> I think there are many mystic schools [in Vithela] which include
> elements of worship, which give the practitioners magic powers, but
> ultimately make their mystic progress slower and more difficult (as
> Peter Metcalfe suggests for martial artists).
Well, I actually suggested monks. Not all monks are martial artists.
But to add to my current views, the closest example to a mystic in Sartar are the retired priests of Yelmalio cooped up in the towers. There's an example of a mystical austerity in practice but damned few retirees actually go out and adventure. I know of only one example - Taleo Lumine in the Devil's Playground adventure in the Pavis & Big Rubble book and he's clearly going back to the tower after the adventure. He had a dispensation from his god but I have the feeling that Yelmalio isn't going to be handing out free passes from the towers on a regular basis.
So in my opinion, it's better to have the heroes be monks who don't take vows of austerity. The only time a hero should seriously consider taking the mystical path is when he's being retired from active play. That way you have have reclusive orders which can still do magic without having a brain hemorrhage over whether it is sorcerous, theistic or mystical.
Vithela is a lot trickier than just monasteries and so I'll deal with it in a separate post.
--Peter Metcalfe
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