D&D 5E Monk stuff (longish post)

[Minsc]

I need some help with a Monk character I'll be playing soon. Bear with me, the thread is a little lengthy.

I want to play a Monk, basically because I never played one before.

The game starts at 5th level, and there is a distinct AL-vibe to the game. Point buy stats. You never know who you'll have in your party with you, and games are designed to wrap up in 4 hours. The game world is a lot like our real earth. The deities all belong to the Greek, Norse, Egyptian, or Old-England pantheons. There /is/ a Feudal Japanese option, but I'm trying to go against stereotypes here. I also know virtually nothing about the setting, and in a heavy RP group, I don't want to screw myself.

So, where in this world did my Monk learn his skills? Are there fighting styles that fit the Monk from the PHB in any setting above, or do I need to go with a traveller from Feudal Japan? Which deity(ies) fit a character like this well? What Monk archetype should I go for?

Thanks a lot guys.

 

[Mistwell]

You may find this link interesting. Concerning the invention of martial arts training in ancient Egypt and Greece.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Formalized unarmed martial arts arise in most cultures of a certain age. How much they are emphasized depends greatly on the government's policies towards armed citizenry and the society's attitudes towards warfare.

I remember reading somewhere that the Spartans were barred from participating in the unarmed combat events of the Hellenistic games: they didn't play to win, they tended to go for lethal strikes... It wasn't so much that Spartans didn't go armed, it was that Spartans were trained to be dangerous even when unarmed.

So your character could be from a very militarized city-state, no problem.

 

[Sacrosanct]

The monk's unarmed fighting ability is vague on purpose. You don't see things like in AD&D that specify "flying kick, circle kick, iron fist, etc". It's not karate, or kung fu, or any specific martial art you assume with a far east culture. It can be whatever style you want, and since pretty much every culture had some sort of unarmed combat style, you're good to go.

For example, I would very much consider this person a monk (this is a style called "Glima", and was popular among vikings in the 8th-11th century)

 

[Ahrimon]

Ask if the GM is willing to re-flavor some abilities. Be a monk that follows thor and then use the elemental monk with some re-flavored lightning/thunder powers. Sounds fun on paper.

 

[Mouseferatu]

There's, like, three or four pulp adventure novels in this one picture...

 

[Rune]

Personally, I'd go with a Friar Tuck type vibe.

 

[Herobizkit]

Savate, or French (from France) boxing/foot-fighting, combines kickboxing with batons/cane-fencing.

Escrima is the national sport and martial art of the Philippines. It combines sticks, knives, bladed and improvised weapon techniques with hand-to-hand combat, joint locks, grappling and disarming techniques.

Krav Maga was developed from streetfighting by the Israeli military. It's more of a lethal response self-defense system than an 'art'; arguably, it's the most lethal hand-to-hand system on the planet.

Basically, Cracked.com said it best. "To find the best martial art systems, look in countries that have had a lot of wars."

I believe the TV series "Human Weapon" covered all of these and more, and if you search online, you may find sites that carry these or pieces of these programs.

 

[Wepwawet]

There's a traditional martial art in Portugal called "Jogo do Pau", literally Game of the Stick. Until recently it used to be huge in rural areas, and there's tales about famous stick fencers. For example there's this guy that while doing the stick fight would cut his opponent's shirt buttons with a pocket knife, without him noticing, one buy one, for an extra humiliating defeat.

In my opinion, the "Monk" name refers to the amount of training and discipline required to be good at it. In any world culture you can think of, doesn't have to be shaolin or japanese.

 

[Blue]

On a tangent: Dark Earth at N&N? The list of pantheons is rather specific.