MONKS: The Ki to Unlocking Your Potential
Monks and Wizards have a life-long devotion to training in common. This Martial class learns to focus their inner willpower known as Ki and manifest it in physical ways. They can become faster, stronger, and sturdier. They can hone their minds to withstand mental jabs or outwardly project the Ki to heal, or produce other magnificent effects.
This Roleplay study is going to explore the Monk’s monastic tradition. Specifically, we’re going to take about their connection to their monastery and fellow monks. We’ll ask why you left the seclusion of the monastery for a life of adventure. And then we’ll dive into your relationship with your tradition’s ideals.
“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.”
CONNECTION TO YOUR MONASTERY
The first question on this topic is how you ended up there in the first place. Were you dropped off at the doorstep as a baby? Perhaps your parents sent you there as a rebellious teenager to gain structure, and perhaps they were even paid handsomely for you. You can also be a part of a system much like the Jedi where you demonstrated your potential as a child, which caught the monks’ attention who took you to train.
Now that you know how you ended up there, let’s talk about your relationships with your fellow monks. Did you create many lasting bonds with your fellow students that may also be out in the world as adventurers? These friends can come into play as NPCs for your DM in your game. They can also play the role of antagonists if you didn’t get along with them. Perhaps you were bullied for being somehow different. They could be jealous of your abilities or a perceived favoritism. It’s also possible you left on bad terms (more on that later), so your once-friends now treat you with hostility if you encounter them on your journey.
Another important relationship to consider is that of your Masters. Do you feel you were treated cruelly by them or with patience and understanding? Were there a dozen Masters that helped train your mind and body, or did you train in seclusion with a single Grand Master? And how is that relationship now? Again, they can become possible NPCs to give you guidance or become an arch nemesis.
THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
Unless the whole campaign takes place inside the grounds of your monastery, you left for a reason. That reason could be thrown away as an easy way to explain you being in the party, or it could play a profound way in how you roleplay your character. Typically, Monks aren’t out for gold, treasure, or other material goods. Most reasons for leaving can be divided into two categories: a mission given by the order, or a mission of personal growth.
Some missions you can be given can be to secure something physical. It can be in search of a long-lost scroll that holds powerful secrets, or it can be an item/weapon of great importance that was recently stolen. Another option is that your adopted home is waning in influence. Perhaps the Monks sent you out to find beings with the right potential and recruit them to join. The mission can also be a rite of passage. Imagine once you reach a level of training, you must go out into the greater world to complete a series of challenges in order to obtain the level of Master.
Personal Growth missions can be even more meaningful to your Monk. In a higher level campaign, maybe you have learned all you can and now must seek out the perfect person for you to take on as your first official student. You can be compelled to leave after finding out a loved one has been cursed or mysteriously vanished. A problem only you can solve can force you to leave against the better judgement of your masters. Finally, you can also take on the trope of a massacred monastery. You’re the lone survivor, and so you must find the murderers while struggling internally with the battle between seeking justice and enacting vengeance.
YOUR TRADITION’S IDEALS
Typically, the philosophy of your tradition can be determined by which Subclass you choose. You can flesh out principles and even rules based on that flavor. You can almost think of this ancient list of beliefs as a Paladin considers their Oath or Cleric the demands of their God. Are the principles rigid and literally written in stone, or are they fluidly linked to the thought of protecting innocents and doing good?
Once your Tradition is fleshed out, the question becomes how those principles coincide with your own personal beliefs. If you strongly agree with it all, then you might feel the need to teach others you find in a tavern or feel compelled to stop the party from doing something that doesn’t feel right to you. You can also be at odds with some or all of their principles. If that’s the case, then it’s possible you left in order to test your own theories, or you could have been cast out by refusing to follow all the tenants.
The idea of your Tradition can provide so many nuggets of detail to your character beyond how you fight in combat. It can dictate the garments you wear, the weapons you wield, and the hairstyle you choose. You can also come up with a list of key phrases, mantras, and greetings you make to people. Having specific gestures, training regiments, meditation practices and combat moves can physically set you apart as well.
BONUS CONCEPT - THE FALLEN
Now let’s take everything we discussed and create a Monk who rejects all his previous training. You were cast out for heinous transgressions and are on an internal path of redemption or justification. Mechanically, all Monks know certain skills - Unarmed attacks and movement, training with monk weapons, Patient Defense, Evasion, etc. And your Fallen Monk knows all of that as well. But their Ki is locked behind a mental block. You’re on a path of self discovery as you abandon one Tradition for another. You can be a former member of the Way of Shadow trying to reform into the Way of Mercy or vice versa. In higher level adventures, you can try working with your DM to boost your fighting prowess in exchange for some restrictions on your Ki abilities until you unlock them throughout the storyline.
CONCLUSION
Playing a character working through internal struggles that affect you outwardly can be challenging for sure. But the rewards for in-depth Roleplaying can also feel that much sweeter. A Monk in D&D has a ton of options in combat to make them formidable (For inspiration on painting a cool picture, check out the article, “Describing Your Attacks in Combat”). And with a rich story and internal goals, they can be just as formidable outside of combat as well.
