Monk (character class)
Encyclopedia
The monk is a character class
in a number of table-top role-playing
and computer games. In those games which follow the Dungeons & Dragons
traditions, monks are characters with martial arts skills and have very powerful strategies.
Many computer role-playing games include warrior classes similar to the Dungeons & Dragons monk. The monk class has also found its way into NetHack
and Linley's Dungeon Crawl
, which borrow elements of the class from Dungeons & Dragons.
Conversely, in Guild Wars
released in 2005, the monk is similar to the cleric
class of other popular games, using spiritual powers to heal and purge disease.
in the Dungeons & Dragons
role-playing game
which is typically portrayed as a master of martial arts. It is loosely based on the stereotype
of Shaolin Buddhist warrior monk
s. The Dungeons & Dragons
monk specializes in unarmed combat, with no use of armor and only special "monk weapons", such as kama
or nunchaku
. The monk class, as with other classes of the Dungeons & Dragons game, utilizes a spirit can be overwhelmed when attacked by many enemies at once.
.
, the monk class can be chosen only by the human, lizardman (Iksar), or drakkin races. Monks have hand to hand combat skills, and can fight with or without weapons, using fists or staves, and able to use only leather armor and lighter because of their weight limit restriction.
Monks gain the ability to feign death. This gives the Monk the ability to drop to the ground and cause enemies to forget about his presence, or in MMORPG
terms, lose aggro. This technique is useful for pulling, or bringing monsters to a party of player characters to be killed. The monk class also has the capability to mend wounds, which gives a small boost to his or her hit points.
was created by the same executive producer
as EverQuest, and so Vanguard Monks share many of the qualities as the EverQuest Monk. In addition, Vanguard adds a healer class called the Disciple, which is similar to a Monk who also can use unique healing techniques.
The primary difference in Vanguard is that the monk's "signature" area of expertise is delivering area of effect
(AOE) damage via melee
, a role not present in most games except, sometimes in some limited way due to a particular special ability or talent.
's Final Fantasy series of computer role-playing games, the Monk is a character class (or "job"). It is frequently also referred as the Black Belt. In Final Fantasy
and Final Fantasy III
an upgraded, more powerful form of the class appears, named Karate Master or Karateka (からてか). In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
, Bangaas have the ability to become a Monk.
Final Fantasy games that don't use the job-system usually have a representative for the Monk class. The most well-known is Tifa Lockhart
from Final Fantasy VII
and Zell Dincht from Final Fantasy VIII
.
Ragnarok Online
, Acolytes can choose their second job as a Monk. The monk is a physical/melee class that can, although rarely, provide secondary support in the absence of a priest (for the buffs blessing and agi up)". It is most noted for an ability called "Asura Strike" (sometimes called Guillotine Fist, or Extremity Fist); an attack some consider the most powerful ability in the game, which may result in damage exceeding possible character health. With the right weapon and appropriately built stats, Asura Strike can do massive amounts of damage in a single hit. Their roles in PvE
is either to be the main source of damage to a boss monster, or to let to boss and his minions hit him while other players provide the damage. In War of the Emperium (WoE), they are mostly used for ground control, staying in the backlines and taking out enemy characters that get too close.
Five types—called "builds"—of the Monk character class are the Combo Monk, Spirit Monk, Dasher Monk, Asura Monk, and Diamond Monk. Each class requires certain stats combined with specific skills in order to reach their effectiveness.
games, the Monks are usually exclusively male Light Magic users able to defend themselves through Light-related spells while Priests are the male-counterpart to Clerics being only able to use staves. When they're promoted to Bishop class through the Guiding Ring or Earth Seal items, they add staves, or Light magic in the case of Priests, to their arsenal.
Monks, and their promoted forms Bishops excel in Speed, Magic and Resistance while occasionally having high luck and skill. They often have the highest Resistance caps in their respective game and have high Luck and Skill in order to gain high critical rates, which makes up for their low Magic in relation to other magic users. Also, they almost always have poor growths in defense and HP which makes them vulnerable to magic-resistant melee units such as Pegasus/Falco(n) Knights, a characteristic shared by all magic-users in the franchise.
, the monk is both a class for heroes and a basic unit:
, monks are spellcasters, without engaging in physical combat. There are three general type of monks: Healing, Protecting, and Smiting.
In Guild Wars Nightfall
, dervishes are spellcasters, which actively engaging in physical combat. A holy martial-artist that used power directly from the gods to buff or heal allies and herself. Clearly it was named after the dervish
's since they used an attribute called Mysticism
. They had Scythes for damage and could shapeshift into different avatars of the gods to gain new abilities, similar to the Druid class
from many other games.
, a character beginning as a monk is free to progress in any other skill throughout their career. A monk typically begins with several skill ranks in the unarmed combat, fighting, and dodging skills. Since the unarmed combat skill even allows armed fighters to sometimes make free attacks, such as kicks and headbutts, during normal combat, it may be more convenient to start in this class and pick up a weapon skill later rather than disarming oneself with an armed fighter in order to build the skill from scratch.
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
in a number of table-top role-playing
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
and computer games. In those games which follow the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
traditions, monks are characters with martial arts skills and have very powerful strategies.
Many computer role-playing games include warrior classes similar to the Dungeons & Dragons monk. The monk class has also found its way into NetHack
NetHack
NetHack is a single-player roguelike video game originally released in 1987. It is a descendant of an earlier game called Hack , which is a descendant of Rogue...
and Linley's Dungeon Crawl
Linley's Dungeon Crawl
Linley's Dungeon Crawl is a roguelike computer game originally programmed by Linley Henzell in 1995, and first released to the general public on October 1, 1997. Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, a branch of Dungeon Crawl currently in development, is one of the most popular roguelikes being played today...
, which borrow elements of the class from Dungeons & Dragons.
Conversely, in Guild Wars
Guild Wars
Guild Wars is an episodic series of online 3D fantasy role-playing games developed by ArenaNet and published by NCsoft. Although often defined as an MMORPG the developers define it as a CORPG due to significant differences from the MMORPG genre. It provides two main modes of gameplay—a cooperative...
released in 2005, the monk is similar to the cleric
Cleric (character class)
The Cleric, Priest, or Bishop is a character class in Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy role-playing games. The cleric is a healer, usually a priest and a holy warrior, originally modeled on or inspired by the Military Orders...
class of other popular games, using spiritual powers to heal and purge disease.
Dungeons & Dragons
The monk is a character classCharacter class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
in the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
which is typically portrayed as a master of martial arts. It is loosely based on the stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
of Shaolin Buddhist warrior monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s. The Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
monk specializes in unarmed combat, with no use of armor and only special "monk weapons", such as kama
Kama (weapon)
The is a traditional Filipino and Japanese farming implement similar to a small scythe used for reaping crops and also employed as a weapon...
or nunchaku
Nunchaku
is a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.-Etymology:The Japanese word nunchaku is the Kun'yomi reading of the Kanji term for a traditional Chinese two section staff....
. The monk class, as with other classes of the Dungeons & Dragons game, utilizes a spirit can be overwhelmed when attacked by many enemies at once.
Diablo
Diablo 3 features a monk character class as a melee attacker, using martial arts to cripple foes, resist damage, deflect projectiles, attack with blinding speed, and land explosive killing blows. It combines the melee elements of Diablo II's assassin class with the "holy warrior" role of the paladin. Blizzard has stated that the monk is not related in any way to the monk class from the Sierra Entertainment-made Diablo: Hellfire expansion. The monk is fueled by spirit, which has defensive purposes and is slowly generated through attacking, though it does not degenerate.
EverQuest
In the game EverQuestEverQuest
EverQuest, often shortened to EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was released on the 16th of March, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost...
, the monk class can be chosen only by the human, lizardman (Iksar), or drakkin races. Monks have hand to hand combat skills, and can fight with or without weapons, using fists or staves, and able to use only leather armor and lighter because of their weight limit restriction.
Monks gain the ability to feign death. This gives the Monk the ability to drop to the ground and cause enemies to forget about his presence, or in MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
terms, lose aggro. This technique is useful for pulling, or bringing monsters to a party of player characters to be killed. The monk class also has the capability to mend wounds, which gives a small boost to his or her hit points.
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
Vanguard: Saga of HeroesVanguard: Saga of Heroes
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is a high fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game created by Sigil Games Online, and now developed and run by Sony Online Entertainment. Originally, the game was co-published by Sony Online Entertainment , and the company producing it, Sigil Games...
was created by the same executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
as EverQuest, and so Vanguard Monks share many of the qualities as the EverQuest Monk. In addition, Vanguard adds a healer class called the Disciple, which is similar to a Monk who also can use unique healing techniques.
The primary difference in Vanguard is that the monk's "signature" area of expertise is delivering area of effect
Area of effect
thumb|Screenshot from FreedroidRPG showing Area of Effect.Area of effect is a term used in many role-playing and strategy games to describe attacks or spells that affect multiple targets within a specified area....
(AOE) damage via melee
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
, a role not present in most games except, sometimes in some limited way due to a particular special ability or talent.
Final Fantasy
In Square EnixSquare Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
's Final Fantasy series of computer role-playing games, the Monk is a character class (or "job"). It is frequently also referred as the Black Belt. In Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy (video game)
is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series...
and Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy III
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in for the Family Computer as the third installment in the Final Fantasy series. It is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system....
an upgraded, more powerful form of the class appears, named Karate Master or Karateka (からてか). In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. A spin-off of the popular Final Fantasy series, the game shares several traits with 1997's Final Fantasy Tactics, although it is not a direct sequel. The player assembles a clan of characters, and...
, Bangaas have the ability to become a Monk.
Final Fantasy games that don't use the job-system usually have a representative for the Monk class. The most well-known is Tifa Lockhart
Tifa Lockhart
is a player character in Square Enix's role playing game Final Fantasy VII. Created by character designer Tetsuya Nomura, she has since appeared in the fighting game Ehrgeiz and cameo appearances in other titles, as well as the CGI film sequel to Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children and related games...
from Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
and Zell Dincht from Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII
is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
.
Ragnarok Online
In Gravity Corp's MMORPGMMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
Ragnarok Online
Ragnarok Online
Ragnarok Online , often referred to as RO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game or MMORPG created by GRAVITY Co., Ltd. based on the manhwa Ragnarok by Lee Myung-jin. It was first released in South Korea on 31 August 2002 for Microsoft Windows and has since been released in many other...
, Acolytes can choose their second job as a Monk. The monk is a physical/melee class that can, although rarely, provide secondary support in the absence of a priest (for the buffs blessing and agi up)". It is most noted for an ability called "Asura Strike" (sometimes called Guillotine Fist, or Extremity Fist); an attack some consider the most powerful ability in the game, which may result in damage exceeding possible character health. With the right weapon and appropriately built stats, Asura Strike can do massive amounts of damage in a single hit. Their roles in PvE
Player versus environment
Player versus environment, or PvE , is a term used in online games, particularly MMORPGs, CORPGs, MUDs, and other online role-playing video games, to refer to fighting computer-controlled enemies—in contrast to PvP .Usually a PvE mode can be played either alone, with human...
is either to be the main source of damage to a boss monster, or to let to boss and his minions hit him while other players provide the damage. In War of the Emperium (WoE), they are mostly used for ground control, staying in the backlines and taking out enemy characters that get too close.
Five types—called "builds"—of the Monk character class are the Combo Monk, Spirit Monk, Dasher Monk, Asura Monk, and Diamond Monk. Each class requires certain stats combined with specific skills in order to reach their effectiveness.
- Combo Monk: Usually the fastest attacker of the five types. The Combo Monk utilizes the "Raging Trifecta Blow," "Raging Quadruple Blow," and "Raging Thrust" abilities to string together multiple attacks. A fast leveling build, although it lacks somewhat in player versus playerPlayer versus playerPlayer versus player, or PvP, is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between two or more live participants. This is in contrast to games where players compete against computer controlled opponents, which is correspondingly referred to as player versus environment...
situations due to lack of burst damage skills and accuracy. - Spirit Monk: Uses Spirit Spheres to power its skills. The Spirit Monk is often feared by higher defense builds, as the skill "Occult Impaction" does more damage to more resistant targets. Versatile, and also capable of killing most players with "Asura Strike," though not generally nearing the damage of a monk dedicated to the skill.
- Dasher Monk: Makes use of the skill "Snap" (sometimes called Dash Like a Bullet) to get around the battlefield quickly. Considered a hybrid between combo and spirit, but is often difficult to play, owing to the widely spread skill tree required to receive the "Snap" skill.
- Asura Monk: Asura monks utilize the Asura Strike skill to deal massive amounts of damage in one blow. In PvPPlayer versus playerPlayer versus player, or PvP, is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between two or more live participants. This is in contrast to games where players compete against computer controlled opponents, which is correspondingly referred to as player versus environment...
, the idea is take out a target in one blow (thus preventing the from regaining his hp either via potions or heals from allies). The damage of the skill is based on the users attack, and remaining amount of SP. The skill instantly uses up all remaining SP, and prevents regeneration for five minutes after use. SP can be regained afterwards either by using SP regenerating consumables (such as blue potions, or strawberries), or by the aid a of an allied professor via the skill Soul Exhale. Properly geared and buffed Asura Monks can deal upwards of 200,000 to 300,000 damage, which is very useful for boss battles. Generally, these monks have high STR and DEX, depending on whether they were meant for PvP or PvEPlayer versus environmentPlayer versus environment, or PvE , is a term used in online games, particularly MMORPGs, CORPGs, MUDs, and other online role-playing video games, to refer to fighting computer-controlled enemies—in contrast to PvP .Usually a PvE mode can be played either alone, with human...
, and moderate amounts for INT. - Diamond Monk: Taken from the Japanese name for the "Mental Strength" skill, the Diamond Monk is built to withstand massive amounts of both physical and magical damage. The skill is not interruptible, and reduces all incoming damage by 90%. The reduction further stacks with the users MDEF and DEF, as well as the priest skill Assumptio, making a Mental Strength champ undeniably the best tank in the PvE world. It is used almost exclusively to take damage while other players attack, as while the Mental Strength state, all of the user's active skills are disabled. The hardest type of monk to create, owing to its lack of offensive capabilities. Leveling such a monk usually requires the help of allies, in a method known as leechingLeeching*In pre-scientific medicine, leeching was an alternative form of bloodletting in which "bad" blood would be removed via leeches instead of by bleeding...
.
Fire Emblem
In the Fire EmblemFire Emblem
is a fantasy tactical role-playing video game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems , the maker of Advance Wars , and published by Nintendo...
games, the Monks are usually exclusively male Light Magic users able to defend themselves through Light-related spells while Priests are the male-counterpart to Clerics being only able to use staves. When they're promoted to Bishop class through the Guiding Ring or Earth Seal items, they add staves, or Light magic in the case of Priests, to their arsenal.
Monks, and their promoted forms Bishops excel in Speed, Magic and Resistance while occasionally having high luck and skill. They often have the highest Resistance caps in their respective game and have high Luck and Skill in order to gain high critical rates, which makes up for their low Magic in relation to other magic users. Also, they almost always have poor growths in defense and HP which makes them vulnerable to magic-resistant melee units such as Pegasus/Falco(n) Knights, a characteristic shared by all magic-users in the franchise.
Heroes of Might and Magic
In Heroes of Might and Magic IVHeroes of Might and Magic IV
Heroes of Might and Magic IV is a turn-based strategy game developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing and published by the 3DO Company for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers in 2002. A Macintosh port was subsequently developed by Contraband Entertainment and released by the...
, the monk is both a class for heroes and a basic unit:
- The basic unit is a magical ranged fighter.
- The hero class is reached by learning both Life Magic and Order Magic, and has the special ability to take less damage from Chaos attacks.
Guild Wars
In Guild Wars PropheciesGuild Wars Prophecies
Guild Wars: Prophecies , officially known as simply Guild Wars, is the first campaign of the Guild Wars series of Action RPGs, developed by the Seattle-based ArenaNet game developer studio, a subsidiary of South Korean game publisher NCsoft...
, monks are spellcasters, without engaging in physical combat. There are three general type of monks: Healing, Protecting, and Smiting.
- Healing monks are used primarily to restore lost hitpoints to oneself or allies.
- Protection monks are similar to healing monks, but they specialize in preventing damage opposed to restoring it.
- Smiting monks are offensive based, and can deal Holy damage to their foes. Undead-type creatures take extra damage.
In Guild Wars Nightfall
Guild Wars Nightfall
Guild Wars Nightfall is a fantasy Action RPG and the third stand-alone campaign in the Guild Wars computer game series developed by Seattle-based game developer studio ArenaNet, a subsidiary of NCSoft corporation...
, dervishes are spellcasters, which actively engaging in physical combat. A holy martial-artist that used power directly from the gods to buff or heal allies and herself. Clearly it was named after the dervish
Dervish
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
's since they used an attribute called Mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
. They had Scythes for damage and could shapeshift into different avatars of the gods to gain new abilities, similar to the Druid class
Druid (character class)
In role-playing games, a druid is a character class that is generally portrayed as using nature-based magical abilities and striving to protect nature from civilized intrusion...
from many other games.
Linley's Dungeon Crawl
As with all other classes in Linley's Dungeon CrawlLinley's Dungeon Crawl
Linley's Dungeon Crawl is a roguelike computer game originally programmed by Linley Henzell in 1995, and first released to the general public on October 1, 1997. Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, a branch of Dungeon Crawl currently in development, is one of the most popular roguelikes being played today...
, a character beginning as a monk is free to progress in any other skill throughout their career. A monk typically begins with several skill ranks in the unarmed combat, fighting, and dodging skills. Since the unarmed combat skill even allows armed fighters to sometimes make free attacks, such as kicks and headbutts, during normal combat, it may be more convenient to start in this class and pick up a weapon skill later rather than disarming oneself with an armed fighter in order to build the skill from scratch.