To really Understand what a Mind Mage is, we need to dive into who they work for.

House Dimir

If the Rogue Class was a guild in Ravnica, it would be House Dimir. They are so obsessed with secrets, that the people who obtain the secrets for other secretive operatives keep the secrets from others looking to take those secrets because the organization is so secretive that nobody knows whose leading this secretive organization that the messengers, spies, and assassins are secretly working for. For all anyone knows, all this shit is made up, the leader died centuries ago and is stuck on some weird auto-pilot mode, where the secrets go no where or round and round the organization. By design, members don’t talk with each other. You only receive assignments through secret messages, codes, and telepathic couriers.

Let’s break it down far too succinctly. A long time ago in a fantasy world far far away, a vampire named Szadek, created an organization of couriers, information brokers, and librarians. This quickly changed however when secrets and information became far more valuable than what they were doing and they disappeared. He’s been ruling the guild for the past TEN THOUSAND YEARS, until he was arrested and killed at the Decamillenial Celebration. So who is in charge now? What’s the goal? Why so many spies, assassins, and mysterious brooding cloaked people in the dark corner of the tavern? Great questions!

Nobody knows

Which I guess is all a part of that mysterious intrigue and sense of danger from the group. Nobody knows their true intentions, they just keep gathering information and secrets.

Why is mind mage important to Dimir?

Remember when I mentioned that secretive part in the first paragraph? Yah, well Mind mages are the boogeyman of the organization. They work in the same aspect as other spies, but you can learn to pull thoughts and memories from a person’s mind, use a target’s own thoughts against them, attack your foes’ psyches directly to create delusions, or scour enemy minds clean.

Basically you’re a secret spy with secret mind magic. Nice.

STATISTICS

STR: 10 (+0): basic bro

DEX: 14 (+2): quick on their feet

CON: 10 (+0): hey! They’re just like me!

INT: 20 (+5): fucking book smart

WIS: 15 (+2): got them street smarts too

CHA: 16 (+3): ooo la la!

What makes them fancy pants?

For one thing, each Mind Mage comes with their own SPECIAL GEAR called a Spies Murmer(link). A Spies Murmer is basically what those secret service people wear around their ears where the Mind Mage can communicate telepathically with a dude bro up to a mile away and allow that creature to listen to everything they listen to up to an hour with a bonus action. That’s pretty fucking cool.

Actions

Dagger. Melee or ranger attack: +5 to hit, reach of 5ft. For melee or 20/60 ft. Ranged. Hit: 4(1d4+2) piercing damage.

Okay so without special mind powers,they are kinda lame. Makes sense, they aren’t going around stabbing people. Those are for minions.

Innate Spellcasting (Psionics): Spell Save DC 16 and can cast the following innately meaning you don’t need none of those fancy pantsy components

At Will: Encode Thoughts, Friends.

3/ a day EACH: Charm Person, Detect Thoughts, Mage Armor, Sleep, Suggestion

1/a day EACH: Dominate Person, Mass Suggestion, Modify Memory

Ultimately they are really cool flavor minions. They aren’t one to jump into battle and wreck your day, they are used more has a plot device that keeps things moving and interesting. Just looking at their abilities, they are all about forcing information out of their victims, making them a perfect mid level villain who has some of the pertinent information your group is looking for….

Need ideas? Here’s a few

1. Well first off, if you ARE running a campaign that features these dudes using Ravnica, you can easily shove these buddies as a mysterious third man in your campaign. Need that elusive baddie that rivals your main baddie? House Dimir. Need that that annoying yet still dangerous threat looming about every dark corner? Mind Mages. Need an NPC whose been super helpful and a bro to the group become martyr? MIND MAGES.

2. Not running a Ravnica campaign? No problem! They work super well as higher level NPC minions that work as Judge and jury, which should scare the shit out do your players if they are on the chaotic side. Just imagine that the BBEG is actually the tyrannical king who employs the Mind Mages as the Inquisition. Rooting out those who do not agree with him and executing the rabble.

3. Maybe we can go all out with the broody dark and sorcery bit with the Mind Mage. Imagine having the Mind Mage be a card reader, or basically a Psychic. Whether they can or can’t is up to you, but they would work really well as a charlatan as well.