As currently written, the Wandering Monsters High School rules allow students to attack each other physically, or with spells.

These are resolved as opposed checks of the relevant "grade" (WMHS-speak for "attributes") of the attacker, against the defender's grade.  For example, if I try to punch you out, I'll use my Fitness grade against your Fitness grade (with modifiers); if I try to cast a spell to light you on fire, I use my Occult grade against your Fitness grade.  (Since it's a physical attack.)  If I win, your Fitness grade reduces anywhere from a little to a lot depending on how well I rolled (yes, a Fortune mechanic).

Thing is, it seems to me that it makes even more sense to use all of the ability sco-- er, "grades" -- in the conflict system.  Students have the following grades (ability scores):

Citizenship (how well they get along with teachers)
Fitness (how physically fit they are, and how well they engage in physical combat or sports)
Hygiene (how attractive/clean they are -- how well they get along with fellow students)
Occult (how well they master the magical arts, or at least, resist them)
Scholarship (how well they do on book learning)
Vocational (how well they do at various skills from poisonmaking to woodshop)

By opening the conflict resolution to any type of conflict, not just physical fights (or zapping someone), this gives a bigger diversity of actions possible.  The student would state what she wants to do, and the Headmaster (er, gamemaster) would resolve it by figuring out what sort of conflict is involved.

E.g., "I cast a spell to turn her ugly" --> Occult vs. Hygiene
"I slip some poison into his soda" --> Vocational vs. Fitness
"I go and smash up all his toys" --> Fitness vs. Vocational
"I spread a rumor that he's been cheating in class" --> Hygiene vs. Citizenship

There are some I can't quite get my mind around -- yet -- but if anyone wants to help out, it would be nice.  How can you use Scholarship to attack (and thus decrease) someone's Fitness?  How can you use Citizenship to make their Occult go down?  I'm sure there are probably ways to do it.  I'm just wondering if you have thoughts.

Having more examples in mind will help me write up this type of conflict resolution in the new version of WMHS.

--Kynn

Citizen vs. Occult: Talk to their teachers about the bad things they do with their magic - to get them stripped from their juju.