## [D] Harry Potter and the Natural 20?

* Author: u/AnythingMachine *
* URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/8kh17m/d_harry_potter_and_the_natural_20/
* Score: 28

* Created: 2018-05-18T22:26:05

### Post:

I've just blazed through [Harry Potter and the Natural 20](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8096183/72/Harry-Potter-and-the-Natural-20) and loved it, despite knowing almost nothing about D&D; it started off as just a bit of comedy but grew into something surprisingly brilliant. In terms of rational Magic stories, it goes right up there with;

1) [Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality](http://www.hpmor.com/)

2) [Unsong](http://unsongbook.com/)

3) [Ra](https://qntm.org/ra)

4) [Harry Potter and the Natural 20](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8096183/1/Harry-Potter-and-the-Natural-20)

5) [Significant Digits](http://www.anarchyishyperbole.com/p/significant-digits.html)

So first off, if that's the ranking I gave, what would be the natural next thing to read, in terms of rational magic fiction? I'm eager for more.

But my real question is - **what's happening with Harry Potter and the Natural 20**? There was nothing for three years, then a new chapter that ended on a clfifhanger five months ago, then no further updates.

### Comments:

> **u/Roxolan** [+22]  *Head of antimemetiWalmart senior assistant manager* (9 minutes later)
> 
> > what would be the natural next thing to read, in terms of rational magic fiction?
> 
> Two of the most popular fics on this sub right now, [Mother of Learning](https://www.fictionpress.com/s/2961893/1/Mother-of-Learning) and [Worth the Candle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11478249/chapters/25740126), contain a great deal of rational magic (and, in the later case, RPG logic). 
> 
> But, I mean, it's hard to find a rationalfic that *doesn't*.

> **u/abcd_z** [+14]  (9 hours later)
> 
> > I've just blazed through Harry Potter and the Natural 20 [...] In terms of rational Magic stories, it goes right up there with  [...]  Harry Potter and the Natural 20
> 
> Um...

>> **u/GravityHug** [+10]  (a day later)
>> 
>> He’s not *wrong*.

>>> **u/LLJKCicero** [+14]  (a day later)
>>> 
>>> The first rule of tautology club is the first rule of tautology club!

> **u/PastafarianGames** [+10]  (3 hours later)
> 
> You should probably take a look at Saga of Soul, if you're looking for rational magical fiction that is our-world adjacent; following that, probably Mother of Learning and/or Worth the Candle if you have a taste for litrpgs.

>> **u/DCarrier** [+23]  (5 hours later)
>> 
>> Saga of Soul is also good if you want another fic that stopped updating.

>>> **u/PastafarianGames** [+1]  (18 hours later)
>>> 
>>> That's the joke! :( :(

> **u/FunFunFunTimez** [+10]  (8 hours later)
> 
> Sir Poley said he's coming back to it but..... *shrug*
> 
> He's writing some rpg books and adventures lately. I really like one of his D&D 5e adventures

> **u/ArisKatsaris** [+4]  *Sidebar Contender* (17 hours later)
> 
> "Worth The Candle"  
> "The Erogamer", a quest over at QQ (extremely NSFW)

>> **u/None** [+1]  (9 days later)
>> 
>> [deleted]

>>> **u/thekevjames** [+1]  (16 days later)
>>> 
>>> Took a while for me to figure this out -- all of the relevant posts in the thread, ie. the actual story, will have a "threadmarks" link at the start and end of the post. That's their equivalent of "bookmarks to all posts in the thread by the original poster". You can read in a quasi-normal style by navigating to the next threadmark every time you finish reading from one post.

>>>> **u/jiffyjuff** [+1]  (25 days later)
>>>> 
>>>> I remember when threadmarks didn't exist and you had to open the links in the first-post index, often ending up with a bazillion tabs at once so you can keep your momentum going as you read.

> **u/RynnisOne** [+4]  (a day later)
> 
> Thanks for the introduction to this one.  About halfway through so far, great for killing time.
> 
> My main issue, though, is that the main character is quite well optimized, but the people back in his world aren't at all.  Somewhat spoilery, but EVERY adventurer and NPC over a certain level will be rocking an item of *Protection from Alignment* out of necessity to avoid extremely common mind control and rather common possession effects.  Nevermind that action economy is a thing, which is why groups of adventures can gang up on an otherwise more powerful singular for and bring it down.  It's like his world suddenly stops following it's own rules.

>> **u/Croktopus** [+7]  (2 days later)
>> 
>> > but the people back in his world aren't at all
>> 
>> but...yeah...
>> 
>> The point is that everyone else is an NPC or a "normal" PC in a typical world as would be created by a DM, and Milo is a munchkin

> **u/AnythingMachine** [+7]  (13 hours later)
> 
> *paging /u/sirpoley*

>> **u/sirpoley** [+22]  (a day later)
>> 
>> Hello! This is me. I'm sorry to say the project is on hiatus for the time being; I've only got so much time to write things and I don't want to spend it all on fan fiction. Part of the problem is time--as the story gets bigger and more complicated, it takes substantially longer to write. I wrote the first three chapters in an evening procrastinating for an early Roman empire final; more recent chapters take days or weeks just because of all the threads and characters I need to consider.  
>> 
>> I can understand your disappointment with the lack of updates, and if I'm honest, I'm pretty disappointed too. I started the story for a park and never intended for it to be hanging over me like this.  
>> Ii *will* finish it, and people can stop worrying if I'm dead. I'm young and healthy and not going anywhere any time soon. It's just slipped to a lower priority because as much as I love it, its not something I can really put on a resume, you know?  
>> 
>> You can check my Tumblr or Twitter for updates. I'll be sure to let people know there when the next chapter is out

>>> **u/Xtraordinaire** [+4]  *Team Glimglam* (2 days later)
>>> 
>>> I'm just here to say that I came for DnD munckinry lulz and stayed for Hannah and Fiona. 
>>> 
>>> Thanks for the awesome story.

> **u/None** [+5]  (an hour later)
> 
> [removed]

>> **u/renegadeduck** [+10]  *picky but enthusiastic* (5 hours later)
>> 
>> For those who are wondering, TGWP is [The Games We Play](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/RyuugisTheGamesWePlay), a fanfiction crossover of [RWBY](https://roosterteeth.com/series/rwby) and [The Gamer](https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/the-gamer/list?title_no=88&page=1).

>> **u/vakusdrake** [+2]  (5 hours later)
>> 
>> I think it ended on a cliffhanger because it was supposed to have a sequel called "the lies we tell" that never really ended up happening as far as I can tell.

>>> **u/None** [+5]  (13 hours later)
>>> 
>>> [removed]

>>>> **u/vakusdrake** [+3]  (17 hours later)
>>>> 
>>>> Yeah I agree that if a book is _so obviously_ setting up a sequel then you can't actually consider it complete in the absence of said sequel.

>> **u/Sailor_Vulcan** [+2]  *Champion of Justice and Reason* (2 hours later)
>> 
>> Aaaaah. You got my hopes up. Thought this was a link to new chapter. Then I saw the ?.
>> 
>> Anyways, I'm pretty sure HPN20 is dead, and that the author just doesn't want to admit it because he spent so much time writing it already.
>> 
>> If I'm wrong, @sirpoley can come over here and set the record straight.
>> 
>> Uh the tagging/pinging/whatever it's called here isn't working.

>>> **u/None** [+6]  (2 hours later)
>>> 
>>> [removed]

>>>> **u/Sonderjye** [+5]  (2 hours later)
>>>> 
>>>> Please let it not be dead. It was such a joy to read.

>>> **u/ricree** [+2]  (a day later)
>>> 
>>> He posted a new chapter sometime last year, so it isn't quite dead, but don't count on it getting regular updates anytime soon.

> **u/None** [+1]  (5 hours later)
> 
> The story should be good before being rational.

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