In the latestDungeons & Dragonsmodule,Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos, there are plenty of ways players and DMs can have fun. Players looking to explore the balance between life and death may want to check out Witherbloom College, also known as the College of Essence Studies.
RELATED:Dungeons & Dragons: What You Need To Know About Strixhaven University
Students willlearn to use natural components to craft powerful spells. In addition, mages will also learn how to use their powers to heal or harm targets.Dungeons & Dragonscharacters such asWarlocks, Clerics, Paladins, Druids, and Wizardsmay excel at Witherbloom. Vampires are also prominent within this college, due to their ability to drain life from other things to prolong their own lives. Here’s what players should know about this school.
7Witherbloom Philosophy
The philosophy of Witherbloom Collegerevolves around the life sciences. This makes Witherbloom an ideal place for players whoenjoy Biology, Botany, Chemistry, and other related sciences. In addition to life sciences, students of Witherbloom study to combine the energy from the Positive and Negative Planes.
The two deans of Witherbloom College are theDean of the Rootand theDean of the Vein.The study of the Root focuses on how life continuously attempts to thrive and grow. This philosophy celebrates the diversity and adaptability of life forms. Meanwhile, the study of the Vein focuses on death and decay as the final stage of life. This philosophy sees life energy as a resource to be consumed, rather than something that needs to be nourished.
6Founder
Beledros Witherbloomis a dragon who has intertwined the magic of life and death. She manipulates life energy to heal her allies, while also bringing death and decay to enemies. Beledros has been able to sustain her own life force without food, water, or even air, due to her mastery over other life forms. She established Witherbloom College to pass on her knowledge, in the hopes that future generations would preserve nature and help others.
RELATED:Dungeons & Dragons: Most Interesting Dragons In Fizban’s Treasury Of Dragons
Beledros Witherbloomhas a Decaying breath weaponthatdeals 39 (6d12) necrotic damageand 39 (6d12) poison damage. One thing that makes this ability exceptionally powerful is thatthe target can not regain any Hit Points until the start of her next turn.This alone could turn the tables of an encounter against the party in an instant.
In addition to a powerful breath weapon, the dragon is also able to cast the following spells once per day:
Beledros is also able to summon up to four Pest Mascots, which will obey her commands during combat.
5Campus Grounds
Witherbloom is hidden within a vast bayou southeast of the main Strixhaven Campus building.Wiltroot Hall,one of its main buildings, issurrounded by a deep bogwith an awful odor and difficult terrain. Despite the exterior, the inside of the Hall is generally safe. Players brave enough to traverse the surrounding area can find materials needed to craft useful kits and antitoxins.
Sedgemooris the name of the bayou area that surrounds the campus. The area is full of a variety of swamp creatures, such as bats, zombified animals, and larger more dangerous creatures. Players hoping to find a Pest Mascot will also want to search through this area. However, canine-like creatures, known as Groffs, often hunt the mascots and may lurk in the same areas players traverse.
Thedetention bogis also hidden within the bayou. Troublemaking characters may find themselves sent to the bog as punishment, while characters looking for herbs and ingredients may also want to visit.
4Faculty
The Dean of the Root, Lissette, is a world-class healer, who is rumored to have healed the Lorehold founding dragon of a secret illness. She believes in preserving nature and having respect for all living things. Students will experience a more hands-on approach in their lessons.
The Dean of the Vein, Valentin, is an ancient vampirewho drinks the blood of the various creatures of the bayou. He is a form of Sangromancer and receives visions from the blood he consumes, which he uses to further learn about the creature from whom that blood was drawn
RELATED:Strixhaven: A Curriculum Of Chaos – Things DnD Players Need To Know About Silverquill College
Willowdusk is a Treant and a professor of growth,who claims to be older than the university itself. She was once just another resident of the bayou; however, she rescued a group of students who were lost in the detention bog. Her lessons on proper herb-gathering practices were so beneficial that she was asked to become a professor.
Another Treant faculty member is Yedora, who is the acting head groundskeeperand unofficial undertaker of the university. It is not uncommon for mages to want to spend their afterlife at the university, and Yedora plants trees to honor fallen mages.
3Witherbloom Scholars
There are eight scholar options available for DMs to create NPCs with. Players can also use the scholar options to pick a magical focus for their characters.
Scholar options focusing on theprinciple of decay:
Scholar options focusing on theprinciple of growth:
Each option has unique character-building opportunities. For example, Banelocks craft noxious concoctions that are full of decay magic, while Boughcallers are able to summon forth the creatures of bogs.Rangers and Druidsmay find the latter scholar option beneficial.
2Background & Feat
Players are also able to choose an optional background for their characters. If a player does not want to use one of the backgrounds present in the Player’s Handbook or any other sourcebook, they can choose to use theWitherbloom Student background, which grantsproficiencies in both Nature and Survival.
In addition, players will also receive theStrixhaven Initiate feat.The featgrants players two cantrips as well as a first-level spellthat can be cast without using a spell slot.
1Mascot
Pestsare the mascots of Witherbloom College and can be found naturally around the bayou surrounding Witherbloom. While many of these mascots resemble bugs, they are often the size of ferrets. Though pests may make some players' skin crawl, they are valuable to mages using Witherbloom magic. The creatures hold large amounts of life essence, which many of the Witherbloom scholars use for spells.
Pests have the regeneration ability, allowing them to regain five hit points at the start of their turn. They also have spiny hides, meaning anything that character who attempts to grapple them will take piercing damage.
MORE:Strixhaven: A Curriculum Of Chaos – Things DnD Players Need To Know About Lorehold College
