Monk
DO NOT MISTAKE MY SILENCE FOR ACCEPTANCE OF YOUR
villainy. While you blustered and threatened, I've planned
four different ways to snap your neck with my bare hands.
-Ember, grand master of flowersMonks walk a path of contra diction. They study the ir art
as a wizard does, and like a wizard, they wear no armor
and typically eschew weapons. Yet they are deadly com-
batants, their a bilities on a par with those of a raging
barba rian or a superbly trained fighte r. Monks embrace
this seeming contradiction, for it s peaks to the core of
all monastic study. By coming to know oneself com-
ple tely, one learns muc h of the w ide r world.
A monk's focu s on inner mas te ry leads many such
individua ls to become detached from society, m ore con-
cerne d with their personal exp e rience t ha n with hap-
penings elsewhere. Adventuring monks are a rare breed
o f an already rare type of characte r, taking their quest
for p erfection beyond the walls of the monastery into t he
world at large.
Playing a monk character offers many intriguing op-
portunities to try something diffe re nt. To distinguis h
your monk c haracter even further, conside r the options
in the sections that follow.
MONASTERY
A monk studies in a monastery in pre paration for a life
of asceticism. Mos t of those who ente r a monastery
make it their home for the rest of their lives, with the
exception of adventurers and others who h ave reason to
leave. For those individuals, a monastery might ser ve as
a re fuge between excursions to the world or as a source
of support in times of need.
Wha t sort of place was your monastery, and where is
it located? Did attending it contr ibute to your experience
in an unus ual or distinctive way?
CHAPTER 1 I CHARACTER OPTIONSd6 Monastery23456Your monastery is carved out of a mountainside,
where it looms over a treacherous pass.
Your monastery is high in the branches of a n im-
m ense tree in the Feywild.
Your monastery was founded long ago by a cl oud
giant and is inside a cloud castle that can be
reached only by flying.
Your monastery is built beside a volcanic system
of hot springs, geysers, and s ul fur pools. You regu -
larly received visits from azer traders.
Your monastery was founded by gnomes and is an
underground labyrinth of tunnels and rooms.
Your monastery was carved from an iceberg in the
frozen reaches of the wor ld.MONASTIC ICON
Even in the monastic lifestyle , which eschews mate ri-
alis m and personal possessions, symbolis m plays an
important part in defining t he ide ntity of a n order. Some
monastic orders treat certain c reatures w ith s pecial
regard, eith e r because the creature is ti e d to the order's
histo ry or because it serves as an example of a quality
the monks seek to emulate.
If your character's monastery had a s pecial icon , you
might wear a crude image o f the creature somewh ere
inconspicuous on your clothing to serve as an identify-
ing mark. Or perhaps your order's icon does not have a
physical form but is expressed through a gesture or a
posture that you a dopt, and which other monks might
know how to interpret.MONASTIC ICONS
d6 Icon
Monkey. Quick reflexes and the ability to travel
through the treetops a re two of the reasons w hy
your order admires the monkey.
2 Dragon Turtle. The monks of your seaside mon-
astery venerate the dragon turtle, reciting ancient
prayers and offering garlands of flowers to honor345this living spirit of the sea.
Ki-rin. Your monastery sees its main purpose as
watching over and protecting the land in the man-
ner of the ki-rin.
Owlbear. The monks of your m onastery revere a
family of owl bears and have coexisted with them
for generations.
Hydra. Your order singles out the hydra for its abil-
ity to unleash several attacks simultaneously.
6 Dragon. A dragon once la ired w ithin your monas-
tery. Its influence remains long after its departure.