“The most prestigious schools from far and wide now come to us in our fortress-city of Nerosyan, as the Academy of the Reclamation hosts the first international Convocation. Lasting several months, this gathering draws together academies of magic and related traditions to exchange knowledge both magical and cultural and to build friendships.”¹

In just a week, two amazing new resources become available: Rival Academies & NPC Core. NPC Core is filled with useful NPCs for GMs to quickly leverage when your PCs go off the path you expected, but it can help you plan up your game with quick adjustments to many useful stats blocks. I’ll go into it more next time, but first we’re investing in the richness of Rival Academies! Framed as a gathering of many fine academies of magic, we get a glimpse of their cultural traditions, their homes, their students, their teachers, and of course a heap of OOC mechanics including character options, items, spells, and more! You hyped? You know I am! Landon Winkler, Eleanor Ferron, James Case, Luis Loza, so many authors, designers, editors, and artists continue to bring such creative inspiration and gaming joy. Thank you and let’s keep it going cause dang does 2025 need it.

Admittedly I’ve been very excited for more wizardry schools once Core changed the nature of spell schools and how the wizard would work. I think it’s a very positive change with a focus on framing the aesthetics of your magic-casting or how your character would use that magic, and less about siloing it into specific spell schools. Now it’s the literal schools that teach a curriculum and frame the study for wizards. Magic is just magic, save for what sort of tradition that magic is from and that’s really more about how that magic interacts with the world and less about how you use it. There’s arcane wizards, witches, and sorcerers. Divine sorcerers and witches. It’s not just cleric vs wizard vs druid after all. And we all know those Magaambya students understand this better than us anyway! As part of the story-telling in this book (as the Lost Omens line does so well), we see the student of one school, a descent of Sarkoris, name Bia Isha explain to us the convention we’re about to see. Bia is a member of the Academy of the Reclamation, who is also hosting the convention. Let me give you more of that first paragraph so you see his perspective.

“As a descendant of Sarkoris, I hope this great gathering of minds also helps us reclaim more knowledge of our homeland and fill the academy’s libraries with new wisdom from those who helped us during our time of need. While the schools each have their exhibitions, and their students may be preoccupied showing off to one another (and perhaps getting into some mischief), many teachers and other learned representatives have pledged to help us recover what we can of our past and our culture as we look to reenter our ancestral lands.”³

Bia, his people, and his school are looking to regain what they have lost. We return to Mendev, site of the Worldwound, that once drove Bia’s people out but now invites them and others back for this convention. Once wizardry was associated only with demons and those who served them, being forbidden in Sarkoris, but now studies and the people have turned, learning of the past (trying to) while bringing change for the future. There are five other primary sponsors, though many other schools have members attending. I’m going to go over them quickly at a high level, but I’m going to leave much of the detail for the story, in-character lore out because this book is a wealth of knowledge your GM can use as well as actually run the Convocation detailed within. Then I’ll get eagerly into the crunchy fun mechanics scattered within this great tome of learning!

Additionally we meet the Cobyslarni. It’s so named after its headmaster, a massive three-eyed elephant creature and the school itself sits upon its back. It’s known as the Traveling Academy as it moves through the First World. I can’t wait to have it make a stop in my group’s Kingmaker game. He can even serve as a Witch patron, which I’ll get to. The Kitharodian Academy is tied to Taldor, and I wonder just how the Reclamation’s members feel of it in totality. This academy is filled with performers of all sorts, mastering stagecraft and the academic pursuit of history so as to make sure it is best expressed and not forgotten. We all know the Magaambya, or you better by now! Old Mage Jatembe rekindled the study of magic after the fall of Azlant and that cataclysm. He founded the Magaambya and brought an understanding of the arcane arts tied to the natural world that is beyond peer. THe Monastery of the Unbreaking Waves are from Jalmeray and as you might have guessed, the monastic studies there influence this school. They understand that while seeking perfection is the journey, that perfection is best seen in change and its challenges. I’m quite intrigued by this school who study elementalism like many Vudrani, but they have found power in water especially for it brings and can always change. Finally, the University of Lepidstadt is brilliant if macabre. These students have a talent for surgery and the mechanical uses of tinkering with electricity. These inventors and flesh-ademics push boundaries, and even get sideways looks in their home of Ustalav. What, are you surprised?

Backgrounds with Lore Versatility

It’s a marvelous set up for a wonderful campaign and we’ve already got a campaign in the Magaambya, so if you want to keep the magic schooling going… They’ve actually provided Backgrounds too and I love that they’ve provided specific lores you could choose from for your character based upon the school your character is attending. So if you get a lore skill, you get to choose Taldor or Theater Lore if attending the Kitharodian. Academy of the Reclamation? Demon or Sarkoris Lore. And entertainingly the Lepidstadt attendees could choose Construct or Ustalav Lore. Giving you any hints, eh? I’m vastly entertained by the Party Scholar background. You achieved what you wanted and now you want to have a good time, getting to boost Con or Charisma, and then one free. You get to be trained in Deception, and then you choose between Alcohol Lore or a Lore skill tied to your skill. You also get the Charming Liar skill feat. You’re ready to make friends, influence people, and maybe lie why your paper isn’t done!

Never Forgotten Magic

We get many focus spells for various archetypes, but there’s new spells added in general, usually uncommon. Pocket Library gets an update. It’s not officially Rare, but still relatively acts the same way. I’m also interested in the Restore Ground, 7th level spell. You roll back the influence of civilization, destroying buildings and other created objects. It does a few things in a 30’ burst: making greater difficult terrain for a brief round, destroying some objects at 4 Bulk or less, making plants healthier for a year, and triggers an earthquake effect on structures. The Reclamation also gives us the Campfire Chronicler archetype. It’s tied to an old god of protection for travelers, Isthralei. You speak stories in offering while endeavoring to aid those the god cares about, i.e. those travelers. You actually get the Domain Initiate feat effectively through a 4th level feat, though it has to be the fire, knowledge, protection, or travel domain. It also gives you trained proficiency and spells, and out improves to expert at 11th level. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. It’s a blessed individual archetype that feels bard adjacent. It would be great for a campaign of any travel. The dedication feat gives you a 1 action ability to tell a story and get a +1 status bonus to AC and Will. Whoever you shared the story can also spend an action and gain the same benefits.

Knowledge Is Power

Remember I mentioned the Cobyslarni can act as a Witch patron? Well, he can and we get that patron details. Most are chosen by him becoming students at his school if not already. It’s an occult spell list patron, granting Occultism. The hex cantrip you get is information overload, allowing you to stupify a creature with a Will save. Helps debuff some casters and really make it easier to do more will saves on the already low will save enemies! I love that the familiar ability grants them a third eye and when you cast or sustain a hex you get to make a Recall Knowledge check as a free action. Witch of Knowledge! We also get the Calligraphy Wyrm and Mockingfey familiar details. Calligraphy is 6 abilities and Mockingfey require 4. The Calligraphy Wyrms can ink spray while the Mockingfey can Gibe, taking on a creature’s appearance that can put it off-guard by the behavior depending on a Will save. Both are great options for a campaign of the Convocation, the Impossible Lands, or even useful for our Kingmaker game. There’s also 8 Pactbinder feats.

It’s Called Acting

Items exist presented in each section. The Illusory program in the Kitharodian Academy section is a simple Level 1 item. They produce very small magical illusions that last for 24 hours to create touch of color, light, and sound to entreat those reading it. Seems quite fitting in a magic rich world. Earlier we saw a rare alchemical, Level 2, called Spiced Demonade. You get to ignore alcohol effects and penalties and lack of sleep for 1 hour. Must have been created by someone with the Party Scholar background! Building on that thespian nature, the Ktiharodian Academy presents us with the Kitharodian Actor archetype. Unsurprisingly you have to be trained in Performance. You get bonuses to impersonate famous people and get training in Society and Theater Lore. But if you were already trained, you become an expert. A skillful dedication feat indeed! By 16th level you can be a Ruthless Orator, spending 2 actions to perform an oration and roll a performance check against the “hard DC” of your level. Success imposes a -2 circumstance penalty to attack rolls (including spells) on hostile creatures within 20’. Your allies within 20’ get quickened to Stride or Strike. I should note it’s only usable once per hour, so you can’t do it repeatedly.

Ancestral Power

The Magaambyan Wizard curriculum is quite interesting. It’s the School of Rooted Wisdom. It gives you half of a curriculum, but then you choose a branch that provides you the additional half to allow for the variance of studies: Cascade Bearers, Emerald Boughs, Rain-Scribes, Tempest-Sun Mages, Uzunjati. You don’t have to study that curriculum of course, you can choose one of the more established and they note the School of Civic Wizardry, maybe School of Battle Magic or the Boundary as well. The school spells for the Rooted Wisdom both are tied to the ancestors. Halcyon Mists call upon that ancient power to grant temporary hit points for protection and end some persistent damage. Call the Ten calls on the Ten Magic Warriors, Jatembe’s first students, to come aid you with either a strike that does spirit damage or to shield your allies granting resistance to physical and spirit at base 3, but possibly more. The variation certainly in wizard curriculum is important if you want to play a whole PC group all from the school. I do love themed games like that.

 

Change Is Good

The highlight for me from the Monastery of the Unbreaking Waves is what I felt was the bad ass character option: the Resurgent Maelstrom Magus (see above). You aren’t penalized for improvised weapons and spells that apply to unarmed attacks apply to your non-magical improvised weapon. Moreover when you’re in your Arcane Cascade stance you can manipulate water around the weapon you wield so it gains Versatile! It’s a sword, it’s a club, it’s a staff. At 8th level you can take the Crosscurrent Counter reaction feat that lets you retaliate when you’re grabbed or restrained. You make an Athletics check to grapple against the triggering creature, even if it’s outside your range or you don’t have a free hand because you’re using elemental water. You can free yourself if successful, and pull the creature adjacent to you. I really want to see this Magus with a Kineticist that leverages water. That’s truly Katara, even if she didn’t have to use a weapon; she used unarmed strikes.

It’s Alive, Alive!

If it wasn’t clear, the University of Lepidstadt is training Dr. Frankensteins. The Lepidstadt Surgeon is a new archetype requiring training in Medicine. It’ll make you an Expert in it. You can restore additional hit points to those dying, provided they aren’t Wounded yet. Also targets you try to Administer First aid to to stop bleeding get to roll two flat checks against the assisted recovery DC to stop it. Oh, what an amazing Doctor, right? Well, yes, sure but at level 4 you’re taking Rise, My Creature and you get a prototype construct companion. It does seem like it might be undead to some, even though there’s electrical coils in it. You are using flesh and science over magic, so people get confused. Now you understand why those who study here can take Construct Lore with those backgrounds mentioned above. By level 14, it can become A Miracle Of Science and become a paragon construct companion with advanced having been available at level 6 and incredible at level 8. This is why their school gets the corpses of convicts put to death in Ustalav. Also why they sometimes get caught grave-robbing. If this school has an ethics class, then it’s grading system is probably pretty loose.

Before I excitedly dig into the update for the Runelords, I have to shout out my man J Dacilane. I’m so thrilled to see this Trans character continuing to shine in Paizo books. He started in Pathfinder Society adventures and was also featured in the Absalom book. He’s attending with some students – who are all children who attend his Dacilane Academy. There’s dangers to be found at the Convocation but I know J Dacilane and their spiritual ally will protect them. Or maybe your PCs will have to if your GM runs the Convocation. I don’t know, I’m not a Lepidstadt Doctor!

So You Want to Study Sin

So yes, here we are. The Runelords. A lovely opening narrative details how the Sihedron Spires school was invited. They show up late however due to a professor of sloth being in charge of transportation. I laughed way too loud. We learn there’s an Arcanium Abjurant in Xin-Edasseril too that this school has a small rivalry with. More on that in the future, I’m sure! I’m just waiting for an adventure path in New Thassilon. As for the Runelord archetype, it’s a rre class archetype only for wizards. You have to choose it at first level and then take the dedication feat at 2nd level, like you had to before. The real difference now is that instead of prohibited magic schools you have anathema tied to your sin. For example, if you choose Lust you get a lovely curriculum set of Sin Spells. Don’t you dare use your magic to meddle with physical forms or invoke the void however. If you do, you can’t use your personal rune and whenever you attempt to use a curriculum spell or a school spell (focus power), you have to make a DC 15 flat check or the spell is lost. That personal rune goes on your arcane bond, which must be a polearm or spear. The personal rune replaces your arcane thesis, representing your personal study of your sin and slowly improving it as your understanding improves. It’s the evolution of Sin Magic being studied today effectively. It empowers your weapon to act as a staff with charges equal to the highest rank spell you can cast and contains the sin spells from your sip up to that rank. If you prepare a magic staff it’ll merge with your weapon. Basically, don’t break your personal rune by performing anything in your anathema!

But if you do, well how do you get your power back? Get ready to do an Atone ritual, though you get to use Arcana. As a nice benefit there’s a large set of core curriculum spells and then you get the Sin Spells tied to your sin. You get your initial School Spell from your sin and then the Personal Runewell when you get your Advanced School Spell. The initial school spell for Lust (which is the sin study of the student speaking in the opening narrative) is Heart’s Hook at 2 actions. You cause two creatures to be compelled toward one another though you can elect for one to automatically succeed at the saving throw. Thus, you can make an enemy head to your ally! I do appreciate it’s not forcing actual love or lust in the spell description, that’s up to your players and what they’re comfortable with in the game. And of course we get numerous feat updates so you can embed Aeon Stones just like those lovely Runelords of old! The 18th level archetype feat is Orichalcum Bond. You might think it makes your weapon Orichalcum but no, your personal rune instead acts as a weapon property rune of up to your level that is common or you “have access to” which is I guess general awareness or ability to craft. You can change it each day when you prepare spells. A very useful feat if you’re leveraging your weapon to full effect.

Much Love to All!

There’s so much more in Rival Academies that I hope you invest in it as soon it comes out. A shot out to the tremendous artists too. I’ve linked them below in sources where I could find them. This book is rich with lore details, which I might weave some into the NPC Core article next time. However, I don’t want to spoil any story for those who play it so I have to think on that. The character options are high, however, and again tons of spells and items. You really need to go through and give it a read. What characters are you eager to make? What do you think of the new Runelord? Which sin is the best and why is it pride? Charmed taught me along time ago you can’t beat Pride. Is that an old enough, deep enough cut for you?

Reminder to keep being great to one another and support this community. Love y’all and stay good out there, keep gaming!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – modified cover, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies, Paizo, art by Ekaterina Gordeeva

1. Welcome to the Convocation excerpt (part of first paragraph), Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies, Paizo
2. The Magaambya Campus banner, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies, Paizo, art by Sandra Posada
3. Welcome to the Convocation excerpt (remainder of first paragraph), Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies, Paizo
4. Cobyslarni Campus, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies, Paizo, art by Bastien Jez
5. Campfire Chronicler, Academy of the Reclamation, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies, Paizo, art by Anselmi Hyytinen
6. Wrath of the Righteous play banner, Kitharodian Academy, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies, Paizo, art by Mirco Paganessi
7. Resurgent Maelstrom Magus, Monastery of the Unbreaking Waves, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies, Paizo, art by Mirco Paganessi
8. The Astonishing Engine, University of Lepidstadt, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies, Paizo
9. Runelord, Sihedron Spires, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies, Paizo