So i am watching harry potter again. I want to know using the current rules for PFRPG how would one build a harry potter wizard?
First and foremost, arcane bond with a wand. possibly use words of power rather then normal spells. And really, harry potter is not a wizard, but a sorcerer, as are the pretty much anyone else in the harry potter universe.
Most of it can be handled with flavor.
Work out a list of spells and magic words. Make a copy for the gm. Then when you wave your wand and shout Lumos! He will know what you are talking about.
First and foremost, arcane bond with a wand. possibly use words of power rather then normal spells. And really, harry potter is not a wizard, but a sorcerer, as are the pretty much anyone else in the harry potter universe.
Why do you say sorcerer, and words of power are way too hard for my level of play (at least with wizards anyway)
Harry is more like a sorcerer since he seems to be lacking in spell knowledge, but he has raw power. The girl Homeny(spelled wrong) seems to know a lot, but is not as powerful as Harry.
Wands would always be the arcane bond, and most of it would have to be flavor due to their limit on spells except for the teachers.
First and foremost, arcane bond with a wand. possibly use words of power rather then normal spells. And really, harry potter is not a wizard, but a sorcerer, as are the pretty much anyone else in the harry potter universe.
Why do you say sorcerer, and words of power are way too hard for my level of play (at least with wizards anyway)
Probably because Potter and company don't memorize spells and do the fire and forget bit. They know the spells they know and cast as needed until they can't. The words of power is flavor. Note they call out a word when casting in HP...
Then play a wizard. But understand that you have a problem. Harrys magic simply DOES NOT WORK like pathfinder magic.
You can get close, you can approximate, sure. But if you really want to match it 100%, you'll need to change the magic rules.
So, decide now, do you want 100% Harry potter, or 100% Pathfinder as written. You don't get both.
Harry Potter is an interesting mix between sorcery and wizardry.
On the one hand- once they know a spell they never have to prepare it. Not once in any of the novels were they sitting around preparing spells before class nor were any of the adults ever seen to do so. Quite a few times in fact they bounced out of bed and just ran off. Sure for the adults you could say they may go a few days between preparing- but the kids just wouldn't have that many spells per day to jack around with.
Harry doesn't just come up with new spells on the fly like a Sorc would though. Correct me if I'm wrong but he never just "shazams" a spell. its always something he already knew. (so unlike a sorc, he's not just gettin spells off the top of his head, he's learning them like.. well.. a wizard).
So its sort of a mix. if I had to put it into game I'd probably make it a Spell Words Sorc. This allows him to know a spell forever once he's learned it and to modify it based on what needs doing. Just hand waive the 1 hour prep at the beginning of the day (or assume they skipped it in most parts of the novels) and it works out relatively well.
While Harry was fairly charismatic- he was also just a child. The older he got, the more folks liked and trusted and believed in him.
Hermie is far more intelligent than charismatic which explains why Harry was actually better at wizardry than her, though she had much better knowledge and spellcraft skills.
I do agree thuogh that an entirely different system would probably be better.
(white wolf in fact, is what I like to do for spell casting that doesn't mesh with D&D(
-S
|
Arcane Bloodline Sorcerer with Bonded Item (Wand).
The flavor is slightly different, but not notably, just get him Read Magic and make sure he's had at least a look at any Spell before he adds it to his list.
Grab Brew Potion and/or Craft Wondrous Item. Those come up a bit.
That's really about it.
Oh, and talking about Characters: Hermione is actually about as skilled and powerful as Harry, just focused more on the out of combat/utility spells. She got her high Intelligence by forgoing Harry's clearly fairly impressive Dex and Con scores, not skimping on the Charisma.
I say sorcerer because no one in the harry potter universe prepares their spells, they just decide that they want to use a spell, and do it
If you do go Sorcerer, you will want to take the Arcane Bloodline, as it is the one that gives you Arcane Bond, so that you may indeed gain your wand
Arcane Bloodline Sorcerer with Bonded Item (Wand).
The flavor is slightly different, but not notably, just get him Read Magic and make sure he's had at least a look at any Spell before he adds it to his list.
Grab Brew Potion and/or Craft Wondrous Item. Those come up a bit.
That's really about it.
Oh, and talking about Characters: Hermione is actually about as skilled and powerful as Harry, just focused more on the out of combat/utility spells. She got her high Intelligence by forgoing Harry's clearly fairly impressive Dex and Con scores, not skimping on the Charisma.
I would say that harry is more like unto the DMs girlfriend, rather lacking in anything good, but somehow able to always be at center of attention
|
|
I would say that harry is more like unto the DMs girlfriend, rather lacking in anything good, but somehow able to always be at center of attention
Debatably. :)
But he clearly has a really high Dex based on the whole Quidditch thing alone, and decent Con to survive the stuff he does. Hermione's physical stats are...less impressive.
Simplest way to play a Hogwarts style character, play GURPS.
And how does one play GURPS using the current rules for PFRPG?
Thank you to all of you
Simplest way to play a Hogwarts style character, play GURPS.
I'm sorry, did you just put the words "simple" and "GURPS" in the same sentence? Thanks that was a good laugh this morning.
Though this might be the best way to get a truly Harry Potter universe character... you will have to put alot of work into it, and probably make up alot of rules/spells yourself (unless there is an HP sourcebook somewhere)
I really think HP universe wizards are way more wizards than sorcerers. Obviously, they have some spontaneous casting ability, but there are ways to replicate that even as a wizard (see below). The fact that they go to school to actively learn and practice magic before they can use it really kills the sorcerer idea stone cold dead IMO. It can work either way, but I think you give up way too much of the flavor going with Sorcerer (not to mention the versatility, which is rampant in the variety of spells they research and cast).
At any rate, I've recently done just this. Here's how I'd do it using a Wizard base:
1) Arcane bond (Wand)- obviously. This can actually let you replicate a spontaneous feel for the spell you put into the wand. Most HP casters had a specific spell they always fell back on, like Expelliarmus for Harry. Get a wand of grease (or burning disarm, or a custom disarm spell), and you've always got your "go to spell" ready to go. Obviously the save will suffer for a while, so this works better if you can manage a no save signature spell. However, later on, you can remedy this with:
2) Staff-like wand discovery. Just makes your wand that much more powerful and keeps spells with saves relevant as options. Obviously, the level and prerequisite requirements are kind of a bummer, but c'est la vie.
3) Preferred Spell - asap, and later on, Spell Perfection. Congratulations, now you can spontaneously cast your signature spell without preparing it by sacrificing equivalent spell slots. You can also apply metamagic to your signature spell by sacrificing higher equivalent slots. You can select this multiple times if you so wish to spontaneously cast multiple different spells. Much later on, when you get Spell Perfection, you can better add metamagic to your favorite spell(s) on the fly, and for free.
4) Unforgivable curses. Any specialty school will work well enough, so long as your forbidden schools are Enchantment (imperius curse) and Necromancy (cruiatus and killing curses). This reflects the restriction on training received while at the Hogwarts equivalent school. Later on, Dark wizards probably take the Opposition research discovery once or twice to get their forbidden schools back. They could also always take a "forbidden" specialty and simply keep it a secret while in school, or simply be Universalists. Its an interesting side-effect that Universalist wizards may have an evil bent in a Harry Potter universe.
5) Words of Power. You can go all the way with them, but I'd suggest being more of a dabbler by maybe picking up the experimental spellcaster feat a time or two if you want a little more spontaneous casting feel. IMO, the wand and preferred spell give enough of this feel, so I'd consider this angle optional; especially if you just don't want to deal with WoP.
6) Use Harry Potter casting words as the V components to your spells. Prepare these for all the spells in your spellbook ahead of time. There are online databases of these words which help a great deal. Many directly fit Pathfinder spells. Some will take some combining/adaption to make work. You may want Eschew Materials, but I don't think that's mandatory.
7) Brew Potion and/or Craft Wondrous Item (especially if your last name is Weasley).
8) Broom of Flying. Clearly, you'll want this asap. May as well grab a glove of storing while you're at it so you've always got your Firebolt at a moment's notice.
That ought to be enough to get the build basics down. Fill in any gaps as you see fit or as any Wizard ordinarily would. Have fun with it!
Great build, I just cant get over how much they seem to spontaneously cast, or that being a "wizard" is in their blood, rather then their brain
Great build, I just cant get over how much they seem to spontaneously cast, or that being a "wizard" is in their blood, rather then their brain
It's true that they spontaneously cast. A LOT. But they also learn magic in a very academic manner.
I just think its way easier to build a Wizard who does some (even a lot of) spontaneous casting than it is to build a sorcerer who has the ability to learn lots of new spells, and can research creative applications of magic to solve specific problems (read: utility spells, which sorcerers can rarely afford to have known).
There are definitely elements of both classes though, which is what makes it challenging. I actually think some of the characters are more like sorcerers (probably Harry, Voldemort) while some are more like Wizards (Hermione, Dumbledore). Ron was probably a commoner with a level or two of adept ;-)
I guess if I had to choose one over the other to apply universally though, Wizards would be my choice since they can moonlight as sorcerers, while its much harder to do the reverse.
You might look into Harry Potter d20.
Wizard 1 (bonded wand)/ SOrcerer (int based) X -
Harry knew spells and could cast them alot, but couldnt cast all of them. The sorcerer spells known represent spells known and the times per day represents mana.
That's my best suggestion.
Oh and a vague template entitled "the One" which is completely under the control of the DM
Edit: Destined/Int crossblooded sorcerer would be good for Harry specifically.
|
Arcane bond should be with a familiar since they all have one.
To represent the attachment to the wand, and to represent the different personality of each, I recommend The Genius Guide to Rune Staves and Wyrd Wands which is a style of wand much more in tune with the Potter universe than an arcane bond. The bonding with with wand should be a flavor thing. Or you could come up with rules for having both a familiar and a bonded wand.
Arcane bond should be with a familiar since they all have one.
To represent the attachment to the wand, and to represent the different personality of each, I recommend The Genius Guide to Rune Staves and Wyrd Wands which is a style of wand much more in tune with the Potter universe than an arcane bond. The bonding with with wand should be a flavor thing. Or you could come up with rules for having both a familiar and a bonded wand.
The creator of runestaves and wyrd wands indicated he did intend for wyrd wands to work for arcane bond here So I think that is the best route for a Harry potter style wizard. They work much more like the wands in that universe. So OP, check with your gm if they are ok with this product, because it would go a fair way towards getting you to harry potter style casting with wands.
Arcane bond should be with a familiar since they all have one.
To represent the attachment to the wand, and to represent the different personality of each, I recommend The Genius Guide to Rune Staves and Wyrd Wands which is a style of wand much more in tune with the Potter universe than an arcane bond. The bonding with with wand should be a flavor thing. Or you could come up with rules for having both a familiar and a bonded wand.
I'm pretty strongly of the opposite opinion on this one. Everything was cast through their wands. Only the most powerful wizards could cast anything at all without their wand. The best way to emulate that is clearly with bonded item and its massive concentration checks. I suppose you could use wyrdwands in conjunction with arcane bond, but there's no getting around the fact that they all literally need the thing to cast spells effectively.
Besides, a 1st level caster would not be able to come close to affording even the cheapest wyrdwand. They can get a bonded wand right away. Plus, that book is not going to fly a many tables.
Their "familiars" were really more like pets than true familiars. Pettigrew notwithstanding, Crookshanks, Hedwig, and all the rest were perhaps exemplary specimens of their kind, but they were just animals. They didn't have human-level intelligence, and they were generally left at home when the real adventuring begun.
Wizard vs. Sorcerer is a matter of preference (I've made my preference known), but I don't think the arcane bond is negotiable. Get an arcane bond (wand) and buy a pet.
I'm pretty strongly of the opposite opinion on this one. Everything was cast through their wands. Only the most powerful wizards could cast anything at all without their wand. The best way to emulate that is clearly with bonded item and its massive concentration checks. I suppose you could use wyrdwands in conjunction with arcane bond, but there's no getting around the fact that they all literally need the thing to cast spells effectively.
As I stated above, the creator did mean to allow wyrd wands to work as a bonded item and they use the normal craft wand feat. Like a normal wand, they would just be a stick rules wise until the caster had the money, time and level to craft the wand(or was able to obtain one).
Besides, a 1st level caster would not be able to come close to affording even the cheapest wyrdwand. They can get a bonded wand right away. Plus, that book is not going to fly a many tables.
Neither could a 1st level wizard really afford a fully charged wand either, so the point is moot until either the player is high enough level to get one, OR the player is high enough level to make one. And once he does have a wyrd wand, it works far more like a harry potter wand, enhancing his casting, rather then being a spell in a jar.
And yes some dms wont allow 3rd party material, but that is for the OP and his dm to sort out. Super Genius material is generally of a high quality, and their writers often work on paizo material directly (as free lancers) so it would be odd if you allowed all paizo material, but then didnt allow material created by those same people but under a different company. I think the division between 3pp and paizo is rather blurry by this point in many cases.
Neither could a 1st level wizard really afford a fully charged wand either, so the point is moot until either the player is high enough level to get one, OR the player is high enough level to make one. And once he does have a wyrd wand, it works far more like a harry potter wand, enhancing his casting, rather then being a spell in a jar.
Its not the same thing at all though. No, a 1st level character can't put spells into their wand. So what? It's still a bonded object. Meaning its very difficult to cast spells without it, which is the whole point. Without bonded wand, Wizards would be casting spells all the time without their focus. That hardly ever happens in the HP universe. Unless they're very very powerful, or they're casting the most basic of spells, they NEED wands to cast.
Bonded wand emulates this quite well. Wyrdwand does not. You can however, ALSO make your bonded wand a wyrdwand, to further enhance its flavor and importance. That's even better, but wyrdwand without bonded item? No way. Not unless you're hand-waving away one of the most integral parts of HP magic use.
All of course, IMHO.
Neither could a 1st level wizard really afford a fully charged wand either, so the point is moot until either the player is high enough level to get one, OR the player is high enough level to make one. And once he does have a wyrd wand, it works far more like a harry potter wand, enhancing his casting, rather then being a spell in a jar.
Its not the same thing at all though. No, a 1st level character can't put spells into their wand. So what? It's still a bonded object. Meaning its very difficult to cast spells without it, which is the whole point. Without bonded wand, Wizards would be casting spells all the time without their focus. That hardly ever happens in the HP universe. Unless they're very very powerful, or they're casting the most basic of spells, they NEED wands to cast.
Bonded wand emulates this quite well. Wyrdwand does not. You can however, ALSO make your bonded wand a wyrdwand, to further enhance its flavor and importance. That's even better, but wyrdwand without bonded item? No way. Not unless you're hand-waving away one of the most integral parts of HP magic use.
All of course, IMHO.
I guess I wasnt clear, what I am saying is that you can make a wyrd wand a bonded item. So your bonded wand IS a wyrdwand. Though until you can afford to buy/craft it to something more significant, its just a bonded stick. I definately agree that the Arcane bond is an important part of it, I just think that Arcane bond PLUS wyrd wand is better then arcane bond + normal wand in the core rules, much better.
I guess I wasnt clear, what I am saying is that you can make a wyrd wand a bonded item. So your bonded wand IS a wyrdwand. Though until you can afford to buy/craft it to something more significant, its just a bonded stick. I definately agree that the Arcane bond is an important part of it, I just think that Arcane bond PLUS wyrd wand is better then arcane bond + normal wand in the core rules, much better.
Ah. We're in total agreement then ;-)
|
|
there's no getting around the fact that they all literally need the thing to cast spells effectively.
Besides, a 1st level caster would not be able to come close to affording even the cheapest wyrdwand. They can get a bonded wand right away.
Their "familiars" were really more like pets than true familiars. Pettigrew notwithstanding, Crookshanks, Hedwig, and all the rest were perhaps exemplary specimens of their kind, but they were just animals. They didn't have human-level intelligence, and they were generally left at home when the real adventuring begun.
Hmm... fair enough. Point conceded. I still consider a Wyrdwand to be virtually essential for flavor, though. So yeah, both bonded and wyrd if you really want to capture the flavor.
Allow animal languages to be picked up with ranks in linguistics. Harry can speak with his owl and with snakes, but to my knowledge, doesn't know any foreign human languages like Chinese or French.
Well, if -I- wanted a Harry Potter game, I wouldn't use Pathfinder at all.
But the OP wanted both, so I'm trying to make it clear that there will be tradeoffs.
Maybe a in-system fix would be to force Concentration checks for ALL spells cast. If you have your wand, then most spells are easy, DC 5 or something. If you're getting shot at or dodging dragon fire, DC's go up, as per normal.
If you LOSE your wand, or get disarmed, or you know who takes it, then the DCs go up considerably, and possibly casting time as well. Usually worth it to surrender.
-------------------------------------------------------
My guess, this system already exists somewhere. Check with the third-party publishers, and see what's available.