D&D 5E Is "Mystic" a bad class name?

[Dragonhelm]

The mystic was also a class from Dragonlance. In the Dragonlance Campaign Setting sourcebook, the mystic was the divine counterpart to the sorcerer, and predates the favored soul. It gained a single domain, which helped to define the character. Prior to that, the mystic was more of a role in the Dragonlance: Fifth Age game. The Citadel Mystic prestige class in Age of Mortals represented the mystics who studied at the Citadel of Light.

Mysticism in Dragonlance is the "power of the heart." It deals with introspection into your own inner connection with the life energies of the world of Krynn. Sounds a bit like the Force, in some ways.

The Spheres of Mysticism (a throwback to 2e spheres) were all represented in 3.5 with domains. That being said, some of the spheres are pretty good correlations with psionics. Mentalism is telepathy, Sensitivity is clairsentience, and Channeling could be psychometabolism. It is possible that the 5e mystic could stand in for the Dragonlance class, but that may be a hard sell.

So yes, I think the name is great, but I will always associate that name with the Dragonlance class. Personally, I think psion is perfect. It's reminiscent of the psionicist, but is easier to say and a bit more fantasy-like. Sounds like "scion."

 

[Saplatt]

Put me down for another pro-"mystic" vote. Yeah, it's generic, but "psion" sounds way too modern.

 

[AntlerDruid]

I would prefer "Psychic" to "Mystic"

 

[pemerton]

They all have different origins and meanings, warlock "oath breaker", wizard "wise one", sorcerer "speaker of oracles", mystic "initiate of secrets".

They have different etymologies, yes, but not different meanings in contemporary English.

If we retreat to etymologies, then paladin must mean one of Charlemagne's peers, and druid would just be another form of forest-y wizard.

And mystics and sorcerers would be the same (knowers of secrets, possessors of oracular knowledge), which would support psions being a sorcerer sub-class!

But psion was good, it comes from "soul", and I don't know why it has that strong of a sciencey flavor.

Because "psi" was coined for (para/pseudo-)science in the 1940s, as an abbreviation for "psychic" which was itself coined in the second half of the 19th century.

 

[aramis erak]

There have been a number of different incarnations of the Mystic in D&D, none of which has had anything to do with Psionics.

Do you think this was a good or bad choice?

Personally, I think it was a bad choice. Heck even the dictionary definition of the term Mystic doesn't really fit.

I think it only fits because it's the default mode for Star Wars jedi... and the class feels very much like someone didn't get the memo that WotC gave up the SW license...

 

[Jester David]

Mystic fits.
Psion has a very "sci-if" feel for a lot of players, so a new name isn't a bad idea when trying for an entirely different feel. And Pathfinder already called dibs on the name "psychic".

 

[Dragonhelm]

Mystic fits.
Psion has a very "sci-if" feel for a lot of players, so a new name isn't a bad idea when trying for an entirely different feel. And Pathfinder already called dibs on the name "psychic".

Green Ronin beat Paizo to it.

The Psychic's Handbook

Excellent book, btw.

BTW, how about an opinion poll on the name? Include mystic, psion, and psionicist as options for names (and maybe some others)?

 

[Vael]

I think it only fits because it's the default mode for Star Wars jedi... and the class feels very much like someone didn't get the memo that WotC gave up the SW license...

Which, to me, is a good thing. Seriously, when I think Psionics, Jedi is definitely something I want to see emulated. I'm also thinking of a Biotic (From Mass Effect) subclass and matching disciplines.

 

[RotGrub]

I hope psionics still feel alien. I don't want them to be part of the core traditional fantasy. I want them to remain immune to dispel magic and anti-magic zones. Now that I think of it, the sci-fi element really helped to evoke that concept.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

"Metapsychic operant"?