Mystic

A human clad in simple robes walks along a forest path. A gang of goblins emerges from the brush, arrows trained on him, their smiles wide at their good fortune of finding such easy prey for the legion’s slave pens. Their smiles turn to shrieks of terror as the traveler grows to giant size and leaps at them, his staff now a deadly cudgel.

The militia forms in ranks to prepare for the orcs’ charge. The growling brutes howl their battle cries and surge forward. To their surprise, the human rabble holds its ground and fights with surprising ferocity. Suddenly, mindless fear clings to the orcs’ minds and they, despite facing a far inferior foe, turn and run, never noticing the calm half-elf standing amid the militia and directing its efforts.

Baron von Ludwig was always proud of his grand library. Little did he know that each evening, a gnome laden with blank scrolls slipped past his guards each night and dutifully copied his most heavily guarded archives. When the duke’s men arrived to arrest him for dealing with demons, he never guessed that the gnome scribe traveling with them had spent more time in his keep than he had over the past year.

These heroes are all mystics, followers of a strange and mysterious form of power. Mystics shun the world to turn their eyes inward, mastering the full potential of their minds and exploring their psyches before turning to face the world. Mystics are incredibly rare, and most prefer to keep the nature of their abilities secret. Using their inner, psychic strength, they can read minds, fade into invisibility, transform their bodies into living iron, and seize control of the physical world and bend it to their will.

## **Hermits and Outcasts**

Mystics are loners. Most discover the secrets of their power through vague references in tomes of lore or by ingratiating themselves to a master of the power.

In order to master their power, mystics must first master themselves. They spend months and years in quiet contemplation, exploring their minds and leaving nothing uncovered. During this time, they shun society and typically live as hermits at the edge of society. A mystic who studied under a master worked as a virtual slave, toiling away at mundane tasks in return for the occasional lesson or cryptic insight.

When mystics finally master their power, they return to the world to broaden their horizons and practice their craft. Some mystics prefer to remain isolated, but those who become adventurers aren’t content to remain on the fringe of the world.

## **Eccentric Minds**

In order to maintain the strict discipline and intense self-knowledge needed to tap into their power, mystics develop a variety of practices to keep their focus sharp.

These practices are reflected in taboos and quirks, strange little behaviors that govern a mystic’s actions. These quirks are oaths or behavioral tics that help keep mystics in the proper frame of mind while maintaining perfect control over their minds and bodies.

While these taboos are harmless, they help cast mystics as outsiders. Few feel accepted by society, and fewer still care to become integrated with it. To mystics, the life of the mind is where they feel most at home.

### **Selecting Quirks**

To add some texture to your mystic, consider the quirks your character has acquired. These behaviors have no game effect, but your character might become irritated or upset if forced to break them. They’re a great roleplaying tool to add to the game. You can roll on or pick from the table below, or create your own quirks. Aim to create two quirks, to give them more of a chance to come into play. Finally, consider why your character chose these behaviors. What do they say about your character’s personality or background? Are they based on a specific incident or a belief?

## **Creating a Mystic**

When creating a mystic, consider your character’s background. How did you become a mystic? What first drew you to this practice? Are you self-taught, or did you have a master? If you had a master, what is that relationship like?

Consider also why you returned to the world from your hermitage. Did you leave someone or something behind when you took up your studies? Are you driven by revenge or some other motivation?

### **Quick Build**

You can make a mystic quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Intelligence your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity or Constitution. Second, choose the hermit background.

*You must have an Intelligence score of 13 or higher in order to multiclass in or out of this class.*

## **Class Features**

As a Mystic you gain the following class features.

### Hit Points

**Hit Dice:** 1d8 per Mystic level

**Hit Points at 1st Level:** 8 + Constitution modifier

**Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Mystic level after 1st

### Proficiencies

**Armor:** Light

**Weapons:** Simple Weapons

**Tools:** None

**Saving Throws:** Intelligence, Wisdom

**Skills:** Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Religion, Stealth, or Survival

### Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

* (*a*) a spear or (*b*) a mace
* (*a*) a scholar's pack or (*b*) an explorer's pack
* a set of leather armor and two daggers

### **Psionics**

As a student of psionics, you can master and use psionic talents and disciplines, the rules for which appear at the end of this document. Psionics is a special form of magic use, distinct from spellcasting.

**Psionic Talents**

A psionic talent is a minor psionic effect you have mastered. At 1st level, you know one psionic talent of your choice. Choose from Beacon, Blade Meld, Blind Spot, Delusion, Energy Beam, Light Step, Mind Meld, Mind Slam, Mind Thrust, Mystic Charm, Mystic Hand, and Psychic Hammer. You learn additional talents of your choice at higher levels. The Talents Known column of the Mystic table shows the total number of talents you know at each level; when that number goes up for you, choose a new talent.

**Psionic Disciplines**

A psionic discipline is a rigid set of mental exercises that allows a mystic to manifest psionic power. A mystic masters only a few disciplines at a time.

At 1st level, you know one psionic discipline of your choice. Choose from Crown of Despair, Crown of Disgust, Crown of Rage, Mantle of Command, Mantle of Courage, Mantle of Fear, Mantle of Fury, Mantle of Joy, Aura Sight, Intellect Fortress, Mantle of Awe, Precognition, Psychic Assault, Psychic Disruption, Psychic Inquisition, Psychic Phantoms, Telepathic Contact, Adaptive Body, Bestial Form, Brute Force, Celerity, Corrosive Metabolism, Diminution, Giant Growth, Iron Durability, Psionic Restoration, Psionic Weapon, Nomadic Arrow, Nomadic Chameleon, Nomadic Mind, Nomadic Step, Third Eye, Mastery of Air, Mastery of Fire, Mastery of Force, Mastery of Ice, Mastery of Light and Darkness, Mastery of Water, Mastery of Weather, and Mastery of Wood and Earth. The Disciplines Known column of the Mystic table shows the total number of disciplines you know at each level; when that number goes up for you, choose a new discipline.

In addition, whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one discipline you know with a different one of your choice.

**Psychic Focus**

You can focus psionic energy on one of your psionic disciplines to draw ongoing benefits from it. As a bonus action, you can choose one of your psionic disciplines and gain its psychic focus benefit, which is detailed in that discipline's description. The benefit lasts until you are incapacitated or until you use another bonus action to choose a different focus benefit.

You can have only one psychic focus benefit at a time, and using the psychic focus of one discipline doesn't limit your ability to use other disciplines.

**Psionic Power Die**

You gain a psionic power die. At 1st level, this die is a d4. You can use this die to use psionic discipline abilities. Your die's value increases at certain levels of Mystic: 5th level (d6) and 9th level (d8), as shown on the Mystic table in the Psionic Power Die column.

**Max Power Rating**

Each ability of a psionic discipline has a power rating. (This is equal to its psi point cost from the original version of Mystic.) Whenever you attempt to use a psionic discipline ability, roll your psionic power die. If you roll a number higher than the power rating of the ability, you cast it as normal. If you roll a number equal to the power rating, the ability succeeds, but is subject to barring. If you roll a number lower than the power rating, the ability fails and is barred. When an ability is barred, you cannot use the abilities nor the psychic focus from that psionic discipline until you complete a long rest.

**Psionic Ability**

Intelligence is your psionic ability for your psionic disciplines. You use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a psionic discipline or when making an attack roll with one.

* ``**Psionic save DC =** 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier``
* ``**Psionic attack modifier =** your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier``

### **Psi Replenishment**

Starting at 1st level, you can occasionally rebound from a lack of psionic energy. As a bonus action on your turn, you regain the ability to use a psionic discipline you know but have been barred from using due to failing to cast an ability from it. Once you have used this feature, you must complete a short or long rest before you can do so again.

### **Mystic Order**

At 1st level, you choose a Mystic Order from the list of available orders. Choose from Order of the Avatar, Order of the Awakened, Order of the Immortal, Order of the Nomad, Order of the Soul Knife, and Order of the Wu Jen. Each order specializes in a specific approach to psionics. Your order gives you features when you choose it at 1st level and additional features at 3rd, 6th, and 14th level.

### **Mystical Recovery**

Starting at 2nd level, you can draw vigor from the psi energy you use to power your psionic disciplines. Immediately after you use a psionic discipline, you can take a bonus action to regain hit points equal to the power rating of that psionic discipline.

### **Telepathy**

At 2nd level, your mind awakens to the ability to communicate via telepathy. You can telepathically speak to any creature you can see within 120 feet of you in this manner. You don't need to share a language with the creature for it to understand your telepathic messages, but the creature must be able to understand at least one language or be telepathic itself.

### **Ability Score Increase**

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

### **Strength of Mind**

Starting at 4th level, whenever you fail to use a psionic discipline ability, you can choose to add your proficiency bonus to the roll, possibly succeeding instead. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once) between short or long rests.

### **Potent Psionics**

At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon attacks with psychic energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon, you can deal an extra 1d8 psychic damage to that target. When you reach 14th level, this extra damage increases to 2d8.

In addition, you add your Intelligence modifier to any damage roll you make for a psionic talent.

### **Consumptive Power**

Starting at 10th level, whenever you fail to use a psionic discipline ability, you can reduce your current hit points and hit point maximum by the ability's power rating to successfully use it instead. Your hit point maximum returns to its original value upon completing a long rest.

### **Psionic Mastery**

Beginning at 11th level, your mastery of psionic energy allows you to push your mind beyond its normal limits. You gain 9 psi points. Psi points can only be spent on disciplines that require an action or a bonus action to use. You can use a psi point to increase a psionic power die roll by 1 each. When you finish a long rest, you lose any of these special points that you haven't spent.

This feature provides additional psi points at 13th level (11), 15th level (13), and 17th level (15).

### **Psionic Body**

At 20th level, your mastery of psionic power causes your mind to transcend the body. Your physical form is infused with psionic energy. You gain the following benefits:

* You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
* You no longer age.
* You are immune to disease, poison damage, and the poisoned condition.
* Whenever you make a death saving throw and succeed, you can choose for your body to discorporate and disappear. It reappears (without any equipment or clothing) in the last place you took a long rest, or the nearest unoccupied space.