AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic - Monk E-business

Last edited by LetumLux on Fri, Aug 01 2014, 8:50 AM, edited 2 times in total.

I figured I'd share something I cooked up a while ago: the Monk Style Comparison!

It isn't finished mainly because I couldn't find enough information about some of the canonical orders. I'd be more than happy to make an Amian one and include the preferences and style of other custom made orders in a chart. If there's any confusion about how to read the charts, let me know and I can clarify.

Also, here! Have a reference of NWN Monk feat/special ability progression (with the progression of table top Monk included.)
The Monk Techniques in [brackets] are at the level required it to be learned.

_____

Improved Unarmed Strike

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Deflect Arrows

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Monk Speed

Still Mind

[Pain Touch]

_____

(Ki strike (magic), Slow fall 20 ft.)

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Purity of Body

[Axiomatic Strike]

_____

Knockdown

Improved Knockdown

(Slow fall 30 ft.)

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Wholeness of Body

_____

(Slow fall 40 ft.)

[Eagle Claw]

_____

Improved Evasion

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Ki strike +1

(Ki strike (lawful), slow fall 50 ft.)

[Freeze Lifeblood]

____

Diamond Body

____

Diamond Soul

(Abundant step, slow fall 60 ft.)

[Weakening Touch]

____

Ki strike +2

____

(Slow fall 70 ft.)

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Quivering Palm

____

Ki strike +3

(Ki strike (adamantine), slow fall 80 ft.)

[Ki Shout]

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(Timeless Body, Tongue of the Sun and Moon)

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Empty Body

(Slow fall 90 ft.)

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Perfect Self

(Slow fall any distance)

Can we make slow fall a real thing? c_c

I asked about slow fall a year or two ago. No one cared at the time. But basically you could just use something similar to the rope widget script, change the text, and extend its downward range a bit. Easy to do.

Before we implement a slow-fall ability or something, we should have either climb or jump available to reach cliffs in the opposite direction.

Having been on the receiving end of a small island that has a cliff with a portal, and no way up the cliff, and no other way off the island... I can say I 100% support any development into climb/jump becoming a mechanical thing, without the need for a DM to teleport you after rolling a STR check.

How many people still have active to semi-active characters who identify as Monks, anyway? I've been planning something for a while, and I might roll it out for Amians to partake in if there's enough interest in an ascetic equivalent of a Mage Fair. Part demonstration, part competition, part education, part potential recruitment. All RP, all the time. That sort of thing.

Aiseth wrote:

Can we make slow fall a real thing? c_c

Back when I was playing my monk and when I had my trainees, we were RPing slow fall, and even used it several times in various DM events.

Wait, are the DMs cool with that? Monks get some awesome abilities that simply can't be expressed accurately on NWN, same for any other class. If this is kosher it adds like +925125245236136147 cool points to this and those other classes.

It falls under the same rules as PnP spells/abilities. Follow those and it's all good.

Yeah. Monk PnP makes for wonderful class flavor, if players are willing to jive with it.

You'll have to be careful how you interpret 'Tongue of Sun and Moon', though. On Amia, we have a more defined use for it.

like misterlich said, I realy would like a script for climing, it would make some rp much more real, and for example one can start the job mountain climber wich now is silly sinds you need to run around till a nice road leading up presents it self that any bunny can take. speaking of I would not mind if it was a job system job!

Mr. Hackums wrote:

You'll have to be careful how you interpret 'Tongue of Sun and Moon', though. On Amia, we have a more defined use for it.

Can you be more specific? I'm not sure I ever heard about this.

When Council and I played, we interpreted it as that you can't eavesdrop with TotSaM; you have be communicating with the person/people in question. They have to be intending to include you. But you could also understand, say, sign language if you could see it, not just verbal language. And as usual, it grants you no knowledge of the languages being used, you simply understand and can communicate despite the differences.

That is the interpretation I have championed, too. I imagine that's what Hackums is referring to. The description says nothing whatsoever about language, so that's why I've kept language strictly separate. It enables intentional two-way communication in personal contact.

Yeah, Letum hit the nail on the head.

Sounds good, thanks for the response!

LetumLux wrote:

How many people still have active to semi-active characters who identify as Monks, anyway? I've been planning something for a while, and I might roll it out for Amians to partake in if there's enough interest in an ascetic equivalent of a Mage Fair. Part demonstration, part competition, part education, part potential recruitment. All RP, all the time. That sort of thing.

My tavern-brawler monk would love to participate.

There will be liquor, right?

MadrikVale wrote:

My tavern-brawler monk would love to participate.

There will be liquor, right?

Hey, drunken master is a whole style, so Absolut-ly.

It occurs to me that since this game is online, and this thread is about monks, the thread could just as easily have been titled Monk e-business.

Isn't it?

Look at your post. Now back to mine...

Monk wizardry.

I'd love to see actual moving monk-ing about in each place, like a NPC attacking a doll or something or maybe a few Monk based quests! (since there is a few alignment only quests already)

I'm hoping to do be able to inspire/provide some Monk-related improvements to Amia, it's just a matter of priority and (lack of) non-swamped scripters. There were some things I mentioned to Glim a while back that I'd like to revisit. Doing a "Monk Fair" would give me a better idea what the IG climate is like for PC Monks and feedback on the notions. Plus, martial arts RP is the best. WHAAAA CHAAAAA.

We can even go on a naked boss hunt! It's really the best part of playing a Monk. It'd be like a Sharessan orgy, only with more fis-... kicking.

Ahh.. I love you lex... You are so fun xD I can tel you a few things i'd ask to be fixed... most of the abilities you get as a monk? the ones from the NPC's absolutely none of them past the -AB one you get at low levels is activly useful...

LetumLux wrote:

Isn't it?

Look at your post. Now back to mine...

Monk wizardry.

Beautifully done, haha.

We had the discussion a while ago about new monk abilities.

Murex wrote:

We had the discussion a while ago about new monk abilities.

Can you link me?

http://www.amiaworld.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=74592&hilit=Monk

Thanks, Murex.

Are there any Dwarf Monks out there, even if they're not played often? Or any one who is a Dwarf fancier that knows a lot about the lore and culture of that race that has considered playing a Dwarven Monk? I need a consultant!

Also, while I'm at it... any other racial perspectives on Monks! What are the ways an Elven Monk might be like, from a cultural/values/societal role perspective? What about Gnomes? There's a bit for the Halflings already thanks to the Hin Fist, but I'm more curious from a more general Monk angle than from the Hin Fist Order specifically. Anything for Half-Orcs...?

I added Amia's widgets to the progression list, too!

LetumLux wrote:

What are the ways an Elven Monk might be like, from a cultural/values/societal role perspective?

Elven monks would be rather rare given that elves are a Chaotic people. I would expect that they would live on the fringe of elven society given the nature of their training.

I think they would continue to uphold the traditional values of elven society (community, their arts, their religion), but in a more rigid fashion. Think more ritualistic than fly by the seat of their pants.

I would lean toward thinking that their role in elven society might be more instructional than combative. The elves are very proud of their swordplay and archery and magic, so I doubt they'd turn to using their fists for weapons without some sort of external influence.

Just my opinions, however, and people are free to disagree.

LetumLux wrote:

Thanks, Murex.

Are there any Dwarf Monks out there, even if they're not played often? Or any one who is a Dwarf fancier that knows a lot about the lore and culture of that race that has considered playing a Dwarven Monk? I need a consultant!

Amia specific ones, why yes...

We had this discussion awhile back on the lore forum:
http://www.amiaworld.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=67536&hilit

And as a result Iron wrote this fine little ditty up:
http://www.amiaworld.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=80&t=70347&hilit=

But for general dwarven monkery I would say dwarves fit into the monk mould quite easily, being from a lawful, ordered and highly religious society. I know there are some dwarven monk orders out there.

When I get home later I can write something up in more detail once I can get some lore books in front of me.

Is it worth mentioning the Order of the Blackened Fist? They're "Lolthite" drow monks found only in Undrek'Thoz, whose use arose due to the unusual geography of the city (cosmopolitan city consisting of disparate sections linked by portals) - the portals of Undrek'Thoz are enchanted to stop metal from passing through, to control the economy and limit danger from invasions/assassins. Blackened Fist monks don't need metal weapons to kill and likely focus their training to enhance their unarmed combat (along with stealth and other skills suitable for living weapons), and the strength of the order has risen to the point where it threatens to destabilise the theocratic matriarchy of drow society in the city. Despite this they remain fairly loyal to the traditional order. Name comes from a tradition of blackening their right hands and forearms with pitch or henna.

More information can be found in the Underdark 3.0 sourcebook, under the drow city of Undrek'Thoz.

Doing a bit of digging into monks of demihumans from the sourcebooks it seems in 2nd Ed only Humans could be monks and a monk was a class kit of a priest. 3rd ed removed this restriction however hinted to only humans mainly forming monastic orders with a few half-elves/orcs:

PHB 3rd:

Quote:

Monasteries are mostly found among humans, who have incorporated them into their ever-evolving culture. Thus, many monks are humans (or half-orcs and half-elves who live among humans). Elves are capable of single-minded, long-term devotion to an interest, art, or discipline, and some of them leave the forests to become monks. The monk tradition is alien to dwarf and gnome culture, and halflings are typically too mobile to commit themselves to a monastery, so dwarves, gnomes, and halflings are very rarely monks.

The savage humanoids do not have the stable social structure that allows monk training, but the occasional orphaned or abandoned child from some humanoid tribe winds up in civilized monasteries or adopted by a wandering master. The evil subterranean elves known as drow have a small but successful monk tradition.

Of course its not a hard and fast rule. And up to the discretion of the lore-monkeys here. As mentioned in my previous post we have a dwarven monastic order on Brog which already deviates from the norm. But as IronAngel's Joon of the Binder observed it makes the dwarves of Barak Runedar rather uncomfortable.

Edit: And yeah there is the famous, Order of the Hin Fist of the Halflings and there is this guy we all know.

I've got an active monk, I'd be willing to give it a go

I RP both Timeless Body, Tongue of the Sun and Moon, and Slow Fall with my monk. Can't see how anyone could have a problem with it (in the case of Tongue please notify me via tell if I should limit it in regards to some specific RP, don't want it to ruin anything for anyone).

Monk E-business

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