"Seems like it." Robin agrees with a sigh. "It was a nice walk we got in though, so not a total waste of time." She smiles as she tucks some of her red hair behind an ear, several strands having escaped from her braid.
Canon has seemed distracted since the group left the Witherbloom campus. He's happy to hang back and let Jedavii ask the questions, but as they are just turning to leave, he pipes up and asks the groundskeeper, "Um, excuse me, but why shouldn't we feed the fish? Does something happen if we do? Like, if they're fed at the wrong time they change from friendly scaly critters into nasty furry monsters? I remember reading a story like that once," his eyes widen as a thought strikes. "Could something like that have happened to the frogs?"
"I don't think it's that; they probably just have a regular feeding schedule." Jedavii watches the koi swirl in the water. "I'm sure this is something a bit more malevolent."
"Yes, we've got a feeding schedule, plus there's some foods that are bad for the fish. Of course, I'm sure no student would ever intentionally feed the fish anything that was bad for them, some folks just see animals and want to feed them. But we've got to keep them healthy, you know?" The dwarf says with a smile. "Anyway, I'll look into this so you all can get back to your studies. This is university, the best time of your life! You shouldn't have to spend it chasing down transforming frogs."
"Sounds good to me." Robin says, giving the groundskeeper a nod. She turns to her companions. "What do you say to going back and getting some lunch, dinner, or a drink?"
(OOC: Shall we hand-wave the trip to the tavern and move onto your first test of the school term? Or is there something else you all would like to do before then?)
The weekend passes, and the next week arrives without delay. You are all kept apprised of the situation regarding the frogs, and it seems that Yedora and her team of groundskeepers swept through Sedgemoor and found nothing abnormal about any of the frogs. The groundskeepers of Central Campus came to a similar conclusion. You are assured you that Campus Security will still be looking into this. In the meantime, you all get back to your schooling.
Review exercises are wrapping up for your first exam in Magical Physiologies class; Professor Verelda Lang has spent the last few minute of class randomly asking students to answer questions regarding the current unit on slaadi. "... That's half-correct, Miss Kapule; you are right that red slaadi eggs implanted in a host creature eventually grow to be blue slaadi, but you forgot one key caveat. If the host is capable of casting what the Strixhaven Spell Cataloging System classifies as 'third level spells', the tadpole grows into a green slaad. Remember that key distinction, it will definitely be on the test.
"Alright, everyone, that concludes today's review. Next time we meet will be our first big exam on slaadi! I encourage you all to study; if not to pass the class, you should at least do it so that you may continue to participate in your extracurricular activities. Remember, anyone who fails an exam is required by Strixhaven bylaws to be tutored by a junior faculty member until they pass the next exam. That means no time for silkball, band, chess club, or your shift at the Bow's End. So, please study. Thank you, that is all. See you on Friday! Please study!"
It's time for our first exam phase of the campaign! Here are the rules.
Each test comprises of two ability checks that must be passed to answer the test's questions to the fullest. But before we take the test, we first have to perform the Studying Phase. Each of you please choose any skill that you can justify using for studying - such as a history check for remembering information in your notes, a performance check to create helpful mnemonics, or a sleight of hand check to make up reminding gestures. The limit is your imagination. Roll a skill check using that skill. If you succeed the DC associated with the encounter, you get one reroll during the testing phase.
You can also choose to pull an all-nighter. You roll a skill check the same exact way, but if you succeed, you gain two rerolls for the testing phase. However, since you did not sleep the night before, you get one level of exhaustion, which grants you disadvantage on ability checks. Risk and reward, right?
Of course, you could just not study at all and rely strictly on your own intuition. You get no rerolls if you do not study.
If you choose to study as a group, each participant in the study session gets advantage on their studying checks! Please decide if you're studying on your own or with the group.
(Do people studying as a group have to choose the same skill?)
Jedavii takes a few moments now and then to compare notes with the others, drawing from the knowledge of the creatures they're studying. Arcana + Guidance: 26
Robin shares her notes with the others, and does extra research to add to the combined knowledge. She searches through the textbooks to add to the notes as the study session goes along. Investigation is a 24, rolled in the game log.
Marius is up half the night writing a scene about the subject, and conscripts the group into performing it with him. It is a great success, committing a lot about the subject to everyone's memory.
Robin and Marius also get one reroll for their test as well! Without any further ado, it is time for the first test...
The next day is a somewhat tense one as you all make your way to Magical Physiologies class. Most of your fellow students are anxiously arranging materials while trying to cram any last-minute information into their brains before the test begins. It is not long before Professor Lang arrives with a stack of tests in her hands.
"Good morning, class. I hope you're all ready for today's exam,"The dryad states. With a snap of her fingers, she conjures a swarm of colorful bayou moths. Each of the iridescent insects carries a test face-down to each student before returning to roost on Professor Lang as she continues her pre-test preamble. "Please do not turn over your exams until I instruct you to do so. You will have fifty minutes to complete this test. Any questions? ... No? Excellent. Well then, your time starts now. Turn over your tests, and best of luck."
It is now time for the Testing Phase! This exam on slaadi consists of two parts, and two skill checks are associated with each portion. Passing the test grants you a student die that you may use on checks made with the skills implemented in the exam; today's will be arcanaand insight.There are three different outcomes one can have during the testing phase:
If you succeed both checks, you answer all questions correctly and ace the test! This grants you two student dice that can be used on either arcana or insight checks.
If you only succeed one check, you pass the test. This grants you one student die that can be used on either arcana or insight checks.
If you fail both checks, you fail the test. This grants you no dice, and in addition you will not be able to benefit from extracurriculars or jobs until you pass the next test.
Anyone with rerolls can choose to use them after making their initial rolls, but before the DM decides whether they succeed or fail.
If you're feeling a little naughty and would like to cheat on the exam, you must succeed on both a deception and a sleight of hand check. If you succeed both of them, you are not caught cheating and you ace the test. However, if you fail even one of the checks, you are caught cheating and automatically fail the test. Rerolls gained for studying cannot be used for cheating checks.
Ready? Let's go!
The first portion of the exam requires you to answer several multiple-choice questions about red, blue, green, gray, and death slaadi. Please make an arcana check.
The second half of the exam requires you to write short essays on acceptable ways to keep slaadi calm during unexpected encounters. Please make an insight check.
"Seems like it." Robin agrees with a sigh. "It was a nice walk we got in though, so not a total waste of time." She smiles as she tucks some of her red hair behind an ear, several strands having escaped from her braid.
Canon has seemed distracted since the group left the Witherbloom campus. He's happy to hang back and let Jedavii ask the questions, but as they are just turning to leave, he pipes up and asks the groundskeeper, "Um, excuse me, but why shouldn't we feed the fish? Does something happen if we do? Like, if they're fed at the wrong time they change from friendly scaly critters into nasty furry monsters? I remember reading a story like that once," his eyes widen as a thought strikes. "Could something like that have happened to the frogs?"
"I don't think it's that; they probably just have a regular feeding schedule." Jedavii watches the koi swirl in the water. "I'm sure this is something a bit more malevolent."
"Yes, we've got a feeding schedule, plus there's some foods that are bad for the fish. Of course, I'm sure no student would ever intentionally feed the fish anything that was bad for them, some folks just see animals and want to feed them. But we've got to keep them healthy, you know?" The dwarf says with a smile. "Anyway, I'll look into this so you all can get back to your studies. This is university, the best time of your life! You shouldn't have to spend it chasing down transforming frogs."
"Sounds good to me." Robin says, giving the groundskeeper a nod. She turns to her companions. "What do you say to going back and getting some lunch, dinner, or a drink?"
"Maybe all three!" Jedavii chuckles. "We'll stop by the Bow's End for dinner at least; I'll cook us up a storm!"
"That was the plan, before we got distracted by frog races," Canon agrees. "I could definitely go for a goodberry daquiri."
(OOC: Shall we hand-wave the trip to the tavern and move onto your first test of the school term? Or is there something else you all would like to do before then?)
(Yep, ready to move onward, just rping something to do now that they were done with their investigating. Good to skip the rp of the tavern though.)
[Yeah, I'm happy to move forward]
(Good here as well!)
The weekend passes, and the next week arrives without delay. You are all kept apprised of the situation regarding the frogs, and it seems that Yedora and her team of groundskeepers swept through Sedgemoor and found nothing abnormal about any of the frogs. The groundskeepers of Central Campus came to a similar conclusion. You are assured you that Campus Security will still be looking into this. In the meantime, you all get back to your schooling.
Review exercises are wrapping up for your first exam in Magical Physiologies class; Professor Verelda Lang has spent the last few minute of class randomly asking students to answer questions regarding the current unit on slaadi. "... That's half-correct, Miss Kapule; you are right that red slaadi eggs implanted in a host creature eventually grow to be blue slaadi, but you forgot one key caveat. If the host is capable of casting what the Strixhaven Spell Cataloging System classifies as 'third level spells', the tadpole grows into a green slaad. Remember that key distinction, it will definitely be on the test.
"Alright, everyone, that concludes today's review. Next time we meet will be our first big exam on slaadi! I encourage you all to study; if not to pass the class, you should at least do it so that you may continue to participate in your extracurricular activities. Remember, anyone who fails an exam is required by Strixhaven bylaws to be tutored by a junior faculty member until they pass the next exam. That means no time for silkball, band, chess club, or your shift at the Bow's End. So, please study. Thank you, that is all. See you on Friday! Please study!"
It's time for our first exam phase of the campaign! Here are the rules.
Each test comprises of two ability checks that must be passed to answer the test's questions to the fullest. But before we take the test, we first have to perform the Studying Phase. Each of you please choose any skill that you can justify using for studying - such as a history check for remembering information in your notes, a performance check to create helpful mnemonics, or a sleight of hand check to make up reminding gestures. The limit is your imagination. Roll a skill check using that skill. If you succeed the DC associated with the encounter, you get one reroll during the testing phase.
You can also choose to pull an all-nighter. You roll a skill check the same exact way, but if you succeed, you gain two rerolls for the testing phase. However, since you did not sleep the night before, you get one level of exhaustion, which grants you disadvantage on ability checks. Risk and reward, right?
Of course, you could just not study at all and rely strictly on your own intuition. You get no rerolls if you do not study.
If you choose to study as a group, each participant in the study session gets advantage on their studying checks! Please decide if you're studying on your own or with the group.
(Do people studying as a group have to choose the same skill?)
Jedavii takes a few moments now and then to compare notes with the others, drawing from the knowledge of the creatures they're studying. Arcana + Guidance: 26
(No, you can all use different skills!)
[Well, I can't quite think of a way to justify using Athletics, so how about:]
Canon tries to convince some of the second-years in the band to share their notes from last year's test, for the group to look over.
[Persuasion: 6]
Jedavii and Canon succeed on their study checks and get one reroll for tomorrow's test! Still awaiting study checks from Marius and Robin.
Robin shares her notes with the others, and does extra research to add to the combined knowledge. She searches through the textbooks to add to the notes as the study session goes along.
Investigation is a 24, rolled in the game log.
(Sorry all, tech and show weeks were chaos)
Marius is up half the night writing a scene about the subject, and conscripts the group into performing it with him. It is a great success, committing a lot about the subject to everyone's memory.
(Performance 23 in game log)
Robin and Marius also get one reroll for their test as well! Without any further ado, it is time for the first test...
The next day is a somewhat tense one as you all make your way to Magical Physiologies class. Most of your fellow students are anxiously arranging materials while trying to cram any last-minute information into their brains before the test begins. It is not long before Professor Lang arrives with a stack of tests in her hands.
"Good morning, class. I hope you're all ready for today's exam," The dryad states. With a snap of her fingers, she conjures a swarm of colorful bayou moths. Each of the iridescent insects carries a test face-down to each student before returning to roost on Professor Lang as she continues her pre-test preamble. "Please do not turn over your exams until I instruct you to do so. You will have fifty minutes to complete this test. Any questions? ... No? Excellent. Well then, your time starts now. Turn over your tests, and best of luck."
It is now time for the Testing Phase! This exam on slaadi consists of two parts, and two skill checks are associated with each portion. Passing the test grants you a student die that you may use on checks made with the skills implemented in the exam; today's will be arcana and insight. There are three different outcomes one can have during the testing phase:
Anyone with rerolls can choose to use them after making their initial rolls, but before the DM decides whether they succeed or fail.
If you're feeling a little naughty and would like to cheat on the exam, you must succeed on both a deception and a sleight of hand check. If you succeed both of them, you are not caught cheating and you ace the test. However, if you fail even one of the checks, you are caught cheating and automatically fail the test. Rerolls gained for studying cannot be used for cheating checks.
Ready? Let's go!
The first portion of the exam requires you to answer several multiple-choice questions about red, blue, green, gray, and death slaadi. Please make an arcana check.
The second half of the exam requires you to write short essays on acceptable ways to keep slaadi calm during unexpected encounters. Please make an insight check.
Arcana: 15
Insight: 5