[D&D-5e] Strixhaven: Academy for the Gifted

[savoylen]

Strixhaven: Academy for the Gifted

Game System: DnD 5e
Theme: Intrigue, exploration and conflict in college
Flavor: Strixhaven meets Patrick Rothfuss' "The Name of the Wind"
Positions: 5-6 Characters
Timeline: Applications will remain open until the party is full (6-8 members). First pick on or around 1/15/2022
Post Frequency: Moderately Paced - 1/3+ One or two posts a week

Access to Strixhaven University is by invitation only – student’s sponsor provides the Admission Token that triggers a portal to the plane of existence which is the Strixhaven Campus and surrounding lands. The path to the Admissions Exam in the Invigitorium is an adventure in and of itself – not all will make it. If selected and able to pay the fees for your next term, students vie for rank within their class to advance as students in hopes of being selected for one of the University’s Five Colleges and in turn, their private libraries of hidden knowledge and power.

Surviving classes and exams is not a metaphor at Strixhaven University – neither is Publish or perish. The faculty is watchful and evaluating every step of the way. Natural matriculation, students falling off the bottom of the ranking lists, and those that simply disappear, make advancement at Strixhaven a true accomplishment. There are no rewards for simply participating.

Great Powers in the form of the Founding Dragons watch from a distance from various planes of existence – rumors abound in their true goals for Strixhaven, their role with the University Administrator and Board of College Deans, and the many great mysteries which are forbade topics– The Oriq, Archaics, Star Arches and snarls.

Game Concept: Either by design of accident, you - the gifted - have been sponsored to apply for the next class of the University of Strixhaven. Now you just have to fight to get in and stay there while surviving the curriculum - literally.

Based on the maxim, "make the Strixhaven yours," students will work through admission, completing classes, College House Selection and hopefully, graduation. Along the way they will experience a life hidden from the eyes of most mortal beings and most other students.

If you need a theme, think about a grown-up "Wizarding World" meets "Sound of the Wind" with a dash of the Divergent Series.

This should be a fun mix of light University Antics mixed with the dark and serious side of a heroic life: ... and yes, there will be exams, parties and blood - sometimes all at the same time.

How to apply to Strixhaven University

What I'm hoping for in a player::

* 1st: Fellow storytellers that won't have to be lead around the University by the noses.

* 2nd: Synergizers that work their best with other storytellers that find and exploit the surprising and unanticipated.

* 3rd: Roleplayers that know or that are willing to dig into the cannon of the setting to find interesting leads, hooks, and direction rather than to be handed all the details by someone else or the DM.

Full Disclosure: I'd rather wait and play this game with a group that seems to fit these ideals than to push this through now. Great games, players, and exciting stories are worth the wait!

What I'm looking for in an application::

- 1st: There is a reason why you've been admitted!

-- Post Character flavor text (description) along with an example post.
Here are your prompts:

-- Tell us the story of how you became aware of, and arrived on the campus of Strixhaven University. (Strixhaven is on its own Not Arcaviousplane of existence for all intensive purposes so all students will originate from a generic High Fantasy Setting or some any official published setting of their own choosing).

-- You student may have a general understanding of the purposes of the University and its Colleges. Though First Years are not admitted to a College, they may declare for one of the Five Colleges and take classes that may help them for their College Admission Trials. Will they declare for a house and if so, which one and why?

* 2nd: Create and post (in this thread) a DnD 1st Level Character BUILD (see my example) using the 4d6 drop one methodDecide first BEFORE you roll. Meaning if you roll up a set of characteristics you don't get to throw them out and then take the standard array. Fortune rewards the brave people! or standard point buy. (Please do not roll in the recruitment thread rather, just include a link to your rolls in the appropriate thread). Use the student workshop and roller-room for this purpose.

Your "POTENTAL" student has not been admitted to the University yet, so do not take anything from the Strixhaven Source book that comes from admissions as a student. This will be awarded in-game when it applies. If you have questions about this, ask before you finalize your University Application.

Creating and posting a full character sheet is totally optional until after selection.

Considerations when building your character:

* Name & Race - Standard PHB races and all official releases (no UA).
* Class - Standard PHB and official releases (no UA).
* Alignment Any non-evil. Bottom line, you play for the 'good guys' even if your friends, family or College trends another way.
* Variants and Custom Heritage - not allowed.

Example Build::

Starting Stats: 15 12 13 8 17 16

Level	Source	Feature
1	Human	Ability Scores each increase by +1
1	Human	Speed 30
1	Human	Language +Human, +Elvish
1	Cleric	+10 HP (MAX)
1	Cleric	Armor Pro: Light, medium, shields
1	Cleric	Weapon Pro: Simple
1	Cleric	Save: WIS CHA
1	Cleric	+Persuasion, +History
1	Acolyte	+ Insight, +Religion
1	Acolyte	Language +Dwarf, +Draconic
1	War Domain	+War Priest
1	War Domain	+Bonus Domain Spells (2)
1	War Domain	+Heavy Armor Prof., +Martial Weapon Prof.

* 3rd: Please read this before you apply. Its my gaming Foundational Principle and FAQ from one of my other games. If you have a problem with what you read there, please don't apply.

Successful University Applications will be matched with an Sponsor to receive their Stixhaven Admissions Token so they may begin their journey!

[savoylen]

Teaser "I'll ask you as many questions as I need to," the Invigilator replied. He was a tall male, heavy set compared to humans but actually normal for his species. The pupiless eyes could have been seen as heartless or cruel but there was no hint of that in his voice. If anything, his tone could be described as clerical. The Invigilator looked down at the young man, what was left of him anyway. Much of his right shoulder and arm was bound up so tight to stop the flow of blood, that it would have to be cut away having necrotized. His legs had large open wounds but those might heal given enough time and magic. The burns, most likely from electrical discharges would most definitely scar. But it was his shaken, angry voice that betrayed his fear. "What kind of school ports its students in the middle of the.. whatever that was?" One of the medics was pulling an arrow from the young man's back as the other was closing wounds with magical bonds." I mean, I just met those guys but none of them deserved to die just to get in... to, a school." He grunted in pain as another arrow was removed. The Invigilator looked down at a scroll as magical runes lifted off the page as they rearranged themselves then settling back down on the paper. "Cohort 1037192022... One Remi of the Grey Mountain, Danelle of Storywell, G'Or'Gek of Barron's Siege, Janel of Waterdeep, oh, there you are, Ferral of Belfast." He looked down this time with compassion at the young man. "I'm sorry for what happened to your Cohort on your Journey to Strixhaven but you misunderstood your Admissions Letter. " The Invigilator continued, "That was an invitation to apply, not a promise of acceptance. Your first test was to work with your cohort to make it to the Hall of the Masters in the Bibloplex - no one makes it into, much less out of, Strixhaven without help - in this case, your Cohoart. No one. " Something akin to horror combined with pain filled the young-man's eyes. "You mean... after all that... I'm not?" Ferral looked down the wooded area just beyond where the two were. There was a grand arch that led to a wide lane which served as a main thoroughfare down the middle of the University. It was as if the deep and harsh wood in which they now stood had just suddenly parted, opening into a shinning paradise. Ferral was on the wrong side. The Invigilator held out his hand, "Your Invitation Token, please. " Ferral held out a large, metal coin. One side bore the image of a dragon with its body and tail wrapping around its circumference representing the Founding Dragons of the University. It was said that they used their magical connection with the multiverse to find and select potential students for the university - as well as their considerable social network. The other side of the coin bore the Strixhaven sigil. It was a hint of things to come. Eventually, each student would bare their own university talisman - the symbol of their status. One side would show their personal sigil - earned, approved, and granted by their university as they became Forth Years. The other side would bear the University Sigil. Each "Fourth" would create their own masterwork as it would be their final exam before leaving this place. That is if you could make it that far. Ferral looked at the Strixhaven Gate - the Gate if the Initiate. Once he handed over this admissions token, passing through that gate would mean certain death due to the ancient wards protecting the University grounds. Looking down at his wounds and thinking back to his fallen cohort, perhaps that sigil always meant death. The Invigilator seemed to sense his deeper pain or perhaps he had just seen that look so many times before that he knew what it meant. He placed a knowing and gentle hand on Ferral's head. As he did fractal swirls of multicolored energy formed in the space around the two even as Ferral's eyes filled with with ink-black energy until they were featureless. "You will not remember your journey here my young friend. You will find yourself at home, feeling safe, feeling rested. You remember a journey to the large trading town of your realm where you defended newly befriended travel companions who all survived due to your valiant efforts. You have feelings of confidence and pride of that day. You know that your future is bright and full." As he removed his hand, the young-man fell over to the ground and closed his eyes, resting in a deep and magical sleep. The Invigilator dropped a heavy bag of coin next to the boy and spoke to the nearest attendant who returned to the administrations by removing the last arrow. "Be sure when we wakes up at home, that", pointing to the pouch," this is one of the first things he'll see." The Invigilator placed the invitation token in his pocket and made a few marks on his scroll. He rolled it down to the next entry. Speaking to no-one other than himself, "Cohort 1037192023, lets hope you fair a bit better."

Act 1 Scene 1

Office of Admissions

Player	Character	Class	College Declaration	Status
Cheshire	Zatt	Sorcerer		Complete
Fatgunn	Throom Shadetusk	Druid	-	WIP
DebiRedHair	Valeria d'Athos	Warlock		SELECTED
Silent Rain	Rathe Collin	Bard	Lorehold	Complete
penbeast0	Dreyer	Fighter	Quantrix	Complete
Onward	Sarah	Rogue		Complete
Hal Hammerhand	Alaric Brighteyes	Druid	-	Withdrawn
Yoshimi	KiM FortiTude	Barbarian	Witherbloom	SELECTED
Treble83	Paige Sletten	Monk	-	Complete
Mrjoegangles	Thron	Wizard	-	SELECTED
plantgirl	Elladora	Warlock	Silverquill	Complete
Jrod	Auberon	Druid	Witherbloom	Complete
Majika	-	-	-	Interest
Hiruma Kohaku -	-	-	-	Withdrawn
FCastor	-	-	-	Interest
Dyerdon	Ebenezer	Wizard	-	Complete
Mindsiege	Rhondrarondura	Druid	-	SELECTED
Eyepatch	Pippin	Fighter	-	Complete
delpinator		Paladin	-	WIP
MontageManiac	Malleus	Wizard (bladesinger goal)	Prismari	SELECTED
Aotyr	-	-	-	Interest
Humble Hero	Fenmaer Thandreve	Rogue	-	SELECTED
PalladiaMors	Astra	Sorcerer	Prismari	SELECTED
PapaHuck	Myelin	Ranger	Silverquill	SELECTED
The Dark Star	Okrem	Cleric	-	SELECTED
APPLICATIONS CLOSED	-	-	-	-

[Cheshire]

I am interested in this game, I will read up on the different houses before fully creating a character, but I have a few ideas. WIP

[savoylen]

Originally Posted by Cheshire

I am interested in this game, I will read up on the different houses before fully creating a character, but I have a few ideas. WIP

Sounds great - looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

[Cheshire]

How would you feel about a wild mage Sorcerer with the expanded table and each time When I doing roll a 1 or a 20 it adds a number so it become 2 and 19 and so forth? Making it not if but when?

Or would you prefer a wizard class?

[savoylen]

Originally Posted by Cheshire

How would you feel about a wild mage Sorcerer with the expanded table and each time When I doing roll a 1 or a 20 it adds a number so it become 2 and 19 and so forth? Making it not if but when?

Or would you prefer a wizard class?

I'm fine with anything that you'd find fun playing - just do your application/build from any cannon source. After we start play, we can talk about expanding the wild magic table. I have a few of these handy already

[Fatgunn]

I've been wanting to do something in Strixhaven since the set came out! Will get a character worked up!

[savoylen]

Originally Posted by Fatgunn

I've been wanting to do something in Strixhaven since the set came out! Will get a character worked up!

Nice to meet you Fatgunn... let me know if you have any questions!

- Savy

[DebiRedHair]

Interested but wondering what classes are possible? Does it have to be a spell casting class and if so are there any limitations?

Would a half-elf Warlock (Dao Genie) be acceptable?

[Silent Rain]

Character Information Name: Rathe Collin Race: Human Background: Urchin Class: Bard Alignment: Neutral Good Description: Rathe is of moderate build and stands just under six feet tall. His brown hair is usually unkempt and often long enough to get into his eyes. Even if given the opportunity, wearing finer clothes makes him uneasy, and he would rather wear something simple, but well-made. Rathe learned early in life that it was foolish to not carry a weapon. This lesson has remained with him even to this day, despite the magical training he has had, and will often wear a sword at his hip, if he is able. History:   The other children of the street, those urchins and orphans that Rathe called his friends, had warned the boy to stay out of the Guildpact Precinct. In truth, Rathe was more than aware of the swift and strict punishment that awaited anyone looking the way he did, if they so much as stepped foot in the 1st Precinct. But, he was hungry, had struck out everywhere else, and figured the rich folk must have something good to spare. He spied a bowl filled with fruit, some of which he had never seen before, through the window of what looked like a strange shop of sorts. He found that one of the windows had been left open and Rathe could only shake his head at the foolishness of such an oversight. Without making so much as a sound, he came in through the window and found himself before the bowl. He bit into one of the fruits and his eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head. Rathe wasted no time holding the piece he had been eating in his teeth while he began to load his pockets with others. "I am fairly certain those do not belong to you, young man," came an elderly, but firm voice from behind him. Rathe’s eyes went wide and the fruit fell from his mouth as he began to move quickly toward the window. He had nearly made it when he felt his body begin to slow, until he came to a complete stop, as though frozen mid-stride. Rathe’s mind exploded in fear and panic as he pushed against whatever it was that held him in place. Small objects around the boy toppled over or were pushed back, even though he came nowhere near them. Suddenly, Rathe could move freely again, and nearly fell forward from the effort he had been exerting to free himself. Scrambling forward, he went to reach the window, but it was no longer there. "Keep the fruit, boy, you need it more than I." Rathe turned slowly to face the man that had been speaking with him, and came face to face with an older man. He wore a sleeping gown and sported a long grey beard. "On one condition," the man continued. " I expect to see you back here tomorrow morning. You have much to learn," he finished, and Rathe was almost sure that there was a smirk hidden under the man’s beard. He wasted no time to figure it out however, turned, and ran for the door. With a quick throw of the latch, he went into the street and did not stop running until he had reached the hardscrabble neighborhoods of precinct six. As he finally reached his makeshift home made of bits of cloth, metal and wood, in a narrow alley tucked beside one of the many warehouses, he dove inside and sat there panting for a good long while, wondering at what exactly had just happened tonight.   Rathe did return after his misadventure in the Guildpact Precinct, and found that the old man that he had tried to steal from was none other than a renowned wizard. Of course, had he known this beforehand, he would never have stepped foot within his house. Rathe was understandably suspicious of the wizard’s intentions at first. After all, why would a fancy wizard want to train a dirty street rat that had tried to steal from him? However, Rathe came to learn that the wizard, whose name was Reuben Fizzlemender, hardly ever took on apprentices, despite the many petitions by wealthy families on behalf of their children to do so. This, of course, led to more than a few confrontations with Rathe by those that had been snuffed by Reuben. After surviving on the street as he had, however, these interactions were barely a concern. Several years passed under the close tutelage of the Wizard. Rathe had been granted a modest room in Reuben’s house, and the wizard had slowly begun to fill the role of the father that Rathe had never known. The relationship between the two became very close over those years and they each came to look upon each other with fondness. Rathe’s last day as Reuben’s apprentice was both his best and worst. Along with the cool morning breeze came a small golden bird made of paper that fluttered in through the open window and landed upon the table where the wizard and his apprentice were taking breakfast. "I believe that is for you," Reuben said, barely hiding his smile. Rathe looked at his master with suspicion, but took the paper bird in hand, which had since stopped moving after it had landed. Unfolding the paper, Rathe found it was exquisitely made with the fibers of the paper itself looking as though made with golden thread. Across its surface was a short missive that was equally impressive, written in a large ornate hand that detailed Rathe’s acceptance for admission into Strixhaven University. "Congratulations, dear boy. You more than deserve it." Rathe woke that evening to the smell of something burning. As he opened the door to his room, he found the entirety of Reuben’s house was engulfed in flames. He used what simple spells he knew to make his way safely to the wizard’s chambers, but found that both his room, along with the wizard himself, had succumbed to the flames. As he stumbled from the house, coughing and covered in tears and soot, he found several members of the guard running in his direction, shouting ‘there he is.’ Rathe did not linger and fled the district, avoiding the guards and staying out of sight. Even from the distance he had traveled, he could still see the glow from the fire that had destroyed everything he had come to hold dear, including his invitation to Strixhaven. Several weeks passed and Rathe found himself lost. He was no longer welcome in the 1st precinct, but he also felt like a stranger among the other urchins and homeless living by the docks and warehouses in the 6th. Luckily, he managed to secure a lowly position as a scribe, making barely enough wages to afford a tiny room not far from the warehouse he had once lived beside. After coming home after working late, he stood, dumbfounded, after entering his room. There, sitting on the one tiny round table that resided in his room, sat a bird made of golden paper.   Rathe unfolded the golden bird and inexplicably found it to be the same exact message he had received all those weeks ago, which surely must have become no more than ash as a result of the inferno. Never-the-less the magical letter made of the unmistakable golden fibers and penned in the exact same hand as before. Not wanting to waste any more time, lest he become the victim of another fire, Rathe focused his attention on the lower part of the letter, which contained a short incantation. He recognized some parts of it from his studies with his master, but it was largely unknown. He uttered the words as articulately as he could. Not a moment after he finished, did a small shimmering mote of golden light appear a few feet from him. He waited, but nothing happened. Tentatively, he slowly reached out a finger and touched the light. As soon as he did, it exploded into the shape of a large circle, the interior of which gradually began to take on a scene that was decidedly no where he had ever seen before. Through the portal shimmering before him, he could see a great stone walkway leading before him, terminating at a large domed building. People were walking all about, most with books in their hands and wearing robes of various colors. Rathe exhaled slowly before he took a step through, followed by another. As he did, the portal promptly closed behind him, turning once more into the golden mote, which now buzzed above his head like an angry insect. As he continued to stand there, gawking at nearly everything there was to see, a young woman had been walking in his direction, which he had not noticed until she was nearly upon him. The golden mote zipped over to her hand, where she appeared to catch it. As soon as she did, it transformed into piece of paper that was no longer golden, but also far larger than his original letter had been. Rathe smiled in wonder at the magic contained within the letter. "Rathe Collin," she said after having finished scanning the document. "Welcome to Strixhaven University. My name is Susan Grey, and I have been assigned to get you orientated. Hmm, that's odd," she added. "What's odd," Rathe asked. "Tuition at Strixhaven is not cheap. Judging by your...appearance, I was going to send you off to speak with someone about securing assistance with making your payments. It seems however, that your entire first year has been taken care of anonymously." "It has," Rathe replied, dumbfounded. "Mm hmm. Having a patron pay for tuition is not unheard of, but they certainly wouldn't hide this from the student. How else would they know who to thank, or owe favors to down the line," she added, almost as an aside. "Well," she concluded, as she folded the paper and handed it back to Rathe, "that is not my mystery to solve. Keep going straight down the path and enter the Biblioplex. You can't miss it. You can find information about your schedule and dorming once you're inside. And Rathe, good luck."   It had not taken Rathe long after arriving at Strixhaven to learn that the University was broken into five colleges, each with their own focus and ideologies. Silverquill immediately grabbed his attention for their focus on the magic surrounding the spoken and written word, something that Rathe himself found to come naturally. It was only disdainful looks he caught when they did not think that he was looking, however. The College of Eloquence, as he came to learn they were called, was far too focused on outward appearances, as far as he was concerned. He found the college he planned on declaring for completely by happenstance. Rathe had been looking at a statue of a wizard that had apparently died some time ago. A woman had also been standing nearby and noticed Rathe looking up at the statue. She introduced herself and began to weave tales of the high marks of the wizard's life, telling it in such a way as to leave a smile on the boy's face. When her tales were over, she said that Rathe should consider declaring for Lorehold, where she was a professor. Rathe stood perplexed for a moment. The woman barely wore the trappings of a 'typical' mage that he was becoming accustomed to seeing, and spoke in such an informal relaxed manner, that he had no idea she could actually be a professor. He knew he would be declaring for Lorehold as soon as he could.

Character Build [Rolls] Starting Stats: STR 13(+1) | DEX 14(+2) | CON 13(+1) | INT 14(+2) | WIS 12(+1) | CHA 17(+3) Level Source Feature 1 Human Ability Scores each increase by +1 1 Human Speed: 30 1 Human Language: +Human, +Draconic 1 Urchin Skill Proficiencies: +Sleight of Hand, +Stealth 1 Urchin Tool Proficiencies: +Disguise kit, +thieves’ tools 1 Urchin Equipment: A small knife, a map of the city you grew up in, a pet mouse, a token to remember your parents by, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp 1 Urchin Feature: City Secrets 1 Bard Spellcasting 1 Bard Bardic Inspiration (d6) 1 Bard Cantrips Known: 2 (Minor Illusion, Vicious Mockery) 1 Bard Spells Known: 4 (Healing Word, Speak with Animals, Color Spray, Disguise Self) 1 Bard Spell Slots: 1st - 2 1 Bard Hit Points: +8 HP (MAX) + Con Modifier 1 Bard Armor Pro: +Light 1 Bard Weapon Pro: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords 1 Bard Instrument Pro: +Lute, +Pan Flute, +Drum 1 Bard Save: DEX CHA 1 Bard Skills: +Arcana, +Persuasion, +Perception

[savoylen]

Originally Posted by DebiRedHair

Interested but wondering what classes are possible? Does it have to be a spell casting class and if so are there any limitations?

Would a half-elf Warlock (Dao Genie) be acceptable?

I believe that is out of Tasha's (sorry, away from my books right now).... so sure, go for it! Any published non-UA cannon is OK for this game.

Any class is open, including non-spell casters... though they will learn a lot about magic and eventually incorporate some arcane FX to their class due to the curriculum.

Looking forward to see it!

- Savy

[savoylen]

@Begon Ugo - Players in my other games are always welcome!

[DIoscuri]

I am DMing a Session of Strixhaven but i have not played as a player...ok if I submit an app?

[savoylen]

Originally Posted by DIoscuri

I am DMing a Session of Strixhaven but i have not played as a player...ok if I submit an app?

Absolutely.. just remember thought, this version of Strixhaven may be very different at times (may be even most times) that what you are running, esp. the key parts of Lore. I'm GREAT with that, as long as you are!

- Savy

[penbeast0]

Expressing interest. Looks like fun!