Chapter 1 - Class - Character Kits - Priest Kits
Fighting Monk
This priest belongs to an order devoted in large part to the study of
fighting styles, especially barehanded martial arts. These monks live and study in
monasteries devoted to their orders. If, for example, they are priests of the god of War,
these monks do not live and study in ordinary temples of that god; they have their own
secluded monastery away from the normal temples.
These monks do not confine their war-training to the monasteries, however. They
travel the wide world in order to learn the secrets of life, the world, magic and the gods.
As an order, they sometimes volunteer their services to rulers in times of war, and act as
elite forces against the enemy.
These monks are most appropriate for an oriental-flavored campaign and the DM may
wish to decide that they cannot be used in his campaign. Before you create a FightingMonk character, consult your DM and ask if he is allowing the Fighting-Monk kit in his
campaign.
In order to be a fighting-monk, the character must have a Dexterity of 12 or more.
If a fighting-monk wants to abandon this kit, he must go through a difficult process in order to do so. He must not use any of his unarmed combat techniques for three whole
experience levels' worth of time. Once he's reached that third experience level, he has
forgotten his unarmed combat techniques and may resume the wearing of armor; and, if
he renounced some of his spheres of influence when he became a fighting-monk, may
now resume those lost spheres.
As an example, a fighting-monk priest at 5th level decides to renounce his allegiance
to the fighting-monk order. He adventures normally, still not wearing armor but
otherwise performing as a normal priest of his priest-class. He abstains from using his
unarmed combat techniques. At 8th level, he has abandoned his fighting techniques and
may once again wear the armor appropriate to his priest-class.
If a character forgets himself and uses unarmed combat techniques during this process,
he must "start over." It will be three experience levels from his current level, from the
time he made the slip, until he can resume his priest-class.
Barred: A priest of any priesthood which starts out with Poor Fighting Abilities is
barred from this choice.
Role: In the campaign, this priest is the philosophical warrior whose principal duty is
self-enlightenment. He is less concerned with the ordinary priestly duties (such as
guidance, marriage, community service) than those priests, but will still perform them; he
just won't go out of his way to look for them, nor will he normally volunteer for them
(NPCs must ask his help in these matters). Such characters are usually wanderers, which
help make them appropriate for adventuring parties. They do periodically return to their
monasteries, to pass on the learning they have acquired on the road, and to brush up on
their fighting-skills; the rest of the time they spend out in the world.
Secondary Skills: This priest may choose or random-roll his secondary skill, if you
are using the secondary skills system in addition to the weapon/nonweapon proficiencies
system.
Weapon Proficiencies: Required: See under "Special Benefits," below. Otherwise, the
priest may take any weapon proficiencies which his specific priest class allows him; he
may not take any the class does not allow him.
Nonweapon Proficiencies:'' Bonus Proficiency: Tumbling. Recommended: Riding
(Land-Based), Artistic Ability (any), Dancing, Reading/Writing, Religion.
Equipment: See "Special Hindrances," below.
Special Benefits: The principal benefit of being a Fighting-Monk is that the character
receives two free weapon proficiency slots which he must use to take Specialization in
one of the three styles of Unarmed Combat (Punching, Wrestling, or Martial Arts). These
were described in greater detail in The Complete Fighter's Handbook. The Fighting Monk is the only priest who can specialize in an Unarmed Combat style. He can
specialize in any or all of the three styles, but he may only specialize in one of them at
first experience level.
As a second benefit, regardless of what it says for the priest's class, the Fighting-Monk
has a Nonweapon Proficiency Group Crossover with all five Proficiency Groups
(General, Priest, Rogue, Warrior, Wizard). No proficiency he takes will cost double the
usual number of slots.
The last of the Fighting-Monk's benefits is this: He doesn't have to spend all his
starting Weapon Proficiency slots at first level. He can save his unspent proficiencies,and they do not "go away." Later, he can spend them at a rate of one proficiency per experience level to improve his martial arts or buy new martial arts.
Special Hindrances: This priest cannot wear any sort of armor. Additionally, if he's a
priest-class with Medium Combat Abilities, he must "give up" some of his Spheres of
Influence. He may have no more than three Major Accesses (one of which must be All)
and two Minor Accesses. The player may choose from the accesses he currently has
which ones the character loses and which he keeps.
Additionally, the priest may never own more things (weapons, treasure, money, etc.)
than he can carry on his back.
Wealth Options: The Fighting-Monk gets the usual 3d6x10 gp as starting money.
Races: No special limitations. Humans, elves and half-elves seem visually more suited
to this kit than dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, but the DM can allow those races to take
this kit if he so chooses.
