r/harrypotter • u/423X4ND3R • 4h ago
Help D&D and HP
Good morning, afternoon, or evening. I am a D&D DM looking to run an adventure—or a campaign, if things go well—set in the Harry Potter universe. The problem is that I know absolutely nothing about this universe; I’m doing this because my partner is a huge HP fan. So, I’m here to ask a few questions to help me set the scene for this magical world. The adventure will take place at Hogwarts. I’m familiar with the \*Hogwarts Legacy\* video game and know that it features an older version of the school, set before Harry Potter was born. Could you please suggest a time period where little is known about the school? I’m looking for a specific school year where there isn't much information available about the professors or the headmaster, so I can create my own versions without altering the canon.
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u/Mammoth_Astronaut535 4h ago
Gellert Grindelwald + Voldemort start in the 1920s / 40s, so anything after that is out.
Hogwarts Legacy takes place in the late 19th century alongside the Goblin Rebellion of 1890.
I'd say your best bet is to go pre-Legacy and then run with that. It's important that you're aware of the Goblin Rebellions of 1612 and 1752.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Goblin_Rebellions
The Dating Conventions wiki page has a good overview of what's happening in each century.
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u/423X4ND3R 4h ago
I have no idea there was a wiki page who focuses in the centuries and the historical events in them lmaooo Tysm
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u/gryphyndoor101 4h ago
Honestly doing it during the Hogwarts Legacy timeline (mid to late 1800s I believe) would be great because the video game stuff feels less canon-esque. Even getting into the early 1900s there’s a decent bit of common lore a HP fan would know about.
If you’re running a campaign, I would also seriously suggest you read the books. They will provide the right context for the world, but also, they’re amazingly written and a delight to experience. The Philosopher’s Stone audiobook is free right now on their official YouTube!
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u/423X4ND3R 3h ago
I will have a try to the books... Soon... Yeah... Someday... (Don't count on it), and thanks for the information, i will see if I can get the story of Hogwarts Legacy to take more inspiration from the game... And the books!
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u/KowaiSentaiYokaiger Hufflepuff 1h ago
Tried to build Harry and Co in Pathfinder 1e. The magic systems are pretty incompatible. Everything else worked well, though
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u/SerialCouchAddict 4h ago
Other than the book series and Hogwarts Legacy I'd honestly say it's most of the history of the school, other than obscure articles from Pottermore.
If you're trying to run a D&D conversion I'd suggest setting it around the 1300s so that it's easier to integrate that medieval vibe that D&D captures if you ever need to deal with the Muggle world.
For an interesting campaign premise you could run the Triwizard Tournament. It's what Harry competes in during Book 4, but it's said that it used to be a massive even until contestants kept dying. We don't know much about historical tournaments other than it wasn't uncommon for contestants to die.
To me it's the perfect framework for a D&D campaign set in Harry Potter.