Strixhaven Backgrounds Breakdown – DnD 5e – RPGBOT (2024)

Strixhaven Backgrounds Introduction

Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos (affiliate link) presents 5 new backgrounds. These backgrounds grant the Strixhaven Initiate feat, which is a first for DnD 5e, and has some significant implications for character optimization.

To be absolutely clear: I do not think that these backgrounds are intended for use outside of a Strixhaven game, and I do not encourage you to use them outside of a Strixhaven game. They present some clear power creep, and unfairly benefit spellcasters over non-spellcasters. If you want to include the spell list expansions in non-Strixhaven games or you want to reduce how much these backgrounds favor spellcasters, consider using them in place of class/subclass features which expand a character’s spell list such as cleric domains or warlock patrons.

This guide will not go into extensive detail on spell selections for theStrixhaven Initiate feat. For help picking leveled spells, see mySpellcasting Feats Breakdown.

This guide will also largely ignore any lore of theming around the schools.The lore does not align well with optimization concerns, and you’re notreading this article for my middling storytelling capabilities.

Disclaimer

RPGBOT uses the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks, which is simple to understand and easy to read at a glance.

• Red: Bad, useless options, or options whichare extremely situational. Nearly never useful.
• Orange: OK options, or useful optionsthat only apply in rare circ*mstances. Useful sometimes.
• Green: Good options. Useful often.
• Blue: Fantastic options, often essentialto the function of your character. Useful very frequently.

We will not include 3rd-party content, including content from DMs Guild, in handbooks for official content because we can’t assume that your game will allow 3rd-party content or homebrew. We also won’t cover Unearthed Arcana content because it’s not finalized, and we can’t guarantee that it will be available to you in your games.

The advice offered below is based on the current State of the Character Optimization Meta as of when the article was last updated. Keep in mind that the state of the meta periodically changes as new source materials are released, and the article will be updated accordingly as time allows.

Backgrounds

Lorehold Student

Lorehold’s proficiencies are clearly catered to characters with goodIntelligence, but the spells are all drawn from the Wizard’s spell list. Youmight think “Okay, so I’ll play an artificer”, but artificers get nearly allof the Lorehold spells, too.

Considering that Intelligence is near-universally a dump stat in 5e, there’sbasically no normal character that can make Lorehold a good choice. If youplay a SAD class that can afford a bit of Intelligence you could potentiallymake this all work. Casting-focused clerics and druids are likely the bestcandidates.

Proficiencies: Good skills forIntelligence-based characters, but those characters generally don’t have theCharisma to put language proficiencies to good use.

Lorehold Initiate: Most spellcastersgenerally don’t have access to radiant damage, so Sacred Flame is great.Access to 1st-level bard spells offers some fun options like DissonantWhispers. Access to 1st-level cleric buffs also gives those characters accessto powerful cleric buffs and staple tactical options like Healing Word.

Spell List:

1. Level 1: Artificers and wizards caneither already cast these or replace them with infusions. For everyone elsethese are only situationally useful.
2. Level 2: Artificers can’t cast either,but they’re also very situational.
3. Level 3: Speak With Dead is onlysituationally useful, but it’s still pretty good. Spirit Guardians is usefulfor characters planning to fight in close quarters.
4. Level 4: Artificers and wizards can castboth, but these spells are absolutely spectacular, so other classes willenjoy them thoroughly.
5. Level 5: Legend Lore is onlysituationally useful, and Flame Strike is almost always worse thanFireball.

Prismari Student

Prismari competes for space with Silverquill and loses. The most likelymembers of prismari are Charisma-based spellcasters, and Silverquill’s skillsand spells both better.

There is some appeal here for other spellcasters who want a diverse set of spell options, but be careful that you don’t find yourself trying to do a bunch of different things and being bad at all of them.

Proficiencies: A good fit for bards androgues with high Charisma. Sorcerers and Warlocks might also go this route,but almost no one is going to make use of Acrobatics.

Prismari Initiate: Prismari students aremost likely bards, sorcerers, and warlocks, and there is a lot of overlapbetween those classes and the spells offered by Prismari Initiate. Sorcerersand Warlocks will enjoy bard exclusives like Dissonant Whispers and access toHealing Word, while bards will enjoy access to damage spells like Fire Boltand Magic Missile.

Spell List:

1. Level 1: Some decent damage options, butthey’ll become obsolete after you gain a few levels.
2. Level 2: Both decent spells, but they canbe hard to use. Warlocks will enjoying combining Flaming Sphere withEldritch Blast and invocations which allow you to reposition enemies to keepthem in range of the sphere.
3. Level 3: Bards will enjoy Haste, butthere’s nothing great here for anyone else..
4. Level 4: Wall of Fire is excellent areacontrol, and it’s not on the bard or warlock spell lists.
5. Level 5: Sorcerers get Cone of Cold, butotherwise these spells are both new to bards, sorcerers, and warlocks, andboth spells are pretty good.

Quandrix Student

A good fit for Intelligence-based spellcasters looking to play a defensive or supportive roll, which leaves artificers and wizards. The spell list is a diverse mix from classes like the Cleric, the Druid, and the Paladin.

Proficiencies: Good skills for anIntelligence-based character. Artificer is a good fit, but wizards will haveless use for the language and tool. I think the proficiencies are intended towork for druids, too, but druids are generally terrible with Nature due todumping their Intelligence.

Prismari Initiate: Great utility cantripson any character. Quandrix students are most likely artificers and wizardsbased on the skill proficiencies, and the Druid’s 1st-level spells aren’tfantastic, but they do include some good options like Entangle or HealingWord. Druids will enjoy access to wizard spells like Silvery Barbs, MageArmor, or Shield, both of which will do a lot to address the Druid’s poorAC.

Spell List:

1. Level 1: Both good uses for a 1st-levelspell for basically any full caster.
2. Level 2: Great support options for anyfull caster.
3. Level 3: The most spell slot efficienthealing in the game, and one of the absolute best buffs you can put on amartial character.
4. Level 4: Both spells are onlysituationally useful.
5. Level 5: Circle of Power is a paladinexclusive, so getting access to it is really exciting. Against powerfulspellcasters and other creatures which rely on magic, it’s hard to find abetter defensive option.

Silverquill Student

Silverquill starts exceptionally strong with good Face skills and excellentearly spells, making Silverquill a spectacular choice for bards and sorcerers.Warlocks might do well, too, but spending a warlock spell slot on SilveryBarbs is hard. The school’s spells at 3rd and 4th level are disappointing, butI think everything else makes up for it.

Other spellcasters may still enjoy Silverquill’s spell list, but it’s notquite as effective since the proficiencies won’t line up as well.

Proficiencies: Perfect for a Facecharacter.

Silverquill Initiate: Bards, sorcerers, andwarlocks are the most likely classes to take Silverquill. All three will enjoyaccess to Sacred Flame, and sorcerers and warlocks will enjoy Vicious Mockery.All three classes can benefit from staple cleric buffs like Bless and Heroism,and sorcerers and warlocks will enjoy Healing Word, while bards will enjoyaccess to damage options like Chromatic Orb.

Spell List:

1. Level 1: You get Silvery Barbs, which isplenty on its own. See my article onwhy Silvery Barbs is so powerful.
2. Level 2: A save-or-suck spell and a goodarea control spell.
3. Level 3: Both spells are verysituational.
4. Level 4: Both spells are verysituational.
5. Level 5: Both good options, but they maybe hard to justify or classes with a limited number of spells known.

Witherbloom Student

The book says that a few necromancer wizards join Witherbloom, and thosewizards are clearly the smartest people in the school because Witherbloom’sspell list is a near-perfect list that you could title “spells that justifyhaving a divine caster in the party instead of just having two wizards”. Awitherbloom wizard can easily replace a divine caster’s healingcapabilities.

Clerics and druids will find Witherbloom frustrating because they get solittle benefit from the school’s spell list, and spellcasters that permanentlylearn spells like Bards will find the need to commit known spellsfrustrating.

Unfortunately, that just leaves wizards as effective members of Witherbloom.

Proficiencies: The proficiencies aren’tgreat, and it’s borderline impossible to build a character who can use themall to great effect. They do match typical proficiencies for nature clerics,druids, and rangers.

Witherbloom Initiate: The cantrips aredifficult, but clerics, druids, and rangers will enjoy access to wizard spellslike Silvery Barbs, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, and Shield. Sorcerers,Warlocks, and Wizards can get Healing Word from the Druid’s spell list.

Spell List:

1. Level 1: Cure Wounds is great spell forclasses that can’t cast healing spells, but you can also choose to getHealing Word from Strixhaven Initiate. Inflict Wounds is good single-targetdamage at low levels, but it doesn’t scale well.
2. Level 2: Lesser Restoration is a crucialhealing option. You also get another spell, but Healing Word will generallysolve the same problem so why bother with it?
3. Level 3: A staple option for clerics anddruids, and Vampiric Touch lets you heal yourself by repeatedly slappingpeople.
4. Level 4: A powerful defensive option fromthe cleric spell list and also Blight.
5. Level 5: You are now qualified to fullyreplace a cleric (at least in terms of healing capabilities).