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The Magus

This document provides suggestions and insights into how to translate the ideas of the Magus class from the source material into Pathfinder Fate Accelerated.

"The magus blends magical ability with martial prowess into something entirely unique, a discipline in which both spell and steel are used to devastating effect.

As they grow in power, the magus unlocks powerful forms of arcana that allow them to merge their mystical and martial talents further.

The magi faces lifelong toil, seeking arcane secrets to increase their own might, while also training constantly to maintain their command of the blade.

At the pinnacle of the magi's art, the magus becomes a blur of steel and magic, a force that few foes would dare to stand against."

Sample Iconics

Skoth, Willamena, Otaro

Starting Archetype Sets

Spellblade

Arcane +3, Combative +1

Gish

Arcane +2, Combative +2

The general advice given in the Fighter and Sorcerer (or Wizard if you prefer the Prepared Casting model) class translation documents is also relevant to magi and you might want to skim them for general arcanist and warrior relevant content. This document concentrates on content of specific interest to magi.

For purposes of Pathfinder Fate Accelerated, there is no real barrier to making a character that is able to cast spells and also be an effective combatant, other than the fact that a starting character has Archetype bonuses totalling to +4 and thus must spread themselves a little thin to properly represent both martial and magical ability.

When making a magus character, you just need to decide if you are going to split your Archetypes using the Spellblade starting set or the Gish starting set. After that take one or more Stunts to firm up your character's ability to be effective at both magical and martial conflict, and that's all there is to it.

Willamena is a dangerously headstrong young woman of remarkable talents. Scion of the noble house of Lebeda in Brevoy, Willamena was fascinated by swordplay from a young age and insisted on lessons. Indulged, she soon learned to merge her fencing skills with her natural arcane talent for magic and thus inadvertently started her career as a sword-magi.

Having reached her majority and not in the direct line of succession, Willamena has set out to have a grand adventure before her family marries her off to some clod or other to cement alliances in the worsening political climate of Brevoy. However, it remains to be seen how long her shiny posh exterior will stay unsullied by the harsh realities of life outside of the protected enclaves of the aristocracy.

Three-way Split

You can also stretch the concept and add a third Archetype to the mix. If you decide to do this, care should be taken not to spread your character too thin lest they risk not being particularly good at anything. However, it can be accomplished.

Skoth is a servant of Nethys dedicated to self-mastery of the disparate arts of magic and swordsmanship. He is big on being mysterious, tries to cloak the full range of his abilities as a surprise for the unwary, and keeps his own counsel.

Stunts

Magus characters might find the following Stunt categories of interest: Magus, Arcanist, Warrior, Durability, Special.

The following Stunts might be of particular interest to a Magus.

Sword-Magi

The ability to meld magic and melee is the fundamental concept of a Magus. Stunts such as the following allow a Pathfinder Fate Accelerated character to leverage both their Combative and Arcane bonuses in a conflict. Most if not all Magus characters should probably have some variation of this sort of Stunt.

Sword-magi: Because I have trained as a Sword Magi and can fight using my magic and my blade in tandem, when I am being Combative I may add my Arcane capability to attack with a sword.

By allocating additional Stunt slots or Refresh, a Magus can make an even more potent version of this sort of Stunt, extending the situations in which they can add both their Arcane and Combative bonuses to various actions.

Champion Sword-magi (-2): Because I have trained as a Sword Magi and can fight using my magic and my blade in tandem, when I am being Combative I may add my Arcane capability to attack and defend with a sword.

Master Sword-magi (-3): Because I have trained as a Sword Magi and can fight using my magic and my blade in tandem, when I am being Combative I may add my Arcane capability to attack and defend with a sword. Further, when I am Arcanely attacking or creating advantage against one or more targets in my own zone I may add my Combative capability if it is appropriate to the narrative.

Boost Upgrades

These Stunts can be taken independently or together. They function the same way, allowing the magus to automatically upgrade boosts to full Aspects which can then be used for various benefits in a conflict. This loosely simulates some Arcana.

A secondary effect of these Stunts is that when they trigger they grant a significant tempo advantage to the magus and this can also allow them to potentially snowball into an unstoppable momentum. Thus there is a tendency for the magus to become more dangerous the longer a conflict progresses.

However, because this kind of Stunt only triggers when a boost occurs there is a fair amount of variance, and also they are less likely to trigger if the magus is significantly outmatched as the odds of getting a boost are decreased.

The following are examples of this idea, but other variations are possible.

Sword Of The Sword-magi: Because I have trained as a Sword Magi and am adept at using my magic in conjunction with my blade, if I gain a boost when attacking while being Combative or Arcane, I may upgrade the boost to the spell Aspect Sword Of The Sword-Magi, with two (2) invokes. This allows me to imbue my sword with magical power.

Shield Of The Sword-magi: Because I have trained as a Sword Magi and am adept at using my magic to protect myself in combat, if I gain a boost when defending with either Combative or Arcane, I may upgrade the boost to the spell Aspect Shield Of The Sword-Magi, with two (2) invokes. I may invoke this Aspect when defending or to overcome harmful situational Aspects.

Spellstrike of the Sword-magi: Because I have trained as a Sword Magi and can fight using my magic and my blade in tandem, if I attack an opponent in the same zone while being Quickly Combative and get a boost I may immediately invoke the boost to attack a second target in the same zone while being Quickly Arcane.

Eldritch Blade

In the source material one of the key features of a Magus is the ability to apply touch spells via a weapon strike. Boost upgrades such as Sword of the Sword Magi offers a more abstract way to illustrate this idea in Pathfinder Fate Accelerated terms (invoking the Aspect gained from an upgraded boost to add shifts of effect, narratively described as magical effect).

However, some Magi may prefer a less open ended, more concrete approach to this idea. Magically themed stunts that are described as enhancing a weapon attack such as the below options are a way to do that.

Otaro is an unwilling pawn of Nethys with an affinity for ancient artifacts. A naturally gifted sword fighter and master Magus, Otaro's youth belies his ability for melding eldritch energies with his deadly bladework.

Shocking Blade: Because I am able to generate a magical paralyzing shock around my weapon, when I would roll 4dF to attack with my weapon I may instead roll 6dF and choose the four (4) best dice for my result. This is an electric attack and I cannot use this Stunt against opponents who are immune to electricity.

Vampiric Blade: Because I am able to generate a magical necromantic aura around my weapon, when I attack with my weapon and inflict a consequence I may clear one of my stress boxes or my Mild consequence. This is a life-affecting attack and I cannot use this Stunt against opponents who are not living such as constructs, undead, and some outsiders (GM's discretion applies).

Chilling Blade: Because I am able to generate a magical aura of intense elemental cold around my weapon, when I attack with my weapon and inflict a consequence I may also add a circumstantial Aspect with two free invocations to my target called Chilled To The Bone. This Aspect can be overcome by appropriate magic as a Superb (+5) difficulty, or by mundane means of warming the target up as a Great (+4) difficulty (but this usually takes more than an exchange to set up). If the target already has this Aspect applied to them I may add another invocation. This Aspect can be invoked by anyone to hamper the actions of the target. I cannot use this Stunt on targets that are immune to cold.