D&D 5E Enhancing Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos (+)

[pukunui]

Hi all,

I note there hasn't been much chatter about the Strixhaven book or its adventure since it came out over a year ago. Because I am intending to use it as a frame for an upcoming campaign, I thought I'd start a thread on enhancing the adventure that comes with the book.

For starters, I'm aware that many people have described the adventure as "bare bones". I'd have to agree. So one of my goals is to fill out the school years with other short adventures. Some might just be roleplaying encounters, while others might be whole other adventures cut-and-pasted in. For instance, with a major focus on the Biblioplex library at the heart of the Strixhaven campus, I think it would be super easy to port over any number of the Candlekeep Mysteries adventures.

I also think it would be easy to port over some of the Radiant Citadel adventures. Since so many of those open with a festival, I think it would be super easy to just say that the student PCs are heading over to X community to check out their local Mardi Gras during a term break or over a long weekend or whatever.

I might also try to splice in some other short adventures as I see fit.

One other thing I'm going to do is throw out the map of the Biblioplex that is supplied in the adventure. Based on both the interior and exterior art of the library, as well as the introductory description of it in the book, that map does not come anywhere near doing the place justice. It's just way too small and pedestrian. I'm going to treat it as something of an extradimensional space where the inside is bigger than the outside (like the Library of Unseen University) and just run all scenarios and encounters in there via theater of the mind.

Anyone else got any suggestions for fleshing out the bones of the Curriculum of Chaos adventure?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Dropping in short adventures is the way I would go too. "The Golden Vault Club" would make an interesting extracurricular.

I would also consider dropping Stryxhaven into another setting. With a bit of tweaking it could substitute for Arcanix (Eberron), The Chrystal Chateau (described in Call of the Netherdeep) or the Hosttower of the Arcane (FR). It could even be dropped into Ravenloft or a post-war Krynn.

 

[pukunui]

With a bit of tweaking it could substitute for Arcanix (Eberron)

I was considering that one in particular because I do like Eberron. (As an aside, I note that Keith Baker proposed placing it either in Argonessen or on the plane of Thelanis rather than as a substitute for Arcanix.)

However, I think I will stick with the default setting of Arcavios because that leaves me with lots of room to make up my own lore and locations and the like.

 

[Emoshin]

I made massive changes to Strixhaven:

• Ignored most of the adventure, which I thought was very weak, and instead repurposed it as a settings book
• The BBEG in the adventure is not the main villain after all
• Instead of stretching out the adventure last a few years, it was only a couple weeks. Game play was daily, broken by morning, lunch, afternoon and evening/night
• In my case, the PCs were just pretending to be students, like 21 Jump Street, trying to solve a mystery plaguing the campus

 

[pukunui]

I made massive changes to Strixhaven:

• Ignored most of the adventure, which I thought was very weak, and instead repurposed it as a settings book

It is weak, but for me, the weakness is only really that there's not very much there to do. That's why I want to sprinkle in a whole lot of other short adventures to really fill it out more. I'm fine with having the school parts be a thin veneer because I'm not sure I or any of my players really want to revisit our school days in that much detail.

• The BBEG in the adventure is not the main villain after all

I will admit that Murgaxor is a rather pale imitation of Voldemort. I've been thinking about reworking him.

• Instead of stretching out the adventure last a few years, it was only a couple weeks. Game play was daily, broken by morning, lunch, afternoon and evening/night

I'm actually quite happy to finally have an adventure that takes place over several years instead of having the PCs rocket up the levels in just a matter of weeks.

• In my case, the PCs were just pretending to be students, like 21 Jump Street, trying to solve a mystery plaguing the campus

Interesting. I'm definitely going with the PCs are actual students, though.

Thanks for your input!

 

[pukunui]

I've just finished reading through "The Joy of Extradimensional Spaces" from Candlekeep Mysteries. I think I could run this as an escape room type of adventure. I'd dispense with the initial book and the missing sage and just say that the PCs voluntarily enter with the knowledge that they won't be able to get out until they solve the puzzle. That should work well enough and fits the theme of something fun that student PCs might get up to on a weekend or during a break.

 

[pukunui]

I think I can run "Mazfroth's Mighty Digressions" pretty much as written. One (or more) of the PCs can be researching something for class in the Biblioplex when the book they're reading attacks them. I'll file the serial numbers off Baldur's Gate and all will be well.

Not gonna bother with "Book of the Raven", so the next one to review will be "A Deep and Creeping Darkness".

EDIT: I think I can run Darkness just fine with minimal changes.

Also gonna skip “Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme” as it’s railroady rubbish.

“The Price of Beauty” is fun. I could either make it so someone the PCs know has gone missing at the spa or else they’ve just decided to visit for fun.

I’ll be skipping the “Book of Cylinders” since it got butchered in editing.

Next up is “Sarah of Yellowcrest Manor”.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I reckon Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme is one of the more interesting adventures, a character based horror piece, and one that would be easy to relocate to Stryxhaven without modification. I mean, they are all pretty railroady, they don't have enough pages to allow for branches! I made the "accept the sidequest?" hook the main decision point. A Deep and Creeping Darkness and Sarah of Yellowcrest Manor are pretty dull.

I've run The Price of Beauty. This turned into a mass brawl in the lobby, then a chase around the grounds. The trouble is the bosses are weaksauce because hag covens can't use their special powers unless all three are together, something my players are well aware of, and exploit by taking out one in the first round of combat.

The Lure of Lurue is really really railroady, just being a series of preset encounters. Although, it really gives the sense of "playing through a novel"! It's also tied to FR lore, so probably not a good fit.

Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion I haven't run, but should be a good fit for Stryxhaven.

The Curious Tale of Wisteria Vale I ran, nearly resulted in a TPK!

The Canopic Being I've run, it's probably not a good fit in terms of narrative. Weak boss.

The Scrivener’s Tale: My players avoided the plot hook for this, so it didn't happen. They are pretty paranoid about touching anything. Should fit narratively into Stryxhaven though.

Alkazaar’s Appendix. Ran this, it's average. Past the level range of Strxhaven though.

Xanthoria: This one really needs to be expanded to epic proportions in order to work - could form the basis of a sequel.

 

[pukunui]

I reckon Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme is one of the more interesting adventures, a character based horror piece, and one that would be easy to relocate to Stryxhaven without modification. I mean, they are all pretty railroady, they don't have enough pages to allow for branches! I made the "accept the sidequest?" hook the main decision point. A Deep and Creeping Darkness and Sarah of Yellowcrest Manor are pretty dull.

I've run The Price of Beauty. This turned into a mass brawl in the lobby, then a chase around the grounds. The trouble is the bosses are weaksauce because hag covens can't use their special powers unless all three are together, something my players are well aware of, and exploit by taking out one in the first round of combat.

I agree that Darkness is fairly dull, but I really like Yellowcrest Manor. The problem with Shemshime's is it reads like a video game script and, as such, it doesn't give the players much (if any) agency. I'll re-read it again, though.

Good to know about Price of Beauty. I'll keep that in mind if/when I run it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The problem with Shemshime's is it reads like a video game script and, as such, it doesn't give the players much (if any) agency.

It depends on your players. They need to be up for roleplaying cracking under the strain, so they are "fighting" each other. YMMV

 

[pukunui]

It depends on your players. They need to be up for roleplaying cracking under the strain, so they are "fighting" each other. YMMV

I've reread it. It's not quite as bad as I remember thinking it was the first time I read it ... that is to say, it's salvageable. The thing is: as written, there's not a lot for the PCs to conflict with each other about. They all want the same thing (for the curse / quarantine to end) and there's only one viable solution. There aren't any red herrings / seemingly viable alternatives. With one exception, the NPCs just passively hang around "waiting to be clicked on", as Justin Alexander put it in his review.

Furthermore, I'm not sure how I'd work it into a Strixhaven campaign since the curse doesn't kick in until after the PCs have spent the night in the library cellar ... and on the Strixhaven campus, I can't really see the PCs needing to / wanting to spend the night in the library rather than their dorm rooms. I mean, I could probably make it work, but it would take some effort.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I've reread it. It's not quite as bad as I remember thinking it was the first time I read it ... that is to say, it's salvageable. The thing is: as written, there's not a lot for the PCs to conflict with each other about.

"The only evil you will find here is what you bring with you." Most of us have lived through lockdown, and have first hand experience of the strain it puts on relationships. And in this case, the PCs are supposed to be younger/less mature.

They all want the same thing (for the curse / quarantine to end) and there's only one viable solution. There aren't any red herrings / seemingly viable alternatives.

Once suspects it was edited for space. Most of the adventures in Candlekeep/Radiant Citadel feel a little dehydrated, and need fluffing back up before use.

With one exception, the NPCs just passively hang around "waiting to be clicked on"

Well, NPCs have to be fairly passive, or they might resolve the problem without the PCs' help! But in this case one would assume Styxhaven NPC rivals/love interests would be added to the mix.

, as Justin Alexander put it in his review.

Ah, him.

Let's just say I don't hold a very high opinion of his views. He and I seem to interpret text very differently, and because he is on the internets, people are too quick to treat his opinions as Word-of-God.

Furthermore, I'm not sure how I'd work it into a Strixhaven campaign since the curse doesn't kick in until after the PCs have spent the night in the library cellar ... and on the Strixhaven campus, I can't really see the PCs needing to / wanting to spend the night in the library rather than their dorm rooms. I mean, I could probably make it work, but it would take some effort.

Technically, it's under the inn, not under the library. Waking up after a drunken binge would be a suitable start for the adventure in the Stryxhaven setting.

But one aspect of the PCs playing college students is there may well be NPCs telling them what to do!

 

[pukunui]

Since I intended for this to be a + thread, I’ll just say thank you for your contribution. However, I don’t think I will use Shemshine in my campaign.

Moving on, I only just saw that you expanded on your first post.

I intend to skip “Lore of Lurue” as it’s the worst of the lot. Not only is it railroady but the PCs have zero agency.

Not a fan of the goofy “Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion” and don’t really want to shift into a Spelljammer campaign as some have suggested, so I’ll skip that one too.

Since the main Strixhaven campaign ends at 10th level, all the rest of the CM adventures will have to be post-grad opportunities. (I do like a bunch of them, though.)

I’ll review the Radiant Citadel adventures next.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I intend to skip “Lore of Lurue” as it’s the worst of the lot. Not only is it railroady but the PCs have zero agency.

Definitely agree on that!

I’ll review the Radiant Citadel adventures next.

I haven't played any of them yet, but I think because the setting culture is a big aspect they are not so easy to just "drop in" anywhere. You can, of course, have planner traveling field trips.

 

[pukunui]

I haven't played any of them yet, but I think because the setting culture is a big aspect they are not so easy to just "drop in" anywhere. You can, of course, have planner traveling field trips.

Since Arcavios is very much a blank slate, I intend to slot the various cultures somewhere on the planet. I'm going to handwave a lot of the travel in this campaign. They can either visit these places via a magic portal or they can just travel there over the summer holidays or something.

EDIT: If I use “Salted Legacy”, I think it will just be as a fun diversion to the local night market. I’ll leave out the rivalry and sabotage and just have the PCs participate in the market games.

One of the suggested hooks is that a friend is from the area and wants to show the PCs the market. That should work just fine. Nora Ann Wu would probably be a good connection here.