Can members of the Mystic Class (Starfinder Core Rulebook, pp. 82-91) function without a diety?
I know that the flavor text on page 82 says that then doesn't, but the information on the Connection ability (page 83) implies that their deity limits what connection they may select. This implies that the Mystic does have a deity, and they are thusly limited, even if not functioning as a priest of that deity.
Am I just being dense?
If you have a deity some connections are inappropriate, but you can be a mystic of any connection without a deity.
If you have a deity some connections are inappropriate, but you can be a mystic of any connection without a deity.
Here is where my confusion pops up. Most characters in Pathfinder have a patron deity, but are not necessarily Priests.
IF the Mystic is not a member of the clergy, does having a patron deity still limit what connection he would have?
From what I understand, the deity suggestions for each of the connections are just that: suggestions. They list the deities that are most likely to grant that kind of connection to mystics who worship them.
Okay. This is because I was looking for a mystic that sees his powers a Psionic rather then divine.
Well, you've got the Empath, Mindbreaker, and Overlord connections which should help fill that concept nicely, depending on if you use your psionic powers to befriend, break, or control others.
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In the Starfinder Society Guild Guide, it specifically says that priests need a deity, but nothing about mystics needing one. Given how strict they are about that sort of thing in Pathfinder Society, that would be a huge oversight if they just accidentally left it out. So I think the intent is that mystics really aren't required to have a deity, even in the stricter Society play than many home games.
Mystics seem to be a blend of cleric, witch, and psychic in that they can be connected to dieties, enigmatic patrons, or even the cosmos itself. It is only Mystics with the Priest theme that require a diety, at least in SFS.
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Like the others have said, you can be a mystic without a deity. In fact, you can be a technomancer priest who believes their magic comes from a deity if you want (Triune being the most obvious choice.)
The listed deity choices are for which deities are most commonly associated with connections. It's not an absolute list, but more like a suggestion. Your mystic believes s/he gets their powers from a divine source? Well here are some deities that work well for that. Your mystic could also just as easily be psychic, or follow a philosophy (like the green faith), or just be a person who feels an inate magical connection to some fundamental force in the universe. A person who is not religious at all but who is very empathic and wants to ease suffering could just have a healing connection.
The reason priests have a deity connection list is because their class has 'connections.' An inate belief that they are tied to some sort of thing larger than thenselves. This is often a deity, but, like I said, it can be a philosophy or maybe just something as simple as a basic belief in wanting to ease suffering. This is in contrast to technomancers, who are less likely to go that route because their class is linked to figuring stuff out with their intellect, not feeling their stuff out with their intuition.
Bottom line: in Starfinder, magic just works regardless of power source. In fact: