The College of Knowledge should not be taken overly seriously. Please feel free to include stock comic incompetent wizard and sage NPCs. However, the College takes itself seriously, as it is perfectly capable of looking after itself in a dangerous universe. Characters (as opposed to players) should take it seriously too. Its most important NPCs are very powerful and very competent wizards, and they look after the others.
The College of Knowledge is a college for training wizards (and keeping them out of everyone else's hair). Although it charges tuition fees, these are not enough to support its staff. The College's main source of income is the Knights of Megalopolis, and from time to time the Knights make it clear that they require value for money.
Unlike its equivalent in Atlantis, the Institutes, the College of Knowledge does not have separate buildings for different schools of magic. The entire College is located in one area, known as a campus, on which several buildings are located. These buildings are grouped by purpose (e.g. lecture theatres, practical demonstration areas, libraries, refectories, sleeping accommodation for students, private living quarters for staff), not by school of magic.
There is not enough room on campus to provide sleeping accommodation for all students. There is no system which determines who gets allocated sleeping accommodation and who does not. If you, as DM, want your player characters on campus, they get allocated sleeping accommodation, and if not, not. Failure to get allocated sleeping accommodation is not a serious problem, as there are many inns within easy walking distance of the College, and all have rooms to rent, and most of these are more comfortable, if noisier, than allocated accommodation on campus.
Administratively, the College is divided into two: mages (anyone who casts spells) and sages (anyone who does not). There is considerable rivalry, to the point of hostility, between mages (who tend towards the lawful alignments) and sages (who tend towards the chaotic alignments).
Another difference between the College of Knowledge and the Atlantean Institutes is that staff of the College are generally known by nicknames rather than by their true names. Some true names are generally known, particularly those of staff who are native Megalopolitans, but some are not.
The main reason why a player character would be at the College of Knowledge is to study magic. It is reasonable to insist that human characters wishing to dual-class as wizards spend at least one term at the College of Knowledge learning the basics of their new profession. It is also a way that low-level wizards can convert money into experience.
You can either role-play the character's time in Megalopolis or just assume that it happens uneventfully, depending on what sort of campaign you are running (Megalopolis is political, so hack-and-slay players might get bored) and on what is going on in Megalopolis at the time.
If you assume that it happens uneventfully, what happens is this:
The character pays a course fee (120 GP seems reasonable to me) up front, has to buy any necessary magical equipment that he does not already own, and also has to pay for accommodation, meals, and any other daily expenses as the course progresses.
The course lasts nine to ten weeks (nine weeks of teaching, plus one week of examinations).
Wizard characters (mages and specialists) gain experience, calculated by multiplying their intelligence by twenty. Obviously, this would be most useful for low-level characters (if only they could afford it). However, high-level characters get it too, so if they are looking for just a few more experience points to make the next level, this is a simple, risk-free way of earning them.
Specialist wizard characters learn one spell of their choice from their specialist school, of any level that they can cast, without requiring a learn spells roll.
Non-specialist mages and bard characters learn one first-level spell of their choice (any school), without requiring a learn spells roll.
All of this also happens if you role-play the character's time in Megalopolis. However, in that event, there will be other things happening too.
Xan, a lawful good invoker.
Xan has been head mage of the College of Knowledge from its founding. In the next few years, he will achieve divine ascension, causing a crisis at the College as there is no mechanism in place for appointing a successor.
Xan is not a native of Megalopolis, and his true name is not generally known in Megalopolis.
Xan lectures in invocation, and also gives lectures in basic magic theory to new students. He is particularly terrifying to students since his eyes appear to shine; he can see perfectly well even in darkness, but other people cannot see his eyes and cannot tell where he is looking.
[AD&D-Specific] Xan, Human male, born elsewhere but now living in Megalopolis, Str 14 Dex 16 Con 16 Int 17 Wis 17 Cha 13 Align LG Hp 90. Height 6'1", Weight 202 lb. Invoker, level 40. Xan continues to rise in level.
[AD&D-Specific]
Traits: Ambidexterity, Precise Memory.
Specialist school: Invocation.
Other schools: Abjuration, Alteration, Divination, Illusion, Necromancy.
Specialist powers:
Learning bonus and penalty; Research bonus; Intense magic; Range boost; Saving Throw bonus;
Read magic (20x per day);
Armoured wizard: Xan can cast spells while wearing any sort of armour.
Xan is immune to cantrips and has one specialist spell, shield.
Xan's spell books contain various unusual, obscure and powerful invocations. They are now in the Library of the College of Knowledge.
Xan owns an exceedingly magical stone, which improves his AC by 1, automatically warns of any impending danger, grants immunity to dream, to all somniomancer powers, and to binding, and allows him to cast cure serious wounds and shout once each per day. This stone could be used by anyone of lawful alignment who can cast 4th-level invocation and abjuration spells and whose constitution and wisdom are both at least 16.
Xan's other magical items are: a cloak of protection, +2, bracers of defence, AC 1, a brooch of shielding, a ring of mind shielding, a ring of wizardry, and a double-strength wand of fire.
Xan and Kryptos dislike one another.
Fulke, an administrator.
Fulke, who lectures in divination and also gives lectures in basic magic theory to new students, is seen by many as Xan's natural successor. Although a competent magician, Fulke's real talent is for administration. It is he who looks after the day-to-day business of the College of Knowledge.
Fulke is not a native of Megalopolis, and his true name is not generally known in Megalopolis.
[AD&D-Specific] Fulke, Human male, born elsewhere but now living in Megalopolis, Str 8 Dex 13 Con 13 Int 14 Wis 12 Cha 12 Align LG Hp 22. Mage, level 9.
Fulke continues to rise in level, but very slowly, as it is rare for him to cast anything other than cantrips or low-level universal magic spells.
(More details to follow in due course.)
Quentin, a transmuter.
Quentin, a transmuter, is probably the second most powerful magician at the College after Xan. Quentin lectures in transmutation. Before joining the College of Knowledge, Quentin was a commercial transmuter in Atlantis, and he is still a member of the Learned Society of Alteration and Alchemy.
Quentin is not a native of Megalopolis (or for that matter of Atlantis), and his true name is not generally known in Megalopolis.
The Knights of Megalopolis regard Quentin's loyalty as questionable and would not regard him as an acceptable leader of the College of Knowledge as and when Xan leaves.
[AD&D-Specific] Quentin, Human male, born elsewhere but now living in Megalopolis, Str 17 Dex 15 Con 15 Int 16 Wis 17 Cha 17 Align LG Hp 48. Transmuter, level 17.
[AD&D-Specific] As well as being a Transmuter, Quentin is a late-developing psionic wild talent: reduction, PSP=95.
Quentin continues to rise in level: it is usually he who casts spells on behalf of the College of Knowledge. Assume, for game purposes, that Quentin knows every Alteration/Transmutation spell up to and including 8th level. Quentin does not go adventuring, but would be very good at it if he ever did.
Quentin is still in contact with his one-time pupil, the adventurer LonaLona.
(More details to follow in due course.)
Zaqqiya, a troublemaker.
Zaqqiya has risen from the lower middle class of Megalopolis, largely on the basis of her own natural talents.
Zaqqiya appears to be in early middle-age, but is actually over fifty years old. She was a name-level wizard twenty years ago and before that was an adventuring companion of Vieshi Iczmonicernat, Calius and Barelius Jziliess and Roxxune Krypwja, amongst others. Zaqqiya dresses like a fantasy enchantress, but does not quite have the raw sex appeal required to carry it off successfully. However, no-one has had the nerve to advise her otherwise.
Zaqqiya was born in Megalopolis. Her true name is Aureyna Cayotakh-Qhrepierl. Legally, her father was Cayotakh the Weaver, a lower middle class tradesman who had worked his own way up from lower class and married a pretty young wife. Zaqqiya's actual father was Darius Qhrepierl, the now-deceased son of Tigius Qhrepierl, the elderly Margrave of Jattny; although Zaqqiya does not advertise this, she does not keep it secret either.
Before that, her position in Megalopolitan society as an illegitimate daughter of a knight was anomalous in several ways. Although raised as the daughter of a weaver, when she expressed a desire to go adventuring, the money was there for her training. Also, while disapproval is often expressed concerning her rapid advancement at the College of Knowledge after retiring from adventuring, this disapproval has not as yet been translated into obstruction.
There are two adventure hooks here which I might write up in due course. Darius Qhrepierl fathered many illegitimate children, but did not acknowledge any of them. The Qhrepierl family paid for Zaqqiya's early training when she wanted to go adventuring, and it could be argued that this constitutes acknowledgement of her parentage. If this were accepted, it would make her heir of the current Margrave, who has no legitimate heirs.
The first adventure hook is political. The Knights will be very reluctant to see Zaqqiya as Margravine of Jattny. They might either try to fake some evidence that Darius Qhrepierl acknowledged one of his other illegitimate offspring, or declare that Jattny is not a hereditary feofdom and appoint a Margrave of their own choosing. Politics in Megalopolis usually ends up with someone or other fighting a duel.
The second adventure hook is a standard wilderness scenario. Jattny is on the border of the wilderness. If and when Zaqqiya inherits the Margravate, she will be looking for adventurers whom she trusts to clear the surrounding area of monsters, a duty which the current Margrave has neglected to perform. Jattny is to the north of Megalopolis and is on the chilly side of temperate.
The Knights of Megalopolis, who have old-fashioned views about women (and for that matter people of working-class origin) holding positions of authority, would not regard Zaqqiya as an acceptable leader of the College of Knowledge as and when Xan leaves, and would be horrified if anyone were to suggest the idea.
[AD&D-Specific] Zaqqiya (Aureyna Cayotakh-Qhrepierl), Human female, born in Megalopolis, Str 15 (Stamina 16, Muscle 14) Dex 15 Con 16 Int 19 Wis 18 Cha 16 Align LG Hp 85. Fighter, level 12. Mage, level 16.
[AD&D-Specific] As well as being a mage, Zaqqiya is a psionic wild talent: teleport, telekinesis, shadowform, dimension walk, control light, chameleon power, PSP=127.
As an adventuring fighter, Zaqqiya does not wear armour (even magical armour). She can move silently (27%), is magic-resistant (24%), has a +2 defence bonus to AC, and weapon specialisation. She specialises in scimitar (also her weapon of choice) and is also proficient in all middle-eastern swords, plus dagger and javelin. She specialises in the one-handed weapon (AC+2) and thrown weapon fighting styles.
As an academic magician, Zaqqiya can cast spells from the schools of conjuration, abjuration, necromancy, invocation and enchantment (she is best at conjuration and necromancy) and has the Read Magic and Detect Magic abilities. She respects transmuters, but never quite seemed to get the hang of Alteration spells herself. She regards Greater Divination as a lot of effort for very little return. She despises illusionists and the school of Illusion/Phantasm - it is, in her opinion, not real magic at all.
Zaqqiya knows and can cast all known variants of the spell Teleport. She is a founder member of the Teleport Society, and the theory that Teleport is a conjuration spell, and the evidence for it, originate with Zaqqiya.
Zaqqiya has the Artistic Ability, Fast Healer and Precise Memory traits.
Zaqqiya's non-weapon proficiencies include Modern Languages (as well as the native language of Megalopolis and the Common Tongue, she is fluent in Elven and Dwarven), Reading/Writing (at least the same four languages, and possibly others), Blind-Fighting, Spellcraft, Astrology, Painting, Sculpting, Weaving, Pottery and Cooking.
Zaqqiya owns a variety of magical items appropriate to someone of her background and level; they include a very magical scimitar and shield.
(More details to follow in due course.)
Ozmont, an illusionist.
Ozmont looks and behaves like an incompetent wizard, included for light relief. He is in fact a perfectly competent wizard, but a truly awful teacher.
[AD&D-Specific] Ozmont, Human male, born elsewhere but now living in Megalopolis, Str 12 Dex 16 Con 12 Int 14 Wis 11 Cha 12 Align CN Hp 22. Illusionist, level 9.
Ozmont, although he understands illusion magic himself, is incapable of explaining it. His lectures are incomprehensible.
They are, however, sometimes fun. Occasionally, Ozmont realises that his students are failing to grasp what he is telling them. When this happens, he will usually demonstrate the point he is trying to make by casting the corresponding spell.
Lectures are even harder to understand if the lecturer has turned himself invisible. Never mind. Ozmont knows that students find illusion magic difficult to understand, so the examination at the end of his course is comparatively easy.
(More details to follow in due course.)
Kryptos, a chaotic good sage.
Kryptos, chief sage at the College of Knowledge, does not himself give lectures. He leaves that sort of stuff to junior sages. He does mark examination papers and perform administrative duties. His main job at the College is to provide information for the Knights as and when they need it.
There is more to Kryptos than meets the eye. He is actually a more than competent magician. However, he does not admit this for political reasons. There is intense rivalry between Xan's mages and Kryptos's sages, and Kryptos feels that he would lose support if it became known that he could cast spells.
Kryptos is known to be on good terms with a number of djinn, including Xukry, a djinni sage who studies humans. If it should happen that Kryptos is observed doing something magical, he will claim that it is one of his djinn friends who did it.
[AD&D-Specific] Kryptos, Human male, born elsewhere but now living in Megalopolis, Str 11 Dex 11 Con 11 Int 13 Wis 16 Cha 12 Align CG Hp 36. Mage, level 13. Kryptos continues to rise in level, albeit slowly, as he rarely casts spells.
(More details to follow in due course.)
Kryptos's friends also include Stamekun Thertrah, editor of the pretentiously-titled Mind Magic Monthly.
Kryptos and Xan dislike one another.