Mystic is just WotC releasing a spook to scare off questions about why Spell Point Sorcerer isn’t the default despite being objectively more on brand for the class, change my mind
I adored the playtest for the 5e sorcerer before the 2014 PHB. I haven’t read it in years but my memory is this.
• Hit die were definited by the subclass, with the two example subclasses, wild magic and draconic having a d6 and d8 respectively (look how the DNA of this carried into the PHB with the draconic soul sorcerer getting a +1 per level to hitpoints, but then isn’t explored in any future subclasses.
• Sorcery points and spell slots are a singular meta-currency like spell points.
• Class features generally use spell points too.
• Most excitingly, subclasses have features that come online when you are low on sorcery points.
That final element has this amazing interplay where you feel that you’re burning your humanity (or species neutral equivalent term) as you use magic, and your innate or monsterous side comes through, it was a really cool design and I’d love to see it taken even further with a subclass that also incorporated hitpoints into the flow somehow, meaning that you are a tank before you cast your spells, but literally burn out your life force as you do so, revealing the monster underneath. It could be really cool for a vampire or something else that has an interesting interplay with harm, healing and magic.
The concept didn’t survive playtesting for three reasons, it’s execution wasn’t fantastic, it was far more unique than the other classes and it was far more difficult to learn than other classes. It’s a shame because I’d have loved to see the class iterated on and explored further in playtesting.
I’ve often wondered why I’ve never seen an idea that explores combining Sorcery Points with spell slots but not spell points by using 1st level spell slots as sorcery points and offering far more low level spell slots than currently offered, but still less than the 20 that they have by 20th level. Then lock their subclass features behind having only x amount of spell slots remaining. Sorcerers already fill a niche of being the most reliable low level spell slot slingers with their flexibile casting feature, and with this, they’d have an incentive to burn them up quickly to access the meat of the character fantasy; the subclass.
This would have a totally different resource management to any other class and be narrativly weighted, as to let your true self out (like the avatar state, your vampiric or draconic self, your raw chaos magic etc).
That final element has this amazing interplay where you feel that you’re burning your humanity (or species neutral equivalent term) as you use magic, and your innate or monsterous side comes through, it was a really cool design and I’d love to see it taken even further with a subclass that also incorporated hitpoints into the flow somehow, meaning that you are a tank before you cast your spells, but literally burn out your life force as you do so, revealing the monster underneath. It could be really cool for a vampire or something else that has an interesting interplay with harm, healing and magic.
The Order of the Lycan blood hunter has a similar mechanic. Every blood hunter has abilities with a HP cost, but the lycan might also go berserk if they start the turn with less than half HP.
This is why I subscribe.
A passionate comment about something I didn’t even know about.
Thanks
I played the Mystic class, briefly. I made a martial-focused build, and the DPR was very close to Warlocks and Paladins. The nova abilities were effective but expensive, comparable to smites. Using psi points to put the exact amount of oomph I wanted into an ability was a ton of fun and turned into a threat-analysis minigame – very thematic for an intelligence caster.
Where the Mystic went nuts was the infinite toolbelt. The best way to explain this is through raw numbers. A level 5 Wizard – the de facto swiss army knife of D&D – can have 4 cantrips and 9 spells prepared, plus 1-2 freebie abilities. A level 5 Mystic could have 2 talents, 5 disciplines (each with about 4 active options and 1 focus), plus 1-3 freebies.
In other words, a Mystic could have 30 abilities to a Wizard’s 15. And it shows. While playing, I quickly realized that I had a solution to every single situation. And as fun as it is to be the guy with the shark repellent spray, it’s pretty obviously bad game design.
I think ultimately what I really wanted was an intelligence-based Paladin.
Mystic was no less balanced than Wizard, and the 28 pages was actually pretty light for introducing an entire new magic system. Change my mind.
I’ve always been keen to try a Mystic, but I’ve heard the original was way too OP to ever really run. What alternatives did you find that you would consider acceptable? I’d be interested to read up on them!
MCDM just released their psychic class The Talent. Though I haven’t played it yet I have played with their other classes. The Beastheart and Illrigger are fun as fuck and I can’t wait to play a Talent.
I allowed KibblesTasty’s Psion, Laserllama’s Psion, or alteratively, the 2020’s UA: Psionics Revisited
Hey, a question from a guy new to dnd, what exactly is unearthed arcana? At first I thought it was community generated content, but now I’m thinking is content that didn’t make the cut into full release? Somewhere between the two?
It’s playtest material made by WotC, the company that makes D&D.
Any new ideas that they’re not completely sure about, gets released as Unearthed Arcana first, players then can test it and give feedback, which they can use to balance out any issues it might have, before eventually releasing it officially in a book.
Oh, interesting, thanks! That explains things I’ve heard and read about it and why some DMs might be reticent to run UA.
