Summary

  • Use unique character builds like Battle Of The Bards, perfect for magical college life.
  • The Mathematical Mage build focuses on intellect and spellcasting for success at Quandrix College.
  • Embrace the Jock Of All Trades build for a flexible approach to non-magical classes like barbarian at Strixhaven.

Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos is an incredibly zany and unique module for Dungeons & Dragons that borrows from the world of Magic: The Gathering. In this adventure, players take on the roles of students at the most prestigious magical university in the world: Strixhaven. You'll study for four years, all the while uncovering a mystery at the heart of campus.

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But what kinds of characters are best for Strixhaven? If you're wondering what kind of character you should create, look no further than this list. Here are the best character builds for a player about to embark through Strixhaven.

10 Battle Of The Bards

Student String Quartet via Wizards of the Coast

College

Prismari

Class

Bard

Species

Elf

Background

Entertainer

One of the most unique colleges on offer at Strixhaven is Prismari, which focuses on magical classes who use their powers to create magnificent displays of art! This college is, of course, perfect for bards and other high-charisma classes.

For this build, select bard and elf to get yourself early access to additional spellcasting, as well as the entertainer background. Keep your charisma stat high, and you'll be likely to get noticed in Prismari, thus setting the stage for you to be somewhat of a legend on campus thanks to your musical, bardic prowess.

9 Mathematical Mage

Biblioplex via Wizards of the Coast

College

Quandrix

Class

Wizard

Species

Human or Owlin

Background

Sage

Quandrix is another fantastic college you can select at Strixhaven, which focuses on the power of numbers and math to bring out the best in its students. For this build, the goal is to construct a character concept that functions as a typical 'nerd' on a college campus.

Select wizard, and human or owlin (specific to Strixhaven), as well as the sage background to boost your Intelligence stats and other skills. From there, you'll want to focus on spells as a wizard, like Identify, Detect Magic, and other arcana-check skills to make the most out of your time at Quandrix.

8 Jock Of All Trades

Owlins via Wizards of the Coast

College

Any

Class

Barbarian

Species

Human

Background

Athlete

Another classic student trope you can emulate fantastically at Strixhaven is the 'jock' archetype. Because Strixhaven is a magical school, playing non-magical classes like barbarian doesn't always make the most sense. However, you can pick a magical barbarian subclass like path of the ancestral guardian, or you can ask your DM about constructing a magic weapon.

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Regardless, this build is meant to be highly flexible, and fit into any number of colleges. Strixhaven has a great sports scene as well, so this build is great for extracurriculars. Talk to your DM about using the athlete background from the Theros campaign setting to flesh out the build.

7 Nature Over Nurture

Strixhaven Students via Wizards of the Coast

College

Witherbloom

Class

Druid

Species

Aasimar

Background

Witherbloom Student

Druids and other casters who rely on natural magics have a place at Strixhaven in the college of Witherbloom, which teaches students how to heal magically through the power of nature. For this build, select druid as your class and aasimar as your species (to gain extra healing).

For this build, you'll also want to use the Witherbloom Student background, which is specific to the Strixhaven campaign book. While anyone can use these backgrounds, the skill proficiencies these backgrounds offer don't always work for each build. However, gaining proficiency in an Herbalism Kit is great for this build, which this background bestows.

6 Sword As Mighty As The Pen

Prismari Magic via Wizards of the Coast

College

Silverquill

Class

Bard or Fighter

Species

Dragonborn

Background

Silverquill Student

Silverquill is a college at Strixhaven that values the power of the pen over the power of the sword. But, there's no reason you can't use both. For this build, you can either use a magical fighter subclass or a college of swords bard, combined with a species like dragonborn who have damage resistances.

This build is all about combining the power of magic and melee might. Silverquill may be a college that teaches students how to use magical words to solve their problems, but contrasting this with an expert swordsman can prove to be a fun subversion that will make for great roleplay opportunities at your table.

5 Experimental Electives

The Library via Wizards of the Coast

College

Witherbloom

Class

Artificer

Species

Gnome

Background

Witherbloom Student

Strixhaven is a school that is full of extracurricular activities and opportunities for player characters to experiment magically. Witherbloom supports this notion wholeheartedly, which makes it a great school for artificers. Select gnome as your species, as this species synergizes well with many artificer features.

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Additionally, you'll want to take the Witherbloom Student background so that you can gain proficiency with an Herbalism Kit. Talk to your DM about using this kit and your background as a student of Witherbloom to craft unique potions in addition to your artificer infusions.

4 Detention Delinquent

Detention via Wizards of the Coast

College

Prismari

Class

Rogue

Species

Orc

Background

Charlatan or Criminal

What's more fun than being the baddest kid in detention? This build allows players to live out their Breakfast Club fantasy. Because Strixhaven is such a roleplay-focused module, creating character concepts around roleplay ideas that sound intriguing to you is imperative.

For this build, select rogue for your class, orc for your species (to gain Temporary Hit Points when you dash as a bonus action), and either the charlatan or criminal background for flavor. This will leave you with a build that's perfect for causing mischief on Strixhaven's campus and becoming the ire of all of your professors.

3 Pre-Med Magician

Magical Quill via Wizards of the Coast

College

Witherbloom

Class

Cleric

Species

Aasimar

Background

Hermit

You might think that divine magic users wouldn't fit in on Strixhaven's campus. While it's true that arcane casters are better suited for this module, your party is still going to need a healer of some kind. That's why we've created this cleric build that's perfect for Strixhaven.

Select cleric as your class with aasimar as your species (to grant extra boons to your healing), as well as the Hermit background to gain proficiency with an Herbalism Kit, which will come in handy at Witherbloom. This background also gives you proficiency with Medicine and Religion, which is extremely helpful for a cleric.

2 The Dig Of A Lifetime

Lorehold via Wizards of the Coast

College

Lorehold

Class

Ranger

Species

Any

Background

Archaeologist

Lorehold is a college at Strixhaven that focuses on studying the past. Think of it as the historical-focused school at Strixhaven. While your DM might not allow it, talk to them about playing the archaeologist background from Tomb of Annihilation, which can synergize well with this build.

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Finally, select any species of your choosing and ranger as your class. As a ranger, you'll have proficiencies and skills that will allow you to explore ruins and other types of terrain more easily than others, making this build perfect for archaeological digs that Lorehold students are known for.

1 Private Tutoring

Strixhaven Campus via Wizards of the Coast

College

Any

Class

Warlock

Species

Tiefling

Background

Haunted One

Lastly, Strixhaven offers a fun and unique way to potentially roleplay a warlock. Rather than having your magic come to you through some otherworldly being, perhaps consider making a faculty member of Strixhaven your patron. Talk to your DM about the best way to roleplay this.

You can select tiefling and haunted one as your species and background, respectively, to give this faculty member something to notice about you that makes you special early on in the campaign. From there, they might offer to teach you how to use magic in the same way they do, in effect, becoming your patron.

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Dungeons and Dragons

Franchise Dungeons & Dragons Original Release Date 1974 Publisher Wizards of the Coast Designer E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson Player Count 2+ Expand Collapse