20 Questions about Hogwarts

What is the deal with my cleric's religion?

I already answered this...! Ok, but in a short explanation: if you worship the New Messiah, it's pretty similar to Christianity but with a messiah who lived around the time of the cataclysm and is now stuck in the realm between life and death. If you worship one of the Four Gods, you're more of a barefooted pagan type, and you have a particular holy site related to your god (none of which are particularly accessible or nice places).

Where can we go to buy standard equipment?

The village of Hogsmeade is outfitted to service adventurers ever since the delvers started arriving at Hogwarts. Further afield, there's usually a market for weapons and armour in each walled town or fortified House.

Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?

If you have a Goblin in your party, they can custom-fit it for you right there in the dungeon, so long as they've got the raw materials. Otherwise you'll want to seek out Inganok the Intemperate, one of the few goblins dwelling in Hogsmeade. Despite her abrasive personality, she's the best smith from here to New Gringotts, and nobody knows if New Gringotts even exists.

Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?

The mightiest human wizard is probably Pravin Patil, current patriarch of the House of Ravenclaw. Presiding over the closest thing that the modern world has to a wizarding college, his knowledge of arcane lore is unmatched. However, in raw power he might well be challenged by the mysterious Lich Lord, an immortal undead horror who rules a city-state in the northwest. They've never tested their powers against each other and nobody is going to encourage them to.

Who is the greatest warrior in the land?

Typheus Malfoy, the eldest scion of the ruling family in the House of Slytherin, is reputed to be the greatest duellist in the land. He is also notorious for his brutality towards free-elves, goblins and mudblood humans. Another contender for the title of 'greatest' would be Croesus Carrow, the Lord Madness of Azkaban - in his youth he terrorised the coasts of Scotland and beyond with a fleet of smoking pirate ships, but he is older now and many would speculate that he has lost his edge.

Who is the richest person in the land?

That title would go to Adolphus Malfoy, father of Typheus and current possessor of the Malfoy fortune, one of the only great hoards to make it out of the cataclysm more or less intact. It's this fortune that has allowed the House of Slytherin to survive in isolation from the rest of the world. The riches of the Lich Lord may be larger, but nobody can say for sure because his kingdom is so remote.

Where can we go to get some magical healing?

At Hogsmeade there is a church for the New Messiah, presided over by the parish priest Alfonso Turo. He's willing to offer healing as long as you're giving a reasonable donation to the church and your intentions are more-or-less good. However, he won't treat anyone who's been wounded in any sort of criminal activity or urban violence taking place within Hogsmeade. This isn't just a moral objection but a practical one, since he'd otherwise be swamped by footpads and smugglers nursing knife wounds.

Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?
Poison and disease can be cured by potion-masters. Most of them are travelling merchants, but there's a good chance of finding one in Hogsmeade at any given time. 
Curses, level drain, alignment change, polymorph and undeath can probably only be cured by a high-level cleric. Powerful clerics of the New Messiah can be found at the Crusade Cathedral in Greater Wheeling, which is the headquarters of the entire Church; or you could visit Gryffindor Monastery in the south. Finding a powerful cleric of the pagan gods will be more difficult, since they have no hierarchy or fixed address, but a pilgrimage to Godric's Hollow would be a good place to start. The powers of the New God are more likely to be able to help you with curses and undeath, whereas the Old Gods have more power over cases of polymorph and alignment change.
There are no known cures for lycanthropy. If you discover one, you can sell it for a king's ransom to the border lords who struggle each winter against the depredations of the Werewolf Army.
Death is a difficult proposition. There are records of very powerful clerics being able to raise the dead by the grace of the New Messiah, but no clerics of that level are alive today. There are also the legends of the Deathly Hallows, but that's all they are - vague stories.

Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?
By default your Wizard is an independent, but you can potentially sign up with the House of Ravenclaw, a university-fortress which has trained all the most powerful wizards in the land. To join the House you must be at least 2nd level, and if you don't have an exceptional INT score then you will need to perform some service or deed proving your worth to Ravenclaw's ongoing goals, which consist primarily of reclaiming lost knowledge.

Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?
'Alchemists' in Scotland are specifically those wizards who deal with the transmutation of substances and the quest for the philosopher's stone. For general-purpose magic consumables, you'll want to consult with a potion-master - either a travelling salesman or one who's maintained by a lord (the latter being superior but less accessible).
For other sage advice, once again you should look into the House of Ravenclaw - not all of its members are spellcasters, many are simply researchers with specialised knowledge.

Where can I hire mercenaries?
Hogsmeade is full of footpads, bravos and other assorted sword-wielding lowlifes, who should suffice for a quick trip into the dungeon. If you're looking to enlist a serious company, though, you'll need to visit one of the larger townships like Greater Wheeling. The Death Eaters, though primarily bandits, are also willing to take up under a single banner for the right price.

Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?
Depends on your race. Currently, free-elves (i.e. house-elves who've been freed) are not allowed in Hogwarts, Hogsmeade or any other areas under the domain of Baron Horatio Sledgley. The free-elf tribes of the lowlands are constantly raiding Sledgley's lands for food and the liberation of their brethren. The usual procedure for free-elf adventurers is to suffer the ignominy of pretending to be servants to one of their human companions.
Other than that, you are pretty much good unless you want to visit the House of Slytherin, where mudbloods (i.e. you and everyone else outside the rigid Slytherin bloodlines) are treated as second-class citizens and must accept restrictions too numerous to mention.

Which way to the nearest tavern?
Hogsmeade is so cool it has two! The Three Broomsticks is where most of the adventurers hang out and is generally the premier spot for carousing and mingling with the townsfolk. The Hog's Head Inn, on the other hand, is a lot smaller and a lot more shady. Much of Hogsmeade's dirty business goes on under the tables of the Hog's Head, which means they are pretty damn dirty.

What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?
There isn't a whole lot of terrorizing going on with individual monsters - the terrorizing is mostly left up to various warlords, bandits and groups of monsters like hags and redcaps. However, you would certainly become famous if you slew the Basilisk, a legendary monster that dwells somewhere in the depths of Hogwarts but emerges at unspecified intervals to haunt the town. And then there's the Lethifold - a creature of darkness that's reportedly so stealthy it swallows its victims whole without a trace. Killing one of them would certainly put you on the map, if they're not just a complete fabrication.

Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?
Always and everywhere. The human lords fight against each other, against the ancient Houses, against the free-elves and human tribesmen, and against the great monster races - the hags, the werewolves and the undead servants of the Lich Lord.
The border lords are those barons and chieftains who maintain the outposts on the edge of the relatively civilised realms of men, primarily against the Werewolf Army. These lycanthropes have formed their own nation and sworn to remake all humanity in their own image. Meanwhile, the Church of the New Messiah has a mandate, purportedly from the Messiah himself, to wipe out the Lich Lord, and they are gathering all pious lords under their banner to begin a great crusade.
Other wars lie dormant. The House of Slytherin reluctantly tolerates commerce with mudbloods, but that may change when Typheus Malfoy takes over as Patriarch. Azkaban, once a great pirating nation, has drawn inward in recent years. The reasons for this are unclear, and the coastal baronies all dread the day that the Azkabanj bloodships sail forth once again.

How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?
What! Gladiatorial combat is primitive and barbaric. In these parts, men compete in the clean and honourable arena of competitive sport: Quidditch.
Of course, in reality Quidditch is very nearly as bloody as an arena. A game of Quidditch is never just entertainment, since it requires a significant amount of investment and several magic items just to get a game going. Games between baronies are incredibly heated, as they are a substitute for open warfare. Lords will wager the outcome of diplomatic disputes on a game, while peasants will work themselves into a hooligan frenzy in support of their team. More than one war has broken out over a bent referee or a pitch-side scuffle that got out of hand. 
Although it requires a significant investment to field a full team's worth of flying broomsticks, the lords are always on the lookout for new talent. In this case, 'talent' is in great part composed of combat ability and willingness to use it on the field, so it's not uncommon for adventurers to become sporting superstars.

Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?
Well, maybe, but they're pretty secret. Those in the know in the underworld of Hogsmeade are aware of a mysterious criminal organisation reputed to have influence from Godric's Hollow to Azkaban (that is, almost everywhere). Its name unknown, its visage always obscured behind many layers of secrecy, this organisation is now rumoured to be putting out its feelers into Hogsmeade, the last great untamed realm of crime.
There's also the whole story about the cult ruled by talking snakes. But that's obviously nonsense.

What is there to eat around here?
The standard fare is pretty poor, it being after the apocalypse and all. On the other hand, several recipes have been passed down through the generations for magical confectionery, such as Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Cockroach Clusters and Fizzing Whizzbees. In taverns, the favoured drink is Butterbeer.

Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?
Many! The most famous are the Deathly Hallows, three artifacts reputedly bargained from the clutches of Death himself. If you're interested in something with more certainty of its actual existence, the Sword of Gryffindor is reputed to lie somewhere within the walls of Hogwarts. Alchemists hold hope that the Philosopher's Stone of Nicholas Flamel is still in existence, while delvers tell each other tales of the Marauder's Map which is said to reveal all the rooms, hidden passages and monster locations of the entire Hogwarts castle.

Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?
That would be the Dragon of Hogwarts, so - pretty close! About a hundred years ago this dragon was laying waste to the countryside until it was confronted by a mysterious centaur. What magics he worked is unknown, but the dragon departed to make its lair in the gulch below Hogwarts castle, from which it has only emerged occasionally since then.

Night-Haunted Hogwarts: Setting Info & Chargen

Night-Haunted Hogwarts is the name of my D&D megadungeon campaign on Google+. Here's the lowdown on setting and character classes for anyone who's interested in playing.

The Setting

Most of civilisation has been destroyed in a mysterious apocalypse. Hundreds of years after the cataclysm, society has reverted to a medieval tech level and nobody really remembers how or why the world was destroyed, except that wizards were involved, there was a war of some kind, and the castle of Hogwarts played an important role. The races of Wizards and Muggles have become intermingled as one, to the point where the confused survivors now use the term 'Muggle' to refer to any lost pre-apocalyptic civilisation.

The campaign focuses on the castle of Hogwarts, formerly a school for wizards, now under a curse and infested with vile monsters. For over a century the castle was unapproachable because of ambient magical energies, but within the past year a few brave adventuring groups have begun to explore it. There is plenty of treasure to be found, both in the form of gold and of magical knowledge, nearly all of which was lost during the cataclysm.

Hogwarts is located in the far north of Scotland - a country that is now mostly wilderness and unclaimed territory, punctuated by a series of fortified baronies and meagre city-states. Most Muggle technology has mysteriously vanished, and all former urban centres have been completely wiped off the map. Werewolves, hags and liches have all established their own domains, and the former prison of Azkaban has become an island republic ruled by the descendants of the mad and the murderous.

To the south lies England, which is irradiated by arcane energies. Anywhere beyond Galloway is completely uninhabitable. To the north is the ocean, where Neo-Vikings roam and occasionally bring vague news of other human colonies far away.

Although I'll start the campaign with a focus on the megadungeon, there are plenty of other adventure opportunities that may develop. Beyond Hogwarts lies the vast Forbidden Forest, inhabited by centaurs and acromantulas. It's rumoured that on the far side of the forest is the last kingdom of the giants. There are numerous political factions with a vested interest in the castle, including the goblins, the free-elves, and the remnants of three of the four Houses - xenophobic Slytherin, studious Ravenclaw, and monastic Gryffindor. Tales abound of fabulous treasures in the Ministry of Magic in London, but nobody has yet found a way to visit London without succumbing to radiation sickness.

20 Setting Questions
I got your 20 questions right here.

Character Generation
The game system is Lamentations of the Flame Princess - that's a simplified remake of Basic D&D if you don't know. For chargen follow these steps:

1. Roll 3d6 in order for your stats, and then swap one pair of stats if you like.
2. Pick a class from the list below.
3. Roll 3d6 x 10 to see how much gold you have.
4. Purchase equipment - refer to the price lists in a D&D book of your choice, or just ask me about it.
5. *SECRET STEP* If any of the above isn't to your liking, make your character however you want to do it.

Fighter: D8 hit die. Get a scaling bonus to hit.

Cleric: D6 hit die.Cast spells granted by your deity - 1/day at first level. Also use Expecto Patronum (Turn Undead). Pick a deity (see below).

Wizard: D4 hit die. Cast arcane spells. At 1st level you get three randomly assigned spells and can cast 1/day. See below for spells.

Specialist: D6 hit die. Use specialist skills. Get 4 points to assign to any one of the following skills: Architecture, Bushcraft, Climb, Languages, Open Doors, Search, Sleight of Hand, Sneak Attack, Stealth, Tinker. Each skill begins at 1 in 6 except for Sneak Attack, which begins at x1 (the damage multiplier for a sneak attack.)

Goblin: D8 hit die. Not the green murderous kind, but the Harry Potter kind - wrinkly, insular and masters of artifice. You can build, repair and redesign mundane objects with supernatural efficiency. Also get 2 skill points for the following skills: Architecture, Open Doors, Search, Sleight of Hand, Tinker. Click here for the full writeup.

Centaur: D8 hit die. By getting drunk, you can enter a state of madness where you lose control of yourself, but gain bonuses to attack rolls and saving throws, and receive visions. You also gain inferior Cleric spellcasting, but not until 2nd level. Click here for the full writeup.

House-Elf, Half-Giant, Half-Veela: Coming soon! Pester me if you want to play one of these races, or just write them up yourself??

Money
The basic currency in Night-Haunted Hogwarts is composed of knuts, sickles and galleons (aka bronze, silver and gold coins). 10 knuts are equal to 1 sickle, and 10 sickles are equal to 1 galleon. For purposes of experience and value, 1 sickle is equal to 1gp in other systems. FLAILSNAILS travellers can exchange their sickles for gold pieces before they leave Scotland for another campaign. The exchange rate works because sickles and galleons are not raw metals but fiat currency. How is there fiat currency in a lawless post-apocalyptic world? Because magic, that's why!

Religion
There are two major schools of religion in post-apocalyptic Scotland:

The Church of the Resurrection is descended from the Church of Scotland and retains many of the same rituals and icons, including communion, the crucifix and the rosary. However, the Church also incorporates worship of the New Messiah, a figure who is supposed to have lived just before or just after the cataclysm - the records are unclear. The New Messiah, like Jesus Christ before him, died for the sins of humanity and was resurrected after three days. He is distinguished by a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. A mausoleum called the White Tomb is where the New Messiah is said to have lain during his death, but the location of the tomb is currently unknown.
The ability of the Church's clerics to cast a range of spells is said to be gifted upon them by the spirit of the New Messiah, who still lingers somewhere between the realms of life and death.

The pagan worship of the Four Gods is believed to be much older than the Church of the Resurrection, perhaps dating back to before the great age of Muggle civilisation. Each of the Four is tied to a natural force, a personal quality and a particular location. The Stag represents courage and the life of the forest; his locus is the town of Godric's Hollow. The Rat represents deviousness and the capricious ocean; his locus is Azkaban, where his worship is near universal. The Hound represents mystery, introspection and the killing cold of winter; her locus is somewhere in the distant southlands. The Wolf represents mutability and the ever-changing moon; his locus is considered to be Hogwarts itself.
Worship of the Four is much more decentralised than that of the New Messiah. There are no priests who tend to a congregation, only inspired individuals who have been granted powers by these mysterious deities.

Spell Lists
Note: for any spell that doesn't already have a cheesy faux-Latin name, you have to make one up if you want to cast it. That name will then become canonical.

First-Level Cleric Spells: (memorise any one)
Arresto Momentum (Cancel Momentum)
Bless
Command
Cure Light Wounds (Episkey)
Cause Light Wounds
Detect Evil
Detect Good
Duro (Turn to Stone)
Erecto (erects a tent or other structure)
Expelliarmus (Disarm)
Flame-Freezing Charm (Immunity to Fire)
Glisseo (Flatten Staircase)
Homonem Revelio (Detect Human)
Invisibility to Undead
Undead Attraction
Prior Incantato (reveals the spells previously cast by a wand)
Protection from Evil
Protection from Good
Purify Food & Drink
Poison Food & Drink
Remove Fear
Cause Fear
Sanctuary

First-Level Wizard Spells: (randomly select three + Read Magic; memorise one)
1. Avifors (Turn to Bird)
2. Bookspeak
3. Charm Person
4. Comprehend Languages
5. Detect Magic
6. Enlarge (Engorgio) / Shrink (Reducio)
7. Expelliarmus (Disarm)
8. Faerie Fire
9. Feather Fall
10. Floating Disc (Locomotor)
11. Geminio (Duplicate Object)
12. Hold Portal
13. Identify (Specialis Revelio)
14. Light (Lumos) / Darkness (Nox)
15. Magic Aura / Disguise Magic Aura
16. Magic Missile
17. Melofors (Pumpkin-Head Curse)
18. Mending
19. Message
20. Ossio Dispersimus (Bone-Vanishing Curse)
21. Protean Charm (links objects so their states are synchronized)
22. Shield (Protego)
23. Sleep
24. Slugulus Eructo (Slug-Vomiting Curse)
25. Spider Climb
26. Summoning
27. Unseen Servant
28. Drunk Reversal
29. Advantageous Fowl
30. Depressing Cow

(info on last three spells is here)

Centaur class for DIY D&D

The Centaur is a being irretrievably trapped between two natures. Half-man and half-horse, the centaur possesses both the wild urges of the animal realm and the high knowledge of civilisation. They possess innate powers of divination but are also afflicted by a chronic madness. Centaurs dwell apart from human civilisation and generally live deep within ancient forests. Their society is dedicated to the control of animal desires, for when the centaurs fail to master themselves they will descend into violence and licentiousness. As a result, most centaurs are very pious and reserved, spending their time in quiet contemplation of the future and the past. To focus on the present is the centaur's greatest desire and fear.

Adventuring centaurs are usually those who have been outcast from their tribe for failing to remain calm and collected. Perhaps they allowed their madness to take hold of them, or perhaps they merely questioned the elders' doctrine of non-interference with some prophesied event.

(Stats for LotFP, but can work with other OSR systems)

Requirements: Wisdom of 11 or less

Hit die: d8

Attack Bonus: +1 (other systems: as Cleric)

Save Progression: As Cleric

Cleric spellcasting: As Cleric, but lags 1 level behind (i.e. no spells at 1st level, 1 spell at 2nd, etc.)

Large Size: A centaur is not much wider than a human but is a good deal longer and taller. A centaur cannot fit into a space any smaller than 5' high or 5' long. Wearing human armour will protect the centaur with a -2 AC penalty at the front and no protection from the rear or sides. Custom centaur armour usually costs 3x that of normal armour.

Hoofs: Having four legs and hoofs makes the centaur well-suited to movement in the wilderness but less so in urban or indoor environments. Over open terrain or forest the centaur has a base movement of 150' per turn, but indoors, underground and in towns or cities the base movement is only 90'.

Riding: Centaurs can carry one human on their back without being encumbered, or two but the centaur will be encumbered.
Mobile Shot: Centaurs can move and fire bows without any penalty to speed or accuracy. The greatest horseback archer of the Mongols is no match for a creature that combines man and horse in one body.

Fugue: Centaurs are usually pious and reserved creatures, but when they get drunk their bestial natures emerge. Consuming even a small amount of alcohol will send the centaur into a fugue for 1d4 turns. During this time the centaur loses all inhibitions and must constantly search for treasure, food and wine. If interrupted by enemies the centaur will fight to the death, and if they find a store of food or wine they will feast and then fall asleep for the remainder of the fugue. All this should be controlled by the player themselves but they must be willing to play the role appropriately.
This is no mere drunkenness however but a divinely inspired insanity. While in a fugue the centaur gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls due to their unerring accuracy; a +2 bonus to saving throws because of an uncanny sixth sense; and once per fugue a brief vision that will lead them to their immediate goals, such as an augury of the nearest food or treasure.

After the fugue ends, the centaur will pass out for 1 turn and during this time make a saving throw vs. spell; if successful, a more long-term vision is granted from the following table. The saving throw attempt may only be made once per day regardless of how many fugues are triggered.

(d20):

1-3: Vision of the centaur achieving their current goal

4-8: Vision of the centaur suffering an imminent death

9-12: Vision of a random NPC nearby

13-16: Vision of a random location nearby
17-18: Further vision related to the fugue (i.e. if the fugue was primarily spent eating, a vision of a nearby cookhouse might be received)

19: Vision of a far-off location, possibly another plane

20: Vision of an important event in the distant future

Harry Potter-style Goblin Class

Goblins in Harry Potter are actually pretty cool. Refreshingly divorced from the influences of D&D or even Tolkien, they bear a greater resemblance to gnomes and dwarves than anything else. Though they are uneasily integrated into wizarding society, they still live a very separate existence, dwelling primarily within their underground tunnels and lightless bank vaults. It also appears that they're oppressed by the wizards, since there have been several bloody goblin rebellions in the past (it's typical of Rowling's style that she treats this as a humorous historical quirk rather than a glaring example of social inequality). One of the most common disagreements between the races is over their concept of ownership: goblins take the view that the creator of an object is its owner, and any 'sale' is in reality a loan that lasts for the duration of the purchaser's life, but no further. Thus, the current ownership of relics like the Sword of Gryffindor (forged by Ragnuk the First and 'sold' to Godric Gryffindor) is a contentious issue.

Here we present statistics for a Goblin class for use with Lamentations of the Flame Princess or other D&D games. This could also be reskinned as a tinker gnome or other such race.

GOBLIN

Hit die: d8

Attack bonus: +1

Saving throws: As Specialist
EXP progression: As Cleric - 1,750 for 2nd level and doubling thereafter; for 9th level onwards, cease doubling and instead add 112,000 for each successive level

Skill Points: Goblins are a skilled race, though not as versatile as human Specialists. The Goblin gains 2 skill points at 1st level and 1 skill point at each level thereafter, i.e. half the skill points of a Specialist. These points can be spent only in the following categories: Architecture, Open Doors, Search, Sleight of Hand, Tinker.
Mundane Crafting: No other race possesses the crafting skills of the goblins. Within 1 turn (10 minutes) a goblin can create more or less any mundane object, provided the raw materials are available. For example, a 10-foot pole could be made into a 5-foot ladder, a steel shield could be made into several swords, or a lump of stone could become a small statuette. No tools or workshops are required; don't ask how the goblins do it, because they won't tell you.
Highly intricate devices may take longer at the DM's discretion, and art pieces with gold piece value cannot be created unless the raw materials are of similar value. Only loose objects can be crafted, so you can't 'craft' a locked door into a pile of wood shavings. You also cannot create any technology that your character doesn't know about, so no crafting AK-47s in a medieval setting; though if you did find an AK-47 somewhere, the goblin could try to reverse engineer it.
Magical Crafting: The greatest goblin craft is the creation of new magic items, though only the oldest and cleverest goblins achieve this level of mastery. At 10th level a goblin can create magic weapons and armour with a +1 bonus, and this bonus increases by 1 every two levels thereafter, to a maximum of +5 at 18th level. Creation of other magic items is up to the DM to consider. This process should cost as much as the g.p. value of the magic item in question.
Alternatively, if playing in a campaign with only unique and rare magic items, consider allowing the goblin to forge their own unique items only after completing a special quest.

The main draw of this class is, of course, the Mundane Crafting ability, which allows the goblin to essentially bypass any questions of "Did you buy such-and-such before we set out?" and even create entirely new objects which no-one could have predicted a need for. This might be overpowered if the goblin just chooses to carry a bunch of spare wood and metal everywhere, but maybe not if you followed tight encumbrance rules like the Anti-Hammerspace Item Tracker. I also like the idea of the PCs scrounging around in the dungeon and building new weapons or items out of questionable materials. "The rust monster will never expect a stone sword!"

Quidditch rules for D&D

In the fallen future of Hogwarts, Quidditch is not just a game. It is a deeply ingrained part of highland culture, and is often used to release the tension of regional conflicts or to resolve diplomatic disputes. The primitive hill tribesmen in particular put great store in the game, and the crowds who turn out for their championships are halfway between football hooligans and ecstatic pagan worshippers.

imagine this but much less colours

Game Elements
The Quidditch Pitch is traditionally 500' x 180', although the size often varies wildly. There are three goalposts at either end of this pitch. The goal of the game is to throw the Quaffle into the opposing team's hoops.

Also on the pitch are two animated balls, the Bludgers, which fly back and forth to attack the players. There is also the Golden Snidget, a rare and fast-moving bird which must be caught before the game can end. (In ancient times it's said that the Snidget was replaced by a flying ball called a Snitch, but the manufacture of these delicate artefacts has been lost.)

The teams are made up of seven players - a Keeper who defends the goal, three Chasers who pass the Quaffle ball, two Beaters who defend against the depredations of the Bludgers, and one Seeker who pursues the Snidget. All the players are mounted on flying broomsticks.

Rules for D&D-type systems (totally un-playtested, ingest at own risk)

Assume that all the PCs will be playing in the game; if not, they should probably be skulking around the stands trying to cheat or whatever.

Use the same initiative system you would normally use for combat. One-roll initiative would probably produce different results to step-based initiative but oh well.

For purposes of abstraction, let us divide the game pitch into a series of zones and lanes. The zones are: Goal, Rear, Forward and Enemy Goal, each representing a 125' distance down the pitch. The lanes are Left, Right, Mid and High, each representing a different angle of attack. Each round, the players may move one zone down the pitch and move into a different lane, the only exception being that one cannot move directly from Left to Right.

As well as movement, each player can take one of the following actions each turn:
Pass: (Chasers/Keepers) Pass the Quaffle to another player. Make a ranged attack roll against AC 8 with the following modifiers:
Each Zone Distance: +3 AC (i.e. passing from Rear to Enemy Goal would give a +6 to the AC).
Passing between Left-Mid or Right-Mid: +2 AC
Passing between Left-Right: +3 AC
Passing to High: +3 AC
If the attack roll fails, the ball is Lost (see below). The ball is Lost in the zone of the person you were throwing to, unless you tried to throw across more than one zone/lane, in which case it falls in the middle between you.
Beat Back: (Beaters) Attack a Bludger with your club to knock it away. You must be in the same lane and zone as a Bludger to do this. Make a melee attack roll against AC 14 - on a hit, the Bludger is knocked away and must spend its next turn returning to the fray.
Beat Attack: (Beaters) Strike a Bludger with intent to send it at another opponent. This more difficult maneuver is reflected by a -2 penalty to the roll, but if successful it will cause the Bludger to make an attack against your target. The target must be within one turn's movement of the Bludger.
Tackle: (Chasers) Attempt to tackle an opponent and steal the Quaffle. You must be in the same zone and lane as them. Make a melee attack roll against the opponent's AC including their Dexterity bonus (armour is almost impossible to wear while riding a broomstick, which doesn't mean someone won't try it at some point.)
If you hit the opponent exactly on their AC, then you both drop the ball and it is Lost.
If you hit with a 20, you perform a vicious tackle that deals 1d6 real damage. Killing an opponent is not technically against the rules, but it is a good way to start a blood feud.
If you miss, you overshoot and must spend your next turn returning to the fray.
Score: (Chasers) Attempt to score at the opponent's goal. You and the Keeper secretly select a hoop to shoot for and to defend, respectively. If the Keeper defends the hoop you are shooting for, then your target AC is 15, otherwise it is 10. If you miss, the Keeper always takes the ball.

Behaviour of Bludgers: Bludgers have a very limited form of 'intelligence' which manifests in vaguely random movements. Each round, each Bludger has a 50% chance of staying where it is, a 25% chance of moving forward or back, and a 25% chance of moving to another lane. If the Bludger begins its turn in the same zone/lane as a player, or moves into the zone/lane of a player, then it will make an attack against them: +3 vs. AC, hit roll on the Bludger Attack Table. After making an attack the Bludger will move to another area rather than threaten the same player again. The Bludgers will never attack Keepers.
 BLUDGER ATTACK TABLE (d12)
 1-8: Struck painfully - take the indicated amount of subdual damage (1-8). If subdual damage brings you to 0, you are forced to retire.
9-10: Blown off course - you are sent flying in a tailspin and must spend the next round righting yourself.
11: Narrow escape - knocked off your broom but hang by one hand. You can spend a turn to climb up onto your broom... or you can keep flying but must make a CON check each turn to avoid falling.
12: Knocked off your broom - take 2d6 lethal damage from falling, or double that if falling from the high lane.

Lost Balls: When a ball is dropped through tackling or poor passing, it goes into freefall. All players within one turn's movement of the ball can roll to try and grab it (this happens immediately, screw the initiative order). The roll is d20 + Dexterity mod + 2 for players in the same zone/lane as the ball. Whoever rolls the highest catches the ball.

less colours!

Meanwhile... the Seekers: The Seekers must move around the pitch in order to look for the Golden Snidget, which is so small and fast that it is difficult to find. Each round, provided the Seeker has moved, they have a 1 in 6 chance of glimpsing the Snidget. If they pursue it, they must then roll on the Snidget Pursuit Table. Roll on this table each round as long as the pursuit goes on, and assume that the chase takes the Seeker in a random direction each round unless the table indicates otherwise. The opposing Seeker can try to catch up to the pursuit as well.
SNIDGET PURSUIT TABLE (d10)
1: The Snidget escapes, leaving no trace.
2: The Snidget dives and hides in the grass. Make a WIS check to find it again - failure indicates it has crawled away.
3: The Snidget flies high, higher than broomsticks are supposed to go. Make a CON check to keep up with it.
4: The Snidget hides in the crowd. Make a CHA check to get them out of the way or it will escape.
5: The Snidget flees right out of the pitch and into the surrounding countryside. Having broken the wards that keep it captive, it will now be much more difficult to catch and will probably go to ground in the nearest monster-infested forest.
6-9: Gaining on it! Add +1 to your next roll on this table.
10: Caught up to it! Make a DEX check to catch the Snidget.
It is customary for the Seeker to bite off the bird's head in celebration of victory, or to offer the morsel to his opponent in the case of defeat.

Scoring
10 points are awarded for a goal. 30 points are awarded for catching the Golden Snidget. When the Snidget is caught the game ends and the team with the highest points wins.

As with the rules for combat in AD&D, these rules are hardly designed to cover all possible actions within the game. Improvisation within this framework is encouraged, as is outright cheating as long as you don't get caught.

Social Factors
Although broomsticks have survived the apocalypse better than many magical arts, they are still quite expensive and generally restricted to the use of the landed gentry. The exception to this rule is the masterless hill tribes, whose weird witches still remember how to craft the broomsticks.

Nevertheless, it is fairly common for peasants to play the game without any of the magical and valuable features that are afforded for the upper classes. In the peasant version of the game, the players are on foot and the hoops are at ground level. The Golden Snidget is replaced by a field-mouse painted yellow. The Bludgers are replaced by a pair of irate billy-goats.

If playing 'Low-Lying Quidditch', assume that the movement system is the same due to a smaller pitch, save that the High lane is eliminated. Make other adjustments as seems reasonable - for example, instead of being killed by falling after a Bludger attack, the players could risk being gored to death by goats.

Hogwarts Megadungeon Mark 2: Post-Apocalypse

Long after the wizarding world had fallen, the walls of Hogwarts remained...

None now know for certain what terrible magic it was that cracked the cradle of civilisation and laid waste to the Wizarding World. The knowledge of great sorcery passed out of human knowledge along with its wielders, at the end of the last great war. Now, all that remains of the Kingdom of Great Britain is a handful of isolated baronies, separated by miles upon miles of haunted wastelands where strange monsters dwell.

It is said that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry played an important role in the last war, though the specifics are unclear. Regardless, the school now lies abandoned under an evil curse, and is inhabited by all manner of evil creatures. Yet it is also rumoured to contain a great deal of treasure left by the wizards of old who were wiped out in an arcane cataclysm. Many brave or foolhardy souls have sought this treasure in the castle's benighted halls, but few have returned.

For those adventurers who prefer fresh air and daylight, the nearby Forbidden Forest also offers opportunities. Inhabited by centaurs, pixies and giant spiders, the forest stretches north an uncharted distance into the far reaches of Scotland. Somewhere on the far side of the forest, so it is said, lies the Kingdom of Giants which was, perhaps, untouched by the final war.

There are other places, also, where the honest and steadfast would never dare to go. Tales abound of the island prison of Azkaban, somewhere in the North Sea, where the most vile criminals were trapped in prisons of madness. But now, they say, the prisoners have escaped and taken up rulership of the isle, making themselves evil masters of an insane republic. All know of the Lich Lord in the west, who rules immortal from a castle of black stone. And it is whispered that the goblins of Gringotts, once thought perished in the conflagration, have survived and relocated their gold stores to a new vault deep beneath a northern mountain.

South of the Highlands the land grows increasingly bleak and twisted, and no travellers can survive in the ruinous country that was once known as 'England'. To travel all the way to fabled London, and delve the sub-basements of the legendary Ministry of Magic building at Whitehall, is a dream that even the mightiest adventurers hardly dare hope for. Yet it seems that something has crawled out of the nuclear carnage of the southlands: for recently on certain way-signs and tree trunks have appeared mysterious graven letters spelling out 'D.O.M.'

This feels like a version of Hogwarts that I would be more excited about running. The high school drama of my first concept would be superficially amusing, but in the long run I think this version would give the campaign more space to grow outside of the Hogwarts dungeon. I could see this growing to a domain level game where the PCs either renovate Hogwarts or build their own castle/s somewhere else, getting involve in Lyonesse-style politics with the local lords and other factions like the Republic of Azkaban.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Prestige Classes (Part 2)

So I've been writing some posts about prestige classes. This one is to develop the idea of campaign-specific classes that help to tie the PCs into the world. They're divided according to a range of half-formed campaign ideas I've been thinking about.

Classes for a campaign based on Norse mythology

Berserker: "When Hardbeen heard this, a demoniacal frenzy suddenly took him; he furiously bit and devoured the edges of his shield; he kept gulping down fiery coals; he snatched live embers in his mouth and let them pass down into his entrails; he rushed through the perils of crackling fires; and at last, when he had raved through every sort of madness, he turned his sword with raging hand against the hearts of six of his champions."

- Saxo Grammaticus, Gesta Danorum

Berserker Rooks from the Lewis Chessmen. Note the teeth chewing the shields.

When a warrior is violently wronged - his comrades slain, his hall burned, his village slaughtered - he may become a Berserker. Such a state lasts only so long as the character quests to revenge himself upon the perpetrator of the evil deed. When entering into a berserkergang (rage) the character will gain temporary hit points, a bonus to attack and damage, and immunity to fire. However he may struggle to tell the difference between friend and foe.

Völva: The völva are seeresses who practice the mysterious magic known as seid, which allows them to gaze into the future along the strands of fate, and at higher levels to weave the threads of fate themselves. Völva are wanderers, travelling from place to place where their services are needed but rarely welcome after their task is complete. If a völva is to take on an apprentice, she must first be convinced of the character's worth and wisdom. After becoming a völva, the character can never return home again.
Male practitioners of seid, known as seidmen, are even rarer. Because they practise women's magic, they are reviled in Viking society and executed if captured.
Hermit: Sometimes the violent life of a Viking becomes too much for even the stoutest of warriors. After witnessing the death of a boon companion, a character may choose to take the Hermit class. A Hermit does not own anything he cannot carry, nor can he use any items worked by human hand, including armour and weapons. The Hermit gains tracking abilities as a Ranger, and is able to travel and feed himself without fail in even the most dire of conditions. Mundane wild animals will not harm him, and those who once knew him will not recognise him any more. The Hermit can gain bonus XP by throwing treasure away into the wilderness.
The Hermit generally renounces his class after a period of mourning, after which he returns to civilisation more or less the same as he was before. (This class is derived from certain scenes in Arrow-Odd and also the Epic of Gilgamesh.)
Skald: A Skald is a wandering poet who describes tales of wonder and glory for the entertainment of his listeners. To become a Skald, a character requires both a high Charisma and a suitably epic story to tell about their adventures. The player must then compose a poem describing the adventure and perform it. The Skald's poetry grants him the adoration of the masses and a bonus to reaction rolls for large groups of normal humans. Additionally, many fae creatures, demons and even gods can be distracted or defeated by flyting, an act of ritualized poetic insults.

Classes for Batmania

Traveller: When different Aboriginal tribes wish to communicate or trade, there are complex laws and taboos that govern their interaction. The one invested with the power to navigate these laws is called the Traveller. Travellers essentially have 'diplomatic immunity' between tribes, though this depends on their comprehensive knowledge of the local customs. This diplomatic immunity extends even to the realm of the spirits, who must accept the Traveller and not harm them as long as they obey the spirits' traditions. The Traveller is also able to sing special songs that guide them along songlines, where each landmark in the journey is related to a specific verse of the song. Travelling on songlines is always easy and free of trouble. The powers of the Traveller remain only so long as they are charged with a specific journey by their own tribe.

Classes for Hogwarts

Animagus: An Animagus is a wizard* who can transform at will into a particular animal. The species of the animal is selected randomly. The process of becoming an Animagus includes both arduous training and beastly shamanic rituals to unlock the wizard's inner creature. If the ritual goes wrong, the Animagus may become permanently trapped in animal form, or turned into a horrifying human/animal hybrid.
Legilimens: A Legilimens is a wizard trained in the art of mind-reading, allowing them to delve into the thoughts of others. They are also able to use the opposite discipline, Occlumency, to protect themselves against Legilimency and other mental attacks. Legilimency requires strenous training and can only be learned from another, more experience Legilimens.
*Of course, in Hogwarts everyone is a wizard even if they are a Fighter or a Thief.

Classes for an Antediluvian setting

False Idol: False Idols are those who are worshipped as gods, in defiance of the one true God who created the heaven and the earth. The False Idol class is unusual in that anyone or anything can take levels in it - not just humans but also animals, spirits, inanimate objects or landmarks. Instead of gaining EXP, the Idol's level is related to the number of active worshippers. The False Idol gains the ability to spontaneously cast Cleric-type spells, and at higher levels to grant such spells to its own followers.

Bonus: Classes that can be granted by PCs or NPCs

Rolang wrote up a Paladin class in response to my post, where he specifies that the Paladin is created by a high-level Cleric with the spell Initiate Paladin. This got me thinking about other master-apprentice type relationships. The following classes can be taken by PCs when they are low level, and/or granted to their hirelings when they are high level.

Trusty Sidekick: A Fighter of 6th level or above may choose to appoint one of their Fighter henchmen as a Trusty Sidekick, but only if the henchman has saved the Fighter's life. The Sidekick now has hit points or hit dice equal to their master, will never fail morale checks and will always act to protect and serve their master. (If a PC, the Sidekick can still choose to abandon their master but will lose the prestige class immediately.)

NPCs who grant Sidekick status are typically retired or semi-retired adventurers, local lords, knights, and other such who will not be likely to join the actual PC party and thus overshadow everyone else.

If the bond of the Sidekick is broken, the two characters will become Mortal Enemies, destined for strife until only one survives.

If the Sidekick or the master dies, then the other must enter a period of mourning as a Hermit (if the death was natural or immediately avenged) or a Berserker (if the killer escapes unpunished).

As well as a PC-NPC interaction, the Sidekick system could also be used as a hacky way to let low-level PCs adventure alongside high levels.

Sorcerer's Apprentice: A Magic-User of 8th level of above may take on 1-3 Apprentices. The Apprentice must be a Magic-User henchman of lower level. To initiate them, the Magic-User must grant them one spell for each level of spell that they are able to cast. Wise or paranoid masters will also require a magical blood binding which compels the Apprentice to protect and obey their master at all times, an enchantment that is difficult to be rid of. 

If an Apprentice ever exceeds the level of their master, then the blood binding is reversed. Most Apprentices will definitely seek to exploit this in order to slay their master and steal their spells.

Not really sure about the rules for these two but the concept is solid. Basically the idea is that the Sidekick relationship is about being best buddies and crying when the other person gets killed. Apprentice is the opposite of that - it's a race to get more XPs so you can dick the other guy over.

Erumpent

 

No. appearing: 1-6

Armour class: 4/16

Move: 120'

Hit dice: 8

Attacks: 1d8 horn or 1d8 trample

Special attacks: Charge, Explosive Fluid

Special defenses: Magic resistance 30%

The Erumpent is a magical creature that resembles a rhinoceros but is far more deadly. Upon charging, not only will it deal double damage but it will attempt to impale the target with its horn. On a hit, the victim is injected with a dose of Exploding Fluid - save vs. poison or be blown to smithereens. The Exploding Fluid can even cause inanimate objects to detonate, and a sufficiently hard object may damage those nearby with shrapnel (20' radius, 2d6 damage, save vs. breath weapon for half).

An adult Erumpent has enough Exploding Fluid for 2-5 doses, and can regenerate that amount over the course of one day. The fluid can be harvested from the corpse and used to create explosive potions.

The Erumpent's hide is magically resistant to spells and has a 30% chance of negating any magical effect that strikes it. The eyes and mouth of the Erumpent do not possess this quality.

The Erumpent is a herbivore, but an extremely bad-tempered one, which may sometimes attack unprovoked. If more than two are encountered, there is a good chance that some will be children (4HD). The presence of children makes the parents much more likely to charge.

(from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

Harry Potter spells (S-Z)

Slugulus Eructo (Magic-User 1)
Casting time: 1 segment
Range: 60'
Duration: 1 round/level
This spell causes the victim to begin vomiting up slugs at an alarming rate of 10 slugs per round. Each round they must make a save vs. poison to be able to act at all, and if they do they will be at a -5 penalty to most rolls. The size of the slugs is proportional to the size of the target, and also they might be affected in other ways, like you could make a wraith throw up intangible slugs that drain levels from cauliflowers.

Switching Spell (Magic-User 3)
Casting time: 1 round
Range: 30'
Duration: 1 round/level
Causes two creatures or objects to have their appendages switched. For example a person could have their ears switched with the spines of a cactus, or a dragon could have its teeth switched with those of a horse.

Unbreakable Vow (Cleric 3)
Casting time: 1 turn
Range: Touch
One person gives terms of a Vow to another person, who accepts the vow of their own free will. The spellcaster then casts the spell upon them and the vow becomes unbreakable; if the vow is broken, the one who made the vow will die instantly. (No, your henchmen will not let you cast this on them.)

Other well-known spells:
Sectumsempra 'Magic Missile' (not exactly the same, but close enough)
Silencio 'Silence'
Specialis Revelio 'Identify'
Stupefy 'Power Word, Stun'
Tarrantallegra 'Otto's Irresistible Dance'
Vulnera Sanentur 'Cure Critical Wounds'
Wingardium Leviosa 'Levitate'

Harry Potter spells (M-R)

Melofors (Magic-User 1)
Casting time: 1 segment
Range: 60'
Encases the target's head in a pumpkin. Other objects can also be encased in pumpkins if you feel the need.

Mobiliarbus (Magic-User 1)
Casting time: 4 segments
Range: 40'
Allows the spellcaster to levitate trees, as per the Levitate spell, but only with trees.

Obliviate (Magic-User 5)
Casting time: 1 round/clause
Range: 30'
Erases or modifies the target's memories. Far more powerful than the lower-level Forget spell, Obliviate will allow the spellcaster to make complex adjustments to the target's memories. However, the spell takes longer to cast the more complex the modification, where each clause of the spellcaster's design adds another round. For example "I'll make him forget that we attacked him, and instead remember he was attacked by the goblins," would be two clauses - one erasure and one inception.

Oppugno (Magic-User 3)
Casting time: 1 round
Range: 60'
Duration: 1 round/level
This spells causes small inanimate objects or small mundane animals to attack the target. Only one class of objects can be affected (i.e. "birds" or "newspapers") and the number of objects is equal to 1d8xlevel. Generally speaking the attacks will be irritating and delaying rather than damaging, though the DM may rule otherwise in certain situations (say, with a swarm of knives or venomous spiders).

Ossio Dispersimus (Magic-User 1)
Casting time: 3 segments
Range: 40'
Saving throw: Negates
Causes all the bones to vanish from one limb.

Piertotum Locomotor (Magic-User 3)
Casting time: 1 round
Range: 60'
Duration: 2 rounds/level
Animates up to 2d6 suits of armour, causing them to fight as 1st-level Fighters in service to the caster. The suits have 1d4 hitpoints for leather/light armour, 1d6 hp for chain/medium armour, and 1d8 for plate/heavy armour. If reduced to 0hp they will fall apart rather than be destroyed.

Portus (Cleric 7)
Casting time: 1 turn
Range: 20'
Cost: crushed gems and golden doorknobs worth a total of 1,000gp
This spell turns one inanimate object into a portkey, a device that will instantaneously teleport anyone who touches it. The destination of the teleport is the place where the portkey was created. The portkey is always teleported along with the creature who touched it. Each time the portkey is used, there is a 5% chance that it will malfunction, ruining the portkey.

Prior Incantato (Cleric 1)
Casting time: 1 round
Range: Touch
Reveals the last spell that was cast by a particular wand.

Protean Charm (Magic-User 1)
Casting time: 1 round
Range: Touch
Causes up to 10 inanimate objects to be linked through space so that whatever happens to one of them will happen to all of them.

Other well-known spells:
Nox 'Darkness'
Petrificus Totalus 'Hold Person'
Protego 'Shield'
Reducio 'Shrink'
Reducto 'Disintegrate'

Harry Potter spells (G-L)

Geminio (Magic-User 1)
Casting time: 1 round
Range: Touch
Creates a duplicate of one inanimate object. The duplicate is superficially identical in appearance, but is composed of a worthless brittle grey substance. Creatures who suspect the object is a fake are entitled to an INT check to discover its true nature. Professional appraisers and merchants will never be fooled by this spell.

Gemino Curse (Magic-User 6)
Casting time: 1 turn
Range: Touch
This spell may be cast on a number of inanimate objects equal to the caster's level. When the accursed objects are touched, struck or otherwise disturbed, they will multiply into 2d6 copies as per geminio above. The copies are also affected by this curse - thus if the objects are disturbed further they will continue to multiply, filling up a 10' cube area (1,000 cubic feet) within 1 round. The multiplication may continue until it has filled a total volume equal to 5,000 cubic feet multiplied by the caster's level.

Glisseo (Cleric 1)
Casting time: 1 segment
Range: 120'
Duration: 24 hours
Causes the steps of one staircase to flatten into a slippery ramp.

Homonem Revelio (Cleric 1)
Casting time: 1 round
Range: 120' (10' wide path)
Reveals to the caster the location of any humans within the area of effect. Those detected by this spell will feel a sensation of something swooping over their head.

Inflatus (Magic-User 2)
Casting time: 3 segments
Range: 60'
Duration: 1 round/level
Inflates one object or creature to twice the normal size with helium gas, causing it to float upwards at a rate of 5' per round.

Imperio (Magic-User 9)
Casting time: 6 segments
Range: 60'
Saving throw: Negates
This spell enslaves one creature to the will of the caster. The victim must obey to the letter any instruction given to them by the caster (nor may they attempt to circumvent the logic or wording in the manner of a genie, but must always act in the interests of their controller). The spell has no maximum duration but is cancelled when the controller dies. This spell is arguably the most hated of the three Unforgivable Curses, because of its alarming effectiveness as much as its inherent cruelty. Characters with high willpower may resist the curse; each time they are ordered to act contrary to their ideals or desires, the character may roll a d20 and add their Wisdom; on a result of 30 or higher, the curse is broken.

Jelly-Legs Curse (Magic-User 3)
Casting time: 1 segment
Range: 50'
Duration: 2d4 rounds
This spell causes one creature to suffer their legs become a jelly-like substance, so that they wobble around at random, unable to move and taking a -2 penalty to attack rolls and armour class. This spell has no effect on creatures without legs.

Langlock (Cleric 2)
Casting time: 3 segments
Range: 60'
Duration: 1 round per caster level
Glues the target's tongue to the roof of their mouth, preventing them from speaking (and thus from casting spells). Has no effect on creatures without tongues.

Levicorpus (Magic-User 2)
Casting time: 2 segments
Range: 40'
Duration: 1 round per caster level
Hoists up the target by their feet or other lower appendage and hangs them upside down a few feet above the ground.






Other well-known spells:
Glacius 'Cone of Cold'
Incendio 'Burning Hands'
Incarcerous 'Web'
Lacarnum Inflamarae 'Affect Normal Fires'
Legilimens 'ESP'
Locomotor 'Tenser's Floating Disc'
Lumos 'Light'

Harry Potter spells (A-F)

Accio (Magic-User 2)
Casting time: 1 segment
Range: 50'/level
The spellcaster states the name of an object and the object is dragged toward them through the air at a rate of 120'/round. The object must be small enough that the caster could hold it in one hand. The object can fly around corners, through gaps and generally act with a rudimentary intelligence to reach the caster. This spell can be used to disarm opponents but will require an opposed check of INT vs. STR.

Arresto Momentum (Cleric 1)
Casting time: 1 segment
Range: 40'
Cancels the momentum of one object per level of the caster, to a maximum of 5. (Something something exception something rotation of the earth.)

Avada Kedavra (Magic-User 7)
Casting time: 3 segments
Range: 150'
The spellcaster fires a green beam of light that instantly slays any living creature that it strikes. The creature is entitled to a saving throw vs. wands to dodge the beam. (This spell is one of the three Unforgivable Curses and thus is likely to produce a negative reaction from NPCs.)

Avifors (Magic-User 1) (Reversible)
Casting time: 2 segments
Range:40'
Turns one inanimate object into a bird of similar size (up to the size of an eagle - no ostriches or diatrymas please). The reverse spell, Srofiva, will restore the bird to its original form or turn a real bird into a random object.

The Bat-Bogey Hex (Magic-User 3)
Casting time: 3 segments
Range: 60'
This spell causes the target's bogies to grow enormous, sprout wings and attack their owner. From 2d6 bogies will be summoned, modified at the DM's discretion for victims with particularly poor or exceptionally good nasal hygiene. Each bogie has 1d6 hit points, attacks as a monster with one hit die, and deals 1d6 damage on a successful attack. The bogies will only attack the creature from which they originated, and will disappear after 2d4 rounds or when the origin creature is slain. The spell has no effect on creatures which lack noses.

Crucio (Magic-User 5)
Casting time: 1 round
Range: 40'
Duration: 2 rounds/level
This spell inflicts incredible pain upon the target, making them incapable of any action for the duration of the spell, though the spellcaster must also concentrate on maintaining the spell. After the spell is over, the victim must make a CON check each round until they pass, after which they can act normally. (This spell is one of the three Unforgivable Curses and thus is likely to produce a negative reaction from NPCs.)

Duro (Cleric 1)
Casting time: 1 segment
Range: 20'
Turns a single inanimate object to stone.

Entrail-Expelling Curse (Magic-User 3)
Casting time: 1 round
Range: 60'
Expels the target's entrails from their body, dealing 3d6 damage with a saving throw for half. Larger creatures with more entrails may take 4 or 5 dice of damage, while creatures without entrails will be unaffected.

Erecto (Cleric 1)
Casting time: 1 round
Range: 20'
Erects a structure such as a tent or lean-to. Any collection of inanimate objects can be affected so long as the caster visualises the shape they wish to form - for example a set of tables and chairs might be erected into a barricade, or a pile of books into a pyramid.

Expelliarmus (Cleric 1)
Casting time: 1 segment
Range: 60'
Releases a blast that disarms the target or otherwise causes them to drop what they are carrying. If two or more spellcasters use Expelliarmus simultaneously, it will also knock the target prone and push them back 5' for each additional caster beyond the first.

Fera Verto (Magic-User 3) (Reversible)
Casting time: 4 segments
Range: 30'

Transforms mundane animals into water goblets. The goblet retains some features of the creature transformed. The number of hit dice that may be transformed is equal to 2xlevel. Drinking from such a goblet will bestow some of the memories of the creature, but also some of its personality traits (which will wear off after 2d6 days).
The reverse, Otrev Aref, will turn goblets into animals which still retain some goblet-like features.

Fiendfyre (Magic-User 7)
Casting time: 1 round
Range: 120'
This spell summons a gout of flame 20' long, setting fire to everything in its path and dealing 1d8 damage for each level of the caster (saving throw vs. breath weapon for half). Fiendfyre burns much more voraciously than normal fire, spreading at a rate of 30' per round or more across highly flammable substances. Anything that catches alight takes 1d8 damage per round. Fiendfyre will burn just about anything except solid rock, and even if submerged in water it will persist for 1d4 rounds. Each round, the spellcaster may make a WIS check at double difficulty; if they succeed, they may control the progress of the fire for this round.

Flame-Freezing Charm (Cleric 1)
Casting time: 2 segments
Range: 40'
Duration: 2 rounds/level
This spell affects one creature per level of the caster, up to a maximum of 10. The targets become wholly immune to the effects of fire, feeling the flames as no more than a mild tickling sensation.

---

Other well-known spells:
Alohomora 'Knock'
Apparate 'Teleport'
Bubble-Head Charm 'Water Breathing'
Colloportus 'Wizard Lock'
Confringo 'Fireball'
Confundus 'Confusion'
Conjunctivitus Curse 'Power Word, Blind'
Defodio 'Dig'
Deletrius 'Erase'
Diminuendo 'Shrink'
Disillusionment Charm 'Invisibility'
Engorgio 'Enlarge'
Episkey 'Cure Light Wounds'
Expecto Patronum 'Turn Undead'
Featherweight Charm 'Feather Fall'
Finite Incantatem 'Dispel Magic'
Fianto Duri 'Prismatic Wall'
Flagrante Curse 'Heat Metal'

Hogwarts, the Megadungeon

Hogwarts is ancient. The oldest histories known to man cannot say when or how the castle was first built, only that it was founded by four mighty adventurers. Since then it has sometimes lain uninhabited save by the howling of ghosts and the creeping of monsters; at other times it has bustled with life, and successive generations have built additions to it until the original structure is mostly lost amidst the sprawling maze of turrets, courtyards and halls.

Today, only a small fraction of Hogwarts is safe for human habitation. The rest lies in ruins, given over to the lairs of foul creatures and mysterious spirits. And that is to say nothing of the many layers of dungeons and caves beneath the castle, some of which are said to be even older than the building itself. The students, both those of Magic and of Martial Combat, live and work only in the South Wing. They do not have to look far to see the many corridors bricked up, the doors sealed shut with signs that read: Go No Further.

Yet there are some students who are brave or foolhardy enough to disobey the warnings, to slip past the barricades and into the Forbidden Rooms beyond. Indeed, there are those who sit the strenuous entrance exams with no intention of graduating from Hogwarts School of Warcraft and Wizardry - their only goal is to gain access to the castle and make their fortunes by plundering the ruins of their treasure. The school staff deal harshly with anyone found beyond the barriers, but not nearly so harshly as they would be dealt with by many of the horrors that lurk within the castle walls.

The surrounding environs of Hogwarts are not much more secure. The front courtyard and the lawns are generally safe, but the Forbidden Forest is mostly uncharted and there are strange things lurking at the bottom of the lake. The local village of Hogsmeade is where adventurous students go to sell their treasure, which has made it a haven for criminal enterprise. And up on the hill is the Shrieking Shack from which no adventurer has ever returned. All these and more are the dangers - the mysteries - the opportunities waiting for audacious hands to snatch them, deep in the midnight halls of Hogwarts.