Creature & Ability Guide

"Below is an easy, detailed guide to some of the more important creatures and abilities that can be claimed here on Gods & Monsters. We have included the information we felt was necessary and added some things where needed."

Veela
Being. Veelas are possibly the most accepted of creatures, this may be due to their incredible beauty. Full-blooded Veelas are so beautiful that their presence will make men act very strangely in order to gain their favor. This is part of the Veelas power, their looks and their dance is magically seductive, making them very similar to sirens in how they effect men. However, when angered they turn into something that resembles a wrathful Harpy that can shoot fireballs from their hands. Half-veela or less are not able to manipulate fire, though the they have a diluted version of the magical beauty and dance. They also do not turn into a bird-like creature when angry, however their eyes have been known to darken subtly.

All full-blooded Veela are female. However, the further you go down the line of mixed veela and human the more likely you are to get a male. They most commonly come from Slavic regions, but that doesn’t be there aren’t any in Great Britain. They just happen to be less common there than they would be in Europe.

Half-Veela or less are not known to be persecuted or shunned.

Werewolf
Being in human Form. Beast XXXXX in wolf. Lycanthropy is an affliction transferred by blood and saliva, thus when a human is bit by a werewolf they become infected with the illness and will become a werewolf. This is only if the already afflicted person is in their werewolf form! If the afflicted is in human form and chomps down on another person the victim will not be fully infected; instead, the bitten will have 'lupine' tendencies, such as preferring raw meat. It should be noted that lycanthropy cannot be passed on to children. To make this more clear, you cannot be born with lycanthropy. Some abilities that come with being a werewolf include heightened smell, hearing, and sight in human form.

In this specific lore, werewolves cannot choose when to transform and they do not remember anything of their human selves once they have. They will not be able to recall scents from the night they were transformed either, the loss of memory occurs during and after the full moon. Transformation is on a full moon and since Wolfsbane has not been invented there is nothing to help them during this time. Their transformation turns them into a wolf, but their characteristics are much more violent than a natural wolf. Werewolves will specifically go after humans, where as wolves will not. If a werewolf does not have a human or animal to lash out at, they will become frustrated and injure themselves. Also, should the circumstance arise, if two werewolves mate while transformed their offspring will be actual wolves and not human children. This litter of pups will grow up to be very stunning creatures, the only thing separating them from a normal wolf is their incredible intelligence. Werewolves are also not harmed by silver."Should there be any incident of a werewolf being bitten by a vampire, the werewolf will not die an immediate death. The struggle between two viruses (vampirism and lycanthropy) would cause the body to react in a similar way to the human body struggling to fight off tuberculosis and has similar symptoms such as: coughing up blood, sweating, fever, chest pains, and loss of appetite. This response could take months to years before eventually killing the host."Werewolves are heavily prosecuted, especially in a time such as the 1950s, and because of this many try to keep their affliction a secret. For those who wish to create characters with this illness, please take note that no students were admitted to Hogwarts that suffered from lycanthropy. The first ever was Remus Lupin and since that time has not arrived, we will not be making exceptions.

Vampire
Being. Vampires are also an afflicted group, however they are not classified as beast in the Harry Potter world. They are classified as being, which is defined as, "any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws". Vampires are not the undead, they are called Living Dead. So, they merely look dead and their diet is odd, so they've been labeled 'living dead'. Staying true to common lore, Vampires drink blood and are nocturnal. However, they have been known to eat things such as pasties and blood flavored lollipops. They also do not like garlic and it has been said that garlic will ward them off. As for heightened sensibilities, vampires are known to have very good eyesight in both the day time and night as well as increased hearing. Aside from this they have little to no additional abilities.

There is not much known about vampires, as they prefer to do their own thing and keep their mingling with humans to a minimum. Also, unlike werewolves, Vampires can transfer their afflication to their offspring. This creates a half-vampire and the person will possess vampire traits. Vampire bites are not curable, therefor a person bitten will become infected. Common traits found in half vampires is, pale skin and fangs. Their diet is more forgiving and they can tolerate the sun more so than their full-blooded relatives. Half-vampires are fairly accepted among the wizarding community, though they have also been shunned due to their affliction."Should there be any incident of a vampire being bitten by a werewolf, the vampire will not die an immediate death. The struggle between two viruses (vampirism and lycanthropy) would cause the body to react in a similar way to the human body struggling to fight off tuberculosis and has similar symptoms such as: coughing up blood, sweating, fever, chest pains, and loss of appetite. This response could take months to years before eventually killing the host."It is illegal to hunt and kill Vampires.

Seer
Seers are witches and wizards with a powerful gift. However, some may feel this is more of a curse. The ability they possess is being able to see into the future with their ‘inner eye’ and make predictions. These predictions are called ‘prophecies’ and are then recorded in the Ministry of Magic in the Hall of Prophecies.

The ability to use their ‘inner eye’ is not a learned gift. You cannot become a seer, you are born one. Those who have learned to read futures are often considered frauds, since they do not possess the same strength that a true seer has. Yet, most of those who claim to be seers are in fact frauds and their shops and predictions are all set up in order to earn money. This has become so common that when a true seer is found, it is unlikely anyone will believe them.

Many seers come from a long line of those who also have the gift, however it is not known how often the gift skips generations. A former common occupation for those who have the ‘sight’ was that of a ‘Naming Seer’. This witch or wizard would use their ability to look into the future of an unborn child and then suggest a name based off what they saw. It has become less popular in modern times, though in the 1950s it may have still been a thing.

Metamorphmagi
These witches and wizards have the ability to change their appearance at will. However, these gifted people are incredibly rare. It is also an ability that cannot be learned, one must be born with it or else they will have to drink Polyjuice Potion like the rest of the witches and wizards. Being a trait that a person is born with, it is also one that is passed down through genetics. However, the gene is known to skip generations and be generally unpredictable. Since it is also so rare, it has been hard to do research on the ability.

Metamorphmagi are not restricted in the same sense as animagi, as the latter is only able to transform into one specific form aside from their own. Meta’s are able to switch gender at will, as well as change any other part of their appearance and do so as many times as they want. They have, potentially, an infinite number of appearances they can take on. Also unlike animagi, the wizard does not keep any specific markings during their appearance changes. This makes it incredibly difficult to track and trace those who may be using the ability.

Emotions also effect this ability. When the witch or wizard is feeling strong emotions, such as sadness or anger, there is a chance that their hair color or eye color will change due to the emotion. This is something that is difficult to control. Also, strong emotions can also render them unable to use their ability at all.

Legilimens
Legilimency is the act of navigating and successfully interpreting the many layers of a person's mind. This act is called "mind reading" by muggles, but in the wizarding world is frowned upon. The act of legilimency is much more complicated than mind reading and the practitioner must be adept in understanding emotions as well as other pieces of information within the target's mind. In many cases, findings are not clear and the legilimens may only see snippets of scenes within a person's memory or hear partial thoughts.

The incantation for this is Legilimens and is usually verbally used. Those that are skilled can do this wordlessly and even wandlessly, depending on their level of understanding and mastery.

It is incredibly rare for a person to be a born Legilimens. There are only a handful of cases where this is true, such as Queenie Goldstein. Most are not the exception to the rule and must learn how to perform this brand of magic from a blank slate.

Occlumens
This type of magic is very ancient and has been traced back to Medieval times. Occlumency is the act of closing one's mind to Legilimency, prohibiting the intruder from their thoughts and feelings. The most common way one performs this type of magic is by "clearing" their mind and presenting a blank slate to the person performing Legilimency.

More advanced methods involve presenting information that does not contradict what the Legilimens is looking for. This requires an incredibly skilled witch or wizard and is not common. The exact process of this is unclear and may be subject to each individual's preferences. However, creating a blank slate is the most practical and widely used method, making further development unnecessary.

This ability is learned, it is not something a person is born with.

Animagi
An Animagus is a witch or wizard who possesses the ability to transform themselves into an animal whenever they please. It is a learned skill and a very tedious one at that. The entire process takes a month, or more, and can be found in detail here. Because the process is incredibly strenuous, prone to failure, and can result in permanent half-human change, it is very rarely ever done unless a person has great need for concealment.

Once this magic has been mastered, the animagus does not require a wand to transform.

By law, every person who has become an animagus must register their name and form.

Wandless Magic
This type of magic is incredibly difficult to master and requires exceptionally skilled witches and wizards. Thus, making it fairly uncommon. Many instances of wandless magic are unreliable and can have disastrous effects, which is why the Europeans created wands to channel their magic through.

There are some cultures that do not use wands, therefore prefering wandless magic. However, these cultures are very skilled in harnessing and controlling their magic.

The most common type of wandless magic is seen in young witches and wizards who are upset or in danger.

Parseltongue
The language of Serpents. This ability is incredibly rare and is only found in descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Because of this, it is incredibly uncommon and only one person is known to have this ability.

A Parselmouth is a person who can speak parseltongue. The language is a series of hissing and spitting, and the ability allows them to not only communicate with serpents but influence them.