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Mischief
Post-PAX East 2017 version (1.2) Mischief
You are students at the Young Wizards’ School
for Arcane Excellence, learning to harness and
hone your Gift. A Dark Curse has fallen upon
the Headmistress, leaving the staff and faculty in
an uproar; classes are still in session, but all the
distraction makes a great opportunity for magic
and mischief!
Players: Create characters
1 Choose a role for your character: All-Star, Bookworm,
Bully, Good Egg, New Kid, Rascal, Weirdo
2 Choose a style for your character: Clumsy, Eager, Free-
Spirited, Heroic, Gifted, Serious, Shy. (Bonus style:
Orphaned; can only be chosen by one player, decide youngest
to oldest!)
3 Choose your number, from 2 to 5. A high number means
you’re better at MAGIC (casting spells; intuition; direct,
passionate action). A low number means you’re better at
MISCHIEF (sneaking; negotiating; lying; subtle, considered
action).
4 Give your character a fun magical mystery name. Like
Hieronymus Mumple or Jessica Starfeather. Ask another player
to give your character a nickname; you can take it or leave it,
but that won’t stop anyone else from using it!
You have: a school uniform (comfortable, durable, with lots of
pockets), a magical focus (amulet, ring, wand or some other
item; used for casting spells), a familiar (a small creature,
maybe alive, maybe clockwork, maybe magic, good for sending
messages, amongst other things).
Player goal: Get your character involved in magical mysteries
and embrace the trouble they get into.
Character goal: Choose one or create your own: Become Top
Boy/Girl, Create Something New, Break Free From Your
Family’s Legacy, Honor Your Family’s Legacy, Impress
Someone You Like, Prove Your Worth, Thwart Evil-doers,
or Solve Magical Mysteries.
Players: Create your school
As a group, pick three strengths for your school: An Extensive
Library, Distracted Faculty, Many Secret Passageways and
Tunnels, Mostly-Friendly Ghosts, Nearby Village, Well
Regarded Mageball Team.
Also, pick two problems: Dark Past (terrible things once
happened here), Dangerous Environs (the area around the
school is home to monsters… or worse!) Far From Home
(secluded and cut-off from most other comforts), Poorly
Funded (low supplies and many things old and worn-out),
Unpleasant Rivalries (student Houses or classes often cause
trouble for others), Very Attentive Staff (always on the
lookout for wayward students).
Transmuted by Kevin “Chroma” Petker kpetker@gmail.
GM: Create a Magical Mystery
Based on
 & Feelings by John Harper
This game is licensed under a BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/
Roll or choose from the table below
A THREAT ...
Rules: Rolling the dice 1. The Nameless One 4. A Rival School
When you do something risky, say what you’re doing and roll
1d6 to find out how it goes. Roll +1d if you’re prepared and 2. A Fickle Godling 5. The Mundanes
+1d if you’re an expert or have an appropriate magic item.
(The GM tells you how many dice to roll, based on your 3. A Disgraced Instructor 6. One of Their Parents
character and the situation.) Roll your dice and compare
each die result to your number. WANT(S) TO ...
1. Destroy / Corrupt 4. Protect / Empower

If you’re using magic (spells, passion), you want to roll 2. Steal / Capture 5. Transform / Alter
under your number.
 If you’re using mischief, (deception, thought) you want 3. Possess / Control 6. Shame / Discredit
to roll over your number. THE …
0 If none of your dice succeed, it goes wrong. the GM says how
1. Newest Teacher 4. School Mascot
things get worse somehow.
1 If one die succeeds, you barely manage it. the GM inflicts a 2. Font of Dreams 5. Other Realm
complication, harm, or cost.
2 If two dice succeed, you do it well. Good job! 3. Last Talisman 6. Very School Itself
3+ If three or more dice succeed, you get a critical success! The GM WHICH WILL …
tells you some extra effect you get.
! If you roll your number exactly, you experience MAGICAL 1. Put an End to Magic 4. Reveal all Secrets
MISCHIEF! You get a special insight into what’s going on; ask the GM a
question for each die showing your number and they’ll answer you 2. Change Everything 5. Release an Evil
honestly. Some good questions:
What are they really feeling? Who’s behind this? How could I get them to 3. Pierce the Veil 6. Bring Peace
_____? What should I be on the lookout for? What’s the best way to _____?
What’s really going on here?
GM: Run the game
You can change your action if you want to, then roll again. Play to find out how they defeat the threat. Introduce the
threat by showing evidence of its recent badness. Before a
HELPING: If you want to help someone else, who’s rolling, threat does something to the characters, show signs that it’s
about to happen, then ask them what they do. “The
say how you try to help and make a roll. if you succeed, give
them +1d Clockwork Custodian is clattering closer to your hiding spot.
What do you do?”, “Professor Greywand is about to read the
note you tried to slip to Winona. What do you do?”
GETTING HURT: If you’re hurt, really tired, or in some other
way in bad shape, the GM may ask you to roll one less d6 than Call for a roll when the situation is uncertain. Don’t pre-plan
usual. Yes, this does mean you could roll 0d6! Better hope outcomes—let the chips fall where they may. Use failures to
push the action forward. The situation always changes after
you made some friends.
a roll, for good or ill.
Ask questions and build on the answers. “Do any of you
have experience with Fire Drakes? How? What happened?”
GM: Some advice
As the players create their characters, ask questions to fill
out details about the school and world around it.
Some good ones: What are your favorite classes? How are
Other than the obvious, here are some inspirations: students organized, by level, age, or house or some other
gunnerkrigg.com way? What do non-magical people think of the school? Is
there another school that is a particular rival?.
badmachinery.com
www.jamespotterseries.com/indexOriginal.html
Thanks to: Dave, Drew, Hank, Lauren, John, Rob, Vincent, and my wife and wee ones. Couldn’t have done this without you.