Need Non-Stereotypical Monk [Archive] - Wizards Community

Need Non-Stereotypical Monk [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
The_Basilisk
03-28-07, 02:01 PM Every monk I've made has been a slight variation on the stereotype I have of monks. A kung-fu movie-ish, gi wearing, shaved head asian guy. I need some ideas on making one that breaks this mould I have of them. I have the chance to play a gestalt fighter/monk. Naturally, he will be a more capable combatant than a single classed monk, so that might play into his personality. He should be fairly sociable, as I took some social skills because it will be a solo campaign. (even more reason to have a detailed character) Any ideas? Any input will be appreciated, thanks in advance :monk:
Shalaska
03-28-07, 03:51 PM While a monk should be the gi wearing, shaved head asian guy you have pictured, being a fighter monk changes things up considerably. Remember that as a monk your body becomes a weapon so rather then picturing a monk, picture a fighter that fights more realisticly and thus dirty. This fighter doesn't fight nice he will stab at you and as you pop back up from dodging his sword he catches you with a well planted roundhouse kick to the face. Picture it more as the US Army, who are trained in Judo. They are fighters first but employ there monk abilities to take advantage of situations. Hope that helps.
MatthiasKaiser
03-28-07, 04:29 PM Picture it more as the US Army, who are trained in Judo.

Some individual soldiers may be trained in judo, but that's a matter of individual study rather than training. As a former infantry soldier in the US Army who picked up judo after his tour of duty, I have to say that there's very little overlap in Army hand-to-hand training and judo.

That said, I'll address the actual topic.

If you don't want a stereotypical movie martial arts guru, there is absolutely no reason to play one, even a little bit. The Monk class is a skill set, not a character concept. Play him as a brash brawler, bare to the waist and with long and/or shaggy hair, if you want to. The dour experienced soldier whose favored weapons happen to be his hands and elbows, maybe. The seeker of glory and honor, divine favor, or what have you, whose strength is great enough to smash the life from his enemies with his bare hands. Nearly any martial concept is playable as a monk. Just add "with his fists" in there somewhere, and you're golden. And that's without the gestalt. Fighter makes it easier.
The_Basilisk
03-28-07, 06:48 PM Thanks for the input. I'm starting to picture him as somewhat of an honourable mercenary. He will only take jobs from employers that he respects. Although I would be better off wearing heavier armour instead of my modest wisdom bonus, I think going unarmoured fits his style better. he's a little sneaky. He's not a thuggish brawler, but a brawler with a lot of finesse. He ends fights as quickly as possible, punching them in the throat and whatnot, or subduing them if thats the mission.

These are my ideas so far, inspired by the advice I've gotten. Anyone else care too add or suggest anything for my ideas above?
Ensjak
03-28-07, 07:12 PM A friend of mine once had the idea of playing a fighter/monk as a boxer. All about the training and perfecting his own body but for the purpose of boxing. Still lawful and honorable, no hitting below the belt, no kicking (although grappling was allowed), etc. He also played him as very proud and vain to roleplay a low charisma score. Walked around wearing lots of flashy gold and platinum necklaces and the like. He had a ton of fun playing this character. If it's a solo campaign the DM could work an actual boxing circuit into the storyline so your character could even be a celebrity. I don't know if any of that sounds appealing to the concept you seem to be going with now, but I figured I'd share anyway.
MatthiasKaiser
03-28-07, 07:16 PM One thing. The "honorable mercenary" thing is more valuable as backstory than anything that persists in play. A picky mercenary is a starving mercenary. For every one man that wants to meet and converse with a client, get a feel for him before he accepts his gold, there's a thousand willing to take the money and start stabbing people, because that's the only way to get paid. Honestly, unless your character is part of a very elite group - possible, maybe an explanation for the training that makes your character a gestalt - it's really hard to imagine him as a mercenary that can afford to refuse offers.

Another reason to put the mercenary bit in the past - mercenaries never operate alone. A guy who hires a bunch of mercenaries individually, instead of hiring a company, isn't a guy who wants to win a fight, because they have to be able to work together well. Which means at level 1 you'll be a rank soldier in a mercenary company - a situation that doesn't translate well to most campaigns.

As for the other thing, it will lend you an incredible amount of versatility to choose whether or not to wear armor where appropriate, and still be combat effective.
Thubby
03-28-07, 10:02 PM monks can dumpstat inteligence, especialy if your a ftr/monk. big dumb brute should get you out of your rut, breaking creatures and walls with your fists. (please note that dumb as rocks can be very socialable and very fun to play, especialy with high diplomacy :D)
a street-rat type could work. always getting into brawls has taught you to fight with what's on hand (THE PUN!), and given you a sharp whit.
The_Basilisk
03-29-07, 01:09 AM One thing. The "honorable mercenary" thing is more valuable as backstory than anything that persists in play. A picky mercenary is a starving mercenary. For every one man that wants to meet and converse with a client, get a feel for him before he accepts his gold, there's a thousand willing to take the money and start stabbing people, because that's the only way to get paid. Honestly, unless your character is part of a very elite group - possible, maybe an explanation for the training that makes your character a gestalt - it's really hard to imagine him as a mercenary that can afford to refuse offers.

That's a really good point. Maybe, being all level 1, he could've had a brief stint in a merc group before realizing it wasn't what he wanted. Maybe they were gold-hungry cutthroats that made him realize he was in the wrong line of work.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The_Basilisk 03-28-07, 02:01 PM	Every monk I've made has been a slight variation on the stereotype I have of monks. A kung-fu movie-ish, gi wearing, shaved head asian guy. I need some ideas on making one that breaks this mould I have of them. I have the chance to play a gestalt fighter/monk. Naturally, he will be a more capable combatant than a single classed monk, so that might play into his personality. He should be fairly sociable, as I took some social skills because it will be a solo campaign. (even more reason to have a detailed character) Any ideas? Any input will be appreciated, thanks in advance :monk:
Shalaska 03-28-07, 03:51 PM	While a monk should be the gi wearing, shaved head asian guy you have pictured, being a fighter monk changes things up considerably. Remember that as a monk your body becomes a weapon so rather then picturing a monk, picture a fighter that fights more realisticly and thus dirty. This fighter doesn't fight nice he will stab at you and as you pop back up from dodging his sword he catches you with a well planted roundhouse kick to the face. Picture it more as the US Army, who are trained in Judo. They are fighters first but employ there monk abilities to take advantage of situations. Hope that helps.
MatthiasKaiser 03-28-07, 04:29 PM	Picture it more as the US Army, who are trained in Judo. Some individual soldiers may be trained in judo, but that's a matter of individual study rather than training. As a former infantry soldier in the US Army who picked up judo after his tour of duty, I have to say that there's very little overlap in Army hand-to-hand training and judo. That said, I'll address the actual topic. If you don't want a stereotypical movie martial arts guru, there is absolutely no reason to play one, even a little bit. The Monk class is a skill set, not a character concept. Play him as a brash brawler, bare to the waist and with long and/or shaggy hair, if you want to. The dour experienced soldier whose favored weapons happen to be his hands and elbows, maybe. The seeker of glory and honor, divine favor, or what have you, whose strength is great enough to smash the life from his enemies with his bare hands. Nearly any martial concept is playable as a monk. Just add "with his fists" in there somewhere, and you're golden. And that's without the gestalt. Fighter makes it easier.
The_Basilisk 03-28-07, 06:48 PM	Thanks for the input. I'm starting to picture him as somewhat of an honourable mercenary. He will only take jobs from employers that he respects. Although I would be better off wearing heavier armour instead of my modest wisdom bonus, I think going unarmoured fits his style better. he's a little sneaky. He's not a thuggish brawler, but a brawler with a lot of finesse. He ends fights as quickly as possible, punching them in the throat and whatnot, or subduing them if thats the mission. These are my ideas so far, inspired by the advice I've gotten. Anyone else care too add or suggest anything for my ideas above?
Ensjak 03-28-07, 07:12 PM	A friend of mine once had the idea of playing a fighter/monk as a boxer. All about the training and perfecting his own body but for the purpose of boxing. Still lawful and honorable, no hitting below the belt, no kicking (although grappling was allowed), etc. He also played him as very proud and vain to roleplay a low charisma score. Walked around wearing lots of flashy gold and platinum necklaces and the like. He had a ton of fun playing this character. If it's a solo campaign the DM could work an actual boxing circuit into the storyline so your character could even be a celebrity. I don't know if any of that sounds appealing to the concept you seem to be going with now, but I figured I'd share anyway.
MatthiasKaiser 03-28-07, 07:16 PM	One thing. The "honorable mercenary" thing is more valuable as backstory than anything that persists in play. A picky mercenary is a starving mercenary. For every one man that wants to meet and converse with a client, get a feel for him before he accepts his gold, there's a thousand willing to take the money and start stabbing people, because that's the only way to get paid. Honestly, unless your character is part of a very elite group - possible, maybe an explanation for the training that makes your character a gestalt - it's really hard to imagine him as a mercenary that can afford to refuse offers. Another reason to put the mercenary bit in the past - mercenaries never operate alone. A guy who hires a bunch of mercenaries individually, instead of hiring a company, isn't a guy who wants to win a fight, because they have to be able to work together well. Which means at level 1 you'll be a rank soldier in a mercenary company - a situation that doesn't translate well to most campaigns. As for the other thing, it will lend you an incredible amount of versatility to choose whether or not to wear armor where appropriate, and still be combat effective.
Thubby 03-28-07, 10:02 PM	monks can dumpstat inteligence, especialy if your a ftr/monk. big dumb brute should get you out of your rut, breaking creatures and walls with your fists. (please note that dumb as rocks can be very socialable and very fun to play, especialy with high diplomacy :D) a street-rat type could work. always getting into brawls has taught you to fight with what's on hand (THE PUN!), and given you a sharp whit.
The_Basilisk 03-29-07, 01:09 AM	One thing. The "honorable mercenary" thing is more valuable as backstory than anything that persists in play. A picky mercenary is a starving mercenary. For every one man that wants to meet and converse with a client, get a feel for him before he accepts his gold, there's a thousand willing to take the money and start stabbing people, because that's the only way to get paid. Honestly, unless your character is part of a very elite group - possible, maybe an explanation for the training that makes your character a gestalt - it's really hard to imagine him as a mercenary that can afford to refuse offers. That's a really good point. Maybe, being all level 1, he could've had a brief stint in a merc group before realizing it wasn't what he wanted. Maybe they were gold-hungry cutthroats that made him realize he was in the wrong line of work.