D&D 5E Strixhaven: Orientation

WotC has released an overview of the upcoming Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos, as adventurers of levels 1-10 uncover a plot against the university. Teased are activities like tavern games, a magical frog race, an improv festival, and other social encounters. You can also take exams to improve your skills, join clubs, or get jobs.

Also included is a bestiary of over 40 new creatures.

The Bibloplex contains most of the information in the multiverse. Plenty of other locations fill the book, such as Captain Dapplewing's Manor, a mansion built for the university professors. One adventure has the PCs breaking into the manor. Another adventure involves the main Strixhaven student sport, Mage Tower.

 

[Bolares]

Just point out that a big chunk of A Wizard of Earthsea follows the protagonist at a magic school, where he encounters an overprivileged rival, a loyal best buddy and a wise, father-figure headmaster, and gets into trouble through using magic carelessly.

You just described the kingkiller chronicles

 

[Azuresun]

You just described the kingkiller chronicles

Either works for the people who assume the Harry Potter series invented magic schools.

 

[Bolares]

Either works for the people who assume the Harry Potter series invented magic schools.

Yep. This are all tropes. A lot of stories used the same tropes. Thinking Harry Potter invented or owns any of that is much like saying any game that starts in a tavern is copying D&D

 

[eyeheartawk]

Yep. This are all tropes. A lot of stories used the same tropes. Thinking Harry Potter invented or owns any of that is much like saying any game that starts in a tavern is copying D&D

I don't think anybody is claiming that here though? Looking at the images and how it's being promoted they are clearly going for a Harry Potter like vibe rather than Earthsea or Kingkiller. Is that even a controversial take?

 

[Bolares]

I don't think anybody is claiming that here though? Looking at the images and how it's being promoted they are clearly going for a Harry Potter like vibe rather than Earthsea or Kingkiller. Is that even a controversial take?

I wouldn't call it controversial. But there is kind of a confirmation bias going on. There is just as much that is different from Harry Potter, than there is that is similar... Sure, there was a joke tweet referencing harry potter, but A LOT of stryxhaven is very different.

 

[eyeheartawk]

I wouldn't call it controversial. But there is kind of a confirmation bias going on. There is just as much that is different from Harry Potter, than there is that is similar... Sure, there was a joke tweet referencing harry potter, but A LOT of stryxhaven is very different.

There are differences, sure. But I don't think you'd be wrong to call this simply D&D Harry Potter. A bit reductive, maybe. But as a succinct summary, it works pretty well. The same way how it's somewhat reductive, yet accurate to call Shadowrun "Cyberpunk but with orcs".

 

[darjr]

Harry Potter has been out how long? It’s popularity, while still rather high, has warned.

 

[Bolares]

There are differences, sure. But I don't think you'd be wrong to call this simply D&D Harry Potter. A bit reductive, maybe. But as a succinct summary, it works pretty well. The same way how it's somewhat reductive, yet accurate to call Shadowrun "Cyberpunk but with orcs".

Except you would be wrong. Both are magic schools, but stryxhaven has a lot of focus on teaching real life subjects, in fact all the colleges have a focus on a real world subject (math, history, biology, writing, performative arts) with a magical lense. All the students are adults. they don't need to hide magic from a real world.... if you go to stryxhaven expecting hogwarts, I'd bet you'd get frustrated, because that's not what stryxhaven was going for. When the MTG set was being previewed a lot of the same criticisms and reductionisms were happening, and now that it's been out for about a year, the comparisons stopped... Being a fan of both MTG and D&D, this all feels a little deja-vu for me

 

[Bolares]

Harry Potter has been out how long? It’s popularity, while still rather high, has warned.

Specially in the last years...

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Either works for the people who assume the Harry Potter series invented magic schools.

"The Worst Witch" by Jill Murphy...