Due to the nature of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, unique skills are needed in a wizard’s daily life. Some of the traditional 5e skills are not intended for use with this supplement and have been listed below as deprecated. To replace them, new wizarding skills have been added to cover the variety of subjects taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even when there’s a direct conversion from old to new, applications are distinct from 5e descriptions.
Skill Conversions
| Deprecated 5e Skill | Equivalent Wizarding Skill |
|---|---|
| INT (Arcana) | INT (Magical Theory) |
| INT (History) | INT (Muggle Studies) |
| INT (Nature) | INT (Herbology) |
| INT (Religion) | - |
| WIS (Animal Handling) | WIS (Magical Creatures) |
| - | WIS (Potion-Making) |
Deprecated 5e Skills
Intelligence (Arcana)
Replaced by Intelligence (Magical Theory). Redundant in the wizarding world where all characters are magical.
Intelligence (History)
Replaced by Intelligence (Magical Theory) for wizarding history and Intelligence (Muggle Studies) for non-magical history. Redundant.
Intelligence (Nature)
Replaced by Intelligence (Herbology), Wisdom (Magical Creatures), and Intelligence (Muggle Studies). Redundant.
Intelligence (Religion)
Replaced by Intelligence (Muggle Studies) for understanding Muggle religious practices. Not generally applicable in the wizarding world.
Wisdom (Animal Handling)
Replaced by Wisdom (Magical Creatures). Redundant, as most creatures encountered by wizards are magical in nature.
New Skills
Intelligence (Herbology)
Your Intelligence (Herbology) check measures your ability to recall lore about mundane or magical plants, identify herbs and fungi, understand their properties, and know how to care for or harvest them safely.
Example uses:
- Identifying a magical plant and its properties
- Knowing how to safely handle dangerous flora like Venomous Tentacula
- Understanding which plants are ingredients in potions
- Caring for plants in a greenhouse setting
Intelligence (Magical Theory)
Your Intelligence (Magical Theory) check measures your comprehension of the workings of magic and spell invention. It also checks whether you can recall lore about the invention of spells, legendary wizards and witches, wizarding mythology, and historical events in the wizarding world.
Example uses:
- Understanding how a complex spell functions
- Recalling the history of the wizarding world
- Recognizing magical artifacts and their purpose
- Theorizing about spell modifications or inventions
Intelligence (Muggle Studies)
An Intelligence (Muggle Studies) check tests your familiarity with Muggle culture, history, arts and sciences, your success when trying to blend in with Muggles, and your ability to understand or interact with Muggle technology.
Example uses:
- Using Muggle technology like telephones or computers
- Blending in with Muggles in their world
- Understanding Muggle customs and social norms
- Recalling Muggle history or scientific knowledge
Wisdom (Magical Creatures)
When there is any question whether you can calm down a magical creature or intuit a non-magical animal’s intentions, that would call for a Wisdom (Magical Creatures) check. You also make a Wisdom (Magical Creatures) check to keep your head around dangerous creatures and recall their lore.
Example uses:
- Calming a frightened hippogriff
- Recognizing the signs of a creature’s aggression
- Recalling a creature’s weaknesses or behaviors
- Approaching a dangerous beast safely
Wisdom (Potion-Making)
Your Wisdom (Potion-Making) check is used whenever trying to understand and apply alchemical ingredients’ effects, stir a brewing potion in just the right way, or experiment and uncover secret potion-making techniques.
Example uses:
- Brewing a potion correctly
- Identifying a potion by its appearance or smell
- Salvaging a potion that’s going wrong
- Experimenting with ingredient substitutions
Interacting with Magic
If a character interacts with a complex piece of magic requiring theoretical knowledge, it might call for an Intelligence (Magical Theory) check. However, the majority of interactions with magic should use a character’s spellcasting ability modifier.