with law.
Most monks are LG, and very few are LE.
The Monk
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Oriental Classes | - | - | - | Oriental Adventures |
| Experience
Points |
Experience Level | 4-sided Dice for Accum.
Hit Points |
Level Title | NPCs | THACO | Saves | Proficencies | NPC XP |
| 0 -- 2,250 | 1 | 2 | Novice | - | 20n | 13.12.14.16.15 | * <3, +religion, + calligraphy> | - |
| 2,251 -- 4, 750 | 2 | 3 | Initiate | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4, 751 -- 10,000 | 3 | 4 | Brother | - | - | - | - | 113 (T1) |
| 10,001 -- 22,500 | 4 | 5 | Disciple | - | - | - | - | - |
| 22,501 -- 47,500 | 5 | 6 | Immaculate | - | 19 | 12.11.12.15.13 | - | - |
| 47,501 -- 98,000 | 6 | 7 | Master | - | - | - | - | - |
| 98,001 -- 200,000 | 7 | 8 | Superior Master | - | - | - | - | - |
| 200,001 -- 350,000 | 8 | 9 | Master of Dragons | Tobadzistsini. | - | - | - | - |
| 350,001 -- 500,000 | 9 | 10 | Master of the North Wind | - | 16 | 11.10.10.14.11 | - | - |
| 500,001 -- 700,000 | 10 | 11 | Master of the West Wind | - | - | - | - | - |
| 700,001 -- 950,000 | 11 | 12 | Master of the South Wind | Gilgamesh, Huan Ti. | - | - | - | - |
| 950,001 -- 1,250,000 | 12 | 13 | Master of the East Wind | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1,250,001 -- 1,750,000 | 13 | 14 | Master of Winter | - | 14 | 10.9.8.13.9 | - | - |
| 1,750,001 -- 2,250,000 | 14 | 15 | Master of Autumn | His Peerless Serenity,
The Father of Obedience (Scarlet Brotherhood) |
- | - | - | - |
| 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 | - | 12 | 9.8.6.12.7 | - | - |
<*This is left off the table at page 51! Check Polyhedron>
The monk character appears in the AD&DPH.
However, they do not belong with the more
Western character types presented there and so are included in this book
as a fundamental part of the Oriental AD&D game.
Players already familiar with the monk
class will find them much the same here.
However, their abilities and powers have
undergone some additions and modifications in order to mesh the character
class more closely with these Oriental rules.
The monk class combines abilities from
several of the other classes.
To qualify as a monk a character must
have min. ability scores of 15 in STR, WIS,
and Dexterity, and a minimum CON of 11.
Monks never gain XP bonuses for high ability
scores because they have no prime requisite.
Monks never receive bonuses on to hit
or damage rolls for high Strength scores and never receive adjustments
to AC for high Dexterity.
Monks are ascetics who learn their skills
at one of the several monastic enclaves found throughout Kara-Tur.
Their spiritual training emphasizes the
simultaneous development of mind and body as a path to understanding and
enlightenment.
Perfection, for them, lies in perfect
control of their own spirit -- achieving harmony between mind and body.
To this end they become masters of combat
forms, both armed and unarmed, not to become great fighters but to learn
their physical powers and limitations.
At the same tiem they undergo a rigorous
mental discipline, honing their minds to perceive and understand the mysteries
of the cosmos.
Although they can perform incredible physical
and mental feats, they cannot perform ceremonies or cast spells.
Monks are attached to a monastery but
do not receive the religious training that makes a shukenja or sohei,
and are not considered clergy.
Because of the discipline required in their
training, monks must always be lawful, although they can combine good,
evil, or with law.
Most monks are LG, and very few are LE.
A monk character begins the game with 2-8
(2d4) HP and gains 1-4 (1d4) HP per level thereafter.
Monks use the combat table & saving
throw tables of thieves. <(correction: monks attack
as clerics)> <??>
Their selection of weapons is limited,
as shown on Table 13. <>
They cannot wear armor or USE shields.
The use of flaming oil in combat is forbidden
to them.
However, the monk starts with proficiency
in 1 style of unarmed combat and 2 of that style's special maneuvers.
The monk also has 5 other proficiency
slots.
Of these, one must be used for religion
and another for calligraphy.
The remaining slots can be filled as the
player sees fit, within the restrictions of the class.
Through their training, monks develop several
special abilities.
When using a weapon, the monk causes one
extra point of damage for every two experience levels.
A monk has the normal chance to be surprised
at 1st level, but this gradually improves, as indicated on Table 21: Monk
Capabilities.
All monks have the martial arts special
maneuver Missile Deflection in addition to the other special maneuvers
they may have or gain.
This is not considered part of any martial
style and so does not use one of the special maneuver slots for the monk's
chosen martial art.
Owing to his physical training, a monk
can run faster than other characters, beginning with a base movement of
15".
This improves as the monk increases in
level (see Table 21: Monk Capabilities).
Although a monk cannot wear any armor,
he is trained to avoid blows through nimbleness and agility.
A 1st-level monk has AC 10.
This improves as the monk advances (see
Table
21).
When using his MA style, the monk has
the AC of that style, if it is better than his normal AC.
If his natural AC surpasses that of the
style, the natural AC is used.
The monk also has the ability to open locks, [find and remove traps], [move silently], [hide in shadows], [hear noise], and [climb walls] at the percentages listed on Table 21: Monk Capabilities.
At 1st level monks have the ki power to
reduce the amount of damage caused by magical attacks.
When making saving throws vs. magical
attacks, the monk's ki allows him to take no damage or suffer no effect
from the magic if he makes a successful save.
Thus attacks which normally cause half
damage on a successfl save cause no damage to the monk if he makes his
save.
This ki power is usable once per day per
level of the monk, and its use can be declared at any time, even after
the die is rolled.
However, what makes the monk truly formidable
is his intense training and dedication to a school of MA.
From the time he was a youth the monk
has practiced the combat techniques espoused by his monastery.
This dedication gives the monk several
benefits not available to other martial artists.
When first creating a monk character,
the DM or player (or both working together) must create a martial style
according to the rules given under Martial Arts. <>
This is the character's basic style.
Unlike other characters, however, the
monk's training allows him to increase his number of attacks per round
and damage per attack as he increases in level.
These bonuses are listed on Table 21.
* At 3rd level monks gain the ability to
speak
with animals.
This is not a magical ability but
it works the same as the shukenja spell of the same name.
* At 4th level a monk can fall up to 20
feet without taking damage provided he is within one foot of a wall or
vertical surface.
He has trained and disciplined his mind
so that ESP has only a 30% chance of success
when used against him.
Thus ESP
has only a 28% chance of success on a 5th-level monk, 26% on a 6th-level
monk, etc.
* At 5th level the monk is immune to all types of disease and is unaffected by all types of haste or slow spells.
* At 6th level the monk can fall 30 feet
without sustaining damage provided he is within four feet of a wall.
The monk can also fall into a cataleptic
state, perfectly simulating death.
This can be maintained for a number of
turns equal to twice his level.
The monk is oblivious to his surroundings
in this state, so he must state at the beginning how long he intends to
remain cataleptic.
* At 7th level the monk,
by concentrating his inner power, can heal 2-5 points of damage on his
own body per day.
This power increases by one point at every
level beyond 7th.
* At 8th level the monk gains the ability
to speak with plants as per the
spell of the same name.
He also attracts 2-5 followers (1st-level
monks), provided he has a monastery headquarters.
These have the same alignment as the PC
and are fanatically loyal to him, provided his alignment does not change.
They rise in level just like PCs, but
leave when they reach 7th level.
For every level attained beyond 8th, the
monk attracts 1-2 more 1st level monks.
* At 9th level the monk's ki power improves.
From 9th-level on, the monk suffers only
half-damage from any magical attack that causes damage even if the monk
fails his saving throw.
(He must use his power, however.)
If the save is successful, the monk suffers
no damage at all.
The ki power is still limited to a number
of uses per day equal to the level of the character.
In addition, charm, hypnosis,
and suggestion spells of all types
have only a 50% chance to affect the monk.
This resistance improves by 5% at every
level beyond 9th.
* At 10th level the monk defends against telepathic and [mind blast] attacks as if he had Intelligence 18.
* At 11th level the monk is immune to all types of poison.
* At 12th level the monk is immune to geas and quest spells. <G20 Protests, Woman hit with club in the womb>
* At 13th level the monk automatically gains one martial arts special maneuver of the player's choice.
However, for all their abilities, monks
must abide by strict restrictions.
These are in addition to the restrictions
they have concerning weapons and armor.
In general, monks view the world as a
transitory and ephemeral place, without constants.
As such, emotional attachments--greed,
anger, and other passions--are obstacles placed in the path of true perfection.
To achieve the ultimate enlightenment,
the monk must force himself to dispose of these feelings and all things
associated with them.
While they do not deny that these passions
exist within themselves, they seek to control and moderate them.
* First and foremost, monks must avoid
too many attachments to the material world.
To this end, monks may not retain more
than a small fraction of any treasure they recover: only enough to cover
their needs for food and clothing for the next few days.
They may not own horses, although they
may ride horses provided by others.
They can never hold land or property of
any type.
They can retain only two magical wewapons
and three other magical items.
All excess treasure and magical items
must be given to NPC charities and religious institutions (whereupon they
disappear from play).
** Second, severe
limits are imposed on the use of magical items, as too much reliance on
them weakens the monk's spiritual strength.
They can use magical weapons only if the
type is allowed by the class.
No other magical items listed in this
rulebook can be used by monks unless specifically indicated.
Items in the DMG can be used only if they
are rings or can be used by thieves.
Furthermore, the monk never trades in
his magical items for new pieces of better quality, shopping around for
the best deal.
Instead, he generally uses the same item
until it is no longer serviceable.
To increase their detachment from the material
world, monks do not generate a family clan, determine birth rank,
create an ancestry, receive birthrights of any type, or have honor points.
In this sense tehy are without family,
having totally severed all attachments to this world.
They do not use their family name, adopting
instead a name appropriate to their monastery.
Nor can they hire henchmen or hirelings
until they reach 6th level.
At this point, they can obtain hirelings
for short missions (a single adventure).
They may also have up to two henchmen
at this level, possibly adding one additional henchman at every level beyond
6th.
These henchmen cannot be hired or bought
into service; they must join the monk by their own choice.
Such henchmen can only be shukenja, bushi,
or ninjas.
A monk does not earn or record any honor
points.
Honor is an aspect of the material world
the monk is trying to rise above.
However, the monk must at all times behave
morally and properly, especially when dealing with other monks.
This does not preclude evil actions, but
oaths and the orders of superiors within the monastery are absolutely binding.
Gentle protest can be made, but argument
or disobedience results in being barred from entering its grounds or receiving
any aid from the hands of its members.
This is important, since to advance in
level the monk must return to his monastery for a period of purification
and enlightenment.
The length of his banishment is decided
by the DM.
It may be as short as 10 days or as long
as several months.
During this time the character does not
go on adventures, but lives a severe and humble existence, undergoing many
rituals, tests, and ordeals.
Each monastery can support only a limited
number of monks beyond 7th level.
There are three of 8th level and one of
each level beyond 8th attached to a monastery.
When a PC gains sufficient XP to qualify
for 8th level (or beyond), he temporarily gains the abilities of that level.
Before that level is permanently acquired,
however, the monk must find and defeat one of the monks (or the monk) of
that level.
This duel must be fought in tthe martial
style of the monastery and is strictly between the two monks; no one can
intervene.
The duel need not be fought to the death;
the first person stunned usually acknowledges defeat.
The character knows the general whereabouts
of the monk he must duel.
Any intentional delay (or being defeated
in the duel) readjusts the character's XP to the minimum required for 7th
level.
For example, an 8th-level monk defeated
in a duel drops to 98,001 XP, the minimum required for 7th level.
He must work his way up to 8th level all
over again.
Upon permanently attaining 8th-level, the
character earns the right to permanently reside on the monastery grounds
or establish a subsidiary monastery elsewhere.
If the character permanently establishes
a new monastery, he is allowed to amass sufficient funds to finance the
construction of the buildings and maintain the grounds.
However, such savings cannot be assembled
until the character permanently attains 8th level.
The buildings and grounds of any newly
constructed monastery are considered the property of the order, not the
PC.
In either case, the character is required
to perform various administrative functions appropriate to his level.
These increase in complexity and scope
as the character rises in level.
A few of the entries on Table 21 need some additional explanation.
Additional Attacks: This is the
number of additional attacks the monk can make when using his MA
proficiencies.
The number before the slash is the number
of extra attacks, the number after the slash is the round when the attack
is allowed.
For example, if the monk has a martial
style that normally allows one attack per round, 1/4 allows the monk to
make one extra attack every fourth round, while 2/1 allows the monk to
make two extra attacks every round.
Additional attacks always occur at the
end of the round.
Additional Damage: This is the amount
of extra damage the monk causes when using his martial art proficiencies.
If the number is +1, +2, or +3, the amount
is added to the normal damage caused when using the martial style.
If the number is +1D, +2D, or more it
is the number of additional dice rolled to determine damage.
These dice are the same type as those
normally used for that martial style.
The notation n+1D+1 indicates both additional
dice and additional points of damage.
Question: I have just
bought the new DUNGEON MASTERS
SCREEN, and it says that
monks attack on the cleric’s table.
But in the PLAYERS HANDBOOK
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 DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE
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.
Question: Is it okay
for a Monk (Lawful Neutral) to sneak
up on an opponent and then
backstab? (Is this act chaotic? Is
this evil?)
Answer: The act of
killing a victim without knowing if he/she is truly
an enemy (in other words,
killing a complete stranger without know-
ing if he/she presents a
threat) is a chaotic act. The act of killing an op-
ponent with the knowledge
that there is some other way to overcome
him/her is an evil act.
It would seem permissible for the Lawful
Neutral Monk (or any other
similarly aligned being) to attack a known
enemy from the back, when
circumstances make it necessary to kill
that foe. —J. Ward, W. Niebling
Question: My character
is a LN monk in a party with two
neutral evil characters
and two NGs. The DM says that
if our party runs into a
party of LN monks and fighting
breaks out, my monk would
join the other monks in fighting,
against my party. I think
the DM is full of it. What do you think?
Question: There is
a LE high-level NPC monk in our campaign.
What will happen when my
LG player-character monk
gains enough experience
to challenge this monk for position?
There seem to be many ways
in which an evil character could
avoid such a challenger.
How can such an opponent be made to
“fight fair”?
Answer: The key to
properly determining a monk’s course of action in
each of these examples has
to do with understanding the concept-
of lawfulness. Monks must
always be lawful, and for very good
reason, because a monkish
hierarchy and advancement within
that hierarchy would be
valueless if so much as a single non-
lawful element was allowed
to “contaminate” it.
The purpose
and goal of lawfulness, from the definition of
LN in the PH, is “bringing
all to predictability and regulation.” Lawful characters must always
be
predictable in their actions
and motives. The DMG adds that it is vital for all LN characters to have
“regimentation and strict
definition” in their lives and their outlook on life.
How is
this applied to the first situation? Simply this: A monk’s
lawfulness will cause him
to always honor the prior commitment
he made to the members of
the party he’s with. His allegiance is
to his comrades first, because
that’s the lawful thing to do. Of
course, if the party members
treat the monk in a less than lawful
fashion themselves, they
must be willing to suffer the conse-
quences of that action if
the monk elects to “desert.” No lawful
character will remain allied
to a party which treats him unfairly,
regardless of previous commitments
— and may get rather fer-
vent in his objections to
such treatment.
If the
concept of lawfulness is correctly interpreted and prop-
erly integrated into an
adventure or a campaign, no “desertion”
of this sort will occur
without extenuating circumstances—and
in no event should a DM
ever feel justified in decreeing that such
an event must take place.
It is the character’s (and player’s) right
and responsibility to decide
what to do. After that decision is
made and carried out, it
is the DM’s right and responsibility to
evaluate the “correctness”
of the decision in light of the charac-
ter’s professed alignment.
A lawful PC cannot be
forced (by the DM directly)
to do something unlawful, but
should always be held accountable
if it happens involuntarily as
the result of a game activity,
or if the character does it of his own
free will.
The guidelines
in the definitions of LN similarly
apply to LE characters,
who must also respect “the sys-
tem.” A LE monk will “fight
fair” with, respect to lawfulness — that is, he will recognize and accept
the challenge of an
up-and-coming monk. He will
respect the challenger’s right to
face him in hand-to-hand
combat, because that’s the foundation
of the system which all
monks are bound to uphold.
It is not lawful, for instance,
for an evil monk to sequester
himself in a stronghold
while a mob of monsters stand guard to
make sure no other monk
can get to him. In such a situation, the
lawful thing to do would
be to allow the challenger to pass freely
past all wards and obstacles—and
then ambush the challenger
from the shadows as soon
as he’s within striking range.
A LE
monk should have to “fight fair” in making it
possible for the hand-to-hand
combat to take place — but once
the battle is joined (in
most cases, begun by an evil sneak
attack), it’s every monk
for himself. By contrast, a pair of lawful
good monks competing for
the same position would probably
square off with great ceremony,
like prizefighters or sumo
wrestlers do, and conduct
the whole matter as “fairly” as possi-
ble, including the presence
of a referee.
And the
two kinds of challenging don’t mix easily. Only a very
powerful or very self-confident
evil monk would agree to an
elaborate ceremonial combat
against a good monk —and if he
does consent to fight in
this fashion, he’s going to have some-
thing up his sleeve anyway.
Question: If a monk’s
alignment changes from lawful to neutral or cha-
otic, does he become a thief?
Answer: Not necessarily.
A monk whose alignment changes with re-
spect to law and chaos “loses
all monk abilities and must begin
again as a first-level character,”
according to the PH. The character’s new class can be anything else.
It stands
to reason that most “defrocked”
monks would choose to be a
fighter, cleric or thief,
because the prime requisites for those
classes are the abilities
for which a monk must always have
above-average scores. But
it’s not impossible for a monk character to have a high intelligence as
well as the other high scores,
in which case that character
might decide to begin again as a
M-U. <>
Question: The Players
Handbook says that monks fight on the table
used by thieves and assassins,
but the DMG puts monks on the
same combat table as clerics
and druids. Which is correct?
Answer: The DMG is
the right source. Monks were
placed on the thief’s attack
matrix when the Players Handbook
was being compiled, but
by the time the DMG was released, the
decision had been made (in
the interest of game balance) to
have monks attack on the
more favorable table for clerics and druids.
In most cases where the
Players Handbook and Dun-
geon Masters Guide disagree
on a specific subject, it is safe to
assume that the ruling in
the DMG is to be given preference,
since that book was released
after the Players Handbook.
Question: My monk
with a dexterity of 15 was hit in the leg by an arrow.
The DM said there would
be a temporary loss of 3 dexterity
points, and later he said
that one of those points would be lost
permanently. He took away
half of my XP (the
character was first level)
and said I’d have to change classes
because the character no
longer met the minimum require-
ments for being a monk..
Is this proper?
If I change, would I keep
any of the abilities of the former class?
Answer: It sounds
like you’ve willingly accepted the “fact” that you
have permanently lost a
point of dexterity from a relatively minor
wound — yet that’s really
the heart of your problem. It seems as
though your DM was determined
to find a way to keep you from
playing that character as
a monk. This sage doesn’t have ESP, of
course, and it’s impossible
to know the details of this incident,
but any DM who decides to
have such a tragedy befall a first-
level character had better
have a very good reason for acting
that way.
There
is nothing in the AD&D rules to suggest
that a character
has to abandon his or her
chosen class because of a drop in an
ability score anyway. Ability
scores are not infrequently raised
or lowered by various magical
means, and by certain types of
psionic attacks. The life
of a character or a long-running cam-
paign would be thrown into
disorder if characters were forced to
change classes every time
an ability score fell below the min-
imum number originally needed
to qualify for membership in
that class.
If it
were mandatory for a character to change class whenever
an important ability score
was lowered during the course of an
adventure, what would be
the fate of, for instance, a character
rendered feebleminded by
a psionic blast attack? Such a char-
acter, with (by definition)
a combined intelligence and wisdom
score of 0-5 for the duration
of the feeblemind effect, technically
doesn’t qualify for any
class of adventurer.
There
are certain types of magical attacks which cause the
loss of a point of strength
or some other attribute. Losses of this
kind are sometimes only
temporary (the strength drain of a
shadow, for instance), and
even so-called “permanent” changes
can be counteracted by different
magical means at a later time.
There may be occasions when
a character has lost so much of
his original attribute score
that it is not practical or healthy to
continue in the same class:
A
human fighter who has his
strength reduced to, say,
6 points is risking ruin if he sets out on
an adventure in that condition,
and the character might stand a
better chance of survival
in the long run if he decided to take up
magic-using (assuming a
sufficiently high intelligence to do
that). But the choice should
belong to the character and player,
not to the DM.
In the
descriptions of the fighter, paladin and thief player
character classes in the
PH, the rules state that
certain minimum ability
scores are needed to “become” a
member of that class. The
same reasoning should be applied to
those classes where the
same wording is not used. In other
words, minimum requirements
have to be met when a character
begins a career in a class,
but not necessarily at all times thereaf-
ter while that profession
is being pursued.
Question: When a PC
monk attains 8th level or higher, will there be NPC monks seeking to defeat
him in combat so as to attain his level?
Will be always have to combat
higher-level NPCs when this is necessary to attain the next level?
Answer: In a well
structured campaign, there will be a monkish hier-
archy even if there is only
one monk PC of suffi-
ciently high level to challenge
for another monk’s position. In
the extreme, this hierarchy
would be delineated all the way up to
the Grand Master of Flowers—a
total of 12 positions (from 8th
level through 17th) which
would all be filled by NPCs if no PC
has yet advanced beyond
7th level. At the least, the
DM should provide opposition
for a PC as it be-
comes necessary: Be sure
there is an 8th-level monk for the
upstart player character
to battle, when the time comes, and
have other “titleholders”
prepared and ready to play if the player
character rises even higher.
The rules
about advancement for monks are specific: A monk
must meet a higher-level
monk in hand-to-hand combat when
the lower-level monk obtains
enough experience points to qual-
ify for ascension to the
next level. This presumes the existence
of higher-level monks, which
the DM must provide if player
characters do not already
fill those positions. Otherwise, the
lower-level PC monk’s efforts
to rise in level, obtain experience
points and strive for greater
prowess and superiority become
meaningless.
It doesn’t
necessarily work the same way when a player char-
acter is in a position to
be challenged by a lower-level monk. It is
not mandatory for higher-level
PC monks to face challenges
from lower-level aspirants,
but such challenges will certainly
come about in a campaign
where the DM actively employs NPC
monks, charting their advancement
up the XP
ladder just as for PCs.
Challenges to a player
character monk do not ever
have to occur, but it would be
ridiculous for a PC to make
it all the way to Grand
Master of Flowers without
ever facing a bid for his position from
a lower-level contender.
Question: Will a monk’s
open hand attack affect creatures which can be
hit only by magical weapons?
Answer: The sage says
no. It doesn’t specifically say in the rules that a
monk can hit in this fashion,
so the only possible ruling to make
is that a monk cannot. As
soon as we start giving characters and
creatures attributes that
aren’t specifically prohibited to them,
the ruination of the campaign
is not far behind.
There
is some justification for this ruling to be found in the
way certain other rules
are worded. The PH does specifically say
that a monk can’t use his
special dodging ability on magical
missiles, and that the quivering
palm — “perhaps the most
terrible power” a monk has
(in the words of the Players Hand-
book), is not usable against
creatures which are only vulnerable
to magic weapons. In that
light, there is no rationale for allowing
an open hand attack, certainly
not as “terrible” a power, to be
useful in the same circumstances.
The Dungeon Masters Guide
sums it up with the statement,
“...monks are not supermen or
superwomen.” Monks have
a number of special abilities which
set them apart — but not
that far apart.
Question: Can paladins
contract lycanthropy?
Question: Will the
rotting caused by Demogorgon have an effect on monks of fifth level or
higher, since they are immune to disease?
Answer: Yes, a paladin
can become a lycanthrope.
Answer: Yes, a high-level
monk can be affected by Demogorgon’s
rot-disease attack.
The immunity to disease
that is enjoyed by paladins and by monks of
fifth level or higher applies
only to “natural” diseases, such as
those listed in the table
on page 14 of the DMG, and not to
“unnatural” diseases such
as those caused by the attack or
touch of a monster. The
same thing goes for the rotting disease
transmitted by a mummy or
the “disease” caused by the spread
of green slime, for instance.
Q: Which attack table do monks use?
A: The book says that
they use the
thief table, but I remember
reading
somewhere that they use
the cleric
table.
All monks attack as clerics.
(121.22)
Q: Do monks get dexterity
bonuses to
armor class? How about strength
bonuses to damage? Does
a monk
get the AC modifier for
his martial
arts style?
A: Dexterity never
affects the AC of a
monk. Monks never get strength
bonuses
of any sort when using weapons
or martial
arts. A monk gains either
the armor
class of his style (AC modifier
applied to
AC 10 or the AC of a common
style), or
the armor class of his monk
level, whichever
is best.
(121.22)
Q: Do monks get dexterity
bonuses to
thief abilities?
A: Monks do get dexterity
bonuses to their
thieves' abilities; use
table 23, page 19,
Oriental Adventures.
(121.22)
Q: Does the monk weapon
damage
bonus also apply to missile
weapons
or martial arts?
A: The monk damage
bonus of 1 hp per
two levels applies to both
missile and
melee weapons, provided
that the monk is
proficient with the weapon
used. This
bonus does not apply to
martial arts. Use
the Additional Martial Damage
column of
table 21 (Oriental Adventures,
page 18) for
martial arts damage bonuses.
(121.22)
SUMMARY
* A monk character begins
the game with 2-8 (2d4) HP and gains 1-4 (1d4) HP per level thereafter.
* Their selection of weapons
is limited, as shown on Table 13.
* A monk has the normal chance to be surprised at 1st level, but this gradually improves, as indicated on Table 21: Monk Capabilities.
* Owing to his physical training,
a monk can run faster than other characters, beginning with a base movement
of 15".
* This improves as the monk
increases in level (see Table 21: Monk Capabilities).
* A 1st-level monk has AC
10.
* This improves as the monk
advances (see Table 21).
* The monk also has the ability to [open locks], [find and remove traps], [move silently], [hide in shadows], [hear noise], and [climb walls] at the percentages listed on Table 21: Monk Capabilities.
* At 1st level monks have the ki power to reduce the amount of damage caused by magical attacks.
* These bonuses are listed on Table 21.
* At 3rd level monks gain the ability to [speak with animals].
* At 4th level a monk can
fall up to 20 feet without taking damage provided he is within one foot
of a wall or vertical surface.
* He has trained and disciplined
his mind so that [ESP] has only a 30% chance of success when used against
him.
* Thus [ESP] has only a
28% chance of success on a 5th-level monk, 26% on a 6th-level monk, etc.
* At 5th level the monk is immune to all types of disease and is unaffected by all types of [haste] or [slow] spells.
* At 6th level the monk can fall 30 feet without sustaining damage provided he is within four feet of a wall.
* At 7th level the monk,
by concentrating his inner power, can heal 2-5 points of damage on his
own body per day.
* This power increases by
one point at every level beyond 7th.
* At 8th level the monk gains
the ability to [speak with plants] as per the spell of the same name.
* He also attracts 2-5 followers
(1st-level monks), provided he has a monastery headquarters.
* They rise in level like
PCs, but leave when they reach 7th level.
* For every level attained
beyond 8th, the monk attracts 1-2 more 1st level monks.
* At 9th level the monk's
ki power improves.
* From 9th-level on, the
monk suffers only half-damage from any magical attack that causes damage
even if the monk fails his saving throw.
* In addition, charm,
[hypnosis], and [suggestion] spells of all types have only a 50% chance
to affect the monk.
* This
resistance improves by 5% at every level beyond 9th.
* At 10th level the monk defends against telepathic and [mind blast] attacks as if he had Intelligence 18.
* At 11th level the monk is immune to all types of poison.
* At 12th level the monk is immune to [geas] and [quest] spells.
* At 13th level the monk automatically gains one martial arts special maneuver of the player's choice.
* Nor can they hire henchmen
or hirelings until they reach 6th level.
* They may also have up
to two henchmen at this level, possibly adding one additional henchman
at every level beyond 6th.
* It may be as short as 10 days, or as long as several months.
* Each monastery can support
only a limited number of monks beyond 7th level.
* There are three of 8th
level and one of each level byond 8th attached to a monastery.
* When a PC gains sufficient
XP to qualify for 8th level (or beyond), he temporarily gains the abilities
of that level.
* For example, an 8th-level
monk defeated in a duel drops to 98,001 XP, the minimum required for 7th
level.
* He must work his way up
to 8th level all over again.
* Upon permanently attaining
8th-level, the character earns the right to permanently reside on the monastery
grounds or establish a subsidiary monastery elsewhere.
* However, such savings
cannot be assembled until the character permanently attains 8th level.
* A few of the entries on Table 21 need some additional explanation.
* For example, if the monk has a martial style that normally allows one attack per round, 1/4 allows the monk to make one extra attack every fourth round, while 2/1 allows the monk to make two extra attacks every round.
* If the number is +1, +2,
or +3, the amount is added to the normal damage caused when using the martial
style.
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 8O
Cheers,
Gary
That aside, one can not be
a monk without devotion and dedication. One might be a martial artist,
however, and not be so, devoted only to one's own purposes. - GG
Terry Kuntz played the first
monk character, and he loved it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Particle_Man
This will sound really dumb,
but it has been bugging me.
What is the historical/mythic/game balance/whatever reason that monks in 1st ed AD&D were forbidden to use burning oil? Was the oil too chaotic? What it just to accentuate the different nature of monks?
Just wondering...for the
last 21 years...
Return with me now to those
thrilling days of yesteryear...
That's what I have to do
to try and remember why the proscription was placed on the class.
As I recall, it was both
deemed as too Chaotic and also to serve as a distinction, as all classes
were restricted in one way or another in reagrds to weapons or poison.
A monk hurling multiple
pots of oil in a round just doesn't seem right somehow :rolleyes:
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by CombatWombat51
EDIT: One more question!
Where in the world did you come up with the title "Grand Master of Flowers"?
Very sneaky! That one got
me <mad>
All of the titles for the
Monk Class were taken unabashedly from mah jjong, one of my favorite games.
As flowers are honors tiles,
delicate and beautiful, I thought it fitted well with an Eastern aesthetic
martial artist, the object belying his actual prowess.
Heh,
Gary
Comments
<greenbox>:Q
Quote:
Originally Posted by Derulbaskul
Dang, you just beat me to
the answer.... <wink>
I fondly remember being introduced
to a mah-jong set only a few months after I started AD&D (around 1982).
I seem to recall there being four types of flowers... so naturally I wanted
to boost the monk to a 22 level class, and then 23 levels with Xan Yae's
"Supreme Mistress of Petals" title.
LOL!
I can relate to the desire
to work up from #4 Flower to #1 Flower, but taking that into the realms
of supernatural entities is a tile too far <EEK!>
Heh,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray
Mouser
Colonel,
I was just perusing an old
Dragon
and came upon your thoughts for a 2nd edition of AD&D.
I will avoid any comment
as to my thoughts on the post-Gygaxian 2nd edition and ask this question
instead:
You mentioned in the article
the removal of monks to an oriental-themed campaign setting.
When I first read this many
years ago I remember thinking "Yes, that makes sense."
Of course, in retrospect,
I remember on of my favorite PC's being a mid-level monk PC.
Not to mention the central
role they play(ed) in Greyhawk's Scarlet Brotherhood.
Were you planning on removing
the monk element from the Brotherhood or simply making them an exception
to the rule?
(Heh, heh, come to think
of it, I'd like to see what would have gone into a 2nd edition "World of
Greyhawk"!).
Thanks!
Gray Mouser
Hi Mouser,
What I was contemplating
was a non-Oriental sort of Monk character to replace the clearly Eastern
martial artist one featured.
The class would likely have
been a sort of dedicated warrior-spy with a few elements of the original
Monk class, new abilities of more European sort to round it out.
that way the Scarlet Brotherhoob
would not have had to lost its warrior-monk component.
All the notes I had for the new classes are gone, so don't ask for details <frown>
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bulldogc
hey gary thanks for the
great game. i got a quick question for u
the monks ability to dodge
missiles, would that also apply to large rocks tossed by giants?
Hi Billdogc,
Oddly, that's a question that has not ever been asked of me before, and one that I haven't considered until now. I'll "think in print" now:
A boulder hurled by a giant
is centainly a missile.
While a lot more deadly
than an arrow, it is larger, not traveling as fast, so it can be seen more
easily.
It isn't so large as to
preclude moving outside its path or area of impact.
Now my amswer.
Yes, a monk can dodge a
boulder hurled by a gaint, or one from a catapult for that matter.
This assumes that the monk
is watching and sees the missile coming at him.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by fusangite
I know you're quite backlogged
in this thread but, when you get to it, I'm wondering if you would be willing
to comment on how you saw the Monk class as working when it first appeared
in the core rules.
Did you imagine monks living in the same societies as characters of classes like the Paladin and Druid or did you see the Monks as part of an Oriental civilization that was separate from but in contact with the civilization that produced Paladins and Druids?
I must say that I enjoy
posting, for it is almost as much fun as shooting the breeze with fellow
gamers in person...and I don't get out and about much these days...
Anyway, as to the original Monk class, I envisaged them mainly as wanderers from afar, some few being established in monestaries in the non-Oriental (or whatever nomer one might choose to describe a place of like cultures, states and societies). If you ever saw the TV series Kung Fu, that was rather the model I used for the monk PC as far as general interaction in the campaign--sans the racism.
So yes, the cultures and societies that produced Monk characters were quite different from the usual Western/Northern/Southern European models, but actually covered in the World of Greyhawk setting, for the far western states therein could well house some small number of such monastic warrior societies.
BTW, we never had more than about three Monk PCs in my campaign, those out of some 60-70 players over time, each with around two or three different PCs.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by weasel
fierce
oAD&d question.
Did you ever consider changes to the monk to make him a little more survivable (AC in particular being a problem), or is the intention that the massive edges he gain later in play, will balance things out, for his earlier hardships ?
No serious consideration
was ever given to any changes in the low-level stats for the monk character.
As with many classes, it
just demanded some careful and cautious play to have one survive until
they were more viable in regards attack and defense.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vyvyan
Basterd
Fair enough, some people
need to rationalize and other like myself get sucked into debating them. 
I can think of many reasons why half-orcs would exist beyond the simplistic scenario presented on the aforementioned thread. Some people just get stuck with one view and try to limit choice instead of trying to make it fit. I see monks removed from many games because the "flavor" the DM has stuck in his head doesn't fit "his" campaign world.
I agree with you that greater choice is a good thing.
Yup!
Half-orcs might well be the result of wedlock between a strange or desperate human and an orc. There is no single answer to any such question.
A DM not allowing monks in their campaign world is fine, but it shows a narrow perspective. Why not an enclave of immigrants of Oriental sort producing a few such individuals? Or even why not wandering monks from far off. Of course either approach will require some considerable adjustment in regards gaing levels after 8th, but that's an easy quest to set up.
Cheers,
Gary
<background on gif, trim
post>
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zaltman
Gary,
Would love to get your input on the following:
According the 1e PHB:
Monk ability A is "the ability
to speak with animals as druids do..."
Monk ability F is "the ability
to speak with plants as druids do..."
Druids do not have speak with animals or plants as abilities, only as spells. So, I am confused. These are actually pretty strong spells since they prevent attack. To give monks unlimited use of these spell like abilities seems much too powerful, especially since druids do not get them as "abilities" and this type of behavior seem much more druid like than monk like.
Thanks.
The intent there was to
empower the Monk character to speak as indicated sans use of a spell.
Cheers,
Gary
1. SUBCLASS = n/a
2. SOCIAL CLASS MINIMUM = n/a (do not generate Birth Rank)
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, spirit folk:
17
5. MULTI-CLASS POSSIBILITIES = none
6. HIT DIE TYPE = d4 (2d4@L1)
7. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HIT DICE = 18
8. SPELL ABILITY = none
9. ARMOR PERMITTED = none
10. SHIELD PERMITTED = none
11. WEAPONS PERMITTED = Martial arts
weapons (any), axe (hand), boku-toh, chijiriki, crossbow (any), dagger,
daikyu, halberd, javelin, kama, kusari-gama, lasso, naginata, parang, spear,
trident
12. OIL PERMITTED = no
13. POISON PERMITTED = DM's option
14. ALIGNMENT = Any lawful
15. STARTING MONEY = 4-40 yuan ++ 2-200 fen (20-200
cp ++ 2-200 cp)
16. WEAPON PROFICIENCIES = 1 martial art style
+ missile deflection + 2 special maneuvers (free
skills)
17. NON-PROFICIENCY PENALTY = -3
18. NON-WEAPON PROFICIENCIES = religion, calligraphy (free
skills)
19. STARTING AGE = 21+1d4 (human). 35+1d4 (spirit folk).
20. COMBAT = cleric
21. SAVING THROWS = thief
22. MAGIC ITEMS = rings, items usable by thieves (see
above)
23. FAMILY = monks do not generate
a family clan
24. HONOR = monks do not have honor
points
25 SKILLS: 3@L1
