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I'm looking to make my second plot hook be that my play group got a job from the Academy of Magic in the north, that students have been disappearing. I've got a House Master for each school of magic, and a headmaster. The adventure would begin with a council among the different House Masters, the Headmaster, and the Clan. Something to introduce the conflict between the story, and possibly the House Masters. However, as a new(ish) DM, I'm having a few problems in designing this.

1. I'm trying to designate a villain for this adventure. The obvious thing would be to take one of the House Masters and make them the one organizing everything. I don't like to take the cliche way out of this though. Possibly an instructor or someone who works at the school, or a guest that has been invited for a guest speech or something. I'd like to set up one of the House Masters as a red herring.

2. I'd like to figure out what kinds of monsters I should use. I'd like themed wings of each of the parts of the school. Undead would be a solid addition if they're exploring the Necromancy wing of the Academy (especially since I've got a Dread Necromancer in my party). Animated Objects and Conjured creatures would be useful in the Transmutation and Conjuration wings, and maybe elementals in the Evocation wing. Still, having troubles with what I could do for Abjuration, Divination, Illusion, and Enchantment. I could probably do traps for Illusion and Enchantment, rather than enemies, but I'd still like for something challenging to happen in each wing of the Academy.

If I could get some feedback on the concept, I would greatly appreciate that. 

Thanks!

That could be fun. I could do that for the Illusion wing of the Academy. Maybe have some sort of doppleganger who is taking the place of an incapacitated Illusion House Master?

Since your adventure is about a magic Academy perhaps this older thread of mine could be interesting for you (warning it is quite long)

It discusses cantrips / prestidigitations by School of Magic, what you can do with them, possible applications and competitions.

It might give you an idea how the students / apprentices at the Academy pass their time…

Start by making a list of who might benefit from the students' disappearance and why.  If one of the headmasters is doing it, they likely have a reason.  Some other possibilities include:

A rival school
Local anti-magic hate group
a former headmaster
a powerful wizard who doesn't like competition
organized crime group (kidnapping is always profitable

maybe the students aren't being kidnapped at all.  Maybe an experiment tore a rift in the fabric of reality and students are falling into it when it appears.  Nobody knows what's causing it because the rift only opens on the night of the new moon.

or maybe the students themselves are behind the disappearances.  They have uncovered a magic item that has driven them to sleepwalk and kill each other.  It's a mystery because they wake with no memory of what they have done. 

Jan 4, 2013 -- 7:09AM, DorAndOrX wrote:

Its a school not a dungeon. If the halls are overflowing with monsters,it would be evacuated until the staff or hired adventures have cleared it out and trapping corridors where you students walk all the time should loose them much more students than this disappearances.Any monster or trap that is at the school for teaching purpose, would be locked away when not in use.

In that case, I'm thinking that in the wake of these kidnappings, the school is closed, and with no one to keep the magical creatures in check, they've escaped. Normally, they're kept in check, but they've escaped, or a student's time-sensitive unfinished experiment gets loose in the wake of the school closings.

In addition, the traps could be excused as someone getting in after the school was evactuated and setting them up to keep them from something.

Maybe a former headmaster was fired on ethical grounds (possibly keeping magical creatures too close to the students and incidents occurring), and is working with the organized crime unit to get back at the school for it, kidnapping students and stealing some magical artifacts. And maybe one of the House Masters is working with him, getting a cut of the profits for letting him know where the alarm systems and creatures are?

Let me know if this sounds believable and fun to run.