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Harry Potter D&D one-shot 1 (Preview) – Welcome to Hogwarts

    What do you need to know about Harry Potter?

    Knowledge of the Harry Potter universe is not required, but does gives color to the world through references to known locations and characters.

    What do you need to know about Dungeons & Dragons?

    You or part of your group need a base understanding of the game and one needs to be able to be the Dungeon Master.

    Available character options

    All characters are 3rd level and 11 years old.

    For this adventure to fit into the narrative the PC classes are restricted to:
    – Bard
    – Cleric
    – Druid
    – Sorcerer
    – Warlock
    – Wizard
    For the same reason the Race choices are:
    – Human
    – Centaur
    – Half-Veela (re-skinning of the High-Elf)
    – House elf (re-skinning of the Gnome)
    – Goblin (re-skinning of the Dwarf)
    – Merperson (re-skinning of the Triton that walks and speaks with the help of magic)
    – Half-Giant (re-skinning of the Half-Orc)

    Available items
    – Black robes and protective clothing of dragon hide for an armour rating of 12
    – Wands as substitute for all spell casting aids

    Tips for getting started

    – Turn on a Harry Potter music playlist
    – Decide when you change a human as race if you are pureblood, halfblood or mugleborn
    – Give the half-veela (re-skinning of the High-Elf) the cantrip “Friends” for that Veela charm
    – Change the Goblin’s (re-skinning of the Dwarf) stonecunning to the ability to evaluate gems and gold
    – Make the verbal component of spells Latin. Change them to actual Harry Potter spells when possible.

    Introduction

    This one-shot adventure is set in an alternative version of the Harry Potter universe. The players are 11 year old magical kids with the opportunity to prove themselves and earn a place in Hogwarts.

    Running this one shot

    Although this one shot covers a lot that might happen during this adventure and goes into detail how the locations the players come across look and feel. Despite that, players tent to do stuff, meet people and go to places they are not supposed to. It is your job as the Dungeon Master to fill in gaps where necessary and steer them back towards the main plot.

    Text in boxes can be read out loud to the players when the conditions in them are met.

    The other future students can be everywhere the players go. Some will be nervous and have little magic experience. Others are a bit more advanced and may be smug about it, challenging others to dares or showing off. Roleplay these as you like.

    The DM should read the full adventure before playing, to be aware of plot points and the available spells and prepare accordingly.

    Enjoying this preview?

    The full Harry Potter D&D one-shot package includes printable documents of:
    – An easy access, print ready version of the Harry Potter, Dungeons & Dragons one shot
    – 13 designs of the playable races
    – 4 designs of the creatures in this adventure
    – 3 battle maps (also available for digital use)
    – Acceptance letters and a map of school grounds
    – 7 Quick start character sheets
    – 8 Quick start character backgrounds
    All stats, attacks and any further mechanics of this one-shot are available in the product.

    “Everyone in the world is familiar with the fantastic Harry Potter books. A magical world in which a boy and his friends save the magical community from a great peril, Lord Voldemort. It had adventure, an amazing world, tragedy and our heroes came out on top. That is the version of the story everyone in the world came to know. Everyone knows it because a nosy squib wanted to cash out on the tragedy that overcame the magical community. She wrote down what she read in the Quibbler and Daily Prophet, what she heard from magical friends and family and she embellished the rest. She had a lot wrong though, but Diagon Alley, Hogwarts and magic is obviously real but fairly different than how it was depicted. There are not just wizards in the world but also bards, clerics, druids, sorcerers and warlocks. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Although the Hogwarts in the books and movies was fairly accurate to the Hogwarts before the second wizarding war in 1998, a lot has changed since those days. The biggest change is which races are allowed to be taught magic. The magical community has matured and become more accepting of those who were previously classified as “sentient magical beasts” like the Merpeople and Centaurs or the “magical beings” like house elves and goblins. The second biggest change in Hogwarts is the quantity of students. Year after year Hogwarts had too many applicants, changes in acceptance had to be made.

    On a warm summer day you all receive the following letter by owl:

    Dear applicant,
    We thank you for you interest in Hogwarts school. We are pleased to inform you that you are selected to participate in an application camp. In this 3-day camp on Hogwarts ground you will be tested to see if you are suited to become a Hogwarts students and start term the following year. Further dates and instructions will be delivered shortly.

    The best of luck on your trials.

    Yours sincerely,
    Pamona Sprout
    Deputy Headmistress

    After reading the intro, let each person introduce themselves. Who are they, what do they look like and how did they react when they got the letter from an owl saying they might have a shot at getting into Hogwarts?

    The day finally came. You packed your trunk, you said goodbye to your parents and a Portkey sent you straight to the edge of a lake. Thé lake with the legendary Hogwarts castle at it’s other end. Behind you is a small village worth of log cabin’s, all of which look barely large enough to comfortably house a single person. You all appear at the same moment 5 feet apart. You can spot about 20 peers running about and have yet to spot an adult when a girl with tied back auburn hair of about your age approaches you. With a sing-song voice she excitedly says: “Hey! Are you gonna be my new classmates? My name is Avery Atkins, pleased to meet you. I just arrived here an hour ago. If you haven’t been assigned to a cabin yet, you can report at that bigger cabin over there” she says pointing into the sea of cabins.

    Avery Atkins

    The 11 year old Avery is a confident and cheery girl who is vastly determined to get into Hogwarts, whatever it takes. Her father studied at Hogwarts and her mother at Beauxbatons. She mostly acts before she thinks.

    NPC stats, attacks and further mechanics are available in the full one-shot.

    When you go to get assigned to a cabin you spot the first adult you have seen here. A friendly looking man in plain black robes stands besides a cabin, larger than the rest, on which in large letters it says “Hogwarts application camp information point”. When he spots you he says with a deep booming voice: “Ah! New recruits! Just arrived here, have you? My name is Carter and i’m in charge of this camp. What are your names?” [After the players give their names] He bends over a book and says: “Yes! You lot are in cabin 29, up the hill at the edge of the forbidden forest. Your stuff is already there. You will be summoned in about an hour for your first challenge so use that time to get to know each other. You will be rated as a group, so you will be accepted or declined from Hogwarts together. I’ll see you in a bit!”.
    After walking towards the edge of the camp, you spot one of the last cabins with a number 29 next to the door. When entering, you see that the cabin is way larger on the inside and everything seems to be made out of wood. There is a communal living and dining area with a roaring fire in the fireplace and each of you has their own bedroom and bathroom where you find the stuff you packed.

    On the dining table lays cutlery, plates and cups for each of you. On the plate is engraved “Tell me what you want to eat”, and on the cup is says “Tell me what you want to drink”.

    Telling the plates and cups what you want to eat or drink conjures it instantly, it doesn’t work with alcohol or drugs. Let the characters get to know each other. After an hour of in-game time they hear a booming voice say: “Hey kids, I hope you’re ready. Meet me at the edge of the lake for your first challenge.”

    When approaching the lake you see a set of stairs leading into a hole in the beach sand and Carter standing next to it. “In here will be your first challenge. Be careful in there and good luck”.
    After descending the steps you walk through a door and enter a very high, triangular room. The door closes behind you and the statue of a badged which stood next to the door springs alive, stands in front of the door and freezes in place. You see the badger has a diamond shaped hole in it’s chest. Next to the door hang several brooms on the wall. At the other end of the room you see a enormous mountain troll and behind it you see a small shelf with a yellow crystal on it. The troll lets out a massive bellow and takes up a aggressive stance in front of the crystal. Roll for initiative.

    Mountain Troll

    Enemy stats, attacks and further mechanics are available in the full one-shot.

    Enjoying this preview?

    The full Harry Potter D&D one-shot package includes printable documents of:
    – An easy access, print ready version of the Harry Potter, Dungeons & Dragons one shot
    – 13 designs of the playable races
    – 4 designs of the creatures in this adventure
    – 3 battle maps (also available for digital use)
    – Acceptance letters and a map of school grounds
    – 7 Quick start character sheets
    – 8 Quick start character backgrounds
    All stats, attacks and any further mechanics of this one-shot are available in the product.

    When the crystal is placed in the badger’s chest a voice of an old man emanates from the walls, saying: “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”. After that, the badger moves aside and the door swings open.
    Carter is waiting outside and says “Hey gang, you did great. Your next challenge is tomorrow. The rest of the day you can hang out by the lake or in your cabin. I will call for you tomorrow around 10. Tonight it’s lights out at 10 so no sneaking around.” Avery pops out behind Carter and says “Concrats guys! How did it go?”

    During downtime other children go to their cabins or wander the grounds. They swim in the lake, visit the Whomping Willow and admire the Quidditch pitch. The school, greenhouses and Hagrid’s Hut are closed and guarded.

    Around 23 o’clock you hear a knock on the door. [After they open the door] You see Avery standing outside with a red backpack on her back and her hood pulled low over her head. She whispers “Hey, I don’t know about you, but I thought that first task was brutal. I was wondering if you would join me on a little expedition into the big cabin. If we could figure out what the other challenges are we are sure to get into Hogwarts by the end of all this. What do you say?”

    If the party joins Avery she asks them to wear dark, be silent and warns them that it’s everyone for themselves. She won’t be expelled to save someone else. Getting to the cabin they won’t come across anyone.

    Arriving at the cabin you see 2 doors. One in the front, and one in the back that has “Storage” written on it. Avery says “We should check the storage, the other door is where Carter lives and sleeps. Does any of you have a way to unlock this door? I could use ‘Knock’ but that makes noise, should I try it?”.

    The storage door can be unlocked with a DC 12 dexterity check when using Thieves’ tools. If Avery uses the ‘Knock’ spell lockpicks, use ‘Alohomora’ as the verbal component.

    Entering the storage rooms you find buckets with crystals like the yellow one you saw this afternoon. There are crystals in yellow, blue, green and purple. In the corner stand a couple of brooms and there are a couple of baskets.

    When stepping through the door, a loud alarm blares. After that they hear the front door of the cabin open. Avery uses her ‘Mage hand’ glove to pick up a couple of purple crystals and she takes off running while urging the rest to flee. She disappears in the distance. If they directly follow her they safely get away. The players that are caught by Carter will be sent to bed and he will make a note of their misbehaviour.

    After getting some rest you all wake up and get ready for the two tests of today. What do you want to do in the hour you have to prepare for the next test?
    An hour later you hear a booming voice say “Meet me at the edge of the lake for your second challenge.”
    Arriving at the lake shore you see Carter waiting for you. He wishes you luck and points you to the same set of stairs.
    Opening the door you enter a different room than before. It is oval shaped with black and white floor tiles. The room is empty except for a young, golden unicorn with a purple crystal in it’s chest. The door closes behind you and the statue of a lion with a crystal shaped hole in it’s chest steps in front of it. This makes the unicorn look up with its glowing purple eyes and charge you. Roll for initiative.

    Young Unicorn

    Enemy stats, attacks and further mechanics are available in the full one-shot.

    After the crystal is put in the lion statue, a voice of an old man emanates from the walls, saying: “There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”. After that the door opens and you see Carter excitedly wait for you at the top of the stairs. “What did you think of the crystal? They were my idea. It temporarily changes your alignment from good to evil and vice versa. Oh, you guys should prepare yourself for your next challenge in a couple of hours. You don’t have to go to your cabin, but keep an ear out for your cabin number, 29. Do any of you need some healing?

    Carter offers them healing potions for 4d4+2 healing. If they run into Avery she is agitated. They managed the second challenge because they didn’t touch the crystal, but one of her team-mates didn’t show up and now she can’t find him. After a couple of hours in-game read the next block.

    The last couple of hours you hear different cabins get called down to the lake and now you hear “Cabin 29, meet me at the lake’s edge.”
    Arriving at the lake shore you see Carter waiting for you. He wishes you luck and he again points you to the stairs.

    Enjoying this preview?

    The full Harry Potter D&D one-shot package includes printable documents of:
    – An easy access, print ready version of the Harry Potter, Dungeons & Dragons one shot
    – 13 designs of the playable races
    – 4 designs of the creatures in this adventure
    – 3 battle maps (also available for digital use)
    – Acceptance letters and a map of school grounds
    – 7 Quick start character sheets
    – 8 Quick start character backgrounds
    All stats, attacks and any further mechanics of this one-shot are available in the product.

    Walking through the door you can’t see anything but purple smoke and the wall and door behind you, which gets blocked by the statue of an eagle. After a moment they dissolve into the same purple smoke and you are now in the middle of nowhere. It’s nice and cool in here opposed to the summer heat outside and there is a faint smell of vanilla. Despite of the smoke you can see about 15 feet in front of you. In the distance but in different directions you all see something appearing, it’s the thing you’ve wanted so very, very much. Tell me, what do each of you see?

    Try to seduce the players to follow their desires. The thing they desire keeps being just out of reach of them or their spells. When one or more of them move away from the rest they instantly lose sight of each other. They can still hear the rest, but are not able to get together again. Only after moving 20 feet in the opposite direction of their desire does their desire disappear and do they see the door, blocked by an eagle. The last one to arrive at the door notices the blue crystal they suddenly have in their hand.

    When you place the crystal in the eagle statue, the voice of an old man emanates from the walls, saying: “It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”. After that the eagle steps aside and the door opens. Coming outside Carter once again congratulates you on a successful challenge. “Your last challenge is tomorrow morning so make sure to get some rest tonight.”
    The next morning at around 9 o’clock you hear a knock on the door. [After opening the door] You see Carter step in, look at each of you and sigh in relief. Good, you are all here. Yesterday one kid didn’t show up and I thought he might have just taken the train home. But the parents say he is not there and this morning an overly enthusiastic girl didn’t show up either. Luckily you are all still here. Your challenge will be a little later today, I will keep you up-to-date. Stay indoors please.” With that he walks out, but before he has a change to close the doors you see a thick, white substance shoot out from the side of the forest, wrap around him and yank him away into the woods while screaming “Help!”. All that is left are drag marks and his wand in the grass.
    Even though you can’t see Carter any more, there are obvious drag marks on the ground which lead in a straight direction. After following this for about 10 minutes you enter a clearing. In one corner you see Carter laying against a tree, unconscious and bound in a sort of webbing. You also see two bodies, fully encased in the webbing, hanging from the trees. Under one of which lay thick gloves and an open backpack in which you see purple crystals glow. At the other end of the clearing, hidden by shadows, you at first see two sets of 8 glowing eyes. A moment later two massive Acromantulas (spiders) step out on their enormous hairy legs with three small ones behind them. Roll for initiative.

    Small Acromantula

    Enemy stats, attacks and further mechanics are available in the full one-shot.

    Large Acromantula

    Enemy stats, attacks and further mechanics are available in the full one-shot.


    With the last Acromantula taken care of, you release Carter, Avery and her teammate. All of them are badly injured but alive. Walking out of the forest Carter calls you together and says: “I think this weekend will be cut short, but I thinks it’s fair to say… Welcome to Hogwarts.”

    Enjoying this preview?

    The full Harry Potter D&D one-shot package includes printable documents of:
    – An easy access, print ready version of the Harry Potter, Dungeons & Dragons one shot
    – 13 designs of the playable races
    – 4 designs of the creatures in this adventure
    – 3 battle maps (also available for digital use)
    – Acceptance letters and a map of school grounds
    – 7 Quick start character sheets
    – 8 Quick start character backgrounds
    All stats, attacks and any further mechanics of this one-shot are available in the product.

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