Does a D&D monk automatically imply martial artist?

[Tuzenbach]

I'm wondering if the proliferation of so-called "Kung Fu" movies of the 1960's & 1970's didn't inspire the development of the D&D monk class. If that movie genre had never sprung up, would the monk even have been included in the 1E D&D Player's Handbook?



And was it Gygax who created it, or somebody else?


Thank You!!!

 

[Grogg of the North]

According to wikipedia, the original monk was created by Brian Blume, was inspired by the Destroyer book series and first appeared in the Blackmoor supplement.

 

[gamerprinter]

I'm wondering if the proliferation of so-called "Kung Fu" movies of the 1960's & 1970's didn't inspire the development of the D&D monk class. If that movie genre had never sprung up, would the monk even have been included in the 1E D&D Player's Handbook?

Of course it was the kung-fu movies that inspired the creation of the D&D monk, obviously so.

And was it Gygax who created it, or somebody else?

Brian Blume created the monk class.