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This post borrows heavily from this one over in the PF2e reddit community, which is the most comprehensive summation of multiple discussions there on the topic. In short, currently the spellcasting abilities of spellhearts are only usable by spellcasters (specifically, characters will the Spellcasting class feature), but there is significant circumstantial evidence this is not the design intention of spellhearts. With the apparent delay of the spring errata and the Remaster on its way, this issue is in need of attention.

According to the rules under Activate an Item:

If an item lists “Cast a Spell” after “Activate,” the activation requires you to use the Cast a Spell activity to Activate the Item. This happens when the item replicates a spell. You must have a spellcasting class feature to Activate an Item with this activation component.

This prevents many classes from using the spellcasting abilities of spellhearts. There is a good deal of circumstantial evidence this is not intended:

1) When spellhearts came out in Secrets of Magic, they were basically advertised as "permanent talismans." Barring specific abilities like those of Talisman Dabbler, you can either have a talisman or a spellheart affixed, but not both, and talismans are generally geared toward martials.

2) Spellhearts have set DCs (with the partial exception of the cantrip's DC). Items specifically geared toward casters (scrolls, wands, staves, etc.) typically omit a DC for its usage and allow the caster to use their own spell DC, while items intended for use by any character that replicate spells typically use set DCs. The fact that spellhearts have set DCs implies they are meant to be used by those who don't usually have a spell DC.

3) Spellhearts have benefits if you affix them to a weapon and in ways that support typical martial playstyles and actions, like the Strike action.

4) On page 124 of Treasure Vault, where the new spellhearts get presented, there is an art of the iconic thaumaturge using a spellheart - likely either an enigma mirror or a phantasmal doorknob - when it would be a very poor fit for the non-Spellcasting thaumaturge. This isn't strong evidence, as they could still get some benefit from the item and sometimes there can be confusion or miscommunication in the art pipeline, but bears mentioning.

5) On page 127 of Treasure Vault, there is an 'in-character' sidebar that reads as follows:

[Spellhearts are] rather ingenious, combining the simple magic of talismans with the more complex and enduring spellforms typically used in wands—and without requiring innate magical skill from the user.

Taken together, there is substantial confusion over the intended use of spellhearts. If casting spells from spellhearts is intended to be only possible by characters with the Spellcasting class feature, this should be called out more prominently. If it is intended to be an option for any character, the rules need to be amended to allow it.

2. How many students does the Magaambya have? Some of the content seems like there is 9-10 total students, and other sections suggest there's a good deal more. Coming from the P1 APs I was surprised there wasn't a Gazeteer with more info.

I did some research to estimate the size of the Magaambya, and inform how I present it in my campaign. I posted it here.

Do your player's characters all come from the Mwangi expanse?

So far it looks like my players want to play characters from all around Golarion. Do you think that is a problem if they can generate some plausible story for why they want to study at the Magaambya? (I just told them to read the Player's Guide and then check in with me.)

Good question. I was worried my party might be like this, as personally it wouldn't sit right with me, but so far everyone has chosen to be from the Expanse.

Ultimately, I think it comes down to you and your group. If everyone is happy with it, *including you*, then go right ahead.

P.S., Lost Omens: Character Guide is a good source of info to help make it work, if you choose to okay it. We know the Magaambya has very informal entry requirements (earn a Magaambyan’s respect and pass an entrance interview, p99, org profile), and it names four new Magaambyans spread across Avistan (at Vellumis, the Sarkoris Scar, and New Thassalon, p102-103, sidebars) whom the players could have met and earned admittance to the academy from, either at those locations or as the Magaambyans were travelling there across Avistan.

What culture is Fardrik, one of the students introduced in this book, supposed to belong to? He's from Vidrian and has dark skin that very much looks like a native of the Mwangi Expanse, but the book has this to say about him:

"He uses humor to deflect questions of his past, but has opened up to those closest to him about the oppression he faced as a tiefling in the formerly Cheliax-held colony of Sargava. Fardrik knows Ignaci from those pre- revolution days, but the two didn’t move in the same circles and even today don’t get along."

My understanding that essentially all Garund natives in Sargava were either slaves or part of the servant underclass, so it's weird that the passage would mention oppression owing to being a tiefling without mentioning oppression owing to being a Vidric. The fact he knew Ignaci further implies he's not Vidric, unless "didn't move in the same circles" is a euphemism for the slavery situation. His dark skin could just be due to him being a tiefling - that feels pretty unlikely, but it *would* even further explain the discrimination he faced, if he was born with the skin color of the enslaved.

Just as background, in Guns & Gears the start of Chapter 2 describes three broad categories of fantasy-tech: clockwork tech, steam-powered tech, and stasian tech, with the latter two described as extremely recent inventions and clockwork as by far the most common. If you look at Nantambu's section in Lost Omens - The Mwangi Expanse, there's a small sidebar that reveals there are a few makers of clockwork devices in Nantambu owing to the city's good relationship with Axis, seeing as it's bastion of order in the region. (there's even a picture of a Nantambyan with a clockwork) More generally, the Mwangi Expanse is scattered with ancient Shory technology that could serve as a basis for an Inventor character - I think an Inventor works perfectly well in Strength of Thousands.

Also, if you wanted to accommodate your inventor or open things up for them later, Nantambu is a major trade hub that could see advancements in technology reach it. Alkenstar to the east is the nearest bastion of technology, and there's a sidebar for the very cool Sterling Dynamo prosthetic-centric archetype in Guns & Gears explaining how the advanced clockwork prosthetic is the result of collaboration between an inventor in Alkenstar's Dongun Hold and a researcher in Absalom's Clockwork Cathedral. Clockwork technology or advanced technology of any kind could conceivably flow from Absalom to Alkenstar and then eventually find its way to Nantambu.

In the profiles of the teachers at the end of the book, Nhyira section says that one of her (the book uses female pronouns, so I'll echo that) common associates is someone named Thema, with whom she discusses landscaping. If this was a cut NPC, can anyone tell us anything about who they were? I'm hungry for more people to add to the Magaambya. Otherwise, anyone else strike us as likely to enjoy discussing landscaping?

Nantambu does have a magic school, which could explain its higher level of available spellcasting services. I am not sure about Osibu, but some similar explanation may apply.

You misunderstand; the higher level of available spellcasting services is 100% intentional and good. The way these statuses are being communicated in the text of the two settlement entries is contradictory and confusing.

I'd bet it's a typo, and the levels were intended to not be doubled, as in the rituals were given levels like items, not spells.

Really I'd bet you should half the rituals levels.

*rages against Paizo's decision not to rename spell levels to spell circles or another alternative for 2e*

I'm largely joking, but if you're correct this is the second instance I know of where this has caused errors/confusion in published material, and there's plenty of material I've yet to read. This just motivated me to check if the other one has gotten errata'd - it hasn't - and post about it, see here.

I've noticed something that could use some errata. Osibu offers primal spellcasting services of a higher level than its settlement level, and from the context it's clear the level of the spellcasting services refers to spell level. Nantambu likewise offers spellcasting services of a higher level than its settlement level, but the level of the spellcasting services is given as a character level/settlement level. (e.g. on the 1-20 scale rather than 1-10)

As far as I know, these are the only two instances in print where the level of spellcasting services is enumerated separate of settlement level, so either could conceivably be be correct. Whatever the system going forwards is established as, one of them should be corrected.

I'm confused by the ritual Community Repair that can be found by the PCs to resolve the Flooded Workshop task in Chapter 2. As one of the Straightforward tasks, the players are expected to be able to complete it at level 5, or level 6 at most. The ritual is framed as the player's best solution to the problem; given the stiff DCs for performing rituals, I expected Community Repair to be a 1st or 2nd level ritual at most to avoid it being infeasible for the PCs to attempt. Instead, Community Repair is a 4th level ritual, which won't even be attemptable by the PCs until they are 7th level!

I'm frankly at a loss for why this would be.

The alternative ritual solution, Unseen Underpinnings, is 2nd level, but it would be a shame for the much cooler Community Repair to go unused, and rather defeat the purpose of its inclusion.

I'm coming around to the idea that the total lack of any stipulations in the Learning Rituals subsection should be taken at face value - if you find a ritual you can learn it and use it more or less on the spot, unless the GM rules otherwise. It's odd that it's so different from the fairly involved process for learning Uncommon or Rare spells, but it facilitates tropes like encountering an ancient evil in an abandoned temple and shortly thereafter finding the ritual to seal it away and performing it on the spot. If it was intended to be so easy I wish it had been made more explicit, or if GMs are encouraged to be inventive with how rituals are learned, some guidance on how to reward the party with rituals and integrate them into a campaign feels sorely missing from the Core Rulebook/Gamemastery Guide.

According to Lost Omens: Character Guide, the Magaambya explicitly takes a broad view of education and capability, including taking students without magical talents, and non-spellcasters are noted as rising as high as Conversant rank, the second-highest rank at the Magaambya. My table is looking forward to trying out the Free Archetype variant rule, and allowing only Wizard and Druid dedications feels limiting in light of the sheer freedom normal Free Archetype offers, especially as my players come from 1e and really value the extremely broad character building options. In light of the information from the Character Guide, I see no reason not to play with the full Free Archetype variant rule, provided my players work with me to integrate their characters into the setting. Of course, I haven't been able to read the whole adventure, there's the possibility something in the later books expects the whole part to have substantial spellcasting ability, but that's something I can modify as a GM should it come to pass. For my game, I'd rather put my players in a position to have a blast creating their characters and explore the breadth of the system, as this will be their first/one of their first experiences with 2e.