The Mystic: Wizard/Psion base class

[Empath Negative]

The mystic is a base class tgat grants progression in both arcane and psionics.

D4
Wiz weapons and armor
All knowledges, concentration, autohypnosis, spellcraft and psicraft.

At first level the mystic gains a guardian spirit and chooses a taboo as a wu jen. At sixth, twelfth, and eighteenth level the mystic gains a bonus feat with guardian spirit as a prerequisite as well as an additional taboo.

Mystics must choose three prohibited schools, which may be any school other than divination as a specialist wizard but do not gain the benefits a specialist wizard does. Intelligence is the primary ability score for mystic spellcasting. However, Mystics do not gain bonus spells from having a high intelligence.

Mystics manifest psionic powers as a psionicist does and must choose from either the telepath, seer, shaper, or nomad disciplines. Charisma is the ability score mystics use to manifest powers. Mystics do not gain bonus power points for having a high charisma.


At third level a Mystic may Chastise Spirits as a Spirit Shaman of their class level minus three.

Starting at fifth level mystics also learn the rudiments of binding. Mystics may have a single vestige bound at any time and uses the abilities of that vestife as a binder equal to their class level minus five. At levels 5, 10, 15, and 20 the Mystic may learn to bind a new vestige but is still only able to bind a single vestige at a given time. Because of the rudimentry nature the mystic uses to bind vestiges, binding abilities granted by this class may not serve as a prerequisite for feats or prestige classrs that require binding to qualify.





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[RUMBLETiGER]

So this is a homebrew class that combines 3+ classes?

Does the Arcane and Psionics go up to level 9? or is it balanced at level 4 or something, like the Savant class from Dragon Magazine Compendium?

 

[the Jester]

Your description isn't clear enough for a good evaluation, but it sounds like this class is a base class version of the mystic theurge that combines wu jen, psion and binder. Is that right?

Is there any reason to ever be a single-classed wu jen, psion or binder?

Please don't think "must have three prohibited schools" is a balancing factor, by the way.

What is the spell and psionic ability progression like?

 

[Empath Negative]

Tge arcane and psionics go up to lvl 9. I believe it would have access to a lvl 6 or 7 vestige at lvl 20.

The class endeavors to be roughly on par with a tier 1,,, though I would prefer tier 2.

Its not as powerful as your standard wizard because it gets no bonus spells and loses three spell schools and gains no familiar or bonus metamagic feats.

The question then becomes is there any effect that a 15th level binder or a 20th lvl psion could effect that would be superior to that of a wizard? In some situatiobs.psionics may shine but thus is also where MAD comes.into play. Psi is based on cha, spells are based on int.



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[emoplato]

Tge arcane and psionics go up to lvl 9. I believe it would have access to a lvl 6 or 7 vestige at lvl 20.

The class endeavors to be roughly on par with a tier 1,,, though I would prefer tier 2.

Its not as powerful as your standard wizard because it gets no bonus spells and loses three spell schools and gains no familiar or bonus metamagic feats.

The question then becomes is there any effect that a 15th level binder or a 20th lvl psion could effect that would be superior to that of a wizard? In some situatiobs.psionics may shine but thus is also where MAD comes.into play. Psi is based on cha, spells are based on int.



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It is the fact you have both types of casting. The MAD thing isn't that hard to overcome. Even though you limited the selection you still left some powers on the psionic side that can give some major extra action/drop-in powers as well as wizard preparedness that turns Batman into Dr. Strange.
While the binder doesn't quite match up their are a couple of very viable options to take advantage of. Tenebrous gives at will deeper darkness and see in such. It also has flicker which is a durational ability that allows an immediate action teleport once a round possibly evading all forms of attacks. Also the Rebuke undead can be very handy for gathering henchmen so when you pull a Malphas/Nomad combination you could have touch sneak attacks with other divination type buffs in someone's back when they tried to attack. If they retaliate contingency x.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

With this many things rolled into one, having half-progression in arcane casting and psionics would be a START at balancing this.

 

[Empath Negative]

It is the fact you have both types of casting. Even though you limited the selection you still left some powers on the psionic side that can give some major extra action/drop-in powers as well as wizard preparedness that turns Batman into Dr. Strange.

But the question is still... is it more or less powerful than a basic wizard. Let's say everyone drops enchantment and evocation... they can't drop divination... so that leaves necromancy, illusion, transmutation, abjuration, and conjuration. All of which are pretty powerful schools and will be felt as a loss.

And I hate to repeat but you'll also be able to cast significantly fewer spells per day than a standard wizard.

 

[emoplato]

But the question is still... is it more or less powerful than a basic wizard. Let's say everyone drops enchantment and evocation... they can't drop divination... so that leaves necromancy, illusion, transmutation, abjuration, and conjuration. All of which are pretty powerful schools and will be felt as a loss.

And I hate to repeat but you'll also be able to cast significantly fewer spells per day than a standard wizard.

Wizards can't either, and the bonus spells isn't what makes a wizard great. It is the fact you have item x for spell x not having to prepare spell x in the first place. As far as you explained they have the same. Nomads make the wizard spells of celerity and such child's play as you can literally set a strategy for the course of battle guiding all your pieces in such a way with minimal action cost while blinking enemies out of existence. Telepaths make up enchantment and more because they can split their minds giving them extra casting and concentration actions.

 

[Empath Negative]

With this many things rolled into one, having half-progression in arcane casting and psionics would be a START at balancing this.

No, you're wrong. I mean... isn't that what makes the Mystic Theurge such a terribly gimptastic epic prestige class? Because it alternates advancement at half?


Sure, you can use busted broken mechanics to make anything insanely overpowered in this game... but for the average player?


The average spellslot is significantly more powerful than the average expenditure of power points... the Wizard is Stronger than the Psion. So, if a character spends an action casting a spell or spends an action manifesting a power it's more likely that the most potent effect will be the spell.

Now couple this with what the mystic must sacrifice in order to have the option to manifest those powers and it becomes even less of a benefit.


We know that WOTC considers an exchange of spellslots for spell schools to be a reasonably acceptable one.

Another way to look at it is:

A focused specialist wizard loses his two specialist slots, any bonus slots from intelligence, all of his metamagic feats, and his familiar to gain access to 36 new powers. And these new powers don't even use the same ability score.


The Watchful Spirit allows for an improved chance to go first in a round and a few other minor benefits but isn't significantly better than a high dex score.

The binder abilities all require that the mystic show the sign, cannot be used as a prereq for binder prcs, and only allows you to bind one at a time. And they're all at a -5 caster level.

They're actually significantly worse than the benefits from psion.



So, does the Mystic have a lot of options? Yes. Is the mystic more powerful than your standard Cleric or Druid?

I don't think so. It is, however, an extremely flavorful class.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

No, you're wrong. I mean... isn't that what makes the Mystic Theurge such a terribly gimptastic epic prestige class? Because it alternates advancement at half?

MTs don't alternate advancement at half, they advance as per their underlying classes simultaneously. What makes them "gimptastic" (to use your term) to some is the loss of class abilities (feats, turning, shapechange, etc.) and the prereqs that mean their access to the uppermost 2 levels of spells is a half to a third of the normal casters.

And IMHO, the 3 bonus feats, binding and chastisement easily make up for those lacks.