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Alignments
The Magaambya is focused on gathering knowledge and using it to become wardens of the world. The school’s overall alignment is neutral good. This doesn’t mean the heroes must all be neutral good, but evil characters are a poor fit and will likely chafe within the school. Knowledge seekers come in all types, though, so no alignments are prohibited.
Ancestries
The Magaambya has a startling variety of ancestries among its professors and within its student body, so there are no restrictions on character ancestries in the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path. The people of Nantambu and the Magaambya are predominantly Zenj humans, but most are worldly enough that they’ve seen, known, and worked alongside many other ancestries in the past.
Lost Omens Mwangi Expanse provides information about new and existing ancestries that are more common in the region, but students at the Magaambya sometimes come from much further away. Even uncommon or rare ancestries, if permitted by your GM, are fine choices for this campaign. People at the Magaambya might be initially put off by truly weird-looking or inhuman ancestries, but they’re quick to judge people by their actions, not their looks.
Ancestries on Archive of Nethys
Backgrounds
Heroes can select any common background they’d like for the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path. People come from all walks of life to join the Magaambya, after all. There are several suitable backgrounds for characters from the Mwangi Expanse, and if you choose the Magaambya Academic background, you’re already somewhat familiar with the school. Among the backgrounds presented in the Core Rulebook, the best choices are acolyte, emissary, herbalist, hermit, noble, or scholar. Many prospective students come with a sponsorship, or a recommendation, from someone who’s already affiliated with the Magaambya. You can decide what that is yourself, or take one of the new uncommon backgrounds to define the particular type of sponsorship your character has obtained. Each background also has a recommended branch, but you’re free to choose any branch you’d like.
Classes
This campaign focuses on a magical school, but that doesn’t mean everyone has to play a spellcaster!
Members of any class will have plenty of moments to shine in the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path. There will definitely be moments of danger where having a dedicated warrior, such as a fighter, monk, or swashbuckler, will prove vital. Rangers will shine when traveling through wilderness or exploring old ruins, and the keen eye for detail that a rogue or investigator can provide will be very useful. The one exception is the Superstition Instinct for Barbarians - as this Instinct is a very deliberate, anti-magic feature, and simply being at the Magaambya could arguably fulfill the conditions of your Anathema, this Instinct is not allowed. All other Barbarians are welcome! Even Gunslingers and Inventors are welcome as the Magaambya is a bastion of knowledge and experimentation, and Alkenstar is just on the other side of the Shattered Range, to the east.
Spellcasting for Everyone
Even though any class works well in the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path, a campaign where students attend a magic school wouldn’t seem very magical unless all the heroes can cast spells!
Each character in this Adventure Path gains a multiclass archetype that grants them access to either primal or arcane magic to reflect the typical magical teaching traditions of the school. This means that the following multiclass archetypes may be chosen: Druid, Magus, Sorcerer (Draconic, Elemental, Fey, Genie, Imperial, Nymph, or Phoenix Bloodlines only), Summoner (Beast, Construct, Dragon, Fey, or Plant Eidolons only), Witch (Mosquito Witch, Rune, Wild, or Winter patrons), or Wizard.
You don't need to meet the Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma prerequisite for your chosen archetype, but you must meet any other requirements of the archetype, such as a Druid's anathema acts, or the minimum Strength or Dexterity requirement for Magus. However, if a character's class is already one that grants them access to either primal or arcane magic, they may instead choose any other spellcasting archetype, though they must meet all of its prerequisites. If you choose one of the arcane or primal spellcaster multiclass archetypes above, you do not need to meet the mental ability score prerequisites, as described previously.
This choice is made at 2nd level, so you have a little time to decide (and we can always retcon/retrain something doesn't fit or doesn't work the way expected). Please give me some idea of which archetype you are thinking of, though you don't need to make it public. Reaching out to a powerful patron to create a witch's connection, participating in dangerous magic rituals to infuse your blood with magic, or designing and manifesting the astral thoughtforms of a construct eidolon are all things that you can learn at the Magaambya, though the most common lessons are the druidic teachings and wizardly pursuits that Old-Mage Jatembe specialized in.
Old-Mage Jatembe believed that all magic ultimately comes from the same source, and by fusing magic of different traditions, one could have a mastery of magic that was greater than the sum of its parts. As such, combinations of classes and archetypes that combine multiple spellcasting classes are encouraged. The primal magic of the Druid and the arcane mastery of the Wizard is the most common and traditional fusion, but many Magaambyans followed the more martial teachings of the Magus, or combined esoteric occult knowledge with the magic of the natural world.
This multiclass archetype is a free archetype, as described at this link. Each character receives an extra class feat at 2nd level and every even-numbered level thereafter, but can only use these extra class feats on archetype feats for the multiclass archetype you chose, or other qualifying archetypes (If you want to be a Druid/Cleric/Witch/Wizard, casting spells from all four traditions, be my guest!). This free multiclass archetype doesn’t prevent you from picking up a different dedication feat; that is, you don’t need to take two feats from your chosen multiclass archetype before picking up another archetype’s dedication feat with your normal class feats, if you find an archetype that fits your character concept. Additionally, as you progress through the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path, you may gain access to other archetypes at appropriate story beats, such as the Magaambyan Attendant. So long as you meet any prerequisties of the archetype, you may take feats in that archetype instead of your initial free multiclass archetype.
And of course, you can always take other archetypes, as usual, so long as you meet their prerequisites.
Restricted Free Archetype
(modified) Automatic Bonus Progression
The Aid action is against the Level-Based DC of the action, instead of 20.
The Inventor Skill Feat is folded into Crafting's default rules, and it only requires being Trained in Crafting (as opposed to Master). You need Alchemical Crafting to Invent Alchemical Formulas, Magical Crafting to Invent Magical Formulas, and Snare Crafting to Invent Snare Formulas.
Spellhearts can be used by anyone, even if you do not have the Cast a Spell activity or the spellcasting class feature.
Hero Points
We are using the Hero Point Deck, which will help be a physical reminder of Hero Points, and give them a little more flair. At the start of each session you will draw one Hero Point - Hero Point cards can be traded between players, but doing so in Encounter mode does require a Reaction. Additional Hero Points will be drawn periodically throughout the session, whenever you roll a Critical Failure (and are affected by it - if another effect causes it to be neutralized, you don't get the Hero Point), and rewarded for fun and memorable moments. You have a maximum of three hero points and they are gone at the end of the session, with a new card being drawn at the start of the next session.
You can spend hero point(s) for one of the following effects - you can only spend one Hero Point on any given roll, as they are a fortune effect, but they do not require any sort of roll.
- Spend after any roll (any d20 roll, or any effect roll that you make) to roll a second time. You keep the second roll, even if it is worse, but if it is a worse outcome (aka get a Critical Failure instead of a Failure), you don't spend the point (but can't try again). This is a fortune effect.
- Spend for the effect printed on the card
- Spend 1 hero point (or more, at the GM's discretion) for some sort of narrative effect, dramatic editing, or other "flexing" of the rules
- Spend all your Hero Points (minimum 1) to avoid death. You can do this when your dying condition would increase. You lose the dying condition entirely and stabilize with 0 Hit Points. You don't gain the wounded condition or increase its value from losing the dying condition in this way, but if you already had that condition, you don't lose it or decrease its value.