Has anyone toyed with Harry Potter d20 rules?

[Elrick]

I've been giving some thought as to how the d20 rules can be adapted to reflect the magic of Harry Potter. Has this topic been touched on before?

I don't think d20 spells slots capture the right feel, those kids seem to throw spells around like candy. Perhaps a skill check system would work, at least for low powered spells... Any thoughts?

 

[slingbld]

I'd go with a combination of skill/feats system similar to Star Wars.

 

[WanderingMonster]

I was once inclined to work on a Potter-esque magic system, and decided to start with the spells and build the structure off of that. I didn't get much past designing a few spells, but here's a sample of what I came up with:
Alohomora Charm
[Charm]

Incantation: "Alohomora"

SpellcraftDC: 16

Range: Close (25ft + 5 ft./level)

Duration: Instantaneous

Saving Throw: None

Spell Resistance: Yes

Effect: This charm likely isn't in The Standard Book of Spells because of the potential for abuse. It can unlock any door, container, or lock of mundane fashion. Magical portals and bewitched containers are often warded against intrusion charms, in which case an opposed Spellcraft check must be made.

• +5 -- The target opens as well as being unlocked.
• +10 -- The target is thrown open with force, such that an opposed Strength check must be made to hold it closed.
• +15 -- The target is thrown open with such force that it may be damaged , and must make a Damage save versus DC 20.
• Critical Success -- As above, but the Damage save is DC 30.
• Critical Failure -- Something belonging to the caster "opens". This can be interpreted by the HM as he wishes..

Disarming Spell

[Charm]

Incantation: "Expelliarmus"

SpellcraftDC: 16

Range: Close (25ft + 5 ft./level)

Duration: Instantaneous

Target: A single creature

Saving Throw: Reflex negates

Spell Resistance: Yes

Effect: This spell causes anything the target may be holding in their hand (caster's choice) to fly out of their grasp and land 1d20+10 feet away.

• +5 -- The target is completely disarmed (both hands)
• +10 -- The target is hurled backwards half as far as the object they were holding.
• +15 -- The target may be Stunned (Fortitude negates), for 5 rounds minus their Con modifier. If they succeed their Fortitude save, they are dazed for one round.
• Critical Success -- Whatever was being held in the target's hand flies neatly into the caster's free hand.
• Critical Failure -- The caster disarms herself.

I have a few more. Email me if you'd like the whole thing (a six page document).

 

[Arani Korden]

Grimm by FFG does a fair job of it, I think - there are specific spells which have to be learned, and once the spell has been learned, it can be cast as often as you like, as long as you have the imagination points to pay for it. In addition, while wands aren't strictly required for spellcasting, they act as imagination batteries, allowing for much more impressive spellcasting.

Plus, the classes work well for the setting - Hermione's a Nerd, Ron's a Normal Kid, Draco's Popular, Crabbe and Goyle and so on.

 

[Ranger REG]

I thought the wand should give witches and wizards better control of their magic, just as much as a fighter would wield a longsword +1.

I've been knocking around some ideas in my head, including the broom as a special mount or animated companion.

 

[JimAde]

I thought the wand should give witches and wizards better control of their magic, just as much as a fighter would wield a longsword +1.

Does anyone in any of the books do magic without a wand? I can't remember an instance. I think a wand is required for humans (though not magical creatures of course). However, it seems you get bonuses or avoid penalties if you get the right wand (your own) as opposed to picking up someone else's.

 

[C. Baize]

Hmmm... Harry causes things to happen before he gets a wand... Makes the glass disappear from the snake exhibit... I think it referred to him flying to the top of a building once, while running away from Dudley and his friends...

 

[Ranger REG]

Well, making the glass window disappeared in the snake exhibit was an unexpected effect. I didn't think he intended it to happen, but Hagrid later did asked Harry if something unusual happened around him when his emotion is heightened (get angry, for example). So he has the power, he just needed some control, especially at an early age, while learning some cantrips and low-level spells. When he becomes experienced, low-level spells will have come easy to him (no wand required).

Besides, I like the idea of a wand being an arcane focus, as holy symbol is a divine focus for clerics.

 

[JimAde]

I had forgotten all about that early stuff. But once he gets to Hogwart's it never seems to happen again. And people without their wands act helpless. Even when confronted by someone planning to kill them, nobody makes a desperate attempt to get a spell off. So doing magic without a wand must be very difficult or impossible to control, and Harry was just lucky nothing worse happened before he got some training. Cool.

Wand as arcane focus is a good description. That way it's your baseline situation, and any time you have a different wand (or no wand) it's always a penalty. There's no "wand +2", there's just the wand that lets you function normally, and everything else is a step down.

Anyway, as to the original topic, I haven't seen anybody do a full treatment of the Harry Potter world, but I'd love to see it.

 

[Erila of Sune]

Well, not to get too technical:

But in OotP, Harry uses the lumos incantation to light his wand. But the wand is two feet away from his hand at the time. Make of that what you will, but I suspect all it means is Harry is much more powerful, potentially, than the other main characters.