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General Tabletop Discussion
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Why not combine the Fighter and Monk Classes?
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<blockquote data-quote="mlund" data-source="post: 5985941" data-attributes="member: 50304"><p>People conflate fighting style and lifestyle too much when addressing the Monk as a class rather than a character build. This is part of why having Backgrounds and Themes are so important - well-designed classes do not put your character background into a straight-jacket. </p><p></p><p>"Monk" is not a class - it is a background. Living and working on a daily basis inside or under the authority of a monastery as a religious. It doesn't constitute any special powers in any culture. In Japan monks were often just retired samurai. A Chinese monastery could have a bunch of pole-arm fighters, kung-fu grapplers, swordsmen, or archers in it - but it could also be populated entirely by non-violent pacifists or mostly by disabled people cast off by a less-compassionate society.</p><p></p><p>All the combat stuff associated with the "Monk" is martial-arts, disciplines and skills that don't require a monastic life-style though they were historically (real world) developed in those contexts. A character could have learned them in a monastery, a dojo, or a military training camp.</p><p></p><p>The extra mystical powers of the monk (centered mind, harmonious body, immunity to disease, mentally blocking pain, etc.) are a narrow enough band of effects that come on over the course of levels that they'd fit into a theme. Even Oriental Adventurers back in the day showed us that these concepts were easily applied to classes that did something other than fight bare-handed or with peasant weapons. Creating a theme allows one to approximate things like the Sohei, Shugenja, or Wu-Jen easily.</p><p></p><p>When you really get down to it, the AD&D Monk class in modern terms is a unique <strong>build</strong> - a combination of Class, Background, and Theme.</p><p></p><p><strong>Monk Build</strong></p><p>Class: Fighter (Martial Artist)</p><p>Background: Monk</p><p>Theme: Mystic Contemplative</p><p></p><p>This leaves the door open for other combinations like these:</p><p></p><p><strong>Sohei Build</strong></p><p>Class: Fighter (Guardian)</p><p>Background: Monk</p><p>Theme: Mystic Contemplative</p><p></p><p><strong>Burly Grappler Build</strong></p><p>Class: Fighter (Martial Artist)</p><p>Background: Thug</p><p>Theme: Reaver</p><p></p><p><strong>Western Monk Build</strong></p><p>Class: Cleric (Priest)</p><p>Background: Monk</p><p>Theme: Healer (maybe Artisan?)</p><p></p><p>Etc.</p><p></p><p>- Marty Lund</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mlund, post: 5985941, member: 50304"] People conflate fighting style and lifestyle too much when addressing the Monk as a class rather than a character build. This is part of why having Backgrounds and Themes are so important - well-designed classes do not put your character background into a straight-jacket. "Monk" is not a class - it is a background. Living and working on a daily basis inside or under the authority of a monastery as a religious. It doesn't constitute any special powers in any culture. In Japan monks were often just retired samurai. A Chinese monastery could have a bunch of pole-arm fighters, kung-fu grapplers, swordsmen, or archers in it - but it could also be populated entirely by non-violent pacifists or mostly by disabled people cast off by a less-compassionate society. All the combat stuff associated with the "Monk" is martial-arts, disciplines and skills that don't require a monastic life-style though they were historically (real world) developed in those contexts. A character could have learned them in a monastery, a dojo, or a military training camp. The extra mystical powers of the monk (centered mind, harmonious body, immunity to disease, mentally blocking pain, etc.) are a narrow enough band of effects that come on over the course of levels that they'd fit into a theme. Even Oriental Adventurers back in the day showed us that these concepts were easily applied to classes that did something other than fight bare-handed or with peasant weapons. Creating a theme allows one to approximate things like the Sohei, Shugenja, or Wu-Jen easily. When you really get down to it, the AD&D Monk class in modern terms is a unique [B]build[/B] - a combination of Class, Background, and Theme. [B]Monk Build[/B] Class: Fighter (Martial Artist) Background: Monk Theme: Mystic Contemplative This leaves the door open for other combinations like these: [b]Sohei Build[/b] Class: Fighter (Guardian) Background: Monk Theme: Mystic Contemplative [b]Burly Grappler Build[/b] Class: Fighter (Martial Artist) Background: Thug Theme: Reaver [b]Western Monk Build[/b] Class: Cleric (Priest) Background: Monk Theme: Healer (maybe Artisan?) Etc. - Marty Lund [/QUOTE]
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Why not combine the Fighter and Monk Classes?
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