Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Mages of Strixhaven

An Unearthed Arcana playtest document for the upcoming Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos hardcover has been released by WotC!

"Become a student of magic in this installment of Unearthed Arcana! This playtest document presents five subclasses for Dungeons & Dragons. Each of these subclasses allows you to play a mage associated with one of the five colleges of Strixhaven, a university of magic. These subclasses are special, with each one being available to more than one class."

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It's 9 pages, and contains five subclasses, one for each the Strixhaven colleges:

• Lorehold College, dedicated to the pursuit of history by conversing with ancient spirits and understanding the whims of time itself
• Prismari College, dedicated to the visual and performing arts and bolstered with the power of the elements
• Quandrix College, dedicated to the study and manipulation of nature’s core mathematic principles
• Silverquill College, dedicated to the magic of words, whether encouraging speeches that uplift allies or piercing wit that derides foes
• Witherbloom College, dedicated to the alchemy of life and death and harnessing the devastating energies of both

 

[cbwjm]

Just ignore the patron and consider the warlock class a different method for learning magic.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Just ignore the patron and consider the warlock class a different method for learning magic.

But it's not differnt method! It's the same now for all these classes, studying in a school! Why have a bunch of randomly different mechanics if they don't represent anything different?

 

[Hussar]

I have no problems with Warlocks being enrolled in a school.
I just don't like a warlock's patron being the school or college within the school.

That's not what it says though. There's nothing that says that the warlock's patron is the school or anything within the school.

IOW, you're a warlock BEFORE you enroll in the school. You made your patron beforehand and then went to the school to unlock the secrets of your power.

your warlock eschewed their patron’s usual boons for learning these more esoteric manifestations of power.

At no point does it say that your patron changes or is not a standard D&D patron.

 

[cbwjm]

But it's not differnt method! It's the same now for all these classes, studying in a school! Why have a bunch of randomly different mechanics if they don't represent anything different?

Because you can, it's different methodology and approach to learning magic which leads to different mechanics.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Because you can, it's different methodology and approach to learning magic which leads to different mechanics.

Different how?

 

[Yaarel]

In my campaign, it is totally fine if a Warlock makes a college the Patron, and later becomes a student there.

 

[cbwjm]

Different how?

As different as the mechanics between warlock and wizard. I really don't need more than that.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

As different as the mechanics between warlock and wizard. I really don't need more than that.

Right. That wouldn't work for me. Classes exist to fulfil themes and archetypes, mechanics merely represent those. I don't see point in having rules just to have rules.

 

[Cadence]

But it's not differnt method! It's the same now for all these classes, studying in a school! Why have a bunch of randomly different mechanics if they don't represent anything different?

But it's not a problem when they all just get better at the same rate (regardless of class, patron, etc ...) while going on adventures... a rate that's much, much faster than anyone just buckling down and studying?

 

[Yaarel]

Storywise,

I view the Wizard as directing the magical properties inherent in spell components. (They are sorta the chemists of the Wizard World.)

I view the Sorcerer as directing the magic infused within ones own body. (They are sorta the athletes of the Wizard World.)

I am less sure about what a Warlock is. I am unconvinced that the Patron concept even makes sense in the first place. Ok, the pact initiates some kind of transformation, but what is being transformed exactly? Is the Warlock now able to learn from a book and study? Is the sword an Elric-style demon that is doing all the magic? Does the Patron follow the Warlock around doing all the work? Is the body of the Warlock transformed to now do magic, like the Sorcerer? What exactly changed?

Now, if the Warlock can benefit from all of the ambient magic from students studying magic at a university, that actually makes sense to me.