First Edition Monk

The Monk Character Class for OSR Campaigns

Version 1.1
Leonaru © 2014
What is a Monk? ing oil and cannot wear any armour or use shields.
Whether or not monks can use poison is the game
The monk belongs to a religious order seeking for
master's decision.
physical and mental perfection. The monk is a com-
bat expert, though he does not depend on weapons
Attack Progression
or armour. Instead, the light-footed monk uses only his
fists in combat and prefers to evade enemy attacks Monks have the same attack progression as thieves
instead of blocking them. (see Table 3).

Saving Throws
Class Basics Monks have the same saving throw progression as
Attribute Requirements STR 15, CON 11, DEX 15, WIS 15 thieves (see Table 4).
Prime Requisite None
Weapon Proficiencies
Races Human
A monk starts with one weapon proficiency slot and
Hit Die d4 (max 18) gains an additional one every two levels. Monks are
Alignment Any Lawful not eligible for weapon specialisation. If they use a
Bo stick, club, crossbow, dag-
weapon they are not proficient in, they suffer a -3
Weapons ger, hand axe, javelin, jo stick, penalty to their attack roll.
pole arm, spear, staff
Table 1: Monk Experience Progression
Armour None
Level XP Title
Attack Progression As Cleric
1 0 Postulant
Saving Throws As Thief
2 2,250 Prospective
Weapons Proficiencies 1+1 every 2 levels
3 4,500 Initiate
Non-Proficiency Penalty -3
4 9,000 Mendicant
Weapon Specialisation N/A
5 18,000 Friar
Attribute Requirements 6 35,000 Adept
The way of the monk is mentally and physically de- 7 70,000 Prime Adept
manding. To become a monk, a character has to 8 140,000 Disciple of the Snake
have a score of 15 in Strength, Dexterity and Wisdom 9 275,000 Disciple of the Mantis
as well as a Constitution score of 11. A monk does not
10 550,000 Disciple of the Tiger
get an armour class bonus from a high Dexterity score
or any attack roll or damage bonus from his Strength 11 825,000 Disciple of the Dragon
score. He is not eligible for exceptional Strength. 12 1,100,000 Master of Stars
13 1,375,000 Master of the Rising Sun
Prime Requisite
14 1,650,000 Master of the Dawning Sun
A monk does not have a prime requisite and does
15 1,925,000 Master of Twilight
not gain an experience bonus from any ability score.
16 2,200,000 Master of Radiance
Races 17 2,475,000 Grandmaster
Only humans can become monks. Other races are
not suited to take the path of the monk.
Experience Progression
Hit Die With each new level, a monk acquires a new title and
advances in the hierarchy of his monastic order (see
The monk uses the d4 to determine his hit points. He
Table 1). There can only be a limited number monks
starts with two hit dice at the first level and gains an-
with a rank above Prime Adept. There are three Dis-
other for every level thereafter up to a maximum of
ciples of the Snake: The Disciple of the Cobra, the Vi-
18 hit dice at level 17.
per and the Natter, and only one monk of every rank
above it. When a monk reaches level 8, he temporar-
Alignment
ily gains all the abilities of this level and has to chal-
The way of the monk requires rigorous discipline and lenge one of three Disciple of the Snake. This fight has
intensive training. Therefore, monks can only be of to be hand-to-hand combat. No weapons or magic
Lawful alignment. They can be Good, Neutral or Evil, items are allowed.
though. NPC monks will be Lawful Good in 50%, Law-
ful Neutral 35% and Lawful Evil 15% of the time. If the challenger wins, he permanently gains all the
abilities of his new level and assumed the title of Dis-
Weapons and Armour ciple of the Snake. If the challenged monk wins, he
A monk can use the bo stick, club, crossbow, dagger, keeps his title. In any case, the loser drops to an ex-
hand axe, javelin, jo stick, pole arm, spear or staff, but perience level just above the one needed for the
generally prefers to use his fists. He does not use flam-

2
level below his current level (he drops to level 7 in the can avoid taking any damage with a successful
this case). When the loser gains enough experience saving throw. From level 9 on, the monk only takes
point, he can challenge the winner again. Challeng- half damage even if he does not make the save and
ing a higher-ranking monk is necessary to progress to no damage if the save is made. This ability only ne-
any level above level 7. gates damage, not other harmful effects (like a me-
dusa's petrifying gaze).
If the monk does not search out the respective high-
er-ranking monk, he also loses experience points to Danger Sense
demote him one level. He intuitively knows where to At level 1, a monk is as likely to be surprised as any
find that monk. other character and his surprise chance is 33.3%. At
level 2, the surprise chance is reduced to 32% and by
Special Abilities another 2% for every level thereafter.

Unarmed Strike Thief Skills

Monks can use a variety of weapons, but generally A monk has access to the thief skills of a thief of equal
prefer to fight using their fists. Monks are trained ma- level (see Table 5).
terial arts and the damage they deal with their un-
armed attack increases with every level they gain. Weapon Expert
They also gain additional attacks at certain levels Even though the monk's weapon of choice is his fist,
and will ultimately be able to make four attacks in a he is also an expert in armed combat and anatomy.
single round. A monk does not gain any bonus to his Due to this special knowledge, a monk deals 0.5 ad-
attack or damage rolls from a high Strength score. ditional points of damage per experience level when
he uses a weapon other than his fists. Nevertheless,
Armour Class and Movement Rate high-level monks will inflict more damage with un-
Monks do not wear armour and prefer to simply avoid armed combat.
attacks. With every level, a monk's effective armour
class and movement rate increases. Speak with Animals
From level 3 on, monks can Speak with Animals. This
Evasion ability is identical to the druid spell of the same name.
Monks are so nimble that they can avoid or deflect
nonmagical missiles like arrows, bolts or javelins with Slow Fall
a successful saving throw vs. Petrification. For every At level 4, the monk gains the ability to fall slowly. If
potential hit, a separate saving throws is required. If he is within 1' of a wall, he can fall up to 20' without
the monk is hit by an attack that permits a saving taking damage. At level 6, this increases to 4' and 30'
throw to reduce the damage taken (like a Fireball), and at level 13 to 8' and an unlimited height.

Table 2: Monk Special Abilities

Movement Unarmed Attacks Unarmed
Level Armour Class Special Abilities
Rate (ft) per Round Damage
Unarmed Strike, Evasion, Danger
1 10 150 1 1d3
Sense, Thief Skills, Weapon Expert
2 9 160 1 1d4 -
3 8 170 1 1d6 Speak with Animals
4 7 180 5/4 1d6 ESP Resistance, Slow Fall
Immunity to Diseases, Immunity
5 7 190 5/4 1d6+1
to Haste and Slow
6 6 200 3/2 2d4 Feign Death
7 5 210 3/2 2d4+1 Self-Healing
8 4 220 3/2 2d6 Speak with Plants
9 3 230 2 3d4 Charm Resistance
10 3 240 2 2d6+1 Shielded Mind
11 2 250 5/2 3d4+1 Poison Immunity
12 1 260 5/2 4d4 Immunity to Quest and Geas
13 0 270 5/2 4d4+1 Quivering Palm
14 -1 280 3 5d4 -
15 -1 290 3 6d4 -
16 -2 300 4 5d6 -
17 -3 320 4 8d4 -

3
 Table 3: Monk Attack Progression
Level -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1-3 25 24 23 22 21 20 20 20 20 20 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10
4-6 23 22 21 20 20 20 20 20 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
7-9 21 20 20 20 20 20 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6
10 - 12 20 20 20 20 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4
13 - 15 20 20 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
16 - 18 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
19+ 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1

Table 4: Monk Saving Throw Progression

Death, Paralysis, Petrification,
Level Rod, Staff, Wand Breath Weapon Spell
Poison Polymorph
1-4 14 16 13 12 15
5-8 12 15 12 11 13
9 - 12 10 14 11 19 11
13 - 16 8 13 10 9 9
17 - 20 6 12 9 8 7
21+ 4 11 8 7 5

Table 5: Monk Thief Skills

Hide in
Level Open Locks* Find Traps Move Quietly Hear Noise Climb Walls*
Shadows
1 35% 25% 20% 20% 10% 85%
2 39% 29% 25% 25% 13% 87%
3 43% 33% 30% 30% 16% 89%
4 47% 37% 35% 35% 19% 91%
5 51% 41% 40% 40% 22% 93%
6 55% 45% 45% 45% 25% 95%
7 59% 49% 50% 50% 28% 96%
8 63% 53% 55% 55% 31% 97%
9 67% 57% 60% 60% 34% 98%
10 71% 61% 65% 65% 37% 99%
11 75% 65% 70% 70% 40% 99%
12 79% 69% 75% 75% 43% 99%
13 83% 73% 80% 80% 46% 99%
14 87% 77% 85% 85% 49% 99%
15 91% 81% 90% 90% 52% 99%
16 95% 85% 91% 91% 55% 99%
17 97% 89% 92% 92% 58% 99%
*Includes the 5% bonus for humans to Open Locks and Climb Walls

ESP Resistance Feign Death

At level 4, the monk gains the ability to close his mind. At level 6, a monk has mastered control of his body
This reduces the chance of being affected by ESP to temperature and heart rate and can appear dead
30%. The chance is reduced by an additional 2% per to others. He can remain in this state for a number of
experience level. turns equals to twice his level.

Immunity to Diseases Self-Healing

At level 5, a monk becomes immune to diseases. At level 7, a monk gains the power to gather his inner
strength and heal himself. Once per day, he can heal
Immunity to Haste and Slow 1d4+1 hit points plus an additional hit point for every
From level 5 on, a monk is no longer affected by level above level 7.
Haste and Slow.

4
Speak with Plants an additional henchman can be hired until the max-
From level 8 on, monks can Speak with Plants as per imum number of henchmen allowed by the monk's
druid spell of the same name. ability score has been reached. These henchmen
may be fighters (but not rangers or paladins), assas-
Charm Resistance sins or thieves.
At level 9,the monk is 50% resistant against Beguiling,
Hypnosis, Suggestion and Charm spells. This resistance Followers
increases by 5% for every level above level 9. At level 8, a monk starts to gains followers. These fol-
lowers will join him once he defeated a Disciple of the
Shielded Mind Snake in the battle necessary to permanently gain
At level 10, a monk has mastered control over his that level. If he has accomplished that and addition-
mind. If he is attacked by the mind blast of a brain ally has a monastery or similar building that he uses
slayer or by telepathic attacks, he is treated as a as a headquarters, the monk will be joined by 1d4+1
character with an Intelligence score of 18. monks of the first level. For each level after level 9,
1d2 more monks join him. All these monks start at level
Poison Immunity 1 but can gain additional experience levels later on.
When they reach level 7, they will leave.
From level 11 on, a monk is no longer affected by poi-
sons of any kind.
Monk followers do not require any upkeep. They will
have same alignment as their master. If their master's
Immunity to Quest and Geas
alignment changes, they will leave him. The monk will
From level 12 on, Quest and Geas no longer affect a still be joined by new followers of his new alignment
monk. when he reaches a new level, though.
Quivering Palm
At level 13, a monk gains the fearsome ability to gen- A Monk's Stronghold
erate vibrations in the body of another creature and A monk can take over the monastery of a higher-rank-
fatally disrupt it at the time point of his choice. ing monk that he defeated in battle or build one of
his own. If he does the latter, the monk is permitted to
The quivering palm can be used once per week. Af- save treasure and money worth up to 250,000 GP to
ter the monk has declared that he intends to use it construct the stronghold. Likewise, he is permitted to
on a creature, he has to touch that creature within retain money needed to support it.
three mêlée rounds. If he fails to do so, the creature
remains unharmed and the Quivering Palm cannot
be used for another week. After the creature has
been touched, the monk can chose to let it die at
any point thereafter up to a number of days equal
to his experience level at the time where he used the
ability.

Undead, creatures immune to nonmagical weapons,

creatures with more hit dice than the monk and crea-
tures with more than twice the monk's hit points are
not affected by the Quivering Palm.

Item Restrictions
A monk may not posses more than two magic weap-
ons and three other magic items at a time. Monks
can use magic versions of allowed weapons, magic
rings, and any miscellaneous magic item usable by
the thief. A monk may only possess enough money
to support himself and his henchmen. Excess wealth
has to be donated to a church worthy of it (unless
he saves money to build a stronghold as described
below).

Henchmen and Followers

Henchmen
Until level 6, a monk may not hire anyone at all. From
that level on, he can hire up to two henchmen for a
single job. For each additional level of experience,

5
Name: Alignment: Level:
Race: Sex: XP:
Class: Rank: Next Level:

Abilities
Str: Encumbrance: Minor Test: Major Test: Armour Class Hit Points
Dex: Missile To Hit: Surprise:
Base Current Maximum Current
Con: Hit Points: Minor Test: Major Test:
Int: # Languages: Movement ESP Resistance Charm Resistance

Wis: Mental Save:

Base Current
Cha: # Henchmen: Loyalty: Reaction:

Saving Throws
Paralysis, Poison, Death Rod, Staff, Wand Petrification, Polymorph Breath Weapon Spell

Equipment
Boots Bracers Cloak
Ring #1 Ring #2 Other

Target AC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8 -9 -10
# To Hit

Weapon Type Rate of Fire Damage Range Special

Special Combat Abilities Thief Skills

# Unarmed Attacks Unarmed Damage Weapon Damage Bonus Pick Pockets Open Locks Find Traps Move Quietly Hide in Shadows Hear Noise Climb Walls

Treasure, Gear & Special Abilities

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