26	Heretical Geometry	Int+35+2d6
27	Bibliomantic Analysis	Int+25+3d8
28	Meditations on Immortality	Int+35+2d6
29	Notable Prophecies	Int+40+2d6
30	Translating Inhuman Utterances	Int+35+3d6
31	History of Embalming	Int+40+1d10	Prof. Esilibum
32	So-Called "Ghosts" and Other Frauds	Int+40+1d6
33	Origin of Textiles	Int+40+3d6
34	Practical Haruspexy and Taxidermy	Int+40+1d10
35	Curse Mitigation	Int+25+3d8
36	Selected Fish Studies	Int+40+2d6	Prof. Theric
37	Corpuscular Theory	Int+40+1d6
38	Scapular Flow	Int+30+2d10
39	Truly Disgusting Anatomy	Int+30+2d8
40	Dredging and Dissection	Int+30+1d20
41	Lesser Ferns and Greater Ferns	Int+40+2d6	Prof. Chamberstoat
42	Advanced Horticulture	Int+30+2d6
43	Properties of Various Hardwoods	Int+40+1d20
44	Fundamentals of Alchemical Assays	Int+30+3d6	Prof. Glass
45	The Properties of Obscure Crystals	Int+30+2d6
46	Unusual Noises	Int+40+1d20
47	Overview of Approved Alchemical Theories	Int+20+2d10
48	Recursive Introduction to Philosophy	Int+40+2d6	Prof. Scalimoss
49	Introductory Recursive Philosophy	Int+20+1d20
50	Proof by Lightning Induction	Int+30+4d6
51	The Migration of Ley Lines	Int+30+2d20	Prof. Gortz
52	Phenomena of the Upper Air	Int+30+3d6
53	Lodestones and Ferric Properties	Int+30+2d10
54	Extraplanar Geometry	Int+20+2d10
55	Moderate Meteorology	Int+40+2d6
56	A Sanitized History of Necromancy	Int+40+1d20	Prof. Horton
57	Neo-osteoarchaeology	Int+30+2d6
58	Advanced Indices	Int+30+1d10	Prof. Nostrocalcine
59	Applied Illiteracy	Int+40+1d10
60	Relentless Logic	Int+30+2d10
61	Higher Thaumic Field Theory	Int+20+2d8	Prof. Revelston
62	Advanced Paradoxes	Int+20+2d10
63	Repairing Thaumic Manifolds	Int+35+3d6
64	Frictionless Metaphysics	Int+30+2d6
65	Unusual Cartography	Int+40+1d10	Prof. Fogel
66	The Lives of Beetles	Int+35+3d6
67	Induction and Interpretation of Dreams	Int+40+2d8	Prof. Scrute
68	Rangement of the Senses	Int+30+2d6
69	Applied Astrology	Int+40+1d20
70	Conjunctions of Celestial Bodies	Int+25+3d8
71	Inks and Unguents	Int+40+2d6	Prof. Ganderblast
72	Filtered Telepathy	Int+30+2d6
73	Improvisational Countermagic	Int+40+1d6
74	Speculative Herbology	Int+35+2d6	Prof. Morlund
75	Tinctures and Extracts	Int+40+1d20
76	Retrograde Inheritance Studies	Int+30+1d10
77	Approved Culinary Dark Arts	Int+30+1d20
78	Error Correction and Documentation	Int+30+3d6	Prof. Hextangle
79	Residual Thaumic Trace Theory	Int+30+1d10
80	Synthesis and Countersynthesis	Int+30+1d20
81	Dissecting Humourous References	Int+40+1d20	Prof. Nudgon
82	Contemptible Modern Literature	Int+40+1d10
83	Lyric Poetry in Ancient Gronk	Int+40+1d20
84	Tragic Poets of Early Endon	Int+40+2d8
85	Undirected Reading	Int+40+2d6
86	Boundaries and Wards	Int+30+3d6	Prof. Aster
87	Detection of Undetectable Signals	Int+20+3d6
88	Intermediate Rift Stabilization	Int+30+1d10
89	Musical Theory of the Spheres	Int+30+3d6
90	Counterharmonic Alloys	Int+30+2d20
91	People Who Have Wronged Me	Int+40+2d6	Prof. Loam
92	Unorthodox Debating	Int+30+1d20
93	Introductory Cipher Theory	Int+20+1d20
94	Metasystemic Analysis	Int+30+3d6
95	The Acts of the Eleven Tyrants	Int+35+2d6	Prof. Hark
96	Military History of Endon	Int+40+1d6
97	Gunpowder Improvement Studies	Int+30+2d6
98	Emotional Control of Small Animals	Int+40+1d10	Prof. Jariclave
99	Training Through Moderate Torture	Int+30+2d20
100	History of Poisons	Int+30+3d6

Laurent Gapaillard

Loxdon College

Loxdon College is not, when the game starts, the chaotic heap of history and magic that you might expect. It's not Goodberry Monthly's Wizard City, The Unseen Unversity, Hogwarts, Castle Heterodyne, etc. It doesn't have basements full of secrets, floating buildings, hallways that lead into the past... or if it does, it doesn't have too many of them. It is a fairly normal and down-to-earth place... at first.

As the game's Tempo increases, Loxdon College will change, but it will also change because of the PCs. The PCs are the ones who will found the Order of the Ebony Chalice, open a portal to the moon in a broom closet, fund a new building, destroy and old one, and alter the very fabric of academic reality. They're the founders of a new tradition! They're the ones who future generations of students will name cautiously and with reverence.

Or maybe not. We'll see how it goes.
 

History of Loxdon College

When Endon was just a trading post on a river ... boiled him alive, but not before ... the First Founders ... a group of itinerant turnip-sellers ... believed in education by proximity to knowledge .... the Eightfold Duel and Cogfallow Night ... full of spiders ... and then the Great Reform ... first woman to successfully assassinate a Warden ... the Alchemists were, as usual, terribly sorry ...

Loxdon College has 1,000 students and, at present, 4 areas of study.
-History / Literature / Politics
-Law
-Medicine
-Magic

Given the popularity of Wizardry in Endon, assume half (500) of the students are studying Magic. In a four-year degree, assume 40% (200) are first-year students. Magical education is very dangerous and magical industry is very lucrative. Assume just over half survive to the second year (125), that leaves 75 third year, 50 fourth year students, and 50 post-graduates.

Each of the 10 Academies and Halls (see below) boasts around 100 students, unevenly distributed. Some contain as few as 10, some as many as 200.

Magical education is a dubious art. Shaping a student's brain to accumulate magical energy and store spells is not an exact science; the general theory is that proximity to other wizards and magical books will eventually produce the correct thaumic soul adjustments, turning a spotty and indolent student into a proper wizard. Some students (and some professors) seek an easier path, using powerful equipment, ancient rituals, or sheer terror to rapidly create wizards or instantly transfer knowledge. It rarely works.

Lada Da

Ranks and Roles

Chancellor
The head of Loxdon College. In most hierarchical organizations, power accumulates at the top. At Loxdon College, no one is entirely sure where power accumulates, but it's not in the Chancellor. Their job is to hold dinners, perform ceremonies, assist the Monarch when they encounter a headache-inducing problem, and placate various factions. Since no faction can ever (it seems) accumulate more than a 10% stake in Loxdon College, the Chancellor's job is both tedious and simple.
 
Bursar
The person in charge of money. Students (in theory) pay tuition, sometimes ruinously calculated. Staff (in theory) draw salaries, petition for grants, demand new buildings, and pay for equipment. Endon (in theory) throws handfuls of tax revenue at Loxdon College. In practice, nobody is entirely sure how Loxdon College's finances operate, least of all the Bursar.
 
Deans
Deans oversee a Field of Study. Traditionally, this included History, Law, Literature, Medicine, and Magic, though Magic's proliferation has lead to a nebulous assortment of Deans, as each Chancellor attempts to impose some sort of order on Loxdon College.

Each time a Dean of Magic is required, roll 1d4 for the number of Deans, then assign each Dean a school of magic (MIR pp. 75-76).
 
Warden
Each Hall and Academy is overseen by a Warden. The name was not chosen idly. Wardens have enormous powers within their building and very little outside of it.
 
Lecturers
Those who take up the difficult task of educating the ignorant, the indifferent, and the willfully obtuse. Lecturers have very little power, but are also immune to most consequences. They straddle the boundary between the Middle and Upper class. They are held to a certain standard of behavior, yet everyone accepts a degree of eccentricity. Lecturers in magic can call themselves Mage, Archmage, Magos, Interrogator, etc. Powerful wizards title themselves.
 
Postgraduates
Academic wizards too lowly to earn a position as a Lecturer, too blighted or dedicated to seek a lucrative position in Magical Industry, or too foolish to leave. Every serious researcher has a gaggle of Postgraduates willing to do their bidding. Ignore the patched robes, haunted eyes, and inkstained fingers; your average Postgraduate Wizard totes enough spellpower to knock a building off its foundations. Vaporizing a few undergraduates only results in paperwork. Postgraduates serve as Proctors during examinations.

Halls and Academies

In theory, Halls offer rooms and meals, while Academies offer rooms, meals, and some level of academic support, from tutors to dedicated lecturers. Loxdon College itself hosts most lecturers, workshops, laboritories, and examination halls.
 
1. The Academy Chronometric
Open To: All
Casual Uniform: White clock dial worn above the heart.
Formal Uniform: All white robes, sundial hat.
 
All students must swear, on a lump of primordial rock, to study "Tyme and Alle Its Workes", though the diligence or nature of this study is left unstated. Some see it as a quaint and meaningless ritual and treat the Academy Chronometric as any other hall. Others, openly or in secret, follow the Academy's original purpose. Paradoxes, time-copies, and casual madness are rife. Students are encouraged to keep lead-sealed journals.
 
2. Academy of Reformed Witchcraft
Open To: Women
Casual Uniform: Black conical hat.
Formal Uniform: Black conical hat, reinforced bodice with pockets, cloak, heels.
 
Several decades ago, a small number of magically-inclined women threatened to create a rival magic university in Endon. Loxdon College hastily absorbed the school, initiating the College's decline or signalling the start of a new era, depending on who you ask. Some citizens think the "Reformed" in the Academy's name is a joke made in poor taste. Rumours of Dread Necromancy, Moral Perversion, and other crimes with capital letters abound, assisted in no small measure by the Academy's younger scholars. Secret investigations and surprise audits have uncovered nothing of any real importance.
 

3. Delmott Academy
Open To: All
Casual Uniform: Brown tie, curled brown shoes.
Formal Unifrom: Brown tie, black cloak with red lining, curled brown boots with bows.

Originally founded as an Academy for law students, Delmott boasts quiet rooms, a profundal wine cellar, and the second-largest library of non-magical books on campus. Spellcasting within the Academy is forbidden, so it is only popular with academic wizards, those seeking a safe and insulated haven, and wizards who prefer stealth to spectacle.
 
4. Foster Hall
Open To: Women
Casual Uniform: Lace cravat.
Formal Uniform: White conical hat, lace shawl.

Initially advertised a hall for women studying medicine, Foster Hall adapted to the rising tide of magical interest by building a splendid new pentangle. It hasn't worked; most of the rooms are empty. Rumours of cursed stones, invasive scrying enchantments, and comically strict rules keep most prospective students away.
 

5. Goldplate Academy
Open To: All
Casual Uniform: Black scarf with silver stars, worn around the neck or as a sash.
Formal Uniform: Black cloak with silver stars.
 
A den of alchemists and dreamers. Goldplate's most celebrated tradition is the Admissions Rant, where prospective students try to convince current members to permit their enrollment. Bribery, catering, and magical displays are encouraged, but if all else fails, the student body looks for a solid five minutes of frothing and gesticulation. Rotten fruit, fake rules, and (in an emergency),  the Warden's disintegration ray are used to dissuade casual applicants. Women are permitted to join, but typically face a more hostile crowd during the Admissions Rant.
 
6. Longaxe Hall
Open To: Men
Casual Uniform: Red feather in hat. (Informally, a black eye and some scorch marks).
Formal Uniform: Blunt silver polearm, iron torc, red plumes.
 
A dueling club given legitimacy by age and real estate, Longaxe Hall has a dreadful reputation. By ancient decree of the Monarch, a member of Longaxe Hall cannot be charged with Murder or Violence against another member, provided the act takes place within the Hall. The stones are scorched and pitted. Students fortify dormitories, launch raids on academic rivals, and test the limits of Endon's laws. There is no place to gain better training in practical battle-magic. Women are not permitted to openly join, but anyone crazy enough to wear a false beard is acceptable.
 
7. Nedalward Hall
Open To: All
Casual Uniform: Red and yellow tie, cuffs.
Formal Uniform: Red and yellow checkered cloak, rowan staff.
 
Inclined towards radicalism, experimentalism, and drinking, Nedalward Hall is fertile ground for secret societies and student plots. Nedalward holds a monthly memorial service for students lost to mishaps, accidents, or duels. The Hall's main building is perpetually under construction. Legend says if it is ever completed, Endon College will vanish into the fog.
 
8. Mamseltrough Academy
Open To: All
Casual Uniform: Gold and red lozenge brooch.
Formal Uniform: Gold and red cloak, blue leather shoes.

The cheapest Academy at the College, Mamseltrough takes pride in its cold running water, its sturdy beds (no lice, some termites), and its sporting tradition. Students are expected to take up boxing, Whackit, rowing, full-contact chess, or any other sport to maintain their position at the Academy.
 
9. Scrutcher Hall
Open To: Men
Casual Uniform: Purple tie, usually thin and with a family's crest on a silver pin.
Formal Uniform: Purple silk robe, white circular fur hat.

The oldest hall, and the most reactionary. Relatively few members are Wizards. Most are destined for careers in politics, and spend their time gambling, participating in team sports, smoking, and eating enormous dinners. They have the best buildings, the finest wine, and the most secrets. No one is admitted without society connections, a good name, and a substantial donation.
 
10. Some Saints Hall
Open To: All
Casual Uniform: Blue tie with narrow white stripes.
Formal Uniform: White wig, blue and white zig-zag robes.
 
Endon is not particularly religious. As Loxdon College expanded, a small temple was deconsecrated and converted into a student residence. The irreverent nickname "Some Saints" stuck. The Hall's most notable feature, aside from its excellent dinners, is its Warden. The exiled Lamassu Gilgath II, cursed to only tread on deconsecrated ground, has seen generations of students pass through the Hall. Gilgath II cannot distinguish individual students, but can detect lies with frightening specificity and deliver immediate punishment.

W. Cade Gall

Clubs and Societies

Loxdon College doesn't have a Students' Union, a Student Newspaper, or even a half-decent secret society. The PCs can invent them.

The Ergot Club
Gambling, drinking, and knife-fighting. Prospective members have to pass three challenges, usually involving theft or mischief.

The Hidden Arena
Monster fights in a buried amphitheater. The faculty know about it and sometimes place bets, but submitting their own monsters is considered unfair to the students.

The Most Worshipful Shudderers
A fake religion (or so they claim) with fake rituals, fake robes, fake secret meetings, and fake prophecies. A good excuse to dress up and denounce people.

The Young Gumperts & The Young Bogs
The Gumperts stand for Endon Values, Harsh Penalties, and The Good Old Days. Their colour is green. The Bogs stand for Lower Taxes, Endon Prosperity, and More Wars. Their colour is blue.

Members of prosperous old familes are expected to toe the party line, associate with their future allies in Parliament, and politely shun the incomprehensible politics of the other side. The two clubs tend to attract stuffy and boring students who enjoy the company of other stuffy and boring students. Both have plenty of memmbers, but almost no one turns up to meetings unless food is provided.