First Edition Monk - Taxidermic Owlbear

First Edition MonkThe Monk Character Class for OSR CampaignsLeonaru 2014

What is a Monk?ing oil and cannot wear any armour or use shields.Whether or not monks can use poison is the gamemaster's decision.The monk belongs to a religious order seeking forphysical and mental perfection. The monk is a combat expert, though he does not depend on weaponsor armour. Instead, the light-footed monk uses only hisfists in combat and prefers to evade enemy attacksinstead of blocking them.Attack ProgressionMonks have the same attack progression as thieves(see Table 3).Saving ThrowsMonks have the same saving throw progression asthieves (see Table 4).Class BasicsAttribute RequirementsSTR 15, CON 11, DEX 15, WIS 15Prime RequisiteNoneRacesHumanHit Died4 (max 18)AlignmentAny LawfulWeaponsBo stick, club, crossbow, dagger, hand axe, javelin, jo stick,pole arm, spear, staffArmourNoneAttack ProgressionAs ThiefSaving ThrowsAs ThiefWeapons Proficiencies1 1 every 2 levelsNon-Proficiency Penalty-3Weapon SpecialisationN/AWeapon ProficienciesA monk starts with one weapon proficiency slot andgains an additional one every two levels. Monks arenot eligible for weapon specialisation. If they use aweapon they are not proficient in, they suffer a -3penalty to their attack roll.Table 1: Monk Experience ProgressionAttribute RequirementsThe way of the monk is mentally and physically demanding. To become a monk, a character has tohave a score of 15 in Strength, Dexterity and Wisdomas well as a Constitution score of 11. A monk does notget an armour class bonus from a high Dexterity scoreor any attack roll or damage bonus from his Strengthscore. He is not eligible for exceptional Strength.Prime RequisiteA monk does not have a prime requisite and doesnot gain an experience bonus from any ability score.RacesOnly humans can become monks. Other races arenot suited to take the path of the 0,000Prime Adept8140,000Disciple of the Snake9275,000Disciple of the Mantis10550,000Disciple of the Tiger11825,000Disciple of the Dragon121,100,000Master of Stars131,375,000Master of the Rising Sun141,650,000Master of the Dawning Sun151,925,000Master of Twilight162,200,000Master of Radiance172,475,000GrandmasterExperience ProgressionWith each new level, a monk acquires a new title andadvances in the hierarchy of his monastic order (seeTable 1). There can only be a limited number monkswith a rank above Prime Adept. There are three Disciples of the Snake: The Disciple of the Cobra, the Viper and the Natter, and only one monk of every rankabove it. When a monk reaches level 8, he temporarily gains all the abilities of this level and has to challenge one of three Disciple of the Snake. This fight hasto be hand-to-hand combat. No weapons or magicitems are allowed.Hit DieThe monk uses the d4 to determine his hit points. Hestarts with two hit dice at the first level and gains another for every level thereafter up to a maximum of18 hit dice at level 17.AlignmentThe way of the monk requires rigorous discipline andintensive training. Therefore, monks can only be ofLawful alignment. They can be Good, Neutral or Evil,though. NPC monks will be Lawful Good in 50%, Lawful Neutral 35% and Lawful Evil 15% of the time.If the challenger wins, he permanently gains all theabilities of his new level and assumed the title of Disciple of the Snake. If the challenged monk wins, hekeeps his title. In any case, the loser drops to an experience level just above the one needed for theWeapons and ArmourA monk can use the bo stick, club, crossbow, dagger,hand axe, javelin, jo stick, pole arm, spear or staff, butgenerally prefers to use his fists. He does not use flam-2

the can avoid taking any damage with a successfulsaving throw. From level 9 on, the monk only takeshalf damage even if he does not make the save andno damage if the save is made. This ability only negates damage, not other harmful effects (like a medusa's petrifying gaze).level below his current level (he drops to level 7 inthis case). When the loser gains enough experiencepoint, he can challenge the winner again. Challenging a higher-ranking monk is necessary to progress toany level above level 7.If the monk does not search out the respective higher-ranking monk, he also loses experience points todemote him one level. He intuitively knows where tofind that monk.Danger SenseAt level 1, a monk is as likely to be surprised as anyother character and his surprise chance is 33.3%. Atlevel 2, the surprise chance is reduced to 32% and byanother 2% for every level thereafter.Special AbilitiesUnarmed StrikeMonks can use a variety of weapons, but generallyprefer to fight using their fists. Monks are trained material arts and the damage they deal with their unarmed attack increases with every level they gain.They also gain additional attacks at certain levelsand will ultimately be able to make four attacks in asingle round. A monk does not gain any bonus to hisattack or damage rolls from a high Strength score.Thief SkillsA monk has access to the thief skills of a thief of equallevel (see Table 5).Weapon ExpertEven though the monk's weapon of choice is his fist,he is also an expert in armed combat and anatomy.Due to this special knowledge, a monk deals 0.5 additional points of damage per experience level whenhe uses a weapon other than his fists. Nevertheless,high-level monks will inflict more damage with unarmed combat.Armour Class and Movement RateMonks do not wear armour and prefer to simply avoidattacks. With every level, a monk's effective armourclass and movement rate increases.Speak with AnimalsFrom level 3 on, monks can Speak with Animals. Thisability is identical to the druid spell of the same name.EvasionMonks are so nimble that they can avoid or deflectnonmagical missiles like arrows, bolts or javelins witha successful saving throw vs. Petrification. For everypotential hit, a separate saving throws is required. Ifthe monk is hit by an attack that permits a savingthrow to reduce the damage taken (like a Fireball),Slow FallAt level 4, the monk gains the ability to fall slowly. Ifhe is within 1' of a wall, he can fall up to 20' withouttaking damage. At level 6, this increases to 4' and 30'and at level 13 to 8' and an unlimited height.Table 2: Monk Special AbilitiesLevelArmour ClassMovementRate (ft)Unarmed Attacksper RoundUnarmedDamageSpecial Abilities11015011d3Unarmed Strike, Evasion, DangerSense, Thief Skills, Weapon Expert2916011d4-3817011d6Speak with Animals471805/41d6ESP Resistance, Slow Fall1d6 1Immunity to Diseases, Immunityto Haste and Slow571905/4662003/22d4Feign Death752103/22d4 1Self-Healing842203/22d6Speak with Plants9323023d4Charm Resistance10324022d6 1Shielded Mind1122505/23d4 1Poison Immunity1212605/24d4Immunity to Quest and Geas1302705/24d4 1Quivering 4-3

Table 3: Monk Attack 322212020202020201918171615141312111099 - 122120202020202019181716151413121110987613 - 1620202020201918171615141312111098765417 - 20202020191817161514131211109876543221 20191817161514131211109876543210Table 4: Monk Saving Throw ProgressionLevelRod, Staff, WandBreath WeaponDeath, 61312155-812151211139 - 12101411191113 - 16813109917 - 2061298721 411875Table 5: Monk Thief SkillsLevelOpen Locks*Find TrapsMove QuietlyHide inShadowsHear NoiseClimb 5%85%91%91%55%99%1797%89%92%92%58%99%*Includes the 5% bonus for humans to Open Locks and Climb WallsESP ResistanceAt level 4, the monk gains the ability to close his mind.This reduces the chance of being affected by ESP to30%. The chance is reduced by an additional 2%.Feign DeathAt level 6, a monk has mastered control of his bodytemperature and heart rate and can appear deadto others. He can remain in this state for a number ofturns equals to twice his level.Immunity to DiseasesAt level 5, a monk becomes immune to diseases.Self-HealingAt level 7, a monk gains the power to gather his innerstrength and heal himself. Once per day, he can heal1d4 1 hit points plus an additional hit points for everylevel above level 7.Immunity to Haste and SlowFrom level 5 on, a monk is no longer affected byHaste and Slow.4

Speak with PlantsFrom level 8 on, monks can Speak with Plants as perdruid spell of the same name.an additional henchman can be hired until the maximum number of henchmen allowed by the monk'sability score has been reached. These henchmenmay be fighters (but not rangers or paladins), assassins or thieves.Charm ResistanceAt level 9,the monk is 50% resistant against Beguiling,Hypnosis, Suggestion and Charm spells. This resistanceincreases by 5% for every level above level 9.FollowersAt level 8, a monk starts to gains followers. These followers will join him once he defeated a Disciple of theSnake in the battle necessary to permanently gainthat level. If he has accomplished that and additionally has a monastery or similar building that he usesas a headquarters, the monk will be joined by 1d4 1monks of the first level. For each level after level 9,1d2 more monks join him. All these monks start at level1 but can gain additional experience levels later on.When they reach level 7, they will leave.Shielded MindAt level 10, a monk has mastered control over hismind. If he is attacked by the mind blast of a brainslayer or by telepathic attacks, he is treated as acharacter with an Intelligence score of 18.Poison ImmunityFrom level 11 on, a monk is no longer affected by poisons of any kind.Monk followers do not require any upkeep. They willhave same alignment as their master. If their master'salignment changes, they will leave him. The monk willstill be joined by new followers of his new alignmentwhen he reaches a new level, though.Immunity to Quest and GeasFrom level 12 on, Quest and Geas no longer affect amonk.Quivering PalmAt level 13, a monk gains the fearsome ability to generate vibrations in the body of another creature andfatally disrupt it at the time point of his choice.A Monk's StrongholdA monk can take over the monastery of a higher-ranking monk that he defeated in battle or build one ofhis own. If he does the latter, the monk is permitted tosave treasure and money worth up to 250,000 GP toconstruct the stronghold. Likewise, he is permitted toretain money needed to support it.The quivering palm can be used once per week. After the monk has declared that he intends to use iton a creature, he has to touch that creature withinthree mêlée rounds. If he fails to do so, the creatureremains unharmed and the Quivering Palm cannotbe used for another week. After the creature hasbeen touched, the monk can chose to let it die atany point thereafter up to a number of days equalto his experience level at the time where he used theability.Undead, creatures immune to nonmagical weapons,creatures with more hit dice than the monk and creatures with more than twice the monk's hit points arenot affected by the Quivering Palm.Item RestrictionsA monk may not posses more than two magic weapons and three other magic items at a time. Monkscan used magic version of weapon they can use,magic rings and miscellaneous magic items usableby the thief. A monk may only possess enough moneyto support himself and his henchmen. Excess wealthhas to be donated to a church worthy of it (unlesshe saves money to build a stronghold as describedbelow).Henchmen and FollowersHenchmenUntil level 6, a monk may not hire anyone at all. Fromthat level on, he can hire up to two henchmen for asingle job. For each additional level of experience,5