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<blockquote data-quote="Man in the Funny Hat" data-source="post: 6194256" data-attributes="member: 32740">As 1E would describe him, in a world where dwarves, elves, wizards, and what-all are NORMAL, the monk is the outsider, the fish-slightly-out-of-water.&nbsp; Caine from the tv series Kung Fu probably IS the prototype.&nbsp; He had a divided heritage and was raised in the distant lands of one half of his parentage, but now wanders the frontiers of the land of the other half of his parentage and that provides interest in the inherent struggles and conflicts.&nbsp; In D&amp;D the monk is typically assumed to be from some far-off monastery and is now visiting other lands using his very different combat abilities and other skills in a continual demonstration of the idea that he IS an outsider.The slightly wider view is that the monk is a warrior - but one whose physical abilities arise as much from mental as physical discipline.&nbsp; I think the view of the monk gets muddied when people want to have his powers derived from supernatural sources - the same spiritual power wielded by clerics or the magical power wielded by wizards.&nbsp; No, the monk is supposed to be a warrior - but a warrior who derives his abilities from MENTAL discipline as well as faces restrictions as a result of needing to maintain that discipline.&nbsp; You can make him a priest-type or magical-type if you like but frankly I thought the psionic orientation in terms of D&amp;D rules fit best.He doesn't have to encompass all-that-is-unarmed-combat.&nbsp; He simply fights unarmed as a rule because THAT keeps him in the odd-man-out role that he's supposed to be filling.&nbsp; He certainly doesn't have to be springing up as an Oriental-oriented class, just as the exotic outsider in a setting where what would otherwise be exotic has already been assigned to be normal.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Man in the Funny Hat, post: 6194256, member: 32740"] As 1E would describe him, in a world where dwarves, elves, wizards, and what-all are NORMAL, the [U]monk [/U]is the outsider, the fish-slightly-out-of-water. Caine from the tv series Kung Fu probably IS the prototype. He had a divided heritage and was raised in the distant lands of one half of his parentage, but now wanders the frontiers of the land of the other half of his parentage and that provides interest in the inherent struggles and conflicts. In D&D the monk is typically assumed to be from some far-off monastery and is now visiting other lands using his very different combat abilities and other skills in a continual demonstration of the idea that he IS an outsider. The slightly wider view is that the monk is a warrior - but one whose physical abilities arise as much from mental as physical discipline. I think the view of the monk gets muddied when people want to have his powers derived from supernatural sources - the same spiritual power wielded by clerics or the magical power wielded by wizards. No, the monk is supposed to be a warrior - but a warrior who derives his abilities from MENTAL discipline as well as faces restrictions as a result of needing to maintain that discipline. You can make him a priest-type or magical-type if you like but frankly I thought the psionic orientation in terms of D&D rules fit best. He doesn't have to encompass all-that-is-unarmed-combat. He simply fights unarmed as a rule because THAT keeps him in the odd-man-out role that he's supposed to be filling. He certainly doesn't have to be springing up as an Oriental-oriented class, just as the exotic outsider in a setting where what would otherwise be exotic has already been assigned to be normal. [/QUOTE]

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