D&D: Strixhaven Subclasses Reveal Mages Of Witherbloom, Quandrix, And Silverquill
Three more magical subclasses from the upcoming Strixhaven. The mathmagicians of Quandrix, goths of Silverquill, and the weirdos of Witherbloom.
The wonderful world of Strixhaven is predicated around a college of magic that is home to five different magical schools, which are a lot like the Houses of a certain other fantasy academy you might be familiar with. But instead of measuring whether you’re good, smart, evil, or useless, they tell you what kind of style you have and what sorts of magic you learn.
And how bisexual you dress
Today’s Unearthed Arcana has revealed all five of the Colleges of Strixhaven, which are special subclasses that are available to multiple types of spellcasters. If you want a rundown on how this works, check out our overview of the new rules here. Otherwise scroll on for the rules for Quandrix, Silverquill, and Witherbloom.
Let’s start with a Mage of Quandrix, which is available to Sorcerers and Wizards.
Quandrix is all about the beauty of math and nature, which makes it interesting that druids aren’t able to join this college, since it’s practically what they nerd out about. At any rate, with this feature you’ll gain bonus spells, including several druid spells like spike growth and control water, causing further druid envy. But the core of this class is the Functions of Probability which let you add additional effects whenever you cast a spell using a spell slot that targets at least one creature:
Both of these make you a little more of a controller, either helping you or your party or debuffing your enemies while also casting fireball at them. Which is incredible because you’re still casting fireball at someone.
At 6th level Velocity Shift gives you a special reaction that lets you teleport a creature that starts its turn or moves to a space within 30 feet of you, which is a handy way to move your friends or enemies around. Then at 10th level Null Equation lets you massively debuff enemies you damage, causing a target you deal damage to (and not even necessarily with a spell), you can force them to save or be at sever disadvantage and dealing only half damage with their weapon attacks.
Finally Quantum Tunneling lets you move through other creatures or objects, as well as gaining resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, which is always handy for a squishy mage.
Next let’s look at those stylish goths of Silverquill, which can be Bards, Warlocks, or Wizards.
This class is a little more straightforward–it’s extraordinarily bard-like, in that you gain access to extra bard skills, as well as vicious mockery or sacred flame just for signing up, but the real core of this subclass is your ability to invoke words laced with magic, your Silvery Barbs which let you force a creature to reroll a successful attack roll, ability check, or saving throw and force it to pick the lower roll (unless it can’t be charmed). If it fails, you gain the ability to grant someone a reroll (and take the higher result), so you’ll be cycling between failure for your enemies and using it to fuel success for your allies.
At 6th level Inky Shroud gives you the darkness spell, and when you cast it, you can see normally through this special darkness and creatures who start their turn in the darkness take 2d10 points of psychic damage if you decide they do. Powerful and deadly, just like Silverquill.
Not to be outdone at 10th level you’ll get an Infusion of Eloquence, which lets you change a spell’s damage type to psychic or radiant and doing an extra effect based on what you choose, either frightening or charming a creature, respectively.
And at 14th level Word of Power grants you two powerful effects:
Which brings us to the Mages of Witherbloom, which is for Druids and Warlocks, and boy will they want to try this one out.
With Witherbloom you get bonus spells that make you more of a necromancer, things like ray of enfeeblement and revivify, but Essence Tap is your bread and butter. As a bonus action, you can empower yourself with life essence which gives you two options:
At 6th level Witherbloom Brew makes you the party’s best friend because you can create magical brews whenever you finish a long rest and these brews let you do a number of things, including:
- Grant the party resistance to cold, fire, necrotic, poison, or radiant damage for an hour
- Heal 2d6 hit points and cure a disease or condition affecting the target
- Add 2d6 poison damage and the poison effect to a target
And you can spread these out among the party.
At 10th level Witherbloom Adept lets you deal damage or heal hit points to one extra target when you cast a spell, and Withering Vortex at 14th level lets you drain the life from creatures to whom you deal necrotic damage, transferring those hit points to another creature within 30 feet of you, making you the ultimate in both damage and healing. Except for clerics.
What do you think of these new subclasses? Do you like them being for multiple spellcasters? Let us know in the comments!
