#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 29: Labour

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 29: Labour

It has taken a lot of work to create 400+ prompts, and to host #RPGaDAY every year, and I have to say thanks to Runeslinger for his valuable help in hosting, creating prompts, and without his input the whole initiative would have ended after its third year... 

Kevin Cimino

Punishment for misbehaving at the Academy is usually some form of detention, though the herbology professor particularly likes to add some additional form of torture for those suffering detention from his class – the wonders of cleaning the classroom and greenhouses... without the use of magic. That's right, get the mops and cloths out, buckets of water and cleaning fluids, and be prepared to get messy. You'll be cleaning your own uniform afterwards, too, as Kevin found out. All he did was pass a note to Sophie, but he was caught out. 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 28: Devotion

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 28: Devotion

It takes a lot of dedication and devotion to get through to this stage of #RPGaDAY2026. Heck, even more devotion if you've been doing this since it began... If you've done every day of #RPGaDAY since it began, this is your 400th entry to the challenge. I feel tired just thinking about that!

Mitchell Parkinson

Mitch is the captain of the Towers team for his house. He's worked hard to get there, training every day, even when it's not scheduled practice. If there's a spare hour in the evening, he's practicing. Or preparing. Polishing his shield to give it the best chance at deflecting the energy-ball and to provide the best accuracy to aim it back at his opponents. He'll win, through hard work and dedication. 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 27: Hunger

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 27: Hunger

It's day twenty-seven, we're nearly at the end. Are you hungry for more, or just eager to finish!? The strange thing about writing a magical academy, no one should be going hungry in it – meals are provided, but then my lovely wife pointed out that the Academy allows everyone to attend. There is no discrimination or exclusion, as long as you're not evil! Which led to the following NPC for Hex Education. 

Cezar Dragomir

Cezar is one of the first vampires to attend the Academy. The faculty has been very accommodating, and the classrooms have been protected against UV light, and the route between classes have been planned to only use corridors and secret passageways. The only thing they haven't quite adjusted to is his feeding requirements. Luckily, he only needs to feed upon a small amount of blood every night, carefully donated by volunteers, but he still ends up sitting at the vast tables in the dining hall at mealtimes. It can be awkward, and he still feels hungry, watching all of those mortals eat their normal food...

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 26: Regret

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 26: Regret

Well, I hope you don't regret taking on the challenge of #RPGaDAY2026. Today's a difficult one if you want to keep things positive, as we always ask for when it comes to #RPGaDAY, but there could be that game you regret not getting, or anything you could imagine. I have plenty of regrets, but very few of them are RPG related... though there is one... no... 

Once again, let's focus on NPCs from my game in progress, Hex Education.

Piotr Santaniello

Always a bit of a troublemaker, Piotr was always rebelling. Bunking off of classes to hide in the greenhouses to race snails. Mocking the teachers behind their backs. Playing pranks on the other students. He was notorious for it. However, his biggest regret was throwing that jinxed ball of parchment. He thought it was a great laugh, aiming for that freshman. Instead, it went straight for the head of house. That'll be the rest of term in detention...

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 25: Familiarity

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 25: Familiarity

I must admit, I really struggled with this one. It was really tricky to come up with something art-wise for the prompt Familiarity, and then suddenly it dawned on me. If I dropped a couple of letters, it's the perfect word for a witchy-academy setting! 

Jessica Patterson

Jess was incredibly happy to hear that she could bring her beloved pet with her to the Academy. Mr Fuzzles, however, wasn't so sure. Part of the curriculum for those bringing pets include additional training in bonding with an animal so that it becomes a loyal and helpful familiar that can understand instruction, and also help out with some tasks. As the familiar advances, it can develop speech, and assist in hex-casting. 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 24: Distance

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 24: Distance

Day Twenty-Four of #RPGaDAY2026 and it's all about DISTANCE. How far have you gone in your game? How far have you travelled to get to a game or convention? Once again, I've used the prompt to draw another tarot card to inspire an NPC for the game I'm working on, Hex Education. 

Christian Schroeder

One thing Christian has not yet come to grips with is the concept of there being two Academies. One in the mundane world, a boarding school for students to learn everything they could need for the future - maths, languages, science, history... and a second Academy, through a mysterious portal, in the Otherworld, where magic is taught. It seems like another world, but it feels like ours. Do you travel a long distance to this other realm, or is it right on our doorstep, but 'shifted' slightly out of our reality. 

Christian finds this fascinating, and is focusing his studies on finding out more about other worlds beyond our own, and how they are connected.

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 23: Fortune

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 23: Fortune

If there's one thing you won't make when making RPGs (unless you're lucky enough to get a crazy-huge license like Dungeon Crawler Carl or Cosmere) is a fortune. But that doesn't mean we can't dream! However, Fortune can relate to other things too - and is particularly apt for a magic academy.

Carmen Mora

Carmie has always been plagued with visions – premonitions of imminent dangers and threats. Thankfully, the Academy has been teaching them how to control these visions, and to channel the predictive and precognitive energies into clearer and easier to define methods, such as cards and crystals. Their uncanny predictions have made Carmen incredibly popular in the run-up to exam season, as they are besieged by students asking for advice as to what questions will be on the papers.

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 22: Grit

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 22: Grit

Sometimes, like doing a month-long challenge like #RPGaDAY2026, you just have to grit your teeth and plough on through until it's finished. You can do it. You're almost in the home stretch. 

Isla Trevino

It's not just magic that is taught at the Academy. While the traditional mundane subjects are also taught, especially as many magical practices involve knowledge of languages, science, and mathematics, the 'physical fitness' part of the curriculum also involves basic levels of combat. From self-defence, martial arts, to fencing, if a student shows promise in these areas they are encouraged and the classes expand to other areas such as cavalry, broad swords, archery, and more. 

Isla excelled in fencing, mastering the foil and rapier levels of tutoring. Her swordmaster immediately recommended that she progress onto full swordsmanship, though the swords are a lot heavier and require a lot more resolve and grit to swing.

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 21: Charity

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 21: Charity

On day twenty-one, we're all asking for a little charity. I must admit, I always try to be charitable, also since becoming freelance and having just about zero income at the moment, that is certainly difficult. But being charitable doesn't necessarily mean financially. It can also be simply being supportive, and offering help when you can. 

Bradford Young

Brad noticed that Paula was falling behind in her classes. He didn't know what the cause was, but he was getting worried that she was going to drop out of the Academy altogether. If her grades fell too severely, she'd be sent home, back to mundane life, with all knowledge of the Academy, and of magic, erased from her memory. Since then, Brad has become a good friend, helping with some additional tutoring at the weekends that have really improved her understanding of the complex machinations of magic. As a result, she's no longer constantly worried, and is finally eating again - even if sometimes she has extra from Brad's plate. 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 20: Promise

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 20: Promise

Day Twenty of #RPGaDAY2026 is all about your friends and making a promise. Usually this is a promise to support them and not to do anything that could cause them any harm. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone was like that? 

Draven Vaughn

Draven and his best friend, Harland, have made a promise. If one of the gets onto the Towers squad, and not the other, they'll quit. They're a team, and the coach will have to take them both or neither of them at all. They work best when they work together, and once the coach realises that, the team will easily come out on top of the table. 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 19: Desire

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 19: Desire

Day Nineteen of #RPGaDAY2026 could make you immediately leap to the wrong conclusions as to where this one is going, but DESIRE doesn't have to be romantic longing. 

Andrea Barajas

While it had only been a couple of weeks into their first term at the Academy, Andrea was already feeling homesick. The postcards to their family have to be carefully worded to avoid the 'mundies' reading about a secret magic school in another realm, but the text is similar to any student's letter home from a boarding school. Filled with longing to be home, how they don't get one with the other kids, and miss their family. It'll get better, and Andrea will settle in. The friends are there, just waiting to be let in.

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 18: Directness

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 18: Directness

We're onto day eighteen of #RPGaDAY2026, and the prompt for today is DIRECTNESS. I've never been very direct, but here goes - let's get to the point and the NPC I've written about for today's entry.

Matthew Moretti

Matt has had a crush on many of his classmates, worshipping them from afar for months on end and never having the courage to speak of his affections. He just doesn't think he's cool or attractive enough to even bother. I mean, why put yourself out there when you know you're just lining yourself up for rejection and disappointment. 

It was quite a surprise to discover that he was the object of such a crush from another of his classmates. And they did have the courage to speak up!

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 17: Intensity

 #RPGaDAY2026 - Day 17: Intensity

It's day seventeen of #RPGaDAY2026 and it's only when you zoom right in onto the graphic I drew that you see how scrappy it is. I don't think it's meant to be blown up that much. Oh well... maybe we shouldn't look at things quite so intensely. Which is, of course, the word of the day - Intensity. There's always one in the class...

Kenton Vargas

Kenton spends a lot of their time alone and frowning. It seems to be their natural state. No one seems to be able to get close or to get them to open up, and instead they just drift from one class to the next, or sitting alone in the dining hall. Someone is going to get through to them, and finally get them to speak. I'm sure Kenton has an interesting story to tell... 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 16: Composure

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 16: Composure

It's day sixteen of #RPGaDAY2026, and the prompt is COMPOSURE. Can you keep your head when all around you are losing theirs? I'm continuing my challenge to use the prompts to inspire some hastily drawn tarot cards, and using them to create NPCs for the game I'm tinkering with, Hex Education. 

Jupiter Riley

Jupiter hates crystallomancy classes, and it's not because of the divination and the ambiguity of it all. No, it's because their teacher, Mr Bruce, is a ghost. It's very disturbing, and Jupiter finds it hard to concentrate on their studies, never mind actually divining anything with the crystals. They have been taking lessons from Madeline in trying to calm themselves, and to not panic, but it can be tricky when Mr Bruce is looming so close and criticising the work.