THE MONK

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.

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 experience points bonuses. 

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.

Non-player character monks will be aligned as follows: 50% Lawful Good, 35% Lawful Neutral, 15% Lawful Evil.

A brief study of the monk's tables 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, hit dice 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 class 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. 

• Prime Requisite. None

• Minimum Ability Scores.  Strength (15), Wisdom (15), Dexterity (15), Constitution (11)

• Hit Dice. d4 (starting with 2d4); Maximum 18d4

• Alignment. Any Lawful

• Player Character Races. Human (U)

• Armor. None (No armor class adjustments for Dexterity.)

• Shield. None

• Initial Weapon Proficiencies. 1

• Non-proficiency Penalty. -3

• Added Weapon Proficiencies. 1 per 2 levels (2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th)

• Weapons Allowed. bo sticks, clubs, crossbows, daggers, hand axes, javelins, jo sticks, pole arms, spears, staves. Monks do not use flaming oil as a weapon in combat.

• Use of Poison. ? (per DM)

COMBAT

With respect to combat, monks attack on the same table as thieves [clerics].

However, they add one-half of a hit point per level of experience to the amount of damage they score when they successfully attack an opponent with a weapon. This simulates their study and knowledge of weapons and anatomy. A 1st level monk scores x + ½ HP of damage, where x equals the damage done by the weapon used and HP equals the number of hit points of damage. A 2nd level monk does x + 1 when he or she scores a hit, a 3rd level x + 1½, and so on all the way to Grand Master of Flowers who scores x + 8½ 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 [the MONK ABILITY TABLE] below. 

In addition, 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 minimum number required for a hit by 5 or more, i.e. if 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 a 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 armor class 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.

A MONK AT 1ST LEVEL IS CAPABLE OF STUNNING OR KILLING ONLY AN OPPONENT OF MAN-SIZE (M) OR SMALLER. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS DETERMINATION, MAN-SIZE SHALL BE:

Maximum Height: 6-ft 6-in

Maximum Weight: 300-lbs

For each level above the 1st, the monk will gain additional stunning/killing ability at the rate of 2 inches of height and 50 pounds of opponent weight per level of experience gained. Thus:

At the upper levels (13th and above) [the DM] may wish to allow a variation upwards of some considerable height and weight - perhaps an additional 1" to 2" and 50# per level so as to allow some chance versus the larger and heavier creatures such as hill giants.

Important. Monks' stunning/killing ability can only apply to living things. Undead cannot be affected (and an open hand hit on an undead creature could be very undesirable from the monk's standpoint in any event — especially if the creature causes damage by touch, for the monk touching the undead creature then is the same as the reverse). Golems and dopplegangers cannot be affected. Damage from open hand attacks still accrues if the monster can be so hit otherwise.

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 still 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.

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.

MONK ABILITIES

Monks cannot wear armor and do not gain adjustments to AC for a high Dexterity. However, as monks gain levels, their base AC gets better through a combination of toughness, technique, and quickness.

At 1st level of experience, a monk is as likely to be surprised as any other character, i.e. 33⅓%. 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, 28% chance at 4th level, 26% chance at 5th level, etc.

Monks have the following thief abilities which they perform at identical level of experience 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. 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 ft. if he or she is within 1-ft. of a wall.

  • At 6th level (Master), a monk can fall up to 30 ft. if he or she is within 4-ft. of a wall.

  • At 13th level (Master of Winter), a monk can fall any distance if he or she is within 8-ft. 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 hit points 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.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Each special ability on the [MONK ABILITY TABLE] 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 experience which the monk gains thereafter, the chance for success of ESP-ing 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 experience level, a monk is not subject to diseases of any sort, nor is he ever affected by haste or 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 number 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 hit points (d4+1), and this amount  increases by 1 hit point with each experience level gained thereafter, i.e. 3-6 h.p. 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 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 upon a monk of 10th or higher level are made as if the character had an 18 Intelligence, 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. Known as the “quivering palm”, the monk merely touches his victim to set up the deadly vibrations. The victim can be virtually any creature. This power is limited as follows:

• • 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.

  • It has no affect on the undead or creatures which can be hit only by magical weaponry.

  • The victim cannot have more hit dice than the monk using the power, and in any event, the total hit points of the victim cannot exceed those of the monk by more than 200%, or the power has no effect.

  • 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.

MONK STRICTURES

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.) strength ability adjustments, 5.) henchmen, and 6.) advancement in level, as follows:

1. 1. Armor, as previously stated, cannot be worn. Weapons usable by monk characters are shown [above]; Weapons not listed cannot be used.

   2. Monks, much like paladins, may not retain more than a small fraction of whatever treasure 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.

   4. Monks do not gain any bonuses, either with respect to increasing “to hit” probability or to increase hit points of damage, for Strength 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 nor 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 maximum number established by the monk’s Charisma score is reached. Monks will gain followers upon attaining 8th level; this is discussed hereafter.

   6. There can be only 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 player character monk gains sufficient experience points to qualify him or her for 8th level, the commensurate abilities are attained only temporarily. The monk must find and defeat in single combat, hand-to-hand, without 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 and higher levels. The loser of these combats loses enough experience points to place him or her at the lowest number possible 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 immediately to do combat or else lose experience points equal to the number which will place him or her at the lowest number possible to have attained the level just beneath that of the monk he or she should have sought out but did not. That is, the player character drops to 7th level in the above case and must then work upwards once again.

FOLLOWERS

When a monk player character 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 player character has now gotten. He or she will attract from 2-5 1st level monks if the player character has a monastery or monastery-like building to use as a headquarters. These followers may be worked upwards in levels of experience. The player character will attract 1 or 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 player character. If he or she changes alignment, the current followers will desert, but new ones can still be gained by advancement in level.

Note that monk followers require no support, upkeep, or pay of any sort.

MONASTERY

The monastery or monastery-like headquarters 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 player character after attaining 8th or higher level. In the latter case, the monk may retain up to 250,000 gold pieces value in treasure in order to finance construction of the place. He or she may also retain sufficient funds thereafter to maintain such a place.