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HogWarts: A Beginning...

Since there seems to be a shortage of games for newbies (though it is not just for newbies, all are welcome to send their ideas), I might as well advertise my Ars Magica as well. It will be run on either a Monday evening or a Wednesday evening, starting kinda early and ending not too late.

OK... here is the deal. There are 4-5 places available. It is not going to based on first come-first serverd basis. Instead, I am going to be chosing players depending on their character ideas and the houses they belong to (you do not have to belong to Gryffindor), as I want to start the party off as characters that know each other quite well. You can submit multiple character ideas if you wish.

What I plan to do, is run a short module based in the setting with pre-generated characters. This will allow the players (and myself) get to grips with the Ars Magica rules without it affecting your eventual character. Once the module is over, the characters from the module will become NPCs ? in my main game.

The game is going to be standard Ars Magica 4th Ed, and only once we are all very familiar with the rules will I start adding in house rules for more advanced combat/magic.

Story:
Since the dawn of time, from the first time a person with the gift for magic was born, the tradition has always been "One master, one apprentice". But these are enlightened times. It is the dawn of a new era. yes, The year 1193 will always be remembered as the year the Magical Community was born. For that is the year that the schools of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute were opened.

Yes, three schools from three different countries all with the same goal: To create better mages, in less time. In each school, there are at least 1 mage from each of the Houses in the Order of Hermes, but no one student will be a follower of just one house. Instead they will be split up into 4 new houses, which will be based on at least three of the current Houses in the Order of Hermes. And soon, we will amalgamate these four house into one house, and the Order of Hermes will be free of the political backstabbing, intrigue and visciousness that has plagued it in the past.

Also, each year's class will (hopefully) be made up of at least 12 students, and thus we will be strengthening our numbers for the years to come. For too long has the Domain of Reason and the Domain of Faith been gaining ground on the Domain of Magic. We are losing more and more places of Magic to these new realms. Before long, if unchecked, these realms will overrun the world and Magic will be lost forever.

Godric Gryffindor, ex-follower of Bonisagus (now Founder of House Gryffindor)

That was 10 years ago... this is now. You are the product of the first class of Hogwarts. Instead of 15 years to become a mage, you passed your gauntlet after just 10 years of being an apprentice. Sorry, not apprentice... student. Some say, they want to cut down even that time to 5 years. Madness.

You do not know if you are even ready to be a mage. The mages from the official Houses are claiming that your gauntlets were purposefully made too easy, so that you would pass. They have demanded that you pass their tests, before the masters (sorry, the teachers) at Hogwarts can claim that their experiment is a success.

Your teachers say that you can do anything... but, are you that sure?

All the players will come from either Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin or Gryffindor. Forget Harry Potter, Voldemort, Ron etc... they are not even a twinkle in their great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather's eye... cos he has not even been born yet. I will still be using the same character chreation rules as in ArM4 ?, but with one or two minor tweaks. As a starting out guideline, the houses are split up as follows (after doing some more thinking, and talking to some players, there are a few changes):

Slytherin:	Colours: Green and Silver	http://www.xperts.co.za/reuel/shield_sly.jpg	Animal Mascot: The Serpent
Tremere	Mages that care about political position and purity of the Magic Community
Tytalus	Mages that are intrigued by conflict, and work to creating more
Quaesitoris	The judges of the Order of Hermes, and the enforcers of the Code
Some Bjornaer mages may find themselves sorted into House Slytherin
Salazar Slytherin believed that only pure-blood witches and wizards should be allowed to attend Hogwarts. He got into an argument with Godric Gryffindor about this and eventually left the school. Salazar Slytherin prized certain qualities in his hand-picked students: Parseltongue - resourcefulness - determination - a certain disregard for rules.

Ravenclaw:	Colours: Blue and Bronze	http://www.xperts.co.za/reuel/shield_rav.jpg	Animal Mascot: The Eagle
Bonisagus	Mages that are good at creating new spells
Verditius	Mages that are good at creating new magical items
Criamon	Enigmatic mages looking for new experiences, even if it means Wizard's Twilight
Some Tytalian mages may find themselves sorted into House Ravenclaw
Rowena Ravenclaw came up with the ever-changing floor plan for HogWarts. She's best remembered for her intelligence and creativity. She is said to have stated: "We will teach those whose intelligence is surest." She likes smart, inventive and curious students.

Gryffindor:	Colours: Red and Gold	http://www.xperts.co.za/reuel/shield_gry.jpg	Animal Mascot: The Lion
Bjornaer	Mages who can shapeshift into beasts
Flambeau	Battle mages with an affinity for the elements, especially fire
Mercere	Mages that deal with, and are messengers for, other Mages
Some Ex Miscellaneous mages may find themselves sorted into House Gryffindor
Godric Gryffindor believed that anyone who showed magical ability should be allowed to attend HogWarts. The Sorting Hat belongs to Gryffindor. His has a sword, with rubies in the handle, and a phoenix familiar. He prizes students with great bravery, loyalty and hardiness.

Hufflepuff:	Colours: Yellow and Black	http://www.xperts.co.za/reuel/shield_huf.jpg	Animal Mascot: The Badger
Jerbiton	Mages that deal with Muggles
Merinita	Mages that deal with Faeries
Ex Miscellaneous	Druids and other nature mages
Some Criamon mages may find themselves sorted into House Hufflepuff
Helga Hufflepuff brought people from different walks of life together to help build HogWarts and was loved for her charming ways. She prizes students that do not seem to fit anywhere else. Those with magic slightly different to the norm. The outcasts and stragglers find there way to this house.

That's it for now.

You can mail me with your character ideas ( a few lines on what kind of character you want to play will be fine ), and I will get back to everyone who responds... eventually.