Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
How do you fit monks into Occidental campaigns?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Codragon" data-source="post: 68318" data-attributes="member: 1924"><p>I think that the Monk class's name should have been "Martial Artist". Think about it. All D&D Monks are skilled martial artists. None of Western Europe's "Monks" (the kind that lived in abbeys, took vows of silence, wore plain brown robes) were martial artists. Since many D&D campaigns strive for an "occidental outlook", this causes confusion. And not even all real-life Oriental Monks were/are skilled Martial artists. Therefore, the Monk class's name is a misleading.</p><p></p><p>Perhaps the reason they kept the Monk name was to attract old-school gamers to 3E by reviving the old 1E Monk class. I have nothing against the class itself, just the name.</p><p></p><p>As an aside, I think core D&D is not based on Western Europe or the Middle Ages as much as most people think. But that's a whole other topic...</p><p></p><p>To answer your question: I would not worry too much about "reconciling" Monks in D&D. As I alluded to above, D&D is not that similar to Western Europe, and even if it was, who says your campaign has to be? Maybe martial artists ARE "Westernish" in your world. Or maybe they are visitors from a far-off land. It's just another campaign decision you have to make, like what mountains the orcs live in or what country borders what.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Codragon, post: 68318, member: 1924"] I think that the Monk class's name should have been "Martial Artist". Think about it. All D&D Monks are skilled martial artists. None of Western Europe's "Monks" (the kind that lived in abbeys, took vows of silence, wore plain brown robes) were martial artists. Since many D&D campaigns strive for an "occidental outlook", this causes confusion. And not even all real-life Oriental Monks were/are skilled Martial artists. Therefore, the Monk class's name is a misleading. Perhaps the reason they kept the Monk name was to attract old-school gamers to 3E by reviving the old 1E Monk class. I have nothing against the class itself, just the name. As an aside, I think core D&D is not based on Western Europe or the Middle Ages as much as most people think. But that's a whole other topic... To answer your question: I would not worry too much about "reconciling" Monks in D&D. As I alluded to above, D&D is not that similar to Western Europe, and even if it was, who says your campaign has to be? Maybe martial artists ARE "Westernish" in your world. Or maybe they are visitors from a far-off land. It's just another campaign decision you have to make, like what mountains the orcs live in or what country borders what. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
How do you fit monks into Occidental campaigns?
Top