In my campaign one of the players has Knight as his background - which gives him 3 retainers. Now, according to the rules, they're supposed to be background characters not really doing anything other than like cooking and taking care of his stuff. But I though that would be boring. So I talked to my group about it, and we agreed to have them more involved in the game. They don't fight unless they have to, but they are quite active in the roleplay - which is a blast, btw. What I did not tell them, is that I gave them all background stories and a class. One of them is a Mystic, and it's so much fun playing her (and watching the others trying to figure out what each of them is). And it's a good way to try out that class. It fascinated me the moment I first read about it, but I agree that they're a bit OP. This way it's great. I can try out the kinks and since they rarely fight, they don't level up as fast as the others - that way she is never more powerful than the players, but non of them can be killed too easily by the enemies as the story goes on. And it does make sense. They ARE on the road getting experiences and learning stuff! But it really is a great way to try out the class. I'd love to play a Mystic for real in a campaign, but I would talk with the DM and tweak a couple of things.
This is a really neat idea! And I agree. While Mystics are a ton of fun to play, imho, they are entirely too flexible and have other issues, like never having any verbal or semantic components to their abilities, because they aren't true spells. Oh, I'm tied up and gagged? Don't care. I'm still going to mind control an NPC to set me free, and absolutely no one around me will be the wiser. Obviously one of a million examples. Again... fun, but needs some tweaking haha.
So I have zero experience with the UA Mystic and now have a player asking to be one in my new homebrew campaign. Are there any tips on what to alter or at least look at to make it more balanced?
So I have zero experience with the UA Mystic and now have a player asking to be one in my new homebrew campaign. Are there any tips on what to alter or at least look at to make it more balanced?
I wouldn't go for it. Not for a long campaign. They're kind of ok up to about level 6 or 7 (They're still wierd) and from then they get ridiculous and nonsensical.
I'm working on my own version but it'll take a bit longer to wrap up.
I'm a DM but I'm also constantly making characters and just having fun seeing what I can create. The most recent character being a simic hybrid mystic (Order of the Immortal). I think that from a story stand point it works incredibly well and from a game stand point I do see how it could be a bit over powered at least in the beginning. I think the mystic is a good class to have, the versatility is wonderful and while I do think some things could be changed like perhaps adding an extra attack, at least for the orders like Immortal and soulknife which seem to be more aggressive orders as compared to the order of the avatar. I feel like the telepathy ability is really cool but possibly overpowered. The wording says creature but does that mean you cant communicate with other players? Because if you can communicate with other players that would be over powered as any player who could use something like the message cantrip would be able to speak with the mystic perfectly without ever actually being heard by anyone else. I feel the mystic could use some minor tweaks and little balancing but other than that I think it's awesome.
Honestly and am running a campaign with a lv8 mystic. It entirely depends on how you run your game if the mystic is OP or not.
If you run a camapign where there is a single comabt encounter per long rest mystic will be OP simple as. If you run it where there will be many fights per long rest they may start to go underpowered.
The main reason is Psi Points vs spells slots:
Psi points are more versitile than spell slots, while the abilities each a wizard or mystic of equal level can put out over time is roughly equal, the way spell slots work wizard is more a constant damage that can be sustained over a good number of encounter and rounds. Psi points by their nature however mean that mysticss power curve is all over the show they will do the highest damage if done right in a single attack but at that point especially if you put them against the wrong creature they are then low on rescources and of very little use for the res tof the fight. My players psion went for the nomad tree which makes them mainly tracer with alot of attacks miss and they move backwards but each time they save themselves cost them points, issue is that is great but if you burn points every time you are attacks either they dont use them to attakc or they burn even more to stay alive, generally my psion reaches half way before hitting long rests with no psi points and relying on his guns to try and survive while the rest of the party does cool shit.
Key thing is YOU have to ensure you read through the psion abilities carefully ensure they remeber psi limits etc. Most the time i have heard psions go nuts is much like with spellcasters people not reading the Ts&Cs on their abilites. Take for example the above tracer manuever. Now it says you return to where you were the privous round and so the attack misses, issue is as I have repeatedly had to remind my player if you did not move you may tracer rewind but you rewind on the spot meaning guess what the attack still hits.
If you are a one combat encounter than one long rest kind of DM however some advice on things to change:
Alter psi limits if they are reduced their burst capabilities are limited and at that point they even out more like a regular spell caster. Though do beware certain abilities do ned a certain level of psi limit.
Readd greater and lesser domains, so each of those large psychic power domains that they get used to be split between lesser and greater and you could only take a greater if you were the appropriate school of psionics, bring that back and you limit combo powers, you could also say you have to take all your core domain powers BEFORE you can take other schools though for this beware the soul knife has no domains so you may want to make a ruling there.
Bar that just look at what they can do and be creative with ways to make them drain their powers like above where my players keeps trying to dodge the attacks made against him.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Loex - A Lizardfolk Lvl 4/6/4 Hexblade Profane Blood Hunter/ Battlesmith Artificer/ Cleric of the Forge Arborea - A Warforged Lvl 1 Hexblade Warlock
I feel like the telepathy ability is really cool but possibly overpowered. The wording says creature but does that mean you cant communicate with other players? Because if you can communicate with other players that would be over powered as any player who could use something like the message cantrip would be able to speak with the mystic perfectly without ever actually being heard by anyone else. I feel the mystic could use some minor tweaks and little balancing but other than that I think it's awesome.
Players are counted as creauturesbut not monsters. It is not really broken if your players are being creative with things like message (which is not silent they still have to say the thing out loud) or with an old one warlock who has the same ability at lv 1, which basically means is like having two old one warlock in your party which again this would come up. Then your players are being creative and using their abilities, which is cool and should not be frowned upon.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Loex - A Lizardfolk Lvl 4/6/4 Hexblade Profane Blood Hunter/ Battlesmith Artificer/ Cleric of the Forge Arborea - A Warforged Lvl 1 Hexblade Warlock
This is a really neat idea! And I agree. While Mystics are a ton of fun to play, imho, they are entirely too flexible and have other issues, like never having any verbal or semantic components to their abilities, because they aren't true spells. Oh, I'm tied up and gagged? Don't care. I'm still going to mind control an NPC to set me free, and absolutely no one around me will be the wiser. Obviously one of a million examples. Again... fun, but needs some tweaking haha.
So I have zero experience with the UA Mystic and now have a player asking to be one in my new homebrew campaign. Are there any tips on what to alter or at least look at to make it more balanced?
I wouldn't go for it. Not for a long campaign. They're kind of ok up to about level 6 or 7 (They're still wierd) and from then they get ridiculous and nonsensical.
I'm working on my own version but it'll take a bit longer to wrap up.
Check out all my important links here.
May we live in Less Interesting Times
I'm a DM but I'm also constantly making characters and just having fun seeing what I can create. The most recent character being a simic hybrid mystic (Order of the Immortal). I think that from a story stand point it works incredibly well and from a game stand point I do see how it could be a bit over powered at least in the beginning. I think the mystic is a good class to have, the versatility is wonderful and while I do think some things could be changed like perhaps adding an extra attack, at least for the orders like Immortal and soulknife which seem to be more aggressive orders as compared to the order of the avatar. I feel like the telepathy ability is really cool but possibly overpowered. The wording says creature but does that mean you cant communicate with other players? Because if you can communicate with other players that would be over powered as any player who could use something like the message cantrip would be able to speak with the mystic perfectly without ever actually being heard by anyone else. I feel the mystic could use some minor tweaks and little balancing but other than that I think it's awesome.
Honestly and am running a campaign with a lv8 mystic. It entirely depends on how you run your game if the mystic is OP or not.
If you run a camapign where there is a single comabt encounter per long rest mystic will be OP simple as. If you run it where there will be many fights per long rest they may start to go underpowered.
The main reason is Psi Points vs spells slots:
Psi points are more versitile than spell slots, while the abilities each a wizard or mystic of equal level can put out over time is roughly equal, the way spell slots work wizard is more a constant damage that can be sustained over a good number of encounter and rounds. Psi points by their nature however mean that mysticss power curve is all over the show they will do the highest damage if done right in a single attack but at that point especially if you put them against the wrong creature they are then low on rescources and of very little use for the res tof the fight. My players psion went for the nomad tree which makes them mainly tracer with alot of attacks miss and they move backwards but each time they save themselves cost them points, issue is that is great but if you burn points every time you are attacks either they dont use them to attakc or they burn even more to stay alive, generally my psion reaches half way before hitting long rests with no psi points and relying on his guns to try and survive while the rest of the party does cool shit.
Key thing is YOU have to ensure you read through the psion abilities carefully ensure they remeber psi limits etc. Most the time i have heard psions go nuts is much like with spellcasters people not reading the Ts&Cs on their abilites. Take for example the above tracer manuever. Now it says you return to where you were the privous round and so the attack misses, issue is as I have repeatedly had to remind my player if you did not move you may tracer rewind but you rewind on the spot meaning guess what the attack still hits.
If you are a one combat encounter than one long rest kind of DM however some advice on things to change:
Alter psi limits if they are reduced their burst capabilities are limited and at that point they even out more like a regular spell caster. Though do beware certain abilities do ned a certain level of psi limit.
Readd greater and lesser domains, so each of those large psychic power domains that they get used to be split between lesser and greater and you could only take a greater if you were the appropriate school of psionics, bring that back and you limit combo powers, you could also say you have to take all your core domain powers BEFORE you can take other schools though for this beware the soul knife has no domains so you may want to make a ruling there.
Bar that just look at what they can do and be creative with ways to make them drain their powers like above where my players keeps trying to dodge the attacks made against him.
Loex - A Lizardfolk Lvl 4/6/4 Hexblade Profane Blood Hunter/ Battlesmith Artificer/ Cleric of the Forge
Arborea - A Warforged Lvl 1 Hexblade Warlock
DM - "Malign Intelligence"
Players are counted as creauturesbut not monsters. It is not really broken if your players are being creative with things like message (which is not silent they still have to say the thing out loud) or with an old one warlock who has the same ability at lv 1, which basically means is like having two old one warlock in your party which again this would come up. Then your players are being creative and using their abilities, which is cool and should not be frowned upon.
Loex - A Lizardfolk Lvl 4/6/4 Hexblade Profane Blood Hunter/ Battlesmith Artificer/ Cleric of the Forge
Arborea - A Warforged Lvl 1 Hexblade Warlock
DM - "Malign Intelligence"
I’m not frowning upon it, I was just expressing what I thought was a concern but I see your point. I guess it really isn’t that overpowered then.
One thing to remember about the mystic is that there is no multi classing into it.
When the DM smiles, it is already to late.