“Where do you go when you graduate from Hogwarts?”
That question was very much on our minds as we set out to create Scarthey, the University of the Arcane, which we introduced in our newest book Welcome to Scarthey.
Scarthey was a way for us to explore the 8 traditional schools of magic and set them right up front in our setting. We wanted to build a University that could plug into most other settings, especially your home brew. In fact, Scarthey started as just that, a location in our home brew that Bob, Scarthey’s artist, ran for our group. So when Bob came to me with the idea for the book he already had much of Scarthey mapped out, literally, and had decided on most of the faculty that makes up Scarthey’s cast of characters. I got to fill in the gaps, add in mechanics, history, houses, games, and more, it was loads of fun.
We introduce four Houses of Scarthey, which were a real joy to write up. I wanted each house to give players plenty of flavor to work with, while at the same time give game masters some ideas of how they might make their own houses or dorms. If you wanted to build Gryffindor, for example, you could use the existing houses as a template, using alignments and traits to build the character of the house.
Scarthey needed its own sport, but I didn’t want to build a quidditch clone. There’s so much more magic to tap into than flying broomsticks, and at the same time I wanted our wizard sport to be grittier, like what rugby is to soccer. This is a roleplaying game setting, so giving the players an opportunity for more RP was a must. The spell, speak with dead, was a great fit, because it’s such a specific spell with very specific limitations. Cast it on the head of a goblin, add in ‘anything goes’ rules and you’ve got a recipe for fun times. And so Cackleball was invented.
Welcome to Scarthey, like our Field Guides, was written as something you might find in the setting itself — a guide to new students. Compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, it’s the perfect introduction to Scarthey and the adventures that await within!
Have you ever wanted to study the arcane? Enroll today!
[Editor’s note: Rodney Sloan (of Rising Phoenix Games) is a friend of Stuffer Shack, and has several awesome supplements already out there. I like this book in particular, so I’m including a few bullet points of what’s in the book. Also, the PDF is only $6.95.]
This 66 page book includes:
- An exploration of the tumultuous history of the University of Scarthey.
- An introduction to the staff and faculties of the University.
- A look at the four Houses of Scarthey, including campaign traits for each House.
- A map of the University and descriptions of all the major locations around Scarthey’s campus.
- A guide to the surrounding town of Scartheyton.
- A practical guide to the gruesome sport of cackleball and the competitive sport of dragon boat racing.
- Both a Single Page Spread PDF and a Double Page Spread PDF, stunningly illustrated, for your viewing pleasure.
