The Order of the Ebon Rose (A Sample Monastic Order)

The Order of the Ebon Rose

The Strictures and Morals of the Order of the Ebon Rose are the paths of conduct and regulations of actions. These rules serve as the moral and ethical guidelines for all who observe them. Those who take the Oath as a member of the Ebon Rose swear to honor these ideals and philosophies in all things, even at the cost of their own life, or soul.

The First Moral Dictum of Arminas tar Valantil

Creation is absolute moral imperative of living creatures. We exist only to create, to propagate, to ensure the continuity of our kind. By the act of creation, though it be the quickening of a child, the construction of a vast complex of buildings, the carving of a simple staff, or the education of those who are without knowledge, we sow the seeds of the future. Destruction is not the antithesis of creation, for we recognize that all things perish and crumble in the depths of time. However, destruction for the sake of pleasure, of sadistic delight; purposeless and senseless destruction just because we can; that is the road that leads to Chaos. We are, at times, called upon to fulfill the promise of all living creatures, by assisting them to their final end. We shall never do so without cause or reason, or for personal gain or pleasure. Those who do so, shall be judged by the Masters of the Order, and sentenced to exile within the very realms of Chaos which they have sowed.

In order to create, and to destroy when required, one must have power. The goal of the Order is to guide those who have eyes to see and ears to listen, and souls which seek out for knowledge to increase their own stores and reservoirs of power. By so doing, we form a bulwark between our people and the tyranny of Chaos, as represented by the many, many misguided souls of our world. This is not to say that one must only use power for good. Good, and Evil alike, are nothing more than conceptions forced upon man by those from without. While servants of both exist as pure beacons of each force, man is neither Good nor Evil. We are both, and yet neither. We have the potential to outshine the mightiest beacon of Celestia and to humble the proudest denizen of the Pits. We are concerned nary with either concept. Only with Chaos and Law. For it is only within the boundaries of Law that people are able to grow, to express themselves, to learn and to eventually lead, to create. Always, and forever, it shall be the purpose of this Order to form a dam against the tide of Chaos, so to shield behind us the green valley of Man.

The First Stricture and Regulation: Power

All living, thinking beings possess some degree of power, however insignificant. The Order recognizes that and encourages its members to increase their own inner power. Life, in the philosophy of the Order, is about the accumulation of power. In the words of the Founder “power used not is power which wastes away”, and this ideal is propagated throughout the monastery. All creatures have some degree of power, specifically the power to create and to destroy. The Order encourages the former and discourages the latter. Only through the power of creation does mankind expand his horizons, and with creation power increases at an exponential rate. Destruction, on the other hand, should never be done purely for the sake of destruction, for that way lies Chaos. Sometimes, destruction of a foe is the only answer, but it should never be the first answer. Always, a student of the Ebon Rose must balance his acts of destruction against his acts of creation. “For each that we destroy, we must renew and restore, create anew; lest in our arrogance, we fall to the trap of pride and the ways of Chaos”, said the Founder.

The Second Moral Dictum of Arminas tar Valantil

Power without purpose is as barren and wasted as soil without water. It is a desert which appears without life, awaiting the rain that will cause it to bloom and prosper. That purpose is responsibility. We of this Order of brothers and sisters are the keepers of our own fate and destiny. It is our purpose in life to guide, to protect, to educate, and when necessary, to cull those around us. We are the keepers of Order and the Guardians against Chaos. Yet, in our duties to others, we also have duties to self; to act with honor at all times, and in all things; to shirk no burden for fear of death or failure; or perhaps worse, to fail to act decisively when action is called for. We bear a heavy duty, my brothers and sisters, for it is our destiny to shepherd Man to a better way of life. To accomplish this goal, we must become the keepers of Man’s honor and fate. The power we wield must be used to further our goals and to create a society in which all shall share in the honor and the glory and the liberty that are the gifts of Providence to all Man.

There are those among us whom it is our special task to care for. Those who have not yet matured enough, in body or soul, to understand or to act, these you shall protect even at the cost of your own honor. Those who bear children yet unborn, these shall your hand shield from blows, even at the price of your own life’s blood. Those who are driven mad by the vagaries of fate of the too clear perception of knowledge, these you shall comfort and guide and allow no Man, no creature of the darkest fieriest Hells to harm, though it cost you your own soul immortal.

For, through this, we shall preserve and protect our people, as the shepherd guides and guards his flock, that they may, in time, turn the desert of Man’s soul to gentle pastures, filled with orchards and streams, with life and power for evermore.

The Second Stricture and Regulation: Responsibility

“Without responsibility, power is worse than useless, it is Chaos”, so says the Founder of the Order. Indeed, so responsibility is the second of the Strictures. We, each of us, are responsible for a great many duties. Duty to your brothers and sister of the Order, duty to those around us, duty to your own self, these are all the burden of being a member of the Ebon Rose. “Death is lighter than a feather, but Duty is heavier than a mountain,” quoted the Founder many years ago. And it is true today. As a member of the Order, your duty, your responsibility is, and always will be, to others. Whether it is protecting, guiding, teaching, or executing them, your duty will be clear as long as you stay true to the Order.

In addition, we of the Order are charged with the special protections of three distinct groups of innocents: children not yet of age, women who are with child, and those who are mad and insane. Suffer none of these to see harm in your presence, and avenge them wholly and thoroughly as swiftly and ruthlessly as possible, that no one will attempt any action against them without knowing their awaited fate. Should one of our Order be the one to raise hand against this group, in any action other than defense of himself or others, in order to spare more lives or spirits than would be lost, then he shall be proclaimed anathema, and hunted to the end of his days by all who honor the words of the Founder. He shall suffer a fate a thousand times worse, for a thousand days longer, before his soul is sent screaming into the Limbo of Chaos. Should this stricture you disregard, kill yourself before the Order finds you, for mercy shall not be forthcoming.

The Third Moral Dictum of Arminas tar Valantil

Power and responsibility are two of the three towers of our philosophy. Yet, without the third, honor, it is nothing more than unstable construction that must, inevitably, fall. Belief in yourself, in the code which you carry within you, in your own personal sense of honor, that is what steadies all of us to our duty. In all things, brothers and sisters, perform your duties with stout heart and with honor. Those who are without honor are the servants of Chaos. They seek nothing more than their own heart’s desire, without regard for the consequences of their actions. Even if it means your doom, hold fast to the honor of your own soul, and others will see the beacon which you grant to the world around you. Yet, only a fool yields to his foe more ground than must be offered. To those who have no honor, you are bound only to act within the constraints of your own honor, you are free to speak fabrications and falsehoods unto them, but be warned, sometimes the best lie of all is silence.

A wise man knows when to speak, and when to listen, when to foster belief in that which is not true, and when to smile at a foe who has opened himself to deliverance into thine own crushing embrace. But to those who act with honor of their own, even if they do not hold with the philosophy of this Order, to these you shall treat as a brother or a sister. Destroy them if you must, but speak only your honors worth to them, and seek to deceive them not. For honor shall recognize honor and perhaps, in the fullness of time, such a one-time foe may become an ally in this, our war against Chaos. For though they stand outside our dedicated Order, they too, in this world serve a purpose, as indeed do all living creatures.

Hold fast always to your given word, give it forth not lightly, for it shall bind you surer than any Oath. Though it means you take arms against the very Order itself, stand always for your honor, for your word, for your duty. You will be respected for it, and uplifted because of it. Even more critical to my soul, to your soul, and to the spirits of our well-reckoned dead, speak only truth to yourself. Honor only comes from understanding your own being, from never deceiving your own spirit, by accepting something you know is false, by allowing an action to take place by knowing it wrong, to condemn even a hated foe by standing silent and not speaking truth. Honor to the outside is simple, but honor to ones own inner self, that is difficult. But, if you accept these teachings, it is the one thing which counts above all. Without a spine of steel, stiffened by courage, tempered with the white hot core of your souls fierce forge, without your own inner honor, your words and actions are meaningless, your life is naught more than a lie.

The Third Stricture and Regulation: Honor

All members of the Order are expected and required to act with honor, both in their personal lives and in their public demeanor. Honor is vital to the ideals of the Order. Those members of the Order are prohibited from discourteous behavior, from speaking falsely to brothers and sisters of the Order, from slander, and from all activities which might, in the light of day, cast shadow upon our names. You are expected and required to treat those who possess honor with honor and justice. Those who are beneath your station, who have professed no honor, or who have proven themselves honorless, to these you are free to take whatever action it suits you. The stricture of honor applies not to such vermin, and you are to eradicate them with neither mercy nor remorse when you uncover them.

The Fourth and Final Moral Dictum of Arminas tar Valantil

Power. Responsibility. Honor. These words are the core of what we here live by. But one more is required. One more is needed to temper the finely honed steel that you, my brothers and sisters, have become. And that word, that concept, is respect. Always, in every situation, grant respect to those who have earned that right. To those appointed above you, to those who are superior in fact, though not rank, to those who it is your pride to stand beside in open battle. They have earned the right for your respect, and it is a stain upon your own honor to deny them that which they have earned through their own power and responsibility and honor.

Demand the respect of those beneath you, not through words of scorn, but of actions performed. For when you earn their respect, you will find that not only will your methods be enhanced, you will inspire those to follow you in the path of ascension. By your deeds, you will meld Man into that which shall never again fear Diety or Demon, but shall make the planes themselves quake in dread that we will tread there, confident and unafraid, secure in the power that we have secured for us, for all Men, a place that can never be destroyed.

My sisters and brothers, I cannot emphasize enough the crisis that you are about to enter. You have tread the path of power, become more than mortal man ever dreamed, pushed yourself beyond the limits of mortal comprehension, and transcended to a higher existence. You have found yourself bound by duty, and by honor, to those who rest under your hand, to those who ask for your shielding protection, to those who cannot defend themselves. But, all this, is nothing, NOTHING! For without respect, for life, for Man, and above all for yourself, you become sterile, incapable of creating, and Law itself melts down into the anarchy of Chaos. This is my final lesson to you, my children of the mind: with respect, you shall attain greatness. Without it, you are nothing more than the betraying hand of Chaos, cloaked within a disguise of Law and Order.

The Fourth and Final Stricture and Regulation: Respect

The Founder held this as one of the most important tenets of our philosophy: to show respect where earned, to show kindness and compassion to those beneath us, to earn the respect of our betters and our lessers. You must learn this lesson, and learn it well, for it is the price of power to corrupt the wielder, to become the embodiment of Chaos incarnate. Only with the testing of your spirit and soul can you become transcendent, but only with the knowledge and forethought to respect your life, your self, your world, and all living creatures can you truly create. Should you reject this stricture, you are nothing but the Abomination which strives to destroy us all, and quickly shall you find your fate judged.

Hi again everyone.

Here is a sample philosophy of a monastic order which I use in my own campaign (as you might can tell, Master Arminas was one of my oldest and favorite characters). Created long before, in the ancient history of 1st edition, the bare bones of this Order was laid out. Now, I publish it here for all of you. Just a few facts, and then you can let the flaming meteors fly.

The Order of the Ebon Rose

Accepts anyone into the Order as a noviate. Noviates are not trained as monks, but are simply those who wish to have peace, or to learn. Many are people who grow tired of fighting and tension, and just wish to tend gardens and make living things grow. All are accepted by the Order, all serve a purpose.

Overall, the Order is lawful neutral, with a few members who lean towards good and a few who tend towards evil. Master Arminas himself, the Founder, was Lawful Evil.

Initiates into the Order are trained with all simple weapons, and may use all light simple weapons which can be wielded in 1 hand as monk weapons for purposes of flurry of blows. In addition, all Monks of the Ebon Rose are trained to use the Staff as a monk weapon, but it no longer counts as a double weapon when so used.

All monks must devote skill points to either craft or profession, to reflect they had to perform mandatory duties during their earlier training. This may include Profession: Farmer, Herdsman, Carpenter, Cook, Vinter, or Engineer, and Craft: Woodworking, Weaponsmith, Ropemaker, Candlemaker, or Glassblower.

That's the basics of the Order. The philosophy and regulations are detailed above. Only true monks (i.e. those with monk levels) take oaths to uphold the Strictures. Noviates are not required to, but are encouraged to do so.

The Grand Master Arminas

Nothing wrong with it. It's in the spirit of the game. The purists, trolls, and dweebs may give you a hard tme, but ignore them. they are lonely, pathetic and need to feel important.

I like what you did.

I love creating monk orders.

Ever consider having your monks pursue psionics?

Just a minor quibble, but it seems their enhanced weapon use is fairly strong. I would reduce some other aspect of the class to balance it out, requiring the expenditure of skill ranks isn't enough.

How about removing the monks stunning blow ability? That would seem to be a natural trade off for the better use of weapons. By extension, they wouldn't recieve quivering palm either.


Oh and I just want to say that I like the all the extra-flavorful flavor text. Good stuff.

Quip.

Since, in my campaign, as well as that of the person who ran before me, no Oriental weapons exist (as far as the players know, at least), I thought it would be just as simple to rule the weapons as I said above. Otherwise, there would be NO monk weapons for the current campaign group. And really, what's the difference? Same damage (or less), same critical range, same throwing range (since some people insist the Kama can be thrown), it all comes out in the wash.

I would really, really hesitate to remove stunning fist and quivering palm, they are two of the monks most advantageous attack options, and doing so would not, in my own humble opinion, be worth the three or four new weapons which the monk is able to employ. Reduce the number of skill points? I have already increased the number of skill points across the board, all classes have gone up by 2 points apiece.

Shivamuffin.

Yes, I have considered it long and hard upon occassion. In fact, I very nearly re-wrote the class as a psionic sub-type (as the bard is arcane, the paladin and ranger are divine), but choose finally not to. You have to ask yourself, would this be too much? And, without really limiting the psionic powers available (even as a psy-warrior), they could go quite over the limit; especially with psionic attack modes against the defenseless. In the end, I choose not to do so, and just rewrote sections of the class to fit into my campaign setting better.

Anyway, gentlemen, thank you and all those others out there as well. I am always glad when someone reads my some-what long-winded posts and chooses to reply.

Your servant, though hardly servile,

The Grand Master Arminas

Hmm I suppose you're right about the weapons, the "using as a monk weapon" term always set off my munchkin-o-meter. I was thinking it was a bit worse, like any one handed weapon or something. I dunno, dont mind me, need more sleep.

No need to rewrite the class for psionics, just have some members of the order who are multiclass psions and psychic warriors. It has the desired effect style wise, and it keeps the rules simple.