Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 EricKollman Jul 22, 2015 21:19:14	I am playing with a module that has a monastery for monks.  It is a simple compound, with a dirt-floored dojo building, burial caves for honored dead of the cloister, and trees that grow harmoniously into the compound.  A premium is placed on meditation.   I am wondering, from a DM's perspective, what are some ideas of things my monk could do (or quests to be given to him) while at this monastery?  Just describing the monastery to him and showing a map would take about 30 seconds.  I am trying to think of follow-on ideas and quests that could come from this that would excite a monk.
#2 Razintarr Jul 23, 2015 3:22:21	Train with a renowned master who resides at the monastery. The master shows him a new technique and orders the monk to practice it while on the road until he masters it. The technique taught is a class feature that the monk receives his next level. To add a bit of flavor to it instead of the normal "you gain a level *ding* you got new abilities".  (In true kung fu movie tradition the way the master teaches is by letting the student do some meaningless task that turns out to be the crucial to a new technique. Wax on, wax off)   Or if the monk is higher level, let the master use him to train some of the younglings. 20 16-year olds that are ordered to attack the monk. Don't make it into an attack-roll fest. Just describe the monk's Neo-like reflexes as he dodges attacks and pushes younglings to the ground. The younglings will learn humility and be shown an example to strive for at the same time.
#3 iserith Jul 23, 2015 7:11:51	EricKollman wrote:
#4 Macv12 Jul 23, 2015 7:52:54	Pretty similar to some ideas above, but still.   The master learns of the monk's newfound skill (through observing him move and Zen out, or challenging him to combat), and says there are deeper teachings for him to study, if he completes some kind of trial.   The master orders him to stay there and defend the monastery, because of some new threat. He must either end his adventures or defy his master...unless the monk/the party can end the threat entirely. Might illustrate a rift where the master sees their martial art as purely about self-defense, while the impetuous young monk thinks they should be more active, or whatever. Depends on what he's like.   The master is arriving in 10 minutes, and the place is a mess. Untrimmed bushes, dirty robes, and the qi of the main garden is totally yin-heavy. Can he use his abilities to feng shui it to perfection in time? (It's all a test, of course.)   The master asks him to demonstrate to the new recruits what they can achieve with dedication. Make up some scenarios, describe what the students try, then ask how he handles them. Say you have a bed of coals to cross. The students try to walk across, but they wince and whine and sometimes quit because it's hot. The monk can show how disciplined he is by walking across no sweat, or how they must open their minds to new views by jumping across without touching the coals, or using Elemental monk water powers to cool them. And of course, they can involve the party to teach a lesson like "I may have weaknesses, but harmony with my friends makes me strong." That kind of thing. Some tasks can be challenging and probably involve rolls, and some mostly allow character expression.
#5 tmsmilner Jul 23, 2015 9:35:07	I know the monk tradition in D&D is typically an Eastern one, but still: it's not a proper monestary if they are not brewing beer.  That wrinkle can lead to generally low-stakes quests *and* hijinx!
#6 BRJN Jul 24, 2015 17:06:18	Ki is kinda like psionics, and the god of psionics is the long-forgotten Auppenser.  A clue at the monastery can lead you to some holy relic of Auppenser.  But like that one PH trinket (gemstone / lump of coal), only those who can harness ki can see the true value of the clue ("scratched-up birdcage" = treasure map). Find the relic and return it to the former Temple of Auppenser in the next town, since converted to another deity.  The janitor and the archivist will know what to do next. Later on, the trail brings you back to the ruined monastery, which seems to have been spruced up a bit in your abscense.  There's a pretty bird living there, too.   If the group Cleric casts Speak with Dead on the fallen masters of former days, they can instruct the PC in a technique that was lost / forgotten / chain of teaching was broken, long ago.  Or within their burial shroud is a necklace and magical gemstone containing a spirit who can teach it.  (It would be disrespectful to just rip up the bodies and take the necklace; it must be given.  Ask the party Wizard to learn Raise Undead, or obtain a scroll thereof.)  The PC has to revive the technique, for only with it can BBEG be defeated for all time.  (Might be Quivering Palm?)