Thread by @doctorcomics

I’m finally sitting down to read KINDLED MAGIC, volume 1 of the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path for Pathfinder 2nd edition, by Alexandria Bustion (whom I can’t find on Twitter) and @Izsisu. Follow along! SPOILERS AHEAD 🧵

Let’s establish at the beginning I am a sucker for a good magic school. The best one in ttrpg until now has been Redhurst Academy of Magic, for 3.5, by @mforbeck (2003).

The map of the campus on the inside cover is evocative and lovely, but I wish we did more isometric views in our APs.

My first question was, “why are we only students for the first 2 books of a 6 book AP?” But the answer of course is “level.” By the end of v2 you’re 7th and no one who can cast ice storm is a student. The form dictates the story, as is so often true.

The whole King of Biting Ants, Doorway to the Red Star, evil insect egg artifact back story is pure gold. I’m not wild about the “Vesicant” part, I had to look that word up. It’s pretty obscure for the McMuffin. But that’s a minor quibble and back seat makers are the worst.

Volume 4, “Doorway to the Red Star”, looks to have some sweet Akiton/Barsoomian adventure, so I can’t wait to see what my buddy @MichaelJSayre1 has in store for me on that one.

I love that the TOC includes a sidebar that explains “this is an AP where you get XP for making friends, helping people, and solving mysteries.” Not only because we need more adventures like this but because it’s smart to telegraph this shit to the GM ASAP.

Ok, page 8 is a story about Jatembe and the school, with art on the bottom half. Y’all don’t know this, but that’s weird because in any other AP this would be full page art. I wonder if Developer @RPGRonLundeen had to fight to get this change? Regardless, it’s great.

I would have been very tempted to use that page for an establishing shot of the Magaambya. Especially without isometric maps, I want an immersive piece of art I can show players and say “You are here!”

I love the mask element at the academy. I’m sure this isn’t why it’s there, but it allows players to pick a Patronus in a culturally appropriate way.

If I were running this, I’d start with the Level 0 optional rules from the Gamemastery Guide, inspired by @Nonat1s’s delightful one-shot where I got to play alongside @meghancaves. Once in a lifetime, people!

I like the questions Teacher Ot poses at the beginning, as they force players to think about how they want to RP their character. But it might intimidate new players. Let veterans go first, and new players can see how others do it and gain confidence.

Opening encounters are so important in setting the tone of the whole campaign. In Fly Free or Die, I wanted you to help a working class guy, load and drive a truck, and protect your cargo. It’s the whole campaign in miniature.

In Kindled Magic, you get asked questions about yourself, you solve puzzles, you gain magical spells, and you’re invited to self reflection. I’m 3 pages in and I am SOLD. I want to run this TOMORROW.

Ok, pausing here. We’ll be back.

Sigh. McGuffin, and back seat NAMERS. It’s late.

https://twitter.com/doctorcomics/status/1440155746264498180

Ok, let’s keep going and finish Chapter 1. Our next section introduces your fellow students and the dorm where you live. It sends us to back matter where each student gets a column long profile. I quickly found “Most Well Known For” to be my hook for understanding these folks

How do you beat, “once spent 15 minutes reciting synonyms for ‘wrong’ to make a point in an argument” as a characterization? Answer: you do not, my friends. You do not. I also think it’s smart to have your Hermione and Ron analogs in this group, among the students.

I mean, yes, we want to be original and create interesting characters. But it doesn’t hurt to give a Magaambya spin on the most famous (but not the first!) magical school in literature. Every AP is someone’s first AP, and having a Hermione to show you around is a great intro

Paizo doesn’t do stories about kids in peril, so this AP was always going to have adult students. But one helpful side effect of that is opening up romance options with fellow students. I love that one of them is like, “my room is too big and so lonely with only me in it.”

We need more romance subplots in ttrpgs and I will die on this hill.

The rest of chapter 1 is various tests administered by senior students in which the players learn about Magaambya’s various not-houses. This has the benefit of introducing NPCs one or two at a time, and demonstrating each branch of the school. It’s just a really smooth intro

But what’s notable is only half of these encounters involve fighting, and only one intentionally, and that one’s expected to be nonlethal. Characters are constantly reminded about service to the community and things like stealing and intimidation get you disliked by your peers

1st level adventures are often thought of as being especially dangerous because you have few Hit Points and your combat abilities are mediocre. But that’s just not relevant for much of this chapter, which makes it easier to run and play.

There are a few fights. There’s even a subplot and a miniboss who will tell you the name of the adventure’s Big Boss if you capture her rather than waste her. But everything you fight has flee conditions. No one fights to the death. No one! I like it.

The last great bit I want to focus on is when 2 students ask the PCs to tell them the story of the game so far. As the adventure notes, this is where the GM listens, to see what part of the adventure the players have *liked the most*. Then the GM can emphasize that in the future

It’s great GMing advice. This adventure is teaching the GM and players as much as it’s entertaining them, and if you will excuse my academia, that’s an argument that goes back at least to Spenser’s Faerie Queene, and I am here for it.

Ok, we’ll pick up with Chapter 2 later but I’m running Dawn of Flame tomorrow night so it may be a while.