Mystic Class

Lone figures who stride out of the desert, mystics are strange and flamboyant free priests whose words have moved armies and are said to have moved mountains. They require no conventional channels to hear the gods' words, and they shun the convenience of an orthodox hierarchy. At times they are allies of hierarchical clergy, but just as often they are foes. Mystics bring new revelations and new ideas - often gained through euphoric dancing, meditative trances, and other exotic means. At best, the organized church finds their ideas difficult to accept.

Role: Mystics are free priests, and while they may worship the same God as their more organized cousins in the hierarchy, they follow their own agenda, one which may be at odds with that of the ordered faiths. For that reason, the extremely conservative moralists have no love of mystics of any stripe, and the feeling is mutual.

There are as many types of mystics as there are mystics themselves, all of whom receive their revelations and priestly magics in a different fashion. Dervishes receive spells after inducing euphoria or a higher level of consciousness through wild and energetic dancing. For anchorites and hermits, solitude and meditation open a pathway to the gods. Some mystics sing, engage in simple work, take long walks, or employ other means to receive their inspiration.

Equipment: Mystics begin poor, with only one chosen weapon and 3d6 gold each. All donations are welcome after that point. Mystics are very poor initially, but those who attain success tend to drab themselves in wealth.

Restrictions: Members of this discipline may be either gender and any non-genie race, as exemplified by the Dancing Dwarf warriors of the Al-Akara mountains. Mystics must always be of chaotic alignment, though they can be good, neutral or (for NPCs) evil, as they desire. Some mystics become non-chaotics over time, and this is allowed, but they lose the use of the Chaos domain.

Rules: Mystics function exactly as clerics. See PH, p 30. Like all Zakharan priests, mystic select one domain based on the deity they worship, and one domain for the type of creed they represent. As mystics, this is the Chaos domain.

Mystic imams may select not to worship any currently worshipped god, but receive visions and powers from some previously unknown entity. In this case, they get to take any domain they like as their second domain, but can expect even more hostility and persecution from other imams.