3 Strixhaven Statblocks that Deserve Your Attention.
The supplement Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos has officially dropped and it carries a fair amount of unique and interesting tools, not the least of which is an amazing of array of monster stat-blocks. If nothing else, pull some of the monsters from this book to use in your home games. Anything from using the mages and professors from the different colleges as stat-blocks for wandering mages, to having your players encounter an epic Archaic in a place of high magic.
Though there are many interesting characters and creatures within the 7th chapter of Strixhaven, here are three creatures that are so compelling that they should have a place in your home campaign.
#3: Mage Hunters, Bane of the Arcane
These spidery creatures immediately bring a sense of dread and fear to any spellcaster that has the misfortune of crossing their path. Within the world of Strixhaven, the Mage Hunters are employed by the evil forces of the Oriq and meant to hunt the students of Strixhaven University. What is not mentioned, however, is the origins of the creepy crawlers. That leaves the origin story of the Mage Hunters to be free reign for the Dungeon Master to design, and they can fill so many different roles in a fantasy world. Evocative images of bounty hunters riding the backs of Mage Hunters while wielding anti-magic weapons, or an evil lord sending waves of Mage Hunters to attack a wizard’s tower come to mind when thinking of ways to use these awesome creatures.
Outside of their wicked demeanor, the Mage Hunters have a great bag of tricks. Their Magic Sense and Mage Tracker are amazing tools to have as a DM, especially if your party has even a single spellcaster in it or if the Big Bad Evil Guy (BBEG) is tracking a particular magic item in the party’s possession. Given that the far majority of classes in Fifth Edition have access to spellcasting of some form, you will find a use for these abilities. Consume and Destroy is a super interesting way to make this creature more survivable, especially when considering the amount of creatures that just have Magic Resistance, and it can be used in fun ways. This ability allows the Mage Hunter to halve any spell damage they might take as a reaction, and send that damage towards another creature of their choice. If there are multiple Mage Hunters and a DM chooses to group them together, spellcasters are incentivized to smack them with an AOE (Area of Effect) damage spell. Each Mage Hunter can then trigger, all on the same spell effect. If this was done with even a basic 3rd-level Fireball spell, and there were a group of three mage hunters, the caster is then getting hit with roughly 12d6 fire damage. This trick will only work once, but successfully pulling it against the party would be legendary!
#2: The Oriq, Keepers of the Dark Pact
No fantasy world is complete without a secret society of evil magic users, and the Oriq make an amazing template for this. Within Strixhaven they specifically work under the tutelage of Extus Narr, a fallen mage, and are working towards the destruction of the University. However, they can be very easily reskinned to work as any secret society, especially in a setting where the party may not be expecting them to be casters. Perhaps the Oriq represent a sect of tainted nobility or a spy network within a merchant district.
In terms of their abilities, the Oriq come in two flavors; The Oriq Bloodmage and the Oriq Recruiter. Both are super interesting options, but examination should start with the weaker of the two. Oriq Recruiters have two abilities that really set up their unique stat-blocks, Misdirecting Defence and Psychic Blade, both of which are meant to be used subtly and secretly. Misdirecting Defense allows Oriq Recruiters to be safe and stand up in a fight without wearing armor, which means they can constantly be ready for a fight even when in plain-clothes. The real gem is Psychic Blade, because this CR 4 creature can do two separate attacks that each deal 5d6 + 4 psychic damage. This weapon is fully magical, and makes this creature a dangerous threat when unarmed. The spells that they have access to really cement these Recruiters as creatures of intrigue, as they have at will access to Disguise Self and Silent Image. Their magic item, the Oriq Mask, is the cherry on top that prevents them from being scryed on. They are able to be anyone, anywhere, at any time.
The Oriq Bloodmage is much more powerful, older brother of the Recruiter. They are able to do anything that a Recruiter can do, but better. They have access to an AC boost through Blood Aegis (though it uses Constitution rather than Charisma). Their secret attack, Blood Lash, deals more damage than Psychic Blade (3d12 +5) and prevents the target from healing. While they don’t have access to the subtle spellcasting that the Recruiters do, they are able to hunt their prey easily through their Sanguine Sense, the ability to sense living creatures with blood through total cover, heavy obscurement, and even invisibility. Combined with their horrifying Blood Boil ability, these CR 9 creatures are trained killers and amazing villians.
#1: Daemogoth Titan, Patron of Punishment
The final creature on this list is easily able to be the BBEG of a full campaign from levels 1 to 10. The Daemogoth Titan is a gargantuan fiend of misery, knowledge, and forbidden magic. The Titans feed on the anguish and suffering of mortal life. They are creatures that have passed through the planar barrier as their weaker brethren, the Daemogoth, and have absorbed enough concentrated negative emotion and magic to evolve into this final form.
First off, their origin and description alone is enough to make the Daemogoth Titans an evocative and compelling plot hook. That’s without considering that this monster has the mechanics to support their flavor text. Their abilities Stalking Nightmare and Terrorize are the stuff of literal nightmares for creatures within the game. Terrorize psychically assaults every creature within 120 feet of it, essentially the entirety of any feasible combat map, and inspires the frightened condition in those that lack mental fortitude. They are able to easily cross the battlefield with their Teleport, as part of Stalking Nightmare, and and such the literal life energy out of a creature to heal themselves. Given a few additional enemies (perhaps an anti-magic spider and a few blood mages), these creatures are truly horrifying to face on the battlefield.
All of this, of course, buries the lead on the most interesting part of the Daemogoth Titan. They are so hungry for the agony of others, so starving for negative emotions, that they are willing to perform magical pacts with mortals to gain more access to suffering. These Titan carry the Pact of Suffering ritual, which allows them to grant access to a single 8th level or lower necromancy or enchantment spell to a willing creature of their choice. This creature is then able to cast that spell once per long rest, taking 6d6 psychic damage whenever they cast it and fueling the creature with their suffering. This is such a creative templating of an ability, and the first real look Wizards of the Coast has given the community at a more minor form of Warlock Pact. It may be used to give an enemy or NPC a cool ability, but the most valuable part of this ability is as a tool to tempt the players themselves. Pushing to give the more morally grey members of the party access to high level magic can lead to a ton of interesting roleplay scenarios and quandaries. The Daemogoth Titan is one of the most evocative and unique creatures that WoTC has put out in a very long time.
