Is the Mystic (from the Dragonlance Campaign Setting) too weak?

[victorysaber]

As the title says... is the mystic too weak? From the Dragonlance Campaign Setting.

The mystic is basically a spontaneous divine spellcaster with sorcerer-like spells known and per day. He gets only one domain, and no heavy armour proficiency. Cleric-type BAB & saves.

Well yes... is he too weak? As a class?

I was thinking of giving him back the heavy armour proficiency and two domains, and give him the ability to turn outsiders the way clerics turn undead. Is that too much? Or what should be given to make him level with other classes?

Or am I thinking too much?

 

[wedgeski]

In my current Age of Mortals campaign the players took about 6 levels of getting sick of the Mystic's frailty and somewhat difficult role in the party, and decided on an epiphany into cleric. I'm not sure the class works very well in its current incarnation.

 

[pawsplay]

It looked all right on paper, but I haven't tried one in play. However, the UA spontaneous cleric has all the cleric features, two domains, and knows more spells than a sorcerer. So at least the authors of UA would consider the mystic weak.

 

[wingsandsword]

One reason I like mystic is that it doesn't have Heavy Armor Proficiency, I'm sick and tired of the cliche of the Divine Spellcaster always being the heavily armored healing battle tank, while the arcane casters are all glass cannons that stay behind and throw big spells. Part of the flavor of a mystic is that it isn't the warrior-priest of the traditional Cleric, it's a different approach to clergy, as somebody who is more focused on enlightenment and personal growth than supplication to a deity, and is more focused on mysticism and divine magic than putting on plate mail and being the walking first-aid station of the party.

To keep the flavor of the mystic class, both in tone with the setting and keeping it distinct from other classes, things that enhance it shouldn't be things that make it more physically powerful, instead be things that make it's spellcasting stronger.

As a spontaneous divine caster, Favored Soul is a lot more powerful, but I prefer the flavor of Mystic over FS.

I'll admit it's a little weak, as mechanically cleric is stronger both physically and magic-wise (if you assume that spontaneous casting and prepared casting are roughly equal, just different in use). I'd really like to see what giving them a second domain could do to their power level, or bonus metamagic/item creation feats ala Wizard, or perhaps both together could make them a little closer to square with a Cleric in terms of power.

 

[Cam Banks]

We've had a serious problem with mystics from the beginning because of the perceived issues with it.

Spontaneous domain casting is excellent, if the clerics don't have it, and given that we opened up the UA style of replacing spontaneous cure spells for spontaneous domain spells in Holy Orders of the Stars it only serves to highlight this issue.

Mystics get the freedom to pick whatever domain they like, but that's again not as big of a long-term bonus as it is a nice flexibility option with chargen.

Personally, I think the mystic needs something to make up for the loss of a domain and heavy armor, and I don't think the spontaneous spellcasting is enough. As they are supposed to be drawing upon the "living web" of ambient magic in the world through their inner faith, in a sense using their beliefs as a framework for working magic, it seems to me that they'd benefit from metamagic feats or something to represent channeling that energy. They don't get turn undead, unless they take the Sun domain, so perhaps what's missing is a baseline equivalent to turn undead that fills that ability's role for the purposes of divine feats (i.e. they are channeling positive or negative energy). Perhaps they can use a turn undead attempt (renamed) to bolster their spellcasting, "buy off" metamagic costs, boost their domain powers, etc.

As "walking domains," in other words, I think mystics need to be better at that than their clerical brothers. That'd seal the deal for me.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[FnordBear]

I am also of the opinion the class is more than a bit underpowered, espcially if compared to a favored soul.

Were I to rebuild the class I would do something like replacing the spell casting with something like warlock/dragon fire adept invocations. I feel these would probably fit the flavor of the class a bit better than saying "It works like a cleric but diffrent"

 

[Crothian]

No, it is not weak. It also isn't a cleric.

 

[Nightfall]

I think that's people's point Crothy. But eh I like it flavor wise compared to say favored soul. I do think maybe something with more oomph might be needed. Maybe instead of spellcasting, perhaps something more like "innate" domain powers. Something that make them taking that domain more powerful than a cleric with the same domains. Take Death domain. Perhaps instead of just "touch of death" power, they also can once per day talk with the dead at say...5th level. Or perhaps raise dead/animate dead type deal once per day.

Something like that.

 

[Crothian]

I think that's people's point Crothy.

If people want a cleric, play a cleric.

 

[Nightfall]

I agree Crothy.