Harry Potterand the Game of Roleplaying Version 1.0.2 Revised: 10/20/2007 Here you will find everything you need to make a character for Harry Potter and the Game of Roleplaying, using rules set forth by Mage: The Ascension, Second Edition and other White Wolf games. For further information, i.e. anything not specifically related to this particular Mage sourcebook, please refer to the core books. There you will find anything else you need that is not included here, such as rules for combat, feats et. al. Also note that these are rules for creating Hogwarts students. See the attached appendix for the modifications necessary for creating a beginning adult Witch or Wizard of the Harry Potter universe. Character Creation Quick Reference: Step One: Background: Concept, Personality & House Step Two: Attributes: Physical, Social & Mental (6/4/3) Step Three: Abilities: Talents, Skills & Knowledges (11/7/3) Step Four: Advantages: Backgrounds (5) & Spheres (1) Step Five: Quirks (Optional): Merits & Flaws (up to 5) Step Six: Finishing Touches: Arête (1), Willpower (3), Freebie Points (10), Appearance, Specialties, Equipment, Motivations, Health & Experience Appendix I: Quintessence & Paradox Appendix II: Spells Appendix III: Talismans Appendix IV: Bestiary Appendix V: Creating an older student or adult Wizard
[email protected] 2 Step One: Step One: Step One: Step One: Background Background Background Background Concept The Concept is the basic idea of what type of Witch or Wizard you want your character to be; of what might motivate him, his goals, background, etc. Your character’s Concept is simply a word or short phrase that sums up your character. Listed here are some Concept archetypes; though the character Concept can be anything that describes your character. Feel free to disregard this list altogether in favor of your own Concept. Artist: Dancer, Writer, Singer, Actress Debutante: Purist, Connoisseur, Heiress Explorer: Environmentalist, Naturalist, Scientist Caretaker: Hero, Medic, Friend-in-need Hermit: Vagabond, Orphan, Recluse Mystic: Pagan, Visionary, Nutter Outsider: Half-breed, Neurotic, Mudblood Philosopher: Dreamer, Student, Pontificator Rebel: Reformer, Criminal, Oddity Reverent: Disciple, Truth-seeker, Toady Scholar: Theorist, Student, Knowledge-seeker Warrior: Vigilante, Bully, Protector Personality Each character has two personality Archetypes: Nature and Demeanor, which sum up the character’s inner reality and outward mask of his personality, respectively. While often both are the same, or at least similar, they can be radically different. The character may not even be consciously aware of the difference. The character’s Nature describes his views and basic beliefs about the world and shapes his behavior. However, his Demeanor is the personality he projects to the outside world. Listed here are some personality Archetypes. As with the Concept archetypes above, your character’s Nature and Demeanor can be anything that describes your character. Again, feel free to disregard this list altogether in favor of your own. Analyst: Anything can be explained rationally, and you will explain it. Architect: You desire to leave a legacy, tangible or intangible. Autocrat: You must be in control in all times of all situations. Bon Vivant: Live for today, tomorrow may never happen. Bravo: You have little tolerance for weakness, especially in yourself. You could be a proud warrior or a just plain bully. Bureaucrat: You follow the rules no matter what. Caregiver: You desire to take care of others, ease their pain, and heal them. Cavalier: You are the hero; the gallant defender of truth, justice, and all that is good. Child: Whether you are one or not age-wise, you haven't grown up emotionally and prefer to let someone else take care of you. Competitor: There is no greater thrill than the thrill of victory, and you'll do anything to feel it. Confidant: You like and understand people and like to give advice- you're usually good at it too. Conniver: You like to manipulate your way through the sticky bits of life, preferring to let some sucker do the dirty work for you. Critic: Everything has a fault and you will find it. Curmudgeon: You're irascible and cynical and vocally so. Deviant: Whether it's because of your ethics, beliefs, or general view of people and society, you just plain don't fit in. Director: You always know the best way to go about doing something, and it only makes sense that persons follow your lead. Explorer: The world is full of wonder, and you've got to see it all. Fanatic: You have a cause, or maybe the cause has you... You live, eat, breathe this cause. Follower: You're happy to help the leaders accomplish their goals, and stabilize the group with your support. Gallant: You are flamboyant, and love to be the center of attention. Guardian: You desire to protect the weaker folk around you. Jester: You are the fool, the comic, always looking for the humor in a situation. Judge: You are an arbitrator and peacemaker, acting as a fair voice in contrary situations. Loner: You have your own path and no desire to share it with anyone else. Manipulator: People fascinate you, and you love to see the many ways they react to the situation you've so carefully set up for them. Martyr: You would rather suffer or even die than sacrifice your values or your friends' needs. Optimist: You can always see that silver lining despite that icky dark cloud looming in front of it. Penitent: What ever it was you did, it was bad, and you devote all your energy to atoning for your sin. Perfectionist: Everything you do, say, are... must be without flaw. Poltroon: Running away may be cowardly, why deal with something potentially unpleasant and possibly fatal when you can just avoid it? Praise-Seeker: You absolutely crave the approval of your comrades. Rebel: You will do as you will, and ultimately desire freedom from unpleasant societal bonds. Reluctant Wizard: You are a Wizard and you don't want to be. You long for your "normal" life. Sage: Knowledge is your treasure and your joy, and you enjoy both learning as well as teaching others your wisdom. Survivor: No matter what happens, you'll pull through it somehow. Sycophant: You're the perfect yes-man, doing whatever you can to please the more powerful forces that be so they'll protect you. Thrill-seeker: The stakes are just never high enough. Traditionalist: Why change what's worked for ages? Trickster: Your antics do more than amuse; your pranks and tricks have a point of teaching someone a lesson. Visionary: You have the drive and imagination to keep aiming for the sky and beyond. House A pivotal aspect of any Hogwarts student is the Wizard’s House, which is like his home away from home. Characters sleep in their House dormitories, eat meals with their fellow House members and even have classes with each other (paired with other Houses), and spend their free time in their House common rooms. The different Houses generally contain students with certain personality aspects, as determined by the Sorting Hat upon first arrival at Hogwarts. Your storyteller may wish to sort your characters as a story element, or you may wish to build the rest of your character first and then determine her House, rather than building your character around House expectations. Below is a list of the four Hogwarts Houses and a brief description of what sets them apart from other Houses. Your character’s House also determines his specialty Sphere, in which he receives a free dot. Other schools’ Houses vary greatly from Hogwarts, with different Sphere focuses. Gryffindor You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart. —The Sorting Hat Godric Gryffindor hailed from a moor which is now known as Godric's Hollow a small West Country village. Gryffindor is said to have praised courage, determination and strength of heart above all other qualities. He selected students for his house based upon their daring and bravery. Gryffindor also was the most in favor of allowing Muggle-borns into the school. He was initially a close friend of Salazar Slytherin, but over time their friendship deteriorated; though never stated, it is likely that the two's differing views on Muggle-borns may have been part of the reason for the split. His known relics are a goblin-made sword, adorned with rubies, and the Sorting Hat. The two items share a particular bond; whenever a true Gryffindor needs it, the Sword will let itself be pulled out of the hat. Godric's sword was capable of acquiring powers from those it had slain and thus was imbued with venom from its defeat of the Basilisk. Colors: Red & Gold Mascot: Lion Founder: Godric Gryffindor Specialty Sphere: Matter Ghost: Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington ("Nearly Headless Nick") Customary Archetypes: Architect, Bon Vivant, Cavalier, Competitor, Director, Explorer, Gallant, Guardian, Judge, Martyr, Survivor, Thrill-Seeker Common Room Location: In Gryffindor Tower, on the seventh floor, behind the portrait of the Fat Lady; password required (changes every term).
[email protected] 3 Notable Gryffindors: Albus Dumbledore (1892 – 1899), Rubeus Hagrid (1940 – 1943), Sirius Black (1971 – 1978), Remus Lupin (1971 – 1978), Lily Evans (1971 – 1978), James Potter (1971 – 1978), Harry James Potter (1991 – 1997). Hufflepuff You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, And unafraid of toil. —The Sorting Hat Helga Hufflepuff came from a broad valley. She favored loyalty, honesty, fair play, and hard work. Members of her house usually display at least one of these traits in varying degrees. She did not have particularly strict standards of selection to her house. Although, she considered “hard workers most worthy of admission,” she is known for taking all the rest of the students after selection by her colleagues, and is quoted as having said, “I’ll teach the lot, and treat them just the same.” This sets her apart from the other founders, by making her an egalitarian. One relic of Hufflepuff, a small golden cup, had been passed down to her distant descendant, Hepzibah Smith, who said the cup was supposed to have some magical powers, many of which she had not tested. Colors: Yellow & Black Mascot: Badger Founder: Helga Hufflepuff Specialty Sphere: Life Ghost: The Fat Friar Customary Archetypes: (Any) Bureaucrat, Caregiver, Child, Confidant, Follower, Judge, Loner, Optimist, Sycophant, Traditionalist Common Room Location: In a basement corridor, near the kitchens; password required (changes yearly). Notable Hufflepuffs: Amelia Bones (1937 – 1944), Nymphadora Tonks (1986 – 1992), Cedric Diggory (1990 – 1995). Ravenclaw Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, If you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind. —The Sorting Hat Rowena Ravenclaw was a Witch noted for her cleverness and creativity. She was known as “Fair Ravenclaw, from Glen,” suggesting she was from Scotland or Ireland. She was a good friend of Helga Hufflepuff; their friendship is used to emphasize the failed friendship between Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. Ravenclaw devised the ever-changing floor plans and moving staircases in the Hogwarts castle, and coined the proverb "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." Ravenclaw selected students according to intelligence and wisdom. Thus, her House values in its members a sharp mind, wisdom, creativity, and cleverness for its own sake. Rather than asking for a password from her members to get to the dormitories, a bronze eagle knocker asks them a riddle- like question; which, if answered incorrectly, would force the student to wait until another could answer the question correctly (allowing the failed student to learn). An artifact of Ravenclaw's, her lost diadem, grants enhanced wisdom to its wearer. Her daughter, Helena Ravenclaw (The Grey Lady) had once run away with it to surpass her mother in terms of intelligence and wisdom and hid it in Albania, in which its whereabouts remained unknown ever since. Colors: Blue & Bronze Mascot: Eagle Founder: Rowena Ravenclaw Specialty Sphere: Mind Ghost: Helena Ravenclaw “The Grey Lady” Customary Archetypes: Analyst, Competitor, Critic, Explorer, Judge, Perfectionist, Sage, Visionary Common Room Location: Ravenclaw Tower, on the west side of the castle; riddle entry (changes each day). Notable Ravenclaws: Quirinus Quirrell (1970 -1977), Merlin (1066 – 1072), Luna Lovegood (1992 – 1999), “Moaning Myrtle” (1942 - 1949). Slytherin Or perhaps in Slytherin You'll make your real friends Those cunning folk use any means To achieve their ends. —The Sorting Hat Salazar Slytherin was infamous as being power hungry, and came from a Fen (marshlands around Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and adjoining counties). Slytherin was a parselmouth, a wizard with the rare ability to speak with snakes. His House within Hogwarts is symbolized by a serpent, with House colors of green and silver. Like Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, Slytherin carefully selected members of his House. The qualities which Slytherin prized in his handpicked students included resourcefulness, determination, and a certain disregard for the rules (along with the ability to speak Parseltongue). He also selected his students according to cunning, ambition, and blood purity. Colors: Green & Silver Mascot: Serpent Founder: Salazar Slytherin Specialty Sphere: Forces Ghost: The Bloody Baron Customary Archetypes: Analyst, Autocrat, Bravo, Competitor, Conniver, Critic, Curmudgeon, Deviant, Fanatic, Judge, Loner, Manipulator, Perfectionist, Poltroon, Rebel, Sage Common Room Location: In the dungeons, behind a bare, damp stone wall; password required (changes weekly). Notable Slytherins: Phineas Nigellus Black (1858 – 1865), Horace E. F. Slughorn (1902 – 1909), Tom Riddle “Lord Voldemort” (1936 – 1943), Lucius Malfoy (1965 – 1972), Severus Snape (1971 – 1978), Bellatrix Black (1974 – 1980). Step Two: Attributes Attributes are numerical abstractions of a character’s abilities in certain areas. Split into three categories (Physical, Social and Mental), each character has a primary, secondary and tertiary group. Each group contains three separate attributes: Physical (Strength, Dexterity & Stamina), Social (Charisma, Manipulation & Appearance) and Mental (Perception, Intelligence & Wits). When assigning attributes, you may spend six points in your primary attribute group, four in secondary and three in the tertiary group. Your character Concept may determine which are more important to your character than the others. The point assignments here denote a Hogwarts student beginning their first year. Below is the list of attributes and a brief description of each of their ratings (as well as a list of Specialties, allowing characters to re-roll “10s” when applicable). Physical Strength: Ranks physical power, including the ability to move heavy objects and cause damage. Generally characters with a high strength ranking have a larger build than those with lower ratings. Specialties: Hulking Brute, Upper-body Strength, Iron-grip, Wiry, Husky, Brick Wall, Collateral Damage • Poor: You can lift 50 lbs. •• Average: You can lift 100 lbs. ••• Good: You can lift 250 lbs. •••• Exceptional: You can lift 500 lbs. ••••• Outstanding: You can lift 750 lbs. Dexterity: Measures a character’s speed, quickness, agility, grace and coordination. A high rating means good balance and reflexes. Characters with high Dexterity are usually slender, graceful and sure-footed. Specialties: Cat-like Grace, Lightning Reflexes, Nimble Feet, Perfect Balance, Light Touch • Poor: Two left feet and all thumbs. •• Average: You can walk and chew gum at the same time. ••• Good: You have natural grace and coordination. •••• Exceptional: You could have been a circus performer. ••••• Outstanding: You can walk the edge of a precipice, blindfolded. Stamina: Indicates your general health, ability to sustain damage and tolerance for pain. Stamina involves staying power, your character’s will to live and ability to cope with physical hardships. Specialties: Tenacity, Tirelessness, Durability, Toughness, Unmovable, Hearty Constitution • Poor: You are frail and get sick easily. •• Average: You stay in moderately good health. ••• Good: You exercise regularly and rarely get sick, if ever. •••• Exceptional: You could run a marathon. ••••• Outstanding: You can withstand any physical hardship.
[email protected] 4 Social Charisma: This trait measures how well others react to you. Charisma outlines a character’s charm and influence. It helps a character to convince others to see her point of view, gain their trust or simply fascinate them with his presence. Specialties: Smooth-Talker, Manners, Sophistication, Sensuality, Graciousness, Captivation, Magnetism • Poor: People generally avoid you. •• Average: You’re likable. ••• Good: Others trust and confide in you. •••• Exceptional: People are drawn to you in large numbers. ••••• Outstanding: You inspire people to great deeds and loyalty. Manipulation: This attribute determines the character’s aptitude for getting others to do her bidding. When you want to trick, out-maneuver, or influence someone, overtly or otherwise, this trait comes into play. It works on friends and foes alike. Specialties: Silver-tongued, Imposing, Persuasive, Glib, Charming, Deviousness • Poor: You have a hard time convincing others to do your bidding. •• Average: Usually people believe what you say. ••• Good: Word games and political jargon are no problem. •••• Exceptional: You are clever and sophisticated. ••••• Outstanding: You can make people to almost anything you want. Appearance: Obviously, this attribute indicates how physically attractive you are, but also measures more than outer beauty. Any feature that others find enticing (animation, cuteness, vulnerability, etc) can be included in appearance. Like it or not, we’re all influenced by the way people look, making judgments, often, on first impressions. Specialties: Alluring, Bold, Sensual, Cute, Cuddly, Handsome, Innocent, Wild, Sexy, Rugged • Poor: Others treat you with indifference or hostility. •• Average: You fit in well with a crowd. ••• Good: People tend to notice you. •••• Exceptional: Others favor you for your looks, if nothing else ••••• Outstanding: You awe and fascinate others with your beauty. Mental Perception: How much of what is going on around you do you notice? How aware are you of your surroundings? How open-minded and imaginative are you? Perception determines everything from attentiveness to concentration. Those with a high rating in this trait, generally tend to be either calm and insightful or nervous and paranoid. A low rating would indicate a level of obliviousness to one’s surroundings. Specialties: Keen Senses, Uncanny Insight, Clear-sighted, Astute, Intuitive, Insightful • Poor: You are unaware and inattentive. •• Average: You notice obvious goings-on. ••• Good: You see beyond the obvious to pick-up moods and subtexts. •••• Exceptional: You are constantly alert and spot subtleties easily. ••••• Outstanding: Few things get past you. Intelligence: Intelligence is raw mental potential, memory-retention, judgment, reasoning, understanding and critical thinking. Although it reflects information processing and clarity of thought, it less indicates levels of street savvy or common sense. Specialties: Creativity, Bookworm, Analyst, Deep-thinker, Pragmatism • Poor: IQ 80 •• Average: IQ 100 ••• Good: IQ 125 •••• Exceptional: IQ 150 ••••• Outstanding: IQ 200+ Wits: Wits describes how quickly a character thinks, covering qualities such as cleverness, guile, reaction time, intuitive (as opposed to rational) thinking and so forth. Intelligence describes how well a character thinks, but Wits describes how fast. A character with a high Wits rating is rarely caught off ‘guard or surprised for very long. He’s able to react immediately to a changing situation while a character with low Wits plods along and works best with planning and contingencies. Specialties: Intuitive, Quick Thinker, Rapier Wit, Strategist • Poor: You hesitate and have difficulty making even simple decisions. •• Average: Pretty quick on the uptake, but surprises tend to overwhelm you. ••• Good: You can keep your head while everyone around you is losing theirs (perhaps literally). •••• Exceptional: You’re never lacking for a clever comeback or a plan of action. ••••• Outstanding: You react at the speed of thought, before most people even realize what’s happening Step Three: Abilities Whereas all characters have Attributes, Abilities are learned traits. Attributes reflect characters’ potential, while Abilities are what they have learned to do with that potential. If you’re strong, you can probably hit pretty hard, but you’ll be that much more effective in a fight if you also know how to hit and where to hit to do the most damage. An Ability is usually paired with an Attribute (combining potential with training) to determine what dice pool a player rolls for a particular action. Like with Attributes, abilities are split into three categories (Talents, Skills and Knowledges) each of which needs to be prioritized, with the primary category getting eleven points, secondary seven and tertiary getting three. Also similar to Attributes, the point assignments here denote a Hogwarts student beginning their first year. Each of the Abilities covers a fairly broad range of activities or knowledge. Players may wish to have their characters acquire a specialty in an Ability, even if the character’s rating in it is not yet 4 or higher. This reflects the fact that characters often learn specific aspects of Abilities rather than just the general knowledge. TALENTS Talents are Abilities that everyone has to one degree or another. They’re known intuitively, and the only real way to improve them is through experience and practice. It’s difficult at best to learn anything about a Talent from a book or a lecture. The best way to learn them is by doing them, over and over again. Characters with high ratings in Talents usually have a fair amount of experience in using them. If you attempt a Talent your character doesn’t possess, roll the character’s appropriate Attribute with no penalty in difficulty. Everyone has at least a little potential in Talents because they’re so intuitive. Alertness: The knack for noticing what’s going on around you. It’s typically paired with Perception and compliments it. Alertness allows you to take everything in, and Perception lets you pick up on the important details. Alertness is different from Awareness in that Alertness focuses on the physical world, while Awareness is for picking up on the supernatural world. • Novice: You pay a little more attention than most. •• Practiced: You don’t miss much. ••• Competent: You’ve always got some idea of what’s going on. •••• Expert: Very little catches you by surprise. ••••• Master: You’re aware of everything around you, even things most people never notice. Possessed by: Aurors, Bodyguards, Hunters, Investigators, Journalists, Security Personnel Specialties: Danger Sense, Hidden Objects, People, Specific Sense (Sight, Hearing, etc.) Athletics: Encompasses all basic Talent and training in athletic activities such as running, jumping, swimming, throwing, tumbling and so forth, as well as various sports. It doesn’t cover weight-lifting (which is based solely on Strength) or athletic activities specifically covered by another Skill (like Dodge or Dueling). • Novice: Basic Talent or training. •• Practiced: Student athlete. ••• Competent: You could be a professional Quidditch player. •••• Expert: Top-ranked in your sport. ••••• Master: You could compete in the World Cup. Possessed by: Athletes, Health Enthusiasts, Jocks, Kids, Soldiers Specialties: Acrobatics, Climbing, Dance, Jumping, Running, Specific Sport, Swimming, Throwing, Quidditch Awareness: As Alertness measures awareness of the natural world, Awareness measures a character’s ability to sense the Wizarding world. It’s a kind of sixth sense, the ability to look beyond the mundane façade of everyday life in the world to see what’s lurking beneath the surface. Generally, only supernatural beings such as Wizards, ghosts and Squibs have Awareness, although there are a rare few mortals capable of it as well. Characters with Awareness get hints, hunches and flashes of insight regarding the supernatural (how much insight depends on their Awareness rating and how many successes the player rolls).
[email protected] 5 • Novice: You pick up strange vibes from certain places and people. •• Practiced: You know the supernatural when you see it. ••• Competent: You can sense hidden forces through the world. •••• Expert: You pick up on subtle supernatural forces all around you. ••••• Master: You can sense a supernatural influence anywhere nearby, and you can sometimes pick up on more distant forces. Possessed by: Ghosts, Squibs, New Agers, Wizards, Vampires, Werewolves, Seers, the Insane Specialties: Magic, Places of Power, Vampires, Werewolves, Spirits, Leglimency Brawl: This ability covers a character’s prowess in unarmed combat, ranging from brutal street fighting to the “sweet science” of boxing and everything in between. For Animagi, capable of changing their form, it also includes fighting with tooth and claw (and any other sort of appendage). It handles knowing how to hit and how to do the most damage, along with how to defend yourself. The character may have picked up the ability through training, hard experience, or a combination of the two. • Novice: You know how to fight without hurting yourself.. •• Practiced: You can hold your own in a fight against most people. ••• Competent: You’ve fought regularly for some time. •••• Expert: You could be a professional fighter, even a title-winner. •••• Master: Welcome to fight club. You’re in charge. Possessed by: Boxers, Gang Members, Martial Artists, Werewolves, Aurors Specialties: Basic Self-Defense, Boxing, Dirty Fighting, Martial Arts Style, Wrestling Dodge: Self-preservation is one of the most primal instincts, and Dodge represents that instinct taken and focused into the ability to get out of the way of danger. When you’re attacked, you can use Dodge to get out of harm’s way. It may involve diving for cover, sidestepping blows or fancy footwork. • Novice: You operate mostly on reflex. •• Practiced: You usually know when to duck. ••• Competent: You slip past many attacks with ease and grace. •••• Expert: When the attack arrives, you’re usually not there. ••••• Master: You dodge curses with simple ease. Possessed by: Criminals, Martial Artists, Police, Soldiers, Survivors Specialties: Cover, Fancy Footwork, Jumping, Sidestepping, Tumbling Expression: Words have a power all their own, and Expression covers the use of words to get a point across, evoke a particular feeling, or provide a convincing argument. It includes all forms of expression through language, from poetry to speech writing to creative writing. • Novice: You’ve got a grasp of sentence structure and word usage. •• Practiced: You have a broad vocabulary and use it well. ••• Competent: You always choose your words carefully •••• Expert: You could be a best-selling author or speechwriter. ••••• Master: You can create works that touch millions Possessed by: Actors, Business Leaders, Poets, Politicians, Writers Specialties: Drama, Improv, Poetry, Prose, Speeches, Technical Writing Instruction: With Instruction, you can teach Skills and Knowledges in ways that let others learn easily well, though you can never raise a student’s rating above that of your own. • Novice: You can present simple concepts in an understandable manner. •• Practiced: You can teach moderately complex subjects in straightforward lessons. ••• Competent: You can teach anything you know to a level of competency. •••• Expert: Learning from you is a pleasure; you make advanced potion-making and ancient runes easily accessible. ••••• Master: You’re a teacher who consistently inspires your pupils, endowing them with a deep and true understanding of the subject. Possessed by: Mentors, Professors, Quidditch Captains Specialties: Knowledges, Skills, Specific Subjects, Younger Students Intimidation: Fear is a powerful weapon, and an excellent way of motivating people. Intimidation covers all the myriad ways to motivate someone through fear and overpowering force of personality. It may be as overt as a physical threat (backed up by a show of force) or as subtle as wearing a power-tie and sitting someone so they have to look up at you and acknowledge that you’re in the superior position. • Novice: You know how to make people back off. •• Practiced: You can stare most people down without much trouble. ••• Competent: You can end fights before they even start. •••• Expert: People defer to you without you even trying. ••••• Master: You can cow someone with little more than a glance. Possessed by: Bouncers, Bullies, Cult Leaders, Executives, Gangsters Specialties: Bluffing, Frightening, Physical Threats, Stare-Downs, Veiled Threats Intuition: Some call it a gut feeling while others say it’s subconscious logic, the ability to leap to the right conclusion without actually thinking it through - a matter of pure intuition. Intuition is the ability to choose between two (or more) options with a better chance of picking the right one. It represents that gut instinct for making the right decision at the right time. It’s the ability to roll when a character makes a decision largely at random, like whether to cut the red, green or blue wire as the timer counts down to zero, or picking the right away out of a maze while running away from something. Players can call for an Intuition roll when they get stuck or need to make a decision quickly. Storytellers can roll Intuition for the characters in order to give them clues or help move the story along. • Novice: You’ve got a knack for making the right choice. •• Practiced: You’ve learned to listen to and trust your instincts. ••• Competent: When you have a “bad feeling” about something, everyone listens. •••• Expert: You could make a killing in the stock market . ••••• Master: You’ve always managed to make the right choice at the last minute... so far. Possessed by: Daredevils, Entrepreneurs, Gamblers, Mothers Specialties: Danger, Gambling, Insight, Inspiration, Luck Streetwise: The streets have a culture all their own, a culture you’re versed in. This Talent allows a character to fit into the street scene, gather information, make contacts, buy and sell on the black market and otherwise make use of the street’s unique resources. It’s also important for navigating the dangers of the streets, avoiding the law and staying on the right side of the wrong people. • Novice: You’re known, and can often get what you’re looking for. •• Practiced: You’ve got a reputation and some connections. ••• Competent: You command respect and know the right people. •••• Expert: You’re a fixture of the street scene, truly on the inside. ••••• Master: You know everything happening on the streets, sometimes before it happens. Possessed by: Aurors, Criminals, Detectives, Gangsters, Homeless Specialties: Dark Magic, Connections, Gangs, Rumor Mill, Vice Subterfuge: Subterfuge is the art of deception. Characters with this Talent know how to conceal their true feelings and act in a completely different manner. They’re also good at noticing when others do the same thing. Subterfuge is used when telling a convincing lie, hiding one’s emotions or reactions, or trying to pick up on the same from others. It’s most often used to manipulate other people, but characters also learn it in order to avoid being manipulated. Those with a talent for Subterfuge usually find themselves involved in intrigue and manipulation, one way or another. • Novice: You can get away with the occasional lie. •• Practiced: You’ve got decent poker face and know how to bluff. ••• Competent: You keep track of your lies and hide your feelings. •••• Expert: You can pull off complex cons with style and panache. ••••• Master: No one ever suspects you; everyone trusts you implicitly. Possessed by: Actors, Con Artists, Grifters, Lawyers, Politicians, Teenagers Specialties: Con Games, Hiding Emotions, Lying, Misdirection, Seduction, Occlumency Skills Skills are learned Abilities acquired through study and practice. If you try to use a Skill your character doesn’t have, roll the appropriate Attribute but increase your difficulty by one. Unskilled characters just aren’t as effective as those who have studied and practiced. Like Talents, the best way to improve Skills is by doing them, over and over again. Characters with high ratings in Skills always have a great deal of experience and practice in them. Crafts: From cooking to carpentry to sculpting, Crafts covers any sort of work with your hands. Characters can build, create and even make functional things or works of art using this Skill. The Storyteller sets the difficulty and time required for individual creative tasks; anywhere from a few minutes to days or more of work. Characters with Crafts must choose a specialty, although they don’t gain a bonus for it until they have 4 or more ranks in the Skill. (Crafts is so broad that people usually focus on a particular area.) • Novice: You can do simple projects on your own
[email protected] 6 •• Practiced: You understand many of the subtleties of your craft. ••• Competent: You can earn a decent living at your craft. •••• Expert: People are consistently impressed with your work. ••••• Master: You’re a true master, and probably recognized as such. Possessed by: Artists, Carpenters, Chefs, Craftspeople, Inventors Specialties: Any particular craft such as Broomstick Making, Carpentry, Cooking, Drawing, Painting, Pottery, Sculpting, Wand Making Dueling: The Skill of Wizard fighting, one-on-one, with magic. Dueling has specific, agreed-upon rules, and is usually not to the death (particularly among students). Dueling both is a form of fighting between Wizards and a sport, with the same Skills and abilities required whatever the type of combat. While rules apply in the sporting version (such as bowing to your opponent before battle commences) the duel is often a matter of life and death when in used in combat, and the pleasantries are usually ignored. • Novice: You know the basic rules of the sport. •• Practiced: You manage to stand your own in a fight. ••• Competent: You have little difficulty winning most duels. •••• Expert: Few are as competent at wand work as you. ••••• Master: World-class duelist; probably famous for a particular duel against another Master.. Possessed by: Athletes, Bounty Hunters, Students, Vigilantes Specialties: Combat, Curses, Defensive Spells, Multiple Disapparation, Spell Deflection, Sport Etiquette: Generally refers to the mores and manners of “proper” society, often specializing in the etiquette of a particular culture or setting. • Novice: You can fit in and avoid any serious social gaffes. •• Practiced: You know the language and rules well enough to look like you belong. ••• Competent: You impress people with your grace and tact. You’re an excellent host and guest. •••• Expert: The soul of tact, you could be a professional diplomat. ••••• Master: You can handle nearly any social situation with aplomb while making it look easy. Possessed by: Clergy, Debutantes, Diplomats, Politicians, Socialites Specialties: Any specific sub-culture: Herbology: The study of herbs, or plants that have powers to improve health or the quality of life. Herbs can be used alone or in potions to improve fortune, protect someone, heal, cast spells, change someone’s life in some positive or negative way, or any other function. Herbology does not give the character the Skill to create potions (that is a separate Skill), but involves identifying, planting, growing and cultivating said plants and herbs. • Novice: You can identify magical plants and identify most common poisonous herbs •• Practiced: Well educated in more advanced magical vegetation ••• Competent: Versed in all common and uncommon plants •••• Expert: Few know more about the finer points of herbology ••••• Master: You can plant, cultivate or replant anything living in soil. Possessed by: Homemakers, Naturalists, Potion Makers Specialties: Cultivation, Healing, Identification, Potions Leadership: It takes a special quality to get a group of people organized and focused on a particular task, it takes Leadership. Leadership relates to both the ability to organize and direct people and the quality that makes people want to follow your lead, even look to you for guidance. • Novice: You can get a group of friends or associates organized to handle a task. •• Practiced: People tend to look to you for guidance and direction. ••• Competent: You can take charge in most situations and even get strangers working together in a short period of time. •••• Expert: Your followers like and admire you, and you know just how to motivate them. ••••• Master: You could successfully lead a nation or multinational corporation. Possessed by: Aurors, Demagogues, Directors, Prefects, Politicians Specialties: Delegating, Direction, Inspiration, Organization, Speeches Muggle Tech: This Skill covers understanding, operating, repairing, and even building or upgrading all Muggle devices. Characters without this Skill may know how to operate various simple devices that are common between the Muggle and Wizard worlds, but they don’t necessarily know how they work or how to fix them. • Novice: You can re-wire a lamp and do some common Household repairs. •• Practiced: You can do some basic electrical work or build a crystal radio set. ••• Competent: You’re a skilled engineer able to design and build various devices. •••• Expert: You can alter and upgrade existing Muggle electronics. ••••• Master: You’re ahead of your time when it comes to designing and building new Muggle technology. Possessed by: Half-bloods, Muggle-born, Muggle Specialists Specialties: Electronics, Customization, Invention, Mechanical Devices, Repair, Vehicles Potions: Few appreciate the subtle science and exact art of potion making. Fewer still really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. • Novice: You can follow relatively simple instructions, making uncomplicated potions fairly accurately. •• Practiced: You have developed some Skill in mixing more complex potions and antidotes. ••• Competent: You have progressed to a more advanced potion- making level, and can now mix existing potions into something new. •••• Expert: Few potions are beyond your ability to concoct. ••••• Master: You can easily bottle fame, brew glory and stopper death. Possessed by: Aurors, Healers, Scholars, Alchemists Specialties: Antidotes, Poisons, Transfiguration Potions Research: All seekers of knowledge must learn how to find information. This Skill allows a character to locate resources he needs for furthering his studies. Such information exists in traditional libraries, in oral tribal traditions or in sophisticated occult tomes. • Novice: You’re comfortable with most public sources of information. •• Practiced: You’re experienced at using in-depth resource systems. ••• Competent: You know the contents of many private libraries. •••• Expert: Given time, you can locate any piece of information. ••••• Master: Whether written, coded or spoken, you know where to find the lore you are seeking. Possessed by: Scholars, Alchemists, Historians, Students Specialties: History, Lore, Occult Ride: People who don’t know how to ride a beast of burden or flying object must walk (or Apparate). You are not one of this sad majority; rather you understand the handling of various modes of transportation. Some wilder varieties (i.e. dragons and griffins) might be strange to you, but with time, you can master any creature, rug or broom. • Novice: You know how to saddle a pony or mount a broom. •• Practiced: You can handle a horse in full gallop. ••• Competent: You can ride in battle, carry messages long distances, even handle more exotic creatures.. •••• Expert: Even a cursed broom is no challenge. ••••• Master: Thestrals, dragons and hippogriffs are no challenge. Possessed by: Aurors. Dragon Tamers, Gameskeepers, Quidditch Players Specialties: Brooms, Flying Creatures, Land Animals, Mundane Creatures Stealth: Stealth allows characters to sneak and hide, whether moving or standing still. While seemingly simple enough, it’s difficulty varies widely depending on the perception attributes of those in the vicinity. • Novice: You can hide behind large enough objects or in dark enough areas. •• Practiced: You can disappear into a crowd and follow someone without being spotted right off. ••• Competent: People tell you to stop sneaking up on them. •••• Expert: You can sneak across a snowy courtyard or along a gravel path without being noticed. ••••• Master: You’re like a ghost, practically invisible when you want to be. Possessed by: Assassins, Commandos, Reporters, Spies, Thieves Specialties: Crowds, Darkness, Hiding, Shadowing, Sneaking Survival: The world can be a harsh place. It takes Skill to survive without the comforts of modem life. Survival covers making it in the wilderness (even the wilderness of the urban jungle) with only simple tools and resources. The more skilled characters are, the fewer resources they need in order to survive. They can live off the land, avoid the dangers of the
[email protected] 7 environment, find shelter and so forth. Characters must choose a specialty for the environment they know best. • Novice: You’ve been camping a few times. •• Practiced: You’ve been camping frequently or taken a survival course or two. ••• Competent: You can care for a small group of people and keep them alive. •••• Expert: You can live off the land indefinitely. ••••• Master: You are one with your environment. Possessed by: Dragon Scouts, Campers, Commandos, Hunters, Survivalists Specialties: Any particular environment such as Arctic, Desert, Forest, Jungle or Urban, or any particular aspect of survival like Hazards, Hunting, Shelter and so forth Knowledges Knowledges are Abilities acquired through study, usually involving application of the mind, so Knowledges are most often paired with the Mental Attributes (particularly Intelligence). The rankings are described in scholastic terms, but formal education is by no means the only way of improving Knowledge. You may want to differentiate between Knowledges your character learned formally and those he learned informally (and without the prestige of a degree). If your character doesn’t have a ranking in a Knowledge, you can’t attempt rolls involving it unless you have the Storyteller’s permission. If you don’t know anything about medicine, you’re not going to be able to perform helpful first-aid, much less surgery. If you don’t speak Japanese, you’re probably not going to be able to understand it, and so forth. Astronomy: The study of the universe and the objects in it through scientific investigation and it’s effects on magic and how the positions and aspects of celestial bodies influence on the course of natural earthly occurrences and human affairs. A mix of what Muggles might call Astrophysics and Astrology. • Student: You know the names of the planets and constellations •• OWL: You have a basic understanding on how the stars affect everyday life. ••• NEWT: You’ve got a firm grasp on the universe’s many secrets. •••• Qualified: You know everything in the visible sky intimately. ••••• Master: You discover new stars and planets regularly. Possessed by: Scholars, Seers, Students Suggested Specialties: Constellations, Divination, Planets, Stars, Zodiac Culture: This Ability combines the concepts of societal beliefs, behaviors, rituals, institutions, history and general thought patterns in reference to a certain group of people. It entails both how members of the society behave and what motivates their actions. • Student: You know some taboos and cultural mores. •• OWL: You’re familiar with most cultures with similarities to your own. ••• NEWT: You’re conversant with the sociological imperatives of several diverse cultures •••• Qualified: You’re an expert in working with other cultures; given time you could fit in with any society. ••••• Master: You’re at home with any culture you encounter. Possessed by: Anthropologists, Politicians, Explorers Suggested Specialties: Religion, Taboos, Politics, Specific Cultural Groups Enigmas: Using Enigmas enables you to piece together puzzles of all kinds, bringing together bits of information to solve mysteries and conundrums. With this knowledge, you can remember pertinent facts and vital details and combine them into a coherent explanation. Even the most trivial detail has its own importance under your astute eye. • Student: You can solve a cryptogram or assemble a large jigsaw puzzle •• OWL: Logic problems are no problem for you. ••• NEWT: You are an astute deductive reasoner; difficult to trick. •••• Qualified: You can order reason out of chaos. ••••• Master: With just a couple of clues, you might solve some of the great mysteries of the universe. Possessed by: Analysts, Aurors, Detectives, Scholars Suggested Specialties: Riddles, Visions, Twisted Plots Investigation: You’re trained to look for clues and piece together evidence to solve mysteries, from investigating a crime to discovering secret or hidden goings-on. Investigation is used for finding clues, putting them together, doing research and tracking down leads. • Student: Amateur detective. •• OWL: Wizard Law Enforcement Wizard ••• NEWT: Auror in training. •••• Qualified: Professional Auror. ••••• Master: There’s no mystery you can’t solve. Possessed by: Aurors, Reporters, Students, Scholars Suggested Specialties: Crime Scenes, Interviews, Leads Law: Characters trained in the law know legal codes and procedures. More Skilled characters can offer legal advice and figure out ways of dealing with legal matters. They may even be licensed to practice law. This Ability includes an understanding of Wizard laws, Muggle law is a matter for Muggle Studies, unless Muggle Law is chosen as a specialty here. • Student: You have a basic understanding of Wizard law. •• OWL: You’re a law student or have read a lot on the subject. ••• NEWT: You are a paralegal or a dedicated law scholar.. •••• Qualified: A fully licensed Wizard lawyer with good reputation. ••••• Master: You know the intricacies of law, probably a member of the Wizengamot. Possessed by: Aurors, Criminals, Judges, Lawyers, Politicians Suggested Specialties: Business, Civil, Contracts, Criminal, Cultural Linguistics: All characters are assumed to speak, read and write in their native language. Dots in Linguistics allow a character to speak additional languages. The player chooses which languages the character understands with the approval of the Storyteller. A high level of this Knowledge also includes some understanding of the science of languages - their construction, design and internal logic. Characters may choose the study of linguistics as one of their “language” choices to get a more scholarly understanding of the topic. • Student: One or two extra modern or mundane languages. •• OWL: You understand the basics of how language works and can speak a few modern languages.. ••• NEWT: You have a grasp on the subtleties of language, it’s history and etymology. You can speak several living or dead languages. •••• Qualified: You are fully versed on the science of language, helping you to learn new ones with ease. ••••• Master: There is no language you cannot master, from Giant to Gobbledygook, nothing is beyond your grasp. Possessed by: Diplomats, Linguists, Spies, Translators, World Travelers Suggested Specialties: Codes and Ciphers, Slang, any modern, mundane, magical or ancient language Medicine: This trait represents an understanding of the workings of mortal clay, specifically the human body and how to treat it. It represents knowledge of anatomy, physiology and basic healing techniques and treatment at low levels. At higher ranks it includes diagnosis, treatment of disease, and all the knowledge of a Healer. However, without healing magic, this knowledge is of little use to Witches. • Student: Basic knowledge of healing and anatomy •• OWL: Pre-med student or trained nurse. ••• NEWT: You could be a licensed Healer. •••• Qualified: Practiced Healer or Skilled specialist. ••••• Master: Renowned for your Skill and know1edge in healing. Possessed by: Healers, Nurses, Medics Suggested Specialties: Diagnostics, Emergency Care, Pediatrics, Poisons Muggle Studies: Muggle Studies is the study of the history, culture, and psychology of non-magical people. This knowledge helps Witches and Wizards understand the difference between the way Muggles think and the way Wizards think. Muggle-born begin play with an automatic level 3 in Muggle Studies, and Half-bloods 2. • Student: You understand the basics between how Muggles work and think. •• OWL: You know how electricity works and why Muggles need it. ••• NEWT: You could pass as a Muggle, at least for short excursions. •••• Qualified: You have the ability to act, think and live as a Muggle. ••••• Master: You can identify Wizards trying to pass as Muggles with a glance and probably know more about Muggles than Muggles do. Possessed by: Half-bloods, Muggle-born, Politicians, Sociologists, Aurors Suggested Specialties: Machines, Specific Muggle Cultures, Technology Occult: There is a great deal of lore in the world about the occult, the mysterious, the mythic and the legendary. In the Wizarding world, some of it is true, but most of it is not. A character with knowledge of the occult not only
[email protected] 8 knows the theories, myths and legends but also has the ability to discern fact from falsehood. Knowledge of the occult is also useful in attracting followers of the Dark Arts. • Student: You’ve read some books and picked up the basics. •• OWL: You’ve read a lot of books and started to pick out the obvious falsehoods. ••• NEWT: You know all the major occult lore and a number of obscure facts, although not all of it is true. •••• Qualified: You can separate truth from falsehood, and you know most of what there is to know. ••••• Master: You’re privy to secrets that few others are aware of. Possessed by: Cultists, Death Eaters, Occultists, Scholars Suggested Specialties: Cultural Beliefs, Dark Arts, Ghosts, Vampires, Werewolves Science: This Ability represents an understanding of the physical sciences: biology, chemistry, physics, and so forth. Many characters have a specialty they focus on, but they retain a broad general knowledge of other sciences. Science is largely theoretical knowledge, Crafts and Muggle Tech cover its practical applications. • Student: You have a basic understanding of science. •• OWL: You have a broad general view of the sciences and a little practical experience. ••• NEWT: You’ve done your own research and experiments, probably even had a paper or two published. •••• Qualified: You’re a skilled researcher with deep understanding of the sciences. ••••• Master: Your research and theories are renowned and respected. Possessed by: Academics, Engineers, Muggle-born, Researchers, Students, Technicians Suggested Specialties: Alchemy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Metallurgy, Physics Wand Lore: Most human magic is done using a wand. It is possible to cast spells without using a wand, but for most Wizards results are unfocused. Wands are created from wood with some magical substance at its heart. This ability deals strictly with the theoretical knowledge of how wands work. The creation of wands would be a specialization of the Craft Skill. • Student: You possess dubious and sketchy facts. •• OWL: You are certain some of your knowledge is accurate; then again, you may know just enough to get yourself into real trouble. ••• NEWT: You could hold an intelligent conversation with a qualified wand maker. •••• Qualified: You have learned facts that only the most gifted wand makers are privy to. ••••• Master: You understand wands at least as well as any other wand maker, if not more than most. Possessed by: Scholars, Wand makers Suggested Specialties: Core Qualities, Length, Wood Selection Ste Ste Ste Step Four: Advantages p Four: Advantages p Four: Advantages p Four: Advantages Advantages are unique resources or special abilities. They’re not prioritized the way attributes and abilities are; you have only a set number of points to spend in each advantage category. There are two types of Advantages: Backgrounds and Spheres. Backgrounds Some traits are inborn, some are learned and practiced, and others are matters of experience, hard work and good fortune. Over time, people accumulate things like friends, contacts and favors. They earn money and acquire resources and may also gain fame or status. These traits are called Backgrounds. The represent the resources your character has to draw on, rather than personal abilities. They’re rated just like Attributes and Abilities are, but they’re not rolled as often. A given level of a Background represents an advantage your character has. Allies: In their travels and at school, Wizards often encounter a variety of interesting people. While many may be hostile, some befriend and aid the Wizard. These allies could be other Witches, Muggles or even other sentient creatures, such as merfolk or centaurs. Allies should be characters in their own right, not simple cannon fodder. Though they may be loyal unto even death, such friends will not throw their lives away for nothing, especially if the Witch does nothing to support that loyalty. Friendship is a two-way street, and even allies have their own agendas. • One ally of comparable power •• Two allies, or one more powerful ally ••• Three allies, or fewer allies of correspondingly greater power •••• Four allies, or fewer allies of correspondingly greater power ••••• Five allies, or fewer allies of correspondingly greater power Chantry: Your cabal’s meeting place; it may be a place you own, or a fellowship you belong to. Usually, chantries have protective enchantments placed upon them to keep people from finding them or recognizing them for what they truly are. A chantry can be anything: a Wizard’s mansion, a secluded glen, a shack on the side of a mountain, etc. • A small cottage or clearing with limited protection. (The Burrow) •• A small manor House, possibly with a House elf and more complex security. (Number 12 Grimmwald Place) ••• A large mansion or keep, with a modest-sized staff of servants and complicated defenses. (Malfoy Manor) •••• A large castle or building with a full staff and extremely byzantine protective spells placed upon it. (Ministry of Magic) ••••• An enormous Academy or small village with impossibly complex defensive spells in place. (Hogwarts) Contacts: Unlike Allies, contacts may or may not like you. However, they are useful sources of information and may be willing to share such information, if only for a price. Contacts generally have specific influence in a particular area of expertise. • One contact of moderate influence and information available •• Two contacts, or one more influential with more useful information. ••• Three contacts, or fewer more influential with more useful information. •••• Four contacts, or fewer more influential with more useful information. ••••• Five contacts, or fewer more influential with more useful information. Destiny: Some people are destined to do great things- or die in great ways. A Destiny means that the Wizard is part of some historic future; a future that will rarely be a simple one and will usually end in the Wizard’s death. A character with a high Destiny rating is a chosen one; perhaps a vision, prophecy or a simple “sense of greatness” follows him. Wizards who recognize such things will treat the mage with some respect. His actions, however, will be watched closely and often criticized if he appears “unworthy” of whatever Fate has planned for him. Wizards with Destiny rarely die ignominious deaths. They may die young, but they perish with style and importance. This certainty can carry the Wizard through hard times. Once per story, if something threatens him with a bad end, he may roll his Destiny rating, regaining one willpower point per success rolled. • A Wizard of merit •• A credible Witch ••• A Wizard of promise •••• A respected Witch ••••• A revered Wizard Dream: You are in touch with the cosmic unconscious. This allows you to know things you have never learned and gain insights into things you could not possibly otherwise know by simply entering a temporary dreamlike, meditative state. However, the universal unconscious is not a library; sometimes the information the Wizard seeks is not the kind he comes out with. In addition to information, the character can gain abilities he does not naturally possess (limited by his Dream rating). • Hazy bits of information can be gleaned. •• Respectable lessons can be learned. ••• Worthwhile lore is available. •••• Remarkable knowledge can be accessed. ••••• Astounding insights are possible. Fame: You have a measure of fame in either Muggle or Wizard society, possibly as a performer, athlete, politician or other sort of public personality.
[email protected] 9 Your fame gives you various perks, but it can also make it difficult for you to hide your true nature from the Muggle world. On one hand, fame gives you power and influence in society. You can get away with a lot when you’re famous, and people tend to defer to you. You’re frequently recognized, and you can often get star treatment from people. On the other hand, it is difficult for you to go places without being recognized, and the media watches you carefully. Anything unusual about you is more likely to be noticed (although not necessarily in a bad way – the famous are expected to be eccentric). • You’re well known to a small circle or subculture, like the elite or the occult crowd of a particular city. •• You’re a local celebrity like a TV or radio personality. Most people in your area recognize you. ••• You’re known statewide or in a large subculture, such as science- fiction fans or academics. •••• You’re nationally famous, most people have at least heard of you. Many recognize you. ••••• You’re internationally famous, a mega-media star, known (and mobbed with fans) wherever you go. Familiar: This is an intelligent creature who works with the character, aiding her in her endeavors. Such relationships are two-way streets however, as the familiar also requires things of the mage. The powers of the Familiar vary with its level. Familiars also need to be fed one Trait of Quintessence per session for every Trait of Familiar that the Familiar's mage has. If this feeding requirement is missed once, the Familiar rebels in some way, ranging from a simple cut-and-run to an all-out attack. • Your pet is pretty small (i.e. bullfrog or rat); has one common special ability. •• A slightly larger companion (i.e. cat or owl); has one noteworthy ability. ••• A medium-sized animal (i.e. wolf or dog); may have a few common abilities as well as one additional noteworthy trait. •••• A large creature (i.e. Hippogriff or Thestral); a highly intelligent creature with a mix of several common and noteworthy traits. ••••• An enormous companion (i.e. dragon or cerberus), possessing powers of its own. This familiar requires a lot of loyalty! Influence: You can pull strings in either Muggle or Wizard society to get things done or to get people to look the other way. Your influence may come from wealth, fame, political power, social connections, blackmail, religious fervor or some combination thereof. The greater your Influence rating is, the stronger and more far reaching your influence is. Exercising your influence usually requires a Social Attribute + Influence roll, although the Storyteller may waive the roll for minor exercises such as getting a breach of underage magic fixed. The Storyteller sets the difficulty for an Influence roll based on what you’re trying to get done. Appropriate Abilities (such as Subterfuge) and Backgrounds (such as Allies, Contacts or Fame) may lower the difficulty. Wizards are generally cautious in exercising their influence, since obvious uses may attract the attention of Muggles and other Wizards. • You can influence city politics and agencies. •• You can influence state politics and agencies. ••• You can influence regional politics and agencies. •••• You can influence national politics and agencies. ••••• You can influence international politics Library: A repository of magical knowledge and helpful lore. Wizards often keep their tomes at the Chantry library and share them freely with the others in the cabal. Thus, this Background can be pooled so long as the means allow and the members of the cabal with the Library Background stay together. • A collection of school textbooks. •• A few notable works and lots of superficial stuff. ••• A handful of rare and ancient books and vast Muggle volumes. •••• An impressive collection of Wizard and Muggle lore. ••••• A hoard of lost secrets and a sea of common wisdom. Mentor: This Background gives your character a Mentor, a guide and teacher who gives you advice and guidance. A low rating in this Background indicates a Mentor with limited resources and influence, while a higher rating gives you a Mentor who commands respect (and possibly fears). Your Mentor acts on your behalf, although the Storyteller determines exactly how. Usually, a Mentor offers advice, allowing the Storyteller to use the Mentor to help guide you. Mentors may also use their influence or abilities to help you out, although most Mentors like to see their charges do things for themselves. • A Mentor of little influence or power. •• A Mentor of modest influence or power. ••• A Mentor of considerable influence or power in an area. •••• A Mentor with influence or power over a large area. ••••• A Mentor with tremendous power. Resources: This Background measures your character’s material resources, both possessions and wealth. Your dots in Resources represent a “standard of living” your character has attained. It can usually be maintained fairly easily (although the Storyteller may put obstacles in your path from time to time). You get a basic monthly income from your resources, over and above your basic needs, which you can spend as you see fit. You also have various basic possessions, like a home, enchanted vehicle, clothing and so forth. The Storyteller determines if you are likely to own something based on your resources level. If you need to, you can liquidate your possessions for additional cash, although it takes time to sell them (especially large possessions like houses and magic cars). • Small savings: You have a small flat and maybe a second-hand broom. If liquidated, you would have about 100 galleons. Income of 50 galleons a month. •• Middle class: You have a small cottage or condominium and the latest Nimbus. If liquidated you would have at least 800 galleons. Income of 120 galleons a month. ••• Upper class: You own a manor or other property and have a Firebolt. If liquidated, you would have at least 5000 galleons. Income of 300 galleons a month. •••• Wealthy: You own a large manse and probably more than one broom (possibly even an enchanted Muggle vehicle). If liquidated you would have at least 50000 galleons. Income of 900 galleons a month. ••••• Filthy rich: You may own a mansion (or small castle) and collect talismans as a hobby. If liquidated, you would have at least 500,000 galleons. Income of 3,000 galleons a month. Talisman: A Talisman is an object of power, an item imbued with magic which the wielder can use. These objects have built-in effects. In most cases, only a Witch or Wizard can use them, although there may be exceptions. No matter how many powers such an item possesses, it cannot have more effects than the traits in its rating. The effect is also limited to a Sphere level equal to the traits in the Talisman. Conjunctional effects are considered to take up one Trait per Sphere involved. Because of their power, Talismans are purchased differently than other Backgrounds. Each background costs two background or freebie points instead of one. A level five Talisman, then, would cost 10 points. Every Talisman has Arête Traits of its own, allowing the mage to bid and use the Talisman's Traits in instead of her own. You should work with the Storyteller to determine what your Talisman does and how you can use it. Any Witch who chooses the Talisman Background must create (in conjunction with the Storyteller) a story explaining reasonably where and how she obtained the Talisman, and how she has managed to hang onto it. • [cost 2 points] A weak item with 1 Arête Traits, Quintessence 5 •• [cost 4 points] A useful Talisman 2 Arête Traits, Quintessence 10 ••• [cost 6 points] A significant item 3 Arête Traits, Quintessence 15 •••• [cost 8 points] A potent Talisman 4 Arête Traits, Quintessence 20 ••••• [cost 10 points] A powerful item 5 Arête Traits, Quintessence 25 Spheres of Magic Spheres are aspects of reality which a Witch uses to create magic. Your character's rating in a Sphere represents how well she understands and manipulates that particular element. Your character will begin play with one free dot she gains from her House. Wizards all use spells to consciously use magic, and each spell has its own sphere requirements. Until a sphere has been raised to the required level, a spell will not work properly for a Wizard, and could have devastating effects. Spells are detailed later. Additionally, Wizards require a wand to use as a focus for their intentional magic. A wand is composed of a type of wood, usually determined by the Wizard’s month of birth (though there are some exceptions) and some magical substance at its core, such as unicorn hair, dragon heartstring or phoenix feather. For more on wands, see below. Correspondence: Deals with spatial relations, giving the Wizard power over space and distances. Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation and flying. At higher levels
[email protected] 10 the Mage may also co-locate herself or even stack different spaces within each-other. Correspondence can be combined with almost any other sphere to create effects that span distances. • Immediate spatial perceptions •• Sense space, Touch space ••• Pierce space, Seal gate, Co-locality perception •••• Rend space, Co-locate self ••••• Mutate localities, Co-location Specialties: Conjuration, Scrying, Warding, Apparation Entropy: This spheres gives the Wizard power over randomness, chaos, fate and fortune. At simple levels, machines can be made to go haywire or over-heat quite easily; at higher levels biological systems can be infused with chaos. The primary aspect of the Entropy sphere is that all chaotic interventions must work within the general flow of natural entropy. • Sense fate & fortune •• Control probability ••• Affect predictable patterns •••• Affect life ••••• Affect thought Specialties: Fate, Fortune, Order, Chaos Forces: Deals with the physical forces such as light, electricity, radiation and heat. In the Wizarding world, negative forces such as darkness, cold and shadow are also treated as real, active forces that magic can rework. • Perceive forces •• Control minor forces ••• Transmute minor forces •••• Control major forces ••••• Transmute major forces Specialties: Particular elements, Weather, Physics Life: Deals with biological systems, allowing the mage to heal herself or transform simple life-forms at lower levels, or to create complex life out of nothing at higher levels. Usually, seeking to improve a complex life-form (such as making yourself super-humanly strong) usually causing the affected life form to wither and die over time. • Sense life •• Alter simple patterns, Heal self ••• Alter self, Heal life, Transform simple patterns, Create simple patterns •••• Alter complex patterns, Transform self ••••• Transform complex patterns, Create complex patterns, Perfect metamorphosis Specialties: Shapeshifting, Healing, Disease, Improvement, Creation Matter: Deals with all inanimate objects, allowing rocks to be transformed, liquids to swell up and so on. One can transmute one material into another, change the state and properties of inert matter, and synthesize nearly indestructible compounds. • Matter perception •• Basic transmutation ••• Alter form •••• Complex transmutation ••••• Alter properties Specialties: Transmutation, Shaping, Conjuration, Complex patterns Mind: At basic levels, Mind allows mind-reading and mental awareness; at higher levels mental states can be transformed and the Wizard can also project her mind astrally. • Sense thoughts & emotions, Empower self •• Read surface thoughts, Mental impulse ••• Mental link, Walk among dreams •••• Control conscious mind, Walk among dreams ••••• Control subconscious, Untether, Forge psyche Specialties: Communication, Illusion, Self-empowerment, Astral Travel Prime: This sphere deals directly with Quintessence, the raw material of the universe and reality. This sphere allows Quintessence to be channeled and funneled in any way at higher levels, and it is necessary if the mage ever wants to conjure something out of thin air (as opposed to transforming one pattern into another). • Etheric senses •• Weave odyllic force, Fuel pattern ••• Channel Quintessence •••• Expel base energy ••••• Alter flow Specialties: Channeling, Perceptions, Filling Patterns, Draining Patterns Spirit: This sphere is a one-stop-shop for interacting with the spirit world, thus allowing basic effects such as communicating with spirits or, if you so desire, directly attack another human being's soul. Note: Most spirit magic is considered to be part of the Dark Arts. • Spirit sight, Spirit sense •• Touch spirit, Manipulate Gauntlet ••• Pierce Gauntlet, Rouse & lull spirit •••• Rend Gauntlet, Seal breach, Bind spirit ••••• Forge Ephemera, Outward journeys Specialties: Alternate Dimensions, Spirit Dealings, Umbra Travel, Possession Time: This sphere deals with dilating, slowing, stopping or traveling through time. It is possible to travel back in time, though, this is only for the very advanced Wizards. To travel forward, simply requires you to hide and slow down your own time, a lot, for as long as you desire. (For example, if you slow down you time for a year, then when you "come back" everything else will be one year older, while only a few minutes will have passed for you.) To travel back is harder because you can not simply reverse your own time (this would only make yourself younger), you have to reverse the time of the entire world except for you, which is, needless to say, quite an achievement. Note: The use of time magic is restricted and regulated by the Ministry of Magic. • Time sense •• Past sight, Future sight ••• Time contraction, Time dilation •••• Time determinism ••••• Future travel, Time immunity Specialties: Perceptions, Conjunctional Uses, Travel, Temporal Control, Divination Step 5: Quirks: Merits & Flaws (Optional) Merits and Flaws are character Traits that add spice to your Wizard. Merits provide a character with some benefits, while Flaws act to a character’s detriment. Some of these traits have little effect on a game beyond a dash of style; others could unbalance a chronicle or completely change its direction. Powerful Quirks shape a character’s destiny and any relationships he has. Flaws give you additional Freebie points, while Merits cost Freebie Points. You may take as many Quirks as you like, though you can only gain a maximum of 5 freebie points with Flaws. Psychological Merits Code of Honor (1): You follow a strict personal code, and you either gain 3 extra dice to resist magical persuasion that would make you break your code, or the would-be persuader has to roll at a +2 difficulty. Loyalty (1): You are devoted to a person, group, or cause, and easily resist attempts to persuade you away from the object of your loyalty. You also gain a Willpower bonus (in the form of bonus dice, or increased difficulty for your opponent) to try and resist supernatural forms of persuasion that challenge your loyalty. (Hagrid to Dumbledore) Higher Purpose (1): You have a goal that drives and directs you in every thing. You do not concern yourself with petty matters and casual concerns, because your higher purpose is everything Though you may sometimes be driven by this purpose and find yourself forced to behave in ways contrary to the need of personal survival, it can also grant you great personal strength. You gain two extra dice on all rolls that have anything to do with this higher purpose. You need to decide what your higher purpose is. Make sure you talk it over with the Storyteller first. (If you have the Flaw Driving Goal below you cannot take this Merit) Dual-Nature (2): You have two purposes in life; you can choose two Natures and regain Willpower when satisfying the requirements for either one (or both of them). These Natures should be complimentary to one another. Gall (2): You got moxy, kid. Add an extra die to any Social roll requiring backbone. (Harry Potter) Psychological Flaws
[email protected] 11 Black and White (1): You see all situations in black and white, good and evil, etc. In situations where this limited, judgmental way of thinking may hinder your reaction to something or cause you to act socially inappropriate, add a +1 difficulty to social or whatever rolls. Compulsion (1): You have a psychological compulsion of some sort which can cause you a number of different problems. You compulsion may be for cleanliness, perfection, bragging, stealing, gaming, exaggeration or just talking. A compulsion can be temporarily avoided at the cost of a Willpower point, but is in effect at all other times. (Draco Malfoy—Bragging) Dark Secret (1): You have some sort of secret that, if uncovered, would be of immense embarrassment to you and would make you a pariah in the Wizard community. This can be anything from having used an unforgivable curse to having once been a Death Eater. While this secret weighs on you mind at all times, it will only surface in occasional stories Otherwise. it will begin to lose its impact. (Snape) Intolerance (1): You have an unreasoning dislike of a certain thing. This may be an animal, a class of person, a color, a situation, or just about anything at all. The difficulties of all dice roll involving the subject are increased by two. Note that some dislikes may be too trivial to be reflected here-a dislike of The Quibbler or tissue paper, for instance, will have little effect on play in most chronicles. The Storyteller is the final arbiter on what you can pick to dislike. Nightmares (1): You experience horrendous nightmares every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours. Sometimes the nightmares are so bad they cause you to lose one die on all your actions for the next day (Storyteller's discretion). Some of the nightmares may be so intense that you mistake them for reality. A crafty Storyteller will be quick to take advantage of this. (Harry Potter) Phobia—Mild (1): You have an overpowering fear of something. You instinctively and illogically retreat from and avoid the object of your fear. Common objects of phobias include certain animals, insects, crowds, open spaces, confined spaces and heights. You must make a Willpower roll whenever you encounter the object of your fear. The difficulty of this roll is determined by the Storyteller. If you fail the roll, you must retreat from the object. (Ron Weasley- Spiders) Overconfident (1): You have an exaggerated and unshakable opinion of your own worth and capabilities-you never hesitate to trust your abilities, even in situations where you risk defeat. Because your abilities may not be enough, such overconfidence can be very dangerous. When you do fail, you quickly find someone or something else to blame. If you are convincing enough, you can infect others with your overconfidence. (Draco Malfoy) Shy (1): You are distinctly ill at ease when dealing with people and try to avoid social situations whenever possible. The difficulties of all rolls concerned with social dealings are increased by one; the difficulties of any rolls made while you are the center of attention are increased by two. Don't expect such a character to make a public speech. (Neville) Soft-Hearted (1): You cannot stand to watch others suffer-not necessarily because you care about what happens to them. If you are the direct cause of suffering, and you witness it, you will experience nights of nausea and days of sleepless grief. You avoid situations where you might have to witness suffering and will do anything you can to protect others from it Whenever you must witness suffering, difficulties of all rolls are increased by two for the next hour. (Neville) Speech Impediment (1): You have a stammer or some other speech impediment which hampers verbal communication. The difficulties of all relevant rolls are increased by two. Do not feel obliged to role play this impediment all the time, but in times of duress or when dealing with outsiders, you should attempt to simulate it. (Professor Quirrell) Low Self-lmage (2): You lack self-confidence and don't believe in yourself You have two fewer dice in situations where you don't expect to succeed (at the Storyteller's discretion, though the penalty might be limited to one die if you help the Storyteller by pointing out times when this Flaw might affect you). At the Storyteller's option, you may be required to make Willpower rolls to do things that require self confidence, or even to use a Willpower point when others would not be obliged to do so. (Neville, Ron—Quidditch) Short Fuse (2): You are easily angered. The difficulties of rolls to avoid losing control are always two less, no matter how you were provoked. Failing this roll places your character under Storyteller control. This is a dangerous Flaw; don't choose it without careful thought. Territorial (2): You are extremely territorial. You do not like to leave your territory, nor do you like to have strangers enter it. In fact, you get so nervous and disoriented while outside your territory that the difficulties of all your rolls are increased by one. In addition, you must make a willpower roll when other people enter your territory (failure causes your character to attack the intruder), unless they obtain your permission to pass through. Vengeance (2): You have a score to settle. You are obsessed with wreaking vengeance on an individual (or perhaps an entire group), and make revenge your first priority in all situations. The need for vengeance can only be overcome by spending Willpower points, and even then it only temporarily subsides. Someday you may have your revenge, but the Storyteller won't make it easy. (Voldemort—Harry) Driving Goal (3): You have a personal goal, which sometimes compels and directs you in startling ways. The goal is always limitless in depth, and you can never truly achieve it. It could be to eradicate the Death Eaters or achieve Immortality. Because you must work toward your goal throughout the chronicle (though you can avoid it for short periods by spending Willpower), it will get you into trouble and may jeopardize other actions. Choose your driving goal carefully, as it will direct and focus everything your character does. (Voldemort—Immortality) Hatred (3): You have an unreasoning hatred of a certain thing. This hate is total and largely uncontrollable. You may hate species of animal, a class of person, a color, a situation anything. You must make a willpower roll whenever faced with the object of your hatred, or lose control. You constantly pursue opportunities to harm the hated object or to gain power over it. Phobia—Severe (3): You have an overpowering fear of something. Common objects of fear include certain animals, insects, crowds, open spaces, confined spaces, heights, and so on. You must make a Willpower roll when faced with the object of your fear. The difficulty depends on the circumstances. If you fail the roll, you must retreat in terror from the object of fear. If you score fewer than three successes, you will not approach it. The Storyteller has final say over which phobias are allowed in a chronicle. Mental Merits Common Sense (1): You have a significant amount of practical, everyday wisdom. Whenever you are about to do something contrary to common sense, the Storyteller should alert you to how your potential action might violate practicality. This is an ideal Merit if you are a novice player because it allows you to receive advice from the Storyteller concerning what you can and cannot do, and (even more importantly) what you should and should not do. (Hermione) Concentration (1): You have the ability to focus your mind and shut out any distractions or annoyances. Any penalty to a difficulty or Dice Pool arising from a distraction or other inauspicious circumstance is limited to two, though no extra benefits are gained if only one penalty die is imposed. Lightning Calculator (1): You have a natural affinity with numbers and a Talent for mental arithmetic, making you a natural when working with Arithmomancy (or betting at the Hippogriff races). The difficulties of all relevant rolls are decreased by two. Another possible use for this ability, assuming you have numbers on which to base your conclusions, is the ability to calculate the difficulty of certain tasks. In appropriate situations, you may ask the Storyteller the difficulty rating of a task you are about to perform. Time Sense (1): You have an innate sense of time and are able to estimate the passage of time accurately without using a watch or Time magic. You can accomplish this whether you are concentrating or not. You can estimate the time of day to within a minute or two, and the passage of time with the same accuracy. Eidetic Memory (2): You can remember things seen and heard with perfect detail. By gaining at least one success on an Intelligence + Alertness roll, you can recall any desired sight or sound accurately, even if you heard it or glanced at it only once (though the difficulty of such a feat would be high). Five successes enable you to recall an event perfectly: the Storyteller relates to you exactly what was seen or heard. (Hermione)
[email protected] 12 Light Sleeper (2): You can awaken instantly at any sign of trouble or danger, and do so without any sleepiness or hesitation. Calm Heart (3): You are naturally calm and well-composed, and do not easily fly off the handle. Raise the difficulties of all your Willpower rolls relating to self-control by two, no matter how the incident is provoked. (Dumbledore) Iron Will (3): When you are determined and your mind is set, nothing can thwart you from your goals. You cannot be Imperiused or Confunded, nor can your mind be affected in any way by any other Mind magic without your consent. However, the Storyteller may require you to spend Willpower points when extremely potent powers are directed at you. (Harry Potter) Self-Confident (5): When you spend a point of Willpower to gain an automatic success, your self-confidence may allow you to gain the benefit of that expenditure without actually losing the Willpower point. You do not lose the point when you spend it, unless you end the roll with only one success, i.e. you do not gain any additional successes from the dice you roll. This Merit may only be used when you need confidence in your abilities in order to succeed. This means you can use it only when the difficulty of your roll is six or higher. You may spend Willpower at other times; however, if the difficulty is five or less, the Willpower will be spent no matter what you roll. Mental Flaws Deep Sleeper (1): When you sleep, it is very difficult for you to awaken. Raise the difficulty by two on any such roll, and role play how you never seem to be on time when you have an appointment early in the morning. Amnesia (2): You are unable to remember anything about your past, yourself or your family. Your life is a blank slate. However, your past may someday come back to haunt you. You can, if you wish, take up to five points of other Flaws without specifying what they are, and leave it to the Storyteller to detail them. Over the course of the chronicle, you and your character will slowly discover them. (Professor Lockhart) Confused (2): You are often confused, and the world seems to be a very distorted and twisted place. Sometimes you are simply unable to make sense of things. You need to role play this behavior all the time to a small degree, but your confusion becomes especially strong whenever stimuli surround you (such as when a number of different people talk all at once, or you enter a nightclub with loud pounding music). You may spend Willpower to override the effects of your confusion, but only temporarily. Weak-Willed (2): You are highly susceptible to the Imperious curse and intimidation by others; you are, in fact, unable to use your Willpower freely. You can employ your Willpower only when survival is at stake or it is appropriate to your Nature. (Wormtail) Absent-Minded (3): Though you do not forget such things as Knowledges or Skills, you do forget names, addresses, and when you last ate. In order to remember anything more than your own name and the location of your House Dormitory or Chantry, you need to make a Wits roll or, as a last resort, spend a Willpower point. (Neville) Awareness Merits Acute Hearing (1): You have exceptionally sharp hearing. The difficulties of all dice roll that relate to hearing (e.g. Perception + Alertness to hear a faint noise, or Perception + Linguistics to overhear a conversation in a foreign language) are decreased by two. Acute Sense of Smell (1): You have an exceptionally keen sense of smell. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to smell (e.g., Intelligence + Occult to identify a ritual incense) are reduced by two. Acute Sense of Taste (1): You have an exceptionally keen sense of taste. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to taste (e.g., Perception + Medicine to spot the taint of poison in your Butterbeer) are reduced by two. You are able to make precise distinctions in taste. (Professor Snape) Acute Vision (1): You have exceptionally keen eyesight. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to vision (e.g., a Perception roll to spot a clue, or Perception + Alertness to see the shadow of an approaching attacker) are reduced by one. (Mad-eye Moody) Awareness Flaws Color Blindness (1): You can only see in black and white. Color means nothing to you, though you are sensitive to color density, which you perceive as shades of gray. Note: color blindness actually indicates an inability to distinguish between two colors, but we fudged a bit for the sake of brevity. Hard of Hearing (1): Your hearing is defective. The difficulties of all dice rolls related to hearing are increased by two. Bad Sight (2): Your sight is defective. The difficulties of all dice rolls related to vision are increased by two. This Flaw is neither nearsightedness nor farsightedness; it is a minor form of blindness, and is not correctable. (Prof. Trelawney) One Eye (2): You have one eye - choose which, or determine randomly during character creation. You have no peripheral vision on your blind side, and two fewer dice are rolled for any feat requiring depth perception. This includes missile combat. (Mad-Eye Moody) Deaf (4): You cannot hear sound, and automatically fail any rolls that require hearing. Blind (6): You automatically fail all dice rolls involving vision. You cannot see-the world of color and light is lost to you. Aptitude Merits Ambidextrous (1): You have a high degree of off- hand dexterity and can perform tasks with the 'wrong' hand at no penalty. The normal penalty for using both hands at once to perform different tasks (e.g. fighting with a weapon in each hand) is plus one difficulty for the 'right' hand and plus three difficulty for the other hand. Muggle Tech Aptitude (1): You have a natural affinity with Muggle technology, so the difficulties of all rolls to repair, construct or operate them are two less. (Arthur Weasley) Crack Flyer (1): You have a natural affinity with flying objects such as brooms, rugs, thestrals or even dragons. The difficulties of all rolls requiring risky or especially difficult flying maneuvers are two less. (Harry Potter) Mechanical Aptitude (1): You are naturally adept with all kinds of mechanical devices (note that this aptitude does not extend to Muggle devices such as electronics). The difficulties of all dice rolls to understand, repair or operate any kind of mechanical device are two less. (Arthur Weasley) Pitiable (1): There is something about you that others pity. This causes them to care for you as if you were a child. Some Natures will not be affected by this Merit (Autocrat, Deviant, Fanatic, Sycophant), and some Demeanors may pretend they are not. You need to decide what it is about you that attracts such pity, and how much (or how little) you like it. Natural Linguist (2): You have a flair for languages. This Merit does not allow you to learn more languages than are permitted by your Linguistics score, but you may add three dice to any Dice Pool involving languages, both written and spoken. (Barty Crouch) Daredevil (3): You are good at taking risks, and are even better at surviving them. All difficulties are one less whenever you try something particularly dangerous, and you can ignore one botch result when you roll "ones" on such actions. You can cancel a single "one" that is rolled, as if you had an extra success. (Harry Potter) Fast Learner (3): You learn very quickly, and pick up on new things faster than most do. You gain one extra experience point at the conclusion of each story. (Hermione)
[email protected] 13 Jack-Of-AII-Trades (5): You have a large pool of miscellaneous Skills and knowledge obtained through your extensive travels, the jobs you've held, or just all-around know-how. You automatically have one dot in all Skill and Knowledge Dice Pools. This is an illusory level, used only to simulate a wide range of abilities. If the character trains or spends experience in the Skill or Knowledge, he must first buy one dot, then two, etc. as if he had no dot in it. Aptitude Flaws Illiterate (3): Through lack of education or as the result of a condition like dyslexia, you are unable to read or write properly. Increase difficulty of any attempt to read or write by 2. Inept: (5): You are not attuned to your natural aptitudes, and therefore have three fewer points to spend on your Talents (so the greatest number of points you can spend on your Talents at the beginning of play would be eight, and the fewest would be zero). Of course, you can still spend freebie points to buy Talents. However, at the beginning of the game, you cannot have more than three dots in any Talent. Uneducated: (5): As Inept, above, but dealing with Knowledge Abilities. Unskilled: (5): As Inept, above, but dealing with Skill Abilities. Supernatural Merits Mixed Heritage (1-5): One of your parents was a Wizard, however either your mother or father was something else; Giant, Veela, Centaur, Satyr, etc. This allows certain special abilities to be applied to your character, however, it does have it’s drawbacks. Most other intelligent creatures are stigmatized among Wizards and have various prejudices applied to them. It is between the player and the storyteller to determine exactly how your mixed heritage affects your character. Half-giants might begin with 3 additional Physical Traits, Partial Veela may receive an automatic Appearance rating of 4, etc. Inoffensive to Animals (1): Animals do not fear or distrust you the way they do most men and Wizards. They treat you as they would any other forest creature and do not shy from your touch. (Hagrid) True Love (1): You have discovered, but may have lost (at least temporarily) a true love. Nonetheless, this love provides joy in a torrid existence usually devoid of such enlightened emotions. Whenever you are suffering, in danger or dejected, the thought of your true love is enough to give you the strength to persevere. In game terms, this love allows you to succeed automatically on any Willpower roll, but only when you are actively striving to protect or come closer to your true love. Also, the power of your love may be powerful enough to protect you from other supernatural forces (Storyteller's discretion). However, your true love may also be a hindrance, and require aid (or even rescue) from time to time. Be forewarned: this is a most exacting Merit to play over the course of a chronicle. (Harry & Ginny) Danger Sense (2): You have a sixth sense that warns you of danger. When you are in danger, the Storyteller should make a secret roll against your Perception + Alertness; the difficulty depends on the remoteness of the danger. If the roll succeeds, the Storyteller tells you that you have a sense of foreboding. Multiple successes may refine the feeling and give an indication of direction, distance or nature. Magic Resistance (2): Through some supernatural force or due to a mixed heritage, you have an inherent resistance to magic. The difficulties of all such spells and rituals are two greater when directed at you. Note: this includes all spells, beneficial and malign alike! (Hagrid) Spirit Mentor (3): You have a ghostly companion and guide. This spirit is able to employ a number of minor powers when it really struggles to exert itself (see Haunted, below), but for the most part its benefit to you is through the advice it can give. This ghost is the incorporeal spirit of someone who was once living, perhaps even someone particularly famous or wise. The Storyteller will create the ghost character, but will not reveal to you its full powers and potencies. Vampire Companion (3): You have a friend and ally who just happens to be a vampire. Though you may call upon this being in time of need, it also has the right to call upon you (after all, you are friends). However, neither your kind nor its appreciate such a relationship, and your respective societies will punish both of you if your friendship is discovered. Arranging for meeting places and methods of communication will be difficult. The Storyteller will create the vampire character, but may not reveal to you its full powers and potencies. (Professor Slughorn) Werewolf Companion (3): You have a friend and ally who just happens to be a werewolf. Though you may call upon this being in time of need, it also has the right to call upon you (after all, you are friends). However, neither your kind nor its appreciate such a relationship, and your respective societies will punish both of you if your friendship is discovered. Arranging for meeting places and methods of communication will be difficult. The Storyteller will create the werewolf character, but will not reveal to you its full powers and potencies. (Order of the Phoenix) Luck (3): You were born lucky. You can repeat three failed rolls per story. Only one repeat attempt may be made on any single roll. Charmed Existence (5): Your life is somehow protected, and you do not face the perils that others must. It could be that you are simply lucky. Whatever the reason, you may ignore a single "one" on every roll you make. This makes it far less likely that you will ever botch, and grants you more successes than others obtain. Shattered Avatar (5): Your Avatar is fractured into pieces. The bad part is, you only have a fraction of your "soul," and there may be unfortunate reasons why this is the case. The good part is, if you find the other pieces of your Avatar–perhaps they're trapped in a horcrux or in the spirit world–your rating will grow. Unfortunately, the other piece of your Avatar may also be in a person or animal, and you can't add to your own rating until they are dead. (Voldemort) Guardian Angel (6): Someone or something watches over you and protects you from harm. You have no idea who or what it is, but you have an idea that someone is looking out for you. In times of great need you may be supernaturally protected. However, one can never count upon a guardian angel. The Storyteller must decide why you are being watched over, and by what (not necessarily an angel, despite the name). (Harry Potter) True Faith (7): You have a deep-seated faith in and love for God, or whatever name you choose to call the Almighty. You begin the game with one point of Faith (a Trait with a range of 1-10). Your Faith provides you with an inner strength and comfort that continues to support you when all else betrays you. Your Faith adds to all Willpower rolls. The exact supernatural effects of Faith, if any, are completely up to the Storyteller (though it will typically have the effect of repelling some creatures such as vampires). It will certainly vary from person to person, and will almost never be obvious - some of the most saintly people have never performed a miracle greater than managing to touch an injured soul. The nature of any miracles you do perform will usually be tied to your own Nature, and you may never realize that you have been aided by a force beyond yourself. No one may start the game with more than one Faith point. Additional points are only awarded at the Storyteller's discretion. Supernatural Flaws Bard's Tongue (1): What you say tends to come true; you can't control this prophetic ability, and the compulsion to speak an uncomfortable truth is often very hard to resist, though you may attempt to do so by spending Willpower. Cursed (1-5): You have been cursed by someone or something with supernatural or magical powers. This curse is specific and detailed, it cannot be dispelled without extreme effort, and it can be life-threatening. Some examples follow: • If you pass on a secret that was told to you, your betrayal will later harm you in some way. (1 pt) • You stutter uncontrollably when you try to describe what you have seen or heard. (2 pt) • Tools often break or malfunction when you attempt to use them. (3 pt) • You are doomed to make enemies of those to whom you become most attached (so whatever you do, don't get too close to the other characters!). (4 pt) • Every one of your accomplishments or achievements will eventually, inevitably, become soiled and fail in some way. (5 pt) Taint of Corruption (1): Plants wither when you approach, and will die if you touch them. Most people feel uncomfortable in your presence and will generally shy away from you.
[email protected] 14 Magic Susceptibility (2): You are susceptible to magic. The difficulty to cast a spell upon you is two less, and all spells cast have twice normal effect on you. Haunted (3): You are haunted by a ghost or poltergeist that possibly only you (and Mediums) can see and hear. It actively dislikes you and enjoys making your life miserable by insulting, berating and distracting you - especially when you need to keep your cool. It also has a number of minor powers it can use against you (once per story for each power): hide small objects; bring a "chill" over others, making them very ill at ease with you; cause a loud buzzing in your ear or the ears of others; move a small object such as a knife or pen; break a fragile item such as a bottle or mirror; trip you; or make eerie noises such as chains rattling. Yelling at the ghost can sometimes drive it away, but it will confuse those who are around you. The Storyteller will likely personify the ghost in order to make things all the more frustrating for you. (Hogwarts— Peeves) Dark Fate (5): You are doomed to experience a most horrible demise or, worse, suffer eternal agony. No matter what you do, someday you will be out of the picture. In the end, all your efforts, your struggles, and your dreams will come to naught. Your fate is certain and there is nothing you can do about it. Even more ghastly, you have partial knowledge of this, for you occasionally have visions of your fate - and they are most disturbing. The malaise these visions inspire in you can only be overcome through the use of Willpower, and will return after each vision. At some point in the chronicle, you will indeed face your fate, but when and how is completely up to the Storyteller. Though you can't do anything about your fate, you can still attempt to reach some goal before it occurs, or at least try to make sure that your friends are not destroyed as well. This is a difficult Flaw to role play; though it may seem as if it takes away all free will, we have found that, ironically, it grants freedom. Sphere Inept (5): You have terrible difficulty comprehending a particular sphere; it costs 25% more than normal (rounded up) to purchase new levels in that sphere. You may only buy this flaw once. Wizard Ties Merits Boon (1-3): A master Wizard owes you a favor because of something either you or your Mentor once did for him. The extent of the boon owed to you depends on how many points you spend. One point would indicate a relatively minor boon, while three points would indicate that the Wizard probably owes you his life. (Harry Potter—Wormtail) Prestigious Mentor (1): Your Mentor had or has great status in the Wizarding world or possibly the Ministry of Magic, and this has accorded you a peculiar honor. Most treat you respectfully as a result, while some have only contempt for you, believing you to be nothing compared to them. This prestige could greatly aid you when dealing with Wizards acquainted with your Mentor. Indeed, your Mentor's contacts may actually approach you at some point offering aid. Though your Mentor may no longer have contact with you, the simple fact of your relationship has marked you forever. (Harry Potter) Special Gift (1-3): Your Mentor gave you a valuable gift. The Storyteller should create something suitable (though you can 'suggest' something). The Storyteller will decide how much a particular item is worth. Reputation (2): You have a good reputation among the Wizarding world. This may be your own reputation, or it may be derived from your Mentor. Add three dice to all Dice Pools for social dealings with Wizards. A character with this Merit may not take the Flaw Notoriety. House Friendship (3): For any number of different reasons something about you appeals to members of a House other than your own (your choice). The difficulties of all rolls related to social dealings with members of this House are two less. This can be a two-edged sword; you are also marked by others as a sympathizer with that House, whether you like it (or deny it!) or not. Pawn (3): You can manipulate and have some control over another Wizard. Your hold was likely formed through magic, but can also come from a variety of other sources, such as blackmail, bribes or threats and intimidation. The pawn does not necessarily know that it is being controlled. Wizard Ties Flaws Half-Blood (1): To most Wizards, blood status does no matter. However, some Wizards hold to old preconceptions about blood and who should be allowed to study magic. Being half-blood means that one of your parents was a Muggle; giving you slightly less status among some Wizarding circles. Half- blood characters may take up to 2 in Muggle Studies and 1 Muggle Tech free during character creation. (Professor Snape) Enemy (1-5): You have an enemy, or perhaps a group of enemies, who seek to harm you. The value of the Flaw determines how powerful these enemies are. The most powerful enemies (i.e. Giants, Werewolves or the Minister of Magic) would be five-point Flaws, while someone nearer to your own power would be worth only one point. You must decide who your enemy is and how you became enemies in the first place. (Harry & Draco, Harry & Voldemort) Infamous Mentor (1): Your sire was, and perhaps still is, distrusted and disliked by much of the Wizarding world. As a result, you are distrusted and disliked as well. This is a heavy load, and one not easily shed. Insane Mentor (1): Your Mentor has completely lost his grip on reality, and has become dangerously insane. Any wrong committed by your Mentor may affect your standing, and some of your sire's dangerous schemes may somehow involve you. (Luna—Xenophilius Lovegood) Mistaken Identity (1): You look similar to another Wizard, and are mistaken for her, much to your chagrin. This individual's allies will approach you and tell you things you do not want to hear, her enemies will attempt to do away with you, and others will treat you in odd ways. Ultimately you might be able to sort out things, but it will take tremendous effort. Mentor's Resentment (1): Your Mentor dislikes you and wishes you ill. Given the smallest opportunity, your Mentor will seek to do you harm, and may even attack you if provoked. Your Mentor's friends will also work against you, and many elders will thus resent you. Twisted Upbringing (1): Your Mentor was quite malevolent and taught you all the wrong things about Wizarding society. All your beliefs about how Witches interact are wrong, and your faulty beliefs are likely to get you into a great deal of trouble. Over time, after many hard lessons, you can overcome this bad start (the Storyteller will tell you when). But until then, you will continue to believe what you were first told, no matter how others try to "trick" you into thinking otherwise. House Enmity (2): For some reason, something about you inspires contempt or hatred in members of a House other than your own. There is a two-dice penalty to all rolls for social dealings with members of this other House. Select the 'enemy' House randomly or choose. (Harry & Slytherin) Diabolic Mentor (2): Your Mentor is engaged in acts that could cause a tremendous uproar in the Wizarding world. She could be wantonly breaking the Secrecy of Magic Act, or breaking some other Wizard law. Ministry officials are likely to come to you in order to discover your Master's whereabouts, and they may not believe you if you tell them you do not know. Muggle-born (3): Both of your parents were Muggles, and likely quite as surprised as you were to learn about the Wizarding world. While your blood status has no affect on how well you are able to perform magic, many Wizards see Muggles (and thusly Muggle-borns) as much lower in status and possibly believe that the “Mudblood,” as they are called by some less couth Wizards, must have stolen a “true” Wizard’s wand in order to gain power. Muggle-born characters receive up to 3 dots in Muggle Studies and 1 Muggle Tech, free during character creation. (Hermione) Notoriety (3): You have a bad reputation among the Wizards of your chosen community. This may be your own reputation, or it may be derived from your Mentor. There is a two-dice penalty to all dice rolls for social dealings with the community’s Wizards. A character with this Flaw may not take the Merit of Reputation. Muggle Society Merits Judicial Ties (2): You have both influence over and contacts in the justice system. You know most of the judges as well as the attorneys in the prosecutor's department, and can affect the progress of various cases and trials with limited difficulty. Though it is difficult to intervene in a case, you can influence it in one direction or another. These ties can also make it easy to acquire search warrants. Media Ties (2): You have both influence over and contacts in the local media. You can suppress and create news stories (though not always with 100 percent
[email protected] 15 efficiency; journalists are an unruly bunch) and you have access to the files and gossip of the staffs of Muggle newspapers and TV stations. Church Ties (3): You have influence and contacts in some local churches, and have the means to create protest rallies and raise money. The more you use your ties, of course, the greater your risk of being found out. Corporate Ties (3): You have both influence over and contacts in the Muggle corporate community. You understand the dynamics of money in the city and have links with all the major players. In times of need, you can cause all sorts of financial mayhem, and can raise considerable amounts of money (in the form of loans) in a very short period of time. Police Ties (3): You have both influence over and contacts in the local Muggle police. You can, with a single phone call, cause an APB to be issued. However, the more often you use your ties with the police department, the weaker they become, and the more attention you attract toward yourself. Your influence is not solid (that can be achieved only through game play), and can let you down at times. Political Ties (3): You have both influence over and contacts among Muggle politicians and bureaucrats. In times of need, you can shut off the power and water to a building or neighborhood, and can unleash many different means of harassment against your enemies. The more you use your political ties, the weaker they become. Total control can only be achieved through game play. Underworld Ties (3): You have both influence over and contacts in the Muggle Mafia and organized street gangs. This provides you with limited access to large numbers of "soldiers," as well as extensive links to the underworld of crime. The more often you use your ties with the criminal element, the weaker they grow. Corporation CEO (5): You have a particular influence and sway over a Muggle corporation and associated companies, just as if you were its chief executive officer. Indeed, you may have inherited this company from a Muggle relative, and retained your control. Through this corporation, you know much that takes place in the corporate community, and have the means to wage economic warfare. This Merit provides you with some informal Contacts and Resources, the exact extent of which are determined by the Storyteller. Muggle Society Flaws Anachronism (2): You are unable (or unwilling) to keep up with the changing times. An Intelligence roll is needed whenever you have to deal with something from a later period than your own youth. If the roll is failed, total the net failures and use this total as a negative modifier to your attempts. Note that characters with this Flaw will generally have been alive for longer than 50 years, so Storytellers should decide whether or not to allow this Flaw in their chronicles. Ward (3): You are devoted to the protection of a Muggle. You may describe your ward, though the Storyteller will actually create her. This character may be a friend or relative from your pre-awakening days, or simply a Muggle you admire and consider important. Wards have a way of getting caught up in the action of stories, and are frequent targets of a character's enemies. Physical Merits Double-Jointed (1): You are unusually supple. Reduce the difficulty of any Dexterity roll involving body flexibility by two. Squeezing through a tiny space is one example of a use for this Merit. Baby Face (2): You look much younger than you actually are, enabling you to affect the sympathies of others much more easily. Huge Size (4): Your mother may have been a giantess or you’re simply a freak of nature. Either way, you are abnormally large in size, over seven feet tall and 400 pounds in weight. You therefore have one additional Health Level, and are able to suffer more harm before you are incapacitated. Treat this extra Level as an extra Bruised Level, with no penalties to rolls. Physical Flaws Allergic (1-3): You are severely allergic to some substance. You may get hives or sneeze, and possibly become incapacitated by your reaction (depending on the severity of the allergy). Choose from the list below or make up the substance to which you are allergic. Particular animals Plastic or latex Food or alcohol Plants, flowers and/or tree pollen Certain herbs or other potion ingredients Particular Metals Short (1): Either due to mixed-species heritage, or an unfortunate twist of fate, you are well below average height (making it difficult to see over high objects or move quickly). You suffer a two-dice penalty to all pursuit rolls, and you and the Storyteller should make sure your height is taken into account in all situations. In some circumstances, this will give you a concealment bonus. Disfigured (2): A hideous disfigurement makes you ugly and easy to notice as well as remember. You therefore have a zero Appearance. (Mad-eye Moody) Child: (3): You are currently an under-age Wizard (under the age of 17). Although time and experience will certainly change your situation, you are currently stuck with a child's body. You may have the Short Flaw (see above), and you find it difficult to be taken seriously by adults (two-dice penalty to all relevant rolls). Often excluded from the goings on of the Wizard world, additionally, certain places may not admit you, because you are underage. (most Hogwarts students) Deformity (3): You have some kind of deformity - a misshapen limb, a hunchback or whatever - which affects your interactions with others and may inconvenience you physically. The difficulties of all dice rolls related to physical appearance are raised by two. Your deformity will also raise the difficulty of some Dexterity rolls by two, depending on the type of deformity you possess. (Wormtail) Lame (3): Your legs are injured or otherwise prevented from working effectively. You suffer a two-dice penalty to all dice rolls related to movement. Monstrous (3): There is something wholly monstrous about you. You scarcely look human, but the manner in which you differ is up to you. Perhaps you have grown scales or warts all over your body or perhaps you’ve developed disproportionately sized limbs or other features. Your Appearance is zero. One Arm (3): You have only one usable arm or hand - choose which, or determine randomly at character creation. You suffer a two-dice penalty to any Dice Pool where two hands would normally be needed to perform a task. A character may not take this Flaw along with the Merit Ambidextrous. Permanent Wound (3): You suffered some magical injury that cannot be completely healed. You start each day at the Wounded Health Level. This can be healed magically, but each day, after sleep, your wound always reopens. Mute (4): Your vocal apparatus does not function, and you cannot speak at all. You can communicate through other means - typically writing or signing. Paraplegic (6): You can hardly move without assistance, such as a pair of crutches or a wheelchair. Even then it can be painful and cumbersome to do so. The Storyteller and you should take care to role play this Flaw correctly, no matter how difficult it makes things. Step Six: Finishing Touches These final features cover the most personal aspects of your character; some which will grow through time to transform a Talented novice into a master. Arete Arête measures a Wizard’s enlightened strength of will. A combination of confidence, understanding, wisdom and raw power, Arête is what makes a Wizard a Wizard. Each Witch or Wizard begins with one point of Arête; this score may be raised with freebie points. Each sphere the Wizard possesses must be lower than or equal to that character’s Arête. • Unschooled •• Talented ••• Novice •••• Disciplined ••••• Commanding
[email protected] 16 •••••• Aware ••••••• Understanding •••••••• Wise ••••••••• Enlightened •••••••••• Transcending Game Effects of Arête • The Wizard’s Arête rating indicates the maximum amount of dice she can roll to perform a magical feat. • A Wizard’s Arête rating may not be greater than his permanent willpower rating. • A character cannot have sphere ratings above their Arête score, unless the latter has been lowered through the loss of willpower. • If the Wizard’s permanent willpower rating drops below his Arête, he cannot use the difference until the willpower has been restored. • It is recommended that no player character begin play with an Arête higher than 2. • For each Arête level above 2, a Wizard may choose one sphere in which verbal incantations are no longer required, allowing for non-verbal spellcasting. Willpower Wizards must be masters of self-control. Willpower does not measure mystic command, though the two are related. It represents the character’s drive and emotional stability. Unlike other traits, willpower is not usually rolled, it is spent. When a character has to push beyond his usual boundaries, resist temptation or force things to happen (or not to happen), he spends his willpower points until he either triumphs or collapses from exhaustion. Characters begin with three willpower points. • Unschooled •• Talented ••• Novice •••• Disciplined ••••• Commanding •••••• Aware ••••••• Understanding •••••••• Wise ••••••••• Enlightened •••••••••• Transcending Game Effects of Willpower • Spending a willpower point, a Wizard can get one automatic success in an action. Only one point can be used per turn in this way. • By rolling willpower, a Wizard can resist the effects of mind magic (difficulty 6). • When a Witch rolls a botch during spellcasting, she can avert the worst effects of a Paradox backlash. • A Wizard must spend a willpower point in order to do any action contrary to his Nature. • Some urges are too strong to ignore (running away from lethal danger, failing to follow one’s Nature). When a Wizard is faced with an uncontrollable action, he may spend a Willpower point to avoid giving into the urge. Losing Willpower • A Witch who receives a strong shock (a severe Mind attack, an emotional kick, a personal disaster, Paradox backlash) with her temporary willpower pool at one or less, she will lose a permanent willpower point. • Prolonged emotional trauma (brainwashing, torture, severe personal tragedy) may cause a Wizard to lose one permanent willpower point, but only during especially bad incidents. Regaining Willpower • At the end of a story, the characters regain all the willpower they spent during the tale. Also, some willpower may be regained (at storyteller’s discretion) at the end of a gaming session. • If the Wizard achieves some kind of special success, such as rescuing his Mentor, recovering a lost Talisman, completing some major plot point, he may get a point or more back from the rush of victory. • When she fulfills some criteria of her chosen Nature during play, she may regain one or two spent willpower points. • If the Wizard has the destiny background, he may renew his confidence through his higher purpose. • At the beginning of a new day, upon awakening, a character regains a willpower point. Freebie Points The final step in rounding out a character’s Traits is spending Freebie Points. Here, the player has 10 points to spend wherever you like, using the following chart for point costs. Attributes 5 per dot Abilities 2 per dot Backgrounds 1 per dot Arête 4 per dot Willpower 1 per dot Spheres 7 per dot Quintessence 1 per 4 dots Appearance A character’s appearance is an important factor in how he relates to others. It’s a sad but true fact that unattractive people have a harder time in social settings than plain people do and that attractive people have it easier all around. While your character’s Appearance Trait will determine whether or not he is attractive, it doesn’t say what it is that makes him attractive. The more specific you are in describing your character’s appearance, the easier it will be to visualize. Specialties Your character may specialize in any Trait in which he has four or more dots. Specialties reflect something he is specifically good at within the general category. Someone with four points Ride may choose to specialize in Brooms. In addition to adding depth to your character, choosing a specialty allows a character to re-roll any 10s when the specialty applies. A player may choose to specialize with fewer than four dots, giving the same bonus rolls, however, the specialty would then be the only aspect of the Ability the character would be able to utilize until reaching four dots. Equipment Unless the storyteller say otherwise, assume your character has whatever ordinary equipment he might reasonably have. Magical items, such as talismans, however, must be purchased as a Background. Motivations If you haven’t yet done so, give some thought as to what motivates your character; what does he want out of life, and why? Why does he hate authority? Why might he have been chosen for his House? Motivation can be something vague, like innate curiosity, or it can be very specific; your character wants to bring about the downfall of Lord Voldemort because he killed your parents. Health Wounds, sickness and other conditions affect the Health Trait. Whenever something injures a Wizard, his player subtracts Health Levels to reflect the damage. Healthy characters have essentially eight levels to lose; each one lost penalizes that character by subtracting from his Dice Pools. The more injury a Wizard sustains, the worse his condition. If the penalty exceeds the person’s Dice Pool, he can do nothing. Arête rolls are the exception to this. A crippled Wizard can still call upon his powers. Only when incapacitated or worse does he take magic roll penalties. There are two types of damage; ordinary & aggravated. Most wounds are quite normal and can be healed either with time or magic. Dark Magic, however, can sometimes cause aggravated damage, which is much more difficult to heal. Some Dark Arts will never heal completely. Normal wounds heal, without magical assistance, will heal at a rate of one week per level, however broken bones must be set and other complications may hinder the healing process (at storyteller’s discretion). Once Unconsciousness is achieved, the character will not awaken for a number of rounds equal to ten minus the character’s current Willpower rating. Health Levels Dice Effects Bruised -0 No action penalties Hurt -1 Mildly hurt, no movement hindrance Injured -1 Minor injuries, little movement hindrance Wounded -2 Cannot run, but can limply walk Mauled -3 Badly injured, can only hobble about Crippled -5 Severely injured, can only crawl Incapacitated -10 Completely incapable of movement Unconscious 0 Knocked out and unaware of surroundings Coma 0 Deep unconscious state, near death Dead 0 See your storyteller for a new character…
[email protected] 17 Experience Obviously, during character creation, you will not be given experience points. As your character progresses, however, she will gain new points to spend on raising her Traits (using the following chart): Trait Cost New Ability 3 New Sphere 10 Willpower current rating Knowledges current rating Talents & Skills current rating x 2 Attributes current rating x 4 House Specialty Sphere current rating x 5 Spheres current rating x 7 Arête current rating x 8 Classes Available to First-Years • Astronomy • Charms • Defense Against the Dark Arts • Herbology • History of Magic • Potions • Transfiguration
[email protected] 18 Appendix I: Quintessence & Paradox These traits are a study in contrasts. Quintessence represents the primal force within a Wizard, while paradox represents how much of an aberration to Muggle reality the Wizard has become. The elements, though not quite opposites, contradict each other. In game terms, each is measured on a wheel of 20 spaces. Quintessence points are filled in from the left-hand marker going clockwise, while paradox is marked counterclockwise from the same point. If the two ratings overlap, quintessence loses. Quintessence • A Wizard gains quintessence through his Avatar Background or by absorbing it from a Talisman, Node or Tass through Prime magic. The character’s Avatar rating represents the maximum amount of Quintessence he can absorb in a single round. • Quintessence can be spent to reduce the difficulty of a magic roll by 1 to a maximum deduction of 3. • Channeling Quintessence from a node requires a rating in Prime of at least 1; getting it from a Tass requires 3. Quintessence can be drawn from anything at a rating of 5, however this does cause fluctuations in technology, rooms to chill or people to suddenly weaken. Dementors use Quintessence in exactly this way. • Under most circumstances, Quintessence is invisible, however, like with most spells, when in motion, Quintessence can manifest as different colors of light, causing it to become quite visible and vulgar. • Under certain extreme circumstances (mental or emotional distress), a Wizard may accidentally do magic without the use of a wand (at the storyteller’s discretion). This magic automatically costs the Wizard a Quintessence point, though causes no direct Paradox to accumulate upon the spellcaster. Paradox • Wizards run the risk of Paradox whenever they use their art; the more extreme the magic, the greater the risk (particularly in the presence of Muggles). Using a broken wand is a surefire way of instantly accumulating paradox. • Each Paradox point a Witch has accumulated goes into the storyteller’s Backlash pool. This pool is rolled each time a spell fails to determine whether or not Backlash occurs and it’s severity. • Paradox bleeds off at a rate of 1 point per week in which the Wizard incurs no additional Paradox. • One of the Ministry of Magic’s primary duties is the regulation of Paradox. Any blatant use of magic in the presence of Muggles or spellcasting of under-age Wizards who are away from school which incur Paradox are attemptedly countered by the Ministry. • Dementors are attracted to Paradox as much as positive emotions Paradox Backlash When Paradox Backlash occurs, it burns off accumulated Paradox, though at great cost to the Wizard. When a botch occurs when a spell attempt is made, the storyteller will roll the character’s Paradox pool (difficulty 6). Each success burns off 1 Paradox point, but has nasty consequences, in the form of Paradox Flaws. • One Point Flaws: These short-lived minor Flaws range from watches spinning backward to minor power outages. Milk curdling and flowers wilting are common manifestations. (+1 difficulty to all rolls) • Two Point Flaws: Flaws of this nature are a little more potent and begin to warp the character’s world around her. Scars might re-open into wounds, glass may turn into sand or energies may begin to flow backward in the Wizard’s presence. (+2 difficulty to all rolls) • Three Point Flaw: These Flaws often last for days and begin to severely impede the character and warp reality around her. Memories might become altered, the Wizard’s sense of timing may be distorted, and senses might fade in and out. More than an inconvenience, this level Flaws may cause the Wizard significant damage (one health level) from boils or sudden wounds. • Four Point Flaw: The Wizard with this level of Paradox may find life quite hazardous for days on end, possibly altering his body and surroundings in drastic ways. Bones may become wood, senses might invert, and basic body functions may cease, operate in reverse or function faster than is healthy. Significant damage is possible (two health levels) and the Wizard may find it difficult to function. • Five Point Flaw: These major Paradox Flaws can drastically alter the character. They can change the character’s Attributes dramatically for short periods (adding or subtracting up to three points of any one Trait for a day) or alter them slightly, though permanently (one Trait point gone forever). He may find himself blinded or unable to control his nervous system. Severe distortions of human anatomy and the Wizard’s environment can take place, making it difficult even getting out of bed. • Six to Ten point Backlash: These levels of backlash are a vulgar attack on the Wizard’s reality as a whole. The energy released by the tear in reality burn the character’s soul (for every success on the backlash role, the character takes one aggravated damage). The Storyteller determines the nature of the backlash, but it should relate to the type of magic used. The likelihood of death is almost certain at this level, but it is not a serene death. If the Wizard does indeed die, his soul is separated from his body, doomed to wander the Earth as neither man nor ghost; he is a Paradox Spirit.
[email protected] 19 Appendix II: Spells There are four major classifications of spells: Hexes, Jinxes, Curses and Charms. These categories are wholly arbitrary and assigned to a spell based primarily on the intended effect. Charms are basically harmless, aiding the Wizard in day to day life or producing some generally non-harmful result. Hexes & Jinxes are usually a little more malicious, though mostly inconvenient. Curses are generally used to cause some sort of harm or detriment to the target. However, the lines between what is a Hex, Jinx or Curse are often quite hazy. The following is a catalog of common spells. By no means should a player feel limited to what is listed here. Many wizards invent new spells every day. They are like fads, coming in and out of common use as time goes on. The spells listed below categorized by spell type and alphabetized by Incantation. A character can learn any spell which he meets the requirements for. Charms Accio (ak’ i o): “The Summoning Charm” [Lat. Accio, I call for, I summon] Accio is used to make objects fly straight to the spell caster, even over great distances. In order to successfully cast Accio, it is necessary to concentrate hard on the item you want to summon until it reaches you. Failure to do so correctly will result in the object either not moving at all, or dropping out of the air partway through its journey. Certain enchantments can prevent Accio working and powerful magic items may also be impervious to it. Required Spheres: Correspondence 2, Matter 1 Aerio (er’ i, o,): “The Bubble-Head Charm” [<Ger. aēr, air] The Bubble-Head Charm is used to create a bubble of air around the caster's head. It can be used to allow the caster to breathe underwater. Required Spheres: Forces 2 Aevum Obex (ev’ əm ob, əks): “The Age Line Charm” [Lat. ævum, age + obex, barrier] The incantation for this spell is spoken as described here, with the determined age attached afterward, in its Latin form. This spell produces an Age Line - a barrier that detects the age of anybody trying to cross it and ejects those who are too young (with the definition of "too young" specified by the caster of the spell). The line produced is thin and golden in color. Required Spheres: Time 1, Life 1, Forces 4 Aguamenti (ag’ wə mεn, ti): “The Water Charm” [<Lat. aqua, water + mens, mind] This spell causes a jet of water to come from the end of the caster's wand. The speed of the jet is controllable, and the magic can produce anything from a small trickle of water to a powerful jet of it. Required Spheres: Matter 2, Prime 2 Alohomora (ə lo’ hə mo, rə): “The Unlocking Charm” [<Hwi. aloha, hello/farewell + Lat. mora, obstacle] This is a fairly basic spell used to open a locked door or window. It can unseal doors locked using Colloportus. Doors can be locked with more advanced magic that Alohomora is useless against. Required Spheres: Matter 2, or Forces 2, or Correspondence 2 Anapneo (ə na’ pə ne, o): “The Breathing Charm” [Gr. anapneo, breathe] A simple charm that clears the airways of the person who the spell is cast upon, allowing them to breathe properly. Required Spheres: Matter 2 or Correspondence 2 Animagia (a’ ni’ ma, gi, ə): “Animal Transformation Charm” [<Lat. anima, animal + OPer. magus, mage/magician] This is an exceptionally complex piece of magic that allows a Witch or Wizard to transform themselves into an animal at will. Animagi are very rare, and are required to register themselves with the Ministry of Magic. Only seven registered Animagi have existed in the last century, perhaps due to the extreme difficulty of the magic, and perhaps also due to the unpleasant nature of the side-effects should an attempt to transform go wrong. There have been a number of illegal, unregistered Animagi, however. As with the Patronus, the Animagus cannot choose what animal to transform into: the animal they become is a direct result of their inherent nature and cannot be changed. When in animal form, a Wizard retains all of his intelligence and memories, however his personality differs, if ever so slightly, as it is influenced by his animal instincts. Also, certain Abilities will not be available; while a Wizard in mouse form may know how to fly a broomstick, he cannot feasibly do so, however. These restrictions vary by the animal form you assume, at Storyteller’s discretion. The difficulty also varies depending on the size difference between forms (standard 6). Additionally, this spell only gives the Wizard the form of an animal. It is up to the character to learn how to act like the animal of whose form he takes. While the transformation to from man to beast usually requires a wand, Animagia does not require the use of a wand to return to human form. Certain magic can force an Animagus to revert to normal (see below). The following is a list of a few common animals and the attribute changes that will affect your Animagus character: Bat: Str 1, Dex +2, Sta 1. Claws +1, Teeth +1 Bear: Str +4, Dex -1, Sta +3. Claws +3 Bird (small): Str 1, Dex +2. Sta 1 Bird (large): Str 2, Dex +2, Sta 1. Claws +2 Cat (domestic): Str 2, Dex +3, Sta -1. Claws +1 Deer (doe): Str +1, Sta +1 Deer (stag): Str +2, Sta +2. Antlers +1 Dog (domestic): Dex +1. Teeth +1 Elk/Moose: Str +3, Sta +2. Antlers +2 Fish (bass/trout): Str 1, Dex +1, Sta -1. Water breathing Lion/Tiger: Str +3, Dex +2, Sta +1. Claws +2, Teeth +2 Lynx/Mountain Lion: Str +2, Dex +2, Sta +1. Claws +2, Teeth +2 Otter/Beaver: Dex +2, Sta -1. Teeth +2 Rat/Mouse: Str 1, Dex +2, Sta -2. Teeth +1 Shark: Str +2, Dex +1, Sta +2. Teeth +3, Water breathing Weasel/Ferret: Str -1, Dex +2, Sta -1. Claws +1, Teeth +1 Wolf/Coyote: Str +1, Dex +1. Teeth +2 Required Spheres: Life 4, Matter 4, Prime 2, Spirit 2 Aoratos Inortus (e’ o, ra’ tos, wn, or’ təs): “The Invisibility Charm” [Grk. aoratos, invisible + Lat. in, against + Lat. ortus, to become visible] This is a spell that renders something truly invisible to observers. This spell is different to Evanesco in that that spell actually causes the item to cease to exist rather than simply making it invisible. It is also different from the Concealing Charm, because it causes observers to be unable to see the object, rather than affecting the target itself. Required Spheres: Mind 4, Forces 1 Aparecium (ap ə ri si əm): “The Invisibility Detection Charm” [<Lat. appareo, I appear] Used to reveal simply charmed unseen objects, such as invisible ink. Required Spheres: Matter 2, Correspondence 2 Appareo (ə par’ i, o): “Apparation” [Lat. appareo, I appear] This spell allows the caster to appear instantly in a given place. It is used in conjunction with Disapparate. The caster must Disapparate from one location in order to Apparate in another. It is the favored mode of transport of adult wizards when they wish to travel quickly, but cannot be used by children as an Apparition Test has to be passed before it is legal to use it. The Apparition Test cannot be taken before the age of 17, and as such, Apparition lessons are available in Hogwarts during the 6th Year.
[email protected] 20 The Ministry levies heavy fines on anyone caught Apparating without a license, as it is very dangerous to attempt it if you are not properly trained. The most common problem it can cause is Splinching, which means leaving part of your body behind. This is not fatal, but requires Ministry wizards to correct it, and leads to a lot of paperwork. Side-Along-Apparition:When Apparating, it is possible for a qualified wizard to Apparate someone else as part of the process in addition to themselves. The passenger being carried must grip tightly on to the Apparator in order to ensure that they are transported correctly, and they experience the same feeling of Apparition as they would if they were doing it themselves. Required Spheres: Correspondence 4, Life 2 Arpazio (ar, pa’ zi’ o,): The Gripping Charm [<Grk. arpazo, to grip] The Gripping Charm allows a person to grasp an object more effectively. It was invented in 1875 and is primarily used in Quidditch to allow the Chasers to handle the Quaffle one-handed whilst still keeping a grip on their brooms. Required Spheres: Forces 2 or Matter 2 or Correspondence 2 Azuré (ə zu’ re,): The Color-Change Charm [<Per. lazuward, lapis lazuli] This spell causes the target to change color, usually in relative shade to its original color. Required Spells: Matter 2 or Forces 2 Azuré Rosa (ə zu’ re, ro’ sə): “The Color Flashing Charm” [<Per. lazuward, lapis lazuli + Lat. rosa, red] A variant of the Color-Change Charm, this is used to make the item it is cast on flash different colors. Required Spells: Matter 2 or Forces 2 Banir (bə nir’): “The Banishing Charm” [<OE. bannan, to summon] This spell is the opposite of Accio, which is the Summoning Charm. It causes an object to fly away from the caster. Required Spheres: Correspondence 2, Matter 1 Banshee Vae (bæn’ •i, ve’): “The Caterwauling Charm” [<Ir. bean, woman + sith, fairy + <ON. vae, woe/wail] This spell produces a screaming sound so loud that it echoes around all of the surrounding area with the intention of alerting the spell caster (and everyone in range) of intruders. Required Spheres: Correspondence 2, Forces 3 Blikhaelas (blwk’ hə las,): “The Curse Alleviation Charm” [<ME. bliknen, to lose color, <OE. hælan, to heal] This healing Charm was designed to prevent rapid spread of any incurable curse. Required Spheres: Prime 5 Cave Inimucum (ka’ ve, w, nwm’ ə kəm): “The Protection Charm” [<Lat. caveo, guard against + inimucus, hostile] This protective enchantment prevents external magic from entering a protected area. Required Spheres: Prime 4, Entropy 3 Colloportus (ko, lo, por’ təs): “The Locking Charm” [<Latin colligere, bind together + portus, gate/door] This spell is used to magically seal doors, making a squelching sound as it does so, but it is not particularly effective. It can easily be countered with Alohomora. Required Spheres: Matter 2, or Forces 2, or Correspondence 2 Comé Celarus (ko’ me, kə lar’ əs): “The Concealment Charm” [Lat. com, together + celar, to hide] By bending light around an object, the wizard can effectively use this spell to conceal something so that it cannot be seen. This will not effectively work to make a person invisible, because the target would no be able to see. Required Spheres: Forces 2 Concutio (kən ku’ •i, o,): “The Intruder Charm” Similar to the Caterwauling Charm, this is the wizarding equivalent of a burglar alarm. It makes a signal audible only to the caster when the area covered by the charm is entered by somebody or something. Required Spheres: Forces 3, Correspondence 3 Coxinius (kaks, wn’ i əs): “The Cushioning Charm” [<Lat. coxinum, to cushion] This spell creates an invisible cushioned area, which is usually intended for sitting on. It is primarily used in broomstick manufacture to make the brooms more comfortable. Elliot Smethwyck invented this Charm in 1820, a development that led broomstick riding to become more comfortable than ever before. Required Spheres: Forces 4 Defodio (də fo’ di, o,): “The Gauging Charm” [Lat. defodio, excavate] This is a gouging spell. The effect can carve chunks out of solid rock or simply dig holes in soft peat. Required Spheres: Matter 3 Deletrius (də li’ tri, əs): “The Erasing Charm” [<Eng. delete, to erase] This charm is used to erase spell images conjured by Priori Incantem. Required Spheres: Prime 2 Deprimo (də pri’ mo,): “The Digging Charm” [Lat. deprimo, I press/dig down] This spell specifically digs downwards, making holes in the floor or the ground where the spellcaster directs it. Required Spheres: Matter 2 or Forces 2 Diffindo (də fwn’ do,): “The Severing Charm” [Lat. diffindo, I split] Diffindo is a spell that rips an object in half or causes things to separate from each other. This is usually intended for use on items, but does work on living matter as well. Required Spheres: Matter 3 or Life 2, Entropy 3 Dilato (di, la’ to,): “The Undetectable Extension Charm” [Lat. dilato, to extend] This magic is used to enchant a container or bag, so that its interior capacity expands to enormous size. Externally, the enchanted item looks just as it did before the spell was cast. The weight of items placed within the container is drastically reduced whilst they are inside, but not entirely eliminated. Required Spheres: Correspondence 3, Matter 3 Diligo Dilectio (də li’ go, də lek’ ti, o,): “The Entrancing Charm” [Lat. diligo, esteem/value/love + dilectio, esteem/love] This spell entrances the target person in order to make them fall obsessed with the caster. Most effective in the art of Potions. Required Spheres: Mind 4 Disappareo (dws, ə par’ i, o): “Disapparation” [<Lat. dispareo, I vanish] This spell allows the caster to disappear instantly from any given place with a soft popping sound, or alternatively a loud cracking noise, which appears to occur at both ends of the journey taken. The spell is used in conjunction with Appareo, in that the caster must Disapparate from one location before he or she can Apparate in another. The sound made differs from one spell caster to the next. Required Spheres: Correspondence 4, Life 2 Disillusio (dws, ə l’ si, o): “The Disillusionment Charm” [<Lat. dis, apart + illusio, to mock] This spell is used to hide something, and is typically used to conceal magical objects and occurrences from Muggles, making them blend into the background like a chameleon. The target feels as if cold trickles were running down his body from the point of impact. Once the spell has been cast, his body immediately blends in with the background. When the spell is lifted, the trickles feel hot. Required Spheres: Matter 2, Forces 2 Duro (dr’ o,): “Stone Transfiguration Charm” [Lat. duro, to harden] Duro turns the target object into stone. Its appearance does not primarily change, but the object changes its composition into that of rock. Required Spheres: Matter 2
[email protected] 21 Enervate (en’ d vet,): “The Awakening Charm” [<Lat. enervare, to weaken] This Charm revives an unconscious person. It is also used to help someone who has had Stupefy or Comatose cast on them. Required Spheres: Life 2 Engorgio (ən gor’ d¥i, o,): “The Engorgement/Enlargement Charm” [<Eng. engorge, to fill to excess] This causes the target of the spell to enlarge until it is several times its original size. The target must be living matter. For non-organic matter, an Enlargement charm must be used. Required Spheres: Life 4 or Matter 3, Prime 2 Episkey (ə pws’ ki,): “The Healing Charm” [<Grk. episkeyi, repair] A healing spell used to it repair broken bones and minor flesh wounds.. Required Spheres: Life 3 Evanesco (ev, ə nes’ ko,): “The Vanishing Charm” [<Lat. evanesce, I vanish] This spell is used to make an object vanish. The spell works only on objects, however, and not on people or animals. Evanesco actually makes the target object disappear entirely rather than just turn invisible, so it can be conjured back at a later time. Simple invisibility can be achieved using an Invisibility Spell. Required Spells: Matter 4, Prime 4 Expecto Patronum (ə k spek’ to, pə tro’ nm,): “The Patronus (Charm)” [Lat. expecto, I shall unfold + < patronus, a protector] The Patronus Charm. This is highly advanced magic, beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. The spell produces a Patronus, which takes the form of a silver animal made of vapor, but is actually a projection of the caster's positive emotions. It acts as a guardian, protecting the spell caster, and can be used to ward off both Dementors and Lethifolds. To conjure a Patronus, the spell caster must speak the incantation - Expecto Patronum - while concentrating hard on an extremely happy thought or memory. When the charm is cast successfully, the spell caster's wand emits a Patronus. The inexperienced caster may not manage to produce anything but a vague film of mist, but when the spell has been mastered, a fully-fledged and well-defined creature - referred to as a corporeal Patronus - will be created. The type of animal the Patronus assumes depends entirely upon the witch or wizard who conjures it, reflecting certain traits of the caster's personality. Like Animagus form, the Patronus of any given witch or wizard is fixed, but it can change due to extreme stress or emotional upheaval. Patronuses can also be utilized in another manner: for communication. Here are some examples of Patronuses: Cho Chang - Swan Aberforth Dumbledore - Goat Albus Dumbledore - Phoenix Seamus Finnegan - Fox Hermione Granger - Otter Luna Lovegood - Hare Ernie MacMillan - Boar Minerva McGonagall – Tabby Cat Harry Potter - Stag Kingsley Shacklebolt - Lynx Severus Snape - Doe Nymphadora Tonks - Werewolf Dolores Umbridge - Housecat Arthur Weasley - Weasel Ron Weasley - Terrier Required Spheres: Spirit 4, Mind 1, Prime 2 Exaudious Visium (əks ]’ di, əs vws’ i, əm): “The Supersensory Charm” [<Lat exaudio, hear clearly + Lat. visum, to see] This charm heightens the awareness of the caster to things going on around them. Required Spheres: Life 1 or Correspondence 1 Fidelius Amicitias (fə del’ i, əs am, ə si’ tjəs): “The Fidelius Charm” [<Lat. fidelis, faithful + amicitia, friends] This is an immensely complex spell that allows a secret to be concealed, even if under normal circumstances it would be in plain sight, for an indefinite period of time. When the spell is cast, the magically protected secret is known only to one person, who is referred to as the Secret-Keeper. The information in question is stored and concealed within their very soul. The only way that any third party can become privy to the protected information is if the Secret- Keeper chooses to divulge it directly to them. It cannot be revealed in any other way, and so even those who the Secret-Keeper has informed cannot pass the information on. The magic is not broken if the Secret-Keeper dies: rather, the secret cannot then be told to anybody else, unless a supplemental charm is added onto the spell when cast, which allows each person that the late Secret-Keeper has told becomes Secret Keepers in their place. This makes the charm far less effective, of course, as there are now multiple Secret Keepers who can be caught and coerced into giving out their information. If the Fidelius Charm is cast on a human target, and the target person dies, the magic ceases. Required Spheres: Entropy 5, Mind 5 Finite/Finite Incantatem (fai’ nait’ wn’ kæn, ta’ təm): “The Disenchantment Charm” [<Lat. finis, end + incantare, enchantment] These are two spells that have very similar effects, and so they are covered together here. Both remove the effects of other spells that are currently in operation: Finite addresses and negates a single spell, whilst Finite Incantatem applies to all spells in the vicinity. Required Spheres: Prime 4, ( Correspondence 2) Flamma Portarus (fla’ mə po, tar’ əs): “Portable Flame” [Lat. flamma, fire + <Lat. portare, to carry] This spell creates portable, waterproof fire. Required Spheres: Forces 3, Prime 2 Fortweg (fort’ wəg): “The Blasting Charm” [<Lat. fortis, strong + <OE. on weg, away] This charm blasts obstacles out of the Wizard’s path, without causing undo harm. Required Spheres: Forces 4 Frigus Flamius (fri’ gəs fla’ mi, əs): “The Flame Freezing Charm” [<Lat. frigus, cold + flamma, fire] This charm was used by Medieval witches to remove the effects of the fire when they were burned at the stake, replacing the heat with a gentle tickling sensation. The witch in question would scream a bit and pretend to be burning in order to keep up the pretence, whilst in reality suffering no harm at all. In modern times, this spell is quite rare, having dropped from popularity (mainly due to the lack of witch burnings in the 21 st century). Required Spheres: Forces 3 -Fugit (fju’ d¥wt,): “The Flying Charm” [<Lat. fugit, flies] This incantation is attached after the name of the object one desires to take flight. Different to Wingardium Leviosa, which merely makes objects float in the air, the Flying Charm allows them to be maneuvered by the user and turns them into genuinely controllable airborne items. The Flying Charm is applied to broomsticks and flying carpets. Flying Charms can be cast only on inanimate objects. Required Spheres: Matter 2, Forces 4 Geminio (gem, ə ni’ o): “The Duplication Charm” [<Lat. gemini, twins] This spell replicates an object, creating an exact copy. Either one copy or a number of copies can be created, as the caster desires. There is strict international legislation explicitly banning the use of this spell on money (both Wizard and Muggle alike) to ensure economic stability. Required Spheres: Matter 4, Prime 2 Glisseo (gli’ si, o,): “The Flattening Charm” [<Fr. glisse, to slip]
[email protected] 22 While this Charm can be used to flatten any rough surface, it is most frequently used as a Jinx to flatten flights of stairs so that they become a slide. Required Spheres: Matter 2 Homenum Revelio (ho, mə nem’ rə vi’ li, o,): “The Revealing Charm” [<Lat. hominis, human + revelo, I unveil] A spell that reveals whether there are any humans present in the near vicinity. When the spell is cast, it causes a magical presence to sweep around the area being searched, and any humans within that area can feel it passing them. In turn, the caster can feel when a human is detected. Required Spheres: Life 1, Correspondence 1 Homo Homorphus (ho’ mo, ho, mor’ fəs): “The Homorphus Charm” [Grk. homos, same + Lat. homo, man + <Grk. morphe, shape] This highly specialized spell is used to force a Werewolf or Animagus to revert to human form. Required Spheres: Life 4, Prime 2 Human Flying (incantation unknown) Until recently, it was an accepted magical law that no spell could make a person able to fly, but Voldemort changed all that. It is known that he taught the art to Severus Snape, but as both men are dead, it is unclear whether the secret has now been lost. Required Spheres: ? Life 4, Forces 5, Correspondence 2 Impervius (wm, per’ vi, əs): “The Imperturbable Charm” [Eng. impervious, unable to be disturbed] This common spell creates a barrier that sounds, objects and people cannot cross. It is also regularly used to make objects resistant to water. Required Spheres: Forces 2 or Entropy 2 or Matter 2 Inanimatus Conjurus [ən an’ i, məs kan’ d¥ur, ws]: “The Conjuring Charm” [<Eng inanimate + conjure <Lat. com, together + juare, swear] This spell is used to conjure non-living items into existence from nowhere. Conjured items are not permanent but disappear after a length of time, and legislation also exists concerning what may and may not be created. The length of time the items exist is controllable by the wizard. Required Spheres: Matter 4, Prime 2 Incarcerous (ən kar’ sər ws,): “The Binding Charm” [<Eng. incarcerate, to shut in] This spell is used to summon or conjure ropes, which then bind a chosen target. Required Spheres: Matter 2, Prime 2 Incendio (ən sen, di, o,): “The Fire Charm” [<Eng. incinerate <Lat. in cinis, in ashes] Creates a fire. This spell magically creates what would otherwise be an ordinary Muggle fire. As such it is different to other wizarding fires that are closely controllable, such as Portable Flame, or those that burn in unusual colors. Required Spheres: Forces 3, Prime 2 Inevidens Viniculum (wn, ev’ ə denz, vwn, wk’ ju, ləm): “Invisible Bonds” [Lat. in, against + evidens, visible + <Lat. vinculum, bonds] These bonds are different from those conjured by Incarcerous, which are visible, and the spell is also different to Petrificus Totalus, which the victim cannot struggle against. Required Spheres: Forces 3, Prime 2 Jovialis (d¥o’ vi, al’ əs): “The Cheering Charm” [Lat. jovialis, of Juipter] This Charm produces a feeling of great contentment and joy in the target person. Required Spheres: Mind 3, Entropy 3 Locomotor- (lo, kə mo’ td): “The Traveling Charm” [<Lat. locus, place + motum, to move] This is a charm that causes an object to travel floating in the air. The incantation used is Locomotor plus the name of the object that the caster wishes to enchant. Required Spheres: Matter 2, Forces 2 -Locomotor (lo, kə mo’ td): “The Animation Charm” [<Lat. locus, place + motum, to move] Nearly identical to the previous spell, this charm is used to animate inanimate objects as though alive, which then follow the orders of the spellcaster. The incantation used for this Locomotor is the name of the object that the caster wishes to enchant, and then the incantation. Required Spheres: Life 3, Matter 2 Lumos (lu’ mos,): “The Light Charm” [<Lat. lumen, light or luminosus, bright] By drawing on existing light, Lumos causes the spell caster's wand to emit a thin beam of light like a torch. The brightness can be controlled by adding maxima or minima afterward. Casting Lumos is often referred to as "lighting your wand". Lumos has limitations and cannot penetrate magical darkness. The counter-spell for Lumos is Nox. Required Spheres: Forces 2 Memini Meminisse (mem’ ə ni, mem’ ə nis,): “The Memory Creation Charm” [Lat. memini meminisse, to remember] This piece of magic is quite different from the classic Memory Charm "Obliviate", and rather than deleting memories actually creates convincing false ones in the victim. Required Spheres: Mind 4, Prime 2 Mobili- (mo’ bə lw,-): “The Placement Charm” [<Lat. mobilis < movere, to move] When attached to the name of an object, the object is forced to move. For example: Mobiliarbus to move a tree or Mobilicorpus to move a body. Required Spheres: Forces 2, Matter 2 Muffliato (mf’ li, a, to,): “The Muffling Charm” [<Eng. muffle, to quiet] Muffliato fills the ears of anyone nearby the spell caster with an unidentifiable buzzing. This spell isn't Ministry approved. Required Spheres: Forces 2 Non Chartis (nan, kar’ təs): “The Unplottable Charm” [Lat. non, not + chartis, map] Used to make a location unplottable. This is a security measure effective against both Muggles and Wizards alike, which is used to make it impossible to plot the charmed building or location on a map. Required Spheres: Mind 4 Non Pessum Darus (nan, pes’ əm dar’ əs): “The Unbreakable Charm” [Lat. non, not + <Lat. pessum dare, to destroy] Makes an item unbreakable. Required Spheres: Matter 5 Nox (naks): “Nox” [Lat. nox, darkness] This is the counter spell to Lumos. Required Spheres: Forces 2 Obliterate (o, blwt’ d et,): “The Obliteration Charm” [Eng. obliterate, to wipe out] It may be able to remove marks from objects, such as ink from paper, or footprints in snow. Required Spheres: Matter 2 Obliviate (ə blwv’ i, et,): “The Memory Charm” [<Lat. oblivio, forgetfulness] Obliviate erases sections of the memory of the victim as chosen by the spell caster. It can even wipe out the entire memory if the caster so chooses. The impact of a Memory Charm can be very powerful, and the effects may be incurable. Obliviate can be cast en masse. Obliviate was invented by Mnemone Radford, who went on to become the first Ministry of Magic Obliviator. Nowadays there is an entire section of Obliviators in the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, who are often called upon to modify the memories of Muggles who have been exposed to magical phenomena. Required Spheres: Mind 4, Entropy 5 “Occlumency” (ak lə men si)- no incantation [< Lat. occlude, to close]
[email protected] 23 This is the defense of the mind against external magical attack. Occulmency is the only way to protect one's mind from someone using Legilimency. It is not a spell as such, but more a magical protection technique. Required Spheres: Mind 1 Oppugno (ə pg no): “The Attacking Charm” [Lat. oppugno, to attack] This spell causes a previously inanimate, animated (“Locomoted”) object to attack a target chosen by the spell caster. Required Spheres: Matter 2 Orchideous (or, kwd’ i’ əs): “The Flowering Charm” [<Eng. orchid, the flower <Grk. orkhis, testicle] This spell creates flowers from the caster's wand. Required Spheres: Life 3 or Matter 2, Prime 2 Pavo (pa’ vo,): “The Freezing Charm” This Charm causes mechanical devices to temporarily cease functioning. Those requiring electricity may require the Forces Sphere. Freezing Charms are quite effective in disabling Muggle devices, such as burglar alarms. Required Spheres: Matter 1 or Forces 1, Time 3 or Entropy 3 Penna Lux (pen, ə lx’): “The Featherweight Charm” [<Lat. penna, feather + lux, lightweight] This charm is used to make something lightweight so that it can be carried more easily. Required Spheres: Forces 2 or Matter 2 Point Me (point’ mi,): “The Four-Point Spell” [Eng. point me, direct me] This simple, yet little-known Charm causes the spell caster's wand to act as a compass. By holding the wand in open palm and saying the incantation "Point Me", the wand automatically points North. Required Spheres: Correspondence 1 Portus (por’ təs): “The Port Key Charm” [<Lat. porta, door] This spell is used to turn an object into a Portkey. Portkeys are enchanted objects used to transport people from one location to another almost instantly. Just like the Floo Network, using a Portkey for the first time can be a hair-raising experience: it feels like you are being dragged through the air at very high speed by a hook attached just behind your navel. Any physical item can be turned into a Porkey, although wizards often use unobtrusive items that look like litter to make sure that Muggles don't mess around with them. Portkeys can be primed to activate at a particular time, when the spell-caster wants it to, or as soon as the item is touched. In theory, the creation and use of Portkeys is closely monitored by the Office of Magical Transportation. In practice, most Wizards create them as they saw fit. In order to create a Portkey, the spell caster must point their wand at the object in question and use the incantation "Portus". The object will then glow with a blue light and tremble briefly as the magic takes hold. Required Spheres: Correspondence 4, Matter 1, Time 1 Prior Incantato (pri’ d wn, kən ta’ to,) [<Lat. priori, former + incantare, enchantment] This spell causes a wand to create an echo or ghostly image of the last spell it performed. In order to cast it, a second wand must be placed against the tip of the wand from which the echo is to be produced, and then the spell can be cast. A similar effect is known to occur when two wands sharing a magical core taken from the same animal (but not just another animal from the same species) engage in battle. Brother wands cannot fight each other. Instead, the wands lock together, connected by magical energy. One of the wands will eventually force the other into the Reverse Spell Effect, which when it happens in this manner is referred to as Priori Incantatem. Required Spheres: Prime 4, Time 1 Protego (pro, te’ go,): “The Shield Charm” [Lat. protego, I protect] This charm creates a magical shield to deflect minor to moderate spells and jinxes cast by others. It is not hugely advanced magic, however, despite its relative simplicity, a large number of adult witches and wizards are not proficient at this spell. The level of protection provides, depends greatly on the ability of the spell caster. A variant of the basic Protego. Is Protego Totalum (pro, te’ go to, tæl’ əm), which deflects curses over a wide area. It is also more powerful than the standard Protego. Required Spheres: Prime 4 (Prime 5, Correspondence 2) Proteus (pro’ ti, əs): “The Protean Charm” [<Eng. protean, able to change <Grk. the sea-god Proteus <Grk. protogonos, first born] The Protean Charm is a spell which magically binds objects to one "control" object. Any change of form in the control object is subsequently reflected in those on which the Protean Charm has been cast. Required Spheres: Correspondence 3, Matter 2 Pyrius Aeternus Eternius (pai’ ri, əs e, ter’ nəs i, ter’ ni, əs): “Gubraithian Fire” [<Grk. pyro, fire +<Lat. æternus eternus, eternity] This surprisingly complex Charm creates everlasting fire. Gubraithian Fire will never burn out and will never consume its fuel, but cannot transfer itself. If the fire is transferred to another fuel source, it will burn as normal fire. Its color will vary on the desire of the spell caster. Required Spheres: Forces 3, Time 3, Matter 5 Quietus (kwai’ ə tws,): counter-spell [<Lat. quietis, rest/quiet] This spell negates the effects of the Sonorus Spell, making a magically magnified voice return to its normal state. Required Spheres: Forces 2 Reducio (rə d’ •i, o,): “The Reduction Charm” [<Eng. reduce, to lessen, <Lat. reducere, bring back] This is the counter-spell to Engorgio, causes an Engorged object to shrink back to its original size. Required Spheres: Life 4 or Matter 3, Prime 2 Refellus: “The Refilling Charm” [Lat. re-, again + <OFris. fella, to fill] Causes a container to refill with whatever liquid it was originally holding. This spell does not work with magical liquids, such as potions. Required Spheres: Matter 2, Prime 2 Reparo (rə par’ o,): “The Repairing Charm” [Lat. reparo, I restore] This spell repairs the target object and cannot be used as a healing spell. Required Spheres: Matter 2 Repello Muggletum (ri, pel’ o, mg’ l; təm): “The Muggle-Repelling Charm” [Lat. repello, I banish + <Eng. muggle, non-wizard] This is a charm that is used to keep Muggles away from things that wizards would prefer them not to see. No harm is done to the Muggles in question, but they are nevertheless overcome by an urge to leave when they encounter such a charm. Required Spheres: Entropy 4 or Mind 4, Life 1 Repulsio (rə pls’ i, o,): “The Repelling Spell” [<Lat. repulsionem, to drive back] Repels an object, keeping it away from the spell caster. Required Spheres: Forces 2 or Matter 2 Riddikulus (ri, dwk’ u’ lus’) [<Lat. ridiculus, that which excites laughter] This spell causes an item, creature or person to take on an amusing appearance of the spell-caster's choosing. The caster of the spell has to envisage, as clearly as possible, what humorous form they want the target to take. Then, if the spell is cast correctly, the imagined result will be obtained. Riddikulus is particularly useful against Boggarts, who are destroyed by laughter, although it follows from this that the form the Boggart is forced to take is amusing enough to create this reaction to it. Required Spheres: Life 4, Mind 2
[email protected] 24 Salvio Hexia (sal’ vi, o, heks’ i, ə) [<Lat. salveo, farewell + <Ger. hexe, to practice witchcraft] This is a protective spell, used to prevent Hexes & Jinxes from entering the enchanted area. Required Spheres: Prime 4, Correspondence 2 Sano (sa’ no,): “The Wound Healing Spell” Heals minor wounds and causes the skin to knit back together. Required Spheres: Life 3 Scourgify (skor’ d¥ə fai,): “The Cleaning Charm” [<Eng. scour, to clean] Used to clean the target. Required Spheres: Matter 2, Prime 2 Silencio (sə len’ si, o,): “The Silencing Charm” [Sp. silencio, com. quiet] This Charm forces the target person or creature to fall silent, unable to make any audible noise. Required Spheres: Forces 2 or Life 2 Sonorus (sə nor’ əs) [<Eng. sonorous, resonant <Lat. sonorous, sound] Projects the voice of the spell caster, making it very loud. It can be countered with the spell Quietus, which returns the amplified voice back to normal. Required Spheres: Forces 2 Specialis Revelio (spes, i, æl’ ws, ri’ vəl i, o): Revelaspell [Lat. specialis, special + revelo, to unveil] This spell is used to identify the ingredients of a potion, or to reveal whether any enchantments have been placed on an object. It also causes an item to reveal anything that has been hidden by magical means. Required Spheres: Prime 1 (Matter 1 Potions) Stagnus Eternius (stæg’ nəs i, ter’ ni, əs): “The Permanent Sticking Charm” [<Lat. stagnare, stagnate + eternus, eternal] Used to stick one thing to another permanently. Required Spheres: Matter 2 Sublesco (sb ləs ko): “The Growth Charm” [<Lat. subolesco, to grow up] Similar to the Enlargement/Engorgement Charm, this spell causes the target to grow as it naturally would, at an increased rate than normal. Obviously, since inanimate objects do not grow normally, this Charm can only be used on living matter. Required Spheres: Life 4, Prime 2 Switching Spells (various incantations) This is a class of spells, all of which change items from one thing into another. This is the major branch of Transfiguration. There are a number of related spells for different types of switching. Required Spheres: Matter 5 Tergeo (ter’ gi, o,): “The Sopping Spell” [Lat. tergeo, I clean] Spell used to clean liquids. Required Spheres: Matter 2, Prime 2 The Trace This is the charm that detects illegal use of magic by underage wizards. It is placed on all Wizarding children and detects magical activity around them. The magic breaks when the child turns 17, however, and it is impossible to place the charm on an adult. Required Spheres: Correspondence 5, Mind 1, Time 1 Transforming Spells (various incantations) A close relative of Switching Spells, this class of charm is used to change living creatures (as opposed to items) from one thing into another. This is the other major branch of Transfiguration. There are a number of related spells for different types of transformation. Required Spheres: Life 5 Unda Sitis (n’ də swt’ əs): “The Drought Charm” [<Lat. unda, water + sitis, thirst/dryness] This spell dries up a limited amount of water, but it is designed only to dry up puddles and ponds, not large bodies of water such as lakes or oceans. Required Spheres: Matter 3 Wasi (wa’ si,) Causes an item to fly at high speed where the spell caster wants it to. Required Spheres: Forces 3 Wingardium Leviosa (wiŋ, gar’ di, əm lev, i, o’ sə) [<Eng. wing + <Lat. levo, I raise] This spell causes an object to levitate. Once levitating, the object can be manipulated in midair by the spell caster. Required Spheres: Forces 2 Hexes & Jinxes Aduro Spiritus (ə du’ ro, spir’ ə tws,): “The Pepper Breath Hex” [Lat. aduro, set fire to + spiritus, breath] This spell gives the target person or creature hot or fiery breath. Required Spheres: Forces 2, Life 2 Bati Gobelinus (ba’ ti, go’ bə lwn, əs): “The Bat-Bogey Hex” [<Scan. bat, bat + Lat. gobilinus, goblin/bogy] This spell, invented by Ginny Weasley, enlarges the bogies (U.S. “boogers”) of the victim, makes them fly like bats and attack the target about the face. This Hex is used partially as comic relief, but can be particularly annoying. Required Spheres: Life 4, Matter 3 Buccia (b’ ki, ə): “The Hurling Hex” [<OE. bucca, male goat] The effect of this spell causes an item to jerk and twitch. It is particularly used for an item somebody may be riding, such as a broomstick. In this case the hexed item will attempt to hurl the rider off. Required Spheres: Entropy 2, Matter 2 Dasithius (də swð’ i, əs): “The Bedazzling Hex” [<ON dasi, dazzle + <OE ðu, you] This is a spell used to make a certain type of Invisibility Cloak. It works by dazzling the onlooker so that they cannot see the item that has been enchanted. Required Spheres: Forces 4 Comatose (ko’ mə tos,): “Enchanted Sleep” [<Gr. coma, deep sleep] Not only does this charm place the target into unconsciousness, but it slows their metabolism so they also no longer require the essentials of life (i.e. air, food, water) while unconscious. This spell can be countered with Ennervate. Required Spheres: Life 3, Time 3 Eat Slugs (it’ slgs’): Slug-Vomiting Hex [Eng. eat, consume + slugs, slugs] Causes the victim to burp slugs. Required Spheres: Life 3, Prime 2 Expelliarmus (əks pel, i, arm’ s,): “The Disarming Jinx” [<Lat. expel, to banish + <OE.armes, weapons] This spell is used to disarm an opponent. It is a relatively simple spell to use for disarming, but a master spellcaster can actually disarm his opponent so that the disarmed wand lands directly into the hand of the disarmer. Required Spheres: Entropy 2 or Entropy 3, Forces 2 Expulso (əks pl’ so,): “The Expulsion Jinx” [Lat. expulso, I banish] This Jinx causes a target object to move away from the caster with a forceful blast. Required Spheres: Forces 3 Flectere Magikos (flek, ter’ ə ma’ gi, kos,): “The Backfiring Jinx” This Jinx causes all spells cast within a defined radius to backfire upon the user.
[email protected] 25 Required Spheres: Prime 5 Furnunculus (fd nk’ ju, ləs): “The Boil Hex” [< Eng. furnunculus, a boil <Lat. furuncle, a boil] This hex causes the victim's body to break out in boils where the spell hits them. Required Spheres: Life 2, Prime 2 Langlock (leŋ’ lak,): “The Tongue Tying Jinx” [<Lat. lingua, tongue + Eng. lock] This Jinx glues the victim's tongue to the top of their mouth, making normal speech impossible. Required Spheres: Entropy 2, Life 2 Levicorpus (lev’ i, kor’ pəs) [<Lat. levo, I raise + corpus, body] This spell dangles the victim by their ankle in mid-air. It looks as though an invisible hook is holding the person up. The counter-spell is Liberacorpus. Required Spheres: Forces 4, Life 2 Non Trudere (nan’ tr, der’ ə): “Anti-Intruder Jinx” [Lat. non, not + trudere, push] Detects and repels intruders. Required Spheres: Mind 4, Entropy 3, Correspondence 2 Nullis Deceptus (n’ lws, də sep’ təs): “The Anti-Cheating Jinx” [Lat. nullis, no + deceptus, deception/cheating] A spell that teachers at Hogwarts use on quills for exams to prevent students from cheating. If a student attempts to cheat while using a jinxed quill, what will form on the page is a string of nonsensical words and phrases (some may even be quite rude). Required Spheres: Mind 2, Entropy 3 Obscuro (əb skjur’ o,): “The Blindfold Jinx” [<Lat. obscurus, obscure] The spell magically conjures a blindfold on a target. Required Spheres: Matter 2, Prime 2 Operor Nonevanui (ə per’ or na’ nə van, u i): “The Anti-Disapparation Jinx” [Lat. operor, disappear + nonevanui, do not] When cast on a person it prevents them from Disapparating. Required Spheres: Correspondence 4, Entropy 4 Piso Supplex (pi’ so, su’ pleks,): “The Knee-Reversal Jinx” [Grk. piso, backward + Lat. supplex, knee] As the name indicates, this jinx reverses the use of the target’s knees, making standing difficult and walking impossible. Required Spheres: Entropy 2, Life 3 Rictusempra (rik’ tu, sem’ prə): “The Tickling Jinx” [<Lat. rictus, open mouth + simper, always] This spell produces a jet of silver light, which when it hits the victim causes them to laugh uncontrollably. Required Spheres: Life 2 or Mind 2 Stammerus (stæm’ d əs): Trip Jinx [<Eng. stammer, to trip/stumble] Causes the victim to trip over. Required Spheres: Entropy 2 Taboo (tæ, bu’) or (tə bu): “The Taboo” [<Poly. ta-bu, sacred/forbidden] This magic attaches itself to a word, and makes anyone who says the word traceable. As such, it works in a similar manner to The Trace, but rather than firing when any magic at all is used, it only fires when the relevant word is said. Use of a Taboo word breaks protective enchantments and creates a magic disturbance, the source of which can be instantly identified. Required Spheres: Correspondence 5, Mind 1 Tarantallegra (ter’ ən tə le’ grə): “The Tarantula Legs Jinx” [The Tarantella is a fast Italian dance] Causes the victim's legs to dance uncontrollably. Required Spheres: Entropy 2, Life 2 Urticaria: “The Hives Hex” [Eng. urticaria, hives <Lat. urtica, a nettle] This hex causes the victims face to erupt in hives. Hives are raised lumps on the skin, usually caused by an allergic reaction. Required Spheres: Life 2 Weal (wil’): “The Stinging Hex” The Stinging Hex produces painful red welts & swelling at the point of impact on victim's body. Required Spheres: Forces 2 or Life 2 Zele Podis (ze’ lə po’ dəs): “The Jelly-Legs Jinx” [Grk. zele, jelly + <Grk. podi, leg] The Jelly-Legs Jinx causes the victim's legs shake uncontrollably, making it impossible to stand. Required Spheres: Entropy 2, Life 2 Curses Avada Kedavra (ə vad ə kə dav rə): “The Killing Curse” [<Ar. abra kadabra, may this be destroyed; Abracadabra was used as a healing spell to drive disease from a patient's body in the middle ages.] This is an advanced spell needing a powerful bit of magic behind it; the incantation alone is not enough for the spell to work. When cast effectively, Avada Kedavra kills instantaneously, producing a blinding flash of green light and a characteristic rushing noise that sounds like something huge and invisible rushing through the air, but leaving no mark on the victim's body. This is one of three Unforgivable Curses, a group of spells considered so evil that casting one against another human is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban. When cast successfully on a person, it leaves no mark on its victim and does no damage to the surrounding area, and cannot be blocked by any known magical means: there is no counter curse. It is possible, however, to place objects in the path of the spell to block it. Anything non-living that the spell directly hits will be destroyed. Required Spheres: Entropy 4, Life 3, Prime 4 Blatherskite (blæð d skait): “The Babbling Curse” [<Scot. blather, contemptible + skate/scot, person] This minor Curse causes the victim to be temporarily incapable of normal speech, able to only babble nonsense. Required Spheres: Entropy 3, Mind 2 Blitz (blwts): “The Shock Spell” [Ger. blitz, lightning] This curse sends a bolt of lightning from the tip of the spell caster’s wand. While highly destructive, it is rarely used because of the unpredictability of electricity in open space. Alternatively it may be used to induce a state of shock in the patient in order to cure them of mental maladies, in a manner similar to shock therapy. Required Spheres: Forces 5, Prime 2 Confringo (kən frwn’ go,): The Destruction Curse [Lat. confringo, to destroy] This spell causes the target object to explode. Required Spheres: Forces 4 or Matter 4, Prime 4 Confundus (kn, fun’ dəs): “The Confundus Charm” [<Lat. confundo, I confuse] While commonly called a Charm, the effect of this spell obviously places it in the Curse category; not dissimilar to the Imperius Curse (though Confunding someone is not Unforgivable). This spell is used to confuse an object or person, to disorient them or make them believe what the spell caster wants them to. Required Spheres: Mind 4, Entropy 5 Conjunctivis [kən d¥ŋk’ twv, əs]: The Conjunctivitis Curse [<Lat. conjunctus, joined together] Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctiva (mucous membrane that lines the surface of the eyelid and the exposed surface of the eyeball). This curse is aimed at the eyes of the victim and causes the eyelids to crust together so that the victim cannot see. In addition to loss of sight, causes pain to the victim as well. Required Spheres: Life 3, Matter 3 Crucio (kru’ •i, o,): “The Cruciatus Curse” [Lat. crucio, I torture]
[email protected] 26 This curse inflicts severe physical pain on whomever it is cast upon, usually causing them to scream in agony. A severe degree of torture inflicted on a target can drive a target to permanent insanity. One really has to mean it, and to enjoy inflicting pain, for the magic to function correctly. The Cruciatus Curse is one of the three Unforgivable Curses, and use of it against another human being is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban. Required Spheres: Life 3, Entropy 4 Flagrate: “The Fire Line Curse” [<Lat. flagrantia, to blaze] This spell enables the caster able to draw lines of fire with their wand. Required Spheres: Entropy 3, Forces 3, Prime 2 Horcrux Creation (hor’ krks,)- incantation unknown Any wizard who wishes to render himself immortal - after a fashion - must first split his own soul by committing murder: the supreme act of evil. All murder splits the soul, but if the wizard wishes to then utilize the damage in order to make a Horcrux, this additional spell is required. Its effect is to encase the torn portion of the soul into an external object. Then if the wizard's physical body (and the part of his soul that is still inside him) is killed, he cannot truly die, because a part of his soul is still undamaged. Required Spheres: Mind 5, Spirit 5, Spirit 4, Spirit 3, Prime 3, Correspondence 1 Impedimenta (wm, ped’ ə men’ ti, ə): “The Impediment Curse” [<Lat. impedimentum, hindrance] In its simplest form, this spell is used to stop or slow down a person or creature, effectively immobilizing them for a short period of time. When cast with power, however, it can easily knock the target off their feet. Required Spheres: Time 3 or Forces 4 Imperio (wm, pir’ i o): “The Imperius Curse” [<Lat. impero, I order] The Imperius Curse. This is used to command the actions of another person or animal, leaving them at the mercy of the spell caster and totally under their control. The experience of being under the curse is described as a floating sensation where every thought and worry in one's head are erased and replaced with a numb happiness. A sense of obedience, where commands were to be obeyed without question, comes with it The Imperius Curse is one of the three Unforgivable Curses and the use of it against another human being is normally punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban. Required Spheres: Life 3, Mind 4 or Entropy 4 or Prime 3 or Matter 3 Leglimens (leg lə mens): “Legilimency” [<Lat. lego, I read + mens, mind] This is a practice very similar to Muggle mind reading, although there are subtle differences between the two. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, able to be seen by anyone - the mind is a many-layered thing, and cannot be read like a book. Those skilled in Legilimency can, however, look into the minds of their victims, see the memories they are looking for, and interpret them. Eye contact is often essential to Legilimency, although not always. The ability to perform the magic without eye contact is down to the level of expertise of the caster. Lack of eye contact will lead to a reduction in the level to which the mind can be read, however. Legilimency is a relatively rare and complex skill. Occlumency, on the other hand, is more widespread and can be more easily taught. Required Spheres: Mind 3 Locomotor Mortis (lo, kə mo’ tor, mor’ təs): The Leg-Locker Curse [<Lat. locus, place + movere, to move + mortuus, dead] This spell causes the victim's legs to lock together, making it impossible for them to walk. The incantation for this spell is of a similar form to the Locomotor spell but it has a very different result: the addition of mortis represents the fact that this spell kills (albeit temporarily) a person's method of locomotion. Required Spheres: Life 3, Forces 3 or Time 3 Malius Incendium: “FiendFyre” [<Lat. malum, evil + incendia, fire] Fiendfyre is colossally powerful enchanted fire that burns everything in its path. Its flames are unusually large, and it appears to have enough consciousness to actually follow its intended victims. The flames form themselves into the shapes of vicious magical animals as they raze everything in their path in a fiery inferno. The blaze is so potent that Fiendfyre is one of the very few substances that are capable of destroying a Horcrux. Required Spheres: Forces 5, Spirit 4, Prime 3 Morsmordre (mors, mor’ drə): “The Death Eater Curse” [Lat. mors, death + Fr. mordre, to bite] This spell produces the Dark Mark, the skull-and-serpent sign used by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It is very likely that Voldemort invented this piece of magic and teaches it to his followers. Death Eaters are in the habit of casting the Dark Mark wherever they have killed someone. Required Spheres: Forces 3, Mind 2 Petrificus Totalus (pə trwf’ ə kws, to, tæl’ əs): “The Full Body-Bind Curse” [<Eng. petrify, make solid <Lat. petra, rock + facere, make + <Eng. total, all <Lat. totus, all] This spell causes the victim's body to go totally rigid, with their arms stuck by their side and their legs snapped together. The only thing that they can still move whilst under the influence of the magic is their eyes. Required Spheres: Life 3, Forces 3, Time 3 Possidere (pos, ə der’ e,): Possession [Lat. possidere, to possess] This is a more of a magic process rather than a specific spell, but involves magically entering and taking control over the body of another person or creature. The Wizard must be in Astral form to attempt Possession. Required Spheres: Spirit 4 Reducto (ri, dk’ to,): “The Reductor Curse” [<Eng. reduction, lessening <Lat. re-, back + reducere, to lead] This spell is used to blast solid object into pieces. It does not work on anything that's not solid (i.e. liquid, gas or plasma). Required Spheres: Matter 4 Relashio (rə la•’ i, o,): “The Releasing Curse” [<Eng. relax, to loosen/rest <Lat. re-, back + laxare, to loosen] This spell causes the target person or object to release what they are holding. The spell works by sending a magical shockwave at the target, which in turn causes it to release what they are holding. If the target is human or animal, they can be thrown backwards by the force of the wave. If the target is an object (such as chains), it breaks. Required Spheres: Entropy 3, Forces 3, Prime 2 Sectumsempra (sek’ təm sem’ prə) [<Lat. secare, to cut + semper, ever] This spell was invented by Severus Snape while he was a student at Hogwarts. It causes deep wounds to be immediately cut into the victim as though they were being slashed with an invisible sword. Required Spheres: Entropy 4, Life 3 Serpensortia (ser, pən sor’ •ə): “The Serpent Curse” [<Eng. serpent, a snake <Lat. serpere, to creep + <Lat. sors, chance] This creates a snake from the caster's wand which will then advance upon a victim of the caster's choice with the intention of attacking them. Required Spheres: Life 3, Mind 2, Prime 2 Stupefy (stu’ pə fai,): “The Stunning Spell” [Eng. stupefy, to stun <Lat. stupere, be stunned + facere, to make] This spell produces a bolt of red light and stuns whoever it is cast upon, knocking the victim unconscious. A single Stunning Spell is not strong enough to do any lasting damage to a victim, but multiple stunners cast on one target can cause serious harm. The spell Ennervate can undo the effects of the Stunning Spell and bring victims back to consciousness. Required Spheres: Forces 2, Mind 2 Unbreakable Vow
[email protected] 27 This spell creates a magical treaty between two people. The two participating parties must link their right hands in order for the spell to be cast. A third person, known as the Bonder, is also required to witness the pact and magically seal it. The tip of the Bonder's wand must be placed on the linked hands, and the terms of the treaty are made. As this is done, flame issues from the wand and winds itself around the hands of the participants. At this point the Unbreakable Vow is made, and if the terms of it are broken by one of the participants, they will die. No other spell can counteract the effects of the Vow once it is made. Required Spheres: Entropy 5 Appendix III: Talismans Clothing This category of magical item encompasses any bewitched article of everyday clothes, from caps to stockings. Most of these items provide no additional bonus other than the enchantment they are imbued with. Most of the articles found here can be purchased in many Wizard clothier shops. An expected price is included in Galleons (Ġ). Invisibility Cloak: Often, indistinguishable from any ordinary cloak, until worn, This Talisman renders the wearer invisible. Invisibility Cloaks are made in one of two ways: ordinary cloaks can be either enchanted, usually with Disillusionment and/or Invisibility Charms or a Bedazzling Hex, or a cloak can be specially made using Demiguise hair. Both methods work for a certain period of time, but their invisibility properties start to fade as they age. Invisibility cloaks are not always completely undetectable. Some magical objects can be used to detect the wearer, though these are rare. Arête: 2 Quintessence: 10 Cost: 4 Value: 100- 500 Ġ Vanishing Hat: This Talisman can be made from any style hat, from bowler to stocking cap. Anything the hat’s owner wishes to vanish is placed into the hat and ceases to exist until the hat’s owner wishes to pull the object back into existence. Vanishing Hats are made by infusing a hat (or any container-shaped article of clothing) with Evanesco. These hats do have limits, in that they can only hold a number of objects equal to their Quintessence rating. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 10 Ġ Robes of Protection: Saturated with Protego, these robes provide protection (+2 dice to defense) from magical attack. Almost identical in appearance to normal robes, when enchanted, Robes of Protection give off a faint glow under moonlight. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 25 Ġ Dragon Handler Gloves: Made of dragon hide, these magical gloves are impervious to rips, tears and cuts, are fire, water and acid proof, as well as having an unbreakable grip (quite useful for grasping the chains used to leash dragons). Arête: 3 Quintessence: 15 Cost: 6 Value: 75 Ġ Sneakospecs: Seemingly ordinary glasses that give off a whistling sound, audible only to the wearer, when someone untrustworthy is within sight. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 5 Ġ Gladrags Magical Socks: A variety of socks; some enchanted with patterned gold and silver flashing stars, some screamed loudly when they
[email protected] 28 become too smelly, others may simply guide the wearer in the right direction when lost. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 0 Cost: 1 Value: 1 Ġ Detachable Cribbing Cuff: This is a detachable cuff for a sleeve that has been enchanted to assist the wearer in cheating on exams. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 2 Ġ Omnioculars: Look like brass binoculars, except that they are covered in all sorts of weird knobs and dials; they are occasionally sold at Quidditch matches, such as the Quidditch World Cup. They can be set to replay action, zoom, slow down play, and overlay magical words that provide commentary in purple letters. Arête: 2 Quintessence: 10 Cost: 2 Value: 10 Ġ Goblin Armor/Weaponry: This category of arms and armor is made by goblins and as such has unique properties which only goblin hands are capable of producing. Goblins use a magical smelting process that makes a metal resembling silver or platinum in appearance, but with the durability of titanium and flexibility and weight of aluminum. Below is a list of raw goblin armaments, without any additional enchantments. An example of a goblin weapon especially enchanted with Wizard magic (the sword of Gryffindor) is attached for reference. Like with the articles of clothing above, an expected price is listed for each goblin-made piece, however, goblins do not have the same sense of ownership as humans do. They believe that the price paid is more like life- long rent, and the goblin items are expected to be returned to their craftsman upon the purchaser’s death. Weapons— Dagger/Knife: Difficulty 3, Strength +1, Value 5 Ġ Foil/Rapier: Difficulty 4, Strength +2, Value 25 Ġ Broadsword/Saber: Difficulty 5, Strength +4, Value 75 Ġ Battle Axe: Difficulty 6, Strength +5, Value 125 Ġ Great Sword: Difficulty 7, Strength +6, Value 250 Ġ Armor— Studded Leather Armor: Armor Rating +1, Penalty 0, Value 10 Ġ Chain Mail: Armor Rating +2, Penalty 0, Value 50 Ġ Half Plate Mail: Armor Rating +4, Penalty -1, 100 Ġ Full Plate Armor: Armor Rating +6, Penalty -2, Value 500 Ġ Sword of Gryffindor: The sword of Godric Gryffindor was produced by the goblin craft master Ragnuk the First. Since its creation, it has been enchanted to be more valuable than a normal goblin sword. Arête: 5 Quintessence: 25 Cost: 10 Traits: Strength +2 damage, Difficulty 4, Material Strength 8; Goblin- made, magically linked to the Sorting Hat, enchanted to absorb any special abilities of anything it is used against. Value: N/A Dark Detectors & Other Auror Tools These devices are used by Aurors and the safety or defense conscious Wizard. Each serves its own purpose in the detection of Dark Magic; no Auror would be caught dead without at least one of each of the following items. Foe-glass: This device looks like a mirror, but it does not reflect the scene in front of it. Instead, it shows the enemies of its owner. The foes are shadowy, indistinct, out-of-focus figures when distant. The images become more distinct as the foes get closer. Arête: 2 Quintessence: 10 Cost: 4 Magical Eye: This “artificial eye” can be an enchanted eye, round as a coin and electric blue in color or any other optical device (i.e. spectacles, telescopes, etc.). It can see through solid objects, including the back of its user's head (in the case of an actual eyeball). The Magical Eye can also see through invisibility cloaks. Arête: 3 Quintessence: 15 Cost: 6 Secrecy Sensor: This sensor resembles a collection of old-fashioned television aerials. When activated it will whir and spin if a lie is told in its presence. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Seven-Lock Trunk: This magical trunk has seven locks with seven keys. Depending on which bolt you unlock, you access a different compartment, each the same apparent dimensions of the trunk, though some deeper than the trunk’s depth. These trunks are extremely useful for people who travel a lot and wish to only carry one piece of luggage, while Aurors usually use them to carry their various dark detectors as well as utilize them to contain bounties they have captured. Arête: 4 Quintessence: 20 Cost: 8 Sneakascope: A device which looks something like a gyroscope which spins and gives off a whistling sound when someone untrustworthy is near. There is also a pocket variety available for portable use (though not usually as accurate as the full-size version). Arête: 2 (1) Quintessence: 10 (5) Cost: 4 (2) Jokes These (mostly) harmless objects serve as comedy relief for many students at Hogwarts. They can be purchased at nearly any joke shop. Included here is the price a character is likely to expect. Note: Many of these items are non-reusable. There are literally thousands of joke products available to any prankster. Only a few are listed here. Non-explodable Luminous Balloon: These balloons give off a soft glow and must be deflated, since they cannot be popped. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 1 Ġ (bag of 20) Belch Powder: Seemingly harmless white powder, resembling confectioners’ sugar, when ingested, this powder causes anyone who ingests it to belch uncontrollably. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 1 Cost: 1 Value: 2 Ġ Boomerang, Ever-Bashing: Once thrown, this boomerang will crash into anything and everything within range until the thrower extends his arm to catch it. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 5 Ġ Dungbomb: When thrown, these magical stink-bombs give off a fecal odor, which can be quite useful for creating a diversion as well as a general annoyance. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 1 Cost: 1 Value: 1 Ġ (box of 10)
[email protected] 29 Fake Wand: These normal-looking wands come in as many varieties as normal wands and are intended for the prankster to replace a Wizard’s wand with a similar-looking fake one. Some turn into rubber chickens, others spew black smoke and some turn anything you try to charm into jelly. Any effects are intended to be harmless and wear off after a few minutes or seconds. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 5 Ġ Frog Spawn Soap: Ostensibly a normal bar of soap (sometimes available in liquid pump bottle), once exposed to water, this gag melts into a writhing mound of tadpoles. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 1 Cost: 1 Value: 2 Ġ Nose-Biting Tea Set: Bought either as separate pieces or as a set, this is a normal looking teacup (or kettle), until the unsuspecting drinker attempts to use it, which results in a nasty nose-bite. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 10 Ġ Muggle Devices This miscellaneous category of magical devices includes a variety of Muggle devices & technologies which have been enchanted to serve an alternate or additional purpose than their original manufacturers’. Broomsticks: The most widely used form of magical transportation in Great Britain & North America. Although in other parts of the world, the flying carpet appears to be the preferred instead. There are many manufacturers of broomsticks, each with its own special properties and level of quality, from the Twigger to the Nimbus. Listed here are some of the most commonly owned broomstick brands: • Comet: Series of broomsticks produced by the Comet Trading Company (formed 1929). A quality broom, though without many bells or whistles. •• Cleansweep: A series of sport broomsticks produced by the Cleansweep Broom Company beginning in 1926. A step up from the Comet, though not a particularly special broom. ••• Shooting Star: The cheapest racing broom ever released as of its release in 1955, but the buyer got what was paid for; the Shooting Star's ability to accelerate and to achieve respectable altitudes didn't hold up well over the long haul. •••• Nimbus: Series of high-end broomsticks produced by the Nimbus Racing Broom Company (formed 1967). ••••• Firebolt: Released in the summer of 1993, the Firebolt is currently the fastest racing broom in the world. It boasts streamlined, super-fine handle of ash, treated with a diamond-hard polish, hand-numbered with its own registration number, tail twigs of birch, individually selected and honed to aerodynamic perfection, unsurpassable balance, pinpoint precision, acceleration of 150 mph in 10 seconds, unbreakable Braking Charm, extremely sensitive turning (obeying thought rather than grip). Arête: 1 – 5 Quintessence: 5 – 25 Cost: 2 – 10 Value: 25 – 2500 Ġ Wizard’s Chess: A chess set enchanted so that the playing pieces are animated, so that playing chess is much like directing troops in battle. The player does not physically touch the pieces to make a move, but directs them verbally. Novices find playing the game more difficult, since the pieces may refuse to move if they do not trust the player. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 5 – 25 Ġ (depending on the quality) Flying Car: This can be any Muggle vehicle enchanted to fly, though the least conspicuous the better. Most have an invisibility booster to keep them from being detected in flight and usually have charms in place to magically expand their capacity. Arête: 4 Quintessence: 20 Cost: 8 Value: 500 - 5000 Ġ (depending on model and features) Flying Carpet: Flying carpets rather than brooms are the standard magical means of transportation in Asia and the Middle East. Flying carpets were once legal in Britain, but have been illegal for years since they are now on the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: N/A (illegal in the UK and North America) Magical Camera: This specially enchanted camera takes pictures, which, once developed, are animated. The same effect can be achieved with an ordinary, non-enchanted Muggle camera, if the photos are developed in a special potion. Arête: 2 Quintessence: 10 Cost: 4 Value: 25 Ġ Wizard’s Wireless: An enchanted Muggle radio; the Wizarding Wireless Network (WWN) is listened to by many wizards of all ages. Arête: 3 Quintessence: 15 Cost: 6 Value: 15 – 50 Ġ School Supplies Quills & parchment are essential elements in any Hogwarts student’s inventory. However, these special items carry with them unique abilities, some specially designed for use by students. Found in most school supply and book shops, these listings include the price a character would expect to pay, in Galleons (Ġ), if available. Anti-cheating Quill: Students at Hogwarts are given these quills charmed with Anti-Cheating spells for doing written exams. Arête: 2 Quintessence: 10 Cost: 4 Value: N/A Auto-Answer Quill: This quill correctly answers a question asked in its presence. These quills are not allowed while taking school exams. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 5 Ġ Magical Quill of Hogwarts: This enchanted quill at Hogwarts detects the birth of each magical child and writes his or her name down in a large parchment book. Every year Professor McGonagall checks the book, then uses this information to send out owls to these children as they approach their eleventh birthdays. Arête: 4 Quintessence: 20 Cost: 8 Value: N/A Quick-Quotes Quill: This quill is enchanted to be set up on a sheet of parchment without human support, which when activated will write an exaggerated, if not wholly inaccurate) account of whatever is said in its presence. Arête: 3 Quintessence: 15 Cost: 6 Value: 25 Ġ Spell-Check Quill: This pen automatically corrects the writer's spelling of words. Arête: 2 Quintessence: 10 Cost: 4 Value: 5 Ġ
[email protected] 30 Umbridge's Detention Quill: A long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point, this quill does not use ink. Instead, when used to write, it magically slices into the back of the hand holding it and draws blood in place of ink. The cuts at first heal immediately, but over a long session the damage will be repaired more and more slowly, until the hand is finally left raw and bleeding. This Quill was invented by the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, Delores Umbridge and was used quite frequently during her short stint as Headmaster of Hogwarts. Arête: 5 Quintessence: 25 Cost: 10 Value: N/A Spellotape: This magical tape is used to repair magic items; though it is not particularly effective on wands. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 1 Ġ (per 50 ft. roll) Howler: This red-colored envelope urgently desires to be opened. Upon arrival at its destination, if not immediately read it begins to smoke and after a minute will rip itself open in a fiery explosion and scream the message it contains in a magically magnified voice for all to hear. Arête: 1 Quintessence: 1 Cost: 1 Value: 1 Ġ (box of 5) Secret Parchment: This enchanted roll of parchment immediately turns invisible anything written on it, which can only be made visible again by speaking a secret word or phrase. Another password causes its contents to vanish once more. If the wrong incantation is used, the parchment will reveal a message insulting the perpetrator. This Talisman is particularly useful for passing notes in class (or making a Marauder’s Map— see below). Arête: 3 Quintessence: 15 Cost: 6 Value: 12 Ġ per roll Marauder’s Map: This magical map of Hogwarts Castle shows the entire castle and grounds of Hogwarts, including seven secret passages out of Hogwarts and into Hogsmeade. The map also shows the location of people. Being made from Secret Parchment, the map looks like a large but empty piece of old parchment until it is activated with the words "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." To clear the map, the phrase "Mischief managed" must be spoken. The map was created during their years at Hogwarts by Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter, and at some point confiscated by Filch, who didn't know how to activate it but guessed that it was a magical item of some power. Arête: 5 Quintessence: 25 Cost: 10 Value: N/A Timepieces Clocks and watches sometimes seem as though they have a magic of their own, while others actually do. This category includes anything that would normally be used to tell time, but has been enchanted to do either something additionally or some function altogether different than its original function. Note: “All” Time magic (Sphere level 2 or above) is legislated as strictly regulated by the Ministry of Magic. Home Keeper Clock: Usually a mantle clock, it has only one hand and no numbers; enchanted to point to “time to make tea”, “time to feed the chickens”, “you're late", etc. depending on the onlooker. Arête: 2 Quintessence: 10 Cost: 2 Value: 25 Ġ Standing Clock: Usually a grandfather clock, this timepiece has multiple golden hands, but is completely useless if you need to know the time. Instead, each hand represents a family member. These hands point to inscriptions around the face which indicate where that person is at the moment. Some of the words on this clock are home, school, work, traveling, lost, hospital, prison, and mortal peril. Arête: 3 Quintessence: 15 Cost: 6 Value: 125 Ġ Time-Turner: This small metallic gyroscope or hourglass is worn on a chain around the neck. It's a very powerful and dangerous magical item which literally turns back time for the user, one hour per spin of the gyro or inversion of the glass. These Talismans are strictly regulated by the Ministry of Magic and there are none known to exist outside of their control. Arête: 5 Quintessence: 25 Cost: 10 Value: N/A Appointment Watch: This pocket watch keeps track of any appointments its owner has, and alerts him with a shrill “You’re Late!” whenever an appointment approaches (whether the owner actually is late or not). Arête: 1 Quintessence: 5 Cost: 2 Value: 10 Ġ Wands Most Wizard magic cannot be performed without the aid of a wand. Every wand has two primary elements: its wood and its core. Wand cores can be any magical substance, though throughout Britain, the three most common cores are Dragon heartstring, Unicorn Hair and Phoenix Feather. Wands made from the wood of certain trees are often thought to be better suited to certain people, depending on when they were born, in accordance with the ancient Druid Zodiac. Wands are powerful Talismans, but cannot be created by magic alone. A wand maker must possess the Wandlore Knowledge to create a usable wand. Wands do not need to be bought with the Talisman Background, as all Wizards begin their Wizarding life with the purchase of a wand. Storytellers may want to play an active role in the choosing of a character’s wand, to ensure it fits the character well. Some wand cores and their properties: Acromantula Silk: Good for Curses and Dark Magic. [-1 diff w/ Curses, +1 damage] Chimera Muscle-fiber: Extremely effective when used in Transfiguration [-2 diff w/ Transfiguration Charms]. Demiguise Hair: Works best with concealment and invisibility Charms [-2 diff w/ concealment or invisibility Charms]. Dragon Heartstring: Prefers offensive magic, especially damaging [+2 damage]. Dryad Hair: Useful for dealing with the elements of nature [-2 diff w/ nature related magic]. Kneazle Whisker: Does not work effectively with Dark magic; good for detection spells [+2 diff w/ Dark Magic, -2 diff w/ detection]. Phoenix Feather: Favors defensive magic [-2 diff w/ defensive magic]. Satyr Horn-fiber: Particularly fond of Hexes and Jinxes [-2 diff w/ Hexes & Jinxes]. Unicorn Hair: Especially fancies females, excellent when used in healing [+2 successes w/ healing, -1 diff w/ female users]. Veela Hair: Works well with positive emotions; best utilized with manipulation related Charms [-2 diff w/ manipulation magic, +1 when spirits are high, -2 when morale is low]. Wand woods and their correlations: Birch [December 24 to January 20]: Represents renewal, rebirth, inception, cleanliness and purity. Rowan [January 21 to February 17]: Associated with insight and protection against wickedness. Ash [February 18 to March 17]: Indicative of the linking between the inner and outer worlds.
[email protected] 31 Alder [March 18 to April 14]: Associated with courage and represents the evolving spirit, death and resurrection. Willow [April 15 to May 12]: Symbolizes the female and rhythms of the circle. Hawthorn [May 13 to June 9]: A symbol of psychic protection and thought to bring good luck to its owner. Oak [June 10 to July 7]: Associated with truth and steadfast knowledge as well as representing the soul. Holly [July 8 to August 4]: Balances both the positive and negative aspects of the self, restores lost energy, bestowing the strength needed to continue toward a resolution. Hazel [August 5 to September 1]: Considered to be the Tree of Wisdom, and is a sign of authority. Vine [September 2 to September 29]: A symbol of sensuality and emotions, as well as respect toward others. Ivy [September 30 to October 27]: A potent symbol of determination and strength. The Vine and the Ivy are often regarded as enemies. Reed [October 28 to November 24]: Representative of the mysteries of death; it is associated with being both a savior and a custodian. Elder [November 25 to December 22]: The symbol of death and rebirth, delirium and negative forces. Arête: 5 Quintessence: 25 Cost: N/A Value: 10 – 100 Ġ (typically) Appendix IV: Bestiary The animals listed in this bestiary range from the mundane to the fantastic, though none would be found in the Muggle world. A rating of 0-5 is given to each creature by the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Generally it indicates how dangerous the creature is to Wizardkind (with 5 being most dangerous), although some creatures earn their rating for other reasons, such as difficulty in capturing or training them. Abraxan: 3 [Fr.] A breed of winged horse, the Abraxan is a gigantic, extremely powerful Palomino. Madame Maxime, headmistress of Beauxbatons, breeds them, and the winged horses that pull her carriage are Abraxans. They drink only single malt whisky and require "forceful handling.” Acromantula: 5 [Borneo] A gigantic black spider (leg-span may reach up to 15 feet) with a poisonous bite, the Acromantula is an anomaly in the beast / being classification system. While capable of human speech, the Acromantula is classified as a beast rather than a being due to its violent tendencies. It is native to Borneo, where it is believed to have been a wizard-bred species; serving as an example of why the Ban on Experimental Breeding was put into effect. Note that all spiders, including Acromantulas, fear the basilisk above all other living things. Aethonon: 1 [U.K.] A breed of winged horse, chestnut in color, which lives mainly in Britain Ashwinder: 3 [Worldwide] A thin grey serpent with glowing red eyes which comes out of magical fires and lives long enough to lay fiery hot eggs in some dark and secluded spot. These eggs, while valued as potion ingredients, are very dangerous. If they are not found and frozen in time, they will set buildings on fire. Augurey (Irish Phoenix): 2 [Ireland] Thin and mournful-looking bird somewhat resembling a vulture, greenish-black in color, native to Britain and Ireland. Normally remaining hidden in its nest in brambles and thorns, flying only in heavy rain, the feathers of the Augurey repel ink. Its distinctive cry was once thought to be a death omen, but it is now known that the Augurey's cry foretells rain. The Augurey eats insects and fairies. Banshee: 5 [Ireland] A Dark creature with the appearance of a woman with floor- length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face. Its screams will kill. Basilisk: 5+ [Europe] Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it. Basilisk-breeding has been outlawed since medieval times and in the present day falls under the Ban on Experimental Breeding, but this law has rarely been broken even by Dark wizards, since only a Parselmouth can control a basilisk. Billywig: 3 [Australia] A magical insect, about a half-inch long and vivid blue in color. A Billywig's sting causes giddiness and levitation. For this reason, the Billywig's sting is highly sought after by Australian wizards. Dried Billywig stingers are useful as a potion ingredient. Blast-Ended Skrewt: 5 [Hybrid] A stange creature bred by Hagrid at Hogwarts in the fall of 1994 by crossing Manticores and fire-crabs. Newly-hatched Skrewts look like pale, slimy, deformed, shell-less lobsters. They have no heads but had legs sticking out at odd angles. Sparks fly out from their ends every so often which propel them forward.
[email protected] 32 Boggart: 2 [Europe and N.Amer.]A shape shifter that prefers to live in dark, confined spaces, taking the form of the thing most feared by the person it encounters; nobody knows what a boggart looks like in its natural state. A Boggart feeds on the emotion of fear rather than simply deploying this ability as a defense mechanism. Many Muggle children may have encountered Boggarts as "the monster under the bed.” Bowtruckle: 2 [U.K. and N. Europe] A small (maximum height 8 inches) insect-eating tree-dweller with long sharp fingers (two on each hand), brown eyes, and a general appearance of a flat-faced little stickman made of bark and twigs, which serves well as camouflage in its native habitat. Found in western England, southern Germany, and Scandinavia, a bowtruckle serves as tree-guardian for its home tree, which is usually a tree whose wood is of wand quality. The twiglike fingers of the bowtruckle appear to be primarily an adaptation like that of a woodpecker's beak, allowing it to more effectively dig out its preferred food of wood lice from its home tree, but they also serve as an effective weapon against the eyes of an opponent. Although ordinarily peaceful, a bowtruckle will attack a human if provoked (which includes perceived assaults upon the bowtruckle's tree as well as the bowtruckle itself). A witch or wizard seeking to take leaves or wood from a bowtruckle-inhabited tree should offer woodlice or fairy eggs to the bowtruckle to placate and distract it. Bundimun: 3 [Worldwide] Greenish fungus with eyes. An infestation of Bundimuns can destroy a house, as their secretions rot away the foundations. This same secretion, in diluted form, is used in some magical cleaning solutions. Centaur: 4 [Greece] Centaurs are very mysterious creatures. They avoid Muggles and wizards alike (FB). Centaurs watch and read the signs in the stars and planets and they do not take sides in the events unfolding around them, which they have foreseen. They prefer simply to observe (PS15). The centaurs have chosen to be considered Beasts by the Ministry (FB) and do not take part in governing at all. Chimaera: 5 [Greece] A vicious, bloodthirsty creature with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a dragon's tail. Chimaera eggs are classified as Class A Non- Tradable Goods. Clabbert: 2 [Scotland] This arboreal creature resembles a cross between a monkey and a frog. Its smooth skin is mottled green. The Clabbert has short horns and a wide grinning mouth. Its long arms and webbed hands and feet allow it to move gracefully through the trees. On the Clabbert's forehead is a large pustule which flashes red when the Clabbert senses the approach of danger, including Muggles. Cockatrice: 3 [Greece] A combination of a rooster and a dragon or snake. Crup: 3 [U.K. ] Magical creature that strongly resembles a Jack Russell terrier, except that a Crup has a forked tail. Crups are extremely loyal to wizards and ferocious toward Muggles. They eat almost anything. Dementors: 5+ [Worldwide ] The foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself...soul-less and evil. You will be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life. They feed on positive human emotions, Paradox and Quintessence. They drain a wizard of his powers if left with them too long. They are the guards at Azkaban and make that place horrible indeed. There are certain defenses one can use against Dementors, specifically the Patronus Charm. A Dementor's breath sounds rattling and like it's trying to suck more than air out of a room. Its hands are glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed. They exude cold A Dementor's last and worst weapon is called the Dementor's Kiss. The Dementor puts back its hood and clamps its jaws on the mouth of the victim and sucks out his soul, leaving him an empty shell, alive but completely, irretrievably gone. Demiguise: 2 [Far East] A peaceful, herbivorous creature that can make itself invisible. It resembles an ape with large, black eyes and long, silky hair. This hair can be woven into Invisibility Cloaks. Diricawl: 2 [Madagascar] This plump, flightless bird escapes danger by vanishing in a burst of feathers. Muggles knew this bird as the "dodo" and believe that it is extinct, being unaware of its ability to vanish at will. Because this belief (and associated guilt) has spurred more enlightened attitudes toward the animal world among many Muggles, wizards have encouraged it. Doxy (Biting Fairy): 3 [Northern Europe and America] The Doxy is a small fairy-like creature that is covered with black hair. They have sharp venomous teeth. Doxies are pests. They can infest houses, taking up residence in the draperies. Removing them requires a good supply of Doxycide. It's a good idea to have an antidote for Doxy venom on hand as well. Dragon: 5+ [Varies] Dragons, large flying reptiles that breathe fire, are some of the most awe-inspiring and dangerous of all magical beasts. There are ten varieties of dragons in the world today: • Antipodean Opaleye [N.Z.]: Iridescent, pearly scales • Chinese Fireball [Asia]: Scarlet with a fringe of golden spikes around its face • Common Welsh Green [Wales]: Smooth green scales • Hebridean Black [U.K.]: Dark, rough scales, ridges along back, spiked tail. • Hungarian Horntail [East Europe]: Black scales, bronze horns, spiked tail • Norwegian Ridgeback [Norway]: Black scales, bronze horns, black ridges on its back • Peruvian Vipertooth [S. America]: Smooth, copper-colored, short horns • Romanian Longhorn [East Europe]: Dark green scales, long glittering golden horns • Swedish Short-Snout [Sweden]: Silvery-blue scales, with a short snout • Ukrainian Ironbelly {Russia and Ukraine]: Metallic grey, long talons; the largest of any dragon Dugbog: 3 [Europe and America] This strange creature looks like just another hunk of dead wood floating in the marshes in which is lives. The Dugbog has finned paws and sharp teeth with which is attacks small mammals. The Dugbog is particularly fond of Mandrakes. Erkling: 4 [Germany] A small elf-like creature. Its high-pitched laugh is particularly entrancing to children, which Erklings like to eat. Erkling killings have decreased dramatically over the last few centuries as the German Ministry of Magic has put in place strict controls over the creatures. Erumpent: 4 [Africa] This huge African magical beast resembles a rhinoceros. Its horn, which can pierce almost anything, contains a fluid that explodes, destroying what it has hit. Because male Erumpents frequently blow each other up during mating season, the species is somewhat endangered. Fairy: 2 [Worldwide] Tiny creatures that look like perfectly formed humans with insect wings. They are extremely vain and quarrelsome, liking nothing better than to serve as decoration. Fairies have their own weak form of magic, which
[email protected] 33 they use primarily to avoid being eaten by predators. Fairies are held to have very limited intelligence, and they do not use any form of language that humans understand. Fire Crab: 3 [Fiji] The fire crab looks like a tortoise with a jewelled shell which can shoot fire out of its rear end. It is constantly in danger of being killed for its shell, which unscrupulous wizards will use as cauldrons. Flobberworm: 1 [Worldwide] A ten-inch, toothless brown worm which eats vegetation, especially lettuce. They prefer to be left alone and to do nothing. Fwooper: 3 [Africa] An exotic bird with brightly-colored feathers. A Fwooper's song will drive the listener insane, so each bird must be sold with a Silencing Charm on it. Ghoul: 2 [Worldwide] Ghouls are slimy, buck-toothed, ugly creatures which live in attics or barns of wizards. They are dim-witted and are content to throw things around now and then. Ghouls are relatively harmless creatures who live on spiders and moths. Giant: 5 [Europe] Giants are about twenty feet tall. They are not as intelligent as wizards but are capable of communication, both in their native language and, at times, in English. They now live mostly in remote mountain areas in tribes. They are violent by nature: fights between giants are common, and when a Muggle unsuspectingly wanders into their midst it means certain death. They are also very mistrusting of wizards and magic. Glumbumble: 3 [Worldwide] The Glumbumble is a magical furry insect. It produces a fluid that causes melancholy. This fluid is used as an antidote for the hysteria that results from eating Alihotsy leaves. Glumbumbles eat nettles. Gnome: 2 [Europe and N. Amer.] The gnome is a common garden pest resembling a potato with legs. Gnomes live in gnome-holes underground, where they dig up plant roots and generally cause a mess; their presence is also a dead give- away that a home belongs to a witch or wizard. Every so often, a garden must be "de-gnomed," which involves grasping the gnomes by the ankles, swinging them around a few times to disorient them, then tossing them out of the garden. Gnomes are rather dim, so when they realize a de-gnoming is going on, they all come rushing up out of their holes to see what's going on, making them a lot easier to catch. Goblin: 5 [Europe] Goblins are a race of highly intelligent creatures who live side by side with wizards. Goblins are considered to be inferior by many wizards, who foolishly believe that the goblins are comfortable with that arrangement. In fact, goblins are extremely clever and more than able to stand up to wizards. The fact that the Wizarding population treats them poorly is evidence of the severe injustice built into wizard culture. Goblins are short and dark-skinned. They have very long fingers and feet, and some have pointed beards. Graphorn: 4 [Europe] A large, grayish-purple creature which lives in the mountains of Europe. Graphorns have two sharp horns and are extremely dangerous animals. Graphorn horns are useful for potions and Graphorn hide is even tougher than dragons' and also repels spells. Griffin: 4 [Greece] Strange creature with the front body of an eagle and hindquarters of a lion. Griffins are used to guard treasure. Grindylow: 2 [U.K.] A grindylow is a pale green creature that lives in the weed beds on the bottom of lakes in Britain. It is also known as a water demon. Grindylows have long, brittle fingers which they use to grip their prey, sharp little horns, and green teeth. Hinkypunk: 1 [Scotland] A little one-legged creature, with the appearance of being made of smoke, the hinkypunk carries a light with which it lures travelers into bogs. Hippocampus: 3 [Mediterranean] A Mer-horse, with the head and forequarters of a horse and the hindquarters and tail of a giant fish. Hippogriff: 3 [Greece] A flying creature with the head, wings, and forelegs of a giant eagle and the body (including hind legs and tail) of a horse. The eyes are orange, while individual hippogriff colors vary as those of mundane horses do, including black, bronze, chestnut, grey, and roan. An adult hippogriff's wingspan is approximately 24 feet. Hippogriffs are carnivorous and are extremely dangerous until tamed, which should only be attempted by a trained witch or wizard. That said, hippogriffs can and do live on insects, birds, and small animals such as rats and ferrets. A person wishing to approach a Hippogriff should maintain eye contact and should bow first; if the animal bows in return, it can be touched and even ridden. Hippogriff owners are required to keep them under Disillusionment Charms to prevent Muggles from seeing them. Horklump: 1 [Worldwide] This garden pest resembles a pinkish mushroom covered with bristles, but is actually a carnivorous animal rather than a plant. Horklumps are the favorite food of gnomes. House Elves: 2 [Europe] House-elves are small humanoid creatures who inhabit large houses belonging to wealthy Wizarding families. They are bound to the family of the house, which means they do all manner of menial tasks for them until they die. House-elves are apparently very happy with this arrangement and consider it a matter of pride that they serve faithfully and do not betray their families. Imp: 2 [Worldwide] The imp is similar to the pixie and the fairy. It is about seven inches tall and is colored dull brown or black. Imps live in damp or marshy areas. They have a somewhat slapstick sense of humor and they love to trip people so they fall into a stream. They eat small insects. Inferius (Zombie): 5 [Worldwide] The Inferi are animated corpses who do the bidding of the Dark wizard who created them. Jarvey: 3 [U.K.] Resembling an overgrown ferret, the Jarvey is one of the few beasts that can actually talk. Its speech, however, consists entirely of rude phrases and insults. Jarveys chase gnomes. Jobberknoll: 2 [S. America] A tiny blue speckled bird that makes no sound until the moment of its death, when it lets out a long scream consisting of all the sounds it has ever heard; their feathers are important ingredients in making potions that affect memory. Kappa: 4 [Japan] A water-dweller resembling a scaly monkey with webbed hands, a Kappa will grab and strangle waders in its pond. Kelpie: 5 [Scotland] A treacherous Scottish water-devil who lurks in lakes and rivers. Knarl: 3 [Europe, Asia and Africa] Very similar to a hedgehog, except that the Knarl takes offense easily and will wreak havoc on garden plants. Kneazle: 3 [Europe] This very intelligent cat-like creature can detect unsavory or suspicious persons very well and will react badly to them. However, if a Kneazle takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet. The Kneazle has spotted fur, large ears, and a lion-like tail. Leprechaun: 3
[email protected] 34 [Ireland] A tiny vegetarian creature resembling a little (maximum height 6 inches) green human, the leprechaun is one of the occasional anomalies of the beast/being classification system. Although they alone of the "little people" have the ability to speak human language, they are classified as beasts, and have remained in that category as they have never requested re- classification (although they appear to have made no political statement by this, unlike centaurs and merpeople.) They are able to produce gold coins that vanish after an hour or two. Lethifold (living shroud): 5 [Tropics] This dangerous beast resembles a half-inch thick black cloak which moves along the ground at night, hunting its prey. It attacks sleeping humans, smothers them, then digests them, all in their bed, leaving no trace at all. The only known defense against a Lethifold is a Patronus Charm. Lobalug: 3 [Worldwide, Aquatic] A sea creature consisting of a poison sac and a spout, the Lobalug is used as a weapon by Merpeople. Lycanthrope: 5 [Worldwide] Any person thought to suffer from Lycanthropy. Lycanthropy is primarily hereditary, though not thoroughly studied by Wizards. Forced-transformation lycanthropes (as is believed all lycanthropes are) are infected through Black Spiral Dancers. See Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Mackled Malaclaw: 3 [Worldwide] A creature of shores and coastlines, resembling a lobster. The Malaclaw's bite gives the victim bad luck for up to a week. Manticore : 5 [Greece] A sentient creature, capable of intelligent speech but not classified as a being due to its violent tendencies, a Manticore has a human- like head, a lion's body, and the tail of a scorpion. The tail secretes a venom that is instantly fatal to a victim of its sting. A manticore's skin repels virtually all known charms, so it is extremely difficult to subdue by magic. Merpeople: 5 [Worldwide] Merpeople are sentient beings who live underwater in lakes and seas, although they can breathe air for short periods of time. Merpeople are intelligent folk who have developed their own culture and social structures and have a great love of music. Specific races of merpeople are also known as Sirens (Greece), Selkies (Scotland), and Merrows (Ireland). Mooncalf: 2 [Worldwide] A strange creature that lives in a burrow. It only comes out at the full moon, when it dances on its enormous flat feet, sometimes leaving intricate patterns in wheat fields (much to the confusion of Muggles). The silvery dung of the mooncalf, if collected before the sun comes up, makes an excellent fertilizer. Murtlap: 3 [Britain] A seashore-dwelling rodent native to Britain, this ratlike creature has on its back a growth resembling a sea anemone, which when pickled can be used to promote resistance to curses. The murtlap will attack anyone who steps on it, although it usually eats crustaceans, not people's feet. Niffler: 3 [U.K.] A black fluffy long-snouted creature which burrows in dirt as if it were water. Although nifflers are gentle and even affectionate, they are strongly attracted to anything shiny, which can make them difficult to control. They can be very useful for finding treasure, and are often kept by goblins for this purpose. Nogtail: 2 [Europe, Russia, N. America] A Dark Creature (classified as a demon) resembling a piglet, but stunted with narrow black eyes, a thick stubby tail, and long legs. Nogtails curse farms. A nogtail slips into a pigsty and suckles an ordinary pig; the longer it goes undetected, the longer the curse that falls upon the farm. The nogtail is very fast and difficult to catch, but if chased off the farm by a pure white dog it will never return. See the Pest Sub-Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for assistance with nogtail problems. Nundu: 5 [Africa] Considered by many to be the most dangerous beast in existence, the nundu is a gigantic leopard, whose breath carries disease and death. Whole villages have been wiped out by the nundu, and no nundu has ever yet been subdued by fewer than a hundred wizards working together. Occamy: 4 [East Asia] A beautiful, carnivorous creature resembling a winged snake, but plumed, having two legs, and reaching up to fifteen feet in length. As occamy eggshells are formed from pure soft silver, the occamy's reputation for aggression may be overstated, as most of its interaction with humans probably has consisted of defense of its eggs. Owl: 2 [Worldwide] Owls in the wizarding world are regarded both as pets and as the primary method of communication. They are of course used to deliver letters and packages as part of owl post service, but to wizards they mean more than just that. Owning an owl is also something of a status symbol and owls reflect their owners' wealth. Phoenix: 4 [Worldwide] Swan-sized bird with red and gold plumage, golden beak, and golden talons. The rating given to this gentle creature does not indicate ferocity, but rather the rarity of successful attempts to domesticate it. Pixie: 3 [U.K.] These mischievous creatures are a bright electric blue in color. They are very rude. Plimpy: 3 [Mediterranean and Atlantic] A kind of fish, shaped like a ball with two long, rubbery legs and webbed feet. If you happen to spot a plimpy with its legs tied in a knot, you will know that merpeople are around. Pogrebin: 3 [Russia] These annoying little creatures love to follow people around, infusing them with a sense of hopelessness until the human collapses, at which point the pogrebin attempts to devour them. The Pogrebin resembles a grey rock with a small hairy body and it hides by crouching down and pretending to be nothing but a harmless stone. Porlock: 2 [England and Ireland] This short (about two feet high when fully grown), shaggy creature walks on two cloven-hoofed feet and feeds on grass. Its small arms end in four fingers. The porlock lives to guard horses and will be found with a herd or curled in the straw of stables, although it is so distrustful of humans that it is seldom seen. Puffskein: 2 [Worldwide] A long-tongued custard-coloured little furball that makes a calming purring noise. These pleasant creatures are often kept as pets, particularly by wizarding children. [U.K.] Pygmy Puffs are miniature versions of the Puffskein, available in a variety of colors. Quintaped: 5 [Scotland] One of the most dangerous of magical beasts, the quintaped is found only on the Isle of Drear off the north tip of Scotland. There is a fascinating legend about the origin of quintapeds, which involves a feud between two wizarding clans and a poorly thought-out magical attack. Ramora: 2 [India, Aquatic] Powerfully magical silver-coloured fish from the Indian Ocean, a protected species that in turn is a guardian of seafarers, as the ramora is capable of anchoring ships. It is protected from poaching by international wizarding law. Red Cap: 3 [Ireland, N. America] Small, goblin-like/dwarflike creatures, Red Caps love bloodshed, and will attempt to beat to death Muggles lost in dungeons or on battlefields on dark nights. (As red caps can be repelled easily by charms and hexes, Muggles rather than adult wizarding folk face the most danger from them). Re'em: 4
[email protected] 35 [N. America and Far East] This extremely rare golden-furred giant ox's blood gives the drinker immense strength. However, since demand far exceeds supply, Re'em blood is found on the open market only rarely. Runespoor: 4 [Africa] A magical three-headed, snake commonly reaching a length of 6 - 7 feet, colored livid orange with black banding; native to Burkina Faso, where several forests are designated as preserves for its sole use. The runespoor is unique among known magical beasts for producing its eggs through its mouths. Runespoors rarely live to a great age, as each head contains an independent brain serving a different purpose, and they tend to attack each other. The right head is the planner, the middle head is the dreamer, and the left head is the critic. The planner decides where the runespoor goes and what it will do next, although the dreamer's visions often lead to a runespoor remaining stationary for days, lost in its imaginings. The critic, the fangs of which are extremely venomous, hisses continually (and irritably), evaluating the efforts of the planner and the dreamer. Often, the other two heads will gang up on the critic and bite it off; two-headed runespoors are not uncommon. The runespoor was once a favorite pet of Dark wizards, mostly because of its intimidating appearance. A flourishing black market in runespoor eggs and in the serpents themselves has existed for centuries. Salamander: 3 [Worldwide] A small, brilliant white, fire-dwelling lizard that feeds on flame, although it can survive up to six hours outside a fire if regularly fed pepper. A salamander lives only as long as the fire from which it sprang, scampering along burning logs and among the coals, and its color appears blue or scarlet depending on the heat of the fire in which it appeared. Salamander blood has powerful curative and restorative properties. Sasquatch (Bigfoot): 2 [N. America] A docile cousin of the Yeti, the Sasquatch has brown fur and lives a solitary nature, and are quite elusive. No Wizard has managed to get close enough to one for study. Satyr: 4 [Europe] Intelligent creatures with the head and torso of a human and the legs and horns of a goat, Satyrs are described as roguish but faint-hearted folk — subversive and dangerous, yet shy and cowardly. They are lovers of wine, music, women and children, and are ready for every physical pleasure. Sea serpent: 3 [Oceanic] A gigantic, snake-like beast with a horselike head and a long snakelike body rising in humps out of the sea as it moves through the water; found in the Atlantic, Mediterrean, and Pacific Oceans. The sea serpent has received very bad Muggle press, in this case unjustified. Although many Muggle legends have grown up around sightings of the creatures, usually tales of horror and death, in reality sea serpents are harmless; there is no record of a sea serpent ever harming a human. Shrake: 2 [Atlantic] A magically-created species of saltwater fish, found in the Atlantic Ocean, which is covered in spines and which deliberately seeks out and destroys Muggle fishing nets. The first shrake were supposedly created in the 1800s by a group of wizard fishermen who had been insulted by Muggles. The shrake, by damaging the nets used by Muggles to fish in that area of the sea, cause no end of trouble. Snidget: 2 [Worldwide] A small, spherical bird which can fly with amazing agility, changing speed and direction almost instantaneously. Its golden feathers and red, jewel-like eyes are so prized that at one time the snidget was hunted almost to extinction. The fact that a snidget became such an integral part of the game of Quidditch (and usually died when it was caught) didn't help matters either. The snidget became a protected species; there are now severe penalties for harming or even capturing one. Snidget reserves have been set up worldwide, and a magical device, the Golden Snitch, has replaced the live bird in Quidditch. Sphinx: 4 [Egypt] This human-headed creature has a lion-like body, the capacity for human speech, and an innate love of puzzles and riddles, but has violent tendencies. The sphinx has been used by wizarding folk for centuries to guard treasure, and is noted for violence when that which it guards is threatened. Streeler: 3 [Africa] AGiant snail that changes color every hour, and deposits a trail of venom as it moves that kills and shrivels all vegetation over which it passes, and which can kill horklumps. It is often kept as a pet. Thestrals: 3 Huge winged horses with white shining eyes, dragonish faces and necks, and skeletal black bodies. They are carnivorous and attracted to the smell of blood. Thestrals are invisible to anyone who has not seen death. People used to think Thestrals were bad omens, that seeing them meant bad luck, but this is just superstition. Thestrals have an amazing sense of direction and move magically fast through the air. Tebo: 4 [Africa] Like the Diricawl, the Tebo can become invisible at will. It is a warthog-like creature. Troll: 4 [Worldwide] There are three types of trolls: mountain, forest, and river; though these classifications exist simply determined by where the particular Troll prefers to live. Trolls are very stupid, standing twelve feet tall, with grey skin, a lumpy body, and flat horny feet. They exude a powerfully awful smell. Unicorn: 4 [Europe] A white (when fully mature) horse-like creature with a single horn on its head. Various parts of the unicorn - the horn and tail hair in particular - are used as potion ingredients and as wand cores. Vampire: 5 [Worldwide] see Vampire: The Masquerade Veela: 4 [Europe] Nearly human, these beautiful creatures have the ability to entrance anyone of the opposite gender, similarly to a siren. They have silvery-white hair and human-equal intelligence. Their beauty fades whenever angered or depressed. Werewolf: 5 [Worldwide] see Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Wood-nymph (Dryad): 3 [Europe] Protectors of the forests, Nymphs live inside trees and are rather docile, unless provoked. They appear as small human females with either brown or red hair and do not wear clothing. Yeti (Abominable Snowman): 4 [Tibet] This tall white-furred humanoid creature may be related to the troll (unlike giants, the yeti fears fire), but as it will attempt to attack and eat any human (or just about anything else, for that matter) that it meets. No witch or wizard has had an opportunity to study a living yeti at close range.
[email protected] 36 Appendix V: Creating an Older Student or Adult Wizard As mentioned above, the preceding rules were for the creation of a freshman student at Hogwarts, age 11. However, some may wish to accelerate the complexity of their campaign by creating older, more experienced characters. Here are some character creation modifier guidelines to follow for creating such characters. Bear in mind that these are guidelines for typical students, with no real experience other than what is taught in the classroom. A player who begins his character as a First-year and role-plays each following year should expect his character to be far more advanced than what is shown here. Therefore, when advancing a player-character from one year to the next, the Storyteller should allow these additions to supplement the experience points the character received throughout the story. Year 2, Age 12 – 13 Not significantly different than a first year student, though beginning to learn the basics of magic and on the verge of entering puberty. • Year 2 Students gain one additional willpower point, which reflects moving past their insecurities of being new to Hogwarts (and possibly the Wizarding world). • Students at this level gain 3 more Abilities (1 per Category) • Second-years receive two more Spheres (any) than first-years, representing their mastery of the magic fundamentals. Year 3, Age 13 – 14 Year 3 Students focus more on building on the foundations learned in previous years. During the Easter holidays of 2 nd year, students choose two or more additional classes for year 3:Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Muggle Studies. • At age 13, students gain 2 pre-existing Spheres. This is representative of the focus of magical study. • Students gain an additional point in their secondary Attribute, illustrating the onset of puberty and how it has affected them personally. • One additional Arête is also gained at this level of study. Year 4, Age 14 – 15 Year 4 is nearly identical to year 3 in its focus, though age has certainly began to affect the student’s day- to-day life. • At this level, the character gains another level in any chosen Sphere, representing further focus on magical study. • Students in their 4 th year gain an additional point in their primary Attribute. • Another one Arête is gained in the 4 th year. Year 5, Age 15 – 16 Fifth year students primary focus is their O.W.L.s; Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. This year is the most intense, since O.W.L.s will chiefly determine what classes they are allowed to take and what professions they’re likely to pursue. • Through their O.W.L. studies, students gain 2 additional spheres (at least 1 in an existing Sphere). • Students in this year gain 3 more Abilities (one in each category) through rigorous study and practice. • Two additional Background points are gained during the 5 th year. • Willpower gets a 1 point boost in the 5 th year, echoing the confidence boost gained through solid learning during this year of education. Year 6, Age 16 – 17 Year 6 is mostly a review of everything learned in the 5 th year, and a time to relax a bit. This year is also the first opportunity students have to learn Apparation. • The primarily relaxed air about the 6 th year, gains the character an additional 5 freebie points to spend and another 5 points in Merits (pending Storyteller approval). • Year 6 students gain an additional Sphere. Year 7, Age 17 – 18 A student’s seventh year is mainly in preparation for N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests). Upon completion of these tests, a character becomes a “Fully Qualified” Wizard or Witch. • Students at this level gain 3 additional Background points. • Through N.E.W.T. studies students gain an additional confidence boost represented by another Willpower point. Adult Wizards, Age 17+ Of-age Wizards who have completed their schooling are fully qualified and likely go one to careers related to their O.W.L. and/or N.E.W.T. exam scores. Beginning adult characters are created using the following guidelines. • Attributes: Physical, Social & Mental (7/5/3) • Abilities: Talents, Skills & Knowledges (13/9/5) • Advantages: Backgrounds (10) & Spheres (7 + 1 house Sphere) • Quirks (Optional): Merits & Flaws (up to 10 Freebie points gained) • Finishing Touches: Arête (3), Willpower (5), Freebie Points (15) Documents Similar To Harry Potter RPGSkip carouselcarousel previouscarousel nextDX Roleplaying HandbookBroomstix Harry Potter RPGLOTR RPG - Decipher - The Lord of the Rings Core RulebookFinal Fantasy VII D20 Roleplaying Game - Core RulebookThe Fellowship of the Ring SourcebookHarry Potter Spells And UsesHarry Potter d20 RulebookHarry Potter RPG Core Rule BookHarry Potter RPGHarry Potter RPG CorebookHarry Potter and the Roleplaying GameDragonBall Z v2.1Pokemon Tabletop Adventures GM GuidePaths of the WiseAvatarThe One Ring RPG Official Character SheetSmallville RPG - CorebookWorld of Darkness - AsylumThe Unofficial Harry Potter SpellbookLord of the Rings RPG - Maps of Middle-EarthFell Beasts and Wondrous MagicFallout RpgThe Legend of Zelda RPGHero HighHelms Deep SourcebookAvatar the Last Airbender D20Avatar the Last d20 Supplement (MAIN SOURCE)World of Darkness - Urban LegendsD20 ZeldaLord of the Rings RPG - Core Book (2002)Footer MenuBack To TopAboutAbout ScribdPressOur blogJoin our team!Contact UsJoin todayInvite FriendsGiftsSupportHelp / FAQAccessibilityPurchase helpAdChoicesPublishersLegalTermsPrivacyCopyrightSocial MediaCopyright © 2018 Scribd Inc. .Browse Books.Site Directory.Site Language: English中文EspañolالعربيةPortuguês日本語DeutschFrançaisTurkceРусский языкTiếng việtJęzyk polskiBahasa indonesiaYou're Reading a Free PreviewDownloadClose DialogAre you sure?This action might not be possible to undo. 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