Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Artoomis" data-source="post: 66683" data-attributes="member: 111">Now that we've pretty much beaten the actual rules question to death, and disagreed on what the rules say, the next obvious question is:Given that the rules are unclear (no comments on this, please) let's just forget about the monk armor/shield rules for this discussion, okay?&nbsp; For the purposes of this discussion only, we will assume that NEITHER allowing nor disallowing monkish use of shields is a house rule.Based soley on game balance and similar issues, should a monk be allowed to use shields and still keep their special abilities? (Wis bonus to AC, etc.)...I am propose that a good rule is that monks be allowed to keep their special abilities when using shields, but with the armor check penalties.Why?1.&nbsp; Asian monks did (do?), in fact, use shields but no armor.&nbsp; not a compeling argument, but I just use it to point out that it fits with the monkish concept.2.&nbsp; The monk class appears to designed to be the defensive powerhouse of the game with Wis bonus to AC, AC bonuses as they advance and good saves.&nbsp; Seems like they should be the ones to survive when everyone else is failing saves, etc.&nbsp;&nbsp; From this perspective it would even make sense to let them freely wear armor, but that's just too weird and against a monkish concept.&nbsp; Again, it just seems to fit in with the concept of a D&amp;D monk.3.&nbsp; The armor check penalties should keep silly things from happening, like using a large shield (it would be clearly odd for a monk to do THAT).4.&nbsp; For this to be a problem with game balance one would have to have very high (18+) Dex AND Wis while still having other good stats.&nbsp; That's not likely - and won't happen if you use the point system for assigning stats.&nbsp;&nbsp; Also, keep in mind they are not proficient and get no bonus feats, so probably would not use one on shield proficiency - so any more than a MW or better buckler would impose attack penalties.I see a popular choice being a MW or better buckler which would have no armor check penalty.&nbsp; I don't see this as a problem.P.S.&nbsp; I have no vested interest in the answer.&nbsp; I am not running a monk nor running a game with a monk in it.&nbsp; I think it would be useful for others to see good arguments for and against allowing monks to use a shield (without regard to interpreting the rules).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Artoomis, post: 66683, member: 111"] Now that we've pretty much beaten the actual rules question to death, and disagreed on what the rules say, the next obvious question is: Given that the rules are unclear (no comments on this, please) let's just forget about the monk armor/shield rules for this discussion, okay? [b]For the purposes of this discussion only, we will assume that NEITHER allowing nor disallowing monkish use of shields is a house rule.[/b] Based soley on game balance and similar issues, should a monk be allowed to use shields and still keep their special abilities? (Wis bonus to AC, etc.) . . . I am propose that a good rule is that monks be allowed to keep their special abilities when using shields, but with the armor check penalties. Why? 1. Asian monks did (do?), in fact, use shields but no armor. not a compeling argument, but I just use it to point out that it fits with the monkish concept. 2. The monk class appears to designed to be the defensive powerhouse of the game with Wis bonus to AC, AC bonuses as they advance and good saves. Seems like they should be the ones to survive when everyone else is failing saves, etc. From this perspective it would even make sense to let them freely wear armor, but that's just too weird and against a monkish concept. Again, it just seems to fit in with the concept of a D&D monk. 3. The armor check penalties should keep silly things from happening, like using a large shield (it would be clearly odd for a monk to do THAT). 4. For this to be a problem with game balance one would have to have very high (18+) Dex AND Wis while still having other good stats. That's not likely - and won't happen if you use the point system for assigning stats. Also, keep in mind they are not proficient and get no bonus feats, so probably would not use one on shield proficiency - so any more than a MW or better buckler would impose attack penalties. I see a popular choice being a MW or better buckler which would have no armor check penalty. I don't see this as a problem. P.S. I have no vested interest in the answer. I am not running a monk nor running a game with a monk in it. I think it would be useful for others to see good arguments for and against allowing monks to use a shield (without regard to interpreting the rules). [/QUOTE]

Verification