The mighty phoenix, the symbol of rebirth, is a giant magical bird who, at the end of it’s life, bursts into flames and is reborn from the ashes. Immortal, noble, and highly magical, their tears have healing properties.
Attributes
Abilities
Since the bulk of the Hogwarts RPG posts for the past several weeks have been fantastic beasts, I think it’s about time I explain how the creatures can be used to create more interesting kinds of characters. Here I have two methods, one for Player characters, and one for non-player characters. for more on character creation for the Hogwarts RPG, see Characters: Students, Houses, Teams and Classes.
To create a nonhuman or demihuman Player Character, first you must get approval from the Headmaster.
If the headmaster says that you can create a nonhuman or demihuman character, you can use a fairly simple form to decide how your character’s attributes can be bought. First of all, nonhumans only get 1d6 points to spend on their base attributes(Strength, Willpower, Intelligence, and Social), which start out at the base level in the creature description. However, all special abilities known to that type of creature are automatically included in the characters description as “Experiences.”
When playing a nonhuman character, one usually has limited access to certain kinds of magic, with restrictions ranging from a lack of opposable thumbs to social controls and legal issues. If your character’s species has some kind of special restriction, such as a house-elf’s slavery or a vampire’s inability to cross water or go out in sunlight, these characteristics must be truly dealt with in play.
Demihumans, or Half-Breeds, are part human, part creature beings who tend to disply more humanlike characteristics than non-humanlike characteristics. Examples would be Hagrid, Professor Flitwick, Madame Maxine, Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour, and by a twist of fate, Bill Weasley. Demihumans have the same method of generating attributes as normal humans, but rather than simply assigning points, after the abilities have been assigned adjust them based on the following chart.
Additionally, they have a 50% chance of inheriting any traits that the nonhuman species posesses, as long as it fits in with basic humanoid physiology.
Demihumans also have a special skill(Experience-Type), social based, called “Heritage Masking.” It represents how well the character can resist attempts to guess his or her ancestry in situations where the need should arise. This skill is a percentile based skill with simple success or failure rules. This also is the skill that determines whether a student can be accepted into Hogwarts in spite of being half-breed, and a demihuman student is required to spend 3 of his starting experience points in this skill.
Non- and Demi- human non player characters are much more common in most games than non- or demi-human player characters. When the GM wants to make a nonhuman or demihuman non-player character he need only start with a base creature and adjust it to meet the needs of his NPC. Some guidelines are.
Centaurs are magical half-horse, half-human beings. Despite being intelligent and dignified, the centaurs were classified as beasts because they did not wish to be associated with hags and vampires.
6 Health
As intelligent, tool-using creatures, each centaur has his own set of abilities according to the [Characters: Students, Houses, Teams and Classes | Character Creation] section.
The Blast-Ended Skrewt is a hybrid creature bred by Rubeus Hagrid in the fall of 1994, by crossing Manticores and Fire Crabs. Whether Hagrid used magic or somehow got the two to mate is unknown. Newly-hatched Skrewts looked like pale, slimy deformed shell-less lobsters. Sparks flew out of their ends every so often which propelled them forward a few inches and the males had stingers and the females had suckers on their body to suck blood, presumably for food. Blast ended skrewts can grow to at least ten feet long and are very dangerous creatures.
10 Health
(+4) Explode(Strength Based, Roll greater than 11 to succeed) A blast ended skrewt can generate an explosion from it’s “End” and propel itself forward about the length of it’s body. Anyone caught in it’s path takes 1d3 Health Damage from the impact, and anyone behind the creature has a 50% chance of being burned for 2 rounds.
(+2) Sting/Bite(Strength Based, Roll greater than 10 to succeed) A blast ended skrewt can sting or bite for 1 damage and cause discomfort at the site.
