Magaambya Attendant (Pathfinder Second Edition Archetype)
(art by LorenzoTonetto on DeviantArt)
(Oh goodness, I must have been supremely tired last night, as I forgot to post this. Never fear, Tuesday’s entry will be coming later today as well)
Of all the magical academies I’ve seen in fiction, Magaambya is probably one of my favorites. Founded on the teachings of the man who singlehandedly saved the traditions of arcane magic during the Age of Darkness and shored up by his philosophy of magic for all and used for the betterment of all, it truly has become Oldmage Jatembe’s shining legacy, where students are taught not just to master magic, but how to use it to better others… and most learn these lessons well. Most of them.
In any case, today we’re looking at the Magaambya Attendant, an archetype associated with the school. While not every graduate has this archetype, those that do represent those that have taken the lessons, both philosophical and magical, to heart. This isn’t to say that others slack on their lessons, rather that the Attendants draw power directly from their lessons rather than just philosophically.
Additionally, these attendants often also specialize in the lessons of one of the five branches of scholarship at the Magaambya: the Cascade Bearers who value creativity and imagination in magic; the Emerald Bough, who favor camaraderie and goodwill; Rain-Scribes, who adapt and learn from their mistakes; Tempest-Sun Mages who value valor and the courage to let their own views be challenged and changed; and finally Uzunjati, storyteller masters that seek wisdom in the lore and knowledge of old.
No matter how they specialize, however, they are still students of the same philosophy, so let’s take a look at how they apply what they have learned!
The base dedication of this archetype grants training in either the primal or arcane arts, as well as a basic cantrip in either of those traditions. Additionally, one must pick affiliation with one of the aforementioned branches, and finally, since they are associated with the same school, one can also take the halcyon speaker archetype alongside this one without the restriction one normally sees with archetypes.
Traditionally, Magammbya mages wear masks, often enchanted, when performing their duties, but some find, whether by accident or design, that their mask takes on a life of it’s own, becoming their familiar. While not all can talk, they can all detach from the wearer’s face and move about with a body composed of multicolored light, and can of course pretend to be an ordinary mask when the need strikes.
Naturally, some attendants master magic to further bolster their mask familiars, granting them new abilities.
Cascade Bearers demonstrate surprising flexibility, able to alter their spells on the fly with metamagical techniques they haven’t properly mastered yet, though only once a day.
Emerald Boughs are expected to travel beyond the school and potentially recruit new students. As such, they have a knack for adapting quickly to any culture they find themselves in.
Meanwhile, Rain-Scribes learn how to sustain their bodies entirely with ambient magic, eliminating the need for food, though they can also overclock it to stay awake while resting normally at the cost of needing food later.
The Tempest-Suns are perhaps the most likely to engage in combat, so they’d developed techniques to redirect the flow of their attacking spells, minimizing damage to their allies while also redirecting some of the energy to ward them for a few moments as well.
The Storytellers of the Uzunjati know dozens of tales, and they can leverage that knowledge to recall important tales and impress others with their knowledge of the old wisdom.
Later on, Cascade Bearers learn to be more flexible with the sources of their magic, able to add occult and divine magics to their halcyon spell arsenal.
Travelling so far from home, many Emerald Boughs find it useful to store away certain items for later use, and learn to create a small pocket dimension to store items that lasts as long as they remain conscious. Perfect for hiding an item that cannot be allowed to be stolen, or emergency tools for a situation.
Rain-Scribes are themed around adaptability, so some master learn to turn aside that which would hinder them. By shrouding themselves in magic, they can stride easily through difficult terrain, destroying or casting aside the inhibiting elements of which as they do so, with not even magically manipulated terrain being safe.
The combat expertise of Tempest-Suns continues as they learn how to expend unused spell energy to blunt and block incoming attacks, robbing them of the force to wound.
Masters among the Uzunjati can recall information and create a story about it on the fly, entertaining and gaining useful information in one act.
True masters among the Uzunjati might also learn to improve their stories further, providing useful advice and maybe a little guiding magic to bolster their allies when fighting a foe that inspired the recalled story in the first place.
As you can see, this archetype is primarily all about branching into one of the many schools of thought and roles associated with the academy, granting abilities that are thematic to what each branch of the school favors and represents, though obviously some are more flashy than others. This also means that an individual can only take a maximum of three feats (four for Uzunjati) from this archetype, making it relatively unobtrusive if you want to blend it with its sister archetype, the Halcyon Speaker, or take it by itself for some practical abilities that speak to the character’s role and vocation.
Like I said before, neither this archetype nor the Halcyon Speaker are required to represent a graduate of the Magaambya, but they both help represent someone who has learned to incorporate the unique teachings of the academy into their magical arsenal, and it’s nice to have such an option. Additionally, I like that in addition to breaking down the barriers between arcane and primal magic, the branches of the school are not broken down by schools of magic, but by philosophy in how magic is learned and applied. This goes a long way towards justifying how the Thassilonian schools are not universal, and why the schools of magic in the remastered version are more broad in their theming. (though I’ll still be using them for those that want them.
The dry desert consumes the weak, that is what Torva, a beastkin orc woman, grew up understanding, but when her latent talent for the druidic arts manifested, she was sent off to the Oasis, an impossible green city in the middle of the sands, to harness her magic at their academy. There, she encountered the kind and unjudging school environment and began to question what it meant to be weak or strong.
Instructor Kanzarato has a reputation at the school, and not just because he’s a dragon! The brine dragon wyrm tries very hard, but has trouble thinking of his classroom as anything other than his territory. However, once he has warmed up to new students, he is the first and fiercest to protect them.
Charming and quick with a joke, the storyteller Uban has many a tale they could spin, including those of the days when the magic academy of the White Valley still stood, teaching a blending of every source of magic. In the late night, when most have gone to bed, he confides that though they are outlawed and hunted, the mages of that school do still remain, bringing kindness and wisdom to those that need it. He meets any suggestion that he is one such mage with a soft chuckled and a wink.
