Monk

Phoney pseudo-cults and monk weapons are no match for a good mace in your hand, kid.

— Solana Dorpetor

Her fists a blur as they deflect an incoming hail of arrows, a half-elf  springs over a barricade and throws herself into the massed ranks of hobgoblins on the other side. She whirls among them, knocking their blows aside and sending them reeling, until at last she stands alone.
Taking a deep breath, a human covered in tattoos settles into a battle stance. As the first charging orcs reach him, he exhales and a blast of fire roars from his mouth, engulfing his foes.
Moving with the silence of the night, a black-clad halfling steps into a shadow beneath an arch and emerges from another inky shadow on a balcony a stone's throw away. She slides her blade free of its cloth wrapped scabbard and peers through the open window at the tyrant prince, so vulnerable in the grip of sleep.
Whatever their discipline, monks are united in their ability to magically harness the energy that flows in their bodies. Whether channeled as a striking display of combat prowess or a subtler focus of defensive ability and speed, this energy infuses all that a monk does.
Monks make careful study of an energy that most monastic traditions call ki. This energy flows through living bodies. Monks harness this power within themselves to create effects and exceed their bodies' physical capabilities, and some of their special attacks can hinder the flow of ki in their opponents. Using this energy, monks channel uncanny speed and strength into their unarmed strikes. As they gain experience, their martial training and their mastery of ki gives them more power over their bodies and the bodies of their foes. The nature of ki is debated throughout Valine. There is disagreement over whether it is arcane, divine or natural. Whatever the truth may be, and Valinian philosophers across the world fiercely debate it on a daily basis, monks can manipulate it to devastating effect.
Small walled cloisters dot the landscapes Valine, tiny refuges from the flow of ordinary life, where time seems to stand still. The monks who live there seek personal perfection through contemplation and rigorous training. Many entered the monastery as children, sent to live there when their parents died, when food couldn't be found to support them, or in return for some kindness that the monks had performed for their families.
Some monks live entirely apart from the surrounding population, secluded from anything that might impede their spiritual progress. Others are sworn to isolation, emerging only to serve as spies or assassins at the command of their leader, a noble patron, or some other mortal or divine power.
The majority of monks don't shun their neighbors, making frequent visits to nearby towns or villages and exchanging their service for food and other goods. As versatile warriors, monks often end up protecting their neighbors from monsters or tyrants.
For a monk, becoming an adventurer means leaving a structured, communal lifestyle to become a wanderer. This can be a harsh transition, and monks don't undertake it lightly. Those who leave their cloisters take their work seriously, approaching their adventures as personal tests of their physical and spiritual growth. As a rule, monks care little for material wealth and are driven by a desire to accomplish a greater mission than merely slaying monsters and plundering their treasure.
Valine contains a multitude of monasteries and monastic traditions that teach different approaches to the physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines of the monk. Other monastic traditions are associated with deities who teach the value of physical excellence and mental discipline.

Perception

History

The many monastic traditions of Valine go back centuries to the first monastery and the early development of nine masters who took their studies of Ki in different directions. Over time, each tradition adopted a type of creature that they felt represented their monastic philosophy and, although different monasteries have branched off from the tradition that birthed them, each monastery's teachings are entrenched in a way of thinking with a centuries old foundation behind it. The nine central monastic traditions are:

• The Way of the Arachnid - focused on the use of monk weapons in the martial arts and enhancing such weapons through the use of Ki.
• The Way of the Centipede - uses Ki to create the illusion of multiple striking limbs, confusing opponents and leaving them unsure of where the next strike will originate.
• The Way of the Insect - obsessed with the meaning and mechanics of death and of draining living energy from a being.
• The Way of the Lizard - uses Ki to harness elemental energies and bend the forces of nature to their will.
• The Way of the Panther - ultimate masters of martial arts, they learn how to utilize pushes and trips and manipulate Ki to heal their bodies and prevent harm.
• The Way of the Phoenix - uses Ki to manipulate life force and bring aid to those in need, they heal those that they can and bring swift, merciful ends to those they cannot.
• The Way of the Primate - teaches its students to move unpredictably, swaying to move in any direction on a whim and frustrating their opponents with a careful dance of blocks, parries, advances, and retreats.
• The Way of the Rodent - value stealth and subterfuge. Sometimes known as ninjas or shadowdancers, their members often serve as spies and assassins.
• The Way of the Serpent - channel their Ki to create sticky balls of venom and acid, teach the unleashing of hatred from the soul to harm their enemies.

by Rob Taylor

Dragonborn Monk

Type

Education

You find monasteries in the strangest places. The sides of mountains, deep in forests, remote islands. I once stumbled on a kobold monastery in a city sewer system. Monks are an odd bunch...

— Cas Mudmantle

Orc Monk

Caniic Monk by Rob Taylor

I don't know where the tradition of monk orders being modeled after animals came from, but if a "Way of the Tapeworm" appears, I'll quit adventuring forever.

— Hyrokee Bit-Oster