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Message: <blockquote data-quote="takyris" data-source="post: 769924" data-attributes="member: 5171">fusangite: That makes sense.  And I think that's what I was going for with the Mountain Men kinda class.Frankly, a very European tradition that would work well for the monk is the same tradition currently occupied by the bard.19) Let's say that a group of travelling performers comes to town.  In that group, look at Yoleo the Amazing.  Yoleo is a master acrobat.  He gains the interest of the town by turning cartwheels in the town square and leading people to the performers' wagon.  Then, once his stuff is set up, he does amazing feats of balance, walking on thin beams at great heights.  A master of the crowd, Yoleo calls out witty remarks to the crowd as he works, and when night arrives, Yoleo takes out a lute and plays songs that leave the listeners in stitches or in tears.If a town gets ugly, though, or if something sinister threatens the town, Yoleo is more than capable of using the tricks of his trade -- his knowledge of how the body works and the self-preservation instincts of a thousand rowdy fights -- to batter someone down with his bare hands.  He doesn't hold with armor or magic, since both of them can fail you.Yoleo is a straight-class monk.  He took ranks in Diplomacy, Balance, Tumble, and Perform, among other skills.  Describe his fighting skills as quick and decisive rather than "Master of destructive tornado-force"-ish, and you're good to go.20) As another possibility, think of the pearl divers of the small, temperate islands. While the town warriors wear thick armor and bash each other with weapons, the SharkMen of the pearl divers are responsible for the safety of those who make their living at the shallow bottom of the ocean.  They have learned to fight with their bodies alone, defending themselves from sharks -- or even from more sinister enemies, like lizard men or any variety of intelligent aquatic menace -- with powerful, spearing strikes.  Should raiders think to sail in and plunder the city, they will be sorely disappointed, as the SharkMen use their years of training to sneak onto the ships -- or even break them with their powerful attacks.(Monk, max'd out ranks in Swim, possible feats for Aquatic Combat to lessen the penalties.)-Tacky</blockquote>

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