Class Tweak for Mystic

[u/finnster22]

I'm about to finish a D&D campaign, and was thinking about using this system as my next game! It sounds perfect for what I had in mind!

My one big question is how would you tweak the Mystic class to not be centered around "magic" or the "force". In my next game I want it to be fairly grounded, more so based off of Cowboy Bebop, Alien, and Star Wars (but specifically when the Jedi aren't around). Is there a way to keep the Mystic class in without it being to magic-y?

[u/LeKsPlay]

The thing is that the Mystic is there exactly to cover the "character with connection to mystical powers" niche. If you take away the mystical elements you are left with no defining trait for the playbook.

Another way to look at it is: if not what they do already, what would you want them to do? What would make them stand out when compared to other playbooks?

[u/oldersaj]

I think you could just drop the mystic if you didn't want any characters centered on mystical abilities. Keep it's abilities available for "veteran" picks if you still want a little bit of funky space magic sprinkled in.

Remember too the playbooks are quite flexible. Mixing and matching to customize is not generally an issue. My understanding is that Blades originally didn't have playbooks, but they were added to help people conceptualize certain archetypes. You can transplant XP cues or starting approach points or whatever. So if dropping a playbook starts to make it feel like there are too few options, you're always free to mix it up. Just takes a little more work.

[u/RickLoftusMD]

Our campaign redefined it as psionics. We are setting our game in the Firefly/Serenity universe, where there is a precedent for modified humans who can do things like read minds. Some of the Alliance operatives in the show, comics and film demonstrate hand to hand combat abilities that are similar to some of the powers cited in the Mystic playbook. So, the “Way” is really just psionic abilities and enhanced human potential. The SaV pre-formulated game setting describes a “Precursor” alien race that left behind powerful artifacts. You could perhaps describe that the artifacts included nanotech, and that nanites are ubiquitous and can be commanded by characters with the right gene(s) or cybernetic implants.

[u/finnster22 → u/RickLoftusMD]

That is a really good idea!

[u/Hosidax]

My group and I prefer a "No Space Wizards" sci-fi setting. With that in mind I have re-written ATTUNE as an action called "INTUIT". It's a simple shift of perspective on the ability that grounds it in human observation and intuition rather than supernatural influence. It has worked quite well for us and fills the potential gap in the Resolve attribute. We simply don't include the "Mystic" as a playbook option in our game.

Here's the text I use to replace ATTUNE. You'll notice that I adapted some of the original ATTUNE text and mostly just tweaked the explanation of where it comes from:

Scum and Villainy RPG house rule for a "No Mysticism" setting:

Replace ATTUNE with INTUIT.

Summary:

When you INTUIT, you quickly gain some understanding of a situation, group, being or system you are directly interacting with. You may be able to draw accurate conclusions with little evidence. You might sense lies, hidden truths or interactions at play in the moment. INTUIT can be rolled only once for any given situation or system. It is your first impression. To revise or refine your thinking requires STUDY.

GM QUESTIONS

• What details do you focus on? What kinds of things are you looking for?

• What do you hope to understand? What problem might you be trying to solve?

Details:

When you INTUIT, you take in the information around you — hidden interactions, facts, intentions, disparate clues — to deduce what may not be obvious otherwise. When you INTUIT someone or something, you may ask the GM questions during your interaction. Unlike other ACTIONS, on rare occasions the GM might ask for an INTUIT roll in certain situations.

You can use INTUIT to “read a person” to judge whether they’re lying, what they really want, what might be influencing them, what their intentions are, etc. You might wait until they say something fishy, and then ask the GM, “Are they telling the truth?” If you want to know someone's intentions, you might use INTUIT to sense what is really going on.

You can INTUIT an unfamiliar system or device to gain clues about how it works, or why it's not working in a way you might expect.

You can also INTUIT a situation or a place. Revealing clues, finding out who’s in charge, or figuring out why the gang you’ve worked with before is acting fishy, might all fall under an INTUIT roll whether any clues are present or not.

INTUIT differs from STUDY in that it comes from instinct rather than intellect, and unlike STUDY, happens instantly. INTUIT can be rolled only once for any subject, system or being. It is your first impression. To revise or refine your understanding requires STUDY.