Magical School Development Questions
Whether you want to design a magical school because a certain famous author let you down or just because it tickled your fancy, these questions can help you figure out a few things you might need to know about it.
Thanks to m961, for suggesting the idea and contributing many of the questions!
- What kind of people are the students? Where do they all come from? At what age do they begin attendance, and for how long do they attend?
- Are the students human, or are they some sort of magical or mythological creatures, or both? How many of each type attend? If magical/mythological creatures, what kinds are there?
- If there are students of differing species, do accommodations and curriculum differ between them?
- How are students selected? Who all is qualified to go?
- Approximately how many students attend the school?
- Do students start and/or finish their education here? Or are there other educational sites they would attend before, or will attend later?
- Do students live on campus, or in their own homes? If on campus, what are the living areas like? Do they have a library? Are the bedrooms shared or single? What condition are they in?
- Does the school have a crest? What's it like? If it has houses, what are its houses' crests like? How and why were they chosen?
- Does the school have a mascot? If so, how and why was it chosen?
- How do students get to the school? When do they go?
- What kind of building is the school in? In what style is it built and designed? Is it ornate? Functional? Structurally-sound?
- Where is the school? What kind of environment is it in? What kind of wildlife is in the area?
- How closely do other people live to the school? What are they like?
- How well-known is the school? What kind of reputation does it have?
- Are any non-magical people aware of the school? If so, what do they think about it?
- Does the school have any rivals? Are there any competitions between them? Are the other schools run differently?
- Which subjects are taught here? Are any of them non-magical?
- What kind of magic is taught here? Is there more than one type taught?
- Are there any types that aren't taught? Are there some taught only to certain students? Are there magic types unknown to most?
- Are any magics taught here particularly risky or dangerous? What efforts does the school take to minimize accidents?
- Are studies determined on a federal or governmental level, or by some other external organization? Does the school's system change depending on the teachers and/or headmasters?
- Who are the teachers? How are teachers chosen?
- Where are the teachers from? Where do they go when they're not working?
- What are the predominant political views among the teachers? Among the students? How are they similar, and how do they differ?
- Are there holidays/breaks? When are they and what are they for? Do classes change in any way after holidays/breaks? Does everyone enjoy the holidays/breaks, or only some?
- Is there any kind of security at the school? If so, what's it like? Any guards? Traps? Scanners or sensors?
- What kinds of supplies are students expected to bring, if any? What does the school provide, if anything?
- Are there any objects, spells, potions, potion ingredients, etc. that are prohibited on school grounds? What are they, and why?
- What do students wear? What kind of dresscode does the school have? Is there a uniform? If so, what does it look like?
- What kinds of extracurricular activities does the school offer? Are there any sports? If so, what kinds?
- What do the students eat? If it's provided by the school, what quality is it? Where do they eat?
- Can students create clubs? If so, what kinds of clubs are there?
- How does the school handle magical accidents and injuries in general?
- What constitutes grounds for expulsion? Can students appeal?
- Who founded the school? When was it founded? What ideals was it founded with?
- Have any of its faculty members ever achieved fame or notoriety? What did they do?
- Have any other famous people attended the school? Who were they? What did they do?
- Are there any secret rooms or hidden passageways? What are they for?
- How has the school building changed over the years? What's been added to the building over time? What's been repaired? Has anything been demolished completely?
- What kinds of legends and rumors are there about the school? Which, if any, have any truth to them? How did they come about?
- Are there any unsolved mysteries connected to the school? What are they?
- How have the school's rules and management changed over the years? Why did these changes occur?
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