=?iso-8859-1?Q?Re:_=5BBIRTHRIGHT=5D_Cerilian_Monks._Why_N

[kgauck]

Wizards site for the Birthright list. The discuission

took place in December and January of 2000-1. My own message with the monk

converted to a Rjurik brawler was posted on Saturday, December 30, 2000

12:39 AM.



Kenneth Gauck

kgauck@mchsi.com

[Raesene Andu]

You mean this post...

----------------------------------------

Let's say I was starting up a campaign with a Greek setting, and I said I had this new character class. The new class is the kind of character who was very much a product of the Gymnasium (public institutions where adult males received training for competition in the public games including philosophy, literature, and music ): philosophical, a wrestler, and an all around athlete who is skilled at choral dancing.

Would your first thought be, "Hey, this sounds like the Monk class"?

I think the monk class can be used in Cerilia, but it must be entirely redecorated in the local style. Nix the asian sounding skill names and replace them with names appropriate to the cultural and religious enviroment of the character's origin. Review the skills themselves for anything that seems foriegn to the cultural and religious enviroment of the character's origin.

Monks are religious characters who employ feats and skills rather than spells *and* fight hand to hand rather than with the bigger weapons. With this in mind, substitutions could come from the powers granted to priests. This is really just the substitution of one special feat for another.

For example a Monk who follows the teachings of Ruornil might not have "Still Mind" at 3rd level (+2 against Enchantment), but rather the monk might recieve a +2 save bonus against spells when the moon is in the sky.

Perhaps at 6th level, rather than "Slow Fall" the monk of Ruornil is able to purchase skill in Use Magic Device (like Bards and Rogues).

Let's envison a Rjurik monk. Remind ourselves he's priestly, but a brawler not a warrior, and he has feats not spells. Dress him like a Rjurik ranger, but without the weapons. The Rjurik monk uses peasant weapons and I would substitute darts, throwing axe, light flail, and any large hunting knife for the exotic weapons listed. If the DM desires these could be "monk varieties" that follow more closely the rules for the exotics, if balance is thought to be an issue. Croccodile Dundee may indeed be the Austrialian Outback Monk. The Rjurik monk has access to the skills Animal Empathy, Wilderness Lore, and Knowledge (Nature).

Level 1: Unarmed Strike, Stunning Attack, Evasion -- as normal
Level 2: Deflect Arrows -- as normal
Level 3: substitute Nature Sense as a druid
Level 4: substitute Woodland Stride as a druid
Level 5: Purity of Body (aka Immunity to Disease)
Level 6: Improved Trip and substitute Track feat
Level 7: Leap of the Clouds (aka Bounding Wolf) and drop the other listed feat
Level 8: substitute Wild Shape (1/day) as a druid
Level 9: Improved Evasion -- as normal
Level 10: Ki Strike (aka Biting Strike) +1
Level 11: substitute Venom Immunity as druid
Level 12: adapt Sylvan Step, by limiting Abundant Step to tree to tree movement
Level 13: Diamond Soul (aka Erik's Boon) and Ki/Biting Strike +2
Level 14: Diamond Body (aka Poison Immunity)
Level 15: substitute Wild Shape - Large (1/day) as druid
Level 16: Ki/Biting Strike +3
Level 17: Timeless Body, Tounge of the Sun and Moon -- as normal
Level 18: Uncanny Dodge (Dex bonus and cannot be flanked) as Barbarian
Level 19: Empty Body -- as normal
Level 20: Perfect Self -- as normal

All told, I made six substitutions, and suggested five different names for feats. I would describe the Rjurik monk's combat style as closer to boxing than anything, with a good deal of punching, many of the various punches having names like rabbit, fox, and wolf.

Unlike the typical monk, the Rjurik monk is likely to associate for long periods of time with Skalds, Druids, and Rangers.

The teachings of the Rjurik monk supposed that the struggle against the humanoids of the wilderness would be best undertaken by a form of combat which was in harmony with nature. The style of combat proved effective, especially in the absence of any towns, smiths, or mines from which to obtain the materials of the warrior. Like the druid, the Rjurik monk rejects unnatural weapons and armor, but focuses their attentions not on spells and the divine powers Erik bestows, but instead upon the hand to hand combat techniques which advance the purpose Erik has for the Rjurik. Rjurik monks regard it as a grave error to fight for purposes other than the clan, community, or the Rjurik people as a whole. As such they are mostly found combating humanoids in the Blood Skull Barony and taming the Giant Downs.

Kenneth Gauck c558382@earthlink.net

[kgauck]

ge -----

From: "Raesene Andu" <brnetboard@BIRTHRIGHT.NET>

Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2003 2:58 AM





> You mean this post... :)



Yep. And that`s just for the Rjurik. You could also make a mystic of

Ruornil or a dervish of Avani. You could also drop some of the mystical

feats for improved trip, improved disarm, and other mundane combat feats and

go with a strait brawler without any contemplative aspect. The monk is just

a hand-to-hand combatant with cultural description.



Kenneth Gauck

kgauck@mchsi.com

[Ariadne]

Now there is made a really good idea...