The monk is the most unusual
of all characters,
the hardest to qualify for,
and perhaps,
the most deadly.
That is why the class is given out of alphabetical order at the end of the section pertaining to character classes.
With respect to combat, monks attack on the same table as clerics.
To be a monk, a character
must have the following minimum ability scores:
strength 15, wisdom
15, dexterity 15, and constitution 11.
Monks never gain any XP
bonuses.
DEX gives them no AC adjustment.
ADQ:
Can a Monk character USE both
Gauntlets of Dexterity and
+3 gloves
(from DRAGON magazine)
at the
same Time? Will the effect
of one set
negate the other when worn
together?
ADA:
1st of all, the items which appear
in DRAGON Magazine
are NOT Official
unless otherwise stated.
Even the ones
which are stated to be official
are not in
final form. They are presented
as a rough
workup, and they will certainly
be
adjusted and redefined in
some ways
before inclusion in any
revisions of the
system. I can give you a
working rational
for items such as +3 gloves,
but there is
every chance that Official
work (if any) in
the future may contradict
this.
As a
rule ov thumb, ass ume that no
character may wear more
than one item
ov the same type on the
same part of the
body at the same Time. Thus,
while a
ring and gauntlets could
conceivably be
combined, gloves and gauntlets
are the
same type of item and could
not be used
together.
(Polyhedron #15)
ADQ: Are monks a subclass of clerics?
Of thieves? Of both? Or neither?
ADA: The monk is a character class in
and of itself, not a subcless.
(Polyhedron #17)
Monks are monastic aesthetics
who practice rigorous mental and physical training and discipline in order
to become superior.
Therefore they must always
be lawful in alignment, although they can be evil, good, or neutral
with respect to their approach
to lawfulness. A monk who for any reason loses
this lawful alignment loses
all monk abilities and must begin again
as a first level character.
NPC monks will be aligned as follows:
50% LG,
35% LN, 15% LE.
A brief study of CHARACTER
CLASSES TABLES I and II will reveal that the
monk appears to be quite
weak, even considering that at the topmost level
a monk can have 18, albeit
four-sided, HD (an average of 45 HP
without CON score additions,
if any) and has a good selection
of weapons to choose from.
Monks have no spell ability, cannot wear
armor or use a shield, and
not even flaming oil is usable by them. This seems to
make a weak character lass
indeed. But this impression is false, for monks
have their own special attack
and defense capabilities, certain other
powers, and most of the
abilities of the thief class and some clerical-type
capabilities as well. So,
while the class has drawbacks, it is very strong.
With respect to combat, monks
attack on the same table as thieves. <errata: clerics, not thieves!>
However, they add one-half
of a HP per level of xperience to the
amount of damage they score
wen they successfully attack an opponent
with a weapon. This simulates
their study and knowledge of weapons and
anatomy. A 1st level monk
scores x + 1/2 HP of damage,
where x equals
the damage done by the weapon
used and HP equals the #number# of HP
of damage. A 2nd level monk
does x + 1 when he or she scores a
hit, a 3rd level x + 11/2,
and so on all the way to Grand Master of Flowers
who scores x + 81/2
HP damage. Monks of median level and above
actually fight better without
weapons, using their open hands, despite the
weapon damage bonus they
receive.
Open hand combat damage is
shown on MONKS TABLE II below. In
+addtion+, the monk has
a chance to stun, or even kill, an opponent. An
opponent is stunned by a
monk for 1-6 (d6) melee rounds if the score of
the monk's "to hit" die
score exceeds the min. #number# required for a
hit by 5 or more, i.e. if
a 15 is required, a score of 20 would indicate a stun.
The "to hit" scores rolled
by the monk are never modified by any strength
ability bonuses. The chance
to kill is as percentage which equals the armor
class (AC) of the opponent,
modified by the number of experience levels
above seven which the monk
has attained. AC-1 is a negative chance for
killing, as an example,
but a monk of 9th level (two above 7th) would
allow a 1% chance of killing.
Note that 1) the monk must score a hit, and 2)
the hit must stun the opponent,
and 3) the percentile dice score must be
=equal= to or less than
the AC of the stunned opponent, modified by
the monk's levels over 7th,
in order to score a kill.
Open hand fighting also allows
the monk multiple attacks at such time as
the monk has attained the
4th or higher experience level.
Monks make saving throws
on the table used by thieves, but they gain
certain advantages: Non-magical
missiles (arrows, bolts, bullets, thrown
daggers, thrown javelins,
thrown spears, etc.) which would normally hit
can be dodged or knocked
aside if the monk is able to make his or her
saving throw against petrification
for each such potential hit. In other
respects, if a monk makes
his or her saving throw against an attack form,
the monk will sustain no
damage from the attack, even if the attack form
was a fireball, for
instance. At 9th level (Master of the North Wind) or
higher, a monk who fails
to make his or her saving throw will sustain
but one-half the total potential
damage which the attack form could
deliver, if possible. That
is, a fireball would do 50% of total damage,
but
the gaze of a basilisk
would still petrify the monk.
At 1st level of experience,
a monk is as likely to be surprised as any other
character, i.e. 33 1/3%.
This chance goes down to 32% at 2nd level, and it
thereafter goes down 2%
per level, so there is only a 30% chance of
surprising a 3rd level monk,
a 28% chance at at 4th level, 26% chance at 5th
level, etc.
Monks have the following
thief abilities which they perform at identical
level of xperience to that
of a thief, i.e. a 1st level monk performs as a 1st
level thief, a 2nd level
monk as a 2nd level thief, etc. The abilities are:
1. Open
Locks
2. Find/Remove
Traps
3. Move
Silently
4. Hide
in Shadows
5. Hear
Noise
6. Climb
Walls
Although the chance of falling
while climbing walls is the same as that of
a thief of equal level,
monks can escape taking damage as follows:
-- At 4th level (Disciple), a monk can fall up to 20' if he or she is within 1' of a wall.
-- At 6th level (Master), a monk can fall up to 30' if he or she is within 4' of a wall.
-- At 13th level (Master of Winter), a monk can fall any distance if he or she is within 8' of a wall.
The monk must have an opportunity
to periodically make contact with the
wall during the descent.
The wall is used by the monk to slow the fall so
that no HP of damage are
sustained from the fall. Note that when
reference to a wall is made,
any similar surface, such as a tree trunk, cliff
face, and the like, are
equally useful to the monk.
The other abilities of monks are shown on the MONKS ABILITY TABLE below.
MONKS TABLE I: EXPERIENCE POINTS AND LEVELS
| Experience Points | Experience
Level |
4-Sided Dice
for Accumulated Hit Points |
Level Title |
| 0 -- 2,250 | 1 | 2 | Novice |
| 2,251 -- 4,750 | 2 | 3 | Initiate |
| 4,751 -- 10,000 | 3 | 4 | Brother |
| 10,001 -- 22,500 | 4 | 5 | Disciple |
| 22,501 -- 47,500 | 5 | 6 | Immaculate |
| 47,501 -- 98,000 | 6 | 7 | Master |
| 98,001 -- 200,000 | 7 | 8 | Superior Master |
| 200,001 -- 350,000 | 8 | 9 | Master of Dragons |
| 350,001 -- 500,000 | 9 | 10 | Master of the North Wind |
| 501,001 -- 700,000 | 10 | 11 | Master of the West Wind |
| 700,001 -- 950,000 | 11 | 12 | Master of the South Wind |
| 950,001 -- 1,250,000 | 12 | 13 | Master of the East Wind |
| 1,250,001 -- 1,750,000 | 13 | 14 | Master of Winter |
| 1,750,001 -- 2,250,000 | 14 | 15 | Master of Autumn |
| 2,250,001 -- 2,750,000 | 15 | 16 | Master of Summer |
| 2,750,001 -- 3,250,000 | 16 | 17 | Master of Spring |
| 3,250,001 & + | 17 | 18 | Grand Master of Flowers |
MONKS TABLE II: MONKS ABILITY TABLE
*Listings with a slash indicate
extra attacks after the appropriate number of rounds, i.e. 5/4 means 5
attacks per 4 rounds, with the additional attack coming
at the end of the round
sequence.
Notes Regarding Special Abilities:
Each special ability is designated by a capital letter:
A. The ability to speak
with animals as druids do which begins at
3rd level of experience.
B. The ability to mask the
mind so that ESP has only a 30% chance
of success. This power begins
at 4th level, and with each level
of xperience which the monk
gains thereafter, the chance for
success of ESPing the monk's
thoughts drops by 2%, i.e. 28%
chance of success on a 5th
level monk, 26% on a 6th level, etc.
C. At 5th xperience level
a monk is not subject to diseases of
any sort, nor is he ever
affected by haste || slow spells.
D. The ability to USE self-induced
catalepsy to appear dead. This
can be done perfectly, as
the 6th (or higher) level monk is
able to lower his or her
body temperature and heart rate. The
monk is able to maintain
this state for twice the # of
turns (10 minute periods)
which equal his level, i.e. 12 turns at
6th level, 14 at 7th, etc.
E. At 7th level the monk
gains the ability to heal damage on his
or her body. The amount
of damage which can be healed is 2-5 HP
(d4 + 1), and this amount
increases by 1 HP
with each experience level
gained thereafter, i.e. 3-6 HP at 8th
level, 4-7 at 9th, etc.
This may be done once per day.
F. The ability to speak with plants as druids do. This power is attained at 8th level.
G. Beguiling, charms, hypnosis,
and suggestion spells have only
a 50% chance of affecting
a monk of the 9th level of experience.
That is the monk is 50%
resistant to such magic.
This resistance increases
by 5% per level thereafter, so that at
10th level such spells have
but a 45% chance of affecting the
monk, 40% at 11th level,
and so on. Saving throws apply if
resistance fails.
H. Telepathic and mind blast
attacks (see AD&D, MM, Mind
Flayer)
upon a monk of 10th or higher
level are made as if the character had an
18 INT, due to the monk's
mental discipline.
I. At 11th and higher levels
of experience monks are not
affected by poison of any
type.
J. Geas and quest spells have no effect upon monks of 12th or higher level.
K.
The last ability gained, and perhaps the most terrible power, is
that fabled attack which
enables the monk to set up vibrations
in the body of the victim,
and the monk can then control such
vibrations so as to cause
death
to occur when the monk stops
them.
1. It
can be attempted but once per week, and the monk
must
touch the intended victim within 3 melee rounds
or the
power is drained for one week.
2. It
has no effect on the undead or creatures
which can
be hit
only by magic weaponry.
3. The
victim cannot have more HD than the monk
using
the power, and in any event, the total HP of
the victim
cannot exceed those of the monk by more
than
200%, or the power has no effect.
4. The
command to die (the control of the vibrations) must
be given
by the monk within a set time limit, or else the
vibrations
simply cease of their own accord and do no
damage
whatsoever. The time limit of death command
is one
day per level of experience the monk has gained
at the
time the power is used.
There are a number of strictures
which monk characters must abide by.
These restrictions apply
to 1) armor and weapons, 2) treasure, 3) magic
items usable, 4) STR ability
adjustments, 5) henchmen, and 6)
advancement in level, as
follows:
1. Armor,
as previously noted, cannot be worn.
Weapons
usable by monk characters are shown on CHARACTER CLASSES TABLE II;
weapons
not listed cannot be used.
2. Monks,
much like paladins (q.v.), may not retain more
than a small
fraction
of whatever they gain. A monk may possess no more
than
two magic weapons and three other magic items (see 3 below)
at any
time. While monks may retain money sufficient for their
modest
needs, and to support their henchmen (see 5 below), all other
treasure
and excess magic items must be bestowed upon (non player)
religious
institutions. (See also Followers hereafter.)
3. Magic
items usable by monks include all magical varieties of
weapons
listed (unless proscribed), rings, and those miscellaneous
magic
items which are usable by thieves. No other magic items of any
sort
may be employed by monks.
Q: Can a monk wear
bracers
of defense?
Would they affect his armor
class?
A: However, consider
the intent behind
the creation of the class.
These monks
rely on their discipline
totally, which in
turn allows them to gain
all those great
abilities. (Speak
with animals is very
useful in controlling horses,
for example.)
I tell players of monks
that the character
wouldn't WANT to use bracers;
it's contrary
to the Monk Philosophy,
putting
faith in gadets rather than
self-control.
Sure, it's technically allowed
-- but they
won't WANT to. (The player
might, but
the character won't!)
<missing paragraph>
(Polyhedron #6)
4. Monks
do not gain any bonuses, either with respect to increasing "to
hit"
probability or to increase HP of damage, for STR ability.
5. Until
attaining the rank of Master, monks may not have any hirelings
or henchmen
at all. At 6th level of experience, monks may hire
persons
on a short-duration basis -- for the duration of a single
adventure
only. At this level, they may also acquire up to two
henchmen.
Henchmen may be fighters (but not paladins or rangers),
thieves,
or assassins. With each level of experience above the 6th
which
the monk attains, he or she may add one additional henchman,
until
the max. # est. by the monk's CHA score
is reached.
Monks will gain followers upon attaining 8th level; this is
discussed
hereafter.
6. There
can only be a limited number of monks above 7th level (Superior
Master).
There are three 8th level (Master of Dragons) and but one
of each
higher level. When a PC monk gains sufficient
XP to
qualify him || her for 8th level, the
commensurate
abilities are attained only temporarily. The monk must
find
&& defeat in single combat, hand-to-hand, w/o weapons or
magic
items, one of the 8th level monks -- the White, the Green, or
the Red.
The same must be done at the ninth or higher levels. The
loser
of these combats loses enough XP to place him ||
her at
the lowest # psb. to attain the level just beneath the
new level.
The monk character will know where to locate the higher
level
monks; and he or she must proceed immed. to do combat or
else
lose XP equal to the # which will place him ||
her at
the lowest # psb. to have attained the level just beneath
that
of the monk he || she should have sought out but did not.
That
is, the PC drops to 7th level in the above case and
must
then work upwards once again.
Followers:
When a monk PC attains the 8th level of
experience, he or she will
gain a number of monks as followers upon
defeating the monk which
held the 8th level position that the PC
has now gotten. He or she
will attract from 2-5 1st level monks if
the PC has a monastery or
monastery-like building to USE as
a HQ. These followers may
be worked upwards in levels of
experience. The PC will
attract 1-2 additional monks of 1st
level for each additional
level of experience the player gains.
While followers of a monk
are as loyal as his or her other henchmen, they
automatically leave service
when they attain the level of Superior Master (7th).
All followers will be of
the exact same alignment as the monk PC.
If he or she changes alignment,
the current followers will
desert, but new ones can
still be gained by advancement in level.
The monastery or monastery-like
HQ of the monk can be that of
the character he or she
defeated to attain 8th or higher level, or it can be a
building specially constructed
by the monk PC after attaining
8th or higher level. In
the latter case, the monk may retain up to 250,000
gp value in treasure in
order to finance construction of the place.
He or she may also retain
sufficient funds thereafter to maintain the
place.
Note that monk followers require no support, upkeep, or pay of any sort.
ADQ: If a monk whose
listed AC is 2 is
surprised, does the AC become
10?
ADA: No. This is
a function of the
monk's special training.
The monk's
standard AC always applies,
even in
surprise situations, unless
the DM
adjudicates otherwise.
(Polyhedron #16)
ADQ: Which combat
table do monks
use, thieves' or clerics'?
ADA: Monks attack
as clerics, not
thieves.
(Polyhedron #16)
ADQ: What class is
the monk treated as
for certain psionic disciplines,
such as
Body Weaponry, Cell Adjustment,
and
Domination?
ADA: Treat the monk
character as a thief
of the same level for purposes
of determining
the effects.
(Polyhedron #16)
ADQ: Do monks get
CON
bonuses on both 1st level
dice?
ADA: Yes. The CON
bonus is a
function of HD, not level.
(Polyhedron #16)
9th: Brother Milerjoi (location: A3)
Converting PH Monks to OA Monks
* PH monks attack as clerics and save as thieves ; OA monks attack and
save as thieves.
* PH monks have Open Hand Attacks Per Melee Round and Open Hand Damage
;
* OA monks begin with one style of unarmed combat and two of that style's
special maneuvers (they gain additional attacks and damage as they increase
in level).
* PH monks add level x 0.5 to weapon damage. OA monks get +1 damage
per 2 levels.
* PH & OA monks have the same AC progression. Note that the AC
of an OA monk is that granted by his class or his martial art, whichever
is better.
* PH & OA monks have the same thieving abilities (at the same chances).
However, there is a very slight discrepancy that starts showing up at level
5+.
* PH & OA monks differ in their saves vs. magical attacks (most
significantly is the once per day per level limit of the OA monk)
* PH monks can automatically have a chance to dodge missiles ; OA monks
only have this ability if they choose it as a martial arts maneuver
* Speak with Animals, gained at level 3, uses the druid specifications
for PH monks, and the shukenja specifications for OA monks
* PH & OA monks differ in their ability to mitigate falling damage
(PH monks gain this at L4, OA monks gain this in L6 : other differences
as well)
* The 8th level ability to speak with plants is goes by the druid specifications
for the PH monk, and the shukenja specifications for the OA monk
* The 9th level resistance to charms, hypnosis, and suggestion doesn't
mention beguiling for the OA monk (although this could be included)
* 13th level PH monks gain the quivering palm special ability, 13th
level OA monks gain one special maneuver
* PH monks can only use a thieve's misc. magic items, while OA monks
can use any items usable by thieves, excepting armor and forbidden weapons)
* PH monks may attract fighters, thieves or assassins as henchmen ;
OA monks can attract shukenja, bushi, or ninjas as henchmen
* 8th level, attainment of : nearly identical (note that the 3 OA Masters
of Dragons might be named after Oriental Dragons)
* 8th level, building of a stronghold : nearly identical (note that
the PH mentions 250,000 gp, while OA does not give a figure)
Question: I have just bought
the new DUNGEON MASTERS
SCREEN,
and it says that monks attack on the cleric’s table.
But in the PH
it says that they fight on the
thief's table. Which is
it?
Answer: Monks attack on
the cleric’s table. A last-minute change by
the staff members who worked
on the DMG was
made, reasoning that it
would be better for the balance of the game
if monks attacked on the
cleric’s table. We realize the change is going to
cause some problems and
we are doing all we can to ease the con-
fusion. The monk, however,
still saves on the thief 's table.
One small point,,,,
It is not logical to be a
monk without religious affiliation.
that is a practical impossibility
in all cases, and totally unthinkable in a deity-active fantasy miliue 
Cheers,
Gary
1. SUBCLASS = n/a
2. SOCIAL CLASS MINIMUM = <not noted, but I would guess LLC>
3. ABILITY SCORE MINIMUMS
STRENGTH = 15
INTELLIGENCE = 6
WISDOM = 15
DEXTERITY = 15
CONSTITUTION = 11
CHARISMA = 6
COMELINESS = 3
4. POSSIBLE RACES & MAX. LEVEL ATTAINABLE = human, 17
5. MULTI-CLASS POSSIBILITIES = none
6. HIT DIE TYPE = d4
7. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HIT DICE = 17
8. SPELL ABILITY = none
9. ARMOR PERMITTED = none
10. SHIELD PERMITTED = no
11. WEAPONS PERMITTED = aklys, atlatl,
axe (hand), bo stick, caltrop, club, crossbow (any), dagger, garrot, javelin,
jo stick, knife, lasso, pole arm (any), sap, spear, staff, sword (falchion)
12. OIL PERMITTED = no
13. POISON PERMITTED = DM's option
14. ALIGNMENT = any Lawful
15. STARTING MONEY = 5-20 gp (5d4)
16. WEAPON PROFICIENCIES = 1, 1/2 levels
17. NON-PROFICIENCY PENALTY = -3
18. NON-WEAPON PROFICIENCIES = 1, 1/2 levels
19. STARTING AGE = 21 + 1d4
20. COMBAT = C
21. SAVING THROWS = T
22. MAGIC ITEMS = See above.