#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.

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 15: Endurance

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 15: Endurance

Day fifteen of #RPGaDAY2026 and the prompt of the day is the word ENDURANCE. If you've made it this far in #RPGaDAY this year, you're almost half-way there, and have displayed more endurance than you thought! Well done!

As before, I'm creating NPCs based on tarot cards inspired by the prompt. 

Erika Sablecrest

By the time the end of year exams come around, there are those who don't really care about their grades and are quite happy to just do their best and hope it's good enough. And then there are those like Erika who will spend the entire night before the exam revising and preparing for every possible question that may come up on the paper. Will she manage to get through the exam after staying up all night? 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 14: Regard

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 14: Regard

It's day fourteen of #RPGaDAY2026, and this one's a bit tricky. The prompt is REGARD, and I've gone with the definition of "respect or admiration of someone or something." Continuing my challenge to draw tarot cards based on the prompt and then to create a rough backstory for an NPC for the game I'm working on, Hex Education, my immediate thought was that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark with the student in Indy's class with the writing on her eyelids... but you know, lusting after your teacher is a little weird. Best not go there. 

Arabella Chadwick

Arabella has a massive crush on the student in front of her for her Mathematics of Magic Use class, and it's really distracting. In the first couple of years, her teachers said she had a natural talent for mathemaging and even suggested that she should specialise when the time for choosing options came around. That was before she was smitten. The target of her affection is unaware, despite the strange and cryptic notes, the snacks appearing in their blazer pockets, or the constant requests to borrow their notes from the lesson. Arabella's grades in the class are slipping, and she's going to fail if she doesn't learn to focus. But it's really difficult...

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 13: Strain

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 13: Strain

Onto the thirteenth day of #RPGaDAY2026 and I'm hoping this isn't proving to be too much of a STRAIN. See what I did there? Anyway, as before, I drew a tarot card based upon the prompt, and hope to create a character a day – an NPC for the game I'm tinkering with, Hex Education. 

Dexter Shuttleworth

Dexter understands that violence is not a solution, but sometimes, just sometimes, something needs to be done. Sick of seeing some of his friends getting bullied by the seniors, one day he simply snapped. But Dexter's not strong, or skilled at fighting, and those seniors are twice his size. Luckily, his good friend, Miles, jumped in and held him back, so he didn't get pummelled. Those bullies will get theirs, but it'll take something smarter than violence to teach them a lesson.

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 12: Loss

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 12: Loss

It's day twelve of #RPGaDAY2026, and the prompt of LOSS can be a bit of a thought-provoking one. I'm still continuing to create NPCs for the game I'm working on, Hex Education. #RPGaDAY was initially designed to be a distraction from a loss, so I'm going to go in a different direction.

Quinwarin Eastman

The great inter-house sport of the Academy is called Towers – a reflection of an ancient battle in the past where the four towers the surround the Academy and the town were used to defend the people from dark forces. The sport sees the players standing on platforms, and, instead of defending against invaders, the players hurl a 'ball' at each other, and try to knock their opponents off of their roosts. Quin hoped he was going to lead his house to victory, and everyone was cheering him on, but his fears came true. The best Towers player in the Academy was his final opponent, Jeremiah Braithwaite quickly destroyed his defences and sent him flying off of his platform. 

Quin will be dedicating his afterschool time with practicing his defensive spells and Towers strategy. 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 11: Tact

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 11: Tact

It's day eleven of #RPGaDAY2026 and I'm trying to continue my challenge in creating 31 NPCs for the game, Hex Education, which I'm developing at the moment. Today's prompt is TACT, and I've hastily drawn a tarot card to inspire a character.

Zaria Bolaan

Zaria is smart. Very smart. She considers herself incredibly lucky as she's been able to go to the Academy with her best friend in the world, Addison. Together, they vowed to work hard, to be the best they could possibly be. The most recent end of term test on interpretation of ancient runes, Zaria aced it, but after many evenings of studying together, Addison only got a B. Rather than gloat or boast, like many of her classmates would, Zaria simply congratulates him on passing with a great result, and may even lie about what grade she got to make him feel better.

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 10: Secret

 #RPGaDAY2026 - Day 10: Secret

Ah, a weird flashback to when I suggested Pretty Little Liars would make a good tabletop roleplaying game... "Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead..." 

It's day ten of #RPGaDAY2026, and the prompt is SECRET. The best roleplaying games involve uncovering cool and exciting secrets. Secret doors, secret passageways, secret societies – I'm hoping that Hex Education has lots of these. Once again, I've used the prompt to inspire a hastily drawn tarot card (though in this case it's the second attempt, as I hated the first one I drew), and using this card to write up a little about an NPC for the game. 

Ursula West

There's got to be an easier way to get through school, and Ursula is convinced she's found it. After weeks of searching, gaining access to the staff areas of the Academy, she's finally found what she thinks is the secret hiding place of the exam answers. Of course, it's not. It's all a bit of a trap – or rather a test – designed by the Headmaster, to discover the most determined, and somewhat sneaky, students. 

There will be punishment, and Ursula will see the extra work as a punishment, but in actuality these sessions are further training in stealth, surveillance, and scouting. 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 9: Privilege

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 9: Privilege

We're onto day nine of #RPGaDAY2026 and today's prompt is PRIVILEGE, a word that, for some reason, my brain just won't let me spell correctly the first time I type it. Once more, continuing with my creating an NPC for each prompt, based on a hastily drawn tarot card. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll have 31 NPCs I can draw at random if I need someone to do something in the game.

Benjamin Frost

Possibly the greatest privilege at the Academy is to be Head Student. You get a badge, one even shinier than the Prefects, and you've a voice with the faculty. In most cases, being Head Student means you try to improve things for your peers, demand more choice at dinners, cleaner bathrooms, less homework, that sort of thing. However, Benjamin (never call him 'Ben') is using his newfound power and authority to throw his weight around, boss the new students around, and threatening them when they refuse to do his assignments for him. 

Oh, he'll get his... 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 8: Resolve

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day Eight: Resolve

Onto day eight of #RPGaDAY2026 and we're over a week in already! Hurrah!! Once again, I'm creating NPCs for Hex Education based on the art from my hastily drawn Tarot cards inspired by the prompt of the day. The prompt for today is Resolve, which can mean an awful lot of things...

Barbara Weiss

The temptation was always there. Hidden, at the back of a dusty shelf in a forgotten section of the library, were some of the most dangerous and darkest spells in creation. They weren't just powerful, but they were corrupting. They would let the darkness invade and take over your very soul. Alex thought this could be a way to advance in class. He was slipping terribly far behind, but when Barbara realised what book he was using, she was shocked and knew something had to be done. It was tempting, the book even called to her to open it, but she was resolute, and cast it into the fires in the common room. As to whether it could even burn is up to you. 

#RPGaDAY2026: Day 7 - Mercy

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day Seven: Mercy

Onto Day Seven of #RPGaDAY2026 and the prompt of the day is the word MERCY. It was tricky to do an image that didn't involve some form of violence, and while doodling I just had Robert Palmer's cover of Marvin Gaye's 'Mercy Mercy Me' stuck in my head, despite not hearing it for many, many years. Weird how songs stay in the mind so long after hearing them. 

Anyway, after realising it could be some form of competitive duelling, then I knew what to draw, and that would lead me to creating the next character for Hex Education. 

Sigrid Berglund

Duelling at the Academy takes many forms. From year three, physical education includes foil and rapier fencing, and those who excel go onto sabre combat and more. When it comes to magical duelling, Sigrid is already top of the inter-house league. She is not violent or ruthless, instead her calm and considerate demeanour can lull her opponents into a false sense of security. Her Fae heritage is more evident, and she may be displaying some form of precognition, allowing her to predict her opponent's next move. 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 6: Reach

 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 6: REACH

Onto day SIX of #RPGaDAY2026, and continuing to create NPCs for Hex Education, based on my sketchy artwork on blank tarot cards. Day Six was a tricky one, and I think I went a bit obvious when it comes to the image for REACH. And before you ask, no I'm not drawing the place in Halo. 

Emerson Griffiths

Why do the shelves have to be so tall? I know the school has been around for over a thousand years, and has accumulated a lot of books, but they seriously don't expect their students to be over twenty feet tall do they? Emerson has decided to get extra points by volunteering to help in the central library of the Academy, and as such has had to quickly master basic physical manipulation in order to place the books on the highest of the towering shelves. Emerson also finds this is a good place to hide from his classmates who are a bit too noisy for his sensibilities. He prefers the quiet and solitude of the books, and the distant echoes of pages turning through the lofty halls. 

#RPGaDAY2026 - Day 5: Burden

 

Day 5: Burden

We're onto Day Five of #RPGaDAY2026, and I'm still continuing with my challenge of creating 31 NPCs for Hex Education. Still basing the characters on my freehand illustrations drawn straight onto blank tarot cards. Day Five, and the prompt is BURDEN. 

August Seavers

Everyone seems to think August is incredibly smart and a bit of a swot. He always seems to be in the library, and when he's not he has his face burrowed in a book somewhere. He's even revising and researching while eating in the hall. However, August isn't a swot. His sister graduated a few years before him, top of the class. Heck, she was top of the year. Head Girl, a Prefect, all the awards you could imagine. So, when August started at the Academy, everyone expected him to be just as smart, just as accomplished, and that simply isn't the case. He doesn't want to let his family down, but he finds it all a bit hard. There's a lot of information to take in, and a single wrong hand-gesture can cause terrible harm. 

Instead, August studies. Constantly. The family's reputation is a burden upon him, just like the stack of books he constantly carries around hoping, somehow, the information will actually stick this time.