Need to Protect a Magical Treasure (and then some)

[exile]

I am running an online play by post game that is heavily influenced by Harry Potter and Dungeons and Dragons, down to using a lot of spells right out of the PHB. The game is set at a wizards school and at presnet there are three active players and two that are considerably less active.

All of the characters started as students at a wizarding school called The Hall of Mysteries- think Hogwarts, but broken down into individual schools for each of the D&D schools of magic. One of the characters is still a student in good standing. Two of the other characters have been transformed into drudgethralls, deformed servants that make life easy for teh professors and other students. Part of becoming a drudgethrall includes losing their connection with magic, but the two are quickly replacing their former knowledge of spells with roguish talents.

The two drudgethrall characters are on a mission to steal an item called the Null Cloak from the head of the School of Illusion. The Null Cloak is essentially a silenced cloak of invisibility that also prevents magical detection. I need help coming up with a sereis of protections put in place to protect the Illusion professor's office, living space, and the chest containing teh cloak.

The problem is, he is obviously far more powerful than the two deformed girl rogues (even if they can recruit the help of a student in good standing). So I need to come up with defenses that are fun to bypass in writing/play, but can be accomplished with tehir very meager wits.

Once the cloak is stollen, they also plan to escape school grounds, so any bonus thoughts regarding playing an exciting escape would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Chad

 

[Gilladian]

Well, plainly the teacher would not risk deadly traps in a school full of children, so we can assume that most are going to be preventive or capture traps.

I'd say first they would have to get a password or a key to enter a non-student area (teacher's wing or level). This could involve spying on anyone who knows the word, or filching from any permitted teacher or even upper student.

Then they have to get into the correct room. This might involve avoiding a capture trap, such as a pit (with some kind of net or featherfall effect to avoid injury). Again, a password might help them avoid it - or simply watching someone walk down the hall in an odd way.

Then a riddle or puzzle trap on the door of the chamber where the cloak is hidden could be fun - the answer could relate to either the teacher's school or to the cloak's powers.

Finally, a trap on the chest that "marks" the thief would be a good last protection. Putting a wizard-mark on any unauthorized opener of the chest would be a fun thing - perhaps the mark causes any bearer to set off alarms all over campus as they leave buildings or descend stairs, etc...

 

[frankthedm]

Well, plainly the teacher would not risk deadly traps in a school full of children, so we can assume that most are going to be preventive or capture traps.

I beg to differ! The fact the school is more than willing to warp students into mutant slaves I would think proves Lethal Enforcment is fair game. Students that go where they are not allowed are asking for trouble.

Two of the other characters have been transformed into drudgethralls, deformed servants that make life easy for teh professors and other students.

The 1st door a student shouldn't go through might have an entanglement trap or an illusion, after that, the trespasser has forfeited their life. A "You'll be sorry!" Magic Mouth at the first door would be a grand idea. This isn’t a public school in a litigious society where ill mannered brats run rampant.

Magic is serious business, better for an incompetent student to die than a desperate bumbler conjure up "help" that would want to help itself to the bodies and souls of the student body.

Death was quite a possible though indirect punishment at Hogwarts, with a guardian Cerberus and IIRC Dumbledore warned that students wandering in the forbidden forest might be killed by the inhabitants there in.

 

[exile]

Thanks for the help guys. I almost have the situation sorted out. In particular I like the wizard mark idea- unfortunately I used something very similar just a couple of chapters ago. Some elements I think that I'll include are

1.) a key to get into the particular office/suite
2.) a magic mouth to warn them away
3.) a mimic like creature
4.) illsuory bottom to the chest that actually contains the cloak
5.) at the risk of being repititious, I may use the wizard mark (and associated alarms)

Any additional input will certainly be considered before we actually play this out (probably tonight or tomorrow).

Chad

 

[Tiberius]

Well, plainly the teacher would not risk deadly traps in a school full of children, so we can assume that most are going to be preventive or capture traps.

Unless said teacher happens to be Severus Snape, I would imagine.

 

[Slife]

Some sort of pool o' poison with a door at the bottom that you have to swim through?