training Mysticism with help of the Mystic Weapon mastery skill

Rock

Is using Mystic Weapon as a training skill for mystics as effective at helping to train quicker as having a mage weapon is for mages?  UOGuide lists the weapon skill as -15, -10, and -5 Mysticism for Mastery tiers 3, 2, and 1.  If that is the case, would it be useful to begin with tier 3 so that effective Mysticism would be at the lowest level?

My active mystic is at 78.2 skill right now, so he still has a bit to go to reach 90 and test this mastery training methodology out for himself.

Rock

I took a break from the game since I first asked about this.  Now that I have been back for a while, I can report what I believe are very positive findings.  My character is named Myst Weaver, and as you might expect he is building Mysticism and Spellweaving.  His original plan was to be an archer as well, but I eventually decided his strength and dexterity were not going to be as high as a really effective archer would like.  So he is swapping out his Archery (first) and Tactics for Musicianship and Peacemaking.  He got his music and peace above 90, and got his Book of Masteries the easy way by peacing 5 mongbats.  (Yes, greater mongbats count, if you really want to take the risk...)

With skill at about 90.7, he read the Level II Mysticism mastery book.  Yes, Mystic Weapon is very helpful in training the Mysticism skill.

• Duration: 6 minutes on ranged weapon, 12 minutes on melee weapon.
• Effectiveness: weapon skill gains Mysticism-10, so initially 80.7.  Mysticism also dropped to 80.7, in a manner analogous to the Mage Weapon property on a weapon.  Mystic Weapon can be recast as needed.  If you want to change to another weapon, just cast it again.
  
• Skill gain: At that skill level, he went to the passages outside Wind to have a heart to heart with some ants. (Well, their hearts, anyway.)  He gains Mysticsm by using a fast (30% SSI) skinning knife on the ants.  Since his Mysticism is also lowered, he also gains by using the Cleansing Winds spell.  In a bit over 20 minutes he advance to 91.3 skill.  Since he is also a peacemaker, he doesn't have to heal that often, but it's nice to know he gains by casting as well as melee attacks.
• Drawbacks: Um, he has to do something instead of stand in place for hours repeating training macros.

Since I started with a Level II book, I do not know if training with a Level I book (-15 Mysticism instead of -10) would have yielded quicker results.  But I am very happy with the results he is getting, so the question is now moot.  Although he is in no hurry to get the Level III book (-5 Mysticism).

WornOutYourTool

Rock said:

• Drawbacks: Um, he has to do something instead of stand in place for hours repeating training macros.

Not if you use a 100% poison weapon on a tamed Wolf Spider *wink wink*

Rock

My imbuer made Myst Weaver a bracelet which includes +12 Mysticism.  I won't wear it while training, but I did want to document that the developers did the math correctly.  Currently:

true Mysticism skill: 94.0

skill cap: 100 (has not yet read a power scroll)

Mystic Weapon penalty: -10

Bracelet skill bonus: +12

net Mysticism: 96.0 (also, skill with any weapon)

In other words, the subtraction is done first.  This is important, because if the addition were done first, his net skill would be 90, not 96.  This is because 94+12=100 due to the cap.  Subtracting 10 from that would net 90, not the 96 he actual has.