Monk Adventure Ideas Needed

[WoLT]

Hello all.

I'm running a campaign (this one is actually gurps rules, not pathfinder) for a good chunk of years now.

I currently have a player that is a pacifist monk, however he is involved in a very cloak and dagger conspiracy theory type of game.

As a result rouges are generally best suited to the environment, and a monk is the virtual antithesis.

I've managed to keep the character involved, but generally just barely.

I'm looking for some adventure hooks that might appeal to a pacifist monk in a murderous cloak and dagger fantasy environment set in a capital city.

As of now the character generally serves as a diplomat to various characters that the rest of the party cannot speak with because they are more or less spies, where as he is a philosopher (think Zen Buddhism) and a healer. As such though he spends a lot of time playing telephone and planning things, but doesn't get much in the way of actual adventure and the player ends up feeling like we're running through a list of chores rather than an adventure, which is more or less true and unfair as the rest of the party gets to run around doing all the cool spy stuff.

I'm trying to find new hooks that would entice such a monk type character and force their interest as well as take advantage of their position and skill sets in such a setting. hook line and sinker format preferred, but I'll take anything I can get. Tropes and subverted tropes welcome.

I've received dozens of suggestions on other boards but I've already done them before they were suggested.

Some factors:

His order is hunted and persecuted by the church (an antagonist) and he must remain low key.

His religion is generally unaccepted and recently declared enemies of the state for crimes they did not accuse.

There is no king, much of he campaign surrounds getting a new one, the nobles are of course, corrupt.

The party works for the local "benevolent" crime syndicate run by an upstanding principled man, the faction is currently torn in a blood fued that is coming to a close.

Most of the members of his order have long since fled the country, let alone the city.

[Abraham spalding]

Since he is a man of honor so to speak give him a protection mission. The boss of the "benevolent" crime syndicate wants his daughter protected. The daughter could be just as innocent as all that (or not either way) but must be protected. This works since the monk is a pacifist (how much so by the way? While he use non-lethal self defense? Or does he just dodge and run away?) he doesn't have to kill anyone -- he just has to keep both him and the girl moving before someone gets to her. Possibly he needs to get her to "point 'x'" in order for her to be safe.

This way you test his conviction but give him the means to hold to it.

[WoLT]

Thanks for the idea. I'll see if I can give it a shot.

Anyone have any others?

[Carbon D. Metric]

You can go the whole combat maneuver disarm and disable tactic that monks do so well while taking the bodyguard feats from the APG to act as a force of peace. In combat you could just as easily run around using touch of serenity, disarming, grappling and repositioning enemies all the while maintaining arms length to allies to add to their AC and if they get hit you can jump in to take the hit for them.

Also, you could get a really pumped up Amulet that does a bunch of various types of damage, flaming, frost, corrosive, and then the important one is Merciful so you can deal unarmed damage +a bunch extra and it will all be non-lethal so so knock them out.

[Firest]

Abraham spalding wrote:

Since he is a man of honor so to speak give him a protection mission. The boss of the "benevolent" crime syndicate wants his daughter protected. The daughter could be just as innocent as all that (or not either way) but must be protected. This works since the monk is a pacifist (how much so by the way? While he use non-lethal self defense? Or does he just dodge and run away?) he doesn't have to kill anyone -- he just has to keep both him and the girl moving before someone gets to her. Possibly he needs to get her to "point 'x'" in order for her to be safe.

This way you test his conviction but give him the means to hold to it.

This would have been my first choice, but you could also try having your party's enemies hire some monks from an opposing or breakaway school to your PC's.

[WoLT]

Carbon: you're focusing on game mechanics, as I said, this particular campaign is run in GURPS, which operates very differently from standard 3.5 in that there is far more lethal results from combat and point stacking is impossible. GURPS, if you are unfamiliar, is not designed with the same kind of "game" you might be used to. Some of what you are saying is applicable, but doesn't make sense in the scheme of things. What I'm seeking though, is story options for hook line and sinkers, not mechanics to make the monk into a warrior.

Spalding/Firest: This seems like a viable option, though I remember escort quests being a massive pain in the junk in WoW, I can't imagine they'd be much more fun in an RPG setting. I'm trying to find some things that maybe might interest monks, paricularly those of Zen persuasion, which is difficult as they tend to have simplistic interests like gardening and leading a simple life, such things that don't mesh well with adventuring.

[Abraham spalding]

klokwerkaos wrote:

Spalding/Firest: This seems like a viable option, though I remember escort quests being a massive pain in the junk in WoW, I can't imagine they'd be much more fun in an RPG setting. I'm trying to find some things that maybe might interest monks, paricularly those of Zen persuasion, which is difficult as they tend to have simplistic interests like gardening and leading a simple life, such things that don't mesh well with adventuring.

Well here is the thing, with the Zen supposed ideals the protection front is about the only one you really have. IF it's not the person though, it could be an object -- some holy scrolls with sacred learning on them that he MUST protect. Remember to have obstacles in the way, that if he can over come can be used to slow down his pursuers... don't think WoW -- think Jackie Chan action flick. At some points he might want to carry the person for more speed.

I wouldn't throw a bunch of stuff his level (relatively speaking in gurps of course) but a bunch of semi-skilled mooks that individually won't be a challenge... if he was alone. It would also help if the person he is protecting isn't helpless either. If the target has some skills (maybe from working at the circus) so that they can actively flee too it would make it easier on the monk than if they are just some lowly pesant incapable of doing anything (and think about it -- if it is a crime lord's daughter she better have some skills herself or she's just a huge liability for the crime lord).

Another thought is to put the monk in charge of some novice followers of his faith that just happened to have found him.

This puts some tension on his character since he has to protect and hide them while also training them.

The novice disciples front would be an excellent cover for getting him more into the cloak and dagger tension of the campaign... and if the crime lord finds out about them great blackmail material to use against the monk.

[WoLT]

I really like the "escort an object" type of quest. The party is already burdened with a huge host of NPC's they have some responsibility towards, an object seems like a much better candidate, and could easily be an ongoing hook. As a matter of fact he just received an unidentified object (talisman), so that might as well be it.

I also love the idea about caring for followers.

Right now the character is currently teaching his religion to some godless slave orcs he befriended. Being that they aren't allowed to worship in the local churches and that they could use religion for hope more than anyone (especially the more abused slaves) the idea of protecting them as converts seems necessary, not just appealing. It could even give way to a new chapter of converts for the religion and create a more stable slave class as well as undermine the established national religion (a notable antagonist to the party). It would be a long term mission, but the protection of knowledge might be the way to hold over the PC until that mission can manifest, it could even help trigger the second mission as the knowledge gained could be useful in creating more converts (some ancient bit of wisdom of some kind).

I like this path. Any additional suggestions are welcome, especially in the way of refining this set of ideas.

Thanks much spalding :)