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How is the Acadamae financed? One of my players has written up an Acadamae graduate and was asking if there were tuition fees, since if so he'd need to work out how he got the cash together, his backstory meant there's no way his parents would have provided it.
I assume you don't pay to study there with all the servitude and death going on, so is it financed by the city and/or the Ornelos family? Is there some kind of charter that comes with that? Or is it really that prestigious that families are willing to pay for a member to disappear for 10 years and possibly never be heard from again?
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How is the Acadamae financed?
Private donations, expensive tuitions, and the occasional government grant.
One of my players has written up an Acadamae graduate and was asking if there were tuition fees, since if so he'd need to work out how he got the cash together, his backstory meant there's no way his parents would have provided it.
The tuition is described as "expensive," and what that means to your campaign is up to you as the GM. It's also very likely that particularly gifted students receive tuition wavers, scholarships, grants, student loans, and other forms of financial aid. Assuming the PC in question doesn't suck as a wizard, you can probably grant him some breaks in that way. :)
I assume you don't pay to study there with all the servitude and death going on,
With great power comes great... potential for death and dismemberment. Students do pay to attend the Acadamae, and they know going in (because it's made abundantly clear) that they might not survive the process... if they slouch off or otherwise don't work as hard as they should. It's not a partying college, is what I'm saying. Students go there to learn and they go there to gain power.
so is it financed by the city and/or the Ornelos family?
It receives a little bit of gold from the city once in a while (this depends greatly on the ruler at the time... Domina poured all kinds of gold into the Acadamae, whereas Eodred II cut that firehose down to a trickle).
And yes, House Ornelos puts a lot of its private money into the Acadamae, and I imagine it tends to break even on the investment.
Is there some kind of charter that comes with that?
In my mind, whenever the crown donates gold to the Acadamae, it's generally for a specific reason. "Here's some gold, please stop killing curious trespassers." "Here's some gold, please get your imp problems in order." "Here's some gold, please get rid of that smell." "Here's some gold, please admit my nephew and see to it he survives."
Or is it really that prestigious that families are willing to pay for a member to disappear for 10 years and possibly never be heard from again?
Yes.
Just been reminded, the other question is, particularly if pupils don't pay to attend, how do they go about recruiting?
Well, most students do pay to attend. The Acadamae recruits promising and gifted (i.e., very intelligent) people who its recruiters and alumni stumble across out in the world. Most recruited students come from Korvosa and Cheliax, but Isger, Sargava, and other parts of Varisia are all well represented.
Presumably people don't just turn up and demand an entrance exam?
Sometimes people do. I'm not sure how the Acadamae feels about that, though. Bemused? :)
Does that help?
Edit: Honestly, I would LOVE to do a 64-page book just on the Acadamae. Or maybe just a 32-page Pathfinder Companion. Either way... I love wizarding schools! :D
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Lots of awesome stuff
That's great, thankyou! We now have extra backstory where he stole a large amount of cash from his embittered deadbeat father and turned up at the Acadamae gates. :)
Also if you wrote that book I would totally buy it, the Acadamae is probably my favourite place in Korvosa (though with so many cool little places about I could never choose my second).
Woot! See that, James? A preorder already! :D
When the time comes, I'd be interested too!
Of course, I'm interested in a lot of things. But hey! I'm a SuperScriber!
To be honest, you could do a companian, a full book, a modual and an AP set in the place and i'd buy them all.
I assume you don't pay to study there with all the servitude and death going on,With great power comes great... potential for death and dismemberment. Students do pay to attend the Acadamae, and they know going in (because it's made abundantly clear) that they might not survive the process... if they slouch off or otherwise don't work as hard as they should. It's not a partying college, is what I'm saying. Students go there to learn and they go there to gain power.
Nice. I don't have Guide to Korsova yet, but I approve of this direction. I like my wizarding schools dangerous. As Terry Pratchett once wrote, "a wizard who is tired of searching his meals for ground glass is tired of life."
Ten points for Slytherin!
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I'd buy that fer a dollar!....or $19.99
O...Mike and how bouts a Pathfinder DM's screen in the future. Mayhap with some revisited monsters art, some of the revamped rules, & handy charts 'n stuff. At the very least once the Pathfinder rule book comes out that is, I hope.
i would think that might be more of a option once they finish the rules.
I would love a book on the acadamae - but i'm a superscriber so i love it all
I'd love a book on the Acadamae.
I'd also love a book that talks about all the wizarding schools in Varisia. It could explain the differences in what the various schools teach, and what sorts of people are (and are not) likely to be admitted into each - very helpful in figuring out which school a given PC or NPC might have attended in the past. Sort of a Fiske Guide to Colleges for Varisian mage wannabes.
I would like to see any such book contain feats for magicial style and school teachings.
I would love to see the Acadamae get more of a spotlight in the Pathfinder world, too. One thing I would ask if it goes forward is a little more coverage on heroic PC Acadamae members. With the information we have now, the Acadamae seems lethal to Good-aligned PC membership. This can be remedied with GM intervention, of course...and I definitely want to keep the sinister danger of the school.
It would be nice if there was at least a bit of a bright spot inside the Acadamae for PCs to entrench themselves in should they choose.
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Would folk be more interested in a book all about the Acadamae? Or a book that's about wizard schools in general and provides several examples, in which case a sizable chapter would be about the Acadamae?
The latter, yes. I'd really like to see a Pathfinder book with a chapter devoted to each of the major magical organizations (the Bloatmages, the Devil Binders, the Acadamae, etc).
If I couldn't get both... then I would take the latter. Much the way Sebastian described it in his post.
Thanks for thinking about it!
BE SURE TO USE MAGESMITHS... as an alternative type of magical education!
Would folk be more interested in a book all about the Acadamae? Or a book that's about wizard schools in general and provides several examples, in which case a sizable chapter would be about the Acadamae?The latter, yes. I'd really like to see a Pathfinder book with a chapter devoted to each of the major magical organizations (the Bloatmages, the Devil Binders, the Acadamae, etc).
Seconded. I've been curious about bloatmages since they first showed up.
Would folk be more interested in a book all about the Acadamae? Or a book that's about wizard schools in general and provides several examples, in which case a sizable chapter would be about the Acadamae?
I want both, but if I could only have one I'd like a book just about the Acadamae. How soon can you produce it? :)
(Have you considered some type of Pathfinder: Open Design?)
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Would folk be more interested in a book all about the Acadamae? Or a book that's about wizard schools in general and provides several examples, in which case a sizable chapter would be about the Acadamae?
It would depend. Would such a book be made for each school? If not then one that covers all of them would be better. Of course a idea you might consider is making a book that covers them all and then if it sells well and there is enough interest start making individual books about each school later, or at least of the ones popular enough.
I know I really liked Redhurst Academy of Magic, but was hoping for something with a GM's section. What their was, was great, but a behind the scene's section would have added much to it. Yeah I know the red margin text was more or less that way. But it needed a bit more, plot hooks, better map ect.
I don't know about anyone else but about all my players are huge fans of Harry Potter to one degree and more than one of them have bugged me to run a campaign along those lines.
So while I am intrigued by the Acadamae as a great villianious outpost of sorts. I would like to see one also that the PC's could be part of, of course I don't know how "evil" the Acadamae is and how much of that is behind the scenes and most have no clue whats really going on including the students.
Ok done rambling, I think I made a point in their somewhere. :)
In the short term, the more general would be cool, but in the long term i would love to get my mite on Splat books for each of the major school.
Having spent most of my adult gaming career as an avid M:tAsc fan, for me having a book that gets into the nitty gritty of a magicial school is something i long for. I want to know about a schools magicial theory, i want to know about its organisational structure, i want to know about internal factions and secret sociaties. I want to know about wizards marchs between the schools. I want equipment, magic items, spells and feats which are unique to that organisation.
In short, something a little like the tradition books for M:tAsc which i own all of.
The reason i want this.
The last D&D game i took part in, a frostburn campaign i played an ice walker shaman(built using wizard and cleric). Upon having given aquick discription of him, his possessions( such as the scroll mad from the skin of his ancestors[his spell book], and a bear tooth neckles[his holy symbol] and how he did magic(calling on ancestorial spirits and the local gods.). One of the players turned to me and asked 'why'd you bother with all that?'
It would be lovely to be about to open a book, point at the paradigm page for a specific school and say...'because, my illiterate friend, it says so here .'
The multi-school book approach appeals to me as well.
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Would folk be more interested in a book all about the Acadamae? Or a book that's about wizard schools in general and provides several examples, in which case a sizable chapter would be about the Acadamae?
If it were 64 pages or larger, I'd like to write (I mean "see"... yeah... "see") a book about a bunch of different wizarding schools. If it were 32 pages or smaller, I'd like to... um... you know... a book just about the Acadamae.
Know what I mean?
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Would folk be more interested in a book all about the Acadamae? Or a book that's about wizard schools in general and provides several examples, in which case a sizable chapter would be about the Acadamae?If it were 64 pages or larger, I'd like to write (I mean "see"... yeah... "see") a book about a bunch of different wizarding schools. If it were 32 pages or smaller, I'd like to... um... you know... a book just about the Acadamae.
Know what I mean?
Putting my vote in for the 64-pager. If the Acadamae has piqued this much interest in all of us from a couple paragraphs, how much richer would a collection of all the different colleges be?
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I'd buy that fer a dollar!....or $19.99
O...Mike and how bouts a Pathfinder DM's screen in the future. Mayhap with some revisited monsters art, some of the revamped rules, & handy charts 'n stuff. At the very least once the Pathfinder rule book comes out that is, I hope.i would think that might be more of a option once they finish the rules.
I would love a book on the acadamae - but i'm a superscriber so i love it all
To true I get ahead of myself. I would definately purchase any guides on the acadamae. I have 2 players that I'm about to DM in CotCT that are definately attending the acadamae so any more info will be greatly appreciated, and purchased promptly.(_)3CHEERS
If it were 64 pages or larger, I'd like to write (I mean "see"... yeah... "see") a book about a bunch of different wizarding schools. If it were 32 pages or smaller, I'd like to... um... you know... a book just about the Acadamae.
Know what I mean?
Again.. I'd like to see a book with multiple magic traditions and schools, and if it were 64 pages, I certainly wouldn't mind if the largest and most prominant chapter was on the Acadamae.
Though at the same time you could spare me a couple pages in magesmiths, dagnabit. My use of the word tradition in the previous paragraph was quite deliberate. The world needs more diversity than just magical universities. I'd like to see more than one school, but some treatment of how other cultures teach magic would also be beneficial. The cohesive theme would be groups or institutions that that instruct magic.
Using the examples above:
- The Acadamae being the premier example of magical instruction through formal education
- The Janderhoff Wonderguild being an example of magical instruction through a formalized Apprentice, Journeyman, Master program.
Just my .02 cents.
More pages! MORE! Hang those who talk of less!
In a 64 page 'general' book, i'd love to see the Versian sorcererous tradition get some space.
Would folk be more interested in a book all about the Acadamae? Or a book that's about wizard schools in general and provides several examples, in which case a sizable chapter would be about the Acadamae?
Yes! Seriously, the Acadamae needs a book to itself , but I would also like a book about wizard schools in general. Unless we are talking about a 96+ page book, then certainly the Acadamae could take up a large chapter.
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One thing to keep in mind, everyone, is that while the Acadamae is the most prestigious wizarding school in Varisia and is certainly one of the premier schools in western Avistan, it's not the biggest or coolest school out there. I imagine that if I were to write a 64-page book about wizarding schools (yes, and wizarding teaching traditions like magesmiths...) that the Acadamae wouldn't be the longest chapter in the book. We're all super-excited about the Acadamae right now because it's the first one we've seen, but there are others out there even cooler, in their own ways.
Honestly, I could fill a 128-page book with wizarding schools and their associated crunchy bits.
*hint hint*
;)
:)
;)
Would love to see all things wizardly sourcebook.
I support Mighty Mike McArtor!
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Here here!! I too would welcome a book on all the magic schools out there. Of course my preferred would be for them to release multiple books on the different schools.
(And I am saddened to hear from my friend that the Great Mike McArtor is no longer allowed to put art orders in.... booo!!! Long live the gnomes!)
I have to say the Acadamae would always have a special place in my campaign simply because it is bound to provide a continuous churn of villains for the PCs to deal with. Frankly, I see the Acadamae as the legal political/corporate structure that supports developed evilness to a great degree. Part of what keeps Varisia in general and Korvosa more specifically as a Lawful Neutral environment.
Obey the laws and anything goes.
That might even be a good way to sum up the graduation speech at this year's Acadamae ceremony. Certainly a good motto!
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Would folk be more interested in a book all about the Acadamae? Or a book that's about wizard schools in general and provides several examples, in which case a sizable chapter would be about the Acadamae?
That second one. If it has good advice on designing custom mage schools, so much the better.
Edit: I'd rather have the REALLY big one Mike's talking about.
Director of Brand Strategy
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Would folk be more interested in a book all about the Acadamae? Or a book that's about wizard schools in general and provides several examples, in which case a sizable chapter would be about the Acadamae?
I think a sort of Golarion Arcanis guide would be cool. Something outlining thing different fringe forms of magic, different schools and organizations, and just enough crunch in terms of feats, spells and prestige classes to make it really impact the game in a more-than-just-fluff kind of way would be at the top of my list.
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I'd like that as well. A nice book on arcane magic, detailing different traditions and schools throughout the world, plus a meager handfull of new spells, magic items, and feats. Also, I'd like to see a small monster section containing Improved Familiar-suitable monsters, and some nice creepy homunculi creatures in the paizonian tradition of real-world folklore-inspired creepy monsters. Are living constructs OGL? if so, I think it'd be cool to see a whole pack of various Homunculi creatures, from humanoid servants to fliers, to giant snake-like guardians.
Here here!! I too would welcome a book on all the magic schools out there. Of course my preferred would be for them to release multiple books on the different schools.
I second this. Give us multiple, well detailed books on the different schools, starting with Acadamae since it's currently the most relevant to the largest number of games going on out there.
Though a 128 page book does sound very tempting...
Either way, count me as pre-ordered too!
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Honestly, I could fill a 128-page book with wizarding schools and their associated crunchy bits.
If it was 128 pages for a bunch of the currently mentioned/planned schools/traditions with possible future books as Golarion grows and develops, then count me as pre-ordered.
I'd also go with smaller books on individual schools if they were well detailed.
Sorry MM, I know we ask so much from you...
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If it was 128 pages for a bunch of the currently mentioned/planned schools/traditions with possible future books as Golarion grows and develops, then count me as pre-ordered.
I'd also go with smaller books on individual schools if they were well detailed.
Sorry MM, I know we ask so much from you...
Oh noes, people want to read my words... how difficult my life is as a writer...
*melodramatic pose*
Now I just have to convince the powers-that-be to put it on the schedule and give me a realistic amount of time to write it.
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Just tell those big wigs that the people have spoken Mike. You can't fight the people Mike. We won't stop until you start Mike. Mike we want what we want Mike. If we don't get what we want Mike we will riot in the streets of Korvosa. Mike it seems like by now you should have the power to demand them Mike. That's all I gotta say bout that Mike.
(_)3CHEERS!
O' and I'll pre-order a copy to.
