Hogwarts Beyond School

The most frequent comment/question/request I get about Hogwarts: An RPG is "I really like the game – how do I make it about characters going on adventures in the wider Wizarding World?"

The Problem

The short answer is, you don't.  All the rules & mechanics in Hogwarts are designed to make adventures in the style of the Harry Potter books, which are (mostly) about young wizards at school. I deliberately gave Hogwarts this narrow focus so it would be simple, lightweight, and easy to learn & play.

Previously, I would've left it at that. The game is hackable, and it's released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial Sharealike license, so anyone can mod it to better suit their gameplay needs. But I recently received an email that got me thinking... maybe folks who want a more mature or wide-ranging Wizarding World RPG shouldn't be trying to hack Hogwarts. Maybe they should be hacking an entirely different game.

The Solution

Monster of the Week.MotW is a bigger, broader game about a team of characters confronting supernatural threats – you know, like wizards tracking down magical creatures in 1920s New York, or a secret order protecting the world from a powerful dark wizard & his followers. Like Hogwarts, it's a mystery game in a fantasy world, but unlikeHogwarts, it's got rules & mechanics for older characters dealing with problems anywhere in that world.

But perhaps you're looking atMonster of the Week and saying, "It looks cool, but it's not Potter enough". And that's where Hogwarts comes back in. Because both MotW and Hogwarts are Powered by the Apocalypse games, you can actually bring bits of one game into the other without much difficulty. So here I present to you, the Preliminary, Quick-n-Dirty Guide to PatchingHogwarts intoMonster of the Week:

The Hack

Stats

MotW has 5 stats,Hogwarts has 5 stats. Sweet!

• ChangeCharm toCunning,Cool toLoyalty,Sharp toIntellect,Tough toBravery, andWeird toMagic.

Moves

• Switch the rolled stat forAct Under Pressure &Protect Someone –Act Under Pressure is now+Bravery andProtect Someone is now+Loyalty.
• ReplaceUse Magic with the four moves onHogwarts'Magic Moves page, and the Hogwarts spell list. If the characters have graduated from wizarding school, they know all the spells on the list. KeepMotW'sBig Magic.
• AddApproach a Magical Creature toMotW'sBasic Moves, but change the roll to+Cunning.
• For moves or spells that deal harm, look at the Spell-Slinger's Combat Magic options to determine the amount. For protective spells, look at the Spell-Slinger's Shield Spell. For healing spells, look at the Divine's Lay on Hands.

Playbooks

Monster of the Week'splaybooks work great in a Wizarding World setting! The only things you should eliminate are theGear section, as it's mostly weapons a wizard wouldn't use, and theDivine playbook, which doesn't quite fit into the Potter universe. Here are some suggestions for Wizarding-World-specific versions ofMotW's playbooks, with some representative characters:

• The Chosen: A wizard whose destiny is bound up in a prophecy (think Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom)
• The Crooked: A member of the wizarding underworld or a wizarding con artist (think Mugundus Fletcher or Gilderoy Lockhart)
• The Expert: An expert in some (or many) areas of wizarding lore (think Newt Scamander or Hermione Granger)
• The Flake: A conspiracy or fancifully-minded wizard (think Luna or Xenophilius Lovegood)
• The Initiate: A member of a secret wizarding society, like the Order of the Phoenix or the Order of Merlin (think Nymphadora Tonks or pretty much any Weasley)
• The Monstrous: A wizard afflicted with a curse, born with nonhuman blood, or deceased (think Remus Lupin, Fleur Delacour, or Nearly Headless Nick)
• The Mundane: A muggle caught up in the Wizarding World (think Jacob Kowalski). Keep the Gear section for this one
• The Professional: A Ministry of Magic or MACUSA Auror, or other Ministry employee (think Alastor Moody or Kingsley Shacklebolt)
• The Spell-Slinger: A notably talented or powerful wizard (think Albus Dumbledore or Minerva McGonagall). Consider cutting this playbook if you don't want some players to be drastically more powerful than others
• The Spooky: A wizard skilled in divination (think Sybill Trelawney)
• The Wronged: A wizard out for revenge or justice (think Sirius Black)

At character creation, use Hogwarts' Create Your Witch/Wizard pages to determine your character'swand/ambition,name, andpatronus.

Setting Materials

Keep Hogwarts' Setting Quick-Referencepage handy for character names, magical objects, & magical creatures.

The Mystery System

Hogwarts' mystery system is more or less system-agnostic. It'll work just as well inMotW.

And with that, you've used Hogwarts to convertMonster of the Week into a Wizarding World game! Wicked! I hope this helps you continue your Wizarding World adventures outside the walls & grounds of Hogwarts. If you try it or come up with a better hack, let me know how it goes!

Stay healthy & stay safe 🧙‍♂️🧙‍♀️✨

Get Hogwarts: An RPG

Hogwarts: An RPG

Magic school roleplaying

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