How do you fit monks into Occidental campaigns?

Enkhidu · Feb 22, 2002

S'mon said:
...Monks fit poorly into some Lawful religions - eg Hextor & Heironeus in Greyhawk shouldn't really have Monk-class followers IMO. The Lawful Suel & Bakluni deities certainly should. [/B]

I definitely have to agree with that statement - Monks in an Occidental setting often have a hard time fitting in to an existing religious framework. Which is why they tend to work much better in home brewed worlds.

An example - Monks in our present campaign world come from the schools run by Agnostic Gnomes (as a culture, gnomes in our campaign world do not believe in divine beings, but in perfection of self through a set of ideals - they have no official priesthoods, but do have schools/monastaries that crank out Monks - trained in body and spirit under a very strict set of rules).

glaucon · Feb 22, 2002

Greetings,
IMHO it's the word 'monk' that causes the problem. That and the fact that EVERY 1st Edition picture of a monk was Oriental in nature... tsk, tsk
The way I see it, any priest could be a monk... if the particular traditions of a church/sect eschew the use of weaponry.. naturally they're going to concentrate on honing the body to be used offensively...

Henry · Feb 22, 2002

In my home-brew campaign, I solved it in a "traditional" manner - there is an asian-flavored continent (or two) in the world, that is a combination of korean/chinese/thai culture, mixed with the feel of the continent of Taladas from the Dragonlance setting. It is a much harsher land, almost apocalyptic in its views of might and right, and many monks who located in the west, came west to escape the place!

Seagrim_Sirius · Nov 3, 2010

The Monk in terms of Science

Instead of thinking of the monk as a 'monk' like typical thought, i agree in saying it should be titled a Martial Artist. Artist in the way of perfecting their art work of a body. But if you are planning on a game with no Eastern philosophy, you can include the Monk class in a more conventional way. The Monk can be titled a "Physician" or a doctor. Using the knowledge of medical studies, and knowledge of the human body, he knows the principals of body mechanics and the most lethal and sensitive areas of the body. For example, a brawler might swing at their opponents face while the Doctor might apply a no-strength block to re-direct the force of the incoming punch, sidestep, then tap the back of the jawline with a protruding thumb or press on the St3 (weak point on the face) and break the eye socket. That would take care of the damage part of the monk, but there are other things to address as well. The abnormal healing and health of the monk could be explained by the superior diet and exercise. He knows what stretches to do, what lifting maximizes good bones. All food for thought, give it a think.

ProfessorCirno · Nov 3, 2010

This thread was eight years old

jdrakeh · Nov 3, 2010

IME, monks were usually just ignored. I think that, of all the AD&D campaigns I have played in, they were only used in one. As a result, I don't really miss them in OSRIC, either. In fact, the other day, it occurred to me that I think OSRIC is a stronger game because it lacks the monk class. The monk has, to me, always seemed to be that one piece of AD&D that did not match. You know, "One of these things is not like the others..."

amerigoV · Nov 3, 2010

ProfessorCirno said:
This thread was eight years old

But monks never go stale - its all the preservatives they put in them.

jdrakeh · Nov 3, 2010

Oh, hey! I did not notice the necromancy! I'd be so dead right now if I was a D&D character!

Set · Nov 3, 2010

Reflavor the monk to be some sort of savage warrior who eschews the use of weapons and armor, believing that they have made man soft and weak and dependent upon tools. Emulating the abilities of the wild animals, until he can punch an oxen into unconsciousness and strike with the swiftness of an adder, the primal warrior is going all Fight Club / Tyler Durden and trying to remove the shackles that 'civilization' has placed upon man and strengthen himself to again be a part of the natural world, and not some weakened and dissolute shadow of what a man can truly be.

The first rule about Wild Fist Style, is that you don't talk about Wild Fist Style.

Dausuul · Nov 3, 2010

Tonguez said:
The Monk class is based on the idea of the Eastern Shaolin/Zen/Taoist Monk as per all those Wuxia/Golden Harvest movies right?

yet most gamers use Westernish settings

How do you reconcile the two?

- Monks are exotic 'oriental' visitors to the campaign region
- Monks are a integral part of normal society
- Monks are changed to have a more occidental outlook whilst maintaining their core abilities

any ideas?

- Monks don't exist.

If there's a good place for monks in your campaign setting, include them. If not, get rid of 'em, simple as that. There are plenty of other classes out there. I detest this idea that anyone who chooses to run a D&D campaign must find room for every class and race and concept TSR and Wizards ever came up with.