Oatia Skysage (Pathfinder Second Edition Archetype)
(art by queenofeagles on DeviantArt)
Draping the world in a glittering blanket of tiny lights at night, the stars have fascinated humanity for as long as they’ve been able to look up. We’ve studied their movements, attributed stories and meanings to the patterns we seen in them, and even tried to use them to divine the future.
It only makes sense then that other ancestries would have similar fascination with the heavens, and seek to understand them as we do. So then did the elven astronomers known as the Oatia decide to leave the continent of Sovyrian on Castrovel to settle in small enclaves on the otherwise unsettled continent of Ukulam. There, free from any light pollution, these sages could study the stars in peace and glean all sorts of wondrous mystical and mundane information from their movements, as well as even draw upon the energies of the heavens for more mundane divinations and even self-defense.
Now, this archetype is particularly exciting to me because it touches on something that was hinted at in the very first Adventure Path of Starfinder 1e, which did have a detour to the ruins of that very same enclave, so it is nice to get a chance to see these forgotten astronomers in their heyday. (That being said, I do wish that they had mentioned the Gate of the Twelve or the reclining elven statue temple, but I suppose they determined that those weren’t relevant to the role the location had in the plot. Also, while the new Castrovelan aliens depicted in that volume were good, I would have loved to have seen some older monsters get stats in 2e before Starfinder got it’s own edition change.)
In any case, while certainly unlikely to appear in most campaigns as is, a character that travels the planets might have a chance to learn from these sages, or at least learn a similar set of astronomy and astrology-based powers.
The base dedication for this archetype grants not just training in astronomy and the occult, but also some minor divinatory magic, ranging from sensing magic or auras to basic navigation magic to asking the spirits for minor guidance.
Those that undergo basic magic training gain a few divinatory tricks, starting with either magical guidance on a single attack or reading the psychic impressions on an object, then extending to either minor future-prediction powers or seeing invisible creatures. Finally, they get the choice of either remotely projecting their hearing through a sensor or asking the spirits to locate an object.
Working at night tends to develop the night vision of those that do so, improving their ability to see in darkness.
Drawing upon the lights above, these mystics can learn to weaponize moonlight into a burning beam, or mark a target with a star that guides them back to the target.
Most see the twinkling of stars and only understand such shimmering to be a quirk of the physics of light, but some of these skysages recognize subtle messages and warnings, which can save them from a blasting spell by urging a dodge in the knick of time.
Academic debate has trained many of these scholars to be careful about their own assumptions and open to multiple possible solutions. This makes it easier for them to recall information about occult and lore subjects.
Many choose to develop their spellcasting further, able to either remotely view through a sensor or read omens on a long term goal. With mastery, they can then choose to either learn to read minds or create a mobile remote sensor. Finally, they can choose to either view a creature or location they know remotely from vast distances, or gain sight that no magical deception can shroud.
Some are especially knowledgeable, able to recall even more information.
Further drawing upon the light of the stars, they can learn to either reveal invisible foes by limning them in an aura of light, or unleash a devastating beam of starlight able to slay undead and pierce magical darkness.
Some learn to draw a constellation-like structure of burning light with magic, and others learn to mark an ally with an ever-shifting moon rune that grants various benefits.
They eventually are able to glimpse clues that might help them avoid a targeted attack by glancing at the night sky as well.
Powerful skysages are able to cloak themselves in armor of starlight, which not only wards them from harm, but also dazzles foes that dare to take a swing at them.
Finally, the most powerful among them learn a few powerful divinatory spells, starting with the choice of viewing the past in an area or mark a foe so that allies see how they might try to dodge their attacks. Next, they can use magic to specifically learn the location of a subject. Finally, they master the pinnacle of divination, letting them or another to see into the near future to avoid harm for a long duration.
Offering a combination of free divination spells and some lovely star-themed blasting, this archetype is perfect for any character wanting to have a sort of magical astronomer and divination specialist build… And you don’t even have to be a mage to take it, though I wish that the archetype had made it clear that the non-domain/innate spells granted use the archetype magical benefit rules. PF2 normally is very verbose about making it clear when you’re getting those and other similar repeated rules. Also, as an aside, it’s notable that the pre-Remaster version of the archetype was a bit more flexible with the spells granted, limiting you only that they had to be divination.
While this archetype is heavily tied to a specific culture on an entirely different planet, the stars hang in the sky for all planets, so it’s only logical that such scholars would exist on other worlds, and indeed in your own homebrew settings as well. If you haven’t thought about what constellations and asterisms exist visible from the night sky of your setting, this archetype might be the perfect motivator to do just that.
Kan Ju Tobrisk walks in both the shadow and light as a wayang dromaar, and nowhere does he feel more comfortable than under a clear night sky. It should come as no surprise he studied under the astronomers of Ulin, and many seek him out for advice regarding the future and the present.
While the stars can predict the future, not all fates are happy ones, and the skysages of Vol Un Anak are becoming increasingly fearful of an inauspicious conjunction that promises a link to the Dread Abyss. Their fears are warranted when the alignment summons forth a thulgant, a notoriously powerful and dangerous qlippoth, in the middle of their circle of standing stones.
Waking in a dungeon complex with no discernable exit, the only proof that the party has that they are even still in the material world is a single shaft opening up to the sky. It’s a terribly long climb with many side dungeons along the way… and solving the path to the top will require deciphering the astrological puzzles and secrets filling the complex.
