We have a houseguest, so my computer time is at a minimum. No time to write, so I’ll just post our Hogwart’s game rules, in case they amuse.
In other news, Juss wants to know why Mr. Fish is a hoo-man instead of a fish. Hard to answer those sorts of questions.
Also on the Juss topic, in addition to a Harry Potter game, I am working on a new version of the ESCIT game , also to run with Orville. ESCIT (English School Children In Trouble) is a game we played back when John and I first got together. (Wendy and Raven from John’s novel Last Guardian of Everness came originally from the ESCIT Game.)
Juss, however, cannot seem to remember ESCIT. He calls it the Biscuit Game or the Basket Game, depending on which comes to mind.
The Hogwarts Game
(Anyone who has not read the books must play a student from a Muggle family.)
You have 20 points to spend over these stats:
Fame:
Fortune:
Family:
Familiar:
Contact:
You have 20 points to spend over these stats:
Scholastic Aptitude:
Innate Magic:
Magical World Knowledge:
Body:
Meaning of levels:
0 – none or horrible beyond belief
1-3 – weak or ineffective
4-6 – average to a little better than average
7 – notable – usually one specialty or talent
8-9 – very good
10 – excellent
* – you may star one stat of 6 or above. Whatever you choose to star is increased in some special way. Starring a 10 raises you to an extraordinary level.
You must spend:
Muggles must spend at least 5 points on innate magic
Wizarding students must spend at least 4 points on magical world knowledge and 1 on innate magic.
You must have a body of 3.
If you are a Muggle, you may not spend more than 7 points in family.
All-Purpose points:
You have 10 All-Purpose points that can be used on:
Skills (30%) per point
Magic items
Social Attributes
No more than 3 All-Purpose points can be spent on one thing. Muggles may not by quidditch as a skill.
Extra All-Purpose Points:
You may earn up to an extra 3 points by buying down a particular related to one of your stats. (Example: You have a good scholarly aptitude, but you are bad at Math. You have a high body, but you’re slow.)
You receive All-Purpose points in direct relation to how far below your main stat your limitation is. (Example: Scholar stat: 6 Math: 3)
You may not buy down an attribute on which you have spent more than 7 points. (As this would not be much of a disadvantage.)
Enemies:
You may also get All-Purpose points by taking an enemy. You have up to 5 points in enemies, which you can get any way you like.
Point value of enemies:
1 point – another student
2 points – an upper classman or family member or a minor magical being
3 points – a House, a major magical being, or an organization
4 points – a Hogwarts professor
5 points – Unknown
Levels:
Here are some examples of what the levels mean for various stats. Level interpretation may be altered to fit player’s character concept. Also, the meaning of certain stats will be modified by other stats – as seems appropriate for the character.
SOCIAL ATTRIBUTES:
Fame:
0 –1 no one knows of you outside of your local family and town.
2-3 – you are known at Hogwarts, but not necessarily anywhere else.
4-6 – relatively well known
7-9 – distinctly known. Certain people have a strong reaction to you.
10 – known by all Witches and Wizards.
* * *
* – famous in both the Wizarding and Muggle world.
Fortune:
0 – No money and in debt.
1 – $20 to your/your families name
2 – poor but you at least have your books and robe…though old and tattered
3-4 – not wealthy but respectable
5-6 – middle class
7 – well-to-do
8-9 – distinctly wealthy
10 – quite rich
* * *
* – Richie Rich level. Rich in Wizarding and Muggle world
Family:
0 – you live in horrible horrible circumstances
1 – you are mistreated by your family and liked by no one
2 – you are mistreated but someone, the old grandma?, likes you.
3-4 – your family life is lousy.
5-6 – your family life is good/for muggles, your family life is very good.
7 – your family is nice, and you’re well liked by several members./ Highest for muggles.
8-9 – your family is very supportive. You have at least one sibling at Hogwarts.
10 – your family is large and supportive. They all attend Hogwarts.
* * *
* – your large family loves you. The head master at Hogwarts is your grandfather.
Familiar:
0 – no familiar
1 – your familiar can’t do anything and often gets lost
2 – your familiar can do almost nothing and is troublesome
3 – your familiar is troublesome, but helps you when you really need it.
4 – your familiar helps you. It does what it’s supposed to do, but little more.
5 – your familiar helps you and is a good companion.
6 – your familiar helps you and can be sent to do little tasks.
7 – your familiar can understand you better than a normal familiar and can do more tasks.
8 – your familiar is very intelligent and can be sent to do complicated tasks.
9 – your familiar can communicate with you through signs and has a talent of its own.
10 – your familiar can talk, at least to you. It’s very intelligent and can do some magic.
* * *
* – your familiar is a magical beast.
Contact:
(Contacts can apply to well-placed people or cronies.)
0 – you know no one outside your family.
1 – You know the name of another student – family friend.
2-4 – You have a contact at Hogwarts. A friend, a family member, a facility member.
5 – you know one well-placed wizard or 1 Hogwarts staff member.
6 – you know two well-placed wizards or have two cronies.
7 – You know an important wizard. (Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts professor.) Or, you have a small gang.
8 – You know two important wizards or you lead a larger gang. (Or some of both.)
9 – You know three important wizards or you lead a House at Hogwarts.
10 – You are an intimate of both the Head Master at Hogwarts and the Minister of Magic. All the professors love you (unless you take one as an enemy.)
* * *
* –You have well placed contacts in both the Wizarding and Muggle world. The Prime Minister and the Queen know you and like you.
SCHOLARLY ATTITUDES:
Scholastic Aptitude:
0 – mentally retarded.
1 – no ability to learn. You will not be able to attend unless your Knowledge skill is very very high. –50% modifier
2 – very slow learner. You make Crabbe and Goyle look bright –30% modifier
3 – you are a lousy student. –15% modifier to quizzes.
4 – not the best student, but okay. –5% modifier.
5 – no modifier. Average student.
6 – +5 % modifier
7 – Good student. + 10% Can instantly memorize lists of 25 things.
8 – +15% Can memorize long list quickly.
9 – +20% Can memorize whole pages.
10 – Excellent student +25%. Can memorize and recite whole text books.
* * *
* – Extraordinary student. Photographic memory. + 50%
Innate Magic:
This is your innate natural magic. It is the amount of magic in you and governs how strong your spells are when you cast them.
0 – You are a squib.
1 – You have never used magic. It comes to you only with great difficulty
2 – You once turned your cousin’s nose purple. Performing magic is difficult.
3 – You can produce weird effects when you are angry but effects are minimal.
4 – You can produce a small charm from innate ability. Effects are ordinary.
5 – Lowest number for Muggle children. Effects are as expected but magic without a wand (such as broomstick calling) is still hard.
6 – Magic come easily. You can do divination or summon a broomstick to your hand easily.
7 – You have 1 spell you can do without training. The effect of your spells are more powerful than average. You have a talent.
8 – You have 2 spells you can do without training and two talents. Your spells are impressive
9 – You can do 1 entire type of magic naturally. You have a talent in two other area, plus a minor hidden power. Your spells are dramatic.
10 – You are a natural at 3 types of magic and have a major hidden power. Your spells are extraordinary.
* * *
* –You are a natural at all magic and resistant to the dark arts. Your effects are spectacular. You have a dread destiny
Magical World Knowledge:
This stat helps you in your classes, as anything you already know you don’t have to learn, and as you already know some principles.
0 – Average muggle. Knows nothing. (125)
1-3 – a muggle with a wizarding friend or relative
4 – unworldly Wizarding (-5%)
5 – Lowest for non-muggle student. Basic familiarity with magic and magical things.
6 – Knows a bit of history too. (5%)
7 – Actually knows some magic and extensive historical info (10%)
8 – Has a particular familiarity (famous wizards, dragons, centaurs…something like that.) (15%)
9 – Familiar with a wide area of knowledge (magical beasts. History of magic) (20%)
10 – Knows all the basics of magic and magical life. + 25% to all classes.
* * *
* – Knows the principles of magic. Can name nearly every magical being by name, all historical wizards. And knows the fictional versions Muggles believe in. +40
Body:
(Body stats can be modified to emphasize one quality over another. Example: +2 to size –2 to appearance, to play a big hulking guy.)
0 – paralyzed
1 – wheel chair
2 – serious physical trouble.
3 – Lowest a student can have. You are sickly.
4 – You are weaker and scrawnier than most kids your age.
5 – Average.
6 – A bit tougher than average
7 – Athletic and attractive.
8 – Quick and strong (and or tall, as you wish.) Good looking
9 – Quick, strong, resilient, and attractive. (tall if you wish.) really attractive
10 – Gorgeous, fast, strong, (tall if you wish.)
* * *
12 – Can participate in any Olympic level sport. Vilas level of beauty
Yeah!
I am so delighted that you remembered, or should I say kept your interest in developing a hogwarts game. I was just thinking of it myself when I brought the book home and wondered if you would actually go back to it now that the series is complete and all the secrets that will be revealed have been.
It may take me a little while, but I shall be reviving most of my character creation questions…I think I even still have my notes from when we tried this at the end of Azkaban. I will show some self restraint and collect my notes before asking any questions.
By the by, who’s visiting? anyone I know? If so, please wish them hello.
Re: Yeah!
Evil Dave is visiting for a Corruption-soaked week of roleplaying and anime. (He leaves tomorrow.)
It was Orville’s interest that rekindled the Hogwarts game — we may play it now, or we may wait a year or so unti we’ve read the books with him. I’m not sure. He wants to play James Potter Jr.
Yeah!
I am so delighted that you remembered, or should I say kept your interest in developing a hogwarts game. I was just thinking of it myself when I brought the book home and wondered if you would actually go back to it now that the series is complete and all the secrets that will be revealed have been.
It may take me a little while, but I shall be reviving most of my character creation questions…I think I even still have my notes from when we tried this at the end of Azkaban. I will show some self restraint and collect my notes before asking any questions.
By the by, who’s visiting? anyone I know? If so, please wish them hello.
I am curious as to why you’ve gone to lengths to include such ‘very poor’ or ‘horrible’ levels of abilities. Is this for construction of npcs?
Truly horrible
I didn’t include them in the first round, I started at 3…but two of my potential players kept asking if they could lower their stats below that, so I wanted to give them a very clear idea of what they would get if they did, in hopes that they’d stop bugging me.
It kind of worked. ;-)
aha!
Thanks for visiting, by the way.
I am curious as to why you’ve gone to lengths to include such ‘very poor’ or ‘horrible’ levels of abilities. Is this for construction of npcs?
Re: Yeah!
Evil Dave is visiting for a Corruption-soaked week of roleplaying and anime. (He leaves tomorrow.)
It was Orville’s interest that rekindled the Hogwarts game — we may play it now, or we may wait a year or so unti we’ve read the books with him. I’m not sure. He wants to play James Potter Jr.
Truly horrible
I didn’t include them in the first round, I started at 3…but two of my potential players kept asking if they could lower their stats below that, so I wanted to give them a very clear idea of what they would get if they did, in hopes that they’d stop bugging me.
It kind of worked. ;-)
Thanks for visiting, by the way.
Interesting rules. I always thought that stories in popular culture should have their own rulesets developed rather than trying to fit the story to a previously-designed rules system like d20, WW, or GURPS.
Interesting rules. I always thought that stories in popular culture should have their own rulesets developed rather than trying to fit the story to a previously-designed rules system like d20, WW, or GURPS.
aha!
This looks like good fun!
This looks like good fun!