Mystic Epiphanies and compounding connection powers

[Drakxldp]

This may have been touched on somewhere but my google-fu is probably failing me. Looking into the Epiphanies I have found something confusing me. They 'replace' the features given at set levels for the Mystic but the Mystic lacks any kind of "may chose lower level abilities when learning new connection powers" tag line (as they were not originally designed with this feature in mind). This is not bad for most connections but there are a few that have compounding abilities like the Star Shaman's Starlight form.

So, in the event that someone takes the Epiphanies [Improved/Greater] Secondary Connection and you lose an ability that is required by later connection powers, what is the solution?

1)Allow the PC to take the lower level connection power 'late' because of the Epiphany 'delaying' their development?

2)Force the PC to take the Improved/Greater versions, and possibly gain a 15th and 18th level connection power that is useless?

3)Every power is gained at the level it should be gained and if you get one that requires something you don't have (due to the Epiphanies) then 'oh well, them's the breaks'?

[Pantshandshake]

Since there's no language allowing lower level connection powers, then it's either 2 or 3, since those are both the same answer.

[HammerJack]

Number 1 could be a reasonable Advice answer.

I believe 2/3 is the Rules answer. Of course they aren't so much "out of luck" as "taking another epiphany".

[Dracomicron]

If you don't have the earlier ability, it probably behooves you to keep taking epiphanies so you're not getting useless stuff.

[Drakxldp]

HammerJack wrote:

Number 1 could be a reasonable Advice answer.

I believe 2/3 is the Rules answer. Of course they aren't so much "out of luck" as "taking another epiphany".

Im leaning towards number one since I am of the mind set 'variety is the spice of life' when it comes to character creation. It almost feels like they forgot that the Mystic is kind of 'cookie-cutter' when they made the Epiphanies and missed that line. Star Shaman and the Shadow connections are the only ones I know of that suffer from that, but I don't see a problem with letting a player lose a 'stronger' ability for a 'weaker' one they missed to avoid redundancy.

[Drakxldp]

Dracomicron wrote:

If you don't have the earlier ability, it probably behooves you to keep taking epiphanies so you're not getting useless stuff.

I was afraid that would be the most apt answer.

The only issue with that I have is "why play [Base] connection..." if you are going to be forced to 'hop' into a second one to make up for something you lost trying to not be 'like every other [same] connection'. I like the idea of the mystic but it feels like they spent all their efforts giving other classes multiple options to make the class PCs want to play and ran out of time to make the 'space cleric' dynamic.

I feel like I'm going to have to take a hippy approach and let my PC 'go with the flow' so they don't feel like a pre-made character with their face instead of the iconic hero pic.

[Pantshandshake]

Drakxldp wrote:

I was afraid that would be the most apt answer.

The only issue with that I have is "why play [Base] connection..." if you are going to be forced to 'hop' into a second one to make up for something you lost trying to not be 'like every other [same] connection'. I like the idea of the mystic but it feels like they spent all their efforts giving other classes multiple options to make the class PCs want to play and ran out of time to make the 'space cleric' dynamic.

You can be a space cleric, if you want, though its not generally considered a good choice. Just take the healing connection.

As far as your other point, between connections, epiphanies, feats, and spells, mystics have a ton of customization options. The only thing making you be a cookie cutter build is... you.