Different classes refer to groups of lessons differently.

Clerics call them Disciplines of Faith, Fighters call them Combat Styles, Wizards call them Magical Traditions, and Rogues call them Shadow Arts. Anyone who wishes to learn one or more lessons is called a student. There are typically 10 lessons to learn in a school, though there are a few schools that have one or two more or less. Once a student has learned six of the lessons in a school, he is considered an instructor and may teach others. An instructor may teach students only up to lesson six. Once a student has learned all of the lessons in a school, he is considered to be a master/mistress. A master may teach any of the lessons in a school but lessons seven through ten may only be taught by a master, not an instructor even if the instructor has learned the lessons. By spending the time and experience required for each lesson (outlined in Table 4-1), a student learns a special technique. If a student undergoes a lesson but does not meet a specific requirement, then he cannot use the technique earned in the lesson until he meets the requirement. Even if a student does not meet all the requirements for a lesson, he can still learn it. A student must always learn the first lesson of a school before advancing further. This determines the students course of education. That first school is called the primary school and all others are considered secondary. Because each school has its own way of learning, it is more difficult for a student to learn the lessons of a secondary one. As such, a character must pay twice the normal XP cost to learn a lesson from any secondary school. A lesson can only be learned once and remains with a character for life. Only instructors and masters can instruct others in the lessons of their schools, but not all instructors and masters can use the techniques they teach. Instructors and masters never need to spend the XP required to teach a lesson, only the time and, if applicable, the gold. The level cap listed in Table 4-1 details the ideal level that a character should be to learn a specific lesson. If a student wishes to undertake a lesson and does not meet the level cap, the XP costs are increased by 50% to reflect the difficulty of the learning the lesson without the corresponding life experiences.

Table 4-1: School/Discipline Costs

Lesson 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 XP Cost 100 300 600 1,000 1,500 2,100 2,800 3,600 4,500 5,500 Time Cost 1 week 1 day 2 days 3 days 4 days 1 week 1 week, 3 days 2 weeks 3 weeks 1 month Level Cap 1 2 4 6 8 10 12 15 18 20

In order to learn a schools lessons, a student may either seek out an academy or try to employ a traveling master. Academies are large organizations that are often found within cities and metropolises, although a few are mobile. An academy has training rooms, all the necessary educational equipment, prayer services, and a staff of trained masters, usually one for every five students. Since most divine academies are church funded, they are occasionally only open to clerics and followers of a particular deity or characters of a particular alignment. However, there is hope for the unaffiliated in the form of traveling masters. These masters are a little more common than academies and can be found almost anywhere. A character can locate a traveling master by succeeding at a Gather Information check (DC 25) and spending 1d4 weeks searching. Traveling masters are under no obligation to teach and can charge whatever rate they feel like. Some may ask for gold, magical items, or favors, such as destroying a cursed artifact, in exchange for their teachings. Some masters refuse to teach at all, and may require strong convincing to take on a student. Traveling masters tend to be cheaper than academies since they do not have a huge staff to maintain. The kind of oneon-one learning to be had from a traveling master decreases the time requirements for a lesson by 15%.

Disciplines of Faith
Characters versed in the divine arts are continuously called upon to improve and strengthen their spiritual understanding and power. Some become great leaders, finding their own path by helping others on the way. Some turn to solitude and personal reflection. They find satisfaction through a deeper understanding of themselves. And yet others seek spiritual growth through study and learning. They become masters of a discipline. A discipline is a unique field of knowledge somehow tied to a clerical or divine purpose. These can range anywhere from mixing herbs to finding and protecting those with spiritual gifts. Disciplines enrich the soul and provide a greater depth of inner power.

Magical Traditions In many places, a wizard or a sorcerer will get his first real taste of magic at a school. Dedicated to the study and improvement of the arcane arts, these centers of mysticism are havens of knowledge where magic is allowed to grow and flourish without fear of rejection. A school of magic can often feed even the hungriest of minds and is a great resource for a researcher; they can also be of equal vale to a mage seeking personal improvement and power. Every school tackles the study of magic differently. Although most of them teach the basics, many have a specialized field of study and offer extraordinary courses and techniques not found in other schools. Typically, there are 10 base lessons that outline the core teachings of a school. Each lesson endows a character with a special technique. The combined knowledge of all the lessons in a particular school is known as a tradition.

Combat Styles As a discipline grows and matures, it develops into branches. These branches are unique in and of themselves and yet are still tied to the whole. Combat, like the mighty oak, has many branches. It all begins with an idea of a different way to fight. The idea takes shape and becomes a unique style. The style is refined. It is given boundaries and rules. Specialists emerge. They put the styles to use and soon teach others who in turn become the next generations of masters. And thus the cycle continues and a school is born.

Shadow Arts Since the civilized races first learned to engage in trade, there have been those who seek to profit from the hard work of others. Burglars, flimflam men and pickpockets invariably arise in any area where money changes hands. While those who practice these talents rarely seek any formal training, there exist experts of such exceeding ability and talent that eager young rogues seek them out to learn their tricks and techniques. In some cases, these masters establish informal schools for training the next generation of confidence men and robbers. After all, these experts can make more coin pawning their experience to others rather than going to the trouble of applying it.