? About Quintessential Monk

[JoeGKushner]

About the only thing I remember in any official literature is the Apocalypse Stone. Monks evolved to help survive in the dangerous times around. About the same time barbarians started making raids and letting their power be known. Interesting module that was meant to go from 2nd to 3rd without any setting specific connections.

 

[cybernetic]

One thing can leave out is the fact that DnD takes place (usually) in Fantasy worlds....who's to say that martial arts didn't develop naturally in Faerun or Oerth just like it did in Asia (and the many other countries and locales...martial arts are not just an asian thing by the way...just because they are portrayed that way)

 

[Hakkenshi]

Actually, we have a great example of monk orders developing into a non-asian setting in the D&D multiverse: the Githzerai.

While they were enslaved by the Illithid, they probably weren't allowed weapons of any kind, and through the centuries of psychic abuse, they developed unparalleled spiritual and physical hardiness. I suppose the unarmed fighting styles must have come over the course of the centuries since then, but they certainly would have helped in the revolt of Gith and Zerthimon.

In fact, unless I'm much mistaken, it's under similar circumstances that Capoeira came to be in our world; from what I understand, it was hidden under the appearance of dance and rhythm, and since the slaves had their hands tied, they learned to rely on kicks and lower-body movements for their martial art.

 

[jollyninja]

i just work under the assumption that groups of peasants started getting together fight club style in somebody's barn because they were sick of waiting for the nobility to defend them from the rampaging orcs, goblinoids and kobolds but could not openly train with weapons because it would make the nobility nervous. in a typical fantasy world, not knowing how to defend yourself is pretty much suicide if you live anywhere near the frontier. as the frontier moved further out the "fight clubs in barns" turned into monasteries or training academies depending on their natures and the societies they exist within and the people began using the tradition as a way to make sense of their lives. philosophies sprung up around the monasteries and voila you have the monk in a midevil european setting. that's how i justify the monk in a dnd setting.