Editor's Note: I've taken this Friday off from sending the weekly shout out and hand you over to my good friend Chloe, who is here to tell you about our third campaign setting: Phandrax.

Hey everyone!

My name is Chloe and I’m super excited to be writing my first newsletter for Verse Online. I’ve been working behind the scenes for over a year at Verse, writing for many of our projects such as the Arclander, Psion, and the Book of the Phantasm.

Today, Verse is officially announcing our brand new campaign universe for 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons: Phandrax Academy. This world focuses on a magical university setting that attracts all sorts of curious minds, talented artists, and martial paragons from across reality. 

In the coming month, we will be releasing two of the brand new character races for this setting: the ever-inquisitive Booknook and the serene Librarian. This week, I’ll be taking you through the creative process that has forged this exciting new world!

The very first inkling of Phandrax came about when I read the words “Class is what you do, not what you are”. As a university student myself, I got thinking…

“What if there were subclasses for university courses?”

So I wrote down the initial subclass for Creative Writing (my course), and it was done! There we go, the thought experiment was complete. End of blog post.

Except… I kept having ideas for more subclasses. And then a few feats. And then a handful of races. And before long, 1 page turned into 20 turned into over 100, and Phandrax was beginning to take shape.

A university seemed the perfect setting for a Dungeons and Dragons game. Where else would you find all sorts of people, united by their thirst for adventure and quest for knowledge? 

Of course, I was highly aware of Strixhaven, the acclaimed supplement for D&D, which was set at a magical school. But I wanted Phandrax Academy to be more, to be bigger and deeper than that.

It was also an opportunity to create a world, and an education system, that I myself would be comfortable in. A world that asks only that you are passionate, and it will quench your desire to learn. And finally, a world that opens its arms to you, no matter where you come from.

Phandrax is where the greatest minds from across reality gather to study and explore magic, and to pass on their knowledge to the next generation of aspirational minds.

Within, you will find Potion Crafting mechanics, to create your own custom potions; alongside expanded language mechanics for all your candle-lit study sessions; and even a campaign filled to the brim with mysterious rituals and cults, to fulfil your dark academia campaign dreams, but beware the Angel of Knowing.

I greatly look forward to sharing this world with you! And you won’t have to wait very long either:

On Monday, we will be releasing the first look at this grand new world: The Librarian Character Race. Librarians are sentient marble statues, with veins of gold criss-crossing their facade in geometric patterns. Whether serving as scholars, students, or mystical defenders, Librarians bring a unique and captivating presence to the magical tapestry of Phandrax.

Thanks for reading! Until next time,

Chloe