FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Premise | Hogwarts | Magical World | Applications | Student | Professor | Miscellaneous
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WHERE AM I?
Why, you're in Hogwarts, of course! This ancient castle is the home of a famous school for witchcraft and wizardry as it is known from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. You (or, rather, your character) have been pulled here in the midst of the war between the wizarding world and the dark wizard Voldemort.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I WAKE UP IN HOGWARTS?
Inside your new chest is Dumbledore's letter, which your character will be drawn to read. Next to it is the Commuter, a magical device with easy-to-use Video, Audio, Text, and Quill settings that links up to the network. Whether you decide to post immediately or instead explore your surroundings first, your first day is entirely up to you — that is, you will not have lessons to attend, no matter if it is a weekday. From then on, however, it is assumed your character is given the freedom to study any of the classes that Hogwarts has to offer and is encouraged to attend at least four Monday-Friday, with weekends free.
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS IN MY TRUNK WHEN I ARRIVE?
See the section on school supplies.
WHAT IS THE COMMUTER?
The commuter is a magical device designed by Dumbledore to work in and out of Hogwarts, a kind of wizarding iPad/Nook that comes complete with a safety satchel. It allows you to connect via Video, Audio and Text functions, as well as offering a touch-screen Quill option for those that prefer to write using a stylus, charmed to shrink from 12X8 to 8X6 in inches (for sneaky mid-class correspondences). The network is recorded and everyone can read what is written in a post to it unless marked PRIVATE in the headers of entries/responses. Complete with an alarm setting, there is also a small clock constantly in operation on the screen, so there's no excuse to be late for class!
NB: All commuters that are tapped by the Dark Lord and his forces will bear no outward differences to the normal models. Additionally, only those characters who have applied to receive his broadcasts will be able to view them and on their own device. Anyone else that tries to see the messages is unable to do so without mod-approved consent, but can be informed about them by other characters.
MY CHARACTER DOESN'T WANT TO STAY AT HOGWARTS! WHAT DO I DO?
You can align yourself with the Death Eaters by specifying in your application ahead of time that your character will want to turn against the school and receive secretly monthly broadcasts from the Dark Lord. They cannot at this time, however, leave the grounds of Hogwarts.
CAN I BRING MY PET TO HOGWARTS?
Hogwarts allows only cats, owls, toads, and rats. The only exception to this rule is if your pet is linked to a character's ability to fight, such as pokemon. If your character owns a familiar that is considered a playable character, unfortunately you will have to wait for them to be apped into the game.
WILL THERE BE FLYING LESSONS/QUIDDITCH?
Yes! The Quidditch team captains will be selected after the first month of gameplay and will be allowed to pass on the position after that as they see fit, as well as specifying whenever they wish their practice sessions to take place. Official flying lessons are optional.
CAN I CHANGE HOUSES?
No. Having specified your house already in your application, it is now your new family home inside Hogwarts. If you choose Slytherin as your first option and Ravenclaw as a standby, please specify if you are dead-set on Slytherin so that you are not sorted into a house you desperately don't want to be stuck in on an OOC level. This is very important! Do avoid sorting your character into houses just because their friends are there; be honest about where they would find themselves placed.
WHAT DO I DO ABOUT MONEY? I DON'T HAVE ANY!
A special fund is set up for new students who cannot afford to buy their own provisions. SIX GALLEONS A MONTH will be deposited into their Gringotts account, approx. £30/$60. Until students are able to leave the school, the house elves will be placing a velvet draw-string purse containing this money inside each chest on the 21st of each month. Professors receive far more, around the amount of SIXTY GALLEONS A MONTH in order to assist with their classes, approx £300/$600.
NB: The currency converter on the HP Lexicon is an extremely useful tool when in doubt!
ARE THE REST OF THE FACULTY NPC'D?
Yes and No - everyone save Dumbledore and Voldemort are not plot devices. This is to free up the characters for application. Until someone chooses to app a canon professor, they are assumed to be within the castle, teaching their various classes. Should you wish to apply for a canon professor, you're more than welcome. Upon arrival, they will be considered an "Alternate-universe" version from "their" Hogwarts, compared to the Hogwarts of Magic Draft. Until then, they are considered NPCs. These can include staff members like Filch and Madam Pomfrey.
I HAVE WINGS! CAN I FLY OUT OF HOGWARTS AND ESCAPE?
Dumbledore's enchantments on the school are considered absolute unless transgressed by a professor. Anyone who attempts to fly, swim or dig their way out (or enter Hogsmeade through secret passages!) will find their pathway blocked by a thick fog once the boundary is crossed and abruptly turned around to see their pathway out of it leading back to the castle.
HOW DO I ORDER WEASLEY'S WIZARD WHEEZES? CAN I BUY THINGS FROM DIAGON/KNOCKTURN ALLEY WITHOUT GOING THERE?
It's a handwaved assumption that anything you can subscribe to via an owl, eg. The Daily Prophet/major Diagon Alley stores, can be easily acquired through the mail, whether it's Fred and George's brand of fun or a new broomstick from Quality Quidditch Supplies. Just be sure to catch your package before it drops in your breakfast.
CAN MY CHARACTER BE AN ANIMAGUS?
Only third-years and above are canonly taught the basics for this ability, but it is possible to perfect. There were only seven registered in the entire Twentieth Century, but we are inclined to be a little more lenient provided the character meets special requirements; to have studied the ability in-game for at least six months and to have a character intelligent enough to carry out the complex/dangerous process. If your character can turn into an animal within their own canon, the six month study-period will be shortened to three.
All animagi will need to 'register' with the school - this simply means you will need to comment to the Animagus Request page. If your reasoning is sound, approval will be granted to begin studying the ability.
NB: All animagi will be logged on the Hogwarts school registry as a result of so many diverse Magicdrafted individuals joining Hogwarts.
AM I ALLOWED TO APP A NON-HUMAN?
Yes! It would be hypocritical of us not to allow non-humans when Firenze was a canon professor, so if you want to app someone like Beast from Disney's BatB or Abe from Hellboy, it's fine.
MY CHARACTER IS ALREADY FROM THE HP 'VERSE! WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM?
If your character is a student, their new school year will now be dependant on their age (please refer to the premise page) but their previous school house will remain the same whether they are currently a pupil or not. In the event of mature characters being apped into the game (eg, Lucius Malfoy) they will also be similarly placed (unless opting for the position of professor before they enter the game). Each new seventh-year, no matter how old upon entry as a student, must serve at least five months before being allowed to graduate to the position of professor. This is to ensure important positions subject to instruction by the mods (related to the plot) are not assumed lightly by players who have changed their mind since specifying their rank in the student/professor section of their initial application.
By this logic, you may app in a seventh-year and only need play them for five months as a student before a graduation is authorised and professorship granted, should you wish to integrate them into the student body before setting up their own brand of magical lessons. You can circumvent this rule entirely by simply apping in any character over twenty as a professor from the start, if you would rather avoid mingling as a student. It's up to you!
MY CHARACTER ALREADY HAS A MAGICAL ARTIFACT THAT ALLOWS THEM TO DO MAGIC. DO I STILL GET A HP 'VERSE WAND?
Yes! No matter what kind of magic you used prior to Hogwarts, it will have been transformed into your new wand. See here.
SO HOW DO MY CHARACTER'S POWERS TRANSLATE INTO A WAND EXACTLY?
Take, for example, a shinigami from Bleach with power stemming from their soul and harnessed through a sword; whatever their special ability was prior to Hogwarts, it is now honed into powerful variations of magic such as Charms or Transfiguration. You are at liberty to select the subjects in which your character excels, tailoring their wizarding prowess around past specialties. Try to grant them at least one flaw, to avoid Mary-Sue tendencies. We'll call this brand of power translation "Active".
"Passive" powers are regarded as more sensory/inherent traits that directly relate to how a character deals with the world around them, eg. Toph from The Last Airbender needs to feel vibrations in order to 'see' despite her blindness. In short, magic can make up for this. In Toph's case it should be specified in her app that Homenum Revelio would be tailored to allow her to retain this ability. If you're still unsure after browsing the official spells list, give the mods a shout and we'll do our best to help.
ARE OCS ALLOWED?
No, we do not accept Original Characters.
MY CHARACTER DOESN'T GET MUCH SCREEN TIME/HAS VERY LIMITED CANON MATERIAL - CAN I STILL APP THEM??
No. In the case of characters such as Lily and James Potter or similar characters, the mods feel that there is not enough canon material to base an app on and therefore we will not accept such characters. If you're not certain whether your character qualifies as appable, please ask in the Mod Inbox.
DO YOU ACCEPT PURELY HISTORICAL/MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS?
No. Unfortunately, unless there is a solid media source for a historical or mythological character, such as a film or book that provides a clear voice, they won't be accepted into the game. Similarly, Vocaloid characters are unsuitable given they are without any basic canon voice or backstory and inferred from fanon resources.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE VERSIONS OF MY CHARACTER, ONE IS ALREADY IN THE GAME - CAN I APP THE OTHER?
No. In that event then no matter the canon, the character is already taken. For example, if Cloud Strife from Crisis Core is in the game, you cannot app him from Kingdom Hearts.
MY CHARACTER IS HUGE! HOW CAN I FIT THEM INTO HOGWARTS?
Even Hagrid was able to study at Hogwarts, size is definitely not an issue! Whether your character is just as big as him or even larger, they are welcome to join the school. An adjoining bedroom will be afforded to them next to that of those they share a year with, where everything is scaled to size with the use of an Undetectable Extension Charm. If a height of 8 feet is exceeded, they may be required to cast a daily Shrinking Charm in order to be able to fit inside the smaller sections of the school during lessons, but that is merely common sense and they are free to show their original size off when there isn't any danger of banging their head on a ceiling.
MY CHARACTER ISN'T HUMAN, DO THEY AUTOMATICALLY GET CHANGED INTO ONE UPON ENTRY TO THE GAME?
No. Hogwarts takes you as you are and won't force you to become anything for the sake of pleasing others. You are good enough to study at the school whether human, centaur, fish, mecha or ghost, we will always do our very best to accomodate you. If you're unsure about this during your application, leave a note in the misc section and it will be addressed accordingly.
I CAN'T HOLD A WAND! WHAT DO?
Given our policy to allow anyone with the magical ability (and that's everyone who apps in!) to study at Hogwarts, this is not at all a problem. Whether there are four paws in question or if you're a ghost and unable to touch anything, then you are still able to wandlessly cast Locomotor Wand on it at will and have the instrument hover close to your person for any duration of time.
NB: It is handwaved that a note explaining this will be included in the initial letter from Dumbledore.
THE CHARACTER I WANT TO PLAY LIVES UNDERWATER, HOW DO I GET AROUND THIS?
The lake outside the school, in short. All mer-people will have been requested aid from Dumbledore and new students granted half the lake to make their home. Watch out, though - you don't want to run into your neighbours too often! You might need to perform a Reverse Bubble-Head Charm in order to breathe within the school. If you do not own the ability to walk (in a mermaid's case, for example) then all the information needed to study at the same level as other students will appear daily within your new trunk (and can obviously be assumed water-proof). The giant squid will very likely swim over to investigate these curious new additions to its home, so try and make a good impression!
MY CHARACTER IS LITERALLY A DRAGON/LION/WILD ANIMAL DESPITE THEIR INTELLIGENCE, WHERE DO THEY LIVE? HOW DO THEY EAT?
The forbidden forest, like the lake, has been safe-guarded along the nearest boundary within sight of the school for wilder characters to make use of. It is strongly advised that they don't venture too far into it and stumble upon giant spiders and centaur herds, as the territory is said to be clearly marked.
House elves will happily grant any meals that cannot be hosted inside the Great Hall (huge slabs of meat, etc) at breakfast, lunch and dinner times inside the forest, although they will never even be glimpsed as they come and go; the food will simply appear as though blossoming through the ground.
I WANT TO APP IN A HARDCORE DEATH EATER/EVIL CHARACTER, IS THIS POSSIBLE?
Yes! Staunch Voldemort supporters such as the original Death Eaters will be allowed to live in the castle, but under certain conditions so as to allow the rest of the game's cast some peace of mind. It is understandable that a character like Bellatrix would rather kill everyone and try to run off back to her one true love Voldemort, but Dumbledore has already compensated for this. Anyone bearing the Dark Mark, when they enter as Magicdrafted, will be unable to perform the Unforgivable Curses. Any wand they attempt this with will malfunction on the spot and, in true Dumbledore fashion, only release a fountain of lemondrops (or Every Flavour Beans if they try one too many times, although they might not be the tastiest of treats). The same holds true for anyone else in the school that feels it necessary to try and commit murder/torture through these three options.
WHAT DO I DO REGARDING MY CLASSES?
You are allowed to have your character attend as many lessons as they please. If you require a Time Turner, please drop us a note at the time turner application page so that we can keep track of how many there are in the castle. If you play a professor, you can feel free to host your class whenever you like.
GREAT! CAN I GO BACK IN TIME AS FAR AS I WANT?
No. If you possess a Time Turner, you will only be able to turn back time for a few hours or until the start of that day, at most. There are magical restrictions on the Time Turners to prevent students from abusing them, thus only allowing for a few hours at a time.
I REALLY WANT TO PLAY A PROFESSOR!
Fantastic! In the appropriate section in your app, you'll be asked to reason why your character ought to have that privilege above others and what kind of magic you think they could bring to the school. Please do keep in mind that all professors will be required to partake in events to a certain degree being considered IC-like moderators within the setting of the game and therefore called upon to exert certain rules when an event rolls around; a special notice in monthly updates will be given to update the faculty on what they will be made aware of via Dumbledore's correspondences, something the students will not be directly party to. Canon heads of house will additionally be regarded as the heads of their specified subject (eg. Professor Snape, head of the Potions Department) and be granted the authority to override the decisions of new teachers given their inherent canon knowledge of the school. You will have the ability to give and take points as you wish (although the monthly scores will be regulated by the mods OOC and largely unaffected by this, it's just an opportunity for you to have fun) and to issue detentions.
We can't have everyone teaching just Charms, for example, so be very specific with the talent you would like to impart to the students. It's also worth noting that only characters aged 20 and above can become fully-fledged professors. If you play an extremely powerful individual, you will still be easily over-powered by the faculty as a whole. Given that ordinary students wake up in their dormitories, those that choose the specialised option of becoming a professor will open their eyes to their own private office complete with adjoining bedroom, located close to their students. The heads of house remain as they are in canon.
CAN PROFESSORS LEAVE THE SCHOOL TO VISIT HOGSMEADE/DIAGON/KNOCKTURN ALLEY?
Yes! Professors, unlike students, are granted full access to the wizarding world.
CAN A PROFESSOR BE CREATIVE IN THEIR SELECTED CRITERIA?
Most definitely. In fact, we encourage the individuality of our faculty to supply the students with a broader spectrum from which to learn and grow. Creating new spells and potions is very much allowed. Think of the Magicdrafted Hogwarts as more of a university where experiments concerning such subjects are encouraged all around.
CAN MY FEMALE CHARACTER GET PREGNANT?
No. Owing to the Magicdraft spell, women will be unable to conceive. Despite this, their regular monthly cycles are in effect. Neither will men under a Polyjuice Potion be able to get pregnant that's before you get your hopes up. |
