5e mystic Wu-Jen build help

[TheVagabond]

Hi guys! First time posting. I'm starting in a new campaign soon, and my DM has allowed me to play mystic. I rolled for stats with 17 16 16 15 12 10 as my stats to assign. We're starting at level 3. I'm mainly having a hard time selecting Disciplines as that will ultimately decide how I play my character. I'm supposed to be damage/ utility.

My first thought was to go full caster with disciplines being: Mastery of Air, Mastery of Force (or Water), Psychic Assault, and another utility option (I was contemplating Psionic Restoration).

Then I thought about making it a little bit more versatile by throwing some melee in the mix to really take advantage of Potent Psionics. The discipline layout would be something like, Mastery of Air, Mastery of Force, Mastery of Wood and Earth, Psychic Assault, Intellect Fortress, Brute Force. Stuff like that.

If there's something you feel like I'm missing or a great Discipline that I skipped, hit me with some knowledge!

[Mortis_Elrod]

What level are you starting ? I would always go with master of Force over Water. Force can be fully used at level 3, and has all good abilities (except maybe push but it's not bad either ). I would recommend precognition as well it's a nice buff and winning initiative is key. Most of the elemental disciplines will be useful, I might also recommend telepathic contact, for some out of combat utility. Psionic Restoration is always good.


Among the nuking with melee disciplines my favorite is brute force's knock back. Used reaction instead of bonus action, and is not hard to use.

[TheVagabond]

Yeah, we're starting at level 3. Just fixed that. Thanks for the input! As far as going full caster or coward melee-caster (he'd use Mastery of Wood and Earth's animate weapon and Brute Force for most attacks), which would be the better option?

[Mortis_Elrod]

Yeah, we're starting at level 3. Just fixed that. Thanks for the input! As far as going full caster or coward melee-caster (he'd use Mastery of Wood and Earth's animate weapon and Brute Force for most attacks), which would be the better option?

The thing with melee mystics is that you don't get an extra attack, so it's focused on putting everything into one blow. It's not bad but it's not what some may want.

I prefer gishes, but going for master blaster is very fun on a mystic. Psychic assault is a no brainer, instant damage, and everything after that is just more damage. Mastery of Force should be on every Mystic, gives you the force choke and hold. Also makes them grappled but not you. Inertial armor means that you can forgo armor, and the telekenetic effects aren't bad either. One of my favorite disciplines. Mastery of wood and Earth is good too, adds ac with focus and has a nice weapon attack that is a lightsaber throw. Everything else is gravy.


Last thing I would choose would probably be defensive or mobility focused. Intellect fortress and precognition or both very good. And Celerity and Nomadic Step do similar things, I like teleporting more and it completes the master blaster feel.

[TheVagabond]

Ah I see the issue with melee builds. Master blaster it is! Right now my discipline load-out is Mastery of Air for movement, knock down, and some defense with Cloak of Air; Mastery of Force for all the great goodies it comes with; Psychic Assault for all my damaging needs with some crowd control flair, and the final discipline is where I'm having the most trouble deciding.

I was thinking Psionic Restoration to help the party with heals if need be, but I feel like that's the easy choice. I was thinking some more controller stuff like one of the Mantles, or possibly Nomadic Chameleon, Telepathic Contact, Psychic Inquisition, or Nomadic Step.

[Mortis_Elrod]

Ah I see the issue with melee builds. Master blaster it is! Right now my discipline load-out is Mastery of Air for movement, knock down, and some defense with Cloak of Air; Mastery of Force for all the great goodies it comes with; Psychic Assault for all my damaging needs with some crowd control flair, and the final discipline is where I'm having the most trouble deciding.

I was thinking Psionic Restoration to help the party with heals if need be, but I feel like that's the easy choice. I was thinking some more controller stuff like one of the Mantles, or possibly Nomadic Chameleon, Telepathic Contact, Psychic Inquisition, or Nomadic Step.

I'd go with step. Really good get out dodge ability , later you can take your friends. Telepathic contact is nicer way to do things where as psychic inquisition is a bit cruel. Some of the Mantles are pretty good (command and fury ) but I never got into them. Chameleon is not bad either but invisibility can be done in better ways, and is not as amazing as it was in previous editions.

[Telwar]

Telepathic contact is nicer way to do things where as psychic inquisition is a bit cruel.

What I love about Telepathic Contact is it has two separate dominates, one for when you feel like concentrating, and one when you don't. That's probably my wu jen's next discipline, once we hit 12.

Mostly I've been focusing on relatively ephemeral-looking stuff, like Force, Weather, Air, Light & Darkness, and then Precognition, Psionic Healing, and Psychic Assault. I have a high elf who has Greenflame Blade as his cantrip, but I haven't actually made a melee attack at all.

For my wizard spells, I took Shield (duh), Invisibility, and Counterspell; Invisibility was fungible, but I was mostly looking for things I could not really get using a Discipline, and iirc Invisibility is in a discipline I'm not really otherwise interested in.

[Arcangel4774]

I'm a pretty big fan of mastery of light and dark. The summons are cost effectively op, and seeing through magical darkness is pretty great in its own regard

[Mortis_Elrod]

I'm a pretty big fan of mastery of light and dark. The summons are cost effectively op, and seeing through magical darkness is pretty great in its own regard

I tried to avoid suggesting the broken things. It's not super broken but the summons on light and darkness is too much. I also I didn't suggest the bestial claws, for no action cost free attacks.

[Telwar]

I actually haven't used those, but I started this character at 9, so they may have been more helpful at low levels than now when they'll die to incidental aoe.

Of course, I'd have to borrow the MM to get their stats, which is annoying.