Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Choas, the most recent Dungeons & Dragons book published by the Wizards of the Coast, introduced a fascinating new campaign setting, many new features and options for characters, and a handful of new spells for the students of this magical college.
Some of these new spells bring interesting new mechanics into the game, and some of them are so powerful and controversial that dungeon masters are banning them from their games. Knowing these spells and what they do, can help you make your next powerful spell caster, especially if your DM doesn't ban Silvery Barbs. Here we take a look at what each spell does and rank them all.
5 Borrowed Knowledge
- 2nd Level
- School of Divination
- Available to Bards, Clerics, Warlocks, and Wizards
This new spell might not be as exciting as the rest of the spells introduced in Strixhaven, but it definitely has its uses in the right situation. With a casting time of one action and material components comprising a book worth at least 25 gold, the character can give themselves proficiency in one skill of their choosing for one hour.
The best thing about this spell is that it doesn't require concentration. So with the help of cantrips such as Guidance, or even more powerful spells such as Enhance Ability, The caster can more reliantly use the skills that they have empowered and solve problems that require certain skill checks. The spell is suitable for the four classes that have access to them as they are often great support casters, and Borrowed Knowledge only improves their spell list.
4 Wither And Bloom
- 2nd Level
- School of Necromancy
- Available to Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards
Wither and Bloom is one of the most flavorful spells introduced in Strixhaven. The spell targets creatures of your choice in a ten-foot radius sphere, dealing necrotic damage to them, and withering nonmagical vegetation in the area. In addition, one creature of your choice can roll one of their unspent hit dice and heal for that amount.
While the 2d6 damage of Wither and Bloom doesn't make it the best second-level area of effect spell, the idea of draining life from enemies and healing your surrounded ally is both mechanically powerful and thematically fascinating.
3 Kinetic Jaunt
- 2nd Level
- School of Transmutation
- Available to Artificers, Bards, Sorcerers, and Wizards
Mobility is always a powerful effect in Dungeons & Dragons, and there are many spells with different effects such as the first level Expeditious Retreat or the third level Haste that improve a character's movement speed. But Kinetic Jaunt offers a new effect that other mobility spells don't provide.
While this spell is active on a creature, their movement speed is increased by 10 feet, they can safely move past enemies without provoking opportunity attacks, and they can also move through other creatures without slowing down. While it's not as fast as the other similar spells, its other benefits might suit you better in certain situations.
2 Vortex Warp
- 2nd Level
- School of Conjuration
- Available to Artificers, Sorcerers, and Wizards
Positioning and controlling the battlefield is very important in 5e's combat, and spells that help you with this task are always popular. Vortex Warp is one of the most flexible spells in this category, and it's only a second-level spell. By casting this spell, you can teleport a creature within 90 feet of you, to another unoccupied location within range.
If you target enemies, they have to succeed on a saving throw to resist the effect. If they fail, you can teleport the dangerous but squishy wizard right in front of your raging barbarian. In addition, you can also target allies with this spell, in which case they can choose to fail the saving throw and be teleported out of a dangerous situation. You can even cast Vortex Warp at higher levels to increase its range by 30 feet for each spell slot above the second level.
1 Silvery Barbs
- 1st Level
- School of Enchantment
- Available to Bards, Sorcerers, and Wizards
And finally, the spell that made quite a fuss in the D&D community, the Silvery Barbs. This first-level spell lets you use a reaction when a creature you can see succeeds on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, and forcing them to roll again and use the new roll. This effect is powerful enough in itself, but you can also choose another creature (including yourself) and give them advantage on their next roll.
The spell offers a very powerful effect, and many DMs and players might think it's too overpowered. But in reality, since the spell uses your limited spell slots, you will quickly run out of resources if you abuse this spell. Silvery Barbs is definitely the most powerful spell introduced in Strixhaven, and if your DM allows it in their games, you should consider choosing this spell.
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