D&D 5E A Monk Based on Kvothe, from "The Name of the Wind": How Do?

[CleverNickName]

For my upcoming campaign, one of my players has told me he wants to play a Monk. Specifically, he wants to play a monk based on the character of Kvothe, in the novel "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss. "I want to play someone who has a mystical ability with his sword," he said. Now personally, I feel that the character of Kvothe would probably be best represented as a Bard, and I suggested it to the player, but no dice. "Nope, I won't play a spellcaster," he said. Not "can't," not "doesn't want to," but "won't." Like a druid with metal armor, it's not happening.

Now I don't need to tell you that this kind of input from your players is solid gold, and most DMs would kill to have their players inject this amount of planning and forethought into their characters. So I am happy to oblige, even though the character doesn't quite fit the campaign setting (which is more of a swashbuckling, Renaissance Italy-flavored setting). I'm not so enamoured with my setting that I won't make changes to accommodate my players. So I asked him why he chose monk, and he said that he had been looking at the Way of the Kensei subclass in Xanathar's Guide to Everything and he thought it would be a good fit for that character. I can't argue with that; it's his character and his interpretation of Kvothe.

You see, there are 5 players in my gaming group, and they are a good mix of min-maxing optimists, rules lawyers, and story-focused improv actors. The player who wishes to play this Kvothe Clone is one of the latter: he does not care about combat optimization, and it drives him nuts how everyone else at the table will examine the rules with a fine-toothed comb, trying to eek out every tiny bonus and advantage for every roll possible. He wants to play this character simply because he admires the character in the story, and wants to examine the game world through Kvothe's perspective. He probably picked Way of the Kensei because the description mentions "weapon" more often than the other subclasses, and isn't a spellcaster.

I'm a little bit out of my element here. Monks are not a common character class in my campaigns...I think I've only ever seen one in this gaming group, and it was years ago, and it was a shadow-monk-assassin-rogue that was optimized all the way to hell and back. And I'm struggling to figure out how to build one that resembles the character of Kvothe, and still makes sense in the campaign. Any advice? How would you do this? Pretend it's an Iron DM challenge, and you were given the following ingredients:

• 5th Edition Monk
• "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
• Renaissance Italy
• Mystical Swordsman
• No Spells

I've got a few ideas floating around in my head, but more heads are better than one. What would you do?

 

[Nephilim00]

It’s been a while since I read the book, but I don’t remember Kvothe doing anything monk-like. Maybe the player needs to elaborate on the character’s qualities he wants to emulate.

Now, off to play my gnome warlock that I patterned off of Conan.

 

[CleverNickName]

It’s been a while since I read the book, but I don’t remember Kvothe doing anything monk-like. Maybe the player needs to elaborate on the character’s qualities he wants to emulate.

Now, off to play my gnome warlock that I patterned off of Conan.

I know right? He's pretty much a textbook Bard. He studies music at the Magic School, he broke a guy's arm just by singing at it. I mean, just look at the cover art:

But I need this character to be a Monk. The player is very excited about playing a Monk, and is very opposed to playing a Bard. And creating a Way of the Bard subclass for it would probably get me laughed out of the room (but it's crossed my mind a couple of times.)

I think it can be done; it's just gonna take some mental elbow grease.

 

[Brotton Goodfellow]

I’m confused as to why you are building this character. Let the player figure it out. Have them come up with a reason there’d be a monk in the setting and how the character is like Kvothe. Collaborate with them if/when needed.

 

[CleverNickName]

I’m confused as to why you are building this character. Let the player figure it out. Have them come up with a reason there’d be a monk in the setting and how the character is like Kvothe. Collaborate with them if/when needed.

I'm not building his character. He asked me for input on how he could build the character. This is the "collaborate with them when needed" stage that you described.

 

[Stormonu]

I know right? He's pretty much a textbook Bard. He studies music at the Magic School, he broke a guy's arm just by singing at it. I mean, just look at the cover art:

View attachment 261429

But I need this character to be a Monk. The player is very excited about playing a Monk, and is very opposed to playing a Bard. And creating a Way of the Bard subclass for it would probably get me laughed out of the room (but it's crossed my mind a couple of times.)

I think it can be done; it's just gonna take some mental elbow grease.

I've never heard of this book, but what about "Way of Song" or "Way of Music" as the name instead?

<EDIT> Maybe use elements of Drunken Master that are highly reflavored?

 

[Mull Ponders]

Your answer should be "I can't give you any concrete suggestions until Rothfuss finishes the trilogy." That should buy you at least another decade!

You are right, Kvothe in no way resembles a Monk. I guess you could build it out with skills, backgrounds and feats? Entertainer is his main profession, proficiency in Perform: Lute. The weapon will have to be a short sword, as there are no simple weapons that match as closely. Edit: or Path of the Kensei. That actually makes sense, as Kvothe didn't start with a sword.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Huh. This is something, but players will be players, and if they didn't throw us curveballs now and then, gaming wouldn't be as interesting.

While I agree the Kvothe is a bard, in Wise Man's Fear he is taught to fight with a sword as part of the martial arts of the Adem. I'd assume that's where this idea is coming from. Between the Entertainer Background and Way of the Kensei, that should suffice. The only thing I'd add is to swap Disguise kit proficiency for Alchemist's tools.

 

[CleverNickName]

Huh. This is something, but players will be players, and if they didn't throw us curveballs now and then, gaming wouldn't be as interesting.

While I agree the Kvothe is a bard, in Wise Man's Fear he is taught to fight with a sword as part of the martial arts of the Adem. I'd assume that's where this idea is coming from. Between the Entertainer Background and Way of the Kensei, that should suffice. The only thing I'd add is to swap Disguise kit proficiency for Alchemist's tools.

This is...

...

...frustratingly good advice. Thanks Ralif! I'll suggest it to the player and see what he thinks.

 

[Brotton Goodfellow]

I'm not building his character. He asked me for input on how he could build the character. This is the "collaborate with them when needed" stage that you described.

Gotcha. Apologies for misunderstanding.

There’s an order of monks (people who live in monasteries, pray to a god, take vows, make gnarly beer), that take orphans (possible connection to Kvothe’s backstory), and raise them to be bounty hunters and lawmen. They are trained to be exceptional swordsmen and have an otherworldly connection to their weapons. Or, the character has some sort of innate ability to wield a weapon and not all of these monks are Kensai.

As for the Kvothe stuff, I think your player really needs to nail down what parts of the character they want to incorporate into the game, because I don’t see it jiving well with the monk class if they just want to play a carbon copy.