Animagus or Animagi (plural) are witches and wizards that can transform themselves into an animal and back again. It is a learned skill unlike Metamorphmagi— witches and wizards that are born with the ability to change their physical appearance at will. The Animagus Registry has been created as a means of keeping track of witches and wizards that have learned to transform in this way.

Students learn about Animagi in their third year of Transfiguration Class. The ritual itself is lengthy and difficult, requiring dedication and oversight to correctly learn. There are some who have completed this ritual on their own and have failed to register themselves with the Animagus Registry, a crime that could result in incarceration in Azkaban. In Hogwarts, the Heads of House, the Headmaster and the Professor of Transfiguration serve as mentors, assisting truly interested students in becoming an Animagus safely and legally. Only those who have completed the ritually correctly and completely transform effectively. This animal represents the core instincts of a witch or wizard, as opposed to their character as seen in the Patronus, and reveals a more primal side of the person to those around them. This can be the same as a Patronus, but commonly there are some minor differences because their nature might differ from the animal that they feel the greatest spiritual kinship to.

It is usual but not necessary for an Animagus to take on the appearance of an animal commonly found in the wizard's native lands. As a level of kinship is required and there is purpose and thought involved in the ritual, it would not be possible for a wizard to become an Animagus of an animal that they do not know, or of a species that has become extinct. Animagi are never magical creatures.

An Animagi is created from passion and interest. This animal is forever etched on your soul. Once an Animagus is made, their animal will never change.

How to become an Animagi on Hogwarts.io:

• to write an RP of 500 words of your student completing the ritual to become an Animagus [link]
• if you choose to talk about your in-character mentor (a Professor or Head of House), please reach out to them and get their permission before you godmode their character.

Reducio

It should be noted that the Animagus should make sense for your PC, as in that you have to be able to explain why it fits their character. Whether or not iNPCs will be able to become Animagi will be decided once the scope of the moderation effort will be assessable to staff.

Specific details are subject to changes should the need arise.

Written by Elaine Pendrast

Animagi are wizards who have learned how to turn themselves into (1) animal. This requires an incredible amount of training.

A roleplay is required for this ability where the player describes completing the Animagus ritual.

- Placing a mandrake leaf in their mouth from full moon to full moon.
-At the end of the lunar cycle, the wizard spits the leaf into a phial within view of the moon's rays. If it is cloudy or raining, they would have to start over.
-To the moon-struck phial, the wizard adds one of their own hairs, a silvered teaspoon of dew that has not been touched by sunlight or human feet for seven days and the chrysalis of a death's-head hawkmoth. [Remember to mention obtaining these items.]
-The potion is then stored in a dark, quiet place where it is to remain undisturbed until an electrical storm happens.
-Until an electrical storm happens the animagus hopeful would repeat the incantation: 'Amato Amino Animato Animagus.' every dawn and every sunset with the tip of their wand placed over their heart.
-Describe an electrical storm during which the wizard or witch moves to a secluded space, recites the incantation one last time and then drinks the potion.

The roleplay involving the above would be done under the mentorship/tutorship of the Transfiguration Professor, Head of House or Headmaster with permission for light godmodding of their respective character.

To clarify: light god-modding is stating that they are overseeing the process, please do not roleplay statements by them or very specific interactions.

The usual 500 word count is required for this, but there is some additional paperwork that will be discussed below.

Hogwarts does not teach students the process of becoming an Animagi until the 5th year.

Upon completing the process (becoming approved for this ability), the user would be registered with the Ministry of Magic. The user must write the following in their application which will be known by the Ministry and be something in their in-character records. In addition, this information is relevant to moderators and may be used in event moderation.

1. Wizard Name: This is your character's full name with a link to your encyclopedia profile.
2. Animal: This does not need to be the same as your character's patronus. Please be as specific as possible, Index may supply you with specific options if you were too vague.
3. Distinctive Marking: Every animagus has a distinctive marking on them that makes them unique. This is in addition to injuries (no disabilities are repaired by becoming an Animagus), so an animagus that has suffered limb loss or scaring for instance would have a missing limb as well as this distinctive marking.

Building my Animagus Form

In your animagus form you are not able to cast magic (even with wandless magic) but you can receive (not send) messages through your binding mark. You do not have access to any of your abilities or passives while in your Animagus form. You maintain your awareness and your human mind in your Animagi form.

Players create their Animagus using a Point System. They get 10 points.

Size (Pick 1)
Size - yes, size matters. Users can be either very small, small, medium, large, or huge.

• Very Small: Costs 2 points. This is your rat/mouse or smaller sized Animagi.
  • You can enter threads hidden from other users. There is a 25% chance of this being successful. This can be countered by those with Sixth Sense where if you enter the topic successfully hidden, they get a roll to see if they detect you anyways. You would no longer be considered hidden if you attempt to communicate or you interact with the environment in any ways (such as trying to steal something or hit someone). On any stealth checks, you have a +2 to your stealth.
  • 25% chance to find hidden passageways by observing. Able to wiggle under a door frame to enter a locked room. This does not give you access to areas of the forum that you do not have access to.
• Small: Cost 1 point. This is a cat or dog-sized or smaller Animagi.
  • You can enter threads hidden from other users. There is a 25% chance of this being successful. This can be countered by those with Sixth Sense where if you enter the topic successfully hidden, they get a roll to see if they detect you anyways. You would no longer be considered hidden if you attempt to communicate or you interact with the environment in any ways (such as trying to steal something or hit someone). On any stealth checks, you have a +2 to your stealth.
• Medium: Cost 0 points. This is a human-sized Animagi.
• Large: Cost 1 point. This is a creature that is larger than a human such as ligers (lion/tiger), wood bison or elephant seals.
  • They take 25% less damage from attacks, they are quite durable.
• Huge: Cost 2 points. This would be very large creatures such as horses.
  • It can be ridden (as a mount) by 1 medium sized (this would include non-giants) user.

Skills (Pick as many as you have points for)

• Flight - Costs 2 points. Creatures that can fly are able to reach things from high places. Observation: 25% chance of seeing something out of the ordinary automatically.
• Aquatic - Cost 1 point. Able to dive underwater and explore areas such as the great lake.
  Grants them a unique perspective on an environment where they might be able to find (observation) objects that others cannot find.
• Claws - Cost 1 point. The Animagus has claws that can be used to defend themselves. Two attacks at 15*strength done at +0 accuracy.
• Claws 2 - Cost 2 points. An enhanced version of claws where the animagus has larger claws that can be used to defend themselves. Two attacks at 15*strength initial damage plus 10% of the total damage every round until the end of the thread or the the target is healed done at +0 accuracy.
• Bite - Costs 1 point. The creature has some teeth or a beak that punctures the skin. 25*strength initial damage with a +2 critical range (18-20 is a critical).
• Bite with Venom 1 - Costs 2 points. This creature would bite and with their bite inject a venom into the flesh of a target on a successful bite. 25*strength initial damage with a +2 critical range, target is also injected with a poison that causes them to suffer -1 accuracy for the duration of the thread unless healed. The poison can stack up to three times.
• Bite with Venom 2 - Costs 2 points. This creature would bite and with their bite inject a venom into the flesh of a target on a successful bite. 25*strength initial damage with a +2 critical range, target is also injected with a poison that causes them to suffer -1 evasion for the duration of the thread unless healed. The poison can stack up to three times.
• Bite with Powerful Venom - Costs 3 points. This creature would bite and with their bite inject a venom into the flesh of a target on a successful bite. 25*strength initial damage with a +2 critical range, target is also injected with a poison that causes them to suffer -1 evasion and accuracy for the duration of the thread unless healed. The poison can stack up to three times.

Stats (Where the rest of those points go).
Each point is worth 5 in a given stat. So if after you have considered all of the skills and modifications your Animagus form might have, what points you have remaining would be placed in your stats. You have five stats in your Animagus form: Wisdom, Stamina, Strength, Accuracy and Evasion. You can split up that single point (5 stats) to +3 stamina and +2 evasion for instance.

You cannot be negative in a stat.
Your Stamina will be at least 1 health point if you place 0 in stamina.
The caps for any one stat are 25.

Example--

Lear the Leopard
Size: Large (1 point)
Modifiers: Claws 2 (2 points)
Bite (Costs 1 point)
Stats:
Stamina 5 (1 point)
Wisdom 0 (0 points)
Strength 10 (2 points)
Accuracy 5 (1 points)
Evasion 10 (2 points)

Points Spent: 10

The important thing to note here is that you should be trying to make it make sense for your character. For instance a Leopard cannot fly, you will be rejected if you try to say that they can. Similarly if you are a cockroach and you have 25 strength, it makes no sense. Pick stats that make sense for the character that you are creating (or be prepared to explain how and we will expect more than "my cockroach works out").

FAQ

What limitations are there to Animagus animals?

Yes, we are aware that it is mentioned in the Potter online resources that it is possible that someone's animagus form is to be a magical creature. Not a single canon character has a magical creature as their animagus form, so no your animagus form cannot be a magical creature such as a thestrial, dragon or phoenix.

In addition, the creature cannot be an extinct animal that has been extinct before the 1900s) or a rumored to be real animal (cryptozoology). It has to be an animal that your character is familiar with.

The animal must also be 1000 pounds or 450 kilograms or less, but over 1 ounce or 0.03 kilograms. The Index Team reserves the right to on a case-by-case basis may elect to approve creatures that weigh more than 1000 pounds (450 kilograms) but these cases will be unusual and rare and need to be explained in terms of why a smaller option is not possible. For those that consider the option of being a "baby rhino" and then growing past the weight limits, the Index Team reserves the right to make you change your animagus type.

In short: non-magical, real animals that are not extinct before the 1900s.

Can I change my Animagus Animal?

No.

Can my Animagus be the same as my Patronus?

If your patronus fits within the criteria for Animagus.

Can I speak to animals?

You can speak to the same creature as you have become, so if you become a cat you can speak to other cats. These animals follow NPC rules and cannot provide extra information. Pets, if you become the same animal as a pet we have at Hogwarts, they can be roleplayed by their owner and share information at the discretion of the pet as roleplayed by their owner.

Do I gain the abilities of the animal?

Yes, this is one of the reasons why you cannot be a dragon -- you are not being given an additional fire resource or the ability to spontaneously turn invisible as a demiguise. As an eagle, you can fly. As a roach, you are small and can travel through small cracks in the walls and move to other parts of the castle. As for turning into a lion or a bear, your unarmed attacks would be with claws. This does not give you 30 strength for causing damage.

However, we have a build system for building your animagi. This is a part of your creation process and gives you statistical representation of your animagus form. [Refer to the above application for more details.]

Through my Animagus Form Can I Access additional parts of Hogwarts?

No, your accesses remain unchanged.

Can I use my Animagi form to stealth?

It can be used not to necessarily stealth into a thread but there is a cat (or whatever animal you are) present in the thread. The players in that thread may recognize you if they are aware of your animagus status and/or know of your distinctive markings. Be careful, if you are a spider for instance you might get squished!

What if I am a fish?
If you are a fish animagus and you transform outside of the water, you will simply be rendered unconscious immediately and revert to your natural, human form. So you can be a fish or an aquatic animagus, but you will have some viable limitations.

Does the transformation hurt?
No, it is entirely painless.

Are there other benefits?

Being small might get you out of IC sticky situations for instance and having flight without a broom might be an amazing experience. As for other facets such as claws, talons, bites, etc. That is up to moderator discretion during events or the consent of your roleplay partners and what you agree upon.

This ability is treated like any other ability. It is approved by the INDEX Team and added to the trunk. Only the additional information (the form mentioned above) is also added to the trunk (the animal and special marking).

If I Become an Animagus Will it Heal Me?

As mentioned in the "distinctive marking" section of the application, your distinctive mark is in addition to any scars, limb losses or injuries your character has permanently suffered. Being an animal won't cure a mental disability (your mind is still your own), blindness, or deafness.

Can I be an Illegal or Unregistered Animagus?

No.

What Happens if I Pass out or Rendered Unconscious While in Animagus Form?

You revert back to your natural, human form. However, you can sleep in your animagus form.

Will I get Extra Stat Points as I Move Up In Years for my Animagus Form?

Yes, at year 5 you have 10 points to use for stats or abilities. Every year until adulthood you gain 1 point that can be applied to your stats only (not abilities). So year 6 you have an additional point (worth 5 stats) that you can apply. You can split up that single point (5 stats) to +3 stamina and +2 evasion for instance. This maxes out at adulthood (13 points).

Written by Elaine Pendrast