LI F E IN THE r fl" s

AIA DELiY
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"Listen, for this is a story that means something l sing the to fit the sltuation. The patient leopard, full of valor' crept 2:
protect
closei' toward the oncoming threat, the better to
songs of those who came before' They taught us much quietly'
her friends from danger. The spider whispered i

thal we remember today, and even more that we have

who Would the people be safe? Our comrades, our friends'
forgotten. I sing the song of the one, the Old Mage'
the Ten' the Magic our families? Would this be the end? The hyena laughed-
showed us the way. I sing the songs of
the not even he, who looks between, could have imagined
Warriors who spread his mission' I sing the songs of the
in the
a light over all the scope of the threat. But it was not the end' and
hundreds who built this school and shone
those elep hant never forgot." -Elephant's Chronicles
the world. And I sing the songs of the thousands' all Students of the
who came before us and made this place the Magaambya' . Magaambya
they N4rt gaa rrtltlitrt sch c,llrrs ieve i tt tt'trt t'ty f tt tl clatl'tclltl l
bel
Their strength and their legacies live on in me' Now
.,a[.res oi sch ola rsh ip ' I(ev enlotlg the rn are aclapta lrilrn ' Adventure
shall live on in you as well." -Lore-SpeakerJanatimo Toolbox
camaraclerie, rnlaginiltion, knorvledge, ancl val<lr'
Thc scl-rool's facultv ancl lesst.rt'ts irrc clivicled into fir'e
In the Strength of Thonsands Adventure Path, 1-ou'11
branches. errcir empir:rsizing one of these values'
have the opportunit,v to pl:ry characters tvho are
Cascade Bearers esteen-r imagination, from the
students at the Magaambva, the oldest and most
dreams of the most visionarl magical theorists to tlre
storied magic school in all Golarior.r' You'll learn
nerv
innor.atious of creative problem-solvers of all stripes'
magic, adr.ance it'l vour studies, choose one of the fir'e
Emeralcl Boughs emphirsize camaraderie, the sense
prestigioLls brtrnches to jorn, and more' As yor'l contintte
of commtttritr- and connection to fellou' NIagir:Lmbr-tlns;
yu,-,. ,."d.rr-tic cal:eer, adventure rvill call' but vou'll
to thel' also interrlct rvitl'r those outsicle thc N{eg:rirnlbvir
,-r.ua. a."r. to be ar lvl:rgarambvall, tied rnextricabh
the thonsrrtrds ttpoll thoLlstlllds of stnclents rvho ctrt.tle ,rncl sprerrcl the lclclern,v's tllessitge' \i/
Rain-Scribcs v:rltrc ad:rptabititf in thor'rghts 'rrrcl
belore vou, stretching across eight nrilletrnir of historv
cleecls. as s'ell ,ls lr rvillirlgrlcss to lrcll.t'tit errors lttlcl
ancl tracing back to tlre lcgacl of C)lcl-l\4agc .[rrtemhe'
the lcrrrtr ir<tttr past rllistlrkes.
onc of the trost legeoclal-1' trnd porverfttl wiz:rrc[s rrl not ollll the
Tempcst-Sun NIages irrspirc ralor,
historl- oi Golirrion. rlnd thc
phYsic,rl cout:ilge to strtlcl ltp for friends
The acadernia subsvstenr l-relps )rotl express
character's academic and intellectual grorl'th ,.l,lout. bttt ,rlso the intcllectual cor'trage to consider
,vour
opposir-rg 1.jg11'points ancl n'iden one's ltnderstancling
thrc,rgl.,u.,t vour time at the Magaambya' starting
at the rather than stirvit'rg entrenched ir-r a single paradigm' *
as a ne\v initiate struggling to hnd ,vour place
respected bv all Uzunjati understand that knolvledge lives in storics *
school to an academic porverhouse
researchers in vour field and bevond' You'll conrinr're passed don'n through the ger-rerations and:rlso
earned everv dav through personal erperience'
is
f
vour studies irlongside vour adventuring career'
\Yhile all l\'lagaambvans are expected to en-rboclv
allorving \-olr to gain a series of r-rseful benefits to of the r:
these valltes to varyir-rg degrees, xn6l msmb315
r-our character's capabilities based on the
irrp.ot.
progress of 1'otlr acaden'ric lvork'
different brrrnches r'vork together on and off canlpus' tI,
everv sttldellt joins clne pritrrrrv brancl'r to shtlpe
theirl rrcrtdenlic urtclcrst,rncling' Ir-r aclclitiol-r to this
The Five Brmmches of SchmlarshiP thirt
cl'rorcc, r'ott'll rrlso sclect lt seconcl:rry brirrlch
inflLrcnct-s tl'rc exprcssiott oi r'ortr pril'tllrr\' [-'rlltlch lrllcl 4
"As the creeping menace swept across the land' the snake
supplcrrtertts vour e clttclttotl. Your lclrrlrirlg s'itl'ritl t
led the way, ever the adaptable guide, ready to shed skin

'#l

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r
GMS, SHARE THIS WITH Y()UR PLAYERS a downtirne activity to allow branch retraining in
^\ ,{ 4rU The details of the academia subsystem aren't a place of advancing in a branch, this can wind up
permanently leaving your character behind the rest of
tffiffi's"J
1*rr
your party. Instead, work with your GM to swap out
I
your branches. Keep in mind, the Magaambya looks
extremely poorly on those rvho flippantly attempt to
alter their branches of scholarship to gain personal
{ power and will staunchly deny any such exploit.

Advancing Your Branch Level

EI:
these branches progresses from levels I to 20, just like
your character. You can never have more levels ir-r your
primary branch than your character's level, and yor-r
I can never have more levels in your secondary branch
I
than half your character's level. SV'hen you create your
I
I
character, choose a primary branch and a secondary
I
branch; both begin at level 0.
Classes at the Magaambya are open to students of
any branch, but each focuses on the values embodied by
a specific branch. If your primary branch is Tempest-Sun
Mages and your secondary branch is Rain-Scribes,
you'll attend Tempest-Sun Mage classes to advance your
level in your primary branch or Rain-Scribe classes to
advance your level in your secondary branch. You don't
need to create a specific course load or class schedule,
since you're always choosing whether to focus on your
primary or secondary branch.
BRANCH SKILLS, L()RES, AND TEATS
Each branch has two or three associated skills, one
or more subcategories of lor:e, and a general feat. As
you gain levels in your branch, you'll gain benefits that
apply to the associated skills and lore, as well as tl.re
associated general feat.
CHANGING BRANCHES
It's perfectly natural that a player might choose a
primary or secondary branch at character creation
and, after roleplaying the character for some rime,
decide it was the wrong branch to represent their
character's personality. \While your GM could create
"From mV time studying medicine at the Magaambya, I
might not have learned any magic, but I did learn to value
service over promoting my academic publications. That's
not to say the Magaambya doesn't produce some of the
finest scholarship in the world, but rather that a true
Magaambyan doesn't care about taking credit. lt's about
building knowledge for everyone. 0f course, that sort of
attitude led to my work being plagiarized before I started
taking authorship more seriously, so this ideal isn't as
an absolute. Still, it's the heroic attitude of Magaambyan
scholars that has changed the world for millennia and
continues to change it to this day." -Kassi Aziril
Unlike your character's level, your levels in your
primary and secondary branches don't advance
automatically when you gain Experience Points.
Instead, you advance your branches through academic
achievement; early in your career, this typically
happens via bookwork and exams. As a student at the
Magaambya, you can use either the Study downtime
activity or the Cram dorvntinre activiry to represent
your accomplishments in your studies and exams, with
the tin-ring based on the academic calendar (as noted
for the GM in each volume of the Adventure Path).
Truly accomplished scholars also migl.rt be able
to use the Practical Research activity as a downtime
activity in the field to gain additional new insights and
academic advancements during adventures, as opposed
to during the normal curriculum. Later volumes of the
Adventure Path will note such opportunities for the
GM, but if you have additional ideas for location-based
research beyond those provided in the adventures

TABLE 1: SKILLS, L()RES, AND FEATS

Branch Skills Lore General Feat
Cascade Bearers Arcana, 0ccultism, Religion Academia Lore Canny Acumen
Emerald Boughs Deception, Diplomacy, Society Specific settlement Adopted Ancestry
[such as Nantambu Lore]
Rai n-Scri bes Medicine, Nature, Survival Specific terrain Fleet
fsuch as Forest LoreJ
Tempest-Sun Mages ntimidation, Performance
I Warfare Lore Toughness
Uzunjati Crafting, Lore Any Lore lncredible lnitiative

J . :il.r
 themselves, the GM might reward your creariviry wirh PRACTICAL RESEARCH
an additional opportunity to perform the practical litfiItlvil
Research activity ar-rd raise your brancl-r levels! Requirement You are a conve rsant or lore-speaker
Even with these extra opportuniries, you can,t You identify somethi ng interesting in the field and perform
advance your primary branch level above your special research on it. This requires an appropriate check,
character's level, or your secondary branch level which the GM will describe when the opportunity arises.
above half your characrer,s level (both with a The results of the check vary. While they typically include
minimum of 0). If the result of any of these activities all the benefits of the Study activity, some opportunities
would raise a branch level past those limits, put a for Practical Research also offer unique benefits, such as
star next to your branch's level. The next time your access to new character options.
character gains a level, raise that branch,s level to the
new limit and erase the star. This way, if you have an TABI.E 2:BRANCH BENEFITS BY LEVEL
opportunity to advance your branch level, you don,t Level Benefit
E tl
t il
have to wait until your characrer level is high enough '1 !
Additional Lore :- 111
to pursue it. 2 Steeped in History +1
Each of these downtime acriviries takes a few J Dedicated Attendant
months, as they occur over an academic semester. you
4 Skill Feat [TrainedJ
might have encounter.s during or between these checks
5 Branch Influence +1
as the story requires.
6 Skill lncrease (Expert]
7 First Branch Feat in the
STUDY
I General Feat
I Skill Feat [ExpertJ
Requirements You are an in itiate, attendant, or conversant.
10 Skill lncrease [Master] i
You gi ve everything you have to your studies, in keeping
1l Steeped in History +2
with your branch. Choose either your primary or
secondary branch and attempt a skill check with one of
12 Second Branch Feat I
13 Branch Influence +2
the branch's associated skills against a standard DC of the
14 Skill lncrease [Master]
branch's level.
t5 Skill Feat [MasterJ
Critical Success lncredible results! you ace every exam
t6 Make Your Own Luck
and cause a stir that all the instructors notice. lncrease
17 Branch lnfluence +3
the level of the branch you chose by 2.
18 Skill lncrease (Legendaryl
Success You succeed in your studies admirably. lncrease
19 Skill Feat [Legendary]
the level of the branch you chose by l.
20 Magical Paragon
Failure You need to work harder and try again. your
branch level remains the same. Branch Benefits
Critical Failure You make a major mistake that requires
you to perform remedial studies. The next time you "Many of you already understand
that the five branches of
would get an opportunity to attempt this activity, you scholarship shape your journey through the Magaambya.
must skip that opportunity to catch up. What you probably haven't realized is that they will shape
your legacy as well. All of us stand here buoyed by the
CRAM strength of the thousands who came before, each with
nrititEiltE their orryn unique story to tell. Ask yourself: what will your
Requirements You are an initiate, attendant, or conversant, story be?" *High Sun-Mage 0yamba
and your branch level for either your primary or
secondary branch is 2 or more levels below the limit. At every branch level, you gain the benefit listed in
Realizing that you're falling behind in your studies, you Table 2 above. The benefit entries below also include
cram more than you probably should. you Study twice, the branch levels at which you gain them.
each in a branch that satisfres the activity requirements.
However, the extra studying comes at a price. Until the
next time you take the Study downtime activity, you're
ANDITIONAT LORE 1ST
At 1st level in a
branch, you learn more of the
particularly tired from all the extra hours cramming; at
Magaambya's deep well of lore associated with your
the start of each day of adventuring, you must succeed at branch. You gain the Additional Lore feat in a Lore
a DC 8 flat check or be fatigued for that day. skill associated with the branch.

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ACAI}EMIA? N(} THANKS t

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While rnany players in an Adventure Path about a r At Stl-r level in a branch, .vou gain greater influence,
\ magic academy might he interested in developing ;: making it easier to collaborate, hoodlr,ink, or
,:
their characters'academic careers, some might want
1.
;fl brorvheat members of that br:rncl-r. You gain a +1
I to skip right to the action. That's okay! You can either : cjrcumst:.rnce boniLs on f)cception, Diplomacr,,
skip the subsystem entirely, in which case characters Intinriclarion, rlncl I)e rforur:rnce checl<s to intcract rvith
will be a little less versatile than normal, or just allow nrenrbers of tlre brrrnch.
characters to automatically advance their primary At l.lth level, this increrrscs to :t +2 circurlstarrce
*/ branch at every even level. to a maximum branch bonus, and at l Tth level, it increases irgain to a +3
\. level of ll when the character reaches level 20. circumstirnce bonus.
t'
,*'\i

'k' SiigLF" iF{ilffiile-{ 6TF*

At 6tl-r levelin a br:rnch, ancl everr',1 lcvels thereafter;
r-otrr studics lerrcl vor-r to clecpcr Lrnclerstandinq oI
STEEPED IhI HISTORY TNil vour Lrrltrtch's irssocirrtecl sl<ills, ceusing \'()u t() llr:tin rlll
At 2nd level in a branch, you leaun about the history of ac[litiorrtrl sl<ill increlrse thtrt vou crllt Ltse to reisc one
tl-re brancl-r and the Magaambya in gerreral. You garn ur of tl-re brzrnch's lssociatccl sl<ills, Lrp to il nri.rxinr,nr
+1 cilcumstance bonus to Recall I(norvledge about the of expert.
Magaan-rbya, the tenets or historl, of 1'oul brancb, and At lOth branch level or higher, r'ou can use these
mcmbers of your branch. skill increases to become a master ir-r ar skill rn r,vhich
At 11th level, this rncreases to a +? circumstance voli're alreaclv i1n expert. At lSth ler-el. r-ou can Llse
t
l
l
bonus. this skill incrcase ro become legcndirrv in a skill in
)

u'hich you'rc elreacll rl nrfr.stcr-. For LJzunjati, rvho

DEDICATED ATTENDANT 3RD *i:
At 3rd level in a branch, ifyou have
compieted your Perquisite, you
have proven your commitment
to a sufficient degree that your
branch promotes and supports
you as an affiliated attendant. The
first time you reach this level in a
branch, you gain the Magaambyan
Attendant Dedication fear (Pathfinder
Lost C)rrtctts Cltarocter Ouide l0l) tts
a bonus feat (ever-r if vou har.en't taken
enough {eats u,ith a previous archen'pe
take another dedication feat).
SKILT FEAT
At 4th level in a branch, you uncover hidden techniques
that grant you extra beneflts from your branch's
associated skilis. You gain a skill feat that requires the
trained rank in one the branch's associated skills.
At 9th level, you gain an additional skill feat that
requires the expert or trained rank in one the branch's
associated skills; at 15th level, you gain an additional
skill feat that requires master or lower rank in one of
the branch's associated skills; and at 'l.9th level, y<.ru
gain an additional skill feat that requires legendary or
Iower rank in one of the branch's associated skills. For
any of these skill feats, you can select a variable skill
feat, such as Automatic Knowledge or Assurance, as
long as you do so for an associated skill.
have Lore as an associated skill, you gain the
Aclclirional [-orc fcrrt u,hen r'<>u chor.rsc to
ilnprove L<>rc-, insteircl of gaining a singlc
skill increase to a I-ore.
3RA}IC}* FEAT 7TH
At 7th level in a branch, r'or"r
Itccorttc so irrrnrer.,d irt 1,,111'
l.r'.trt.lt'r r,'elct. tlt.il r,,tt l-:titt
to specirrl trlrining onlv
llcccss
offerccl to othcr r.rrcnrbers
of vour brancir. Yor-r gain tl-re
tcr 6th -level N{ag:rirnr bvan attend:1nt
arcl-retvpe feat r:equiring aifilration rvith
r-our branch (such as Uzunjati Storvtellrng fol thc
4TH [Jzunjati). You rnust still rneet anv skil] prereqursrrcs
the feat has. If vou alreacly havc that ie.rr, vou glin an
rrclditional 6th level cless fcat (even if vonr br:rnch's
lL,ll \\;l\ Il()l .1 \'l.l\\ I(,ll l.
At l2th lel'el, \'olr also gain the lOth-le vcl
Magarrmb,van attendant irrcheil pc feilt requjrillg
affiliation lvitl-r ti-re branch (such as Ternpest-Sun
Shielding for: the Tempest-Sr-rn tr.Iages). If vou alreadr
har,e that feirt, r'ou gain an additional 1Otl.r-level class
feirt (even if vour brirnch's feat rvrrs not a class fcirt).
GENERAL TEAT 8TH
At 8th level in a branch, your understanding of your
branch's traditions improves your general capabilities,
stretching beyond your studies in specific skil1s. You

43\
^{h\}n+\ r i, r ,r\ l, r ,fiN , .#l-, . .r* /t,
 .-l -

\
R(}LTPLAYING ACAI}EMIA
gilin the genertll feat associated u'ith tl-re br:rnch' If
1:

The academia subsystem is at its best when the

uo.r alr:e,rdy have th:rt general feirt, vou gain a 1st-leve1
players and GM use the opportunity as a backdrop
gener,rl fcat of vor-rr choice insteeld. I

for roleplaying events and occurrences that highlight i

LUTK
t

MAKE YffiUR (}WN 1fiTI{ the reality of life at a magic academy, rather than
accomplishecl rvith just quickly rollingsome skill checks and tallying up
At l6th level in a branch,,You're so
branch levels. lvtaybe one hero has to go on a hunt l:
,voul blanch's associated skills that -vou
make vour
for a book that should be availabie in the lihrary
orvn luck. Once per da.v, You can reroll a skill check
but has been lent out muitiple tlmes, while another
s,ith one of those skills and take the nerv result' This
must convince a straitlaced professor to allow them
is a for:tune effect.
'., t0 conduct a potentially dangerous experiment' l-or
MAGITAL PARAGON 2OTI{
n''/ more guidance otr icleas I'or dcrwntime events and

At 20th level in tr branch, ,vott elnbodl' the brtrncl't

so completelv thtlt voLl gain a unique special abilitv ',
ho* to intersperse them throughout downtirre, refer
[o pages 22 and 25 of the 00memsstery GLiide'
|
T
:r' I
depending on )'our branch. N'lanv of these abrlities
archet-vpe feats
; F i \' + + ''' +
ti
E',l
buiid upon Magaan'rb-van attendant
vou have gained.
Cascade Bearers: Nothing is bevond
Once per day, yor-r can cast any colrltrloll
irr-ragir-ratior-r.
)-olrr
instcacl of otrce, e:rch rvitl-r a +f circttl'l'tstance bonus'
You rrlso gein :r +) circLtl-ttst:lnce l)ollLls to ,voLrr sl<ill
I
7th-level spell ironl the:rrcrrue, clivine, occult, or
\Whcn chccl< for t-lztrnjati Storvtclling frotl the captivrltinc
primal spell lists rvitlrotrt cxpenc|r'rg I spell slot'
pr:oficier-rcy frlr Your conrbittecl trll:r:rti vc.
1-ou do, you Llsc 1-or'tr spellcastir-rg I
I'ralcyon speils.
Emerald Boughs: You can stretch -vor-rr hidearval-
rvell bevond the original intended usage' creating a
special extradimensional abode in rvhich to rest rvith
ancl more' At anr'
,vour erllies, host visiting diplomr-rts,
time, yon c,rn spetld 1 mir-rute to entel and expand
vour hiclerrvrrv illto :r magnilicctrt trtartsictt- it rcnrtrins
in this forn-r ruttil you leave, at rvhich point it expels all
rem:rining gllests :1nd becomes a normal l'ricleaw':Ly rrs
Emeralcl Boughs Hidearva,v Llntil ).ou spend anothet:
minute to enter ar-rd erpand Your hidearva,v again'
Rain-Scribes: You can adapt to almost anr'
situation. You can survive in severe and extreme
colci and l-reat u'ithout taking clamage' You movc' at
fLrll Speed through difficult terrait.t atrd greater
clifficult terrrtitt, rrlcl trrl<c tlo clrrtllrtgc
ironr hrrzlrrcl<)tls tcrrlrill. Wherl r-rsirlg
-t
Rairr-Scribe \lobilin', vott cleirr thc
effects of all three types of terrain from the
spaces you enter for I round.
Tempest-Sun \Iages: You hirve' tl-re courage and
m:rgic to protect rrll t'our allies fr:onr harm' \\1hcrr
\'or.l Llse Tempest-Sutl Shiclcling, \'otl cilll choose
tr> rcclucc thc triggcrirlg clerllegc to r'otr rtncl rrll
rrllies rvithin -3() fect bf iottr titncs thc spell levcl,
rrrthcr th:rn r:cclucillg the triggerirlg tlrrtnagc to
\ olr or ll single allv bt'four times the spell level'
Uzunjati: You l<uolv a surprising ltttnrber of
stones, and t'or-t weave thcm all together into *
i1 coherent n:lrrative. Whet'r 1'ou use LJzr'rnjati
Recollection, r'ou Recail l(non'ledge tl-rree tinres

u- ,,t I /@:a ,# ffi,_

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