Update as of 10/9/21 – PREVIOUSLY IF SOMEONE WAS APPROVED AS A CREATURE THEY COULD ROLEPLAY ANY CREATURE. THIS HAS BEEN REVISED. ALL APPROVED CREATURES ARE ONLY APPROVED AS THE CREATURE THEY APPLIED AS. ANY FURTHER CREATURES MUST BE APPLIED SEPARATELY.

RULES REGARDING NPC CREATURES.

  1. Players may create creature avatars to play around the school from the chosen list: Cats, Owls, Toads, Rats, Pygmy Puffs, House Elves, Ghosts, Merpeople, Centaurs, Vampires, Goblins
  2. NPCs may have a backstory and be involved in plots with students, however they cannot be involved in RPD plots or create plots for the entire species of creatures they play (i.e they cannot create a widened plot for the Centaurs, Mermaids, they do not control the group as a whole. If they wish to go against the group’s current standings or change the current climate of the species group they need to seek RPD approval)
  3. Creature NPCs must abide by the rules given to playing certain creatures and must not break them. (Restrictions/Limitations)
  4. NPC creatures cannot kill/grievously harm any student at Hogwarts without RPD approval
  5. NPC creatures do not use a hud. No creature is allowed to use magic (unless a house elf, see below)
  6. NPC creatures must follow all IC and OOC rules.
  7. NPC creatures should not be confused with non-playable NPCs. They are existing characters whom should be treated as a student/faculty within the school.
  8. NPC creatures do not play an important role in the daily routine of Hogwarts. It is suggested that roleplayers use their NPC creature to their own prerogative as playing an NPC can be rewarding but also challenging as their roles are limited and do not affect roleplayers on a daily basis.
  9. NPC Creatures cannot control any non-roleplayer NPC creatures as their leader or godmod them into doing things. You may roleplay communicating with other creatures you make up but you may not direct them to cause havoc or do anything.

NO HUD? DOES THIS MEAN OUR ACTIONS ARE AUTO SUCCESSFUL?

No. If you are using an action against a roleplayer you must first seek permission from said roleplayer to affect their character otherwise this will be treated as godmodding. You must not force anything onto a player. However, as your character is an NPC. All dice rolls by students/professor will automatically hit if successful against your NPC You may request that you block/dodge the incoming spell/action via IM and work with the roleplayer. If you think someone is abusing this, please contact a member of staff.

WHY THE CHANGE?

As creatures do not play a big part at MM and may sometimes only be seen rarely, we decided to make them NPC. This doesn’t make them any less of a character however, use of creatures is limited and comes with strict rules unlike your average student/professor. These restrictions make the type of character very limited and not able to be played on a daily basis.

NPC GROUP?

Once invited to the NPC group you will be given the tag MM Creature. Players who have been approved to play a NPC Creature are required to only play as the creature they were approved to play. All creatures at MM must be approved individually. Please follow the rules!

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Hogwarts, being a school, is often filled with many humans — but have you ever stopped to think what else lurks in the corners of Hogwarts? What or who was that cat that passed you in the Library? What hides deep within the Forbidden Forest? Let us enlighten you!

Student Pets

Many of the small creatures moving about the castle and grounds are often owned by students themselves! Although this is limited to five creatures only. These five creatures include; cats, owls, toads, rats, and pygmy puffs.

Cats 

Cats are furry domesticated animals, some are often bred with a Kneazle, a magical beast similar to a cat yet they have an XXX creature status, as advised by The Ministry Of Magic. To own a pure-breed Kneazle you must first have a licence due to their nature, however, having a cat which is half-Kneazle is acceptable without a license and is allowed in Hogwarts!

Owls

Owls are used around Hogwarts to deliver messages, collect mail and be a companion to the witch or wizard that chose them. Each owl is different and like cats, come in an array of colors and personalities. Some may peck you and some may love you.

Toads 

Toads are one of the unpopular types of pet that will be found in the castle. Wizards and witches deem this pet to be owned by someone who wants to spend their days in embarrassment. Toads were once appreciated for nothing more than use in charms and especially the use in potions ingredients. A toad’s skin absorbs liquids which allows the testing of oral potions to be much easier. The Ministry Of Magic outlawed this practice of using toads as nothing more than experiments. Toads as pets often get lost, but usually can be found in The Great Lake where other toad kind live. Toads may not look scary creatures but the Giant Purple Toad might be. The Giant Purple Toad is a magical species of toad, they can stun humans, and are resistant to the fire-making charm. Not a pet welcomed into Hogwarts, but if that’s not daunting enough, should a chicken egg be hatched under an ordinary toad it becomes a Basilisk problem.

Rats 

Rats are small rodents that can live up to two or three years. Like toads they’re not so popular, and can be used as part of potions, the tail and spleen in particular. Rats can be also fed to dragons as a reward however it is not recommended for untrained wizards and witches to face a dragon alone.

Pygmy Puffs

Pygmy Puffs are miniature Puffskein. A puffskein is a small round magical beast, known for its soft fur, they are a popular wizarding pet, almost every wizarding household contains a puffskein. These creatures enjoy cuddles, being thrown around and snacking on wizard’s bogeys while they sleep. These creatures are easy to care for, and like other creatures their fur is useful in potions. Pygmy Puffs are known to carry the ‘Pygmy Virus’, a seasonal disease which is contagious and spreads from Pygmy to humans and it continues to spread. The sickness lasts about a week. Symptoms include; lethargy, sudden or spontaneous squeaking (involuntary), fur growth in patches across the entire body (may resemble many colours), wheezing, sniffing, coughing, and a sudden craving for snot or snot flavored delicacy (see Bertie Botts). During this time, all students with a pet Pygmy Puff must send them to the Owlery to be quarantined until the season is over.

NPC PLAYER SUGGESTED AVATAR

  • Any animal resembling the above.
  • OhMai! Pygmy Puff/ Hextroadinary Pygmy, Zooby Cats Avatar.
  • NO Furry Avatars.

    HOW TO RP/RESTRICTIONS
  • Animals do not have human intelligence and cannot understand humans nor can communicate with them via speech or understanding. They can however try to communicate in their own way (i.e pawing at students for food, eating boogers)
  • They will tend to just do animal stuff. They cannot cast magic. Don’t over complicate it, you’re a pet.
  • NPC creature pets can be owned by students. You may set this up between you and another roleplayer.

Lurking in the corners of Hogwarts….

House Elves

House Elves are the only creatures that live in the Hogwarts castle. They are the property of the school. They can often be seen working in the kitchens, doing chores such as cleaning, making beds and keeping the school in tip top form. These little creatures are the ones who bake, cook and serve the school meals. Contrary to popular belief, the Hogwarts Elves are treated kindly, under rule of the Caretaker. However, House Elves will not obey anyone’s orders but the orders of The Headmaster or Headmistress.

NPC PLAYER SUGGESTED AVATAR

The OhMai! House elf mesh body or similar.
No clothes-rags and accessories preferred unless they are a free elf.

HOW TO RP/RESTRICTIONS

  • Magic is created wandlessly. Limited to what can be done.
  • House elves are never normally seen. They are supposed to be background characters. Cleaning while students are asleep, working in the kitchens often, always loving to serve those under Hogwarts Castle. NPCs should appear sparingly and not enter classrooms/commons.
  • House elves do not normally ever use muggle means to clean. They can clean anything with magic, and are extremely powerful. This means no brooms, mops, dustpans, etc.
  • House Elf loyalty is to the current headmistress. They are normally rescued as free elves, come from past pure blood lines, or donated when services are no longer needed. They might miss their previous masters, but all loyalty is 100% to the school. Professors may have some sway over House Elves but all Elves must obey the Headmistress/Deputy Headmaster.
  • If ever breaking a rule set by their current Master/Mistress, a house elf will punish themselves physically and violently. Smashing heads against the wall, burning themselves. Though no apparent or actual damage ever seems to be had.
  • House elves can live through many generations of Witches and Wizards, normally making them extremely old. An age limit has not been set.
  • House elves can apparate on Hogwarts grounds.

Ghosts

Ghosts play an important secondary role, mainly as advisors. Unlike the ghosts in a traditional ghost story, these ghosts are neither frightening nor necessarily ghoulish, and many ghosts act as advisors to living humans in their times of need. Ghosts in the novels appear silvery and translucent. They can fly and pass through walls, tables and other solid objects, but nonetheless have some ability to physically affect, and be affected by, the living world. Moaning Myrtle can, for instance, splash the water in her toilet. Ghosts’ banquet tables are laden with rotten food, as the decomposition increases their ability to almost smell and taste it. Touching or walking through a ghost induces a sensation “like walking through an icy shower.” Ghosts can be affected by magic and curses, though not to the same degree that living beings can, and they can, obviously, not be killed by them as they’re already dead.

In the Harry Potter universe, only wizards and witches can become ghosts. As Nearly Headless Nick explained to Harry, “Wizards can leave an imprint of themselves upon the earth, to walk palely where their living selves once trod … I was afraid of death. I chose to remain behind. I sometimes wonder whether I oughtn’t have … Well, that is neither here nor there … In fact, I am neither here nor there…” Despite having chosen their afterlives, many ghosts appear quite unhappy; they bemoan their not-quite inability to eat, and many are described as gloomy. They also appear to have an attraction to the morbid and melancholy.

House Ghosts

Each house at Hogwarts has its own ghost, each ghost once belonged to one of the four houses and remains to represent their house.

  • The Bloody Baron – Slytherin
  • The Grey Lady – Ravenclaw
  • The Fat Friar – Hufflepuff
  • Nearly Headless Nick – Gryffindor

    (OOCly House Ghosts are considered a RPD NPC. Any plots, actions or otherwise outside what is stated here MUST be approved by RPD prior.)

    NPC PLAYER SUGGESTED AVATAR

    Full white or transparent avatar.

    HOW TO RP/RESTRICTIONS
  • Ghosts must have a valid reason for being in Hogwarts. I.E a random ghost from Diagon Alley would not be in Hogwarts.
  • Ghosts also appear to celebrate their deathday, as Nearly Headless Nick did so on October 31st in 1992. They tend to be very sensitive concerning the circumstances of their death, often showing great hesitancy when asked by others how they died. They are also quite morbid.
  • Ghosts are only of wizards and witches. Ghosts cannot be muggles. Ghosts are an imprint of a deceased wizard or witch who has decided not to move on, very few choose to do this. They were usually either afraid of death or had a very strong connection to the places they haunt.
  • Ghosts cannot move physical objects and cannot be harmed or touched using conventional methods. However, a ghost may be able to affect the temperature of a room and thus creating cold spots or cold feelings when they pass through people/objects.
  • The Ministry of Magic has some jurisdiction over ghosts and can banish them from certain areas or to certain places. The Headmistress of Hogwarts can also banish ghosts from the school. Take this into consideration when roleplaying.
  • Ghosts cannot eat or drink although they like to pretend to. However, they cannot pick up food or drink.

Poltergeist

Poltergeists are an entity of mischief considered to be amortal, meaning never having died or being able to die. Amortal beings such as Poltergeist are considered to have never been alive. Poltergeists create chaos, they are able to pick up objects and throw them, they can be destructive and are prone to pulling pranks, and causing upset to those they haunt. Poltergeists are vulnerable to some jinxes, and can feel pain but will not be injured.

Jeeves is a poltergeist that inhabited Hogwarts a long time ago, often pulling pranks on professors, throwing toilet paper, shouting out insults and being a general nuisance. 

(OOCly Jeeves is considered a RPD NPC. Any plots, actions or otherwise outside what is stated here MUST be approved by RPD prior.)

The School Grounds are home to…

OWLS (see Student Pet section for details)

Hogwarts has its own Owlery. It makes sense, considering most students and faculty own an owl. 

Under the surface of The Great Lake…

The Giant Squid

The Giant Squid is a magical beast that lives in The Great Lake. The Giant Squid is not aggressive and will never attack any student or professor. The Giant Squid is not a threat to Hogwarts, in-fact the Giant Squid will often be helpful to students. At times the Giant Squid can be playful, and might even take food that you offer it! 

(OOCly The Giant Squid is considered a RPD NPC. Any plots, actions or otherwise outside what is stated here MUST be approved by RPD prior.)

Merpeople

The merpeople of Hogwarts have greyish skin. Their eyes are yellow, as are their broken teeth, and they wear thick ropes of pebbles around their necks as necklaces. Their powerful, silver fish tails allow them to swim expertly, while the upper parts of their bodies resemble those of humans. Merpeople are also very tall, and during the second task, Harry encountered one in the lake near Hogwarts who was seven feet tall with a long green beard and a choker of shark fangs, carrying a spear. They have been known to keep Grindylows as pets, and use Lobalugs as weapons. One tribe even managed to capture and domesticate a Hippocampus.

NPC PLAYER SUGGESTED AVATAR

  • Mermaid tail.
  • Merpeople in HP lore are not of those you see in other fiction. They are more feral/animalistic looking.
  • Avatar must be PG and breasts must be covered. I.E shells.

    HOW TO RP/RESTRICTIONS
  • Merpeople cannot speak outside of water. Any singing/speech outside of water will resemble that of a blood curdling screech or scream.
  • Black Lake Merpeople are territorial and do not like children/adults swimming in their territory. They will often try to drive students/adults out of the lake. Although not usually aggressive they can turn aggressive if challenged. It’s been known that some mers have tried to drown students.
  • Merpeople will do their own thing and not involve themselves in politics in Hogwarts unless it disturbs their routine.
  • Merpeople have beautiful voices underwater and can often be heard when underwater singing beautiful melodies or rhymes. However this has no magical effect on people and cannot enchant anyone.
  • Merpeople are under jurisdiction of the Ministry and the Headmistress. They can be banished from the grounds (see above with Ghosts)
  • Merpeople are on good terms with the Headmistress. They do not go against the school and shouldn’t be roleplayed as such. See below as Centaurs, Mermaids are pack beings and will be shunned/banished if they go against the rules.

What lurks within the Forbidden Forest…

Centaurs

Centaurs in the Harry Potter universe are wild creatures who claim to possess intelligence greater than humans. Their heads and torsos resemble those of humans but they possess the four legs, lower bodies and tail of a horse. Although sentient, they have not requested assignment as Beings, preferring to remove themselves entirely from human affairs. Centaurs are skilled in healing and astrology, and spend much of their time scouring the stars for portents. They live in forests, and their society consists of groups called herds. They do not appear to employ or need any technology more advanced than a bow and arrow. They are proud and territorial, therefore high diplomatic skills must be employed when dealing with centaurs. Displaying lack of respect to centaurs can have violent consequences.

NPC PLAYER SUGGESTED AVATAR

  • Must have a half horse/Half human body. Breasts must be covered.

    HOW TO RP/RESTRICTIONS
  • Centaurs seclude themselves to their land in the forest. They do not visit Hogsmeade, Hogwarts or any land owned by Hogwarts. No Centaur should leave the forest unless given permission by RPD.
  • Centaurs are often defensive and territorial. It is very rare for a Centaur to be caring to adult wizard or witches. Centaurs are not friendly with any professor/adult other than the Headmistress and the CoMC professors/groundskeepers. All Centaurs are respectful to children and will not harm them unless a wand is brandished and they are attacked.
  • Centaurs are gifted in Astronomy, Divination and Herbology. They can be clairvoyant. Any visions plot wise must be approved by RPD. Any visions about specific students/professors must be approved by the student/professor.
  • Centaurs are, /most of the time/ armed with some type of druidic weapon , Archery Equipment, or something to fend against the other creatures residing in the forbidden forest.(Acromantula)
  • Centaurs follow their pack rules and must not go against them. They cannot break from their pack or risk expulsion from their territory and be cast out. They are loyal to their own kind.

In the wider wizarding world

Vampires [updates to come]

Vampires in MM canon are a human (witch/wizard) who has been infected by a blood curse. The curse of vampirism is within a vampire’s blood and is not curable. Vampires are classified as ‘beings’ by the The Ministry of Magic and are mortal though they age slower than most. A vampire can live longer than a wizard or witch. Vampires are also classified as dark creatures due to their dangerous nature. They are between a state of the living and dead which is why they are considered members of the living dead. Witches and wizards are not seen to fear vampires however they don’t accept them into their society much like werewolves, goblins etc. Garlic is a means to ward off vampires however not all vampires should be feared, vampires can live in society with witches and wizards alike.

NPC PLAYER SUGGESTED AVATAR

  • Vampires are seen as gaunt and pale creatures with fangs. Their appearance changes over time depending on how well the vampire is feeding.

    HOW TO RP/RESTRICTIONS
  • Vampires cannot be out in direct sunlight. If a vampire chooses to be out in the day, they must be fully covered from the sunlight. 
  • For a vampire to keep its ‘beauty’ or rather human natural appearance, then they must feed and infect others with the blood curse.
  • When a vampire bites a victim, they do not become a vampire simply from the bite. Only when the transfusion of vampiric blood within the human takes place does one become a vampire. (a la Bram Stoker’s Dracula)
  • A vampire’s main source of food is blood which is human or from a creature.
  • The blood from a human gives the vampire strength, blood from an animal will make them weaker and no blood at all will make them lethargic.
  • Vampires are able to eat regular food however this does nothing for them.
  • Vampires do not have magic nor are they allowed wands. Any magical powers are tied with their state as a vampire (turning others into vampires etc)
  • All vampires are linked to one another. If a vampire from a line dies, the vampires in that line will become weaker.

Goblins [updates to come]

Goblins are mortal, highly intelligent beings, small in stature (often growing no taller than 48″) with long fingers and toes, they often are characterised with larger noses and ears. They speak gobbledegook, are adept metalsmiths (often working in Gringott’s Wizarding Bank), and their diet primarily consists of raw meats, roots, insects, and fungi. Goblins have their own magic that they can conduct without holding a wand which was outlawed in 1631. Many wizards see Goblins as an inferior species. 

[Mischief Managed Goblin canon to come soon.]

NPC PLAYER SUGGESTED AVATAR

  • Small in stature.
  • Long fingers and feet/toes.
  • Often also having larger and pointed noses and ears.
  • Some had dark slanted eyes.

    HOW TO RP/RESTRICTIONS
  • TBA