Strixhaven and Cypher: NPC Companions and Rules for Studying and Exams

 Strixhaven in Cypher

I'm running Strixhaven and powering it with the Cypher System. And by running Strixhaven I mean that I'm running it in the same way I run any other module -- taking inspiration from the core source book and then veering almost immediately off the rails into unrecognizable territory. I've introduced NPCs that aren't in the book, the NPCs that are in the book hardly resemble they way they are presented in the book, and the adventure in the book may as well not exist.

But it's still Strixhaven. The colleges of magic still exist, the Oracle is still the head of the school, the founding dragons are still important. I've just hacked the setting into pieces that are interesting to me and cast aside the rest.

Because a lot of the stuff I'm using is just setting based I don't really need to convert things. The suggested NPCs in the book don't even have stat blocks, so it's not like I had to come up with a new block for each character. But there have been a couple places where I've looked at the book and either decided that I wanted to change up how it's done, or realized that it doesn't fit into Cypher's rules. These are two of those instances.

NPC Companions

Strixhaven places a lot of importance on the relationships players develop with NPCs. I wanted to keep that feeling, and I've mostly kept the relationship rules intact. After each session I go around the table and ask each player who they want a relationship point with and then ask if it's positive or negative. That allows the players to decide who at the school makes up their friends and rivals.

But one thing I wanted to do was allow NPCs to go adventuring with the party sometimes. And Cypher struggles with NPCs taking actions. The easy thing to do is just compare an NPCs level with a situation. If an NPC is level 4 and it's attacking a level 3 monster it automatically succeeds. If it's attacking a level 5 monster it automatically fails.

But that wasn't interesting to me. Too often it leaves NPCs feeling useless and unable to contribute to a situation. So I came up with the following:

NPC companions are characters that accompany the player characters through specific scenes. Each PC may have one NPC who is designated a companion. Other NPCs may be in the scene, but they do not gain the effects of being an official companion.

 

Companion Effects

• Companions can help in battle and in tasks they are trained in. When you make a skill check that the companion is trained in you gain an asset. When you make attack rolls your companion helps you and you can either gain an asset on your attacks or deal an extra 2 points of damage.

• Companion Cyphers. When a companion joins you you may select one of their abilities that might be effective in a scene. This ability counts as a cypher and counts towards your cypher limit. However, unlike normal cyphers companion abilities do not take an action to activate as they represent your companion acting on their own.

Now when I create a new NPC I create a couple abilities. I mostly want to have two possible options for each NPC. One of the NPCs I made, a Kaorti named Emeling has the companion cyphers "Shadow Rend" (a flat out damaging spell) and "Touch of Insanity" (a mind affecting madness spell). If a player decides to bring Emeling out on an adventure they can pick one of the abilities and add it to their cyphers. These abilities count towards a PCs cypher limit... but even if a player doesn't have room or want to take the cypher, the NPC is still helping out by granting assets and doing just a little bit of extra damage.

Each player may only have 1 companion at a time, and it's best to keep the number to 1 per group.

Studying and Exams

As I was preparing for my players to take their first exam I realized that the rules for the exams don't quite translate into cypher. The core book utilizes a bunch of advantage/disadvantage things, and rewards student dice. Cypher doesn't have either of those, and I could have adapted student dice, but I decided to do this instead.

Studying Phase

As long as you have a slot in your schedule you can use one of these options. If you do not have a slot for studying in your schedule, see Skipping Studying below.

During the Studying phase, each character must succeed on an ability check against the difficulty of the exam. You can use any ability or skill you wish when making this check, but you can make it only once.

For example, one student might make a Knowledge History (Intellect) check to pore over their books while another student makes a Performance (Intellect) check to create a series of spoken mnemonic devices. The skill or ability being used must be justified within the narrative of the studying phase.

On a successful check, you gain one re-roll to use during the next Testing phase.

Pulling an All-Nighter

If you pull an all-nighter you gain two rerolls to use during the next testing phase if you succeed on the ability check. But doing so imposes a cost: you move one space down the damage track. The damage to your damage track can't be removed until after the exam.

Studying Together

If two or more characters engage in a group study session, each participating character has an asset during the Studying phase.

Skipping Studying

You do not have the chance to make any rerolls during the test. You gain 1 xp, which cannot be spent until after the next Testing Phase.

Testing Phase

Once the Studying Phase for an Exam is over, record how many rerolls each character received, then being the testing phase.

Ability Checks

Each Exam's Testing Phase consists of two ability checks, with specific levels noted in the encounter. If you gained any rerolls during the Studying phase, you can use one on each check. If you choose to reroll, always take the new attempt.

Each character's Testing phase has three possible results:

• Failed: You failed both ability checks. You answer fewer than half the questions on the exam correctly.

• Passed: One successful ability check means you passed the exam, having answered more than half the questions on the exam correctly. You gain 1 xp.

• Aced: Two successful ability checks mean the character aced the Exam, having gotten all the questions correct. You gain 2 xp.

Cheating

An unscrupulous character can cheat on an Exam. Cheating requires two ability checks, a Deception (Intellect) check and a Slight of Hand (Speed) check.

If you fail either of these checks, a proctor or other authority figure notices the cheating. You fail the exam and have to deal with the fallout.

If both of these checks are successful you ace the exam.

 

 

Cypher System: MTG Slivers

 Slivers are a type of creature in Magic the Gathering. Their main gimmick is that each type of sliver can do something different, and every other Sliver gains that ability. So one sliver gives all other slivers trample, or haste, or extra attack power, etc. 

This post was inspired by a conversation on the Cypher Unlimited Discord, and I decided it would be fun to pick out some of the slivers I thought would convert into interesting ttrpg monsters the best. So here is my take on the classic mtg creature.

Hatchery Sliver (Level 4)

The Hatchery Sliver is the brood queen of a Sliver swarm. She sits surrounded by ready to hatch eggs that she can dispatch any time she senses that the swarm is under attack, or when there is a need for new bodies. She spends most of her time caring for her eggs, but she has a viscous acid spit she can deploy when threatened.

 

Health: 12

Damage Inflicted: 4

Movement: Immediate

Hatch Sliver: The Hatchery Sliver can spend an action selecting an egg to hatch. She can choose to hatch any level 2 Sliver depending on the needs of the situation.

 

Encounter: Slivers are rarely encountered alone. Most often they are found in groups of 5-7, all of varying types. The Hatchery Sliver is always in some sort of nest surrounded by dozens of amber colored eggs with fully formed Slivers inside.

 

Capricious Sliver (Level 3) 

The Capricious Sliver is both stealthy and dangerous. It is most often the scout of a swarm, and it defends itself with a deadly neurotoxin that attacks a creature's mind.

Health: 9

Damage Inflicted: 2 Might Damage and 2 Intellect Damage.

Movement: Short. 

Modifications: When stealthing, the Capricious Sliver acts as a level 6 creature.

Sliver Swarm (Neurotoxin): All other slivers within short range deal an extra point of Intellect damage.

Encounter: Capricious Slivers are often found in groups of 2-3 ranging ahead of a larger swarm. When faced with danger they either retreat back to the swarm for aid, or if the Sliver realizes that the danger is too great they try to lead the danger away from the swarm. This is the most likely type of Sliver to encounter alone.

 

 

Blade Sliver (Level 2)

This giant worm like creature is covered in jagged metal spikes. The spikes attack with alarming speed.

 

Health: 6

Damage Inflicted: 3

Movement: Short

Sliver Swarm (Increase Damage): All other Slivers within short range do an extra point of damage.

Encounter: Slivers are rarely encountered alone. Most often they are found in groups of 5-7, all of varying types. 

Armor Sliver (Level 2)

This giant worm like creature is covered in thick scales that deflect incoming attacks. They have two tales, and long defensive pincers.

 

Health: 8

Armor: 2

Damage Inflicted: 2

Movement: Short

 

Silver Swarm (Armor): All other Slivers within short range gain 2 points of armor. 

Encounter: Slivers are rarely encountered alone. Most often they are found in groups of 5-7, all of varying types. 

Galerider Sliver (Level 2)

This lithe two tailed worm like creature soars gracefully through the sky. It's wings make a loud insectoid hovering sound that can be heard from miles away when a full swarm takes to the air.  

 

Health: 6

Damage Inflicted: 2

Movement: Long while flying, Short while grounded

Sliver Swarm (Flight): All other slivers within short range gain the ability to fly and move a Long distance through the air.

Encounter: Slivers are rarely encountered alone. Most often they are found in groups of 5-7, all of varying types. Galeriders are almost always near the center of hunting swarms.

Blur Sliver (Level 2)

A blur sliver has a connection with a reality or plane separate from our own. It's in a constant state of flux between the two planes, making it a difficult creature to dispatch. 

 

Health: 6

Damage Inflicted: 2

Movement: Short

Blur: When a blur sliver would take damage roll a d20. If the result is a 7 or lower the Blur Sliver takes no damage.

Sliver Swarm (Blur): All other Slivers withing short range also have a blur effect. When they would take damage roll a d20, if the result is a 5 or lower they take no damage.

Encounter: Slivers are rarely encountered alone. Most often they are found in groups of 5-7, all of varying types. 

Lancer Sliver (Level 2)

These worm like creatures are equipped with incredibly long and dangerous pincers.

Health: 6

Damage Inflicted: 2

Movement: Short

Modifications: Lancer Slivers make attacks as level 4 creatures so long as they attack with their pincers.

 

Sliver Swarm (Increase Attack): All other slivers in short range gain an asset to their attacks.

 

Encounter: Slivers are rarely encountered alone. Most often they are found in groups of 5-7, all of varying types.