Odd Mystic Build - Help Me

[jaappleton]

Here's the deal:

All UA, all books are available. The ONLY things off limits are ones with limitless flight (Winged Tiefling, for example) and Yuan-Ti.

I want to build a Mystic. Mostly a 'mage' style, I think. But since any Archetype can learn any Discipline, what Archetype actually provides the best chassis?

Point Buy.

Starting at lv4.

I get to start with any two Uncommon magic items. Things to note? Headband of Intellect is Uncommon.


So, this begs an interesting question: What race benefits the Mystic the most without requiring Intelligence?

Warforged gets +1 to AC. On a class that gets mostly Light Armor, that's pretty good.
Dwarf nets me Medium Armor, regardless of whatever Archetype I pick.
Halfling is pretty solid all around. Ghostwise would be redundant, but Sout is great.

Those are just the ones that came to me, I'm open to anything.


So, here's the question:

Starting at lv4, with a Headband of Intellect (and ANY other Uncommon magic item), what race and archetype combo is best for a mage-style Mystic?

[Belltent]

With the headband you could basically go in any direction because you can now build around a single attribute (or two.)

My vote is Hill Dwarf Immortal. At level 4 you'll have 47 HP, 17 AC (16 DEX and 18 CON, put the rest of the points wherever you want), and 4 regenerating temp HP every round. Stand wherever you want because you will be the hardiest caster around.

[jaappleton]

With the headband you could basically go in any direction because you can now build around a single attribute (or two.)

My vote is Hill Dwarf Immortal. At level 4 you'll have 47 HP, 17 AC (16 DEX and 18 CON, put the rest of the points wherever you want), and 4 regenerating temp HP every round. Stand wherever you want because you will be the hardiest caster around.

I thought about that one. It does seem pretty darn good, its very appealing. Easily one of the front runners. So much HP, using things like Wind Blast (or whatever its called) to just knock down enemies in front of me. "KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!" :smallbiggrin:

[Belltent]

Another one, more of a battle mage, would be half-elf variant (or any combo that nets you a cantrip) and pick up Green Flame Blade and go Soul Knife, focusing on mastery of fire.

Doesn't start popping til level 5, but you could conceivably get 3d8+14 (that's weapon and modifier damage, 2d8 fire, 2 procs of fire mastery, int mod, and the soul knife +2.) That's sneak attack levels of damage, and your bonus action is always free to take the +2 AC, or whatever BA ability you pick up from whatever other discipline you choose.

[Ferrin33]

With the headband you could basically go in any direction because you can now build around a single attribute (or two.)

My vote is Hill Dwarf Immortal. At level 4 you'll have 47 HP, 17 AC (16 DEX and 18 CON, put the rest of the points wherever you want), and 4 regenerating temp HP every round. Stand wherever you want because you will be the hardiest caster around.

I can't recommend Hill Dwarf, it seems weaker than Variant Human, Gnome, or High Elf. The extra max HP is less important than boosting multiple stats.

I'd recommend getting something other than a Headband of Intellect, though. Either a boost to Dex or Con. That way, even if you lose your item, you will still have your most important stat maxed out, and when you hit level 8 and can get 20 int, you won't be gimped because of that. Stat-boosting items are better for your secondary statistics.

Avatar if you want to be a tough supportive caster, Awakened if you want to be a detective and/or get the Surge ability, Immortal if you want to be a tanky caster, Nomad if you want to be a slippery, skillful caster, Wu-Jen so you can reduce enemy resistances and gain some more flexibility with Arcane Dabbler. (Soul Knife if you want to make blood sacrifices to quench your blades for psi points :p)

A discipline I highly recommend to get before or at level 9 is Crown of Disgust, World of Horror and Wall of Repulsion are both amazing abilities to have. One is a charisma save and an AoE effect that pinpoints even in total chaos, working safely where a fireball would hit a few allies too, or if enemies are too spread out. Wall of Repulsion is cheap battlefield control, and it's invisible.

[Beechgnome]

I guess the question is whether your DM would allow you to make a Mystic with an Intelligence of less than 13. Personally, I'd require that minimum, headband or not.

But assuming you have the 13, and if the rest is taken care of with the headband* a Bugbear Immortal who focuses on Giant Growth would have an extra 10 feet of reach, 15 in Ogre form. (Uh, 20 in Giant form. Now if you could just get a Balor's whip.)

So Str 18 (14+2+2) Dex 14 (13+1) Con 14 Int 13 (19)* Wis 11 Cha 10

Take Psychic Disruption from Awakened for the Distracting Haze power and limit your opponent's sight to 10 feet.

This isn't really a mage, though.

Maybe better to be a Stout Halfling Wu Jen and take Force, Weather and Wood for 13 versatile discipline powers and your choice of focus: either +1 AC (wood/earth), resistance to thunder/lightning or adv. on strength checks.

With Str 10 Dex 18 Con 16 Int 13 (19) Wis 10 Cha 10 you could cast the Force Inertial Armor and get an AC of 18 (14+4), plus the Wood/earth focus to bump it up to 19. And 16 Con gives you 35 hp.

[Sir cryosin]

I agree with the others do not rely on the headband of intelligence as just a bad thing to do. Four races you can get the feral tiefling the variant where you can switch your charisma for Dex so you have +2 dex and a +1 int and a few spells or a Hobgoblin I'm AFB but I do know you get a int bump a martial weapon and others. A high elf for +2 Dex +1int free cantrip, elf weapon training, perception skill. Vhuman magic initiative.
I would say Wu Jen for order. Why Wu Jen well for there arcane Dabbler. From my understanding untell wotc clarify other wise any spell you know can be used in spell slots you create with pp.

[Beechgnome]

It is also worth noting Gauntlets of Ogre Strength are also uncommon. So you could bump your own Int as other posters say and still avoid MAD issues by juicing your strength with the gloves.

[Belltent]

I can't recommend Hill Dwarf, it seems weaker than Variant Human, Gnome, or High Elf. The extra max HP is less important than boosting multiple stats.

I'd recommend getting something other than a Headband of Intellect, though. Either a boost to Dex or Con. That way, even if you lose your item, you will still have your most important stat maxed out, and when you hit level 8 and can get 20 int, you won't be gimped because of that. Stat-boosting items are better for your secondary statistics.


I think the OP was intentionally trying to avoid INT races (because, personally, bleeech.) As a slight tangent, I hope whatever book this comes out in has some new races because ima get tired of high elf mystics everywhere.

[Steampunkette]

I'm gonna suggest something different: Go full Mage as you initially considered.

Awakened Mystic with Nomad Step as your free-choice discipline, Psychic Assault and Psychic Phantoms. Go for Bestial Form as your level 4 Discipline.

For race go Dark Elf. But you didn't start out that way...

Your character was a High Elf, but in a foray into the Underdark to fight against a band of Derro Raiders/Slavers, you and your company were captured by Illithid. They had plenty of food and wanted to experiment rather than consume your brain or make you into a mindless thrall, so they began their cruel experiments, combining your blood and other fluids of that belonging to various subterranean creatures and aberrations just to see what it would do. Your magic became twisted, but grew in power. Your skin was stained by the corruptive efforts of the Mind Flayers, your eyes empowered in the night...

But your mind. Your mind touched something truly powerful while bound to their tables, and an inner peace came upon you. You would not break, even if you could not truly defend yourself from them and, with practice... you made your escape by simply disappearing from the table you were bound to. Your first teleportation...

Since then, you've found solace among your kin as a pitiable thing. Your pale golden tresses gone forever, leaving you with a bald pate. Your beautiful skin striated with streaks of blackness rather than entirely dark or entirely light, tracing your major arteries and veins that all can see the corruptive influence of your blood. But there is only so long one can live as a pitied thing.. and so you set out into the world, knowing that through your power you can master that which lies without once you've mastered that which lies within...

15 dex, 14 con, 13 cha, 12 int, 10 wis, 8 str. After racials 8 str, 17 dex, 14 con, 12 int, 10 wis, 14 cha. Grab the Headband of Intellect and at 14 throw 1 point into Con and Dex for:

Str: 8
Dex: 18
Con: 15
Int: 19 (12)
Wis: 10
Cha: 14

(If you don't mind being cheeky, and are willing to take the Wisdom Penalty, drop the Wisdom to 8 and get your Con up to 15 at chargen and 16 at level 4)

Keep some intelligence for when the Headband gets stolen, broken, or deactivated. Enjoy your 120ft Darkvision and no need to worry about disadvantage on attack rolls in Sunlight since you're throwing a bunch of intelligence saving throws. Oh. And grab Mind Thrust and either Mind Slam or Psychic Hammer.

When in doubt: Teleport. Use the twisted blood inside of you to change form when needed. Batter your enemies with your mind. Share with them the horrors you've experienced.

And enjoy!

[xyianth]

IMHO, the Wu Jen is the most 'mage' like of the mystic orders. With 3x wizard spells on top of all your disciplines you will have plenty of casting oomph. Might I suggest shield, counterspell, and animate dead/dispel magic as viable spells?

As for starting disciplines: mastery of force gives you inertial armor to fix your AC; mastery of light and darkness gives you darkvision that works in magical darkness (and shadow summoning later on); psychic assault gives you +2 damage to talents (like mind thrust) and some great psychic damage powers. For later disciplines, mastery of wood and earth has an amazing wall power.

As far as races go, forest gnomes would be great mystics but if you want a race without an int bonus the variant human can grab magic initiate and pick up a 4th spell for use with your arcane dabbler ability. (find familiar?)

[Ferrin33]

I'm gonna suggest something different: Go full Mage as you initially considered.

Awakened Mystic with Nomad Step as your free-choice discipline, Psychic Assault and Psychic Phantoms. Go for Bestial Form as your level 4 Discipline.

For race go Dark Elf. But you didn't start out that way...

-snip-

When in doubt: Teleport. Use the twisted blood inside of you to change form when needed. Batter your enemies with your mind. Share with them the horrors you've experienced.

And enjoy!

...Damn.

That's pretty cool.

[jaappleton]

Are there any Feats that can impact a Mystic considerably? If not, I can negate the Headband of Intellect if I want and go for something else (Cloak of Protection is always good) since I can get my Int to 18 with an ASI.

So what is there for Feats?

[Steampunkette]

Alert. Maybe Keen Mind if you wanna bump up your intelligence while gaining some minor benefits. Resilient is always good for picking up another saving throw. Maybe Skilled or Linguist?

Not a whole lot of options, really, that meld well with a Mystic "Caster".

Though if you go melee, all the greats apply.

[Belltent]

Are there any Feats that can impact a Mystic considerably? If not, I can negate the Headband of Intellect if I want and go for something else (Cloak of Protection is always good) since I can get my Int to 18 with an ASI.

So what is there for Feats?

Observant can bump up an odd INT score while also increasing your passive perception, which could probably use it.

Mystics technically aren't casting, so no spell-related feats will do.

[traleh]

Hi all I need some advise on building a Mystic Class,this is my first time at running one.
Mystic is Lvl 6
stats:
Str: 9
Dex:7
Con: 10
Int: 15
Wis: 10
Cha: 9

Yes I rolled bad and am stuck with these stats.
Was looking at either a Soul Knife or WU Jen Mystic
Human Variant
All advise or builts will help.

Thank you

[Foff]

I wanted to build a Soul Knife/stealth killer kind of mystic but after seeing how poorly the Soul Knife is featured I decided to go the caster way as well.
As for races go I particularly liked eladrin with their free mystic step and resistances.
I went with the Awakened Order for roleplay reasons and took psy assault, psy disruption, precognition, third eye and psy restoration to cover a wide array of roles.

Used my asi to bump up intelligence to 18, stats are 8/14/14/18/13/10