The individual adventures are also difficult to be used as modular adventures in other campaigns, given the very specific school setting of Strixhaven. There are few opportunities to deviate from the set encounters, and even the random encounters table feels like an afterthought. (Image: Wizards of the Coast)įor players who don't like to be railroaded, the adventure modules might be a little too structured. Nevertheless, the adventure modules are very heavily oriented towards roleplaying, which is something that everyone involved in the campaign should be prepared for.Ī magical dance in Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos. Taking a leaf from the D&D CRPGs like Neverwinter Nights or Baldur's Gate would be a good idea here, where each NPC has a specific quest with a very tangible reward, but what's the point of a pre-written adventure module if you have to do so much leg work yourself? There are no real adventures involving the NPCs, nor is there anything else fleshing them out after the introductory chapters. Sure, NPCs are introduced for the players to forge relationships with, and several parts of the adventure modules suggest (or rather, remind) that you use the NPCs the players are close to.īut that's the extent of it. (Image: Wizards of the Coast) Those NPCs aren't gonna play themselvesĪnd while it's a nifty idea, the relationships feel like they'd entail a lot of more on the Dungeon Master's part. Students from different colleges in Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos. It has a solid link to the Magic: The Gathering set, and even suggests that you pick a Magic card and build a character around it for inspiration. However, you'd probably be able to appreciate the full depth of the campaign's flavour as a Dungeon Master (since you'll read everything), rather than a player. There are also more sly references, such as the aforementioned First-Year Student and the Quandrif Prof. But most excitingly, you can fly at first level as an Owlin! The Owlin is a new character race for players (compared to the relatively boring humans and elves), and in keeping with Wizards of the Coast's new perspective on character races, you get to choose which ability scores to increase rather than having those dictated to you. As can be expected, most of the iconic monsters are converted to D&D rules, such as the Mage Hunters, Groffs, Relic Sloths, and Daemogoths (though not as many variants as you'd expect). If you loved the lore from the Strixhaven set, then you'll get a lot more of it here. (Image: Wizards of the Coast) The quick reviewĪs an entry point for Magic players to dip their toes in Dungeons & Dragons, does it work? Unabashedly so. If you picked up this book because you loved the Strixhaven: School of Mages set, you'll be delighted at the adaptation for the D&D ruleset, as well as the references both overt and subtle.īut if you're a D&D player looking the explore the world of Strixhaven, you might raise your eyebrows at a few of the decision made.Ī party of students in Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos. In the Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos sourcebook for D&D, the stat block for a First-Year Student with a Challenge Rating (CR) 1/2 shows that it has a bonus to initiative - sending me chuckling at this clever reference to the Eager First-Year card in the Strixhaven: School of Mages set for Magic. And no crossover would be complete without an inside joke or two. Since then, there have been occasions when both worlds crossover, including last year's Adventures in the Forgotten Realms MTG set, which tapped on one of D&D's most revered settings (if you're a fan of the Baldur's Gate PC game series, that's the same realm). In 1997, Wizards of the Coast, the company behind the then-growing Magic: The Gathering (MTG) collectible card game, acquired D&D publisher TSR. The venerable tabletop game, Dungeons & Dragons, has been a staple of gamers since its publication in 1974. The two covers of Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos (Photo: Yahoo Gaming SEA)
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