D&D 5E A Mystic Thread: Wu Jen or Kineticists?

Rat Licker, it is!

Xeviat said:

For those who aren't liking the Wu Jen being paired with the Psion and friends in the Mystic, would you rather see it recast as a Kineticist? A Kineticist would need to be a little different, though, as not being focused on one element would feel strange, a-la the classic Pyrokineticist.

What do you think?

I for one like the Wu Jen in the Mystic, as I feel it fits their ... mystical nature. It also helps mold their identity slightly away from the sci-fi psychic.

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I just wish everyone agreed that Monks are psionic, and the mystic used Ki. At that point, I'd be 100% behind Wu Jen being psionic, rather than my current 95%.

doctorbadwolf said:

I just wish everyone agreed that Monks are psionic, and the mystic used Ki. At that point, I'd be 100% behind Wu Jen being psionic, rather than my current 95%.

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Ki Points times 3 transcribes reasonably well to psi points at one half level. I'd be down with psi points being called ki. That's how I'm going to display them in my games. I might even figure out how to make them short rest recovery.


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doctorbadwolf said:

I just wish everyone agreed that Monks are psionic, and the mystic used Ki. At that point, I'd be 100% behind Wu Jen being psionic, rather than my current 95%.

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You know what I agree just call him Mystic Monk and change psi points for ki points and it will all makes sense.

Xeviat said:

Wu Jen or Kineticists?

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Since you said 'or' rather than 'XOR' my output is 'NO.'

Seriously, Kineticist is less bad, because it's not cultural, but still bad because it's weirdly modern/sci-fi sounding. And, it's not like either of them sound cool at the end of "Order of..."

(It's also not like 'Order' is the first sub-class name that leaps to mind for alienated hermits awakening to psionic powers individually. I know, 'Path' and 'Way' are taken... )

Tony Vargas said:

Seriously, Kineticist is less bad, because it's not cultural, but still bad because it's weirdly modern/sci-fi sounding. And, it's not like either of them sound cool at the end of "Order of..."

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It's just a derived word with too many suffixes. But then again, I don't even like class names that end in -er unless that word in that form has a long attested history in that form ("sorcerer": fine; "shadowcaster": try again).

"Order of Wu Jen" sounds all right to me.

Xeviat said:

Ki Points times 3 transcribes reasonably well to psi points at one half level. I'd be down with psi points being called ki. That's how I'm going to display them in my games. I might even figure out how to make them short rest recovery.


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I've actually updated the 4 elements monk as a minor psionic able to choose from some of the wu jen masteries. Still uses Ki to empower them. I think it will work out well and should provide a more interesting elemental monk.

cbwjm said:

I've actually updated the 4 elements monk as a minor psionic able to choose from some of the wu jen masteries. Still uses Ki to empower them. I think it will work out well and should provide a more interesting elemental monk.

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I'd fully support that, as long as they get a little something other than just "spells" at their "Way" levels. That's really my only issue with the monk. Actually, I think way of the four elements monk should use their spells as a bonus action, so they can Gish it up. The sun Soul monk can burning hands as a bonus action.


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Xeviat said:

I'd fully support that, as long as they get a little something other than just "spells" at their "Way" levels. That's really my only issue with the monk. Actually, I think way of the four elements monk should use their spells as a bonus action, so they can Gish it up. The sun Soul monk can burning hands as a bonus action.


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I'm planning on giving them full access to disciplines. They select a new discipline at each way level.

Fact is, I don't see any reason to use psionics at all if its only another flavor of magic (now that it is just magic), with the same powers. It's the same old class bloat from 3.5, rehashed. It's really necessary to add a fire psionic? You already have a fire wizard (mainly evoker), a fire warlock (fiend), a fire cleric ("Light") a fire sorcerer (UA: Phoenix), etc.
I want a new class to be independant of the other classes, somewhat offering at least a different flavor of powers. Wu-jen is only other arcane, intelligence based caster. He can even cast spells without too much effort. So the question is, why do we need adding psionics if its going to be another wizard variant?
Fact is, there is a niche. The niche is the powers specifically linked to psionics in fiction. You can remove the science flavor by only changing the names, and calling them differently, but they must have a different flavor. There isn't much place in Arcane magic for things like telekinesis (1 cantrip, 1 level 4 spell). There isn't any place in clerical magic for the same thing. But you can expand it from a psionic. So yes, a type of kyneticist would be very welcomed. Call it "Order of the Far Hand" (as ¡t was going to be called) and you are done with the "sciency" flavor without repeating the same ol' "I cast a fireball" powers (detonation). I want more of this:



that's currently absent from D&D. I want a guy who can be all Carrie-like, like a poltergeist throwing knives with its mind. I want Darth Vader choking someone with lack of faith.
Also, I want a telepath. A true telepath that could read minds, erase memories, and plant illusions on another creature's brains. I may also like a creature with clarisintience from a different kind (aura reading, psychic imprint, etc) than the wizardry type. Let the wizard have their blast. It's enough with the laser cleric stepping in its toes in medium armor.

I trully don't need another wizard. If I want a wizard, I pick a wizard.