Strixhaven Backgrounds

Lorehold Student

You have spent your youth preparing to be a student of Lorehold College, reading every book on the college’s recommended reading list for prospective students. Your academic passions are in the broad field of history. You might dream of using magic to contact great historical figures or your own ancestors or of recreating the mighty magic of a distant age.
Skill Proficiencies: History, Religion
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: A bottle of black ink, an ink pen, a hammer, a hooded lantern, a tinderbox, a tome of history, a school uniform, and a pouch containing 15 gp
Feature: Lorehold Initiate You gain the Strixhaven Initiate feat (presented later in the chapter) and must choose Lorehold within it.
In addition, if you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature, the spells on the Lorehold Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class. (If you are a multiclass character with multiple spell lists, these spells are added to all of them.)
Lorehold Spells

Spell Level	Spells
1st	Comprehend Languages, Identify
2nd	Borrowed Knowledge, Locate Object
3rd	Speak with Dead, Spirit Guardians
4th	Arcane Eye, Stone Shape
5th	Flame Strike, Legend Lore

Consider customizing how your spells look when you cast them. Your Lorehold spells might create displays of golden light. You might use a tome or a scroll as a spellcasting focus, and your spell effects might reflect the appearance of the reference books you study.
Building a Lorehold Character
Any class or subclass that deals with knowledge of the past can be a good fit in Lorehold. Bards thrive in Lorehold, and wizards (particularly those of the School of Divination) are numerous among its students. Clerics (often with the Knowledge or Light domains) are also quite common.
For a more unusual take on a Lorehold student, you could consider playing a barbarian with a primal connection to the past (perhaps adopting the Path of the Ancestral Guardian from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) or a paladin whose Oath of the Ancients gives a concrete link to history.
Suggested Characteristics. Methodical historians and daring adventurers alike can be found among the ranks of Lorehold college. The Lorehold Personality Traits table suggests a variety of traits you might adopt for your character.
Lorehold Personality Traits

d6	Personality Trait
1	I thrive on esoteric lore. The more obscure the historical references I can include in everyday conversation, the better.
2	By searching for these lost artifacts, I hope to find who I really am along the way.
3	I can barely go a minute without talking about my research. I have so much knowledge in my head, and it needs to be let out somewhere!
4	The spirits of the dead are so much more interesting to talk with than living classmates.
5	I can speak eloquently about the historical ramifications of an ancient war. But ask me to add two-digit numbers together, and I’m a mess.
6	In the end, it’s all just entropy. Everything falls apart someday.

Lorehold Trinkets. When you make your character, you may roll once on the Lorehold Trinkets table, instead of on the Trinkets table in the Player’s Handbook, for your starting trinket.
Lorehold Trinkets

d6	Trinket
1	A map made of concentric circles that can be rotated around the page
2	A puzzle box bedecked with amber
3	A dented brass compass with a red needle
4	The head of a broken statue that houses the consciousness of a snarky sage
5	A sheet of parchment embossed with tactile lettering, glowing red
6	A broken dagger with a wavy blade and a serpentine hilt

Prismari Student

You are an artist, and you have been preparing to hone your craft according to the traditions of Prismari College. Whatever your medium—sculpture, dance, paint, music, drama, architecture, or any other field—you have grand visions of bringing your art to life in a fusion of magic and creativity.
Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Performance
Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument or artisan’s tools
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A bottle of black ink, an ink pen, a set of artisan’s tools or a musical instrument (one of your choice), a school uniform, and a pouch containing 10 gp
Feature: Prismari Initiate You gain the Strixhaven Initiate feat (presented later in the chapter) and must choose Prismari within it.
In addition, if you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature, the spells on the Prismari Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class. (If you are a multiclass character with multiple spell lists, these spells are added to all of them.)
Prismari Spells

Spell Level	Spells
1st	Chromatic Orb, Thunderwave
2nd	Flaming Sphere, Kinetic Jaunt
3rd	Haste, Water Walk
4th	Freedom of Movement, Wall of Fire
5th	Cone of Cold, Conjure Elemental

Consider customizing how your spells look when you cast them. You might wield your Prismari spells with dynamic, gestural movement—as much dance as somatic component. Even a blast of fire in your hands is a sculpted work of art; elemental forces make grand designs as you hurl spells. These forces might linger on your body or in your clothes as decorative elements after your spells are dissipated, as sparks dance in your hair and your touch leaves tracings of frost on whatever you touch.
Building a Prismari Character Any class or subclass that wields elemental forces of cold, fire, lightning, and wind can be a good fit in Prismari. Druids and sorcerers are common in Prismari, and wizards who study the Schools of Evocation or Transmutation are also well represented. Clerics aren’t very common in this school, but some with the Tempest domain end up here.
Beyond the ranks of traditional spellcasters, Prismari students also include monks who follow the Way of the Four Elements. Some acrobatic rogues and fighters (including those who emulate the archetype of the Eldritch Knight) also delight in the athleticism of Prismari performance.
Suggested Characteristics. Though the curriculum of Prismari College attracts many outgoing and driven artists, the school has no shortage of shy scholars and lackadaisical blowhards among its ranks. The Prismari Personality Traits table suggests a variety of traits you might adopt for your character.
Prismari Personality Traits

d6	Personality Traits
1	I’m the life of the party, and I expect everyone’s attention when I walk into a room.
2	Two weeks ago, I was enthralled with my latest project. Now, I think it’s garbage and deserves to be destroyed.
3	I believe everyone has the ability to express their truest selves through art, and I’m happy to quietly push them in the right direction.
4	Everyone is a critic, and I work to win them all over.
5	I’m beset with such an overwhelming sense of ennui regarding my art. Nothing quite captures my attention anymore.
6	Instead of confronting my negative emotions, I channel them into explosive artistic displays.

Prismari Trinkets. When you make your character, you may roll once on the Prismari Trinkets table, instead of on the Trinkets table in the Player’s Handbook, for your starting trinket.
Prismari Trinkets

d6	Trinket
1	A pair of rose-tinted glasses with glittery frames
2	A stoppered glass bottle that, when opened, plays a brassy orchestral piece
3	A quartet of hovering water motes in a vial
4	A bandolier of watercolor paints
5	A tiara capped with a crystal that crackles with harmless lightning
6	An iridescent quill

Quandrix Student

In preparation to become a student of Quandrix College, you have spent years working through the college’s math problems for prospective students. Your interests concentrate on the mathematical principles and patterns found in the natural world. You might lean more toward mathematics or physics, or you delve into more abstract studies of metaphysics, arcana, or logic.
Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Nature
Tool Proficiencies: One type of artisan’s tools
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A bottle of black ink, an ink pen, an abacus, a book of arcane theory, a school uniform, and a pouch containing 15 gp
Feature: Quandrix Initiate You gain the Strixhaven Initiate feat (presented later in the chapter) and must choose Quandrix within it.
In addition, if you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature, the spells on the Quandrix Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class. (If you are a multiclass character with multiple spell lists, these spells are added to all of them.)
Quandrix Spells

Spell Level	Spells
1st	Entangle, Guiding Bolt
2nd	Enlarge/Reduce, Vortex Warp
3rd	Aura of Vitality, Haste
4th	Control Water, Freedom of Movement
5th	Circle of Power, Passwall

Consider customizing how your spells look when you cast them. Your Quandrix spells might manifest amid kaleidoscopic swirls of fractal patterns, amplifying the tiniest movements of your somatic components. When your magic creates or alters creatures, it might briefly surround the targets with shimmering fractal designs or tessellated patterns.
Building a Quandrix Character Any spellcasting class or subclass can work well for a Quandrix character. Both the scholarly focus of wizards (especially those who study the Schools of Abjuration, Illusion, or Transmutation) and the metamagic manipulations of sorcerers are welcome in Quandrix, and many druids explore the patterns of nature in Quandrix as well. A few clerics, particularly those with the Knowledge or Nature domains, study in Quandrix as well.
Aside from traditional spellcasters, a few characters of other classes find homes in Quandrix. Some fighters, monks, rangers, and rogues study here, using Quandrix principles to train their minds.
Suggested Characteristics. With subjects ranging from the physical and tangible to the paradoxical and strange, the student body of Quandrix College includes an eclectic mix of individuals. The Quandrix Personality Traits table suggests a variety of traits you might adopt for your character.
Quandrix Personality Traits

d6	Personality Trait
1	When I find a subject I’m interested in, I won’t stop studying until I know everything about it. It keeps me up at night.
2	I hope this all makes sense to me one day. Until then, I’m going to keep faking it.
3	Equations and patterns come naturally to my mind. I wish friendship came just as easily.
4	I believe I’m always the smartest person in the room. And I’ll prove it, even if no one asks me to.
5	If these classes have taught me anything, it’s that reality is a lie, and nothing matters. So why bother?
6	Before I graduate, I want to achieve something mathematically impossible. I must leave a legacy!

Quandrix Trinkets. When you make your character, you may roll once on the Quandrix Trinkets table, instead of on the Trinkets table in the Player’s Handbook, for your starting trinket.
Quandrix Trinkets

d6	Trinkets
1	A small succulent in a dodecahedral clay pot
2	A blue knit hat that looks a bit like a bottle folding in on itself
3	A model hypercube carved from green crystal, showcasing the fourth dimension
4	A crumpled test on the theory of gravity manipulation, with a failing grade on the front and the name of a famous Quandrix professor
5	A blue tetrahedron that, when tapped twice, projects a recording of an old mathematics lecture
6	A round bread roll cut so that someone could spread butter on both halves without ever lifting the knife

Silverquill Student

You have spent years practicing your writing and oration in the hope of becoming a student of Silverquill College. Your studies focus on language, literature, and the power of words, both magical and otherwise. The metaphorical power of words to illuminate or conceal is joined with the literal ability of magic to do the same in your academic pursuits.
Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation, Persuasion
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: A bottle of black ink, an ink pen, a book of poetry, a school uniform, and a pouch containing 15 gp
Feature: Silverquill Initiate You gain the Strixhaven Initiate feat (presented later in the chapter) and must choose Silverquill within it.
In addition, if you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature, the spells on the Silverquill Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class. (If you are a multiclass character with multiple spell lists, these spells are added to all of them.)
Silverquill Spells

Spell Level	Spell
1st	Dissonant Whispers, Silvery Barbs
2nd	Calm Emotions, Darkness
3rd	Beacon of Hope, Daylight
4th	Compulsion, Confusion
5th	Dominate Person, Rary’s Telepathic Bond

Consider customizing how your spells look when you cast them. Your Silverquill spells might be accompanied by visual effects resembling splotches of ink or radiating ripples of golden light. Any auditory effects of your spells often sound like amplified echoes of your own voice speaking the spells’ verbal components—even amid the crash of lightning or a fiery eruption.
Building a Silverquill Character Many bards find a home in Silverquill, putting the power of their voices to use with Silverquill magic. Wizards (especially those who study the Schools of Illusion and Enchantment) are common in Silverquill, as are warlocks. Clerics with the Divine Domains of Light and Trickery also fit in well among the mages of Silverquill.
A number of both paladins and rogues attend Silverquill College as well, highlighting the diversity of the student body.
Suggested Characteristics. With the college’s intense standards looming over them, Silverquill students range from cocky and cutthroat to overwhelmed perfectionists. The Silverquill Personality Traits table suggests a variety of traits you might adopt for your character.
Silverquill Personality Traits

d6	Personality Trait
	I’ll say whatever I need to in order to maintain my high social status.
	I prefer saying the blunt truth over a pretty lie, and I don’t particularly care whose feelings I hurt.
	I believe that uplifting my peers is the best way to succeed.
	I’ve mastered the art of using humor as a defense, and I always have a charming joke ready.
	I always wait before speaking, analyzing the situation for whichever angle is most advantageous to my goals.
	No one knows about the all-nighters I’ve pulled to keep my magic looking effortless, and I’m going to keep it that way.

Silverquill Trinkets. When you make your character, you may roll once on the Silverquill Trinkets table, instead of on the Trinkets table in the Player’s Handbook, for your starting trinket.
Silverquill Trinkets

d6	Trinkets
1	A black leather notebook filled with half-finished poems
2	A set of flashcards detailing different colloquialisms and their meanings
3	A canteen that makes any liquid drunk from it taste sweet
4	A forged permission slip granting access to the special archives of Strixhaven’s libraries
5	A stylish silver pin that references a famous series of novels about warlocks
6	A stack of small pieces of parchment, each enchanted to stick to whatever surface it’s pressed against and peel off easily

Witherbloom Student

You filled your childhood with rudimentary alchemical experiments, all in the hope of becoming a student of Witherbloom College. The life sciences are the focus of your reading, which include biology and necromancy. Brewing strange concoctions with medicinal properties, exploring the anatomies of monsters, and cataloging swamp flora are the kinds of studies you might pursue at Witherbloom College.
Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism kit
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A bottle of black ink, an ink pen, a book about plant identification, an iron pot, an herbalism kit, a school uniform, and a pouch containing 15 gp
Feature: Witherbloom Initiate You gain the Strixhaven Initiate feat (presented later in the chapter) and must choose Witherbloom within it.
In addition, if you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature, the spells on the Witherbloom Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class. (If you are a multiclass character with multiple spell lists, these spells are added to all of them.)
Witherbloom Spells

Spell Level	Spells
1st	Cure Wounds, Inflict Wounds
2nd	Lesser Restoration, Wither and Bloom
3rd	Revivify, Vampiric Touch
4th	Blight, Death Ward
5th	Antilife Shell, Greater Restoration

Consider customizing how your spells look when you cast them. Your Witherbloom spells might rely on material components or a spellcasting focus drawn from the swamp environment of Witherbloom, and your spells might take on an appearance suggesting those natural elements. Spectral shapes of swamp animals or plants might form amid your spell effects.
Building a Witherbloom Character Druids and warlocks make up most of Witherbloom’s student body. A few wizards (mostly those who study the School of Necromancy) and clerics (including those with the Divine Domains of Life or Nature) also find their home in Witherbloom.
A number of rangers and barbarians study at Witherbloom as well, and some rogues learn how to create and use poisons during their studies at this college.
Suggested Characteristics. Students of Witherbloom College are equally likely to be found picking herbs for a healing tincture or riding zombified swamp beasts through the bayou. The Witherbloom Personality Traits table suggests a variety of traits you might adopt for your character.
Witherbloom Personality Traits

d6	Personality Traits
1	I love brewing up a new recipe, even if some might be repulsed by my choice of ingredients. Or the final product. Or both.
2	My fashion sense is like my garden: withered, black, and weird.
3	I’m going to befriend every single monster in this swamp if it’s the last thing I do.
4	Everything in this world dies eventually. The question is, what will you do with the time you have left?
5	I know we just met, but when you die, may I have your bones? For research.
6	Don’t interrupt me; I’m brooding.

Witherbloom Trinkets. When you make your character, you may roll once on the Witherbloom Trinkets table, instead of on the Trinkets table in the Player’s Handbook, for your starting trinket.
Witherbloom Trinkets

d6	Trinket
1	A black bird-shaped mask, trimmed with glowing green thread
2	A set of rabbit bones
3	A pair of thick knee-high waders, stained with muck and moss
4	A slimy green tentacle, which occasionally wriggles
5	A notebook containing waterproof paper
6	A necklace of five small vials, each filled with luminescent white liquid