Religious or philosophical individuals who live in secluded monasteries. Some of these monasteries practice combat training, revealing ways to turn fists into weapons. Many who complete this training go on to become mystics in hopes of harnessing their inner power.
Monasteries dot the continent, built by religious or philosophical institutions to protect sacred writings and relics, and offer a place of retreat for those seeking wisdom. Life in these places tends to be simple, with opportunities for introspection and reflection on the soul.
Level 1 Monk
Attributes. Choose two attributes and increase each by 1.
Characteristics. Health +4, Speed +2
Languages and Profession Add scholar of philosophy or theology to your list of professions or add one language to the list of languages you can speak.
Defensive Recovery You can use an action, or a triggered action on your turn, to heal damage equal to your healing rate. Until the end of the next round, you make challenge rolls to resist attacks with 1 boon and you impose 1 bane on attack rolls made against you. Once you use this talent, you must wait until you complete a rest before you can use it again.
Martial Arts When you attack with an unarmed strike and use a melee attack option (Shadow, page 50), you reduce the number of banes imposed by the option by 1.
Unarmed Combat Training When you attack with an unarmed strike, you make the attack roll with 1 boon. In addition, your unarmed strike’s damage die becomes 1d3 unless it is already higher.
Unarmored Defense While you’re not wearing armor or wielding a shield, you have a +3 bonus to Defense.
Level 2 Monk
Characteristics. Health +4
Stunning Strike When the total of your attack roll with an unarmed strike is 20 or higher and beats the target number by 5 or more, your target becomes stunned until the end of the next round.
Unarmed Prowess Your attacks with unarmed strikes deal 1d6 extra damage.
Level 5 Expert Monk
Characteristics. Health +4, Speed +2
Unarmed Expertise When you use an action to attack with an unarmed strike, you either deal 1d6 extra damage with that attack or can make another attack with an unarmed strike against a different target at any point before the end of your turn.
Level 8 Master Monk
Characteristics. Health +4
Improved Defensive Recovery You can use Defensive Recovery twice between rests.
Unarmed Mastery When you use an action to attack with an unarmed strike, you either deal 1d6 extra damage with that attack or can make another attack against a different target at any point before the end of your turn. This talent is cumulative with Unarmed Expertise, but you must choose a different target for each additional attack you make.