Monk

Monks are pacifists at heart, abhorring violence and choosing to turn their backs on worldly possessions and vain ambitions, seeing them as the source of so much suffering. In order to do so they are typically forced to remove themselves from society and live in seclusion. This commonly leads to the establishment of monastic communities of like-minded individuals, brotherhoods, and sisterhoods dedicated to austere living and a common faith. When these monastic communities do interact with the world at large, it is generally to provide charity and attempt to alleviate the suffering of others. For some monks this includes the liberal application of hearty drink to cheer the soul.

Though similar in many ways to the monastic orders of the High Elven Shaolin and their offshoot sects, Monks do not practice combat whatsoever. When threatened they will defend themselves, however their typical strategy is simply to avoid combat all together. Monks have become so adept at avoiding combat that they can often move about a battlefield unnoticed and undetected, using their skills and their faith to aid allies, tend to wounds, or confuse their foes.

Class Overview

Typical Roles: Healer, Support/Utility, Stealth, Ranged Damage
Damage Types: Physical, Faith (Holy, Demonic, Psionic, Primal)
Class Mechanic:Faith and Stealth

Default Stats: During Character Creation you may choose to use the default stat line shown below, before racial modifiers. This can be instead of rolling for stats, or if after rolling ten sets of stats you don’t like the results.

During Character Creation you may choose to use the Default Stat Line, before racial modifiers, instead of rolling for stats, or if after rolling ten sets of stats you don’t like the results

Proficiencies

Natural Armor Proficiency: Cloth
Trainable Armor Proficiency: None
Natural Weapon Proficiency: Knives, Bludgeons
Trainable Weapon Proficiency: Staves, Whips, Bows

See Equipment section for details. When using weapons or armor that your class is not proficient with, see Combat Penalties. There is no level or title prerequisite to train in a new proficiency, however you must receive the appropriate Training.

Class Skills

Class Passive Ability: Pacifist
Class Secondary Skill: (choose one) Theologian, Brewmaster, or Alchemy

Primary Skills

Monks typically abhor combat and prefer the cloistered lives of their monasteries. However a times they are called upon to venture out into the wider world and when doing so they tend to hang back and support their allies while remaining unnoticed by the foe. Some bolder monks may use their knack for avoiding detection to thwart or suppress the enemy. However if the enemy becomes wise to their schemes, Monks do not have much capability to defend themselves and therefore rely upon the good will of their companions to protect them.

Faith

Sacred Scriptures

Monks carry the words of their Faith with them wherever they go. This most often includes the accepted mainstream Text of their faith, but also could include scrolls or letters by scholarly sources or revered monastic teachers of old. Regardless of how a Monk chooses to carry the teachings of their faith with them, they guard them with their lives for they are sacred and set apart. It is also an essential repository of knowledge that acts as a source book of sorts for all of the Faith Powers that they would have access to as part of their faith. Depending on the circumstance and character background, a GM might choose to restrict what Powers are recorded within those sacred writings and scriptures, however unless otherwise stated it contains the entirely of what would be available for their chosen Faith Path (i.e. if following the Holy Faith, it would contain all Holy Faith powers from all Disciplines)

From this repository, a Monk can memorize powers for day-to-day use and for use in combat. For additional details see Learning New Faith Powers.

Chanting and Ritual

In order to actually cast any of their powers, a Priest, Monk, or Shaolin must chant sacred verses or recite memorized scriptures while focusing their mind on the desired outcome. If the situation calls for it monks can chant under their breath, barely audible yet still invoking the names of the powers they serve without giving away their location. This must be paired with symbolic or ritualistic casting gestures that can be equally subtle when required. These gestures are often made with a symbol, relic, idol, or other such device of their faith (see Methods of Casting).

Stealth

A Monk uses stealth to avoid combat, favoring skills that are not directly offensive but instead their allies or inhibit the fighting capabilities of their foes. Monks follow the standard rules for Stealth classes and Learning New Stealth Skills.

Stealth Costs for Monks are as follows:

• All offensive or aggressive Stealth actions reduce Stealth by 2 prior to taking a Stealth Test
• All offensive or aggressive Stealth instants reduce Stealth by 1 prior to taking a Stealth Test
• Increase the Stealth cost by 1 if the offensive or aggressive instant or action is NOT a Stealth skill (i.e. a regular attack action)
• All regular movement reduces Stealth by 1 per tabletop inch moved prior to taking a Stealth Test

Monks have the following restrictions for Stealth Disciplines:

• Primary Discipline: Suppression
• Available Disciplines: Thievery, Sabotage, Survival, Subterfuge
• Forbidden Disciplines: Assassination, Dirty Fighting 

Upon character creation, Monks automatically gain the following Stealth skills (prior to applying level ups):

• Swift Kick (Rank I)
• Confuse (Rank I)

To learn new stealth skills require training unless they are upgrades (i.e. Rank1 Swift Kick -> Rank2 Swift Kick). Training is typically facilitated by the Monastic Order to which they belong.

Level Ups

Monks use the following chart for levelling up:

HP Dice (Slight): Small Race (1d6), Medium Race (1d8), Large Race (1d10)