A magical world boasts many places where students can study magic and many sages who take eager learners under their wings. But being accepted to Strixhaven University is a special honor, the dream of many young students. Strixhaven is a place of enlightenment and learning, and both its graduates and its delegates are typically welcomed and respected wherever they go.
Founded seven centuries ago by five ancient dragons, Strixhaven is the premier institution of magical learning, drawing promising young mages from all over. Each equipped with its own campus and faculty, Strixhaven’s five colleges—summarized in the Colleges of Strixhaven table—cover a vast array of academic and magical specialties.
As a Strixhaven student, you start with a well-rounded education in a rigorous first-year program. In your second year, you choose your preferred specialty at one of the five colleges. You can also partake in a vibrant campus life, with plenty of clubs and other activities. You might even play on one of Strixhaven’s prestigious Mage Tower teams and bask in the adoration of cheering crowds!
Colleges of Strixhaven
| College |
Description |
| Lorehold |
Explores the past and preserves its lessons for future generations. Also called the College of Archaeomancy. |
| Prismari |
Uses the elements to practice the arts. Also called the College of Elemental Arts. |
| Quandrix |
Focuses on the mathematics of nature. Also called the College of Numeromancy. |
| Silverquill |
Teaches the magic of rhetoric, poetry, oration, and writing. Also called the College of Eloquence. |
| Witherbloom |
Harnesses the forces of life and death. Also called the College of Essence Studies. |
Strixhaven Is a University
This book’s campaign assumes that the player characters are students at Strixhaven University. Even as they get caught up in the adventures, the characters have to continue going to class, doing homework, and studying for exams. Optional rules in chapter 3 reinforce the importance of study in the adventures.
The characters are also subject to the authority of the university’s faculty and staff members. Circumstances will at times cause player characters to defy faculty authority—and even deans—during their adventures, and the threat of detention or even expulsion might hang over their head.
Finally, student characters are part of a school community. They live in university housing, eat in dining halls, and spend the majority of their time on campus. They eat, sleep, study, socialize, and adventure as part of a community of students, faculty, and staff. The school is like a town, where a relatively small cast of characters can play significant roles over the course of the campaign.
It’s an Academy of Mages
Study at Strixhaven isn’t about learning to be a wizard but about learning to be a historian, an artist, an orator, a scientist, or some other profession—while using magic to enhance one’s studies. The university’s understanding of magic is expansive. Characters of any class can study at Strixhaven, whether they’re full-fledged spellcasters like wizards, clerics, and druids; they manage a spell or two thanks to a subclass or feat; or they manifest magical abilities that aren’t even spells. (For example, a barbarian who follows the Path of the Ancestral Guardian, described in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, can excel in studying history at Lorehold College by virtue of their connection to an ancestral spirit.)
Magic is everywhere on campus. The campus culture encourages finding magical solutions to the most mundane problems, and if characters need access to a spell they can’t cast, they have a strong chance of finding someone who can cast it.
It’s Cosmopolitan
Strixhaven draws students and faculty from across the world and from other realms in the multiverse. The university’s students and faculty are united by a desire to learn and include humans, elves, dwarves, owlin (described in chapter 2), orcs, trolls, vampires, and studious folk of many other origins.
In practical terms, for player characters, you can use the rules found in any D&D book to select a character’s race, if the DM approves. For nonplayer characters, you’re as likely to meet a pixie, a dryad, a giant, a treant, or another fantastical creature on campus as you are to meet a Humanoid. The faculty members mentioned in chapter 1 include genasi, tritons, and even a bipedal brown bear.
To the faculty and students of Strixhaven, it is unremarkable to meet someone who hails from a far-off land, since almost everyone on campus is from somewhere else. Strixhaven has a place for anyone who is dedicated to magic-enhanced study.
Strixhaven’s World
Strixhaven bills itself as “the premier institution of magical learning in the world,” but the question that raises for your campaign is this—which world?
In the multiverse of the Magic: The Gathering Trading Card Game, Strixhaven is located on a world called Arcavios, which (according to legend) formed from the collision or merging of two other worlds. It is situated in the northeastern portion of a continent called Orrithia, also known as the Vastlands, which is populated by a tremendous variety of peoples.
For the purposes of D&D, though, you can place Strixhaven wherever it best fits the needs of your campaign. It could be in a world of your own creation, in a published D&D setting (such as the Forgotten Realms or Eberron), in the planar cosmopolis of Sigil, or in an interplanar nexus that allows it to draw students from across the Material Plane or the entire multiverse.
Whatever world you decide to place Strixhaven in, three elements of the wider world of Arcavios might have some impact on adventures in the school.
Snarls and Star Arches
As described in the Player’s Handbook, magic suffuses all existence in the worlds of D&D. In the Forgotten Realms, scholars describe the fabric of magic as a Weave that allows spellcasters to interact with the world’s underlying magical reality. In Arcavios, that fabric is knotted and tangled in some locations, creating a phenomenon called snarls. At these places, spells can be amplified or distorted in unpredictable ways. This phenomenon matters for Strixhaven because a luminous snarl is situated at the very heart of campus, located in the Hall of Oracles in the university’s monumental library, the Biblioplex.
Similarly, gravity-defying arch shapes appear throughout the world of Arcavios and, in particular, tower over the Biblioplex. These star arches are made from spokes of natural materials that float in an arch shape, with a precise inner curve and a rough and irregular outer arch. They can stand straight or lie at an angle, and they can be small or enormous, whole or broken, grown over or mysteriously clean. Their irregular spokes evoke the radiating lines of a shining star.
The star arches are a mystery left over from the birth of the world. In most cases, the arches simply float inexplicably—silent, immovable, and inert. But many people report seeing an arch appear to them at a critical juncture in their lives, helping them understand a lesson or answer a burning question in their mind. Some scholars believe each arch marks a place of great magic, such as the site of a great mage’s birth or the location of a time-lost spell. Other folk believe these arches are connected with the archaics in some way (see “Archaics and the Oracle” below). Some students have even seen an arch come to life with magic in an archaic’s presence.
Both snarls and star arches are subjects of magical research for students and faculty at Strixhaven, who also study wild and dead magic zones, floating earth motes, and other weird locales.
Founder Dragons
Strixhaven University was founded by five ancient dragons who, according to legend, hatched from the magical energy of the newborn world of Arcavios. These Founder Dragons were among the first to master magic, and they realized that only through disciplined study would magic be safe in the hands of other peoples. They founded Strixhaven to facilitate that study and established the five colleges based on the magic that each dragon mastered, as summarized in the Founder Dragons table.
To this day, the Founder Dragons roam the world. They no longer associate directly with Strixhaven, preferring to let the deans of the colleges speak in their stead. The dragons’ knowledge is vast, but their tempers can prove short. Mages seek them out only to learn the most elusive secrets. The dragons’ stat blocks are presented in chapter 7.
Founder Dragons
| College |
Founder |
| Lorehold |
Velomachus Lorehold |
| Prismari |
Galazeth Prismari |
| Quandrix |
Tanazir Quandrix |
| Silverquill |
Shadrix Silverquill |
| Witherbloom |
Beledros Witherbloom |
Archaics and the Oracle
The Oracle of Strixhaven is the wisest and most accomplished mage in the world of Arcavios, selected by the Founder Dragons. The Oracle’s lifelong task is to ensure that magic is used to help people and not twisted to evil ends. To be the Oracle, one must understand fundamental truths about the nature of magic, know and wield hundreds of spells, and possess impeccable judgment and virtue.
Mysteriously linked to the Oracle, archaics are wise, giant, long-lived beings with an innate talent for magic. They can be seen striding through the wilds, exploring sources of magic with their many arms or contemplating existence through their “eye,” which functions as a magical focus of some kind. Scholars seek out archaics for their vast knowledge of history and magic, but archaics tend to communicate in obscure allusions and cryptic metaphors.
Few know that archaics’ existence is linked to a time-warping phenomenon involving the Oracle. When an Oracle dies, their mind and spirit is swept off to the distant past, drawn backward through time toward the intense magical power that brought the world into being. Splinters of that Oracle’s soul and its fragmented memories coalesce into a creature—a newborn archaic. Every archaic alive today was born at the dawn of time from the mind of someone who has lived and died (or who will one day live and die) as an Oracle. Archaics speak in cryptic allegories not only to tease and test the eager minds of young mages, but also to cleverly sidestep time paradoxes.
Life at Strixhaven
Strixhaven University sparkles with the enthusiasm of its students and faculty, as they study, debate about, and experiment with magic in its varied forms. This chapter offers an overview of life and studies on the university’s campus, as well as a look at each of the five colleges where students explore different modes of magical study.
Magical Study
The fundamental work of Strixhaven University is the application of magic to academic study. Students and faculty aren’t limited to magical topics alone; they pursue studies in every facet of existence—magical or otherwise—applying magic to whatever they study. At Strixhaven, historians call the spirits of the dead to aid their lessons about the past, and arcano-biologists use necromancy to pull at life and coax out death when teaching about the natural world. Simultaneously, mage-artists sculpt elemental energy to create animate art, and arcane symbologists teach students how to recognize and understand the magical glyphs they encounter.
Principles and Polarities
The colleges and curriculum at Strixhaven are organized around the idea of philosophical principles joined in concordant opposition. Each school embraces the paradoxical unity of two polar principles: life and death, order and chaos, reason and emotion, and so on. The five Founder Dragons are thought to embody the coexistence of these principles, while the ten deans of the colleges stand for the individual principles distinguished from their opposites.
A student’s course of learning at Strixhaven involves exploring the tension between these opposing principles, which typically involves late-night arguments in residence halls and study rooms. The university’s teaching philosophy is built on the idea that exploring opposites leads to an understanding of a greater whole. Most people believe that only a being with the wisdom (and long life) of the Founder Dragons or the archaics can truly master both halves of a school’s dichotomy, but a mage must learn at least the rudiments of those halves. A Strixhaven graduate is expected to leave the university prepared to argue the fundamental issues of their school’s philosophies.
Faculty
The faculty members of Strixhaven are mages and scholars—experts in their various fields and in the use of magic to enhance their studies. They are dedicated to their research and to educating generations of mage-students who follow in their footsteps. Some faculty members value research more than teaching, while others make education their highest priority. But all find some balance between the two.
Instructors
Strixhaven’s faculty begin their careers as instructors, focusing primarily on teaching classes and crafting curriculum, while the school administration evaluates their performance. At the end of a provisional period, which can last from one to several years, an instructor is elevated to the rank of professor or let go.
Professors
Professors who have distinguished themselves over the course of a long career—typically at least twenty years—hope to be recognized with the title of esteemed professor. This honor is bestowed in recognition of groundbreaking research as well as exceptional teaching.
Upon retiring, a professor receives the title of mage emeritus. Mages emeriti are held in high esteem and welcomed to campus as guest lecturers.
Students
Students at Strixhaven spend their first year in a course of general studies, which lays the foundation for the more specialized work to follow. During this year, they wear a uniform of black, white, and gray. They’re encouraged to study broadly so that they become acquainted with a wide range of disciplines.
First-year students live in dormitories located on the central campus and often form close friendships there that last throughout their educational careers, even when members of tight-knit groups of friends join different colleges in their second year. A few students continue to live on central campus after choosing a college, particularly if they pursue extensive studies in multiple colleges or work as resident advisers to first-year students. But most students move to dormitories located on their chosen college’s campus in their second year.
Choosing a College
Before starting their second year of studies, students choose one of the five colleges—Lorehold, Prismari, Quandrix, Silverquill, or Witherbloom—to be their academic home for the remainder of their education. From this point, students wear uniforms featuring the colors of their college, though these outfits aren’t as unvarying as the first-year garb.
Two Counselors. Upon choosing a college, a student is assigned two professors to serve as counselors to help the student plan a course of studies. The two deans of the college assign these two counselors, who represent the poles of the college’s philosophical opposition. By design, the two counselors tend to offer conflicting advice, forcing the student to navigate opposing principles. For example, a student pursuing historical studies in Lorehold College might have one counselor who focuses on the unpredictable, war-filled chaos of historical reality and another who dwells on the idea of an orderly progression toward an ideal. The former might encourage the student to choose courses based on gut feeling, to delve into the military aspects of an issue, and to supplement their academic studies with some practical martial training. The other counselor, meanwhile, might offer several ordered, rational proposals for course selection, focus on the political and human aspects of historical issues, and place less emphasis on martial prowess. The student must then navigate this conflicting advice and chart their own course.
Course of Study. Some students, having chosen a college, spend virtually all their remaining school years on that campus and study with those professors, diving into their preferred area of study and related fields. Other students take as many as a third of their classes in other colleges, continuing the breadth of their first-year education and looking for places where the perspectives of other disciplines can bring new insight to their studies. Both approaches are encouraged at the university.
After Strixhaven
A student’s course of study at Strixhaven lasts at least four years but allows for advanced study for several years beyond that time frame. Most students eventually graduate, though, and they walk a variety of paths after leaving the university. Many return to whatever home they came from, putting what they have learned to use in their communities. Some mages travel the multiverse in search of ever-greater magic, continuing their research in some form beyond the confines of an academic program. A few alumni return to Strixhaven, sooner or later, as instructors themselves, and a small, select number join the Dragonsguard, an elite force of mages who work with the Founder Dragons.
Administration
The day-to-day functioning of Strixhaven relies on hundreds of laborers, clerks, coaches, administrators, and others. These personnel include folk like Mavinda Sharpbeak, the kindly owlin guidance counselor who takes first-year students under her wing, and Gyome, the troll chef of Witherbloom College. In addition to legions of people who devote their lives to the university’s operations, numerous automatons and artificial life-forms—various kinds of Constructs—serve in various roles, including campus guides and library assistants.
All these operations are managed by an administration overseen by the ten deans, two in each college. Each dean is an esteemed professor who embraces one side of their school’s philosophical dichotomy. The deans, like the professors who serve as counselors to students, view it as their role to disagree with each other and guide the college by way of their arguments. Furthermore, rivalries among the deans only exacerbate this combative attitude.
When the argumentative deans fail to chart a coherent course for Strixhaven, the Founder Dragons are occasionally forced to intervene. They don’t step in directly, but a director known as the Voice of the Founders—currently an imposing man named Taiva—speaks on the dragons’ behalf.
Mascots
Each of Strixhaven’s five colleges has a mascot—a small creature associated with the magic of the school and often found wandering their respective campuses. Witherbloom’s mascots, pests, are naturally found in the world around the campus. The other colleges’ mascots are brought into being through magic. The Strixhaven Mascots table lists the mascots by college. Each of these mascots is detailed in chapter 7.
Strixhaven Mascots
| College |
Mascot |
| Lorehold |
Spirit Statue Mascot |
| Prismari |
Art Elemental Mascot |
| Quandrix |
Fractal Mascot |
| Silverquill |
Inkling Mascot |
| Witherbloom |
Pest Mascot |
The five kinds of mascots act as companions for students and faculty, sometimes serving as willing subjects for experiments or demonstrations, and occasionally even helping out in a duel or a more serious combat situation. Most notably, mascots are also playing pieces of sorts in the Strixhaven sport of Mage Tower, described in more detail in chapter 4.
