HOGWARTS

An Unofficial Harry Potter Tabletop RPG

written by William Rotor
for ages 8-80
Table of Contents
avada kedavra, restricted curse (pg. 22)
Introduction avis, transfiguration 2 (pg. 16)
avolara pituita, hex 3 (pg. 18)
Making a Check (pg. 4)
colloportus, charm 1 (pg. 15)
Helping Others (pg. 4)
colormutatio, transfiguration (pg. 15)
Conflict with Others (pg. 4)
confringo, curse 5 (pg. 21)
Expalining the System to a Younger Audience (pg. 5)
confundo, jinx 2 (pg. 16)
conjunctivitus, curse 3 (pg. 18)
Character Creation consulus tempus, charm 5 (pg. 21)
crescerossa, healing 3 (pg. 18)
Step by Step Guide (pg. 6)
crucio, restricted curse (pg. 22)
Example Sheet (pg. 7)
custodicelium inimecus, charm 4 (pg. 20)
Quirks (pg. 8)
defodio, jinx 5 (pg. 21)
Abilities (pg. 10)
deletrious, counter-spell 3 (pg. 18)
Common Checks (pg. 10)
densaugeo, hex 3 (pg. 18)
Supplies (pg. 10)
deprimo, hex 5 (pg. 21)
Houses (pg. 12)
descendo, charm 1 (pg. 15)
Spells (pg. 12)
diffindo, charm 1 (pg. 15)
Year of Entry (pg. 12)
duro, transfiguration 4 (pg. 20)
Character Progression Tables (pg. 13)
duro homenum, curse 5 (pg. 21)

Magic engorgio, transfiguration 2 (pg. 16)

episkey, healing 1 (pg. 15)
Rules (pg. 14) erecto, transfiguration 5 (pg. 21)
Spells (pg. 15) eruptum, charm 2 (pg. 16)
Variant Spell Rules (pg. 23) evanesco, charm 3 (pg. 18)
Potions (pg. 23) exempla bordus, charm 3 (pg. 18)
Objects of Power (pg. 24) exemplum contentio, charm 3 (pg. 18)
expecto patronum, charm 3 (pg. 19)

Threats expelliarmus, counter-spell 2 (pg. 16)

expulso, curse 2 (pg. 17)
Rules (pg. 27) ferula, healing 2 (pg. 17)
Generic NPCs (pg. 27) fidelio, restricted charm (pg. 22)
Named NPCs (pg. 36) fiendfyre, restricted transfiguration (pg. 22)
Monsters (pg. 41) finite incantatum, counter-spell 4 (pg. 20)
flagrante, curse 4 (pg. 20)

A Year at Hogwarts flagrante injurium, healing 4 (pg. 20)

flagrate, charm 3 (pg. 19)
Carpe Exforaminis (pg. 48) frigoriflam, charm 2 (pg. 17)
Year Map (pg. 48) furnunculus, curse 1 (pg. 15)
Sample Adventure: The Empty Portraits (pg. 49) geminio, transfiguration 5 (pg. 21)
glisseo, charm 4 (pg. 20)
Character Sheet homenum revelio, charm 4 (pg. 20)
impedimenta forte, curse 4 (pg. 20)
Character Sheet (pg. 68) impedimenta, jinx 3 (pg. 19)
imperio, restricted curse (pg. 22)
Alphabetical Spell List impervious, charm 3 (pg. 19)
incarcerous, hex 3 (pg. 19)
accio, charm 1 (pg. 15)
incendio, transfiguration 1 (pg. 15)
aguamenti, transfiguration 1 (pg. 15)
ingressum, charm 3 (pg. 19)
allucinatio, charm 3 (pg. 18)
iterumimplus, charm 4 (pg. 20)
alohomora, charm 1 (pg. 15)
jusjurandum perpetuus, restricted charm (pg. 22)
anapneo, healin 1 (pg. 15)
legilimens, curse 5 (pg. 21)
animutatio, transfiguration 3 (pg. 18)
levicorpus, restricted hex (pg. 23)
antiapparate, counter-spell 3 (pg. 18)
liberacorpus, counter-spell 3 (pg. 19)
aparecium, counter-spell 2 (pg. 16)
limax vomite, hex 2 (pg. 17)
apparate, charm 5 (pg. 21)
lingua vinculum, curse 4 (pg. 21)
appareo, counter-spell 3 (pg. 18)
locomotor, charm 1 (pg. 15)
2
locomotor mortis, hex 1 (pg. 15)
lumos, charm 1 (pg. 15)
mobilicorpus, hex 2 (pg. 17)
morsmordre, restricted curse (pg. 23)
muffliato, restricted hex (pg. 23)
muspoculum, transfiguration 1 (pg. 15)
necromancum, restricted healing (pg. 23)
nitor, jinx 4 (pg. 20)
noink, charm 1 (pg. 17)
nox, counter-spell 1 (pg. 16)
objectum mutatio, transfiguration 2 (pg. 17)
obliviate, curse 2 (pg. 23)
occlumens, counter-spell 5 (pg. 22)
oppugno, hex 2 (pg. 17)
orchideous, transfiguration 3 (pg. 19)
pack, charm 1 (pg. 16)
perpendiculum, jinx 2 (pg. 17)
petrificus totalus, curse 1 (pg. 16)
piertotum locomotor, charm 4 (pg. 20)
point me, charm 1 (pg. 16)
portus, charm 4 (pg. 21)
prior incantato, counter-spell 5 (pg. 22)
protego, counter-spell 2 (pg. 17)
protero, charm 2 (pg. 17)
quaff, jinx 1 (pg. 16)
quietus, counter-spell 1 (pg. 16)
reducio, counter-spell 2 (pg. 17)
reducto, curse 4 (pg. 21)
regularis figura, counter-spell 2 (pg. 17)
relashio, hex 4 (pg. 21)
remedium, healing 3 (pg. 19)
rennervate, counter-spell 2 (pg. 17)
reparo, charm 1 (pg. 16)
repello muggletum, charm 5 (pg. 22)
respirabulla, charm 3 (pg. 19)
revivify, healing 5 (pg. 22)
rictumsempra, jinx 2 (pg. 17)
riddikulus, charm 3 (pg. 19)
sanamente, healing 4 (pg. 21)
scourgify, charm 3 (pg. 19)
sectumsempra, restricted curse (pg. 23)
sensamagna, charm 5 (pg. 22)
sentis incommodum, hex 3 (pg. 19)
serpensortia, transfiguration 2 (pg. 18)
silencio, charm 2 (pg. 18)
sonorus, charm 1 (pg. 16)
specialus revelio, counter-spell 4 (pg. 21)
squibify, restricted counter-spell (pg. 23)
stupefy, hex 3 (pg. 19)
taboo, restricted charm (pg. 23)
tarantellegra, jinx 2 (pg. 18)
tenaxi, charm 3 (pg. 20)
videodolum, counter-spell 3 (pg. 20)
volatus, charm 3 (pg. 20)
wingardium leviosa, charm 1 (pg. 16)

3
Introduction
In this roleplaying system based on the world of Harry Potter Check Difficulty GM Roll As an
by J.K. Rowling, the game world is run by a Game Master (GM) class.
Easy 2d6
who guides the story, while the group consists of about 3 or 4
Medium 3d6 Th
players controlling characters they've designed themselves. The
2d
characters are students at Hogwarts. Hard 4d6 Th
To play this game, you'll need a set of at least three six-sided
aM
dice (3d6) and one twenty-sided die (1d20) for each player.
Th
Alternatively, you can store on the table six six-sided dice (6d6)
(1
and two twenty-sided dice (2d20) that everyone shares.
Th
po
Making a Check The
Whenever a player character must complete a task that has a result
chance of failure, they must make a check. A check could be a be a f
feat of strength, a duel, a struggle to remember important In a
information, a literal test, or anything where the outcome is not
certain. Th
The player rolls a number of d6 equal to the score of the Th
ability they use for their check (Brawn, Intelligence, etc) plus Th
their d20. The GM rolls a number of d6 depending on the Th
challenge of the check (2d6 for Easy, 3d6 for Medium, 4d6 for ef
Hard) as well as a d20. To determine whether the player
The
succeeds, the player and the GM compare the results of their d6
quiz a
rolls. The player succeeds only when the result of their dice
strug
meets or exceeds the result of the GM's dice.
In addition, the two d20s are compared to see whether the
check has a positive or negative effect. If the player's d20 rolls He
equal or higher than the GM's d20, the check, whether it was a While
success or failure, has a positive side effect ("serendipity"). If your
the GM exceeds the player's roll, the check has a negative side one o
effect ("complication"). The GM and player can negotiate on abilit
what side effects occur, but the decision is ultimately up to the
result
GM. equal
Instead of d20s, you can use d6s of a different colour or size scena
to the ones used for success or failure. of 1)
quest
Outcome of a Check causi
Player Roll (?d6) GM Roll (?d6) Outcome The
Higher Lower Success make
you h
Equal Equal Success
you c
Lower Higher Failure

Side Effect of a Check

Co
If you
Player Roll (1d20) GM Roll (1d20) Outcome
contr
Higher Lower Serendipity based
Equal Equal Serendipity highe
their
Lower Higher Complication Some
certa
Difficulty of a Check side e
You
but it

4
Explaining the System to a
Younger Audience
When playing this game with children who are too young for a
lengthy explanation of the game's systems and rules, follow the
guidelines below.

1. Help them through the character creation process before

doing any explanation of the system. Don't influence them to
make certain decisions over others. It's important that it's
their choice.
2. Don't worry about explaining anything on the GM's side, like
how difficulty of checks works. Focus only on what their
character can do, and make sure they know that they can
attempt to do anything they like, but they'll have to roll well.
3. Explain that every time they make a check, it's really two
rolls -- one to see if they succeed, and the other for the
random chance of something good happening or something
bad happening as a result of their character's actions. We
need that second roll because you can't always guess what
will happen!
4. Use "Socratic Dialogue" to help them understand how to
complete and identify the results of a check. "What number
do you have for Charisma?" "How many dice do you roll if
your Charisma is 3?" "Did you roll higher, or did I roll
higher?" "What about the side effects, what do we roll for
that?" "What effect do you think should happen based on
this roll?" Et cetera. Be patient -- the worst possible thing
you can do is interrupt them and feed them the answer
before they're ready to come up with it on their own.
5. For more complicated rules like backfire thresholds, you can
cover them as a GM for the first few sessions. For backfires,
each time a character casts a spell, you can roll the d20
yourself and narrate the results for your players. As long as
you explain what you are doing every time you do it ("I'm
rolling to see if your spell backfires. Oh, I rolled a 7 -- that's
lower than 10, which means the spell backfires! What does
it say happens on a backfire in the spell's description?")
children will be smart enough to pick up on it and might be
able to start incorporating the rule themselves.
6. If you don't want to use a big complicated die like a d20, you
can swap it out for a d6 as long as the dice you roll for
success/failure are visibly different (size, colour, etc) to the
ones you use for serendipity/complication.
7. Don't be afraid to define words like "serendipity", "backfire",
and "quirk" -- there's nothing wrong with building
vocabulary, especially if the words are fun to say out loud.
8. Don't be afraid to roll behind the screen and fudge things in
their favour.

These guidelines can also help if you're dealing with a

particularly stubborn older person who has decided ahead of
time that they don't understand. Adults often don't give
themselves enough credit with their ability to learn new things.

5
Character Creation
Step by Step Guide
Follow along with your fresh character sheet!
Primary Details
Write your character’s name, your name, and draw a little
picture of your character in the portrait box. Mark off your
year: for your first character, you'll likely be starting in 1st year.
Quirk (pgs. 8-9)
Select a quirk that fits the flavour of the character you want to
make. Put the mechanical effects to the side at the moment;
you’ll add them later.
Ability Scores (pg. 10)
Put 1 in each ability score to start.
You have five points to spend to improve them. You will get
more from your pet, your house, and potentially your quirk.
Starting in first year, your maximum ability score is 3.
Supplies (pgs. 10-11)
Write down your character’s basic supplies (textbooks,
cauldron, cloak, hat). You don't need to write out each
textbook's name.
Pet (pg. 11)
Choose a pet for your character. Your pet is associated with an
ability; you can increase that ability by 1. If the ability is already
at its maximum score, you can pick any other ability instead.
Wand (pg. 11)
Ask your GM to pick a wand wood and wand core for you based
on your character. If you’d like to make the decision yourself,
you can ask your GM if that’s alright.
Take note of the type of spell associated with your wand core
(for example, a Unicorn Hair wand core is associated with
charms).
1st-Year Spells (pgs. 15-23)
Your wand core is associated with a certain type of spell. Find a
spell of that type and add it to your 1st-Year list. Then, choose
any two 1st-Year spells that you like and add them as well.
You should have three spells when you begin first year. These
represent the small bits of magic that you've already picked up
through observation and experimentation.
Quirk Effect (pgs. 8-9)
Go back to your quirk and incorporate the mechanical effect
onto your character sheet. If your quirk increases an ability
score that is already 3, you can choose any other ability score to
increase instead.
House (pg. 12)
You will be assigned your House through a sorting hat
ceremony that you will play out in character as part of the
game. Your House is associated with two abilities; increase
them both by 1. If one or both of these abilities are already at 3,
you can replace them with another ability instead.
Backfire Threshold (pg. 14)
At first year, your backfire threshold is 10.
Whenever you cast a spell, roll your d20. If the result is equal
to or lower than your backfire threshold, the spell backfires. A
lower backfire threshold is better.
Further Years (pgs. 12-13)
If you are starting your game at a year level later than 1st,
consult the Character Progression Table (New Game) to see
what a character starting out at that year gets. If you are
levelling your character up to the next year, consult the
Character Progression Table (Level Up) to see what you get at
each subsequent year.
If you start at first year, you will gain more spells throughout
the course of the story than you would starting out at a later
year.
Ability Scores
You get 1 more point to increase your ability scores at the
beginning of each subsequent year.
Your maximum ability score increases to 4 at fourth year and
to 5 at seventh year.
Spells
You get new spells as they are listed on the Character
Progression Tables. You also get one bonus spell from years 1-5
based on the type of spell of your wand core. For example, by
Year 5, a wizard with a Unicorn Hair wand core will know 5
extra charm spells, one of each year level.
You're All Set!
If you've followed this step-by-step guide, you will have a 1st-
year character ready to begin your foray into the wonderful
world of HOGWARTS!
6
Example Sheet
Included is an example sheet for Gonzo G'nache, a 1st-year Hufflepuff student who has just completed his sorting hat ceremony.
You can find a blank sheet on the last page of this book (pg. 68) to fill in yourself. This is just an example.

7
Quirks
The first step to creating a character is to choose a quirk that
provides something special or unique about your character,
something that justifies them being a major character in the
story you are about to tell together. The GM might also assign
your character additional quirks based on the events of the plot
(such as being bitten by a werewolf).
Choose a quirk based on the flavour, not on the mechanics.
Don't worry about what the mechanics mean until you've
finished your entire character. Keep your focus on the
storytelling, not on meticulously constructing the most
powerful character you can.
Many of these quirks are forbidden at Hogwarts and must be
kept secret. You can still pick a "secret" quirk, but you will need
to keep that quirk hidden, as if it is discovered, you may be
expelled.
Animagus
You have the ability to transform into an animal. The
transformation takes only a few seconds, but after returning to
your human form, you must wait a few hours until you can do it
again. Your clothes and equipment are transformed with you,
and while recovering, you still retain some physical tics of your
animal form, such as twitching your nose, self-grooming,
flapping your arms, or panting.
In your animal form, you retain your Courage, Intelligence,
Perception, and Charisma. Your Brawn becomes 1 and your
Dexterity becomes 3. You can't speak or cast spells.
Choose one of the following animals.
Bat
Cat
Dog
Dove
Mouse
Owl
Rat
Raven
Snake
Toad
Chosen House Hero
In times of crisis, a symbol of your house will appear by your
side to aid you in your quest. The item is determined by your
house. Once it has been used, it disappears once more into the
aether until there is great need of it again.
Gryffindor. A silver sword that has the power to destroy
unbreakable objects or slay unkillable creatures.
Hufflepuff. A golden cup that can generate endless amounts of
food and water.
Ravenclaw. A silver diadem, a tiara that grants the wearer
irresistible charm.
Slytherin. A golden locket that allows the wearer to summon
and control hordes of snakes.
Cursed
You bear a deadly affliction, given to you by a vindictive wizard
when you were very young. Your attempts to free yourself of
this affliction have given you a head start on the study of magic
and much practical experience that students wouldn't
otherwise have.
You gain one point to spend to increase your ability scores,
and you must choose to receive one of the following afflictions.
Babbling Curse. You babble uncontrollably when you speak
for longer than a sentence or two at a time.
The Bogies. You suffer endlessly from symptoms of a cold,
mainly runny nose and sore throat.
Bolt. Whenever possible, you must sprint to your destination.
Walking normally is awkward and clumsy.
Cognitive Dissonance. You are incapable of recognising the
existence of magic. You believe that all of the magical effects
you experience have a rational explanation.
Ear-Shrivelling Curse. Your ears are shrivelled up, making it
difficult to hear properly.
Half Life. You must drink the blood of one living creature each
week to survive.
Illumination Curse. Your eyes glow brightly and send out a
visible beam of light five feet in the direction you are looking
at all times.
Jelly-Legs Curse. Your legs have become jelly-like. You require
the use of magic or a wheelchair in order to move around.
Malicious Demon Curse. You are haunted by an impish
demon that nobody else can see, always ducking just out of
your line of sight. You suspect this demon is to blame for all
of your failures.
Pinocchio Curse. Your nose grows longer when you
intentionally tell a lie (including lies of omission or half-
truths), or if you know the answer to a question but are
refusing to speak. Your nose slowly returns to its normal size
after about a minute.
Dark Mark
You bear the mark of an evil wizard, a tattoo on your forearm
that twists with black smoke. You may have chosen a path of
darkness, or had the dark mark placed upon you by force.
Either way, you gain dangerous knowledge from it.
When you pick spells for your year level, you can pick up an
additional curse spell.
This quirk must be secret.
Hidden Wand
You keep your wand in a specialised hidden location on your
person, such as in a secret pocket or in a cane.
You gain a +1 to Quick Draw checks.
8
House Elf Companion
A house elf is indebted to you. He or she follows you around
and attempts to help you out in any way it can. At Hogwarts,
house elves stay in their own quarters at night and their
movements around the castle are heavily restricted.
Your house elf occasionally helps you with your problems,
potentially ensuring you achieve a serendipity result on your
checks at the GM's discretion.
Obliviated
Your memory was permanently erased by a powerful casting of
obliviate. You woke up on the Hogwarts Express with no
memory of who you were or how you got here.
The GM will later assign you a second quirk when your
character discovers the reason your memory was erased.
Parseltongue
You can speak the language of snakes. While this quirk is not
forbidden, it does make others suspicious of you.
Prophet
You receive vague premonitions of the future. Work with the
GM to provide your character with interesting metaphorical
visions of what horrors are to come in the year.
Scar
You have a scar across your forehead from an attempt on your
life as a baby. The great wizard who failed to kill you with the
killing curse is now inextricably linked to you. Your scar burns
when you are exposed to those tainted by his evil presence, and
your dreams are haunted by his specter. Your scar makes you a
legendary hero, the One Who Lived.
You gain a +1 to checks to identify signs or agents of evil.
Stolen Wand
You possess a wand stolen from a much older and more
powerful wizard. It is a better wand than you could ever hope
to own, but it is not yours, and it knows it.
At character creation, pick three spells to add to the spells
you know: one 3rd-year spell, one 4th-year spell, and one 5th-
year spell. When you reach 7th year, you can also add one
restricted spell.
Your backfire threshold is increased by 3.
This quirk must be secret.
Undead
Through dark magic, you were brought back from the dead. You
are practically impervious to pain and barely realize when you
have been wounded.
You gain a +1 to Resistance checks.
This quirk must be secret.
Variant: Vampire
Your undeath may be due to the bite of a vampire.
If this is true, you also gain the abilities of an animagus
(turning into a bat), and you receive the Half Life
affliction (see the Cursed quirk).
Unforgivable
Your conscience is forever tainted by casting an unforgivable
curse. You are equally haunted with regret yet enticed by the
power you felt when you cast it.
You know one of the three unforgivable curses: avada
kedavra, crucio, or imperio.
This quirk must be secret, and you must obtain permission
from your GM to select this quirk, as the ability to murder,
torture, or violate the free will of other students may not be
compatible with the kind of game that the GM wishes to run.
Veela
Through your veins swims the blood of the veela, a race of
seductive monsters that are said in legends to have led sailors
to their watery graves.
At character creation, your Charisma score increases by 1.
This quirk must be secret.
Werewolf
You suffer from the curse of lycanthropy. Under the light of the
full moon, you transform into a terrible half-human, half-wolf
hybrid that fights with unnatural strength and cannot be killed.
Your clothes and equipment don't transform with you. You
return to your human form at dawn, retaining no memories of
the night time.
In your hybrid form, you retain your Courage, Dexterity, and
Perception scores. Your Brawn becomes 5, your Charisma
becomes 1, and your Intelligence becomes 1. You can't speak or
cast spells. You don't remember your life as a human.
This quirk must be secret.
Witness to Death
You have watched someone you know die. With this sorrowful
knowledge, your third eye has been awakened to many
melancholy truths, such as the nature of the thestrals that guide
students to Hogwarts' gates, or the sadness of the ghosts that
wander Hogwarts' halls.
9
 The D
Abilities Common Checks Tri

There are six abilities in the game. There are certain checks that used frequently enough in the
game to warrant their own section. It may be useful to list them
Brawn on your character sheet as a reminder.
Charisma
Courage
Dexterity Quick Draw
Intelligence A wizard makes a check (usually Dexterity, but with any ability
Perception deemed appropriate), contested against an opposing wizard, to
launch a spell faster than their opponent. Whoever wins the
Your score in each ability corresponds to how many ability
Quick Draw check launches their spell first.
dice you roll when making a check. For example, if your Brawn
You don't need to roll a d20 for a Quick Draw check.
score is 3, you roll 3d6 when making a check that relates to
your Brawn.
Resistance
Brawn A wizard makes a check (usually Brawn, but with any ability
deemed appropriate) to break free of a negative effect
Brawn represents your physical fitness. Checks for Brawn
bestowed on them by a spell.
might include moving heavy objects, running fast, withstanding
pain, resisting a curse, or chucking a quaffle. Spell Level Difficulty of Resistance Check
1st-Year Easy
Charisma 2nd-Year Easy
Charisma represents your force of personality. It might take the
form of physical attractiveness, confidence, or comedic timing. 3rd-Year Medium
Checks for Charisma might include convincing someone to back 4th-Year Medium
down from an argument, to deliver a speech, to tell a lie, or to
make a distraction.
5th-Year Hard
Restricted Hard
Courage You don't need to roll a d20 for a Resistance check.
Courage represents your willpower and bravery. Checks for
Courage might include maintaining your resolve in the face of a
boggart, rallying up your fellow students to fight back against a
Backfire
monster, or trusting that you won't plummet through an Every time a wizard casts a spell, they roll a d20 and compare
invisible floor. the result to their Backfire Threshold. If the result is equal to or
lower than their Backfire Threshold, the spell backfires and has
Dexterity a side effect listed in the spell's description. The GM can
determine that the side effect of a backfire differs from this
Dexterity represents your nimbleness and physical accuracy. description.
Checks for Dexterity might include quickly locking a door Most student's backfire threshold is 10, or 7 from 6th year.
before a rampaging troll barges through, remaining quiet to
hide from teachers in the restricted section of the library, or to
catch a snitch darting around in front of your face. Supplies
As a first year student, you are required to have the following
Intelligence supplies. These supplies are necessary for certain aspects of life
as a student in Hogwarts.
Intelligence represents your aptitude for study. Checks for
Intelligence might include correctly copying down a formula,
manipulating someone in a web of lies, remembering the General Supplies
weakness to a biological trap, or finding the information you Books. You require a book for each of your classes. In first year,
need in a tome of forbidden magic. these books are as follows:

Perception The Standard Book of Spells Year 1 by Miranda Goshawk

Perception represents your physical senses. Checks for
Perception might include reading someone's face to tell if
they're lying, surveying a landscape to look for any out-of-place
details, or listening for someone sneaking up on you from
behind.
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshott
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt
Scamander
10
Cauldron. You require a cauldron to brew potions. Beec
Cloak. Your cloak identifies you as a student of Hogwarts and wis
will have your house crest and colours sewn onto it when Ceda
you receive your house. are
Hat. Your hat identifies you as a wizard or witch and also keeps Ches
your head warm in the winter. eas
Dogw
Pet del
Elm.
Choose one of the following pets and give it a name and a
Fir. T
personality trait. Your pet allows you to send and receive letters
per
to and from other students and the outside world, and it also
Haze
gives you 1 point in its associated ability through its magical
Larch
connection to you. If you are already at the maximum score for
tha
your pet's ability, you can choose to increase any other ability
Mapl
instead.
sta
Pet Associated Ability Oak.
wit
Bat Courage
Pine.
Cat Charisma tim
Redw
Owl Perception
wa
Rat Dexterity say
Snake Intelligence Rowa
no
Toad Brawn Sycam
if b
You can also select one of the following personality traits for Waln
your pet or make up your own. int
Willo
Devoted
soo
Extroverted
Yew.
Greedy
com
Hostile
Inconsiderate Aw
Introverted mism
Jealous owne
Loud
Mischievous
Rebellious
Wa
Serious The c
Sentimental is bes
Suspicious Cho
Vain when
Wild spell
Hogw

Wand learn

You require a wand to cast spells. It is your most valuable

possession. Your GM will select your wand for you based on
your character. It's usually best to wait until the end of
character creation.
Wands are not technically sentient beings, but they do seem
to present with personalities and preferences that become
more apparent the better they have bonded with their wielder.

Wand Woods
The wood of a wand determines the kind of witch or wizard
that it is best suited to.
Ash. The wand values a fiercely loyal owner.
Aspen. This white wand appreciates an owner who likes to
show off.
11
Houses
As a first year student, you don't receive a house at character
creation. Instead, you are given a house by the GM during the
sorting hat ceremony while playing the game.
The sorting hat recognises inner strengths within you that
you may not have realized were there yourself. As such,
receiving your house makes you aware that one of your abilities
is lower than it should be.
If you're already at the maximum score for either or both of
the associated ability scores, you can instead increase another
ability score of your choice by 1.
Spells
Going into your first year at Hogwarts, you already have a
decent grasp on two spells from the 1st-Year list, plus any extra
spells you know from your quirks or your wand core.
See the Spells section for a list of spells to choose from and
general rules on magic.
Year of Entry
Your group may agree to start in 2nd year or later, rather than
1st. To accommodate this choice, the tables on the following
page show what resources you have available to you.

Gryffindor
Dressed in scarlet and gold, Gryffindor students are strong,
brave, and loyal.
Your Brawn and Courage increase by 1.

Hufflepuff
Dressed in yellow and black, Hufflepuff students are
trustworthy, resilient, and curious.
Your Courage and Perception increase by 1.

Ravenclaw
Dressed in blue and bronze, Ravenclaw students are wise,
clever, and sharp-eyed.
Your Intelligence and Perception increase by 1.

Slytherin
Dressed in green and silver, Slytherin students are cunning,
ambitious, and powerful.
Your Charisma and Dexterity increase by 1.

12
Character Progression Table (New Game)
Year of Entry Ability Score Points Maximum Ability Score Base Spells Known Wand Core Spells Backfire Threshold
1st 5 + Pet/House/Quirk 3 1st: 2 1st: 1 10
1st: 5 1st: 1
2nd 6 + Pet/House/Quirk 3 10
2nd: 1 2nd: 1
1st: 6 1st: 1
3rd 7 + Pet/House/Quirk 3 2nd: 3 2nd: 1 10
3rd: 1 3rd: 1
1st: 7 1st: 1
2nd: 4 2nd: 1
4th 8 + Pet/House/Quirk 4 10
3rd: 3 3rd: 1
4th: 1 4th: 1
1st: 8 1st: 1
2nd: 5 2nd: 1
5th 9 + Pet/House/Quirk 4 3rd: 4 3rd: 1 10
4th: 3 4th: 1
5th: 1 5th: 1
1st: 9 1st: 1
2nd: 6 2nd: 1
6th 10 + Pet/House/Quirk 4 3rd: 5 3rd: 1 7
4th: 4 4th: 1
5th: 2 5th: 1
1st: 10 1st: 1
2nd: 7 2nd: 1
7th 11 + Pet/House/Quirk 5 3rd: 6 3rd: 1 7
4th: 5 4th: 1
5th: 3 5th: 1

Character Progression Table (Level Up)

Year Level Ability Score Points Maximum Ability Score Base Spells Known Wand Core Spells Backfire Threshold
1st 5 + Pet/House/Quirk 3 1st: 2 1st: 1 10
1st: +3
2nd +1 2nd: +1
2nd: +1
1st: +1
3rd +1 2nd: +2 3rd: +1
3rd: +1
1st: +1
2nd: +1
4th +1 +1 4th: +1
3rd: +2
4th: +1
1st: +1
2nd: +1
5th +1 3rd: +1 5th: +1
4th: +2
5th: +1
1st: +1
2nd: +1
6th +1 3rd: +1 -3
4th: +1
5th: +1
1st: +1
2nd: +1
7th +1 +1 3rd: +1
4th: +1
5th: +1

13
Magic
Transfiguration
Rules A transfiguration spell changes the fundamental nature of the
Magic in the harry potter world primarily comes in the form of target, or conjures an object out of thin air. It is considered to
spells. Magic can also be achieved through potions and objects be the most difficult and academically-intensive type of spell in
of power. the Hogwarts books.
When cast, a spell has the effects listed in its description.
Additionally, there is always a chance that the spell will backfire Incantations
and have additional unintended effects. Spells are organised by
The incantation for a spell is the name of the spell, which you
one of seven types.
must state clearly and with conviction.
Casting a spell requires two components, an incantation and
Speaking an incantation alerts all nearby wizards and
a gesture, with some exceptions.
witches that a spell has been cast, and also allows them to
Spells have a range of about 2-3 metres if not mentioned.
identify the spell (if they know it) and anticipate its effects a
split second before they occur. Common counter-spells rely on
Types of Spells the caster hearing the incantation and responding
There are seven types of spells. These are only a classification appropriately.
of spells and don't change the mechanical effects. As you become a more experienced student of witchcraft and
wizardry, you may learn how to cast certain spells without an
Charm incantation.
Counter-Spell
Curse
Healing
Gestures
Hex The gesture for a spell is how you move your wand to release
Jinx the effects, requiring conviction and accuracy. You require a
Transfiguration wand for almost all gestures, with a few exceptions.
Your gesture alerts nearby witches and wizards that a spell
Your wand core gives you access to extra spells of a certain
has been cast. It's difficult to identify a spell based on its
type each year. Additionally, you may learn additional spells of a gestures, although the gestures for common spells like the
certain type based on the classes that you take.
swish and flick of Wingardium Leviosa are instantly
recognisable.
Charm
A charm adds properties to a target without changing its
fundamental nature. This is the most common type of spell Backfires
learnt by students at Hogwarts. Charms are generally harmless A backfire represents the significant chance of a spell going
in the long term. awry. This can be because of a lack of conviction, a
mispronunciation, a flick when you should have swished, a
Counter-Spell hiccup from your wand, or just the random chance that is
A counter-spell is used defensively to prevent, inhibit, or end inherent to all forms of magic which are innately unknowable
the effects of other spells. and chaotic at their core.
Every time a spell is cast, make a backfire check (roll a d20)
Curse and compare the result to your Backfire Threshold (usually 10).
Curses are evil spells that inflict long-term pain and suffering
If the result is equal to or lower than your Backfire Threshold,
on others. Curses are primarily studied by practitioners of the
the spell backfires. Each spell has an additional effect on a
Dark Arts.
backfire; these are not always negative, but are almost always
undesirable compared to the main effects.
Healing
Healing spells repair the body and soothe the mind. You should expect a significant portion of spells to backfire.
Your Backfire Threshold decreases (which is good) in 6th year,
Hex and there are other ways to decrease it through training as well,
A hex is similar to a charm, but has harmful effects and may based on what happens in the story you play through.
linger for long periods of time. Hexes are learned by
practitioners of the Dark Arts.

Jinx
A jinx, like a curse or a hex, is considered to be a Dark Arts
spell, but the effects are usually harmless or funny, like a prank.

14

Spells
Spells are organised by the year in which you learn them at
Hogwarts. More spells become available to you up until 5th
year, at which point all spells become available and you can
focus your final years of study on mastery.
Diffindo
Charm
You precisely cut or sever a non-magical object, as long as it
could reasonably be cut or severed with a knife.
Backfire. The object is shredded into pieces.

Episkey
1st-Year Spells Healing
Accio A human or animal's minor injury is healed. The target feels the
Charm location of injury go very hot and then very cold.
Speak the name of an object within 100 metres of you. It flies Backfire. The target is caused great pain while they are
being healed.
safely into your hands.
Backfire. The object misses you and flies off uncontrollably
in a random direction.
Furnunculus
Curse
Aguamenti A human receives 1-2 painful, blistering boils that go away after
Transfiguration a minute.
Backfire. The target receives 100-200 boils, but they're
A jet of water erupts from your wand for a few seconds. The jet
is not of sufficient pressure to be harmful. painless.
Backfire. The jet of water lasts for a full minute and can't be
stopped.
Incendio
Transfiguration
Alohomora A small, lukewarm jet of flame erupts from the tip of your wand
Charm for a few seconds.
Backfire. The jet of flame lasts for a full minute and can't be
Touch a non-magical lock with your wand. It unlocks.
stopped.
Backfire. Instead of just unlocking, the lock loudly breaks
and detaches completely from what it was guarding.
Locomotor
Charm
Anapneo
Healing Speak the name of an object within 30 feet of you. It floats for
one minute, moving slowly. You can control where it floats.
You clear a human's airway if blocked.
Backfire. The object moves randomly out of your control.
Backfire. The target hyperventilates for a minute.

Colloportus Locomotor Mortis

Hex
Charm
A human's legs become locked for a minute. The target doesn't
You lock a door. A door locked in this way can't be unlocked
fall down unless they were already unbalanced.
with alohomora.
Backfire. The target's legs flap around uncontrollably,
Backfire. No key will fit the lock. The lock has to be
propelling them in random directions.
destroyed in order to open the door.

Colormutatio Lumos
Charm
Transfiguration
The tip of your wand glows brightly for one minute, casting a
An object or animal changes its colour into a colour of your
narrow beam of light.
choosing.
Backfire. Your wand lets loose a blinding flash of light and
Backfire. The colour is determined randomly or by the GM
then puffs out.
instead.

Descendo Muspoculum
Transfiguration
Charm
You transform an object or animal into a cup, container, or bowl
An object descends. If cast on a short wall that is not connected
for one minute.
to the ceiling, the wall sinks into the floor.
Backfire. The cup, container, or bowl retains the texture of
Backfire. The object can't be raised again for an hour.
its original form, such as the fur of a rat.
Picking it up or lifting it is impossible.

15
Nox Wingardium Leviosa
Counter-Spell Charm

You extinguish the effects of lumos in a wand. You levitate a small object for one minute. You can control the
Backfire. Another light source nearby sucks up the wand's object's movement through the air.
light and illuminates itself. Backfire. The object levitates uncontrollably higher and
higher.
Pack
Charm
2nd-Year Spells
Objects you have arranged in front of a trunk or other piece of
Aparecium
luggage pack themselves neatly inside if they can fit.
Counter-Spell
Backfire. They just jam themselves in there with no regard
for neatness. Ink that has been magically made invisible becomes visible
again.
Petrificus Totalus Backfire. The words appear in the wrong order.
Curse
Avis
A human's legs and arms become locked to their side for one
Transfiguration
minute. The target usually falls down.
Backfire. Your arms and legs become locked to your side A flock of white doves erupts from the tip of your wand.
instead. Backfire. Hundreds of white feathers erupt from your wand
instead.
Point Me
Charm Confundo
Jinx
Your wand is lightly and insistently pulled in the cardinal
direction North for one minute. You cause a human to become dazed and confused for one
Backfire. The direction is random. minute.
Backfire. The target becomes ornery and frustrated instead.
Quietus
Counter-Spell Engorgio
Transfiguration
A human's magically-magnified voice is reduced to its normal
volume. You increase the size of an object or animal, up to double its
Backfire. You completely remove their ability to talk for 1 normal size.
minute. Backfire. The target increases ten times its normal size.

Quaff Eruptum
Jinx Charm

You compel a human to drink from a cup in front of them. This
spell has no effect if the liquid in the cup is harmful.
Backfire. The target doesn't open their mouth and the drink
splashes all over their clothes.
Reparo
Charm
You mend a small object. If constituent pieces have broken off,
they fly back together and reform.
Backfire. The object is mended incorrectly and takes on a
different form or function.
Sonorus
Charm
You cause a human to become cheerful for one minute.
Backfire. The target is incapacitated by hysterical laughter
for one minute instead.
Expelliarmus
Counter-Spell
A wizard's wand flies out of their grip.
This spell can be cast quickly to prevent another wizard from
completing the casting of a spell; to do so, you must succeed on
a Quick Draw check.
Backfire. The target is also knocked backwards with the
force of a hard shove. You can choose to let this backfire effect
happen without rolling.

You amplify a human's voice for one minute.

Backfire. The amplification is painfully loud for anyone who
can hear it.

16
 Backfire. They become hostile to everyone, not just to a
Expulso target of your choice.
Perp
Curse Jinx

You cause a small object to violently explode, potentially You c

causing harm to those around it. Ba
Backfire. Half a dozen more objects nearby also violently
explode. Prot
Count
Ferula
Healing You c
curse
You set a human or animal's broken bone with a magically- instea
conjured bandage and splint. with a
Backfire. The bandage and splint are applied improperly Thi
and must be fixed by hand. a jinx
you m
Frigoriflam Ba
Charm deter

A flame's heat is nullified, rendering the fire harmless to Prot

animals and humans for 1 hour. The flame still burns objects. Charm
Backfire. The flame roars and spreads quickly if left
unchecked. It's still harmless, but should probably be Speak
extinguished before the hour is up. spot y
Ba
Limax Vomite
Hex Red
Count
You force a human to vomit a slug. The target vomits another
slug every 10-20 minutes for the next few hours. An ob
Backfire. You vomit slugs instead. to its
Ba
Mobilicorpus anima
Hex
Reg
You levitate a human a few centimeters above the ground for Count
one minute. You control where they float.
Backfire. The target floats in random directions You c
uncontrollably. shape
spell
Noink Ba
Charm anima

You permanently make invisible a short message you have

Ren
written in ink. Count
Backfire. The message becomes garbled, like it was passed
through a game of telephone. You a
sleep
Objectum Mutatio Ba
Transfiguration
Rict
You turn an object into another object of the same size for one Jinx
hour.
Backfire. The object transforms into a completely different A hum
random object once a minute until the hour is up. violen
Ba
Oppugno tickle
Hex

If cast immediately following a transfiguration spell that

conjured objects or animals, they become hostile to a target of
your choice and attack them.

17
Serpentsortia Avolara Pituita
Transfiguration Hex

You conjure a small non-poisonous snake that slithers from the
tip of your wand.
Backfire. You conjure a dozen snakes, one after the other.
Silencio
Charm
You silence an object, animal, or human for one minute.
This can be cast to quickly prevent a wizard from uttering an
incantation; to do so, you must succeed on a Quick Draw check.
Backfire. You are silenced instead.
You enlarge a human's nasal mucus, which separates into half a
dozen "bat bogeys" that grow wings and attack the target.
Backfire. The "bat bogeys" become hostile to everyone
nearby.
Conjunctivitus
Curse
You blind a human or animal for one hour.
Backfire. You are blinded for one week, and your target isn't
blinded.

Tarantellegra Crescerossa
Jinx Healing

You cause a human's legs to dance uncontrollably. You heal a human or animal's broken bone.
Backfire. You join them in the dance, as though you were Backfire. The broken bone is removed entirely.
partners.
Deletrious
3rd-Year Spells Counter-Spell

You erase magically-created images or visual effects.

Allucinatio
Backfire. Instead of erasing them, you just scramble them.
Charm

For one hour, a human you target becomes effectively invisible Densaugeo
to humans, as the target is impossible to notice or concentrate Hex
on.
You cause a human or animal's teeth to grow too large to fit
A suspicious person can notice the hidden target with a
comfortably in their mouth.
successful Perception check contested by an appropriate check
Backfire. The target's teeth grow sharp and pointy, good for
of the target.
biting.
Backfire. The target is blind until the spell ends.

Animutatio Evanesco
Charm
Transfiguration
You vanish a small nonmagical object, which disappears into
You turn an animal into another animal of the same size for one
nothingness. The object can be recovered with the counter-
hour.
spell appareo.
Backfire. The animal does not adopt the behavioural traits
Backfire. The object reappears after a few seconds.
of its new form and attempts to continue on as if it were in its
original form.
Exemplum Contentio
Charm
Appareo
Counter-Spell You link two identical small objects together for 7 days, such
that changes to one are also made to the other.
You cause a vanished object to reappear. To do so, you must
Backfire. The effects last for only a day.
picture the vanished object clearly in your mind and be
standing within 10 metres of where it was vanished.
Exempla Bordus
Backfire. The object appears in a random location within
Charm
100 metres of you.
You generate a magically-created image on a flat surface or in
Antiapparate the air, which lasts for one hour.
Counter-Spell Backfire. It partially appears. You have to physically wave
your wand around to draw the rest of it out with great effort.
You prevent apparition in a 50-metre area around you for the
next few hours. The effect doesn't travel with you if you move;
it remains where you cast it.
Backfire. The effect lasts for ten minutes and then fizzles
out.

18
Expecto Patronum Liberacorpus
Charm Counter-Spell

An incarnation of your innermost positive emotions bursts
forth in a bright explosion of light from your wand, pushing
back creatures of evil, such as dementors. The spell usually
takes the form of a burst of light, but with sufficient positive
emotions, it can also take the form of a spirit animal, a
patronus, unique to you. Furthermore, with one hundred
percent of your positive energy poured forth into the spell, it
explodes in a 50-metre sphere of pulsing magical light
emanating from your patronus.
Your GM determines the form that your patronus takes. Your
patronus can also be used to travel long distances and deliver
messages in your voice.
Backfire. Due to insufficient positive emotion, your wand
makes a sad "mwah mwow" noise instead.
Flagrate
Charm
You leave a fiery mark on an object that leaves a burn in the
shape you have drawn.
Backfire. The object catches fire.
Impedimenta
Jinx
You prevent a human or animal from moving closer to your
position for one minute. It doesn't repel them, just prevents
them from willingly moving closer.
Backfire. You can't move for one minute.
Impervious
Charm
You enchant a small object to repel substances such as water or
effects such as heat.
Backfire. Instead of the substance being repelled from the
object, the object is repelled by the substance, causing it to be
flung violently away on contact.
Incarcerous
Hex
You free a human or animal from magical restraints, such as
those from the impedimenta spell. The target is freed without
harm being done to them; for example, if they are held aloft in
the air, they are lowered gently to the ground.
Backfire. The target is freed, but you fall under the
restraining effects yourself.
Orchideous
Transfiguration
A bouquet of beautiful, pleasantly fragrant flowers bursts forth
from the tip of your wand.
Backfire. The flowers are ugly and smell bad.
Remedium
Healing
You cure a human of a minor nonmagical sickness, such as a
cold or a sinus infection.
Backfire. The target sneezes uncontrollably for one hour.
Respirabulla
Charm
A bubble of air forms around a human or animal's head,
allowing them to breathe comfortably for one hour.
Backfire. The air in the bubble has an unpleasant odour.
Riddikulus
Charm
You compel a boggart to take the form of something you are
concentrating on.
Backfire. The boggart instead takes the form of your
greatest fear.
Scourgify
Charm
You clean an object of visible grime.
Backfire. The amount of visible grime is doubled.

You restrain a human with magical ropes for one minute.

Sentis Incommodum
Hex
Backfire. The wand tries its best to tie the knots, but it's not
very good at it. You cause a human to develop stinging red welts that are
painful, itchy, and inflamed.
Ingressum Backfire. You gain red welts instead.
Charm

You prevent sounds and objects from entering or exiting a room

Stupefy
Hex
or container for one minute.
Backfire. Several out-of-context words or phrases you utter You knock a human unconscious for one minute.
are ejected out of the room periodically. Backfire. The target is only knocked unconscious for a few
seconds.

19
Tenaxi Flagrante
Charm Curse

You adhere one object to another indefinitely. The effects have You curse an object to badly burn anyone that touches it for 7
the strength of regular adhesive glue. days.
Backfire. You accidentally adhere the wrong objects Backfire. The curse spreads to any object that comes into
together. contact with the original object.

Videodolum Flagrante Injurium

Counter-Spell Healing

For one minute, you can see objects, animals, or humans that You cauterise an open wound with a harmless flame, sealing it
would otherwise be hidden through magic. and preventing further bleeding.
Backfire. You see objects, animals, or humans that are not Backfire. You burn the target painfully in the process.
there.
Glisseo
Volatus Charm
Charm
You flatten the steps on a stairway for one minute, creating a
You imbue an object with the ability to fly when commanded by slide.
a wizard. Backfire. The effects last for 7 days.
Backfire. The object develops a bratty personality.
Homenum Revelio
4th-Year Spells Charm

Custodicelium Inimecus Your wand pulls you gently towards the nearest human to you,
allowing you to detect the location of hidden people.
Charm
Backfire. The wand points to you, technically the closest
You enchant a building or room to detect intruders (humans) human to it.
for 7 days. If an intruder is detected, an alarm sounds. You can
name specific people that it will detect, or specific people that it Impedimenta Forte
will ignore. You can choose for the alarm to sound out loud, Curse
centred in the building, in the room, or on you, or you can
You stop a human or animal from moving entirely for one hour,
choose for the alarm to sound silently in your head.
freezing them in place or otherwise restraining them. The
Backfire. The alarm is overzealous, sounding when any
nature that the spell takes to prevent the target from moving is
human or animal enters the building or room.
determined by the GM.
Backfire. You are also frozen in place.
Finite Incantatem
Counter-Spell
Iterumimplus
You end the effects of a spell created by a wizard. Charm
This spell can be cast quickly to end a spell the instant it is
You refill a cup or container of nonmagical liquid that has been
cast, preventing its effects from occurring; to do so, you use the
emptied in the past minute.
short form finite and must succeed on a Quick Draw check.
Backfire. The cup or container overfills for five solid
Backfire. A burst of magical energy, released as a result of
minutes.
the target spell being cancelled, knocks everyone within the
vicinity backwards with the force of a hard shove.
Nitor
Jinx
Duro
Transfiguration You momentarily dazzle a human by flashing colourful lights in
their eyes.
You turn an object or animal to stone for one day. Damage
Backfire. Everyone in a 10-metre radius of you is dazzled,
incurred while turned to stone carries over to the target's
including you.
original form.
Backfire. The target can move normally even while turned
to stone.
Piertotum Locomotor
Charm

You imbue an object with the ability to move of its own accord
for one hour. It follows your commands.
Backfire. The object does not follow your commands.

20
Portus Consulus Tempus
Charm Charm

You imbue an object with the powers of a portkey. Portkeys can You comfortably change a room's temperature for one day.
be found in the Objects of Power section. Backfire. The room is struck by a random weather event
Backfire. The object immediately activates, teleporting you such as rain or snow.
instantly.
Defodio
Reducto Jinx
Curse
You carve a gouge in a large object, as though it was scooped
You disintegrate a small object, or burn a human-sized hole in a away by a shovel.
large object. Backfire. The gouge is significantly bigger than expected, as
Backfire. You are knocked backwards by the sudden burst of though it was scooped away by a digger machine.
heat and energy.
Deprimo
Relashio Hex
Hex
You create a violent downward pressure on an object.
You create a burst of hot sparks that causes a human to drop Backfire. Every other object within 10 metres of it also
what they are holding. This spell can be cast quickly to prevent buckles and collapses.
another wizard from completing the casting of a spell; to do so,
you must succeed on a Quick Draw check. Duro Homenum
Backfire. The sparks cause everyone within 10 metres of Curse
you to drop what they're holding.
You turn a human to stone for one hour. Damage incurred while
Sanamente turned to stone carries over to the target's original form.
Healing Backfire. The target can move normally even while turned
to stone.
You soothe the mind of a troubled human, bringing them peace
through meditation for 1 hour. Erecto
Backfire. The target's anxieties return worse than before. Transfiguration

Specialus Revelio You create a magically-summoned tent or simple structure.

Counter-Spell Backfire. You're strangely happy about the results.

You force an object to reveal its magical properties, which Geminio

emanate from the object as a shadowy echo. If the object is a Transfiguration
potion, its ingredients are also revealed.
A small object is duplicated with a perfect copy. You can also set
Backfire. A random unrelated magical effect is revealed
the duplication to occur if certain reasonable parameters are
instead.
met, such as if the object is touched by a human.

5th-Year And Over Spells Backfire. Each duplicate spawns another duplicate for one
minute, potentially overwhelming everyone nearby with
Apparate exponentially-growing numbers of duplicates.
Charm
Legilimens
You magically teleport to a location known to you. The process Curse
creates a loud bang and is quite unpleasant for you and
You reach into the mind of a human and pull out specific
everyone around you.
memories, thoughts, or emotions for you to read.
Backfire. You teleport to a random location within 100 miles
Backfire. You are overwhelmed by the contents of their
of your original location.
mind.
Confringo
Curse
Lingua Vinculum
Curse
You cause an object or animal to explode violently, potentially
You prevent a human from revealing specific information for 7
harming nearby people.
days. When they try to speak about the information you have
Backfire. The spell fizzles and has no effect.
decided to conceal, their tongue curls backwards in on itself.
Backfire. The target's tongue is curled backwards for 7 days,
preventing them from speaking at all.

21
Occlumens
Counter-Spell
You shield your mind from magic, such as from spells like
legilimens and obliviate, for one minute. You can cast this spell
quickly to prevent a wizard accessing your mind; to do so, you
must succeed on a Quick Draw check.
Backfire. You transmit your thoughts to everyone nearby for
ten seconds.
Prior Incantato
Counter-Spell
You target a wizard's wand. A shadowy echo of the last spell
cast from that wand emanates from its tip.
Backfire. A spell randomly chosen from further back in its
history appears instead.
Repello Muggletum
Charm
You enchant a building or room to repel muggles for 7 days.
Muggles find themselves unable to perceive the room or
building with their normal senses and feel magically compelled
to leave if they stumble inside. They retain no memory of the
place.
Backfire. The target repels both muggles and wizards.
Revivify
Healing
Immediately after a human or animal dies of unnatural,
nonmagical causes, you bring them back to life on a successful
Quick Draw check.
Backfire. They are permanently scarred by their
experiences, mentally and physically.
Sensamagna
Charm
Your natural senses are heightened for one hour. You can see in
all directions at once, you can hear whispers as loud as a
scream, and your sense of smell is good enough to track the
scents of individual creatures.
Backfire. You suffer from sensory overload.
Restricted Spells
These spells are not made available to students at Hogwarts
through regular channels, and you can't select them through
your wand core, quirks, or other features unless they explicitly
say you can. They can only be learned by secretly researching
them in the Restricted Section, practicing them in secret in
places like the Room of Requirement, or by being taught by a
specialist.
Some teachers may decide that the crisis calls for some spells
being introduced to students so they know what they might be
up against. These special classes do not usually include a
practical component.
The use of restricted spells is an indicator that a student is
practicing the Dark Arts. Being caught could mean expulsion.
Avada Kedavra
Curse
You kill a human or animal.
Backfire. Their corpse explodes in a burst of sound and
light.
Crucio
Curse
You cause unbearable pain in a human or animal for as long as
you concentrate on the spell.
Backfire. The unbearable pain lasts for 1 hour longer than
intended.
Fidelio
Charm
You choose a human to permanently become a Secret Keeper,
and you choose information that the Secret Keeper possesses.
The information provided to the Secret Keeper cannot be
revealed by anyone except the Secret Keeper. You choose what
happens if the Secret Keeper dies: either the information can no
longer be revealed (meaning it will only be known by those
who already know the information), or everyone who knows
the information becomes a new Secret Keeper.
Backfire. Someone else nearby becomes the Secret Keeper
instead.
Fiendfyre
Transfiguration
You create an unstoppable conflagration of destruction, often
appearing as a demonic entity. The fire rages and spreads for a
minute, pursuing objects, animals, or humans of your choice.
Everything the fire touches is reduced to ash.
Backfire. You have no control over the spread of the fire.
Imperio
Curse
You compel a human to do as you command for 7 days. The
target retains no memory of their actions, although their
memories may come back to them in their dreams.
Backfire. The target remembers everything with clarity.
Jusjurandum Perpetuus
Charm
A human makes you a promise as part of the casting of this
spell. If the intent of the promise is broken, they die. These
effects are permanent and cannot be removed by counter-
spells.
Backfire. Instead of intent, they die if they break the exact
wording of the promise.
22
Levicorpus
Hex
You flip a human upside down and hang them aloft by their
ankle for one minute. This spell cannot be resisted.
Backfire. You drop them on their head after a few seconds
and the effects end.
Morsmordre
Curse
You trace a tattoo of evil on the arm of a human, a Dark Mark.
For the effects of the Dark Mark, see its section in Quirks.
Backfire. The target's skin blisters and burns where the
tattoo is applied.
Muffliato
Hex
You cause a loud buzzing in the ears of a human, deafening
them for one hour. This spell cannot be resisted.
Backfire. Everyone within 30 metres of you develops
buzzing in their ears, including you.
Necromancum
Healing
You reanimate the corpse of a human or animal. The corpse has
no mind of its own and follows your commands.
Backfire. You can't control the corpse. It wanders aimlessly.
Obliviate
Curse
You erase a human's memory of the past few days. Powerful
wizards can extend the amount of memory that is erased.
Backfire. Your memory is erased instead.
Sectumsempra
Curse
You slash your wand in the direction of a human, as though you
were slicing them with a sword. Deep gashes appear in their
body where your wand would slash them.
Backfire. Instead of gashes, you completely sever bits off of
the target's body.
Squibify
Counter-Spell
You permanently remove the ability of the target to use magic.
Backfire. The target regains their magical abilities after 7
days, and you permanently lose yours.
Taboo
Charm
You designate a word or phrase. For the next 7 days, when that
word or phrase is spoken anywhere in the world, you know the
exact location of the speaker.
Backfire. You are no longer able to speak the word or phrase
yourself until the effects end.
Variant Spell Rules
There are two variant rules which may make casting spells
more interesting and challenging for your party. The GM should
discuss these rules with the players to better suit the kind of
challenge that they want to face in the game.
Hidden Backfires
The GM rolls for backfires and keeps the results hidden from
the players until their characters would notice them in the
game. For example, under this rule, a player would not realise
their character is being led in the wrong direction by point me.
This rule increases the suspense and allows the GM to
incorporate moments of surprise and delight in their players,
but it trades the players' agency over understanding the effects
of their own spells and may increase player anxiety if misused.
Limited Casting
Once you have cast a spell, you can't cast it again until the next
dawn. You can ignore this rule for spells you've obtained
through your wand core and through any quirks you have.
This rule increases the consequences of backfires, as you
usually can't just recast the spell in the hopes of a better result.
It also encourages the players to creatively use all of the spells
in their arsenal rather than rely on only a few mainstays.
The major drawback of this rule is that players may be
incentivised to hoard their spells for when they are needed the
most, rather than use them when it will be the most relevant to
the story and fun for the group. Discuss this drawback when
considering this rule.
Potions
Potions have particular magical effects when drunken. Usually,
the brewing of a potion is handled by an Intelligence check.
Like spells, a potion's effects may backfire (roll upon drinking),
which are a representation of the risk of incorrectly mixing
ingredients as well as the chaotic nature of magic in general.
The potion's ingredients and instructions are assumed to be
handwaved, as the story that is told as a result of the potion is
more important than the specifics of how it is made. Some
ingredients may be mentioned for their story potential.
Common. These potions are learned and mastered by all
students at Hogwarts. They usually take an hour or two to
brew and require success on an Easy ability check.
Rare. These potions require specialised study or training. They
usually take weeks or months to brew and require success on
a Medium ability check.
Restricted. These potions are not made available to students
at Hogwarts through regular channels. They invariably take
many months to brew and require success on a Hard ability
check.
23
Common
Confusing Concoction
The drinker becomes confused and nauseous for one hour, as if
badly intoxicated.
Backfire. The drinker refuses to acknowledge that
something is wrong.
Draught of Peace
The drinker's mind is soothed and their anxieties melt away.
The effects wear off after one hour, but the drinker's mood is
lifted for the rest of the day.
Backfire. After the effects wear off, the drinker's mood is
soured for the rest of the day.
Pepperup Potion
Minor sicknesses like colds and sinus infections are relieved for
the drinker. Steam billows out of their ears for several hours
after drinking.
Backfire. The drinker's temperature spikes for one hour.
Skele-Gro
The drinker painfully and slowly, over the course of a day,
regrows a bone that was previously removed, such as through
the backfire of the crescerossa spell.
Backfire. The bone grows back over the course of 7 days.
Sleakeazy's Hair Potion
The drinker's hair is smoothed and straightened beautifully.
Backfire. The drinker's hair becomes curly instead.
Rare
Felix Felicis
Also called Liquid Luck, this potion takes six grueling months to
brew and requires hyper-specialised knowledge and care
(represented by the GM rolling 2d20 and picking the higher
number for the side effect). The drinker of this potion receives
unusually good luck for an hour.
Although this potion is not restricted, it is banned in all
sporting events, competitions, and examinations due to its
potency.
Backfire. The drinker is plagued by bad luck.
Mandrake Root Stew
Drinking this potion rejuvenates a petrified target.
Backfire. The target is bothered by a persistent ringing in
their ears for 7 days.
Veritaserum
The drinker is compelled to speak the truth after drinking only
three drops of this potion. The drinker cannot neither lie
outright nor lie by omission.
This potion does nothing to those who are under the effects
of occlumens.
Backfire. The drinker cannot stop talking, babbling wildly
about everything they think about.
Restricted
The ingredients and instructions for restricted potions can only
be learned through research in the Restricted Section,
experimenting in secret, or by being taught by a specialist. The
brewing of a restricted potion is an indicator that a student is
practicing the Dark Arts. Being caught could mean expulsion.
Amortentia
The drinker of the potion becomes helplessly, obsessively
infatuated with the brewer. The effects last for about 7 days.
The brewer can prevent the effects from affecting anyone but
their intended target by mixing in a drop of their target's blood.
Backfire. The drinker becomes violently jealous of anyone
they see as a rival to the brewer's affection.
Draught of Living Death
The drinker goes into a state of unconsciousness
indistinguishable from death. This lasts for 7 days or until the
drinker is awakened with the rennervate spell.
Backfire. The drinker dies.
Polyjuice Potion
The drinker assumes the physical appearance and voice of
another human for one hour. This potion requires the DNA of
the target, usually through a lock of hair or fingernail clippings.
Backfire. The drinker transforms into a hybrid of the
intended target and another human or an animal whose DNA
was mixed into the potion accidentally.
Objects of Power
Objects of power have a variety of strange and wondrous
effects. These are divided into common items that might be
found around Hogwarts and legendary items that are one-of-a-
kind. Legendary objects of power are items that witches and
wizards have died to obtain, or been killed by jealous rivals just
for possessing them. Such is their power.
Common
Anti-Cheating Quill
This quill refuses to write for any question that you did not
know the answer to when beginning the test. It also cancels any
magical effects that would have given you the answer
automatically.
Blood Quill
Anything written with this quill is carved into the skin on the
back of your hand.
Bludger
This magical flying ball is hostile to all wizards riding
broomsticks.
Broomstick
This magical flying broomstick can be controlled by a wizard
riding it.
24
Deluminator
Flicking the striker of this lighter absorbs the light from nearby
light sources, extinguishing them. Its wielder can choose
instead to release all of the light collected by the deluminator in
a flash of brilliance that stuns everyone that can see it.
Exploding Snap Cards
This deck of cards can be played similar to the game Snap. The
loser’s cards burst in a puff of smoke and are temporarily
destroyed, reforming on the next dawn with the rest of the
pack.
Floo Powder
This magical dust transports the user through the Floo
Network, a set of fireplaces connected through magical leylines.
To use it, you must throw the dust at your feet and clearly state
your destination. If used incorrectly, you will be randomly
transported to another fireplace in the network.
Gillyweed
Eating gillyweed lets you breathe underwater for 1 hour.
Golden Snitch
This magical flying ball darts manically around like a
hummingbird.
Howler
Using a howler, you record an angry message and send it
through the owl network. The envelope folds itself into a mouth
and screams your message at the recipient.
Invisibility Cloak
This cloak has been enchanted to render its wearer totally
invisible. The wearer can still be detected through other senses
like hearing and smell, or through magical sensors like a
probity probe. You can add a +1 to any check made to hide from
others. Common invisibility cloaks lose their potency after only
a few uses or if they suffer even minor rips or tears.
Mokeskin Pouch
This pouch can only be opened by its owner.
Omnioculars
This magical double-spyglass can zoom in and out at great
distances according to the watcher’s whim.
Portkey
A portkey is an object enchanted with the portus spell. A
portkey is linked to a specific location, transporting people to
that location when a parameter is triggered (usually touching
the portkey or uttering a password).
Probity Probe
When this rod is waved in front of a human or object that has
been enchanted to conceal its identity or deceive others, the tip
of the rod glows brightly.
Quaffle
This magical ball is enchanted to resist the effects of gravity.
Remembrall
When you hold this glass sphere, red liquid swims within if you
have forgotten something important.
Revealer
Using this rubber on magical invisible ink renders the ink
visible.
Sneakoscope
This glass spinning top leaps upright, spins wildly, lights up,
and lets off a high-pitched whistle if in the presence of
deception or criminal activity.
Trunk of Holding
This normal-sized magical trunk contains 30 square meters of
space within. Some wizards prefer their trunk of holding to
take the form of a suitcases or purse.
Wizard’s Chess Set
This enchanted chess set functions as regular chess, but the
pieces come alive and murder each other when they are
captured. Destroyed pieces reform at dawn each day.
Legendary
Elder Wand
This wand strongly amplifies the effects of the spells it casts,
and the wielder can choose whether the spell backfires or not.
Goblet of Fire
This enchanted goblet randomly ejects a certain number of
objects that have been placed inside of it when commanded to,
making it ideal for raffles, bingo nights, and sweepstakes.
Gryffindor’s Sword
This magical silver sword inset with rubies appears to its
chosen hero in times of great need. The sword overcomes
magical barriers and protections, making it capable of slaying
unkillable creatures and destroying unbreakable objects.
Horcrux
A horcrux is an object with strong personal significance to its
creator that houses a portion of the creator’s soul. As long as a
horcrux exists, its creator has the means to return to life after
death. Horcruxes are unbreakable except by special means. A
few known ways of destroying a horcrux include basilisk
venom, fiendfyre, and Gryffindor’s Sword.
Hufflepuff’s Cup
This magical golden cup appears to its chosen hero in times of
great need. It can be used to create a feast that feeds hundreds
of people. The details of the feast are determined by its owner.
With the power of this cup, the owner can feed a whole school,
or, more dangerously, a whole army.
25
Invisibility Cloak
This cloak has been enchanted to render its wearer totally
invisible. The wearer can still be detected through other senses
like hearing and smell, or through magical sensors like a
probity probe. You can add +1 to the result of any check made
to hide from others. Unlike its common variant, this unique
legendary invisibility cloak is unbreakable and does not lose its
potency over time.
Time Turner
This magical timepiece, taking the form of a clockwork
hourglass on a necklace, allows the wielder to travel back in
time. To do so, they must wind the hourglass back a certain
number of hours (maximum twenty-four hours). The wielder
can only remain in the past for up to five hours, and they are
unable to change the future, as their actions in the past have
already occurred.

Marauder’s Map
This detailed map of Hogwarts shows the location and true
identity of everyone within its walls, represented by footprints.

Mirror of Erised
When gazing into this mirror, you see a representation of your
greatest desire, visible only to you. The mirror can be
enchanted to store objects which can only be retrieved by those
who see them as their greatest desire.

Pensieve
This large silver bowl contains the memories of wizards who
extract their own memories with legilimens and place them
inside, taking the form of a swirling silver liquid. A wizard can
plunge their head into the bowl to experience a memory for
themselves, walking around as though they were there. The
pensieve accurately reflects the past, meaning that an observer
can potentially experience details that the original source of the
memory did not remember. Powerful wizards like Dumbledore
routinely search their own memories in the pensieve for
information that they might have missed.

Philosopher’s Stone
This stone restores the youth of its holder.

Ravenclaw’s Diadem
This silver diadem appears to its chosen hero in times of great
need. Wearing this tiara makes the owner irresistibly charming.
Their Charisma is set to 5 and they gain a +1 to all Charisma
checks.

Resurrection Stone
This stone returns a dead human to life. The target of the stone
is stripped of emotions and affection and dies again after 7 days
unless the stone is used continuously on them.

Slytherin's Locket
This golden locket appears to its chosen hero in times of great
need. The wearer can summon and control snakes at will,
creating potentially hundreds of snakes of the wearer’s choice,
each of which follow the wearer’s command. The locket can
also be used to control reptilian monsters such as dragons and
basilisks.

Sorting Hat
This magical black hat is sentient and can read the wearer’s
innermost thoughts and desires. At Hogwarts, the sorting hat
determines a student’s house by declaration.

26
Threats
Rules
The GM can generate student NPCs in the same way that player
characters are created (skipping quirks), but to save time, some
generic templates of students, teachers, and monsters are
included here.
Generic NPCs
These NPC statblocks represent a generic member of their
house at all year levels. They are not meant to be equivalent to
player characters (most notably, not having quirks and having
much lower stats) and as such they will divert significantly
from standard character creation rules. As the protagonists of
the story, the player characters are more capable of dealing
with the crises of Hogwarts than a typical student.

1st Year Gryffindor 1st Year Ravenclaw

ash wand of unicorn hair walnut wand of thunderbird tail feather
backfire threshold: 10 backfire threshold: 10

Brawn 3 Brawn 1
Charisma 2 Charisma 2
Courage 3 Courage 1
Dexterity 1 Dexterity 2
Intelligence 1 Intelligence 3
Perception 1 Perception 2

Spells Spells
1st-Year: accio, incendio, wingardium leviosa 1st-Year: locomotor, muscpoculum, reparo

1st Year Hufflepuff 1st Year Slytherin

larch wand of wampus cat hair aspen wand of dragon heartstring
backfire threshold: 10 backfire threshold: 10

Brawn 1 Brawn 2
Charisma 1 Charisma 3
Courage 3 Courage 1
Dexterity 2 Dexterity 2
Intelligence 1 Intelligence 2
Perception 3 Perception 1

Spells Spells
1st-Year: accio, episkey, lumos 1st-Year: descendo, diffindo, locomotor mortis

27
2nd Year Gryffindor 2nd Year Ravenclaw
ash wand of unicorn hair walnut wand of thunderbird tail feather
backfire threshold: 10 backfire threshold: 10

Brawn 3 Brawn 2
Charisma 2 Charisma 2
Courage 3 Courage 1
Dexterity 1 Dexterity 2
Intelligence 1 Intelligence 3
Perception 2 Perception 2

Spells Spells
1st-Year: accio, incendio, lumos, reparo, sonorus, 1st-Year: aguamenti, locomotor, lumos,
wingardium leviosa muscpoculum, nox, reparo
2nd-Year: expelliarmus, frigoriflam 2nd-Year: engorgio, silencio

2nd Year Hufflepuff 2nd Year Slytherin

larch wand of wampus cat hair aspen wand of dragon heartstring
backfire threshold: 10 backfire threshold: 10

Brawn 1 Brawn 2
Charisma 1 Charisma 3
Courage 3 Courage 1
Dexterity 2 Dexterity 2
Intelligence 2 Intelligence 3
Perception 3 Perception 1

Spells Spells
1st-Year: accio, anapneo, episkey, lumos, pack, 1st-Year: descendo, diffindo, locomotor mortis, lumos,
wingardium leviosa nox
2nd-Year: eruptum, ferula 2nd-Year: aparecium, serpensortia

28
3rd Year Gryffindor 3rd Year Ravenclaw
ash wand of unicorn hair walnut wand of thunderbird tail feather
backfire threshold: 10 backfire threshold: 10

Brawn 3 Brawn 2
Charisma 2 Charisma 2
Courage 3 Courage 1
Dexterity 2 Dexterity 3
Intelligence 1 Intelligence 3
Perception 2 Perception 2

Spells Spells
1st-Year: accio, incendio, lumos, nox, reparo, sonorus, 1st-Year: aguamenti, colormutatio, locomotor, lumos,
wingardium leviosa muscpoculum, nox, reparo
2nd-Year: expelliarmus, ferula, frigoriflam, protego 2nd-Year: avis, engorgio, oppugno, silencio
3rd-Year: flagrate, stupefy 3rd-Year: animutatio, exemplum contentio

3rd Year Hufflepuff 3rd Year Slytherin

larch wand of wampus cat hair aspen wand of dragon heartstring
backfire threshold: 10 backfire threshold: 10

Brawn 1 Brawn 2
Charisma 1 Charisma 3
Courage 3 Courage 1
Dexterity 3 Dexterity 3
Intelligence 2 Intelligence 3
Perception 3 Perception 1

Spells Spells
1st-Year: accio, anapneo, episkey, lumos, 1st-Year: colloportus, descendo, diffindo, locomotor
muspoculum, pack, wingardium leviosa mortis, lumos, nox
2nd-Year: eruptum, ferula, rennervate, rictumsempra 2nd-Year: aparecium, expulso, perpendiculum,
serpensortia
3rd-Year: crescerossa, orchideous
3rd-Year: allucinatio, incarcerous

29
4th Year Gryffindor 4th Year Ravenclaw
ash wand of unicorn hair walnut wand of thunderbird tail feather
backfire threshold: 10 backfire threshold: 10

Brawn 3 Brawn 2
Charisma 2 Charisma 2
Courage 4 Courage 1
Dexterity 2 Dexterity 3
Intelligence 1 Intelligence 4
Perception 2 Perception 2

Spells
1st-Year: accio, incendio, lumos, nox, pack, reparo,
sonorus, wingardium leviosa
2nd-Year: frigoriflam, expelliarmus, mobilicorpus,
protego, protero
3rd-Year: expecto patronum, flagrate, liberacorpus,
stupefy
4th-Year: piertotum locomotor, relashio
Spells
1st-Year: aguamenti, colormutatio, locomotor, lumos,
muscpoculum, nox, reparo, sonorus
2nd-Year: avis, engorgio, oppugno, protego, silencio
3rd-Year: animutatio, appareo, evanesco, exemplum
contentio
4th-Year: duro, custodicelium inimecus

4th Year Slytherin

4th Year Hufflepuff aspen wand of dragon heartstring
larch wand of wampus cat hair backfire threshold: 10
backfire threshold: 10
Brawn 2
Brawn 1 Charisma 4
Charisma 1 Courage 1
Courage 3 Dexterity 3
Dexterity 3 Intelligence 3
Intelligence 2 Perception 1
Perception 4
Spells
Spells 1st-Year: aguamenti, colloportus, colormutatio,
1st-Year: accio, anapneo, episkey, lumos, descendo, diffindo, locomotor mortis, lumos, nox
muspoculum, nox, pack, wingardium leviosa
2nd-Year: aparecium, expulso, perpendiculum,
2nd-Year: eruptum, ferula, regularis figura, rennervate, serpensortia, silencio
rictumsempra
3rd-Year: allucinatio, impedimenta, incarcerous,
3rd-Year: crescerossa, expecto patronum, orchideous, riddikulus
tenaxi
4th-Year: nitor, reducto
4th-Year: nitor, sanamente

30
5th Year Gryffindor 5th Year Ravenclaw
ash wand of unicorn hair walnut wand of thunderbird tail feather
backfire threshold: 10 backfire threshold: 10

Brawn 4 Brawn 2
Charisma 2 Charisma 2
Courage 4 Courage 1
Dexterity 2 Dexterity 3
Intelligence 1 Intelligence 4
Perception 2 Perception 3

Spells
1st-Year: accio, diffindo, incendio, lumos, nox, pack,
reparo, sonorus, wingardium leviosa
2nd-Year: frigoriflam, expelliarmus, mobilicorpus,
protego, protero, regularis figurae
3rd-Year: expecto patronum, flagrate, impervious,
liberacorpus, stupefy
4th-Year: finite incantatum, piertotum locomotor,
relashio, specialus revelio
5th-Year: sensamagna, occlumens
Spells
1st-Year: aguamenti, colormutatio, locomotor, lumos,
muscpoculum, nox, reparo, sonorus
2nd-Year: avis, engorgio, oppugno, protego, silencio
3rd-Year: animutatio, appareo, evanesco, exemplum
contentio, riddikulus
4th-Year: duro, custodicelium inimecus, finite
incantatum, specialus revelio
5th-Year: erecto, prior incatato

5th Year Slytherin

5th Year Hufflepuff aspen wand of dragon heartstring
larch wand of wampus cat hair backfire threshold: 10
backfire threshold: 10
Brawn 2
Brawn 1 Charisma 4
Charisma 2 Courage 2
Courage 3 Dexterity 3
Dexterity 3 Intelligence 3
Intelligence 2 Perception 1
Perception 4
Spells
Spells 1st-Year: alohomora, colloportus, colormutatio,
1st-Year: accio, anapneo, colloportus, episkey, lumos, descendo, diffindo, locomotor mortis, lumos, nox
muspoculum, nox, pack, wingardium leviosa
2nd-Year: aparecium, expulso, objectum mutatio,
2nd-Year: eruptum, ferula, expelliarmus, regularis perpendiculum, serpensortia, silencio
figura, rennervate, rictumsempra
3rd-Year: allucinatio, conjunctivitus, impedimenta,
3rd-Year: crescerossa, expecto patronum, orchideous, incarcerous, riddikulus
remedium, tenaxi
4th-Year: finite incantatem, nitor, reducto
4th-Year: iteramimplus, nitor, sanamente, specialus
5th-Year: confringo, deprimo
revelio
5th-Year: consolus tempus, revivify

31
6th Year Gryffindor 6th Year Ravenclaw
ash wand of unicorn hair walnut wand of thunderbird tail feather
backfire threshold: 7 backfire threshold: 7

Brawn 4 Brawn 2
Charisma 2 Charisma 2
Courage 4 Courage 2
Dexterity 2 Dexterity 3
Intelligence 2 Intelligence 4
Perception 2 Perception 3

Spells
1st-Year: accio, colloportus, diffindo, incendio, lumos,
nox, pack, reparo, sonorus, wingardium leviosa
2nd-Year: frigoriflam, engorgio, expelliarmus,
mobilicorpus, protego, protero, regularis figurae
3rd-Year: expecto patronum, flagrate, impervious,
liberacorpus, stupefy, volatus
4th-Year: finite incantatum, nitor, piertotum
locomotor, relashio, specialus revelio
5th-Year: legilimens, sensamagna, occlumens
Spells
1st-Year: aguamenti, colormutatio, diffindo,
locomotor, lumos, muscpoculum, nox, reparo,
sonorus
2nd-Year: avis, engorgio, oppugno, protego, regularis
figurae, silencio
3rd-Year: animutatio, appareo, evanesco, exemplum
contentio, riddikulus, scourgify
4th-Year: duro, custodicelium inimecus, finite
incantatum, impedimenta forte, specialus revelio
5th-Year: erecto, geminio, prior incatato

6th Year Hufflepuff

larch wand of wampus cat hair 6th Year Slytherin
backfire threshold: 7 aspen wand of dragon heartstring
backfire threshold: 7
Brawn 2
Charisma 2 Brawn 2
Courage 3 Charisma 4
Dexterity 3 Courage 2
Intelligence 2 Dexterity 3
Perception 4 Intelligence 3
Perception 2
Spells
1st-Year: accio, aguamenti, anapneo, colloportus,
Spells
episkey, lumos, muspoculum, nox, pack, wingardium 1st-Year: alohomora, colloportus, colormutatio,
leviosa descendo, diffindo, locomotor mortis, lumos, nox,
wingardium leviosa
2nd-Year: eruptum, ferula, expelliarmus, regularis
figura, rennervate, rictumsempra, silencio 2nd-Year: aparecium, expulso, objectum mutatio,
perpendiculum, regularis figurae, serpensortia,
3rd-Year: crescerossa, expecto patronum,
silencio
liberacorpus, orchideous, remedium, tenaxi
3rd-Year: allucinatio, conjunctivitus, impedimenta,
4th-Year: iteramimplus, flagrante injurium, nitor,
incarcerous, riddikulus, sentis incommodum
sanamente, specialus revelio
4th-Year: finite incantatem, flagrante, nitor, reducto
5th-Year: consolus tempus, geminio, revivify
5th-Year: confringo, deprimo, duro homenum

32
7th Year Gryffindor 7th Year Ravenclaw
ash wand of unicorn hair walnut wand of thunderbird tail feather
backfire threshold: 7 backfire threshold: 7

Brawn 4 Brawn 2
Charisma 2 Charisma 2
Courage 5 Courage 2
Dexterity 2 Dexterity 3
Intelligence 2 Intelligence 5
Perception 2 Perception 3

Spells
1st-Year: accio, colloportus, diffindo, incendio, lumos,
muscopoculum, nox, pack, reparo, sonorus,
wingardium leviosa
2nd-Year: frigoriflam, engorgio, expelliarmus,
mobilicorpus, protego, protero, reducto, regularis
figurae
3rd-Year: expecto patronum, flagrate, impervious,
liberacorpus, riddikulus, stupefy, volatus
4th-Year: finite incantatum, nitor, piertotum
locomotor, portus, relatio, specialus revelio
5th-Year: consulus tempus, legilimens, sensamagna,
occlumens
Spells
1st-Year: alohomora, aguamenti, colormutatio,
diffindo, locomotor, lumos, muscpoculum, nox,
reparo, sonorus
2nd-Year: avis, engorgio, expelliarmus, oppugno,
protego, reducto, regularis figurae, silencio
3rd-Year: animutatio, appareo, evanesco, exemplum
contentio, riddikulus, scourgify, tenaxi
4th-Year: duro, custodicelium inimecus, finite
incantatum, impedimenta forte, piertotum locomotor,
specialus revelio
5th-Year: erecto, geminio, prior incatato, repello
muggletum

7th Year Hufflepuff 7th Year Slytherin

larch wand of wampus cat hair aspen wand of dragon heartstring
backfire threshold: 7 backfire threshold: 7

Brawn 2 Brawn 2
Charisma 2 Charisma 4
Courage 4 Courage 2
Dexterity 3 Dexterity 3
Intelligence 2 Intelligence 4
Perception 4 Perception 2

Spells
1st-Year: accio, aguamenti, anapneo, colloportus,
colormutatio, episkey, lumos, muspoculum, nox, pack,
wingardium leviosa
2nd-Year: aparecium, eruptum, ferula, expelliarmus,
regularis figura, rennervate, rictumsempra, silencio
3rd-Year: crescerossa, expecto patronum,
liberacorpus, orchideous, remedium, riddikulus, tenaxi
4th-Year: finite incantatem, flagrante injurium,
iteramimplus, nitor, sanamente, specialus revelio
5th-Year: consolus tempus, geminio, occlumens,
revivify
Spells
1st-Year: alohomora, colloportus, colormutatio,
descendo, diffindo, locomotor mortis, lumos, nox,
petrificus totalus, wingardium leviosa
2nd-Year: aparecium, expulso, objectum mutatio,
perpendiculum, regularis figurae, serpensortia,
silencio
3rd-Year: allucinatio, conjunctivitus, impedimenta,
incarcerous, riddikulus, sentis incommodum, stupefy
4th-Year: finite incantatem, flagrante, impedimenta
forte, nitor, reducto
5th-Year: confringo, deprimo, duro homenum,
legilimens

33
Teacher Dangerous Muggle
redwood wand of kelpie hair
backfire threshold: 5 Brawn 2
Charisma 3
Courage 4
Brawn 2
Charisma 3 Dexterity 3
Courage 2 Intelligence 5
Perception 3
Dexterity 3
Intelligence 4
Perception 3 Items
Gun. The muggle shoots a target. The target must
Teacher's Knowledge. In addition to their known spells, succeed on a Hard Resistance check or die. Every hour
the teacher knows any spell they are teaching to without receiving healing or medical attention, the
students. target must make this check again.

Spells If circumstances would prevent the muggle from

aiming properly, the muggle must succeed on a
1st-Year: accio, anapneo, colloportus, descendo, Courage check to maintain their composure and land
diffindo, episkey, locomotor, locomotor mortis, the shot.
lumos, nox, pack, point me, quietus, reparo, sonorus If fired at a wizard under the effects of the felix filicis
2nd-Year: aparecium, engorgio, eruptum, expelliarmus, potion, the shot misses.
ferula, frigoriflam, mobilicorpus, protego, protero, A wizard can react quickly to prevent the muggle from
reducio, regularis figurae, rennervate, silencio firing by casting relashio (or another spell that will
3rd-Year: appareo, antiapparate, crescerossa, disarm the muggle, prevent the muggle from aiming
deletrious, evanesco, exempla bordus, exemplum properly, or destroy the gun) and succeeding on a
contentio, flagrate, impedimenta, impervious, Quick Draw check.
ingressum, liberacorpus, remedium, scourgify,
stupefy, tenaxi, videodolum
4th-Year: custodicelium inimecus, finite incantatum,
flagrante injurium, homenum revelio, iterumimplus,
piertotum locomotor, relashio, sanamente, specialus
Squib
revelio Brawn 2
5th-Year: consulus tempus, geminio, legilimens, Charisma 1
occlumens, prior incantato, repello muggletum, Courage 2
revivify, sensamagna Dexterity 2
Intelligence 3
Perception 3

Items
Muggle Magical Knowledge. The squib always achieves a
serendipity result when recalling information about the
Brawn 2 magical world.
Charisma 1
Courage 2
Dexterity 2
Intelligence 1
Perception 1

Items
Smartphone. If a muggle's cell phone is not disabled,
they can call other muggles for help, take notes, or
make a video recording of any magic they see.
A wizard can react quickly to prevent the muggle from
using their smartphone by casting relashio (or another
spell to disarm the muggle or destroy the phone) and
succeeding on a Quick Draw check.

34
Death Eater
elm wand of basilisk horn
backfire threshold: 7
Brawn 3
Charisma 3
Courage 2
Dexterity 4
Intelligence 3
Perception 3
Dark Mark. The death eater bears the mark of an evil
wizard, a tattoo on the death eater's forearm that
twists with black magic. The death eater can cast
morsmordre to project their tattoo onto storm clouds.
Spells
1st-Year: accio, alohomora, colloportus, descendo,
diffindo, incendio, locomotor mortis, lumos, nox,
petrificus totalus, point me, quietus, quaff
2nd-Year: aparecium, confundo, expulso,
mobilicorpus, oppugno, perpendiculum, protego,
serpensortia, silencio
3rd-Year: allucinatio, appareo, antiapparate,
conjunctivitus, deletrious, evanesco, exemplum
contentio, impedimenta, incarcerous, ingressum,
sentis imcommodum, stupefy, tanaxi, videodolum,
volatus
4th-Year: costodicelium inimecus, duro, finite
incantatum, homenum revelio, impedimenta forte,
nitor, piertotum locomotor, portus, reducto, relashio,
specialus revelio
5th-Year: apparate, confringo, defodio, deprimo, duro
homenum, legilimens, lingua vinculum, occlumens,
revivify
Restricted: avada kedavra, crucio, imperio,
morsmordre, obliviate
Dark Wizard
yew wand of basilisk horn
backfire threshold: 5
Brawn 2
Charisma 5
Courage 3
Dexterity 4
Intelligence 5
Perception 3
Backfire Resistant. If a spell cast by the dark wizard
backfires, they can choose for it not to backfire instead.
Once they've done this three times, they must wait
until dawn before they can do it again.
Hidden Wand. The dark wizard keeps their wand in a
specialised hidden location on their person. The dark
wizard can upgrade an ability die on checks to resist
their wand being taken from them.
Silent Caster. The dark wizard doesn't need to speak
any spell of 4th-year or lower out loud.
Spells
1st-Year: descendo, diffindo, point me
2nd-Year: protego, silencio
3rd-Year: allucinatio, appareo, antiapparate, evanesco,
ingressum, videodolum, volatus
4th-Year: costodicelium inimecus, finite incantatum,
homenum revelio, piertotum locomotor, portus,
reducto, specialus revelio
5th-Year: apparate, deprimo, legilimens, lingua
vinculum, occlumens, repello muggletum,
sensamagna
Restricted: avada kedavra, crucio, fidelio, fiendfyre,
imperio, jusjurandum perpetuus, morsmordre,
necromancum, obliviate, squibify, taboo
35
Named NPCs
These NPCs represent specific characters from the Harry Potter
Albus Dumbledore
series which may show up in the course of play. These
elder wand
backfire threshold: 0
characters have specific quirks or abilities that set them apart
from others. Teachers at Hogwarts that don't have a statblock
here just use the generic teacher statblock. Brawn 2
Charisma 5
Courage 5
Dexterity 4
Rubeus Hagrid Intelligence 5
Perception 4
umbrella wand
backfire threshold: 7
Duelist. Dumbledore can add +1 to the result of his
Quick Draw checks.
Brawn 5
Charisma 2 Elder Wand. Dumbledore's wand amplifies the effects
Courage 3 of the spells he casts, and Dumbledore can choose
Dexterity 1 whether the spell backfires or not.
Intelligence 2
Perception 2 Silent Caster. Dumbledore doesn't need to speak any
spell of 4th-year or lower out loud.
Gentle Soul. Hagrid always achieves a serendipity result Teacher's Knowledge. In addition to his known spells,
when making a check to interact with children or Dumbledore knows any spell he is teaching to
animals. students.

Half-Giant. Hagrid can add +1 to the result of any

Brawn check.
Spells
1st-Year: accio, aguamenti, alohomora, anapneo,
Spells colloportus, descendo, diffindo, episkey, incendio,
locomotor, locomotor mortis, lumos, nox, pack,
1st-Year: anapneo, incendio, locomotor, lumos petrificus totalus, point me, quietus, reparo, sonorus,
wingardium leviosa
2nd-Year: ferula, rennervate, silencio
3rd-Year: animutatio, respirabulla, volatus 2nd-Year: aparecium, avis, confundo, engorgio,
eruptum, expelliarmus, ferula, frigoriflam,
4th-Year: custodicelium inimecus mobilicorpus, objectum mutatio, perpendiculum,
5th-Year: consulus tempus protego, protero, reducio, regularis figurae,
rennervate, silencio
3rd-Year: allucinatio, animutatio, appareo, antiapparate,
conjunctivitus, crescerossa, deletrious, evanesco,
exempla bordus, exemplum contentio, expecto
patronum, flagrate, impedimenta, impervious,
incarcerous, ingressum, liberacorpus, orchideous,
remedium, riddikulus, scourgify, stupefy, tenaxi,
videodolum, volatus
4th-Year: custodicelium inimecus, duro, finite
incantatum, flagrante, flagrante injurium, homenum
revelio, impedimenta forte, iterumimplus, nitor,
piertotum locomotor, portus, relashio, reducto,
sanamente, specialus revelio
5th-Year: apparate, confringo, consulus tempus,
defodio, duro homenum, erecto, geminio, legilimens,
lingua vinculum, occlumens, prior incantato, repello
muggletum, revivify, sensamagna
Restricted: fidelio, jusjurandum perpetuus, obliviate

36
Filch Gilderoy Lockhart
cherry wand of dragon heartstring
Brawn 3 backfire threshold: 15
Charisma 1
Courage 2
Brawn 3
Dexterity 2 Charisma 5
Intelligence 2 Courage 1
Perception 4
Dexterity 3
Items Intelligence 2
Perception 2
Draught of Peace. When this potion is drunk, the
drinker's mind is soothed and their anxieties melt
away. The effects wear off after one hour, but the Spells
drinker's mood is lifted for the rest of the day. Backfire. 1st-Year: accio, descendo, episkey, locomotor mortis,
After the effects wear off, the drinker's mood is soured lumos, pack, point me, reparo, sonorus
for the rest of the day.
2nd-Year: confundo, eruptum, expulso, ferula,
Probity Probe. The squib waves the probity probe in frigoriflam, mobilicorpus, perpendiculum, protego,
front of a human or object. If the target has been regularis figurae, rennervate, silencio
enchanted to conceal its identity or deceive others, the
tip of the rod glows brightly. 3rd-Year: crescerossa, evanesco, exempla bordus,
flagrate, impedimenta, incarcerous, ingressum,
remedium, scourgify, stupefy
4th-Year: flagrante injurium, iterumimplus, piertotum
locomotor, relashio
5th-Year: deprimo, legilimens, sensamagna
Restricted: obliviate

37
Remus Lupin Minerva McGonagall
cypress wand of unicorn hair fir wand of dragon heartstring
backfire threshold: 5 backfire threshold: 5

Brawn 2 Brawn 2
Charisma 3 Charisma 3
Courage 2 Courage 3
Dexterity 3 Dexterity 3
Intelligence 4 Intelligence 4
Perception 4 Perception 4

Teacher's Knowledge. In addition to his known spells,
Lupin knows any spell he is teaching to students.
Werewolf. Under the light of the full moon, Lupin
transforms into a werewolf. His clothes and equipment
don't transform with him. He returns to his human
form at dawn, retaining no memories of the night time.
Spells
1st-Year: accio, anapneo, colloportus, descendo,
diffindo, episkey, locomotor, locomotor mortis,
lumos, nox, pack, point me, quietus, reparo, sonorus
2nd-Year: aparecium, engorgio, eruptum, expecto
patronum, expelliarmus, ferula, frigoriflam,
mobilicorpus, protego, protero, reducio, regularis
figurae, rennervate, silencio
3rd-Year: appareo, antiapparate, crescerossa,
deletrious, evanesco, exempla bordus, exemplum
contentio, finite incantatum, flagrate, impedimenta,
impervious, ingressum, liberacorpus, remedium,
riddikulus, scourgify, stupefy, tenaxi, videodolum
4th-Year: custodicelium inimecus, flagrante injurium,
homenum revelio, iterumimplus, piertotum
locomotor, relashio, sanamente, specialus revelio
5th-Year: consulus tempus, geminio, legilimens,
occlumens, prior incantato, repello muggletum,
revivify, sensamagna
Animagus. McGonagall can transform into a cat and
back to her human form. Once she has returned to her
human form, she must wait a few hours before she can
do it again. Her clothes and equipment are
transformed with her.
Teacher's Knowledge. In addition to her known spells,
McGonagall knows any spell she is teaching to
students.
Spells
1st-Year: accio, colloportus, descendo, diffindo,
locomotor, locomotor mortis, lumos, nox, pack, point
me, quietus, reparo, sonorus
2nd-Year: aparecium, engorgio, eruptum, expelliarmus,
frigoriflam, mobilicorpus, protego, protero, reducio,
regularis figurae, rennervate, silencio
3rd-Year: appareo, antiapparate, deletrious, evanesco,
exempla bordus, exemplum contentio, flagrate,
impedimenta, impervious, ingressum, liberacorpus,
remedium, scourgify, stupefy, tenaxi, videodolum
4th-Year: custodicelium inimecus, finite incantatum,
homenum revelio, piertotum locomotor, relashio,
specialus revelio
5th-Year: consulus tempus, geminio, legilimens,
occlumens, prior incantato, repello muggletum

Minerva McGonagall (Cat)

Remus Lupin (Werewolf)
Brawn 1
Brawn 5 Charisma 3
Charisma 1 Courage 3
Courage 2 Dexterity 3
Dexterity 2 Intelligence 4
Intelligence 1 Perception 4
Perception 5
Quick: McGonagall can add a +1 to any check made to
Cursed Bite. A bite from Lupin transmits his werewolf resist being caught.
curse to his victim.

38
Mad Eye Moody Snow Sterling
cedar wand of jackalope antler aspen wand of dragon heartstring
backfire threshold: 5 backfire threshold: 7

Brawn 3 Brawn 2
Charisma 3 Charisma 4
Courage 4 Courage 3
Dexterity 3 Dexterity 3
Intelligence 4 Intelligence 4
Perception 5 Perception 3

Duelist. Moody can add +1 to the result of his Quick Figgefoog. Snow is a painted wizard that has escaped
Draw checks. her portrait and now walks among the living. She is
treated as an object instead of a human for the
Mad Eye. Moody can make a Perception check to purpose of magical effects. She leaves paint smears
identify magically-hidden or magically-disguised where she touches. A successful Hard Perception check
targets. He knows the target's true form. can identify her as non-human if there is reasonable
Teacher's Knowledge. In addition to his known spells, suspicion that she isn't who she says she is.
Moody knows any spell he is teaching to students.
Teacher's Knowledge. In addition to her known spells,
Spells Snow knows any spell she is teaching to younger
students.
1st-Year: accio, colloportus, descendo, diffindo,
locomotor, locomotor mortis, lumos, nox, pack, Spells
petrificus totalus, point me
1st-Year: accio, aguamenti, colormutatio, descendo,
2nd-Year: aparecium, avis, engorgio, expelliarmus, diffindo, locomotor, lumos, nox
expulso, mobilicorpus, objectum mutatio, oppugno,
2nd-Year: aparecium, nitor, noink, oppugno, regularis
perpendiculum, protego, protero, reducio, regularis
figurae, silencio
figura, silencio, tarantellegra
3rd-Year: allucinatio, appareo, evanesco, expecto
3rd-Year: allucinatio, animutatio, appareo, antiapparate,
patronum, impervious, remedium, riddikulus, tanaxi,
deletrious, evanesco, exempla bordus, exemplum
videodolum, volatus
contentio, expecto patronum, flagrate, impedimenta,
ingressum, stupefy, tenaxi, videodolum, volatus 4th-Year: finite incantatum, flagrante injurium, nitor
4th-Year: custodicelium inimecus, finite incantatum, 5th-Year: confringo, deprimo, duro homenum,
flagrante, homenum revelio, impedimenta forte, nitor, geminio
piertotum locomotor, portus, reducto, specialus
Restricted: obliviate
revelio
5th-Year: apparate, confringo, defodio, deprimo,
erecto, legilimens, lingua vinculum, occlumens, prior
incantato, repello muggletum, revivify
Restricted: avada kedavra, crucio, imperio

39
Severus Snape
elm wand of kelpie hair
backfire threshold: 5
Brawn 3
Charisma 3
Courage 4
Dexterity 3
Intelligence 4
Perception 3
Dark Mark. Snape bears the mark of an evil wizard, a
tattoo on the his forearm that twists with black magic.
Snape can cast morsmordre to project his tattoo onto
storm clouds.
Redirect. When Snape reflects a spell with protego, he
can retarget the spell to anyone nearby.
Teacher's Knowledge. In addition to his known spells,
Snape knows any spell he is teaching to students.
Spells
1st-Year: accio, alohomora, colloportus, descendo,
diffindo, incendio, locomotor mortis, lumos, nox,
petrificus totalus, point me, quietus, quaff
2nd-Year: aparecium, confundio, expulso,
mobilicorpus, oppugno, perpendiculum, protego,
serpensortia, silencio
3rd-Year: allucinatio, appareo, antiapparate,
conjunctivitus, deletrious, evanesco, exempla bordus,
exemplum contentio, expecto patronum,
impedimenta, incarcerous, ingressum, sentis
imcommodum, stupefy, tanaxi, videodolum, volatus
4th-Year: costodicelium inimecus, duro, impedimenta
forte, finite incantatum, homenum revelio, muffliato,
nitor, piertotum locomotor, portus, reducto, relashio,
specialus revelio
5th-Year: apparate, confringo, defodio, deprimo, duro
homenum, legilimens, occlumens, revivify
Restricted: avada kedavra, levicorpus, morsmordre,
muffliato, sectumsempra
Lord Voldemort
yew wand of phoenix feather
backfire threshold: 5
Brawn 2
Charisma 5
Courage 4
Dexterity 4
Intelligence 5
Perception 4
Backfire Resistant. If a spell cast by Voldemort backfires,
he can choose for it not to backfire instead. Once he
has done this three times, he must wait until dawn
before he can do it again.
Silent Caster. Voldemort doesn't need to speak any
spell of 4th-year or lower out loud.
Spells
1st-Year: descendo, diffindo, point me
2nd-Year: protego, silencio
3rd-Year: allucinatio, appareo, antiapparate, evanesco,
ingressum, videodolum, volatus
4th-Year: costodicelium inimecus, finite incantatum,
homenum revelio, piertotum locomotor, portus,
reducto, specialus revelio
5th-Year: apparate, deprimo, legilimens, lingua
vinculum, occlumens, repello muggletum,
sensamagna
Restricted: avada kedavra, crucio, fidelio, fiendfyre,
imperio, jusjurandum perpetuus, morsmordre,
necromancum, obliviate, squibify, taboo
Items
Horcruxes. Voldemort possesses seven horcruxes that
contain a portion of his soul, each with personal
significance to him. As long as one of these horcruxes
exists, Voldemort has the means to return to life after
death.
40
Monsters
For the purpose of magical effects, a monster is stated to be an
Animal, Nonmagical
animal, a humanoid (considered to be the same as a human), or
animal
an object.
Brawn 1
Charisma 1
Courage 1
Acromantula Dexterity 3
Intelligence 1
animal
Perception 3
Brawn 5
Quick: The animal can add a +1 to any check made to
Charisma 1
resist being caught.
Courage 2
Dexterity 3
Intelligence 2 Variants
Perception 2
Flying: The animal can fly.
Swarm Master: The acromantula can call upon a swarm Swarm: The animal is a swarm, allowing it to
of spiders to overwhelm its victim. overwhelm and immobilise its target.
Venomous: A bite from the acromantula, if left Swimming: The animal can swim.
untreated, will kill the target in 1 hour. Venomous: A bite from the animal, if left untreated,
Very Large: The acromantula always achieves a will kill the target in 1 day.
serendipity result on Brawn checks.
Wall Walker: The acromantula can crawl on its webs or
In the Books
on solid surfaces vertically or upside down. Cats like Crookshanks, belonging to Hermione Granger,
and the nasty cat of Filch, Mrs. Norris, are a common
Web Spinner: The acromantula can create large webs
sight in Hogwarts' halls.
to trap prey or descend from heights without harm.
Escaping from its web requires a Medium Brawn check. Most students have an owl as a pet, such as Hedwig,
the snowy owl belonging to Harry Potter. Owls
In the Books traditionally deliver the mail to students.
Aragog, a huge spider with the ability to speak, lives in The Black Lake surrounding Hogwarts is home to many
the Forbidden Forest with his brood of thousands of species of fish and other aquatic life forms that would
young. not normally be found in that area of the world, like
squid and jellyfish.
The Forbidden Forest is forbidden because of the
dangerous creatures found within, such as the young
spiders of an acromantula, which can swarm and which
have a nasty venomous bite.

41
Basilisk Boggart
animal object

Brawn 5 Brawn 1
Charisma 1 Charisma 4
Courage 2 Courage 1
Dexterity 4 Dexterity 1
Intelligence 1 Intelligence 2
Perception 3 Perception 1

Petrifying Gaze: Anyone who makes eye contact with
the basilisk dies. Seeing the basilisk through a
reflection will petrify the target for 7 days instead.
Venomous: A bite from the basilisk will kill the target in
1 minute. Nonmagical healing and healing magic (short
of phoenix tears or a unicorn's touch) cannot stop the
effects of the venom. Its venom is strong enough to
destroy a horcrux.
Very Large: The basilisk always achieves a serendipity
result on Brawn checks.
In the Books
The basilisk is an enormous snake that lives only to kill.
Tom Riddle was able to summon a basilisk from a
secret vault underneath the girl's washroom.
Shapechanger: The boggart takes on the visual
appearance of its target's greatest fear. While the
target can see the boggart in its fearful form, the target
always achieves a complication result on any checks
they make.
A wizard can take control of the boggart's
shapechanging trait by casting riddikulus.
In the Books
Professor Lupin used a boggart as part of his Defence
Against the Dark Arts curriculum, keeping it locked up
in a wardrobe. A boggart's true form is unknown.
Centaur
humanoid

Blast-Ended Skrewt Brawn 4

animal Charisma 1
Courage 3
Dexterity 2
Brawn 1
Intelligence 2
Charisma 1
Perception 3
Courage 1
Dexterity 2
Intelligence 1 Nature Knowledge: The centaur always achieves a
Perception 2 serendipity result on checks made to recall information
about nature.
Fire Carapace: The blast-ended skrewt burns painfully
on contact with skin. In the Books
Vice Grip: The blast-ended skrewt can add a +1 to any A tribe of centaurs live in the Forbidden Forest on the
check made to maintain its grip on a target. outskirts of Hogsmeade. The centaurs have roughly
human intelligence, and one of them, Firenz, even took
In the Books a job as a Divinations teacher at Hogwarts.

A blast-ended skrewt is a headless crustacean that

smolders with an internal flame.

42
Dementor Fairy
humanoid humanoid
backfire threshold: 15
Brawn 3
Charisma 4 Brawn 1
Courage 2 Charisma 4
Dexterity 3 Courage 1
Intelligence 2 Dexterity 3
Perception 3 Intelligence 1
Perception 2
Chilling Presence: The air goes cold in a 30 metre radius
around the dementor. Flying: The fairy can fly.
Flying: The dementor can fly. Mischievous Magic: The fairy can cast any 1st-year or
2nd-year spell, randomly determined.
Soul Absorption: The dementor can feed off a target's
soul, incapacitating them and tearing away their Quick: The fairy can add a +1 to any check made to
positive memories. After one minute of sustained resist being caught.
feeding, the target dies.
A wizard can repel a dementor or cancel its soul In the Books
absorption effect with expecto patronum. Fairies (and pixies) are tiny, proud, vicious little
creatures. Without a competent teacher, fairies can
In the Books easily take control of a classroom and send the entire
class into chaos. Gilderoy Lockhart presents a good
In the hunt for the fugitive Sirius Black, dementors
example of what not to do: insist that he has things
from the wizard prison Azkaban descended upon
under control without taking any of the necessary
Hogwarts. Worried for the safety of the students with
precautions.
ghastly soul-sucking apparitions floating around the
premises, many teachers taught students to master
expecto patronum to keep the dementors at bay.

Ghost
humanoid
Dragon
animal Brawn 1
Charisma 2
Courage 2
Brawn 7
Dexterity 3
Charisma 4
Intelligence 3
Courage 6
Perception 2
Dexterity 4
Intelligence 1
Perception 4 Ethereal: The ghost can move through solid objects.
Flying: The ghost can fly.
Flying: The dragon can fly.
Fire Breath: The dragon can breathe a jet of flame that In the Books
severely burns its target. If left untreated, the target Before death, a wizard can prepare their body and
will die of their burns in 1 hour. mind to become a ghost, persisting in the material
Very Large: The dragon always achieves a serendipity world rather than pass on to the afterlife. Ghosts are a
result on Brawn checks. constant sight around Hogwarts, with some ghosts
even teaching classes. Ghosts are celebrated rather
In the Books than feared, with many hosting "death day parties"
and other festivities to dispel the notion that they are
During the Tri-Wizard tournament, dragons were dangerous.
incorporated into one of the events, where the
competitors must steal an egg from its nest. There are
many different breeds of dragons which vary in size
and appearance. Harry Potter faced a Hungarian
Horntail, the nastiest of them all.

43
Giant Goblin
humanoid humanoid

Brawn 6 Brawn 2
Charisma 1 Charisma 1
Courage 4 Courage 1
Dexterity 1 Dexterity 3
Intelligence 2 Intelligence 4
Perception 2 Perception 2

Very Large: The giant always achieves a serendipity
result on Brawn checks.
In the Books
Giants struggle to keep their existence hidden from
muggles due to their size. The result of the mating of a
giant and a wizard (usually requiring magic) is a half-
giant such as Rubeus Hagrid.
Magic Resistant: When a spell is cast on a goblin, it can
immediately make a Resistance check to completely
ignore the effects.
In the Books
Goblins, renowned for their bookkeeping skills, are the
primary accountants and receptionists for Gringotts
Bank.

Giant Squid Hippogriff

animal animal

Brawn 7 Brawn 4
Charisma 2 Charisma 2
Courage 1 Courage 4
Dexterity 2 Dexterity 3
Intelligence 2 Intelligence 1
Perception 2 Perception 3

Ink: The giant squid can eject a large cloud of black ink
to ward off targets.
Swimming: The giant squid can swim.
Very Large: The giant squid always achieves a
serendipity result on Brawn checks.
In the Books
Flying: The hippogriff can fly.
In the Books
Buckbeak, a magical creature with the head and wings
of an eagle and the body of a horse, was under the
care of Rubeus Hagrid until the hippogriff was blamed
for the assault of a student who had mishandled him.

A giant squid, much older and larger than any muggle's

traditional idea of a squid, lives in the Black Lake
around Hogwarts. It's not a type of animal one would
expect to live in a lake, but it seems to be doing alright.

44
House-Elf Merperson
humanoid humanoid
backfire threshold: 7
Brawn 2
Brawn 1 Charisma 2
Charisma 1 Courage 2
Courage 1 Dexterity 4
Dexterity 4 Intelligence 2
Intelligence 3 Perception 2
Perception 3
Swimming: The merperson can swim.
Bound: The house-elf is sworn to serve a particular
wizarding family and must follow the orders of anyone
of that family's name.
In the Books
The merpeople of the Black Lake showed hostility to
Giving a house-elf an item of clothing frees it of its the competitors of the tri-wizard tournament and
servitude. nearly cost the lives of the students meant to be
Innate Magic: The house-elf can cast any spell of 3rd- rescued from the depths of the lake.
year or lower without needing a wand or an
incantation.

In the Books Phoenix

Hogwarts has a small community of house-elves that animal
live in quarters separate from students and teachers,
and some house-elves accompany children to Brawn 1
Hogwarts to assist with living away from home. Some, Charisma 4
like Dobby of the Malfoy family, have managed to free Courage 4
themselves but still enjoy living at Hogwarts. Dexterity 3
Intelligence 1
Perception 3

Mandrake Flying: The phoenix can fly.

object Healing Tears. The phoenix's tears perfectly heal all
wounds.
Brawn 1 Rebirth: When the phoenix dies, it disintegrates in a
Charisma 1 burst of flame and emerges as a chick from the ashes
Courage 1 after 1 minute.
Dexterity 1
Intelligence 1
Perception 1 In the Books
Fawkes is the pet phoenix of headmaster Albus
Scream: The mandrake's scream can knock any nearby Dumbledore. A feather from Fawkes' tail makes up the
humans or animals into a coma that lasts up to 30 core of the wand of Lord Voldemort.
days.
With sufficient ear protection, the scream causes only
discomfort and mild ear pain.

In the Books
Mandrake roots were used to cure petrified Hogwarts
students during the outbreak associated with the
basilisk.

45
Poltergeist Three-Headed Dog
humanoid animal
backfire threshold: 15
Brawn 4
Brawn 2 Charisma 2
Charisma 1 Courage 5
Courage 3 Dexterity 1
Dexterity 4 Intelligence 1
Intelligence 2 Perception 5
Perception 2
Guardian. Fluffy doesn't need to sleep. At least two
Ethereal: The poltergeist can move through solid heads can be awake at any time.
objects.
A wizard can put all three heads to sleep by playing a
Flying: The poltergeist can fly. specific tune on a flute.
Innate Magic: The poltergeist can cast impedimenta, Three-Headed: Magical effects that would knock the
locomotor, and protero without needing a wand or an three-headed dog out or affect its mental state affect
incantation. only one of its three heads.
Invisibility: The poltergeist can turn invisible or visible Very Large: The three-headed dog always achieves a
at will. serendipity result on its Brawn checks.

In the Books In the Books

The mischievous poltergeist Peeves haunts Hogwarts'
halls at night, catching students off guard who have
snuck out of bed.
The massive three-headed bloodhound Fluffy, cared for
by Rubeus Hagrid, guards a hidden hallway where
great secrets have been kept behind locked doors for
many years in the hopes that dark wizards will never
be able to find them.

Thestral
animal
Troll
Brawn 4 humanoid
Charisma 1
Courage 2 Brawn 6
Dexterity 2 Charisma 1
Intelligence 1 Courage 2
Perception 3 Dexterity 1
Intelligence 1
Invisibility. The thestral is invisible to anyone without Perception 1
the Witness to Death quirk.
Stupid: The troll always achieves a complication result
In the Books for Intelligence checks.

After their first year, Hogwarts students unload from
the Hogwarts Express and take horse-drawn carriages
to the castle gates. Most students assume that the
carriages draw themselves, as they can't see any actual
horses drawing them. Some unfortunate students
know the truth.
Very Large: The troll always achieves a serendipity
result for Brawn checks.
In the Books
Trolls are big, lumbering, morons. One was once set
free in Hogwarts' dungeon as a distraction for a dark
wizard to infiltrate its hidden vaults.

46
Unicorn Veela
animal humanoid
backfire threshold: 7
Brawn 4
Charisma 4 Brawn 1
Courage 4 Charisma 5
Dexterity 2 Courage 1
Intelligence 1 Dexterity 4
Perception 3 Intelligence 2
Perception 2
Healing Touch: The unicorn's touch perfectly heals all
wounds. Alluring: The veela always achieves a serendipity result
on its Charisma checks.
Dark wizards can stave off the effects of old age and
decay by drinking a unicorn's blood. From the moment Innate Magic: The veela can cast any of its known spells
the blood touches their lips, they suffer from a Half Life without needing a wand or an incantation.
(see the Affliction quirk).
Spells
In the Books 1st-Year: episkey, nox, quietus
There are a few unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, but
after one of them was killed by a dark wizard, they 2nd-Year: confundo, eruptum, ferula, perpendiculum,
have remained elusive and refuse to show themselves rennervate
even to innocent students. 3rd-Year: allucinatio, conjunctivitus, crescerossa,
orchideous, remedium, respirabulla
4th-Year: iterumimplus, nitor, sanamente

Werewolf 5th-Year: duro homenum, erecto, legilimens, revivify

Restricted: imperio, obliviate
humanoid

Brawn 5 In the Books

Charisma 1 Impossibly beautiful, Veela inspired the legends of
Courage 2 sirens luring sailors to death, or of forest nymphs
Dexterity 3 seducing lost travellers and drowning them in ponds.
Intelligence 1 Traditionally seen to be evil, Veela are an independent
Perception 5 race with both hostile and friendly people among
them, and they even occasionally interbreed with
Cursed Bite. A bite from the werewolf transmits the humans.
Werewolf quirk to its victim.

In the Books
Under the light of the full moon, professor Remus Whomping Willow
Lupin transformed into a werewolf and terrorised object
students that he cared for. He returned to his human
form at dawn, retaining no memories of the night time. Brawn 5
Some evil werewolves, like Fenrir Greyback, Charisma 1
Courage 1
intentionally transmit their curse to anyone they can
Dexterity 1
get their hands on.
Intelligence 1
Perception 1

Very Large: The whomping willow always achieves a

serendipity result on its Brawn checks.

In the Books
The whomping willow sits rooted in place at the edge
of the Forbidden Forest, lashing out violently with its
branches at anyone who approaches.

47
A Year at Hogwarts
Carpe Exforaminis
The central idea of the game system of Hogwarts is to favour
storytelling over mechanics. The rules of what you can do and
how the spell interact with each other is deliberately kept quite
loose, with a dialogue between the player and GM highly
encouraged. The job of the GM is to adjudicate the players'
solutions to unique problems; as such, the enormous and
difficult problems that are introduced throughout this sample
story are not meant to have a single answer. The players must
solve these problems using their creativity.
Hogwarts is also meant to emulate the storytelling style of
the Harry Potter series, where often seemingly insurmountable
problems are overcome with a weirdly specific application of
magic that may not even have been established beforehand.
The Mirror of Erised suddenly allows you to retrieve items
from it? Sure! Two phoenix feather wands clashing allows you
to speak with your dead parents again? I don't see why not! You
can't kill the main antagonist because he actually has seven
items that can restore him to life? Seems fun, let's go! The
enthusiastic embrace of weird and specific contrivances is, in
fact, a spell in the game that anyone can cast, including the GM:
carpe exforaminis.
Each player is given one coin. At any point, a player can give
their coin to the GM to cast the spell carpe exforaminis. The GM
can give a player back their coin to cast the spell themselves.
The players and the GM are the ones casting the spell, not their
characters or NPCs, as they are representing the chaotic and
unknowable forces of magic in the world.
Carpe Exforaminis
You introduce a magical contrivance that either perfectly solves
your current predicament or introduces an insurmountable
obstacle. To do so, you must describe the magical contrivance in
excruciating detail.
Backfire. If you intended a positive effect, the spell has a
negative effect, and vice versa. The backfire threshold for this
spell is always 5.
As an example, a character's wand is destroyed, but they
happen to have stolen a rival's wand earlier. The player passes a
coin to the GM and declares that they are casting carpe
exforaminis. The player states that stealing a wand without the
use of magic counts as rightfully besting a wizard, and thus
their rival's wand is now their own. The GM asks them why this
didn't occur earlier when another wand was stolen by someone
else, and the player replies that it only works on those who do
not have a strong personal connection with their wand. Since
their rival's wand wasn't perfectly suited to them, it gladly
abandoned them when it was stolen. Everyone at the table says,
"Sure! Why not!" and the casting is successful.
Later, the GM returns the coin to the player and introduces a
creature that can sense when a wizard is not using their
original wand. The spell backfires and the creature actually
likes it when a wizard isn't using their original wand. It is
pleased and helps them out of their predicament.
Year Map
Each year at Hogwarts follows a structure of vignettes where
the characters can live in the world, solve problems, build
relationships, and learn magic. A typical year at Hogwarts
includes the following vignettes. You don't need to adhere
strictly to the template, but it helps to have a solid basis.
The Hogwarts Express
The characters sit down together in the Hogwarts Express and
introduce themselves to one another. Other key NPCs such as
friends and rivals may also be introduced by the GM. This is
also a good time to introduce some fantastical concepts that
might come up later in the year, such as chocolate frogs
introducing the concept of moving portraits.
The Sorting Hat
The characters get sorted into their Hogwarts house. Typically,
this is an in-character discussion between the GM (as the
Sorting Hat) and the player (as their character) as to which
house would be best for them. Characters don't need to all be in
the same house.
Group Classes
Characters attend a group class where they learn a particular
spell or magical concept. At the end of the class, each character
must pass an ability check to successfully add the spell to their
sheet. During the class, some magical shenanigans should
happen and relationships should build between the characters
and key NPCs. An example of this from The Philosopher's Stone
is the flying class, where Draco takes Neville's remembrall and
Harry must retrieve it.
Sinister Intentions
On a regular day or night, the characters all witness suspicious
activity and come under some minor threats or dangers as a
result. The characters grow together as a team. An example of
this from The Philosopher's Stone is when Harry stumbles
upon the three-headed dog and realizes that something
dangerous is being kept hidden at Hogwarts.
Individual Classes
The characters split up and pursue individual classes that they
elect for themselves, another opportunity to learn new spells or
extra abilities. These need not literally be classes. In the
Philosopher's Stone, Harry's quidditch match can be
considered an individual class, where he pursues a skill that his
friends do not. Individual classes help differentiate characters'
skills by the end of the year so that they all feel like they have
different strengths and weaknesses. It's best to keep these
classes short, or otherwise involve all players in the classes. For
example, Hermione and Ron watch the quidditch match and
intervene when they realize Harry is being sabotaged.
48
Crisis
The characters come face-to-face with the main crisis of the
year, where their lives are suddenly put in serious peril. This
crisis won't be solved immediately and will persist throughout
the rest of the year, potentially affecting the entire school. In
The Philosopher's Stone, the release of a troll from the dungeon
not only provides an encounter where the students must use
what they've learned in class, but also puts the whole school on
edge when it becomes apparent a dark wizard is attempting to
cause harm to students from within the very school.
Group Classes
The characters come together for another group class where
they have another opportunity to learn new spells and skills.
This time, however, the crisis has a direct effect on the whole
class. New restrictions are put in place, dangerous spells are
taught for self-defense reasons, or the replacement of a lost
teacher introduces new difficulties in the classroom.
Calm Before the Storm
The characters have a chance to cool down and relax, following
up on interpersonal relationships, talking things out with rivals,
doing research in the library, playing games like Wizard's
Chess, or catching up with their family back home. This is also a
good opportunity to advance the story without bringing it to
the climactic showdown just yet.
Exams
The characters prepare for and take their exams, which are
usually a few ability checks. A complication might arise (such as
a herd of centaurs bursting into the exam room, or gravity
being reversed) that makes things more thrilling for the
students. Exams might also include a quidditch final or another
event that tests the characters' skills.
Crisis Resolution
At the end of the school year, the crisis rears its head again and
the characters deal with it directly, facing multiple difficult
death-defying challenges against the odds. As an example, at
the end of The Philosopher's Stone, Harry, Ron, and Hermione
undergo a series of tests in order to reach the eponymous stone
before the dark wizard can retrieve it.
Graduation
To cap off the school year, the characters have a feast and Albus
Dumbledore provides a recap of the year's events. The winners
of the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup are announced. The
characters have a chance to say goodbye before they head home
for the summer.
The Empty Portraits
A 1st-Year Hogwarts Adventure
This sample adventure takes a group of players through their
1st year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Crisis Summary
A mausoleum on the edge of the Forbidden Forest marks the
resting place of twelve students who perished in a fire while
studying at Hogwarts. For memorial's sake, a portrait of each
student hangs on the mausoleum walls. The portraits talk to
each other throughout the night, always wishing that they could
join the real students and finally complete their studies. They
long for a taste of the real world.
One day, it is given to them.
These twelve students have somehow escaped their portraits
and rejoined Hogwarts, disguising themselves and walking
amongst the living students. Though they don't join classes
(they aren't on any attendance lists), they sleep in their old
dorms, study their old books at the library, cheer amidst the
crowds during quidditch matches, and make new friends at the
feasts. These painted students are called "figgefoogs".
The issue is, however, that other portraits have also gone
empty and not all of them are so benign.
Key NPCs
The teachers Rubeus Hagrid and Professor Lupin take
prominent roles in the story.
The following four students serve as the player characters'
rivals throughout the adventure, offering up an example of a
student from each Hogwarts house. They work together in a
frequently-antagonistic role to the group.
Romeo Roots, a 1st year Gryffindor student. Romeo is a
naturally gifted quidditch player with a particular talent for
handling bludgers. He comes from a magical family and has
been playing quidditch since he was six. His strategy is to
knock out the best players of the other team as quickly as
possible, and this extends into his academic life: anyone who
does better than him is a target to be eliminated.
Josephine Juniper, a 1st year Slytherin student. She is
Romeo's cousin and they make a dangerous team. She
whispers her schemes in Romeo's ear, manipulating him into
doing her bidding. She believes that raw ambition will take
her to great heights.
Jemini Juniper, a 1st year Ravenclaw student. She is
Josephine's identical twin sister, but they have very little in
common. Jemini just wants to sit down and study magic, but
Josephine keeps wrapping her up in schemes and Jemini is
too shy to say no.
Gonzo G'nache, a 1st year Hufflepuff student. He is also
Romeo's cousin. He likes toads and potions and doesn't have
much else going for him, so when Romeo and Josephine
include him in their schemes, he is overjoyed. Gonzo is an
animagus who can turn into a toad.
49
Twelve students died in a catastrophe in a previous year. Their
portraits in the mausoleum have been given life and now walk
around among the humans. Three of these figgefoogs are major
characters in the story.
Huntley Hogawney, a 1st year Hufflepuff student. He's very
small and skinny, but eats like a starving dog. He has missed
eating very much and wants to lose himself in the hedonistic
flavours of Hogwarts feasts, where he meets plenty of
students his age and loves making friends. He'll keep asking
the characters to find him new and exotic things to eat, and
in return will introduce them to some of his own creations
(he's an excellent cook).
Breeny Buckling, a 1st year Ravenclaw student. She is
extremely shy and wears a long violet hood that completely
covers her face. She latches onto the first character that
shows her even an ounce of kindness and follows them
around, asking to sit in with their classes or help them in any
way she can.
Snow Sterling, a 6th year Slytherin student. She is tall, strong,
confident, and experienced, with striking white hair and
piercing violet eyes. She likes to teach younger students
spells that are well above their level just to see what mischief
they get up to.
The rest of the figgefoogs are less important, but their names
are included below if it comes up.
Anne Asp, 6th year Slytherin (female)
Christian Cletus, 1st year Hufflepuff (male)
Grace Guttontree, 3rd year Gryffindor (female)
Linwood Leafwood, 1st year Ravenclaw (male)
Myrcella Moth, 1st year Hufflepuff (female)
Quirius Quilt, 1st year Ravenclaw (male)
Strickland Strongbark, 3rd year Gryffindor (male)
Taylor Tassel, 6th year Slytherin (nonbinary)
Willard Whyte, 3rd year Gryffindor (male)
Key Monsters
Fairies and thestrals are used in Care of Magical Creatures.
The escaped portraits, or figgefoogs, use the statblocks of
regular students (as above) or monsters (boggarts,
dementors, and werewolves). Figgefoog wizards can cast
spells and interact with the world as normal, and they have the
same wands and other equipment that they have in their
portraits. The main difference is the figgefoog trait as follows.
Figgefoog. The figgefoog is a painted wizard that has
escaped their portrait and now walks among the living.
They are treated as an object instead of a human for
the purpose of magical effects. They leave paint smears
where they touch. A successful Perception ability
check, which the figgefoog can contest with Charisma,
can identify a figgefoog as non-human if there is
reasonable suspicion that they aren't who they say
they are.
1: The Hogwarts Express
The train ride to Hogwarts is an opportunity for the group to
get to know one another personally before all the craziness of
the year begins. Read out the following text to the players.
As the Hogwarts Express rumbles across the countryside,
the sun seems to shine a little brighter than it did in the
muggle world. You hear students in other carriages reciting
the few spells their siblings and parents have taught them. A
couple blasts of colour arc away from the windows and
flutter into nothingness against the trees and rivers passing
by.
The dividers slide open and you all sit next to one another.
One of you is bold enough to speak up first.
Get each player to describe their character to the rest of the
group, starting with their name and physical appearance. Make
sure that they ask each other lots of questions. Once the
characters have had a chance to chat, their rivals arrive.
You hear a piercing cackle of a young witch. A girl with a
long green-and-black scarf pauses at the dividers and looks
over you all with disdain. Her long black hair is done up in
an intricate braid that twists and turns of its own accord,
and her bespectacled eyes flash with maniacal glee.
She calls out, "Jemini, how much you wanna bet these
mudbloods have never had a chocolate frog before?"
From behind the girl steps someone who appears to be her
exact duplicate, only her hair is frizzy and tangled and her
spectacles are in disrepair.
"You've never even met them, Josephine ..."
Josephine just laughs. "Save me your mewling
protestations! Here, you know what, just give them your
duplicates. You've got a bunch of Dumbledore, don't you?"
she demands.
"I like Dumbledore ..." Jemini whimpers, but it's too late.
Josephine snatches a handful of chocolate frogs from her
twin sister's bag and tosses them into your laps. "That's
okay ..." says Jemini, in a tired voice. "I've had too many to
eat anyway. Hope you like them."
"Later, mudbloods!" cackles Josephine. She slams the
divider shut, leaving you all with a chocolate frog each.
All of them are Dumbledore.
50
Chocolate frogs each contain a holograhic portrait of a wizard
of note. The portraits seem to move of their own accord.
Dumbledore is very reserved, staring up at the children with a
detached look of curiosity before taking a puff from his pipe
and disappearing into the edges of the frame.
It's night when the Hogwarts Express finally screeches to a
halt at Hogsmeade Station. The older students pack into
horseless carriages that wheel across the bridge to the
castle on the lake. You and the other first years are herded
into rowboats that seem to row themselves.
A thousand candles rise up into the night sky and blot out
the stars. Hogwarts Castle glows with yellow light from all its
ramparts and palisades. You can hear a haunting melody
playing from within. The choir has already started. Your year
has begun.
The night is cold, but you feel warm. You are finally home.
2: The Sorting Hat
As the group gathers outside of Hogwarts' Great Hall, awaiting
the signal to enter, a large red ball smacks into the back of
someone's head and bounces down the stairs. Someone's pet
toad leaps after it.
"Oi! That's me quaffle!" shouts a tall red-haired boy. He is
squashed among other boys his age who he elbows good-
naturedly in the ribs. "Ain't you gonna grab that for me?"
The quaffle is already a few flights down the stairs.
If none of the characters go for the quaffle, a very short, squat,
curly-haired boy with freckles eventually comes up, quaffle
under his elbow.
"Got yer quaffle, cuz," says the rather lumpy-looking boy.
His tie is four feet long and trails between his feet, and his
robes are even longer, wrapped up in knots around his
ankles.
"Get outta here, Gonzo," says the tall boy. "Auntie ain't here
to tell me off for swearin' at ya this time around, half
blood."
"Okay," says Gonzo, and merges with the crowd of students.
The first years are led into the Great Hall, where an old floppy
black hat sits on a stool.
Among the teachers upon the stage of the Great Hall, one
stands above the rest. Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster, a
white beard that touches the floor, starry grey robes, and a
pipe that floats near his mouth whenever he takes a puff.
Standing up on the stage, it almost feels like he is eight feet
tall. He presses his wand -- a wand that none of you can
imagine could possibly belong to anyone but the greatest
wizard in the entire world -- and when he speaks, his voice
booms.
"Sonorus. Welcome to your first year at Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Albus Dumbledore, your
headmaster. We'll first take a moment of silence to honour
the fifty year anniversary of the twelve students who lost
their lives in that terrible fire ... Now, in accordance with the
wishes of our school's four founders, students are sorted
into four houses by the sorting hat, based upon their innate
talents and upon what the future has in store for them. I will
call out your names in order ..."
One by one, the students are called up to the stage. The
students see the lumpy boy Gonzo G'nache take the stage and
smile way too widely when the sorting hat is placed on his
head, his eyes glassy, mind elsewhere.
"Ahh, yes, very loyal, are you? Devoted to your cousin ... is
he here today? Yes, I can see his face in the crowd. Everyone
tells you he's a bad influence, but you know better, don't
you? You like to feel like you belong. And what's this? A
talent for recovering lost objects! An easy choice.
Hufflepuff!"
The group sees the tired girl Jemini Juniper, star struck at the
sight of Dumbledore, barely realize where she is when it's
placed on her head.
"You're smarter than you look, aren't you, girl? Play nice
now, and maybe you will be rewarded. Not many your age
can say they would be so accepting of hardship, but you
know what's best for you. And besides, how else are we to
separate you from your sister? Ravenclaw!"
The group hears a suppressed cackle as Josephine Juniper
shoves her sister off and plants the hat forcefully on her head.
"So many ideas! So many schemes! If only others would
listen to you the way you listen to yourself. I've scarcely seen
so much blind ambition. Slytherin!"
The teachers have to pry Romeo Roots' quaffle out of his hands
before they finally get him to sit down.
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"Strong of heart and strong of body, I see. A gifted player,
and good blood runs through your veins. You know your
blood, and you know your place. You could be Slytherin, yes,
you could be great, but they would eat you alive, they would
swallow you whole like a snake eating a bird. Your talents
are better placed where they are appreciated. Gryffindor!"
The group is then called up one by one. The players and the GM
negotiate which house they will be assigned by roleplaying as
the sorting hat and their characters.
After the ceremony is finished, the group joins the Hogwarts
feast and then are sent to their dorms to sleep before classes
begin the next day.
If any characters are sorted into Gryffindor, they join a gaggle
of excited students who gather around a large painting hung up
on the door to the Gryffindor common room. The painting looks
like it should have someone in it, but the greek symposium
depicted is bare. Nobody stands upon its steps.
"Doppelganger! Darn it. Doppelganger? The password's not
working. She should be here!" says an older student, a
prefect. "Doppelganger! Ah, screw it. Alohomora ..." The
prefect mutters the spell under his breath and the portrait
swings open on its own. "We're supposed to use the
password. Don't tell anyone I did that."
"Did what?" laughs Romeo, bouncing his quaffle off the
empty portrait.
3: Potions
Potions classes are taught by Professor Severus Snape, a very
tall, gaunt, pale man with greasy black hair and a look that
could petrify a basilisk.
There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in
this class. As such, I don’t expect many of you to appreciate
the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making.
However, for those select few who possess the
predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and
ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew
glory, and even put a stopper in death. Then again, maybe
some of you believe that your placement in Slytherin house
will provide you with allowance for special treatment. Miss
Juniper. Miss Juniper!
Both Josephine and Jemini raise their heads. Snape waves
off Jemini and towers over Josephine.
"Make no mistake, Miss Juniper, you will be graded solely on
your performance in this class. Special treatment is afforded
only to those who can ..." He looks over to Jemini, who is
furiously taking notes. "... Impress me."
Students in potions class must make Intelligence checks to keep
up with Snape's rapid-fire delivery of the instructions for a
Pepperup Potion.
"Crush the bicorn horn into a fine powder in your mortar
and add two pinches to the cauldron with a mandrake root.
Heat and leave burning for two minutes then add three
sprigs of thyme, five drops of salamander blood, and four
fire seeds, stirring in an alternating pattern of clockwise and
counter-clockwise as you add them. Ensure that you do not
add the fire seeds too quickly or your potion will ..."
A puff of black, choking smoke erupts from Jemini's
cauldron. She cups her hand to her mouth to prevent
herself from shrieking in fright.
Snape's brow furrows. "... or it will burn. Poorly mixed, Miss
Juniper. I expected better of you."
Josephine cackles with glee as her potion bubbles and sets,
taking on a pleasant pink colour. She flicks a hair tie to taunt
Jemini, who bursts into tears and runs out of the room.
Everyone in the class makes another Intelligence check and
receives a Pepperup Potion on a success.
If anyone goes after Jemini, they find her in the hallway being
comforted by a much older Slytherin girl with striking white
hair and piercing violet eyes. She is kneeling down by Jemini's
side, comforting her, but stands straight up when approached.
She is very tall.
"Professor Snape takes some getting used to. He'll grow on
you. I was just teaching poor Jemini here a spell, one they
teach at 5th-year but which I believe is actually quite simple.
What's your name? Would you like to learn this spell too?"
The Slytherin girl, Snow Sterling, teaches Jemini and any other
character present the spell geminio. She demonstrates it with a
small notebook for Herbology class (her own, with very
detailed illustrations of plants, complete with beautiful painted
colours that seem to have been smeared over time) and lets
Jemini keep the duplicate. Characters can add geminio, a 5th-
year spell, to their list of spells.
"Next time your sister sabotages your potion, just duplicate
hers. Professor Snape might even be impressed. I've got an
appointment shortly. Run along back to class, kiddos."
4: Quidditch Try-Outs
We smash cut to the day of quidditch try-outs. Heavy autumn
rains beat down on the students' heads. Lightning crackles in
the distance. The quidditch coach, Madam Hooch, assures the
students that the storm won't roll completely over Hogwarts.
52
Madam Hooch is a stocky woman with short, spiked grey
hair and a very serious demeanour. "The rains are one thing,
but the lightning won't reach us, that's for sure. If a little
drizzle was enough to cause a Hogwarts wizard worry, we
wouldn't be the most renowned producer of quidditch stars
in the country, now would we? Who's ready to try out for
some quidditch?"
The group has all received some basic lessons on broom flying.
Quidditch try-outs shouldn't be too much of a problem, should
they? After all, even Romeo, who has been anxious about try-
outs since literally the day he arrived, doesn't seem to be
worried now. He's chatting casually with Josephine and Jemini.
However, as the students all line up, and as Romeo gives a
character a rough shove as an intimidation tactic, a
bloodcurdling screech cuts through the rain.
Madam Hooch rushes over to Josephine, who has collapsed
in the mud, sobbing inconsolably. "Miss Juniper, you are
making a scene. Whatever is the matter?"
"My sister!" she shrieks. "My twin sister is MISSING!"
"Pull yourself together, girl. She can't have gone far." Hooch
turns to address the rest of the students, but --
"She's going to DIE! My only sister's going to DIE!"
"Oh for heaven's sake," says Hooch. "Take a few friends and
go fetch your sister."
Josephine immediately perks up. With a smile of satisfaction,
she points to the group and insists that they are her friends and
they will help her find her sister. Hooch grabs each of you by
the collar and shoves you towards Josephine, urging you to be
quick about it.
Josephine leads the group down the hill towards Hagrid's
shack, taking a sharp left and ending up in front of what
appeared to once be a greenhouse. Perhaps a former site for an
Herbology class. Whatever it was, it's since become a burnt
shell of a building. A terrible fire must have destroyed it
decades ago.
"I think she's in there," says Josephine. "Now if you don't
mind, if you go and grab her, I'll head back. I think I might be
up soon for the try-outs ..." but she trails off at the sound of
a bloodcurdling scream. Unlike Josephine's scream, this
scream is one of genuine terror. It's coming from within the
greenhouse. "Uhh ... okay guys ... maybe ... maybe let's just
leave my sister in there ... I think ... I think she'll be fine ..."
Within the greenhouse, Jemini is being attacked by a giant
snake that is wrapped around her, squeezing the life out of her.
The snake is actually a transformed boggart, or, more
accurately,a paint monster (a figgefoog) in the form of a
boggart. The boggart will transform into the closest character's
greatest fear (negotiated with the GM) and, if confronted by
Josephine, will turn into a coffin whose animated lid is lined
with teeth, triggering her claustrophobia.
The greenhouse is filled with plant pots, dead mandrakes,
burnt pieces of timber, and broken glass, covered by a thin roof
and canopy. The boggart will attempt to remain under the roof
at all times to avoid the rain, which will dissolve it into a puddle
of paint. The players will need to make Dexterity checks to
determine whether or not they get the drop on the boggart or
whether it will be able to quickly respond to them arriving at
the scene.
The group will have to make Courage checks to face down the
boggart. Creative uses of Courage, such as faith that the boggart
can't hurt them or inspiration to help their friends overcome
their fears, will help them. Students with a good memory might
be able to identify what a boggart is and use their knowledge to
help each other with Intelligence checks. An eye for detail (a
Perception check) might recognise that the boggart isn't
actually causing any direct damage and is instead just leaving
smears of paint everywhere. In addition, Jemini's intense fear
has caused her to hyperventilate and choke; she needs her
airway cleared or she'll suffocate. She's swallowed a globule of
paint.
The students can defeat the boggart by luring it into the
rainstorm, where it will dissolve into a puddle of paint. If they
can't defeat the boggart or don't figure out that it's actually
made of paint, a teacher arrives to save the day.
Professor Remus Lupin, a tall, worried man with a close-
cropped moustache and a perpetually-drained look on his
face arrives at the greenhouse, panting for breath. The
boggart turns to Lupin and, with a horrific screech like the
grinding of metal on metal, it takes the form of a glowing
white pockmarked ball floating high above Lupin's head.
"Riddikulus!" shouts Lupin, and the glowing ball wheezes
and spins like the air being let out of a balloon. The boggart
bounces around the burnt greenhouse for a few seconds
before slamming into Lupin's chest. He casts aguamenti and
dissolves the boggart into a puddle of paint. "That wasn't a
real boggart, it was some sort of paint monster. Anyway,
unrelated to that entirely, you kids shouldn't be here in the
old Herbology greenhouse. A mighty fire ripped through
here and killed a dozen students fifty years ago. Haven't you
seen the memorial? It was a terrible tragedy."
53
The boggart has successfully been defeated. Lupin apologises to
the group and explains that the portrait of a boggart should not
have become an actual boggart. He's not really sure what
happened; one moment he was using the portrait to
demonstrate the boggart's effects, and the next it had hopped
out of the portrait and was wreaking havoc across the school
grounds. He has never seen anything like it.
"Anyway, don't you have quidditch try-outs to get to?"
The group must find a way to quickly get back to the quidditch
field. A spell like point me or making an Intelligence check
should help them find the quickest way back. As they return,
Jemini begins to apologise, but with a glare from Josephine, just
says that she was anxious about the try-outs.
If the group gets back in time, Madam Hooch scolds them for
taking so long, refuses to hear any excuses, and tosses them
each onto a broomstick. They can make a Brawn or Dexterity
check to be considered for the quidditch team.
Romeo, of course, has been made a Beater. He does flips on
his broom in celebration.
5: Individual Classes
Each character has a chance to pursue elective classes. The
following choices are available to them.
Astronomy
Transfiguration
Charms
Multiple students can take the same classes and will be part of
the scene together. The GM can also decide that everyone takes
these classes together as one group.
Astronomy
Astronomy classes are taught at midnight in Hogwarts'
observatory by Professor Aurora Sinistra, a strict African
woman wearing a hat as tall as she is.
Bleary-eyed students amble up the hallway. Some are still in
their pajamas. One very small Ravenclaw girl tugs on the
sleeve of your robes.
"I'm not part of astronomy, but I can't sleep. Can I join your
class?"
She introduces herself as Breeny Buckling and follows you
around dutifully.
Professor Sinistra gives the girl a quizzical look after
attendance is called. The character in the scene will have to
make a Charisma check to vouch for Breeny and prevent her
from being sent back to her common room. If successful,
Breeny beams with happiness. She focuses all of her attention
on the class and hangs off of Professor Sinistra's every word.
Class consists of Professor Sinistra using locomotor on a solar
system model to demonstrate the motions of the planets
around the sun.
Students in her class can add locomotor to their list of spells.
If they already have locomotor, they can add any 1st-year spell
of their choice.
Just before everyone heads back to their dorms to catch up
on sleep, Professor Sinistra grabs you by the collar and
sternly admonishes you for not keeping your robes clean.
She points out streaks of dried blue-and-brown paint
running all the way up and down your arm. A quick casting
of scourgify by her and your robes are once again spotless.
Transfiguration
Professor Minerva McGonagall, a kind yet stern old woman,
teaches transfiguration classes.
"Today we will be learning the color-changing charm. It may
not have a practical use in the defence against the forces of
evil, but we have another class for that, don't we? Perhaps
you would prefer a different colour of scarf if your quidditch
team begins to lose badly. Perhaps you are bored of brown
gravy and would prefer purple. Perhaps you think the
designer of the poster above your bed used just a little too
much red. In any case, you will be practicing this spell on the
apples in front of your desk. They are red. Picture the colour
green firmly in your mind's eye and follow my example.
Please take notes."
She demonstrates with the apple on her teacher's desk.
With a muttering of "colormutatio", the apple transforms
from red to green.
Each student must make an Intelligence check to take careful
notes and then practice the spell on their apple.
"Whoop!" Gonzo, in the back of the class, trips over
Romeo's extended foot. He goes tumbling in the air and, for
reasons known only to his own mind, shouts
"Colormutatio!" and waves his wand randomly. The spell
jolts around the room before shooting out through the door
to the hallway outside and landing square in the face of a
Hufflepuff boy you don't recognise.
The Hufflepuff boy's skin turns bright green. He shouts in
surprise and sprints off as fast as he can.
"Well," says McGonagall, holding back her disapproval.
"That is not supposed to happen."
The students can add colormutatio to their list of spells. If they
already know colormutatio, they can add any 1st-level spell
instead.
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Later, at lunch, they spot the bright-green Hufflepuff boy, a
skinny lad named Huntley Hogawney, who jokes with his big
group of friends about his misfortunes while stuffing his face
full of lamb chops. If he notices the group staring at him, he'll
invite them over, introduce himself, and insist that they find
him some green things to eat to match his green skin.
A character can make a Perception check to locate food like
broccoli or cucumber nearby, or they can just cast colormutatio
to make his lamb chops green. Both options delight Huntley. He
declares that they are best of friends.
Charms
Charms class is taught by Professor Flitwick, a tiny, gnomish
man with a tinkly laugh.
"Welcome, first years, welcome! Today we will be starting
with the summoning charm -- oh no, we won't be
summoning any dementors, any blast-ended skrewts, any
dastardly demons or petrifying ghosts, I'm afraid not! The
summoning charm yanks an object into your hand. You see,
like this remembrall here, you point your wand straight at it
..." Flitwick points his wand at a glass ball sitting on the table
in front of him. "And -- this is the basis for spellcasting, my
students -- you repeat the incantation and perform the
correct motion of your wand! The incantation is accio and to
bring it to you, you give your wand a swift flick upwards, like
so! Accio remembrall!" The glass ball shoots into his hand.
As soon as he touches it, it starts to glow red. "Oh dear, I
seem to have forgotten something. Of course! I forgot to
introduce myself! My name is Professor Flitwick. Now, for
this class, we have a practical component --"
"Accio remembrall!" shrieks Josephine Juniper. The
remembrall shoots out of Flitwick's hand and into hers.
"Amazing!" she shouts. The remembrall does not glow for
her. She is confident that she has not forgotten a thing.
"Accio remembrall!" says Flitwick, a bit annoyed. The
remembrall returns to him. "So as I was saying --"
"Accio remembrall!" says Josephine.
"Accio remembrall!" says Flitwick.
"Accio remembrall!" says Josephine.
"Accio -- you know what, you can keep it. Accio lesson plan!"
Flitwick's lesson plan flies into his hand. He reads for a
moment, then says -- "Okay, yes, the practical component is
that we are going to go out onto Hogwarts grounds and
practice the summoning charm on anything you can see.
Let's go!" He shuffles out of the classroom.
Flitwick takes the class close to the quidditch field. A light
dusting of snowfall covers the field in white. Students
immediately start trying to summon snowballs in such a way
that their friends get hit in the side of the head.
The group spots some 2nd year Hufflepuff students
practicing quidditch on the field, caked in brown, slushy snow.
They pass quaffles back and forth while riding their
broomsticks for what seems like the very first time. One
student throws a bludger in the air which gets confused by
snowflakes and starts spinning in circles. Another is trying to
set up makeshift hoops on the ground level rather than use the
more difficult professional ones on the field. They don't seem to
have a golden snitch, which is fine as they also don't have a
seeker.
Romeo nudges one of the characters.
"Bet we could accio a few of their broomsticks and beat
them at their own game, eh? Let's score three goals on
them. You with me?"
The group might approach the challenge in a variety of ways.
They might need to roll Dexterity to sneak up on the quidditch
players, Charisma to convince others to join in, Intelligence to
correctly cast the spell, Courage to overcome the cold and the
mud, or Brawn to score points on the Hufflepuffs. They also
might use spells like accio and locomotor creatively to control
the quaffle and bludger, diffindo or descendo to sabotage the
makeshift hoops and reparo to restore them, or aguamenti or
incendio to scare the enemy team.
After the third goal is scored, one of the Hufflepuffs becomes
angry and tries to smash Romeo off his broomstick with a
bludger.
The split second before the Hufflepuff releases his grip on
the bludger, he screams in pain. Blood runs down his wrist,
and the bludger, freed from his grip, smashes him in the
face. The Hufflepuff falls hard, headfirst, into a snowbank.
His stubby little legs dangle out the top.
"What the blast are you doing?!" shrieks Flitwick. He runs
over to the downed student. In addition to his head wound,
the Hufflepuff's hand is covered in painful red blisters that
leak fluid. "Episkey," says Flitwick. The wounds heal.
Standing off to the side, with a gormless expression on his
face, Gonzo waves at Romeo and gives him a thumbs up.
Romeo chucks a quaffle at his head. "I wasn't needing no
help, Gonzo! I had him!"
"Okay, cuz," says Gonzo.
Flitwick moves the students away from the very sad-looking
Hufflepuff team. He mutters something like "sufficient to
demonstrate understanding" to the class, then grabs Gonzo by
the ear and drags him away.
55
"You lot were mighty good," says Romeo, although there is a
darkness to his words that is hard to mistake. He looks at
you all with what almost seems to be ... jealousy. Strange.
The group can add accio to their list of known spells. If they
already know accio, they can add any 1st-year spell of their
choice.
6: Care of Magical Creatures
Care of Magical Creatures class opens up after Christmas. The
class is taught by Rubeus Hagrid, a half-giant.
For once, the sun shines bright. Its light sparkles through
dappled leaves in the canopy and reflects off of what's left
of the melting snow. A plume of white smoke lazily wafts
into the sky from Hagrid's cottage.
Rubeus Hagrid is a man as big as a car, with a big bushy red
beard and a coat lined with what seems like one hundred
pockets sewn into every available square metre of space.
"Ah'm introducin' to yahs ma new volunteer, Snow. Erryone
say hi to Snow, wills yah? And keep yer dang bludger locked
up in yer robe pockets, Romeo. Yah don't wanna spook the
nice thestrals, do yah?"
Snow Sterling rides into the clearing in the woods on the
back of an invisible creature. She hops off. A saddle seems
to have been loosely painted onto its fur. Breeny Buckling,
shyly hidden between two much larger students, give Snow
a nervous half-smile and a wave. Snow flips her hair
dramatically and gives Breeny a short, sharp salute.
The learning goals for Hagrid's class are for the students to
correctly locate and muzzle an invisible creature. He uses
thestrals, horses that are invisible to any without the "Witness
to Death" quirk, as his example. He also has a fairy that he feeds
chocolate brownies as a bribe. The fairy turns invisible with the
spell allucinatio and has agreed not to torment the students too
much.
Hagrid approaches his classes from an exploratory-learning
standpoint and provides a few examples of methods for
students to use without locking them into any particular
approach. Snow demonstrates how flecking paint on a creature
can help you identify its outline. Offering food and other treats
also can bring the invisible creature to you, at which point you
can feel around for its snout and apply the muzzle gently as it
eats. Hagrid also has the class stand in place, close their eyes,
and engage their other senses (hearing and smell) to identify
the creature's location.
The group is each assigned a thestral and must use any
method available to them to locate it. A student with the
Witness to Death quirk will be able to see their thestral, and
can request a fairy instead, no questions asked. Hagrid just
gravely nods and gestures for the fairy to help them out.
A mishandled thestral will bolt and run on a particularly badly-
handled ability check. This ties into the next section; if
everyone successfully muzzles their thestral, Romeo Roots will
screw up his attempt by accidentally whacking it in the jaw
with a bludger.
"Oi! What'd I say bout keepin' that dang thing locked up in
yer robes?! Now yeh've done it!"
Everyone can hear the thestral galloping through the brush.
It's not coming back.
"Bloody 'ell. Well I ain't leavin' you lot here on your own.
Snow, you wanna take some kids and go nab our runaway?"
Snow picks the group to accompany her. The group leaves
Hagrid's class behind and treks out into the woods. There's
more snow on the ground under cover of trees and the walk is
quite difficult. The group has a chance to ask Snow Sterling
questions and perhaps learn a new spell (if pestered, she will
teach them videodolum to help them see creatures like the fairy
that use spells to make themselves invisible).
Snow freezes up when they come to a clearing where,
underneath a beautiful canopy of blooming white cherry trees,
a stone building sits in peace. A small mausoleum. A memorial
to the students lost in the fire fifty years ago. When she spots
something galloping through the trees outside of the clearing,
she breathes a sigh of relief.
"Alright kids, you stay here. And stay alert. I'll chase the
thestral back through this clearing, and you cut it off and
muzzle it using the techniques that Hagrid taught you. This
is your biggest test. Got it?" She runs into the brush, which
shakes loose a cloud of white powder. She's gone.
She is gone for a very long time. The forest is silent save for
the chirping of birds, the chittering of squirrels, and ... the
braying of a horse from within the mausoleum.
Snow has accidentally given chase to a centaur instead of to the
thestral. The thestral has actually gone into the mausoleum,
and the longer the group waits, the more obvious this becomes.
At one point the thestral even pokes its head out, sees them,
and trots back inside; those who can't see the thestral will
definitely hear its footsteps and see the tracks it makes in the
wet dirt.
At the entrance to the mausoleum, two square-based pillars
stand tall, each depicting a rough painting of a dementor, a
horrific black-robed ghost with gnarled hands, depicted as
though summoning a cold wind that sweeps through their
frayed cloaks. Students can make an Intelligence check to
determine that paintings like these are traditionally made to
ward off evil beings. Dementors have less power against
those with positivity in their hearts.
56
Inside the mausoleum, a memorial to the twelve students who
died in a fire in the Herbology greenhouse fifty years ago, the
group sees twelve small sarcophagi (empty, just for show) and,
along the walls, twelve beautiful paintings of empty landscapes.
Below each painting is a blank plaque. It looks like words are
supposed to be etched into the plaque, but each plaque is as
empty as the paintings above them.
The thestral is at the back of the mausoleum. It backs into a
corner, spooked, braying and protesting and stamping its feet in
fear. A successful Perception ability check will reveal that the
thestral is not afraid of the students, it's afraid of the dementors
behind them.
The otherwise musty air of the mausoleum grows cold and
dry to the tongue. Behind you are two dementors, gliding
inches off the ground, their claws scraping against the
mausoleum walls like nails on chalkboard and leaving
smeared black streaks in their wake. Their black cloaks
billow in a wind that isn't there. Underneath their hoods,
you cannot see a face, for there is nothing, and you feel in
your bones that should they get their hands on you, you too
will become nothing, just like them, inside and out.
The group makes a Perception check to determine whether the
Dementors get the drop on them. They must fight off the
dementors, which are actually less dangerous versions created
from the paintings at the front of the mausoleum (though the
party doesn't know that). The dementors have the Figgefoog
trait and are treated as objects for the purpose of spells and
magical effects. As first years, it's unlikely that anyone in the
group knows the spell expecto patronum, but they do have
colormutatio to rob the dementors of their intimidation factor,
descendo or wingardium leviosa to slam them against the
ground or ceiling, locomotor to attempt to move the Dementors,
or diffindo to slice through their robes and fight back against
them. The dementors can resist the effects of spells that would
harm them by making Charisma checks to cause the young
wizards to falter.
Eventually, Snow arrives to save the day.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The entire mausoleum is bathed in
a bright white glow of power. The dementors shrink back at
the surge of positive emotion emanating from Snow
Sterling. One dementor tries to push past the light, but a
glowing winter fox erupts out of Snow's wand and rakes its
claws through the dementor's hood. It collapses to the
ground in pain and the fox goes for its neck.
The other dementor swings around and tries to grab Snow
from the side. She flicks her wand underneath its hood and
shouts "CONFRINGO!" The dementor explodes into a
globule of black paint, dousing three or four of the
sarcophagi as well as Snow herself, her white hair turning
black. In the confusion, the first dementor flies out of the
mausoleum in a whirlwind of cold wind and paint.
The party can attempt to stop the other dementor from
escaping. They only have time to make one ability check or cast
one spell. If they fail, it escapes and may return later in the
story.
Snow tries to wring the black paint out of her hair. She sits
down with the group and apologises for running off after what
turned out to be a centaur, not a thestral. She teaches them
expecto patronum. Since her teaching is very quick, they won't
be able to summon their patronus animals yet, just blast white
light. Summoning the patronus will take more practice. Snow
promises she'll help them out with that if they hit her up later.
After all, the positive emotions that she draws upon for her own
patronus are built by seeing younger students grow powerful
as a result of her mentorship.
Once the party has wrapped things up in the mausoleum and
muzzled the (very scared) thestral, they can ride it back to
Hagrid's class. Looking back at the mausoleum, they see that
the two illustrations of dementors at the front have now
disappeared. Doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened
there.
Once returned, Hagrid gives them all a hug and tells them
they have proven themselves to be excellent carers of magical
creatures. Snow demands to speak to Hagrid in private. Hagrid
dismisses the class.
7: The Figgefoog Address
We fade to the school feast in the evening. Huntley Hogawney
sits next to them, and they almost don't recognise him without
his green skin. He's stolen some food from the 7th year
Slytherin table, the most delicious food at the feast, and shares
it with the group. It just so happens to be some of each of the
characters' favourite food.
The festivities are cut short when the whole school hears
Dumbledore clear his throat.
"Sonorus. It has come to my attention that many students
and teachers are reporting paintings of magical creatures
coming to life and attacking them. We've had students
attacked by giant spiders, blast-ended skrewts, poltergeists,
and even a boggart and a few dementors." At the gasps of
shock, Dumbledore raises his hand to silence them. "I do
not mean to alarm you. These creatures are not real. They
are painted manifestations of their real-life counterparts
and do not pose nearly the same danger as they would
normally, although I can imagine it will be difficult to
remember that when you have a dementor staring you
down. These painted manifestations are called figgefoogs. It
is my belief that there is a wizard in this school pulling these
figgefoogs from their paintings with the intent of spreading
chaos at Hogwarts. We do not know if our culprit has a plan
beyond making mischief, so let this be a warning to him or
her: there are portraits of beings in this school that are
much more dangerous than a boggart or a dementor. Beings
that should be left in their paintings where they belong.
57
If you come forth now, no punishment shall be meted.
However, after midnight tonight, if you have not come
clean, your punishment shall be nothing less than
immediate expulsion. I hope I have made myself clear.
Quietus."
A successful Perception check will reveal that while many
students appear terrified, Hagrid instead looks very guilty. He's
sweating bullets.
After the feast, the group can chase up people they think
might be responsible. Get the party to brainstorm everyone
who might be involved so far in the story. This should include
Hagrid, Lupin, Snow, Huntley, Breeny, Lupin, Josephine, Jemini,
Romeo, and Gonzo. They only have time to chase up two to
three people, depending on how quickly they move around
Hogwarts.
Hagrid
Hagrid puts on a pot of tea for the group in his hut. The spring
air is cool at night, and the pollen makes Hagrid sneeze
uncontrollably. He admits that he messed around with some
magic he found in the restricted section in the library.
"Ah just felt so bloody sorry for em, sadly hangin in that
dusty ol place for a half century, ah truly felt so bloody sorry.
Ain't nobody to talk to but each other, day in day out, all
those years left alone. Overheard one day them talkin about
all them things they missed bein a student here at
Hogwarts, or at least what their real selves woulda missed,
cause they're just paintings, yah know? It ain't as if ah was
bringin nobody back to life, they're just copies, but real sad
copies. Thought ah'd make a difference, let em step outta
them paintings and spend a day as a student here. But, yah
see, the book ah stole from the library, it's gone missin, and
now even more of them paintings are turnin into figgefoogs
like them. It's got outta hand, let me tell yahs. Can't come
clean to Albus cause it means all them poor figgefoog
students'll be forced back into them paintings and they'll
never be allowed out again. You lot can keep a secret, can't
yahs?"
Hagrid has not been creating any of the figgefoogs aside from
the twelve students. He has no idea who summoned the
boggart, the dementors, or any other terrible creatures from
paintings. That must be someone else. Maybe the same person
who stole his books.
Hagrid knows how to return the figgefoogs to their paintings,
he just doesn't want to do it. His mind is set and, even if the
students successfully roll Perception or Charisma to determine
that he's lying about something, he maintains his resolve with a
Courage check not to reveal anything further to prevent putting
the figgefoog students in danger. He won't even reveal their
names.
The students may, however, make a Charisma check to convince
Hagrid to trust them and join in on his plan. If they agree, he'll
tell them the names of the figgefoogs and instruct them to cover
for those students wherever possible while Hagrid figures out
who has stolen his book and who has been summoning the
monstrous figgefoogs.
After speaking with the group, Hagrid has a think alone in his
hut, and then decides to come clean to Dumbledore. After all,
Hagrid is the only one who knows how to reliably return them
to their portraits without hurting them. Of course, Hagrid is
only responsible for the student figgefoogs, not the monsters.
Still don't know who's doing that part.
Lupin
Lupin is crossing the Hogwarts bridge above the lake in quite a
hurry. The cloudy spring night has turned the sky a perfect
black, and he looks to the skies with a deeply worried
expression. He will attempt to shove past the group, and they
can stop him through an ability check contested with his
Brawn.
"You were the ones attacked by that boggart, weren't you?
You and the Juniper twins. I must admit that if you're
looking for instruction on how to trap a figgefoog back in its
painting, I'm afraid the boggart was a one-off, as far as I
understand. Its shapeshifting abilities allowed it to return to
its prison. I don't think that will work for other figgefoogs. If
you don't mind, we can further this discussion in our
Defence Against the Dark Arts class tomorrow, but I really
must go. I can't be out here this late. I have ... a strict ... bed
time. Yes."
Lupin isn't lying about the figgefoogs. He isn't responsible in
the slightest for them. He is, however, a werewolf and is
worried that the clouds will part and expose him to the full
moon while young students are talking to him. He hurries away
as fast as he can.
Snow
Snow can be found in the owl roost, teaching Jemini how to cast
expecto patronum. The owls are very active in the night-time in
the spring, swooping from the rafters to gobble up fireflies.
Jemini's patronus is quite advanced already, even managing to
produce a magnificent atlas moth (an owl attempts to eat it, to
no avail). Snow gives her a pat on the head and then addresses
the group.
Snow's hair is still black from the exploded figgefoog
dementor. "Oh no, I had nothing to do with the figgefoogs.
Did you think I summoned those dementors? Why possible
reason would I have to do that, especially considering that I
saved your asses from them thirty seconds later? No, I don't
know anything about it. I've just been helping out Hagrid as
thanks for believing in me when I thought I would fall
through the cracks. I hope to inspire others as he inspired
me."
58
Snow is the one who has been summoning the monstrous
figgefoogs. She's been experimenting how to make her
transformation permanent and, while some monsters have
been accidental, some she has created deliberately as a
distraction. Notably, she pulled out the dementors to make sure
that the group in the mausoleum didn't investigate too
thoroughly. As a 6th year Slytherin student, she has a very high
Charisma and is confident in her lies.
Josephine, Jemini, Romeo, and Gonzo
Josephine stands and examines the empty portrait outside the
Gryffindor common room where the Fat Lady would normally
sit. Romeo has shown her where to find it. Jemini and Gonzo sit
on the edge of the stairs nearby, both of them bored and
exhausted while their two more charismatic family members
run the show.
"What do you think, Romeo, you reckon the Fat Lady's been
yanked out and made a figgefoog, or you reckon she's just
getting away from all the fuss?"
Romeo shrugs. "I dunno, she's been gone the whole year.
We just use alohomora to get in -- wait -- dammit --" The
portrait swings open, revealing the Gryffindor common
room. Romeo quickly slams it shut again. "Forget you saw
that."
Josephine turns to the group. "What do you reckon? As
soon as Dumbledore started rambling about portraits
coming to life I went down to that old mausoleum, you
know, with all the portraits in it of dead students, and
wouldn't you know, twelve empty portraits. I'm thinking
that I can get into Dumbledore's good graces by finding
those twelve students. If I find them, I'm sure that
Dumbledore will turn a blind eye to any future schemes I
come up with, ha ha! Are you gonna just stand there slack-
jawed, or are you gonna help me?"
Clearly these four first year students have nothing to do with
the release of the figgefoogs. Josephine truly intends to seek
them out in an attempt to get on Dumbledore's good side. The
party can either agree to help her, decline, or lie. If they tell her
they are with her, she'll tell her that the figgefoogs probably
leave paint trails wherever they go, you know, being technically
made of paint and all. If the group doesn't agree to help her, she
just tells them to stay out of her way.
Huntley and Breeny
Huntley can be found in the house-elf common room giving the
house-elves scrapings from his plate at the feast. Breeny is
following him and shyly gives the house-elves what's left of her
plate as well.
Huntley perks up at your arrival. "Oh, good! I try to save
morsels from the feast as the house-elves don't get quite as
good quality of food as we do. Did you bring any plates for
them?"
If asked about the figgefoogs, both Huntley and Breeny first
attempt (badly) to lie, then come clean if they are accused of
being figgefoogs themselves.
"It's true!" wails Huntley. The house-elves hear, but they
pretend to ignore him. Seems that they like him enough not
to tattle. "It's true, I'm a figgefoog! And Breeny too! We just
wanted to spend a few days as students, to eat real food, to
cast real spells, to breathe real air! All we needed to do was
lay low, but someone's been creating monsters, and they're
gonna ruin it for everyone!"
They don't know who's been creating the monstrous figgefoogs,
and they beg the group to keep their secret. The Fat Lady has
also been staying with the house elves and has enjoyed her
newfound freedom.
8: Defence Against the
Figgefoogs
Professor Lupin begins his Defence Against the Dark Arts class
visibly shaken. He tells the students that a very dangerous
portrait has gone empty overnight. Under the light of a full
moon, a werewolf may run amok through the school. A few
students scream and Lupin casts silencio on the class for a
minute as they get it out of their system. When sound returns,
he continues: he will teach students how to deal with a
figgefoog werewolf.
"First, we shall deal with the werewolf half of that equation.
Adorn yourselves with silver and the werewolf will be
repelled. Here are some silver keychains that I just
happened to have lying around, don't worry about it, here
you go." He passes the keychains to each student. "Second,
the figgefoog half of the equation gives the werewolf some
vulnerabilities that you can take advantage of. We are in luck
as a figgefoog werewolf is much more easily taken care of
than a real werewolf."
Lupin places a small chess figurine on his desk. It's a rook
from a Wizard's Chess set. The rook draws a warhammer
and starts taking swings at Lupin's notebook, leaving dents
in the leather cover.
59
"Tanaxi." The rook's little hammer sticks to the cover of the
notebook. The rook pulls and pulls but can't free his
hammer. He slips and falls back, and the hammer stays
rooted to the notebook. As the rook tries to get up, Lupin
mutters "tanaxi" again and the rook becomes glued to the
desk. It squeaks in distress. It can't get back up. "The spell
tanaxi adheres any object to another object or solid surface,
like glue. It won't hold it for long, but it can help slow down
a figgefoog." Lupin produces the rest of the Wizard's Chess
set. "Piertotum locomotor. One each of you, hop to a
student's desk and let them practice on you. Good."
Each student is provided a chess piece to practice with. The
chess pieces all have little weapons and are very aggressive to
any other objects on a student's desk. They swordfight against
quills, clang cauldrons like bells, rip pages out of notebooks,
and steal wands to use as lances. Students will not only need to
cast tanaxi, a 3rd-year spell, but also succeed on a Dexterity
check to outmanoeuvre the chess piece.
Josephine casts objectum mutatio on her cauldron, a very
advanced spell that reshapes the cauldron into an iron
throne (she was previously taught it by Snow, if questioned).
She adheres her Queen chess piece to the throne. It tries to
resist, then decides that it likes sitting on the throne and
relaxes. Josephine raises her hand to let Professor Lupin
know that she has finished.
"Well done, Miss Juniper."
"Excuse me, Professor Lupin, tanaxi is a spell that only
affects objects. If it affects a figgefoog, does that mean that
figgefoogs are objects?"
Lupin nods, impressed. "That's right, they're not considered
to be humans like you or me."
Josephine hops up in excitement. "If that's the case, then a
spell like colormutatio would change a figgefoog's colour,
right?"
Lupin shrugs. "I suppose that would be the case --"
"COLORMUTATIO!" shouts Josephine, pointing her wand at
random students around her. They shield their eyes from a
flash of rainbow light that quickly fizzles out. "Colormutatio!
Come on, we can find figgefoogs this way! Colormutatio!"
The class erupts into chaos. Jemini, Romeo, and Gonzo
immediately join in, casting colormutatio in all directions, not
even aiming where they're blasting. Chess pieces turn red,
purple, green -- desks become yellow, orange, white -- wizard
hats change to blue, pink, magenta -- Lupin casts silencio but it
backfires in the confusion and his own voice is silenced instead
-- he loses control of the class --
A Ravenclaw boy dashes for the door, but Josephine spots him
and casts tanaxi. His hand sticks to a desk. He tries to drag the
desk along with him, but she casts tanaxi on his feet and
adheres him to the floor. Just to be sure, she casts colormutatio
and turns him red.
"I guess I've caught you ... RED HANDED AAAAA HA HA HA
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!"
Class is cancelled. Lupin drags the Ravenclaw boy, Quirius Quilt,
to Dumbledore's office. As Quilt tries to resist, he smears red
paint all over Lupin's coat.
Students can add tanaxi to their list of spells known. If they
already know tanaxi, they can add any 1st-year spell of their
choice instead.
It's very possible that the players will come to the same
conclusions that Josephine has come to. Let them take the
spotlight instead of Josephine if they figure it out.
9: Figgefoog Hunt
At night, in each of the house common rooms, Josephine and
her lackeys attempt to convince the group to join them in
hunting down the other eleven figgefoog students.
Gryffindor (Romeo)
"These students didn't get their letter. They're not even real
people. They're eating our food, joining our classes, taking
our magic, all without earning a single thing they have.
They're a bunch of paintings that think they're entitled to
things they don't deserve. We need to get rid of them."
Hufflepuff (Gonzo)
"Romeo says I'm a big help in finding those figgefoogs! I like
being a big help and he seems like he knows what he's
doing. Don't you think we should help?"
Ravenclaw (Jemini)
"Listen, Josephine's got her mind set on this, and there's
nothing we can do to sway her otherwise, so we might as
well be on her side for this, wouldn't you agree?"
Slytherin (Josephine)
"If we can find these figgefoogs, we'll be heroes, you get
me? Heroes! We could ride that wave of popularity as far as
it will take us! Who cares if we drink a few potions we're not
supposed to drink or stay out after hours practicing spells
way above our year level? We found the figgefoogs! They
won't be able to take that away from us! Are you in, or are
you in?"
60

Main Goal
Regardless of whether the group is with Josephine or against
her, the most useful thing the group can be doing is finding out
the names of the twelve figgefoog students. Knowing their
names will either help the school narrow down who is and isn't
a figgefoog, or it will give the group a head start in finding the
figgefoog students and giving them protection.
The Mausoleum
The plaques where the students' names were written have
been wiped clean. A successful Intelligence check can identify
that the names were erased with the spell noink and that the
spell aparecium or a revealer (a magical eraser) can reveal the
words that have been hidden.
Quarius Quilt has already been returned to his painting. He
sits on a tire swing, looking forlorn. He refuses to speak.
Learning Aparecium
The students can ask Professor Flitwick, the charms teacher, to
teach them how to cast aparecium, but he will refuse as it's
meant to be a 2nd-year spell. He assures them they'll learn it
next year, not to worry. If they've accidentally hidden important
notes with noink, they can always borrow a revealer from the
library.
The students can also ask Snow if she'll teach them an
advanced spell. She'll just say she doesn't know that spell as she
never found it useful. Go ask someone else or come to her with
a more exciting request.
Obtaining a Revealer
The librarian, Irma Prince, is a stern middle-aged woman with
enormous spectacles and a hat adorned with black swan
feathers. She regretfully informs the group that all of her
revealers have been signed out by Miss Jemini Juniper.
Jemini refuses to lend her revealers to the party or explain
why she has so many. In actual fact, she doesn't have any of
them; Snow made her sign them all out and then vanished them
all with evanesco.
Secretly, Snow is using Jemini to further her schemes.
Lupin
Remus Lupin can be found in his office and may agree to teach
the students aparecium if he's convinced that it will help bring
the figgefoogs in. He feels somewhat responsible for the danger
the students are in as the werewolf figgefoog is in fact his own
portrait that Snow brought to life. There's a copy of Lupin
running around.
In fact, there is a chance that the students will run into the
figgefoog copy of Lupin instead of the real one. The copy looks
much younger and handsomer, with a much less scruffy beard.
A successful Perception check will identify that Lupin's lesson
schedule on the board says that he should be in class now, and
also all of his lesson plans and books are smeared with paint.
Figgefoog Lupin will cast relashio to stun the group with a
glob of paint and then make his escape.
Dumbledore will be very interested in the presence of a
figgefoog Lupin running around. If this is brought to his
attention, he'll reward the students with a revealer.
Other Methods
The students can talk to Dumbledore to get a copy of the
student records. Dumbledore will search through the archives,
but it seems that someone has gotten to them first and
expunged the names of the twelve students (this was Snow,
who snuck into the archives while Dumbledore was delivering
his speech at the feast a few weeks back). He has a revealer
lying around and might give it to the students, instructing them
to report back with the names once they are done. If the plight
of the figgefoog students is explained to him, he might be
sympathetic but still insist that they are tracked down and
captured.
Hagrid might also know the names of the students that he set
free, but he says that he can't remember. There were twelve of
them and he's always had trouble remembering names. If
pestered or persuaded, he might reveal that Snow Sterling is a
figgefoog, but that's all. He remembers her name because she's
been very helpful as his assistant and he thinks she has a lot of
promise as a wizard. She's great with younger students and
always seems to bring out the best in everyone in terms of
magical ability.
The group can also interrogate the Fat Lady in the house-elf
common room, who sighs and says they already know Huntley
and Breeny, and she knows about Snow Sterling, but can't
remember the names of the rest of them. She says that one
house-elf, Nesbitt, might agree to reveal the plaques if you ask
him nicely and bribe him with some food. Nesbitt can cast
aparecium and will do so for a slice of pie from dinner.
List of Names
When the party enters the mausoleum, they find that quite a
few figgefoogs have already returned to their portraits. There's
only about four or five remaining. The teachers must have been
very effective in weeding out any students that weren't
supposed to be there.
Standing next to the portraits of their friends are Breeny and
Huntley, who lay their hands on the paintings in sombre
solidarity for those who have already been caught.
"I'm sorry," says Breeny. "I'll try to stay out as long as
possible. Maybe they'll come around. It was good while it
lasted, though, wasn't it ... ?"
Neither Breeny nor Huntley will stop the party from recovering
the list of names from the plaques, but they will be very sad
about it. The names can be found in the Key NPCs section at the
beginning of the chapter.
Once the names have been recovered, the group hears
Josephine and her posse approaching. If they sought the
services of Nesbitt the house-elf, he immediately apparates
away, not wanting any trouble.
61
Josephine's cackle of triumph pierces through the stale air. Rom
"I knew you were holding out on me, Jemini! Of course you is t
loc
still had a revealer tucked away somewhere." opp
pet
Josephine, Jemini, Romeo, and Gonzo appear at the
Gonz
entrance to the mausoleum, silhouetted by the glaring of t
evening sun through the trees. They take a few steps into tra
at h
the mausoleum, and, when their eyes adjust, spot you
hum
reading the freshly-revealed plaques at the back. opp
Rom
"Oi!" she says, pointing at Breeny and Huntley. "These two hop
are figgefoogs, aren't they? We gotta hand em over to bac
Dumbledore!" After
every
There are two options for the group. They can either join
stude
Josephine and her posse and attempt to apprehend Breeny and hurt a
Huntley, or the group can defend Breeny and Huntley against
If Jo
Josephine and her posse.
party
but th
Fighting Breeny and Huntley next t
A Quick Draw check determines who gets the drop on whom in
If Jo
the duel. Being first year students, they only know a few spells.
that m
They're outnumbered and outmatched, but they try to defend
consi
themselves anyway. They cast petrificus totalus, which traps the
she'll
victim in a magical picture frame for the duration in addition to
agree
its regular effects. They use the sarcophagi as cover and
can't
attempt to make a break for the exit.
hunti
If the dementor escaped earlier, it returns here and attempts
herse
to suck the soul from Breeny. Finding no soul to suck, it moves
on to the humans. The group will need to use expecto patronum
that they learned from Snow in order to drive the dementor 10
back. It's ge
While the group fights the dementor, Breeny and Huntley humi
take the opportunity to escape. The party can stop them by first way t
succeeding on a Perception check to notice them escaping then studie
stop them with locomotor mortis, tanaxi, a Brawn check to many
tackle them, or any other method the party can come up with. Hagri
The two figgefoogs and the list of names can then be brought to but o
Dumbledore for praise and adoration. instea

Fighting Josephine and Her Posse Every

A Quick Draw check determines who gets the drop on whom in
cons
the duel. Breeny and Huntley attempt to escape while the group
fights Josephine, Jemini, Romeo, and Gonzo. Like in the other again
option, a dementor arrives shortly into the duel and forces or Fl
everyone to work together momentarily to ward it off. stud
Josephine is a cunning manipulator who has practiced a few pictu
higher-level spells. She will taunt her opponents into casting
Hogw
a jinx, hex, or curse, which she will attempt to reflect back at
them with protego. If cornered, she'll cast serpensortia and
most
modify it with oppugno to set a snake on her enemy. learn
Jemini is a very timid fighter. She's not confident in her own
ability to pick appropriate spells, so she'll just copy what As ex
other people do. She has a bit of a crush on Romeo so she'll the fi
probably copy whatever he casts, i.e. casting locomotor on a
hunti
sarcophagus lid and trying to ram her opponent with it. If
that doesn't work, she'll cast petrificus totalus if Romeo has what
cast it. Otherwise she'll just copy whatever her opponent the h
picks. culpr
62
It's time for exams. Each character must complete an exam for
every class that they participated in throughout the adventure
so far. Unless otherwise noted, all of the exams occur in the
same room, roughly simultaneously.
Potions
The students must produce a perfect Pepperup Potion,
requiring a successful Intelligence check. The check is made
complicated by the fact that the cauldron is a figgefoog and will
melt into a puddle of paint when fire seeds are added.
Charms
The students must accio a specific Wizard's Chess piece while
they engage in bloody warfare with each other. It requires a
Dexterity check when their piece presents the opportunity. The
check is made complicated by the fact that a figgefoog student
gets caught in someone else's accio and starts knocking
everything over.
Astronomy
The students must demonstrate the motion of the solar system
using locomotor on a large wooden model, requiring an
Intelligence check for accurate motion. The check is made
complicated when a figgefoog student gets caught in the
locomotor spell and starts spinning around in Saturn's place.
Care of Magical Creatures
The students must locate an invisible fairy in the exam room
and capture it using any method they see fit. The task is made
complicated by the fact that there are two fairies, one of which
is a figgefoog.
Defence Against the Dark Arts
The students must prevent a specific Wizard's Chess piece from
reaching the other side of the board by casting tanaxi with a
successful Dexterity check. This check is made complicated
when a werewolf bursts into the exam room.
The werewolf seems to have been triggered by the fake moon
from the Astronomy solar system model.
"Hey, you!" says Professor Flitwick to the werewolf. "That's a
fake moon, so therefore you should not currently be a
werewolf! Unless the distinction doesn't matter considering
that you are a figgefoog and thus operate through different
rules than the real version of a --"
The werewolf punts Professor Flitwick across the room.
Flitwick crashes down on a table like a bowling ball on a
wicker basket. The werewolf takes a moment to howl at the
fake model of a moon, then runs at the student currently
taking her astronomy exam: Jemini Juniper.
As she falls back and cries out for help, Professor Lupin
strides into the exam room, raises his wand, and shouts
"CONFRINGO!" The werewolf explodes and splatters Jemini
with paint. She stares at Lupin in wide-eyed shock, dripping
wet with auburn brown and burnt sienna paint, then
screams.
Dumbledore calls Lupin into his office. Exams are finished. The
Good job everyone. Go back to your dorms. If students listen in
to Dumbledore's office, they might hear something about how
stupid it is to cast a dangerous spell like confringo with a
student so close to the target, and also how Dumbledore knows
that Lupin is ... and then nothing, as Dumbledore casts
ingressum on his office.
Quidditch
If any character plays quidditch, they must play for their house
team to win the Quidditch Cup. Due to a perfect tie, all four
house teams will be playing at the same time on the quidditch
field, which has been adapted for four teams. It's extremely hot
and the air is thick with swarms of insects. The rules are
otherwise the same: any goal scored by your team counts as ten
points (regardless of whose net, other than your own) and the
golden snitch counts as 150 points. There are more quaffles
and bludgers on the field than usual, but still only one golden
snitch.
At least, that's what everyone thinks, because almost
immediately as soon as the game starts, two golden snitches
buzz onto the field, whacking into each other a few times before
separating off in two directions.
Quidditch is played narratively. A character playing quidditch
must make either Brawn checks (throwing quaffles, whacking
bludgers, smacking other players off their brooms) or Dexterity
checks (dodging bludgers, chasing the snitch) in response to
the changing landscape of the game. With four teams playing at
once, the emphasis should be on chaos.
Characters watching the game can cast spells from the
sidelines to aid their friends, but must make Dexterity checks to
keep their casting a secret or they'll be removed from the
audience. They can also cheer on their team with Charisma
checks.
Romeo is a particular problem in this game. As a beater, he
delights in smacking important players off of their broomsticks
and taking them out of the game entirely. He ignores the snitch
and quaffles entirely and will lock onto specific power players,
doing everything in his power to defeat them. At one point in
the game, he identifies at least one member of the group as a
key player and will hone in on them, showering them with
bludgers and even flying in close to smack their broomstick
with his stick.
To catch the golden snitch, the seeker must first make a hard
Perception check to identify which snitch is real and which is a
figgefoog, being unable to distinguish them on a failed check.
Then, they have to make a Dexterity check to catch up to the
snitch and a Brawn check to snatch it tightly. If they catch the
figgefoog, it explodes into golden-flecked paint in their hands,
blinding them until they cast scourgify or manage to clear the
paint from their eyes.
In addition, if the figgefoog dementor is still alive, it joins the
game and attempts to take the snitch for itself, seeing it as a
source of positive joy and wanting to destroy it. It will attempt
to suck the soul out of anyone in its way. The dementor also
can't distinguish between the real snitch and the figgefoog
snitch. Near the end of the game, if the dementor is still a
dangerous factor, Professor Snape will fly out onto the field on
his broom and personally take the dementor out, first with
expecto patronum (a doe) and then with confringo once it is
safely away from the students.
63
After the quidditch match, students have about a week of free
time before the final dinner and the winners of the House Cup
are announced.
11: That's Snow Werewolf!
After being saved by Lupin from the werewolf, Jemini has
become obsessed with Lupin and has traded some of her
jewellery for a chocolate frog with Lupin's face in it. Any
Ravenclaw characters will be able to see the exchange in the
Ravenclaw common room. At each dinner feast, Jemini sits at
the table alone and stares at the portrait of Lupin that she
keeps in a locket. Josephine complains that all Jemini talks
about these days is becoming a witch as powerful and decisive
as Lupin.
Characters who succeed on a Perception check can also
overhear Professor Sinistra complaining that a student seems
to have made off with her large solar system model after the
exams.
After dinner, Jemini looks around suspiciously, makes sure
nobody is following her, and then races up to the owl roost.
Characters who notice her leave can make a Dexterity check to
follow her. Josephine may ask the group to help her track Jemini
as her sister has been acting suspiciously lately.
The Owl Roost
Jemini travels up to the owl roost to get more lessons from
Snow, whose now black hair has never returned to its original
white after she was splattered with dementor paint. The owls
are more docile in the heat, staying up high under the shade of
the rafters. Snow teaches Jemini the spell impervious to repel
liquids and heat. She also asks to see Jemini's locket and smiles
when she sees that it's of Lupin.
"Oh good, I knew you'd come around to Lupin. What a hero.
Now, what was that spell I taught you early in the year?"
Jemini thinks. "It was a hard one! Geminio."
Snow nods. "That's right. Let's practice, shall we? Geminio."
She casts it on the portrait of Lupin, creating a copy, then
hands back the original to Jemini. "See you around, kiddo."
With a flash of light, Snow disappears, and Jemini is left
alone in the roost.
Jemini has been secretly taking lessons from Snow for most of
the year and has helped Snow hide out from the teachers
hunting for the last of the figgefoog students. The party can
confront her about this, but there are more pressing matters, as
the group hears a dozen wolves howling at the full moon
outside.
An Perception check from the owl roost can identify twelve
werewolves racing towards Hagrid's hut. The first werewolf
looks fairly convincing, but each subsequent werewolf looks
more cartoonish and less real, and the last one is barely putting
along, dripping and spraying paint everywhere, almost looking
like it's melting. Each copy seems to have reduced in quality.
All of the werewolves gather on top of a hill, where Snow
stands, her Slytherin cloak billowing behind her as she calls out
with magical power to the werewolves. She is giving them
instructions.
Jemini says, "Oh, maybe she's sending them to Hagrid. She
said she was going to give Hagrid a thank you gift for safely
returning her friends to their paintings."
There is a long pause as the meaning sinks in.
"Uh oh."
The group should probably hurry to Hagrid's hut. Jemini is a bit
embarrassed that she believed Snow, so she'll have to be
convinced with a Charisma check to come with the group.
Hagrid's Hut
As the group races through the hot night-time air towards
Hagrid's hut, they hear the howls of the figgefoog werewolves
approaching.
One of them, the cleanest copy, manages to get to Hagrid's
hut first. It crashes right through the window and you all
hear shouting, growling, screaming, and crashing from
within. A blast of light and the werewolf is thrown out the
same window it came in, dissolving into paint as it slides
into the dirt.
You open Hagrid's door and he's collapsed in the corner of
his hut, splinters of a collapsed table all around him, his
umbrella pointed straight at your face with fire simmering at
the tip. When he sees it's you, he sighs in relief and slumps
over. It's very strange to see such a big man look so small.
He's bleeding from the arm. His coat has been torn.
He's been bitten.
"T'is a scratch," he mutters, before the pain and the venom
knocks him out cold.
Eleven more howls reverberate through the night air. The
full moon shines bright.
The group must defend Hagrid's home from the werewolves
using all of the tricks available to them. Hagrid's home has a
fireplace with a large cauldron, a kitchen, and three Draughts of
Peace which a character can identify with a successful
Intelligence check based on the ingredients nearby.
The werewolves attack the house a few at a time, each
werewolf looking less real and more like abstract art or even a
child's finger-painting.
The group can fight against the werewolves by dousing them
in Draught of Peace, which soothes them as their paint gets
watery and causes them to dissolve. They only have five of
them, however. A clever character might cast geminio, but each
copy loses the soothing property and allows the werewolves to
shake off the water without being harmed.
64
The werewolves can be rooted in place momentarily with If present, Jemini can protect other characters from Snow's
tanaxi, though they will be able to rip themselves free with a paint effects with impervious and may garner the courage to
An A
The g
Brawn check. Other spells that affect objects like locomotor, cast confringo on Snow when Snow has been sufficiently
even
muspoculum, descendo, and diffindo will also be effective against weakened by the party, blowing her into smithereens.
her th
the werewolves. Their poorly-copied structure will deteriorate
up th
quickly when they are damaged enough. Incendio and
check
aguamenti can speed up this process either by melting or
test to
watering down the paint.
them
The werewolves are also not nearly as strong as a real
werewolf and might be able to be physically overpowered by Ha
two or more characters succeeding on Brawn checks, but W
letting the werewolves get close enough for that is a huge risk, an
as a single bite can incapacitate a character. Sn
Once the werewolves have been dealt with, Hagrid groans in ot
pain. He needs to see the school nurse. Episkey will help with It'
his wound but it's too big to be fully healed by that spell. He is Sn
so big that he requires the entire group to work together to po
move him, unless they come up with something clever like go
rolling him onto the collapsed table and then casting be
wingardium leviosa or locomotor on the table.
Eac
When you step outside the cottage, the first thing you Chari
down
notice is that the ground is slippery with wet paint from all
with f
of the figgefoog werewolves you've dissolved. The second figgef
thing you notice is a witch floating in the air, framed by a after
dark canopy and lit only by the light of the full moon. the m
other
It's Snow. She snarls like a cornered fox.
12
"Hagrid is the only one who can imprison me again. A fate
The y
worse than death. All this potential, wasting away in a cerem
painted frame. Mark my words: I will die before I go back." for a f
Hav
A Duel With Snow eat at
Snow duels the group in the barren summer fields around eat, th
Hagrid's hut. There's cover within the hut as well as behind
large rocks, hay bales, bushes, and some tall thin trees. Exam
Snow knows that she will be outnumbered, so she has made The G
special preparations for her duel. She has cast volatus on perfo
herself so that she can fly and geminio to create a copy of for ea
herself that is currently sneaking up on the group from behind. was a
The group will have to fight two flying Snows at the same time.
While fighting, they can also simultaneously attempt to reason Quid
with her, as below. The Q
final.
Snow takes advantage of having two of herself by casting
copie
evanesco and appareo to blink herself in and out of existence.
which
This is her defensive option. She'll need to succeed on a Quick
Draw check to quickly vanish and re-summon herself to avoid
enemy spells, which she can also use to quickly disorient her
Hou
The H
enemies and get the drop on them.
GM th
Offensively, she uses aguamenti (summoning paint instead of
GM is
water) combined with oppugno, creating fragile paint monsters
thoug
that take the form of vicious winter foxes. She also blinds her
Alt
opponents with a burst of paint using nitor, as well as painfully
why t
trapping her opponents in an illusory frame of a painting with
demo
crucio to remind them of what she is trying to escape.
chara
argum

65

Dumbledore's Speech
"We began this year with bright eyes, and we finished
through chaos and hardship, but we finished nonetheless.
Another crisis at Hogwarts has once again been dealt with
through the swift action of its teachers and students, and
here we all sit, safe and sound, eating and drinking and
enjoying each other's company. Such is the way of life in the
wizarding world. Our troubles with the figgefoogs began
early in the year with paintings of blast-ended skrewts and
boggarts coming to life and terrorising our youngest and
most vulnerable. It came to light that a wizard was creating
these figgefoog monsters to sow distrust and chaos among
us, but instead, we banded together, discovered the culprit,
and defeated them. Each of us played a part. Josephine
Juniper, a first year student, worked together with her
friends to identify and capture the greatest number of
figgefoogs of anyone, student or teacher, in the entire
school. Professor Lupin and Professor Snape faced down
terrible monsters armed with nothing but their resolve.
Professor Sinistra and Professor McGonagall's expert ability
to hide our most dangerous paintings prevented the worst
of catastrophes. And Rubeus Hagrid, kind of heart, led the
charge for a peaceful end to hostilities. I would like
everyone to give them, and yourselves, a round of
applause."
Outcomes for the Figgefoogs
Dumbledore asks to speak with the group privately after the
feast. He calls them into his office and sits them down on a big
comfy sofa. His pet phoenix, Fawkes, observes them with
interest, letting out a squawk now and then. Dumbledore casts
ingressum to protect against eavesdroppers.
"Now then. I am told that you had a large part in the
resolution of our little figgefoog problem. The painting of
the Slytherin girl, Snow Sterling, she was responsible for the
summoning of the monsters and the attack on Rubeus
Hagrid, am I correct? Good. Thank you for your swift action.
Although I cannot publically condone how you put
yourselves in so much danger, I can privately tell you how
proud I am of you. You exemplify the finest traits that I have
ever hoped to foster in Hogwarts students. With this in
mind, I think it would be respectful to consult with you
before I make a decision on the matter of the figgefoogs.
What do you believe should be done with them?"
The group can suggest to Dumbledore what they want to
happen to the figgefoogs. It's entirely up to the players. Perhaps
they want all the paintings destroyed so that it can never
happen again. Perhaps they wish for the figgefoogs to be
allowed to venture out of their paintings once in a while and
join classes. After all, aren't there ghost teachers? Why not
figgefoog students?
The group can also choose to defer to Dumbledore instead.
Dumbledore will declare that the figgefoogs shall remain in
their paintings as they always have.
One way of secretly going behind Dumbledore's back on this
and allowing the figgefoog students to be part of Hogwarts is
for copies to made with geminio. While a figgefoog is
participating at Hogwarts, their copy takes their place in the
painting. No more shall their existence be discovered by the
presence of an empty portrait.
Final Goodbyes
The Hogwarts Express takes them home. Each character has a
chance to say goodbye to everyone else as they all head off from
Platform 9 and 3/4. The year is finally over, but their
adventures have only begun.
Summer Break
Each major character in the story has their own small epilogue.
The players are encouraged to think about their own epilogues
while listening to the others.
Hagrid keeps his job as the groundskeeper and teacher of Care
of Magical Creatures. Many teachers like Professor Snape
correctly deduced that Hagrid had a lot to do with the
figgefoog incidents, but they know that Hagrid is a personal
friend of Dumbledore and probably won't face any longterm
punishment. They resent him a little for it.
Lupin was confronted by Dumbledore, who figured out that
Lupin was a werewolf around exam season. Although
Dumbledore is sympathetic to Lupin's curse, he knows that
having a teacher transform into an uncontrollable monster
with a highly contagious affliction once per month is a very
bad idea. Lupin will not be returning to Hogwarts next year,
prompting many to suspect him (falsely) of having something
to do with the figgefoog incident.
Josephine has poured herself into studies of how to protect
herself from magical effects. She spends all summer forcing
Jemini to attempt to cast jinxes, hexes, and curses on her,
which she then practices reflecting with protego. Jemini has
gained the confidence to occasionally say no to these
sessions, but she has resigned herself to the fact that her
sister's resolve will always be much greater than hers.
Romeo and Gonzo join a quidditch camp over the summer.
While Romeo continues to hone his aggression as a beater,
Gonzo realizes that he also has a talent for it. Realizing that
he now has a rival, Romeo has vowed to bring Gonzo down
and never let him play as a beater for any Hogwarts team for
as long as Romeo can influence him. Gonzo has no idea that
Romeo feels so strongly about this and just enjoys whacking
bludgers with a bat.
66
If Breeny is allowed out of her painting as a figgefoog after the
events of the year, she spends most of her time with the
house-elves, who teach her a few tricks for casting spells
without a wand. She takes a particular liking to allucinatio
which makes her invisible, where she can watch people
without them getting creeped out.
If Huntley is allowed out of his painting as a figgefoog after the
events of the year, he spends the summer cooking gourmet
meals and practicing potions. With Hagrid's help, he gets
pretty good at brewing Draughts of Peace.
If Snow is still alive and is allowed out of her painting as a
figgefoog after the events of the year, she works together
with Hagrid to run a small summer class for squibs, teaching
them how to brew potions and use magic items. For once in
her life, she is satisfied.
Each of the players should then present their own epilogue for
their character, describing what they get up to over the summer
and how the events of the year have affected them. When all of
the players have had a chance to deliver their epilogues, the
session is finished and the sample adventure The Empty
Portraits draws to a close.

67