LE College of Winterhold: Size and curriculum overhaul

[stebbinsd]

The College of Winterhold has TWO quests that actually feel like a school: The first one (which is an actual class), and the second one, which is like a field trip.

 

After that, you go on adventures and become leader of the College wtihout ever being graded in anything!

 

Also, why is Tolfdir teaching restoration spells when he's the Alteration trainer?

 

The school is so disorganized that it makes me wonder how anyone can learn anything there!

 

I'd like to see an overhaul to the system, where you and your three classmates attend six classes throughout the week. Once you finish the questline with the Eye of Magnus, instead of you becoming Arch-Mage (which, as I've complained about before, carries no consequences whatsoever), classes are able to resume as normal.

 

With configurability, you can attend classes at hard times (much like in the real world), though you'd be allowed to configure when those classes took place. Alternatively, you could also do it like typical Vanilla Skyrim, where the classes begin when you enter the classroom.

 

You would be with your three classmates in each class, Jzargo, Onmund, and Brelyna, but there woudl also be other graduating classes of 3-5 students per graduating class, who leave as they graduate and other NPCs (created from a random NPC generator, though Altmer, Dunmer, and Bretons have the greatest chance of spawning) would come in, in their place. The implication is tha these groups would be attending other classes while you're attending your own (e.g. Senior Destruction w/ Faralda, Junior Alteration w/ Tolfdir, Sophmore Illusion w/ Prof. Neloren, and so on, happening at the same time, just like in a real school).

 

To accommoate this, the size of the College (at least interior) would have to be largely increased (this is where the "size overhaul" from the title fo this thread comes into play"). Possibly some portions of the college overhanging the Sea of Ghosts, held up using magic. The Hall of the Elements would become an actual hall, providing doorways to the other six classrooms (one for each Magic skill), while the Hall of Attainment would have three extra stories to accommodate the three extra graduating classes. They would take the "Harry Potter" approach to dorms; where, instead of you having to switch dorms when you get a new year, the "Freshman" floor rotates into the "Sophmore" floor, and so on and so forth. You only have to get a new dorm if you flunk a year.

 

Speaking of which, my next point: You would receive grades from your teachers, based on how quickly you press-and-release your "fire and forget" spells (e.g. if you hold it down for about six seconds before firing, as opposed to the 0.5 seconds that are actually required), your ability to hit your target, etc.

 

The teachers would even order you to buy spell tomes and skill books, presumably from the Arcaneum, which would serve as your textbooks. At the end of each "year," (which would likely last about 30 days or so), you would be provided with a quote-unquote "written" test, where she asks you some question that youd' know from reading the skill book for that particular "year," and gives you a multiple choice answers.

 

In enchanting class, you would pay for your tuition, and earn a little side money (mostly to pay for the aformentioned textbooks) by grinding your enchanting skill. Remember: Sergius points out that this is their primary means of keeping in touch with the rest of Skyrim.

 

After graduating, you'll have learned all the "expert" or lower level spells for all five schools of magic, and have reach Level 75 for those schools. If you make a "A" in a class/year, you'll even get that the corresponding "1/2 magicka cost" perk for free! Of course, that wouldn't work if you already had that perk, so be sure to save that perk slot. If you want to use the "Novice Destruction" per A.S.A.P., you should enroll in the College and complete your first "year" A.S.A.P.

 

Well, that's an abridged version of my vision! Any takers?

[Laereal]

I don't know about grading you as a student (that sounds really difficult to implement in a mod), but there are some pretty big College of Winterhold mods out there that tackle some of the stuff you're asking for. I found a thread on reddit that talk about some compatibility issues but as it has links to a site banned from being mentioned in this forum, I'll just have to link it to you through a pm if you're willing to get in touch with me.

 

Immersive College of Winterhold: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/36849/?

College Days - Winterwold: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/56699/?

Winterhold College Improved: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/18273/?

Edited August 24, 2015 by Laereal