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Monk and Druid Skills

mondblut

Arcane
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Ingrija
Asterix The Wicker Man version of Druid would be interesting.

FTFY.

Monks are the worst. Why'd you ever want to play a character not using weapons and armor in a game where collecting and upgrading weapons and armor is one of primary sources of endorphine rush?
 

Dickie

Arcane
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4,235
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
The monk class does not belong in RPGs unless the game is in a fantasy far east setting.
There are other kinds of monks. It'd really throw people off if, instead of a karate man, you had some dude who brewed beer and chanted.

monkdrinking.jpg
 

nlfortier

Esturia Games
Developer
Joined
Apr 28, 2020
Messages
128
Asterix The Wicker Man version of Druid would be interesting.

FTFY.

Monks are the worst. Why'd you ever want to play a character not using weapons and armor in a game where collecting and upgrading weapons and armor is one of primary sources of endorphine rush?

Monks are getting a ton of hate here. Maybe I should reconsider, but I really want to add another healing class as an alternative to the priest.
 

mondblut

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Monks are the worst. Why'd you ever want to play a character not using weapons and armor in a game where collecting and upgrading weapons and armor is one of primary sources of endorphine rush?

Monks are getting a ton of hate here. Maybe I should reconsider, but I really want to add another healing class as an alternative to the priest.

I was referring to the oriental kung flu monk, not the Friar Tuck kind of dude (who is a cleric by any other name anyway).
 

Norfleet

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Jun 3, 2005
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12,250
Monks are the worst. Why'd you ever want to play a character not using weapons and armor in a game where collecting and upgrading weapons and armor is one of primary sources of endorphine rush?
It's the same logic to being a wizard. Wizards don't need weapons or armor either. Only instead of casting fireball, you cast fist.
 

mondblut

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It's the same logic to being a wizard. Wizards don't need weapons or armor either. Only instead of casting fireball, you cast fist.


Monks are one trick ponies who get automatic fighting upgrades to match the expected tier of weapons and armor they don't have. What fun.

If casting fireball were the only action a wizard is capable of, it wouldn't be very exciting either (Pathfinder kineticist, I am looking at you).
 

Norfleet

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if you add druid will it be able to turn into that cow?
And more importantly, can you produce milk. Be warned it might be easy to break the game's economy by producing quality cheese with little or no costs.
Well, you'd have to be a female druid for that, obviously. But then you need another party member to milk you.
 

Pocgels

Scholar
Joined
Nov 15, 2016
Messages
166
Druid can have healing abilities. Life magic in connection to nature, rather than the divine.

I've seen monks re-imagined in the more historic buddhist warrior monks, with weapons and armor as well as martial arts, like the Ikko-Ikki guys Oda Nobunaga killed. It pushes them closer to just being eastern-flavor paladins, though. So if you want a healer that's consistent with classes by the names such as "hoplite" and "barbarian" you'll either have a druid or some sort of Aristotle sort who is a learned doctor/alchemist/natural scientist type, and would probably be even more of a straight healer than a priest.
 

The_Mask

Just like Yves, I chase tales.
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Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
Monks are getting a ton of hate here.
Pink Eye Desiderius Abu Antar - we need to say a few words about why we like monks.

Monks are great:

- any stat, even charisma adds something, because monks are the pinnacle of human abilities
- they cannot be disarmed
- they cannot be poisoned or diseased
- they cannot be charmed, or easily controlled
- traps? arrows? easily dodged
- they see through wrong-doing,
- they help the weak with actual constructive advice, and insight, thus building a better world
- weapon? my body is my weapon. I have more power in my pinky than you have in your whole sword, or "magics"
- they can adapt to almost any situation (be like water, friend)
- basically THE class for psionics, if any
- cannot be stolen from, since they covet no possessions

Weaknesses:

- long ranged melee weapons, I guess. Polearms, and so on. And only temporarily.


What's not to like? :)
 

Abu Antar

Turn-based Poster
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13,512
Enjoy the Revolution! Another revolution around the sun that is. Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
I just like to punch things in the face.

To be honest, I have always liked the thought of martial arts as an option to weapons. My fondness for the class started with the first Final Fantasy, where the monk also levels up to a black belt. I loved seeing all those hits connecting, and reading "8 hits" or more.
Sabin was my favorite character in FFVI. Using his fighting style moves, and suplexing a freaking ghost train just tops it off!
In Final Fantasy Tactics, the monk class saved me from hitting a brick wall with Wiegraf. The abilities, plus the self sustainability was key.
Whilw not exactly a monk, I'm using claws in Elden Ring, which is fun.

In western games, I like the archetype. But also the resistances, automatic speed, stunning fists, and whatnot.

While sometimes gimped compared to other classes, in some games, I usually try the class out to feel if it is a viable option. If not, I try to at least make a multiclass build with monk included.

One of my favorite monks that I used was in a Neverwinter Nights PvP server. It ranked classes, and the monk was seen as one of the worst. I made a dwarf monk/fighter/ranger that stomped a lot of people. I was reported countless times. I also had a hide in plane sight monk, with assassin levels and something else. Stun opponents from the shadows, and sneak attack the to death.

In short, monks are bros.
 

nlfortier

Esturia Games
Developer
Joined
Apr 28, 2020
Messages
128
In Final Fantasy Tactics, the monk class saved me from hitting a brick wall with Wiegraf. The abilities, plus the self sustainability was key.
Whilw not exactly a monk, I'm using claws in Elden Ring, which is fun.

Nice to see monks finally getting some love here. The Monk job in FFT was actually the main inspiration for adding a Monk class in my game. It was my favorite job in the game.
 

J1M

Arcane
Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
14,616
I am currently working on a Roguelike / Tactical RPG and am planning to add a couple of additional classes before the final release. The two I am considering are Monk and Druid classes. Before I start on the work of implementing these new classes, I wanted to get the input from folks in this community. What sort of skills would you all link to see for Druid or Monk characters in a turn-based tactical RPG? Are there other character classes that are underrepresented in RPGs that you would like to see instead?
Ditch the druid and create a geomancer that can manipulate terrain into harming enemies and receives different buffs from standing on each terrain type.

Make the monk a pacifist that can't kill.
 

J1M

Arcane
Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
14,616
Asterix The Wicker Man version of Druid would be interesting.

FTFY.

Monks are the worst. Why'd you ever want to play a character not using weapons and armor in a game where collecting and upgrading weapons and armor is one of primary sources of endorphine rush?

Monks are getting a ton of hate here. Maybe I should reconsider, but I really want to add another healing class as an alternative to the priest.
Alchemist, let them mortar and pestle every item in the game into ingredients for potions and powder bombs.
 
Last edited:

nlfortier

Esturia Games
Developer
Joined
Apr 28, 2020
Messages
128
I've decided not to go with the Monk class. I am instead going to add a mystical swordsman class. This is due to the complaints about monks being less fun in a game where loot plays an important role. It is also because I haven't been able to find a good way to incorporate them into my world building. The swordsman class will be restricted to swords, unable to equip armor, and will have some semi-magical abilities. I'm not set on the name for this new class, so suggestions are welcome. Right now I'm thinking of calling the class Ronin.
 

spectre

Arcane
Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Messages
5,380
I'm not set on the name for this new class, so suggestions are welcome. Right now I'm thinking of calling the class Ronin.
Sword-saint is probably a better fit for the role you want, and just like the Ronin, it will stand out like a sore thumb outside eastern settings.
You may try something like a Swordmaster, Blademaster, Duelist or Fencing Master it you want some degree historical accuracy.
In a western setting, most people who would earn a living by mastering weapons and wandering around (outside of soldiers and mercenaries) would
try and get employment as trainers or stand-ins for judicial duels (a popular passtime in germanic countries).
If we're talking about pre-medieval periods, maybe something like the gladiator would work.

Maybe I should drop the armor restriction.
This depends entirely on how items and amor works in your game, but consider the following:
are there any actual penalties to wearing heavier armor in your system and how significant is encumbrance
do characters parade in their fighting gear all the time, or is there a chance when they'll be forced to fight unprepared
(e.g. when ambushed, camping or attending a royal court).
You can see this reflected in the recent Mount and Blade, where each char has a set of fighting and civilian gear,
civilian gear selection being heavily restricted.

If armor boils down to a flat +defence, or armor class or whatever, most characters will want to wear whatever gives them the biggest number.
This is logical, because IRL you will want as much protection as possible, as long as it doesn't get in the way of fighting,
but it also means you will drop gambersons for plate armor the first chance you get and classes being restricted in armor selection is one way
to keep lower tier stuff relevant, so if you have a selection of clothes, robes, etc., "no armor allowed" can make the player pay more attention to what's available.

However, there is also another way for such characters, instead of just saying no to certain item types, restrict the overall weight of their gear
and once they pass this arbitrary threshold, you can remove or restrict certain special abilities of this class.
 

nlfortier

Esturia Games
Developer
Joined
Apr 28, 2020
Messages
128
I'm not set on the name for this new class, so suggestions are welcome. Right now I'm thinking of calling the class Ronin.
Sword-saint is probably a better fit for the role you want, and just like the Ronin, it will stand out like a sore thumb outside eastern settings.
In the lore, these wandering swordsmen worship a warrior goddess, who is known for creating the first sword in order to rescue her family from a dragon. They are a combination of cleric and warrior, so sword-saint is a pretty apt description.
 

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