Developing Character - Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
In this series, I take a look at Magic: the Gathering characters and outline one way to play them as a character in Dungeons and Dragons. The selected build will go through level 5, so there is plenty of space for you to make them your own.
Today, let’s take a look at one possible way you could play as Tamiyo, Collector of Tales.
Art by Eric Deschamps
Tamiyo is a Soratami (or Moonfolk) from Kamigawa. She seeks truth, with her travels taking her across the multiverse to find understanding on many different mysteries. She collects stories and knowledge that can be brought back to the great scroll libraries of Otawara. And when she returns home with stories in tow, she gathers her family and friends together to hear the multitude of tales that exist in the multiverse.
Starting Stats (using the Standard Array)
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 15
Charisma: 10
In the few stories we have seen Tamiyo, we see that she has a nice balance between her research / investigative skills and her interactions with people. She carries various stories in scrolls with her, and her interpretations of those stories in the moment allow her to perform her magic, such as curing Jace from his madness using the story of duplicating myr as her guide. She is not a physically strong character, but she makes up for that by matching her quick thinking with quick movement, as seen in Stories and Endings, by Nik Davidson.
The angel dove through the air, faster this time, her spear swinging in a wide arc. Tamiyo glided forward, baiting the attack, then tumbled in the opposite direction, more freezing blasts pushing her clear of the spear's tip. She targeted the angel's right wrist, then the joint of the left wing. As she passed behind, again, the spot where the wing met the shoulder. Avacyn was faster, and a single strike of her spear would likely mean Tamiyo's end, but the angel fought enraged, and the soratami moved with deftly calculated precision.
Race: Owlfolk (reskinned as a Moonfolk)
Tamiyo is a moonfolk, which is not currently a supported character race in 5th edition. Luckily, a recent Unearthed Arcana (UA) gave us the owlfolk, which is easily reskinned for moonfolk in this build. Soratami fly via levitation, so the owlfolk’s silent flying abilities fit well. And, with recent UA, the ability score increases are left to the player’s discretion, which allows us to lean into the natural Intelligence and Dexterity for which Moonfolk are known. Since you may not have seen the UA, I will include the description for the racial traits here.
Traits:
Size: Medium
Ability Score Increases: Intelligence +2, Dexterity +1
Darkvision (90 feet!)
Language: Primordial. With Kamigawa being a world defined by its connection to a spiritual realm, it makes sense to have the ability to communicate with those spirits of nature.
Magic Sight (choosing Wisdom) Your keen senses can focus to see the presence of magic. You gain the ability to cast the detect magic spell, but only as a ritual. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. You can also cast this spell normally with any spell slots you have.
Nimble Flight Thanks to your wings, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed. When you fall, you can use your reaction to make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 10) to stop falling and fly in place until the start of your next turn.
Silent Feathers You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.
Note: The Owlfolk race will most likely be a released character option in either the Feywild adventure or the Strixhaven campaign setting, both set to be released by the end of 2021.
Background: Investigator
Tamiyo, at her heart, is someone who is interested in discovering the mysteries of the multiverse. When we first meet her, she is on the plane of Innistrad, studying the interesting effects the moon was having on its denizens. She travels the planes, finding research and stories to bring home to her family and kin. As part of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, the Investigator background fits perfectly for Tamiyo.She gains proficiency in Investigation, Perception and with Thieves Tools, all important skills to have as you seek the next big discovery.
Skill Proficiencies: Investigation and Perception
Tool Proficiencies: Disguise Kit and Thieve’s Tools
Art by Sergio Roman
Level 1: Cleric (Level 1)
One interesting aspect of Tamiyo’s character is that she pulls the magic for her spells from the stories she has collected. These stories are held in scrolls, and her interpretations of the stories, in the moment, are what drive her spells. There are even a few bound in iron, that she swears never to open, as the magic might be too devastating to be used.
When it comes to classes that fit that sort of magic, there are two that come to mind, as they both have access to large lists of spells that they then select from and prepare on a daily basis: Cleric and Wizard. To me, this feels like Tamiyo going through her scrolls in the morning and packing which ones she feels like she might need on her daily adventures.
For this build, I felt that starting with a Cleric (Knowledge Domain) was a good fit, for a few reasons. First, part of Tamiyo’s story deals with her assembling a group of fellow planeswalkers who gather stories from across the multiverse. That idea of communal sharing, togetherness and insight aligned more with a Wisdom-based class than an Intelligence-based one. Second, the idea of the Soratami came from the stories of Lady Kaguya in Japanese folklore, who was a celestial princess of the Moon. It seemed right to pay homage to that story by flavoring Tamiyo as a follower of a moon deity, such as Selûne.
Starting Class Proficiencies: History and Insight
Divine Domain: Knowledge
Blessings of Knowledge
Languages - Abyssal and Celestial
Proficiencies - Arcana and Nature
Spells:
Cantrips: Guidance, Light, Word of Radiance
Prepared Spells: Bless, Detect Magic, Guiding Bolt
Level 2: Cleric (Level 2)
One of Tamiyo’s primary goals is to gather stories and share them with the story circle, which includes the planeswalkers Narset and Ajani Goldmane. You could (if you so desire) flavor these story circle meetings as religious ceremonies; the act of sharing knowledge and shedding light on the darkest of mysteries being her acts of devotion. In any case, these story circles have a healing effect on those who attend, as the sharing of these tales both counsel and console, as seen in Release. Also in that story, we see her motherly nature, through her interactions with her family, including some of her children: a son Hiroku, a daughter Rumiyo, and an adopted nezumi son Nashi.
Prepared Spells:
Healing Word
Level 3: Wizard (Level 1)
At this point, we dive into Tamiyo’s studious nature and her research capabilities. As a Wizard, her Intelligence has a moment to shine; as you may have noticed in the build, her Intelligence and Wisdom scores are equal. Having access to the Wizard class opens up a whole new slew of spells, including Comprehend Languages (a must for every researcher). Here, Tamiyo also picks up some offensive spells, such as Ray of Frost being a spell she adapts from the scroll “Winter’s Howl” (story).
Spells:
Cantrips: Encode Thoughts, Gust, Ray of Frost
Spellbook Spells: Alarm, Comprehend Languages, Feather Fall, Illusory Script, Magic Missile, Shield, Sleep
Level 4: Cleric (Level 3)
Tamiyo’s studies eventually brought her to the plane of Innistrad, prior to the release of Avacyn from the Helvault. Here, she became intrigued by the effects of the moon on the plane’s residents and found a local researcher, an astronomer named Jenrik, to aid her in this research. She fills her journal with extensive notes on the ebbs of flows of violence, especially within the werewolf and vampire communities, during the various phases of the silvery moon.
Prepared Spells:
Lesser Restoration, Zone of Truth
Level 5: Cleric (Level 4)
When Avacyn became maddened by the growing presence of Emrakul, Tamiyo was there to investigate this new phenomenon. Again, her primary goal was that of understanding, as she has uncovered Avacyn’s protective nature over the plane. She also started to investigate the other warping mutations that started to affect the broad population, such as an autopsy recorded in Entry 433 of her journal. Eventually, Tamiyo joins Jace and the Gatewatch in their attempts to seal Emrakul in order to prevent Her mutating effects on the plane.
Ability Score Improvement: Intelligence and Wisdom
Spells:
Cantrips: Resistance
Prepared Spells: Aid
Art by Lius Lasahido
Past level 5, I would look at advancing her Wizard class more, with the subclass probably being the Order of Scribes introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. After her time on Innistrad, Tamiyo spends time with her family and with the story circle, before being pulled into the events of the War of the Spark.
I had a fun time building Tamiyo, especially thinking of a way to flavor her magical powerset in terms of DnD. This build of Tamiyo really built on her role as a support character - she really doesn’t get into the fray of battle that often, but the toolbox nature of her two spellcasting classes gives her the ability to have the spells she needs for whatever occasions may arise.
Now, I will turn it over to you. How would you build Tamiyo? And are there any other characters you would like to see built?
Thanks for the great character idea, @flavoracle!
Other creator tags: @kor-artificer @wizardsmagic
