100+ Oddities for an Arcane Academy
Whether it is venerable institutions like Hogwarts or Strixhaven or some of the more obscure examples of such places, fantasy boarding schools have become all the rage with people who never had to go to boarding school! Enjoy the following list of Oddities for a Fantasy School while reflecting how much better school in general would have been if there really had been Choosing Hats and the Muggles had been kept under control …
1. A pair of intricately tooled leather boots. One of the boots has a loose heel that swings open on a hinge, revealing a small compartment. The compartment contains (1d4): 1) a small packet of pipeweed; 2) a folded note covered with mathematical formulas, written in tiny script; 3) a small copper amulet engraved with the symbol of a forbidden cult; 4) a ring carved from a single piece of amethyst.
2. A pair of old black boots, tied together by their bootlaces, dangle from an inaccessible but prominent eave. The initials “E.A.C.” are inked into the insider upper of each boot.
3. A glossy red sandal, which radiates faint magic, is fashioned from reptilian hide. If the second sandal, located elsewhere on the campus, is found and both sandals are worn, the wearer becomes completely immune to mundane fire or heat.
4. A rectangular wooden box with a hinged lid contains a pair of old cloth slippers that smell of lavender. The inside of the lid is carved with arcane runes which cause any item enclosed in the box overnight to become clean and smelling of lavender.
5. A set of blood-soaked student robes lie in a shadowy corner. The blood is still congealing and several large holes have been punched through the fabric.
6. A thick pull-over sweater bearing a large replica of the school seal on its front and back. If worn, the sweater will quickly (1d6 x 10 seconds) shrink, becoming impossible to remove, and slowly suffocating the wearer. The sweater can only be removed by cutting. Once removed, it mends itself over the course of a day.
7. A petite silk chemise and a set of coarse wool underpants hang from out-of-reach light fixtures.
8. A leather satchel sits unattended. The enchanted bag contains a half-dozen esoteric tomes related to herbology and, if lifted, weighs only a pound. The satchel’s enchantment is specific to paper, parchment, and vellum, and renders those objects weightless when contained within; other objects weigh as much as usual.
9. A stool sits in the middle of the room. A pointed red cap lies on the stool. Anyone wearing the cap while they are seated on the stool will learn twice as quickly as normal; however, they will suffer from debilitating headaches that evening.
10. A black cloth bag contains a polished red apple. A thin piece of wire (50% likely to notice) has been forced into apple’s core.
11. A purple hand blow glass bottle about a foot tall sits among a dozen similar green bottles. The purple bottle’s cork is encased in a lead seal which is embossed with a pentagram. A fly with glowing eyes flits about inside the bottle. If the bottle is opened or broken, the fly instantly grows to the size of a dog and attacks the closest individual.
12. A stubby telescope, about a 1’ long and almost as wide, is mounted on a brass tripod. The body of the telescope is fashioned from a hollowed-out log; the lenses seem to be fashioned from delicate sheets of copper and zinc. When focused correctly, the telescope can see through up to ten feet of non-metallic materials, although the resulting image is monochrome and slightly blurred.
13. An iron ruler, a silver triangle, and a copper drawing compass lie on a sheet of vellum. Drawn on the vellum are the plans for (1d4): 1) a simple wheel; 2) an incredibly complex glider; 3) doodled caricatures of the instructors; 4) a map showing a secret location on the university campus.
14. A set of delicate platinum scissors with inch-long blades. Given time, the scissors, which never become dull, can cut through any material that is softer than steel.
15. An old, dog-eared book missing its front and back cover. Closer examination shows it to be (1d4): 1) The Incomplete Manual of Agile Accomplishment; 2) A True Account of the Crystal Oracle; 3) A Child’s Guide to the Crimson Fury; 4) A Selective Menu of Happy Little Recipes. The margins are filled with supplemental notes written in assorted languages which may, at the Storyteller’s option, contain useful clues.
16. A dozen thimble-sized porcelain cups sit on a small ink-stained wooden platter. Eleven of the cups are filled with a variety of unusual colored inks; the twelfth cup contains a clear fluid that will erase ink upon contact, whether dry or wet.
17. An old pitcher is filled with abnormally large writing quills. Closer examination shows that the quills come from a variety of unusual animals (e.g., ostrich, griffon, roc, Stymphalian birds, cockatrice).
18. A thick book with an orange lacquered wood cover. The book contains a hundred pages of delicate rose-scented paper. The first ten pages are filled with diligent notes about the faerie realm; the next ten contain a few class notes interspersed with fragments of bawdy poetry; the last entry details a random magical spell. The remaining 79 pages appear to be blank.
19. Three sheets of sheer, translucent vellum covered with random ink marks and geometric shapes. If the three sheets are stacked and aligned correctly, they reveal (1d4): 1) a magic spell; 2) a tedious poem from a love-sick student that begins with “My weeping hearts burn for your frosty essence…”; 3) a variety of facts about lycanthropes; 4) detailed notes taken from a tome of forbidden lore.
20. A crimson skullcap encircled by a broad yellow brim. The inside of the skullcap has several strands of greasy black hair, a few scorch marks, and thick chunks of oily dandruff. Small red mites feast on the dandruff flakes.
