Monk and Swordsage

[Atlatl Jones]

A recent article by James Wyatt said that a swordsage is not a concept that is easily doable in the core 4e rules. There have also been some strong hints that the monk will not be in the 4e PHB either.

What I'm hoping is that the monk will kill the swordsage and take his stuff. IMO the separation between the two classes is artificial, since they're both essentially mystic unarmored wuxia classes. The monk, with its exclusive focus on unarmed combat, punching dragons to death, may have fit when it was created in the ninja and kung fu heyday of the 80's, but today wuxia and martial arts genre films use swordfighting just as much as unarmed combat.

I'm glad that it's not in the PHB, since the concept doesn't suit all D&D worlds, but I hope that it appears in a later PH, or an asian-themed sourcebook. I also hope that the name "monk" is ditched, in favor of a name that doesn't imply cheesy fortune cookie monasticism.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

A recent article by James Wyatt said that a swordsage is not a concept that is easily doable in the core 4e rules. There have also been some strong hints that the monk will not be in the 4e PHB either.

What I'm hoping is that the monk will kill the swordsage and take his stuff. IMO the separation between the two classes is artificial, since they're both essentially mystic unarmed wuxia classes. The monk, with its exclusive focus on unarmed combat, punching dragons to death, may have fit when it was created in the ninja and kung fu heyday of the 80's, but today wuxia and martial arts genre films use swordfighting just as much as unarmed combat.

I'm Dr. Awkward, and I approve this message.

 

[hong]

I would prefer a less overtly-Asian-themed fast fighter in the PHB. Mearls has actually done this before, albeit not in D&D. The IH harrier can fill the wuxia niche very easily, but has no obvious Asian flavour at all.

 

[Gloombunny]

I would prefer a less overtly-Asian-themed fast fighter in the PHB. Mearls has actually done this before, albeit not in D&D. The IH harrier can fill the wuxia niche very easily, but has no obvious Asian flavour at all.

I'm guessing that the 4e rogue and ranger will fill that role quite nicely, what with all the striker talk we're hearing.

Other than that... yeah, what Atlatl said. Swordsage/monk concept in a later book good, calling it "monk" bad.

 

[hong]

Hey there, Natalie! Still playing Exalted? Mang, this 4E thing is making all sorts of people pop up in all sorts of places.

 

[shilsen]

A recent article by James Wyatt said that a swordsage is not a concept that is easily doable in the core 4e rules. There have also been some strong hints that the monk will not be in the 4e PHB either.

What I'm hoping is that the monk will kill the swordsage and take his stuff. IMO the separation between the two classes is artificial, since they're both essentially mystic unarmored wuxia classes. The monk, with its exclusive focus on unarmed combat, punching dragons to death, may have fit when it was created in the ninja and kung fu heyday of the 80's, but today wuxia and martial arts genre films use swordfighting just as much as unarmed combat.

I would really like it if you turn out to be right. But you forgot to mention anime, without which the people who hate Bo9S can't get appropriately pissed at your post.

I'm glad that it's not in the PHB, since the concept doesn't suit all D&D worlds, but I hope that it appears in a later PH, or an asian-themed sourcebook. I also hope that the name "monk" is ditched, in favor of a name that doesn't imply cheesy fortune cookie monasticism.

How about "baldy"?

 

[Merlion]

Not to sound ignorant, even though thats what I am in this case, but what's a swordsage, and what is Bo9S?

 

[hong]

Not to sound ignorant, even though thats what I am in this case, but what's a swordsage, and what is Bo9S?

The third step in the Iron Heroization of D&D, after IH and PHB2.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060802a

 

[Arkhandus]

The former is a base (20-level) class in the latter. The latter is Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords. It is like unto awesomeness captured in ink.

Except for those punks who despise everything even the least bit non-pseudo-historically-Eurocentric in D&D. *shakes fist at them*

 

[Klaus]

I would really like it if you turn out to be right. But you forgot to mention anime, without which the people who hate Bo9S can't get appropriately pissed at your post.



How about "baldy"?

Nah.

Grasshopper.