Variant Rules: L
4 variant rules, from Leadership to Life in the Academy.
Leadership · Level 0 Characters · Ley Lines · Life in the Academy
Leadership
While many groups of PCs are isolated heroes who get the job done on their own, other groups enjoy gathering allies and building new organizations of their own. The leadership subsystem allows your PCs to do just that!
Leadership is a long-term subsystem wherein one or more PCs establish a fledgling organization and accumulate followers over time. This subsystem provides a flexible way to reflect the party's growing influence in and connection to the world around them through downtime events and periodic benefits similar to those gained from joining an existing in-world organization. The organization can come into play only during downtime, or it can provide adventure seeds or even play a major role in a campaign.
Organization Levels
Every organization has a level from 1 to 20. Any organization below level 1 has no followers; it's just an ordinary group of PCs. Unlike many other subsystems in this chapter, leveling up an organization in the leadership subsystem does not involve accumulating points. Instead, the process of growing the organization itself is what causes it to level up! As a reward for quests, roleplaying scenes, or succeeding at other subsystems (particularly influence or reputation), the PCs can add an NPC follower to their organization. At first, only a few level 0 NPCs follow the PCs, but as the party builds up more followers, they can also gain followers of higher and higher level, as well as a small number of higher-level lieutenants to lead groups of followers. Once an organization has recruited enough followers, the organization itself levels up, which increases the maximum level of followers, the number of lieutenants, and the level range of those lieutenants.
Base of Operations
Beyond the very smallest organizations, PCs need some kind of base of operations the organization calls home. This allows the organization to function and grow in its intended role. For instance, if the PCs run a mercenary army, it might have a keep for training and as a base for defending the nearby area. While organizations usually gain a base of operations early in their existence, they must have one by 6th level unless the story of the organization demands otherwise. A base of operations is not necessarily immobile; a caravan, circus, or flagship (or fleet, for a larger organization) could serve well for wandering organizations.
Organization Npcs
Followers and lieutenants are noncombatant NPCs of the levels indicated on Table 3–3: Organization Statistics by Level. When an organization has followers or lieutenants of several levels, most of them are at the lowest possible level. As a rule of thumb, an organization has twice as many NPCs of a given level than of the next-higher level. This allows you to quickly estimate the level composition of the organization's members, but you can of course change the levels of various followers as much as you like. When the minimum level for lieutenants increases, either the lower-level lieutenants level up to the new minimum, or they become followers of more powerful lieutenants the PCs recruit, whichever fits best with the story.
Followers and lieutenants are loyal to the PCs and their organization, working to maintain the organization, its base of operations, and their own way of life. Because of this work, PCs don't need to pay for basic upkeep of their base of operations or for expansions to house the burgeoning activity as their organization grows in level—the followers and lieutenants take care of all of that. But similarly, these followers and lieutenants never get involved in the PCs' adventuring, nor do they provide a source of free magic or labor.
Cohorts and New Pcs
While the followers and lieutenants who define an organization's advancement don't accompany the PCs on adventures, sometimes the organization is the perfect plot hook to introduce an NPC who will be traveling along with the party or a new PC hoping to join the party. For instance, if the PCs are running a mercenary army, a rising officer might become a new PC. Treat such NPC cohorts and PCs just like any other additional characters in the party, with an enriched story that ties them to the PCs.
Running Leadership
When running a game with the leadership subsystem, adding new NPCs who join the PCs' cause becomes a type of reward you should grant the PCs consistently throughout the campaign. For a typical rate of growth, give the PCs enough followers for the organization to level up at roughly the same rate as the PCs. In some cases, you might want to vary that rate—sometimes drastically. Perhaps the 10th-level PCs have a 20th-level organization with top lieutenants nearly as powerful as the PCs, or maybe the PCs start gathering followers only at 15th level and start their organization from scratch as a 1st-level organization.
Leadership Events
During downtime, or over the course of long stretches of time when the PCs aren't in downtime but their organization is operating in the background, you should periodically provide special leadership events. These are in addition to the events you would normally provide the PCs during downtime. These should generally be a good mix between the following three categories.
Opportunity: An opportunity offers the PCs a chance to steer the ship for their organization by making a decision that shapes the organization moving forward, with consequences generally ranging from neutral to a mix of good and bad. For instance, the Theiveith Consortium offers the PCs a deal to store their goods in the PCs' mercenary fort. Accepting gives the PCs money, but they'll have to deal with the consortium's unsavory goods. Rejecting the proposal might upset the consortium, but it allows the PCs to show their priorities between conscience and coin.
Trouble: Something's gone wrong with the organization, requiring the PCs' attention or assistance to solve. Perhaps the thieves' guild is dealing with a clever new guard captain and needs help from the PCs to stay safe. Typically the resources the PCs need to invest to solve the troubles should be less than the benefits the PCs gain from windfalls to ensure that the organization is providing a substantial benefit to the PCs, rather than simply evening out.
Windfall: The organization has received an unexpected benefit that helps the PCs. This is typically access to an uncommon option: perhaps the organization researched a new spell or discovered the techniques for an uncommon feat. However, it could be extra money or resources, clues for the PCs' adventures, political prestige, or anything else you can think of. The players might even be able to suggest a few options for their followers and lieutenants to work toward to give you some ideas.
Gamemastery Guide, page 168.
Level 0 Characters
Before they were heroes, every PC came from somewhere, whether they worked on a farm like Doufalaer or picked pockets on the streets like Breistoufalor. Sometimes, it can be a lot of fun to play a prequel game years before the PCs' first adventure as heroes, or you may have an idea for a low-powered adventure that calls for commoners and apprentices. The rules below provide ways to easily build and use level 0 PCs in your games.
Building Characters
Building a level 0 character is similar to building a 1st-level character, but you stop after choosing your ancestry and background. A level 0 character still gets the four free ability boosts from Step 6 of the normal character creation process, but not the class ability boost.
Initial Proficiencies
A level 0 character is trained in Perception, all saving throws, unarmed attacks, unarmored defense, and one simple weapon of their choice. Additionally, they are trained in a number of skills equal to 2 + their Intelligence modifier. The proficiency bonus for a level 0 character works the same way as normal, but since the level is 0, the total proficiency bonus for being trained is +2.
Hit Points
A level 0 character adds their Constitution modifier to their ancestry Hit Points to determine their starting Hit Points.
Starting Money
A level 0 character starts with 5 gp (50 sp) to spend on equipment.
Apprentice Option
If the story you want to tell is about characters who have started training to become a particular class, you can grant them a small number of additional abilities. An apprentice character is trained in the skill or skills specified for their chosen class (such as Occultism and Performance for a bard) in addition to the skills they gain through their initial proficiencies. They also gain benefits based on the class.
Alchemist
An apprentice alchemist gains the advanced alchemy ability of the alchemy class feature. Their advanced alchemy level is 1, and they have one batch of infused reagents each day. They can make only infused alchemical items.
Monk
An apprentice monk gains the powerful fist class feature.
Other Martial Class
An apprentice of another martial class (barbarian, champion, fighter, ranger, or rogue) is trained in light armor, all simple weapons, and one martial weapon listed in the class's initial proficiencies. If a martial class not listed here lacks light armor or martial weapon training (as the monk does), give it a different ability as well.
Spellcaster
An apprentice spellcaster is trained in the appropriate magic tradition and gains two cantrips from their class. A prepared caster can't change these cantrips each day.
Gameplay
Combat can be especially dangerous for level 0 characters. For safety's sake, you might treat the characters as level –1 when determining what combat encounters are appropriate. For skill checks, they can still accomplish tasks with a simple trained DC using their trained skills, but success is less certain. Since they have fewer skills, the party might not have anyone trained for a given task.
If you're playing these characters for more than a few sessions, consider advancing them to 1st level using the fast advancement speed (800 XP). If your group wants a longer experience at level 0, start the group without the apprentice benefits, then level up to apprentice (gaining those benefits and the apprentice adjustments for their class), and then level up to 1st level.
Treasure
As the characters start with 5 gp, their adventures up to 1st level should account for the rest of a 1st-level character's starting money. That means you'll distribute treasure worth 10 gp × the number of PCs, a large percentage of which should be in currency.
Gamemastery Guide, page 195.
Ley Lines
Magical energy exists throughout the multiverse and flows within and without all aspects of reality. In places where this magical energy flows particularly strongly, it takes the form of ley lines: potent conduits of magic that flow throughout the cosmos. Magical energy travels through ley lines much like blood flows through the veins of living creatures. Ley lines transcend physical form and can be found throughout the universe, through entire worlds, and even across planes.
Each ley line carries its own specific manifestation of magical energy. One ley line might contain the power to enhance divinations, while another forms a channel for the destructive power of fire. Regardless of a ley line's specific nature, its presence influences the world around it in subtle or overt ways.
Ley Lines in your Game
Though magical essence permeates the multiverse, it rarely concentrates in high enough volume to form a ley line, and as such, ley lines are rare, inscrutable phenomena. Those who overtax a ley line might find that its power fades, reroutes, or even backfires—the ramifications of which can lead to interesting story explorations. In general, these rules assume that ley lines are few and far between in a setting and that one's presence holds notable significance in the game world.
Ley lines impact the world around them in considerable ways, which presents myriad narrative possibilities; for example, a wizard might build a tower on top of a ley line with magic that aids in planar research, or an entire civilization might structure their territory along a ley line to improve their wealth. Ley lines should also manifest magical side effects that relate to their nature, such as increased ambient temperatures or prevalent brushfires along a ley line attuned to fire magic. GMs should feel encouraged to explore how ley lines can affect their world.
Tapping into ley lines often provides benefits that alter spells, akin to metamagic (for example, the basic ley line on page 216 provides a choice between two metamagic effects from metamagic class feats). As such, spellcasters are the most likely to seek out and tap ley lines, but some ley lines provide benefits that any character capable of tapping into them can use; GMs should consider how an entire party can benefit from a ley line and what characters might enjoy some time in the spotlight.
A ley line might be a lasting benefit to the entire party, and discovering one could even serve as an interesting reward for them. The PCs might be encouraged to build a base of operations along a ley line or to establish a nexus at a ley line node.
Ultimately, the use of ley lines is rooted in the familiar mechanics of metamagic, meaning that they should be easy to add without complicating the game. Though they're presented as rare in this book, GMs might prefer them to be more common and are encouraged to create a unique setting featuring prevalent ley lines. Some settings might feature ley lines as common as rivers, influencing the magic and civilizations around them with the type of energy flowing through them. Consider whether the inclusion of ley lines will add or distract from to the richness of the story.
Locating Ley Lines
Ley lines are typically imperceptible by mundane means, so locating a ley line requires a magical connection of some kind (though not necessarily the ability to cast spells). Typically, ley lines' sizes correlate with their potency, with higher-level ley lines usually being wider and easier to notice—but ley lines are by nature enigmatic phenomena, and some particularly powerful ones are as thin as thread. In rare cases, ley lines might have physical manifestations that make their presence more apparent. For example, a ley line attuned to electrical energy might manifest as a constant stream of sparks and electricity arcing along the ley line's path, or a ley line suffused with positive energy might appear as a strip of overgrown and mutated plants.
A character can locate a ley line with a successful Occultism check to Identify Magic, usually against a DC of 30 for a weak and minor ley line or 20 for a powerful one, but a particular line's presence might be more obvious if it has noticeable magical manifestations. A successful check reveals the location of a ley line but not its capabilities. Each ley line has at least one trait tied to a tradition of magic. To determine the effects of a ley line, a character must succeed at a check to Identify Magic based on its tradition, with a DC equal to the hard DC of the ley line's level. Finding the exact position, strength, and effects of a ley line can be extremely helpful for characters attempting to access the ley line's power.
Ley Line Nodes
Ley line nodes are the point at which multiple ley lines intersect. Incredibly rare and powerful, nodes provide those who tap into them access to all of the intersecting ley lines' abilities, and they usually produce one or more additional effects based on the combination of intersecting ley lines. A ley line node's level is equal to that of the highest-level ley line that intersects at the node. Enterprising PCs or NPCs sometimes seek out nodes as sites to perform rituals to establish ley line nexuses. Such locations are jealously guarded by those who wish to claim the nexus's power.
Using Ley Lines
While locating a ley line might be a difficult process, making use of a ley line's power is remarkably simple. Accessing the power of a ley line requires using the Tap Ley Line general skill action. The results of this action are based on the benefits and drawbacks of a ley line.
Tap Ley Lines (Trained)
You can use your magical prowess to temporarily access the power of a ley line. Tapping the Ley Line requires a skill check using the skill associated with its tradition (Arcana for arcane, Nature for primal, Occultism for occult, and Religion for divine). In cases where a ley line has multiple associated traditions, you can use any of the appropriate skills to Tap the Ley Line. The benefits of a ley line are always magical in nature and can be counteracted in a similar way to a magic item.
Sample Ley Lines
The following represent a number of different types of ley lines, each of which provides specific effects. GMs can use these ley lines as is or find some inspiration for new ley lines in their own games. Most ley lines are rare, but a specific ley line can be unique.
Most ley lines are simply naturally occurring conduits of pure magical energy. Tapping into a basic ley line allows spellcasters to modify their spells. This ley line has the arcane, divine, occult, or primal trait as appropriate.
Benefit When you Cast a Spell, alter the spell as if you had just used your choice of either Reach Spell or Widen Spell.Backlash The magical energy overwhelms your mind. You become stupefied 1 until the end of your next turn.
Energy ley lines are attuned to a specific type of energy and enhance that energy's power. They might form where the power from an Inner Plane with immense energy (such as an Elemental Plane, the Positive Energy Plane, or the Negative Energy Plane) seeps across a planar boundary. An energy ley line can be attuned to acid, cold, electricity, fire, force, positive, negative, or sonic energy and gains the respective trait for that energy. Higher-level energy ley lines can deal greater persistent damage on the benefit and greater damage on the backlash, usually 1d8 per 4 levels.
Benefit All damage of the associated energy type you deal clings to your targets, dealing an additional 1d8 persistent damage of the ley line's energy type.Backlash The energy rebounds, and you take 2d8 persistent damage of the ley line's energy type.
Focused ley lines are concentrated points of magical energy which are even more potent than other ley lines. These ley lines allow users to realign their magical connections almost immediately. Higher-level focused ley lines allow users to gain their benefits more times in a single day.
Benefit You gain a Focus Point, which is separate from your focus pool and doesn't count toward the cap on your focus pool. You can gain this benefit only if you have a focus pool. If you don't use this focus point before the benefit of the ley line runs out, it's lost. You become temporarily immune to the benefits of this ley line for 24 hours.Backlash Your entire being becomes overwhelmed with magical energy. You become stupefied 3 for 1 minute, and you can't Refocus for 1 hour.
Some ley lines form at sites of significant death. This results in haunted ley lines, which allow those who tap into them to blur the line between life and death. More powerful haunted ley lines grant the benefits of a higher-level blink spell.
Benefit You're affected by blink for the duration of the ley line benefit. You can Sustain the Spell as though you had cast it, and you can choose the direction of your reappearance when you do so (you still reappear randomly at the end of your turn).Backlash You get partially pulled into the Ethereal Plane. For 1 minute, you vanish and reappear in a random direction at the end of your turn as noted in the effects of blink, but you don't gain any of the other effects of the spell.
Specialized ley lines empower specific types of magic. They most commonly come about where a practitioner of a particular type of magic has utilized their magical arts repeatedly, such as at locations of magical academies. Each specialized ley line is attuned to a specific school of magic and gains that school's trait. More powerful ones can heighten a spell multiple levels at once.
Benefit Spells you cast of the ley line's attuned school are empowered. When you Cast a Spell of that school, that spell is automatically heightened 1 level, up to a level equal to the highest spell level you can cast.Backlash Your connection to the ley line's school of magic weakens, making it temporarily harder to manifest those spells. For 1 minute, all spells of the attuned school require one additional action to cast.
Ley Line Rituals
Those who build a stronghold on a ley line might use rituals to increase their advantage. The following rituals allow easier or more powerful benefits from ley lines.
Cast 1 day; Cost magical foci worth a total value of 50 gp × the spell level × the target's level; Secondary Casters 6
Primary Check Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion, matching the ley line's tradition (legendary); Secondary Checks Ley Line Lore or Occultism
Range 10 feet; Targets 1 ley line or ley line node up to double this ritual's level
Duration undefined
You draw upon surrounding magical energy to empower a ley line, enhancing both its positive and negative effects.
The duration of an empowered ley line's benefits increases: when you successfully Tap a Ley Line that's empowered, you gain its benefits until the end of your next turn on a success (1 minute on a critical success)
You take double the damage if you fail to Tap a Ley Line that's empowered and double the damage from the ley line's backlash effects (if any). If a backlash effect has a duration, that duration increases: a backlash effect that would ordinarily last until the end of your next turn now lasts for 1 minute, effects that last for 1 minute now last for 10 minutes, effects that last for 10 minutes now last for 1 hour, and effects that last for 1 hour now last for 1 day.
Critical Success You empower the ley line until the next turning of the season.Success You empower the ley line for 1 week.Failure You fail to empower the ley line.Critical Failure All casters take damage and suffer the ley line's backlash as if they had critically failed to Tap the Ley Line. This damage and backlash is enhanced as if the ley line were successfully empowered, leading to increased damage and longer backlash effects.Cast 1 day; Cost magical foci worth 100 gp × the spell level × the node's level; Secondary Casters 2
Primary Check Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion based on the ley line (master); Secondary Checks Ley Line Lore or Occultism
Range 10 feet; Targets 1 ley line node up to double establish nexus's level
Duration undefined
You focus the power of the node's intersecting ley lines into a powerful confluent point known as a ley line nexus.
The ley line nexus grows out from the node in a 20-foot radius. The ley line nexus is more open and available for access to creatures you designate. When Tapping the Ley Lines, these creatures get a degree of success one better than they rolled.
Critical Success The ley line nexus is established. The nexus is particularly powerful, allowing it to continually refresh its magical energy; thus, the nexus lasts for up to 100 years, unless the ley lines shift.Success The ley line nexus is established and lasts for a year and one day, unless the ley lines shift.Failure You fail to establish the ley line nexus.Critical Failure All casters take damage and suffer backlash effects as if they had critically failed to Tap every Ley Line in the node simultaneously, and they can't attempt to Tap those Ley Lines for a year and one day.Secrets of Magic, page 214.
Life in the Academy
In the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path, you'll have the opportunity to play characters who are students at the Falutairn, the oldest and most storied magic school in all Falavririak. You'll learn new magic, advance in your studies, choose one of the five prestigious branches to join, and more. As you continue your academic career, adventure will call, but you'll never cease to be a Falutairnn, tied inextricably to the thousands upon thousands of students who came before you, stretching across eight millennia of history and tracing back to the legacy of Seboufalais Maetrund, one of the most legendary and powerful wizards in the history of Falavririak.
The academia subsystem helps you express your character's academic and intellectual growth throughout your time at the Falutairn, starting as a new initiate struggling to find your place at the school to an academic powerhouse respected by all researchers in your field and beyond. You'll continue your studies alongside your adventuring career, allowing you to gain a series of useful benefits to improve your character's capabilities based on the progress of your academic work.
The Five Branches of Scholarship
Falutairnn scholars believe in many fundamental values of scholarship. Key among them are adaptability, camaraderie, imagination, knowledge, and valor. The school's faculty and lessons are divided into five branches, each emphasizing one of these values.
Cascade Bearers esteem imagination, from the dreams of the most visionary magical theorists to the innovations of creative problem-solvers of all stripes.
Emerald Boughs emphasize camaraderie, the sense of community and connection to fellow Nainaend; they also interact with those outside the Falutairn and spread the academy's message.
Rain-Scribes value adaptability in thoughts and deeds, as well as a willingness to admit errors and learn from past mistakes.
Tempest-Sun Mages inspire valor, not only the physical courage to stand up for friends and the school, but also the intellectual courage to consider opposing viewpoints and widen one's understanding rather than staying entrenched in a single paradigm.
Morogrotrud understand that knowledge lives in stories passed down through the generations and also is earned every day through personal experience.
While all Nainaend are expected to embody these values to varying degrees, and members of the different branches work together on and off campus, every student joins one primary branch to shape their academic understanding. In addition to this choice, you'll also select a secondary branch that influences the expression of your primary branch and supplements your education. Your learning within these branches progresses from levels 1 to 20, just like your character. You can never have more levels in your primary branch than your character's level, and you can never have more levels in your secondary branch than half your character's level. When you create your character, choose a primary branch and a secondary branch; both begin at level 0.
Classes at the Falutairn are open to students of any branch, but each focuses on the values embodied by a specific branch. If your primary branch is Tempest-Sun Mages and your secondary branch is Rain-Scribes, you'll attend Tempest-Sun Mage classes to advance your level in your primary branch or Rain-Scribe classes to advance your level in your secondary branch. You don't need to create a specific course load or class schedule, since you're always choosing whether to focus on your primary or secondary branch.
Branch Skills, Lores, and Feats
Each branch has two or three associated skills, one or more subcategories of lore, and a general feat. As you gain levels in your branch, you'll gain benefits that apply to the associated skills and lore, as well as the associated general feat.
Changing Branches
It's perfectly natural that a player might choose a primary or secondary branch at character creation and, after roleplaying the character for some time, decide it was the wrong branch to represent their character's personality. While your GM could create a downtime activity to allow branch retraining in place of advancing in a branch, this can wind up permanently leaving your character behind the rest of your party. Instead, work with your GM to swap out your branches. Keep in mind, the Falutairn looks extremely poorly on those who flippantly attempt to alter their branches of scholarship to gain personal power and will staunchly deny any such exploit.
Advancing Your Branch Level
Unlike your character's level, your levels in your primary and secondary branches don't advance automatically when you gain Experience Points. Instead, you advance your branches through academic achievement; early in your career, this typically happens via bookwork and exams. As a student at the Falutairn, you can use either the Study downtime activity or the Cram downtime activity to represent your accomplishments in your studies and exams, with the timing based on the academic calendar (as noted for the GM in each volume of the Adventure Path).
Truly accomplished scholars also might be able to use the Practical Research activity as a downtime activity in the field to gain additional new insights and academic advancements during adventures, as opposed to during the normal curriculum. Later volumes of the Adventure Path will note such opportunities for the GM, but if you have additional ideas for location-based research beyond those provided in the adventures themselves, the GM might reward your creativity with an additional opportunity to perform the Practical Research activity and raise your branch levels!
Even with these extra opportunities, you can't advance your primary branch level above your character's level, or your secondary branch level above half your character's level (both with a minimum of 0). If the result of any of these activities would raise a branch level past those limits, put a star next to your branch's level. The next time your character gains a level, raise that branch's level to the new limit and erase the star. This way, if you have an opportunity to advance your branch level, you don't have to wait until your character level is high enough to pursue it.
Each of these downtime activities takes a few months, as they occur over an academic semester. You might have encounters during or between these checks as the story requires.
Branch Benefits
At every branch level, you gain the benefit listed in Table 2 above. The benefit entries below also include the branch levels at which you gain them.
Additional Lore1st
At 1st level in a branch, you learn more of the Falutairn's deep well of lore associated with your branch. You gain the Additional Lore feat in a Lore skill associated with the branch.
Steeped In History2nd
At 2nd level in a branch, you learn about the history of the branch and the Falutairn in general. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Recall Knowledge about the Falutairn, the tenets or history of your branch, and members of your branch.
At 11th level, this increases to a +2 circumstance bonus.
Dedicated Attendant3rd
At 3rd level in a branch, if you have completed your Perquisite, you have proven your commitment to a sufficient degree that your branch promotes and supports you as an affiliated attendant. The first time you reach this level in a branch, you gain the Falutairnn Attendant Dedication feat as a bonus feat (even if you haven't taken enough feats with a previous archetype to take another dedication feat).
Skill Feat4th
At 4th level in a branch, you uncover hidden techniques that grant you extra benefits from your branch's associated skills. You gain a skill feat that requires the trained rank in one the branch's associated skills.
At 9th level, you gain an additional skill feat that requires the expert or trained rank in one the branch's associated skills; at 15th level, you gain an additional skill feat that requires master or lower rank in one of the branch's associated skills; and at 19th level, you gain an additional skill feat that requires legendary or lower rank in one of the branch's associated skills. For any of these skill feats, you can select a variable skill feat, such as Automatic Knowledge or Assurance, as long as you do so for an associated skill.
Branch Influence5th
At 5th level in a branch, you gain greater influence, making it easier to collaborate, hoodwink, or browbeat members of that branch. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus on Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, and Performance checks to interact with members of the branch.
At 13th level, this increases to a +2 circumstance bonus, and at 17th level, it increases again to a +3 circumstance bonus.
Skill Increase6th
At 6th level in a branch, and every 4 levels thereafter, your studies lead you to deeper understanding of your branch's associated skills, causing you to gain an additional skill increase that you can use to raise one of the branch's associated skills, up to a maximum of expert.
At 10th branch level or higher, you can use these skill increases to become a master in a skill in which you're already an expert. At 18th level, you can use this skill increase to become legendary in a skill in which you're already a master. For Morogrotrud, who have Lore as an associated skill, you gain the Additional Lore feat when you choose to improve Lore, instead of gaining a single skill increase to a Lore.
Branch Feat7th
At 7th level in a branch, you become so immersed in your branch's secrets that you gain access to special training only offered to other members of your branch. You gain the 6th-level Falutairnn attendant archetype feat requiring affiliation with your branch (such as Morogrotrud Storytelling for the Morogrotrud). You must still meet any skill prerequisites the feat has. If you already have that feat, you gain an additional 6th-level class feat (even if your branch's feat was not a class feat).
At 12th level, you also gain the 10th-level Falutairnn attendant archetype feat requiring affiliation with the branch (such as Tempest-Sun Shielding for the Tempest-Sun Mages). If you already have that feat, you gain an additional 10th-level class feat (even if your branch's feat was not a class feat).
General Feat8th
At 8th level in a branch, your understanding of your branch's traditions improves your general capabilities, stretching beyond your studies in specific skills. You gain the general feat associated with the branch. If you already have that general feat, you gain a 1st-level general feat of your choice instead.
Make Your Own Luck16th
At 16th level in a branch, you're so accomplished with your branch's associated skills that you make your own luck. Once per day, you can reroll a skill check with one of those skills and take the new result. This is a fortune effect.
Magical Paragon20th
At 20th level in a branch, you embody the branch so completely that you gain a unique special ability depending on your branch. Many of these abilities build upon Falutairnn attendant archetype feats you have gained.
Cascade Bearers: Nothing is beyond your imagination. Once per day, you can cast any common 7th-level spell from the arcane, divine, occult, or primal spell lists without expending a spell slot. When you do, you use your spellcasting proficiency for your halcyon spells.
Emerald Boughs: You can stretch your hideaway well beyond the original intended usage, creating a special extradimensional abode in which to rest with your allies, host visiting diplomats, and more. At any time, you can spend 1 minute to enter and expand your hideaway into a magnificent mansion; it remains in this form until you leave, at which point it expels all remaining guests and becomes a normal hideaway as Emerald Boughs Hideaway until you spend another minute to enter and expand your hideaway again.
Morogrotrud: You know a surprising number of stories, and you weave them all together into a coherent narrative. When you use Morogrotrud Recollection, you Recall Knowledge three time instead of once, each with a +2 circumstance bonus. You also gain a +2 circumstance bonus to your skill check for Morogrotrud Storytelling from the captivating combined narrative.
Rain-Scribes: You can adapt to almost any situation. You can survive in severe and extreme cold and heat without taking damage. You move at full Speed through difficult terrain and greater difficult terrain, and take no damage from hazardous terrain. When using Rain-Scribe Mobility, you clear the effects of all three types of terrain from the spaces you enter for 1 round.
Tempest-Sun Mages: You have the courage and magic to protect all your allies from harm. When you use Tempest-Sun Shielding, you can choose to reduce the triggering damage to you and all allies within 30 feet by four times the spell level, rather than reducing the triggering damage to you or a single ally by four times the spell level.
Strength of Thousands #1: Kindled Magic, page 61.