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So, obviously, people have very skewed views on the monk class. I've seen more than one GM try to avoid or ban them because they don't fit the preferred swords and sorcery theme, and more than one player RP them as a looney old man that sputters off goofy sayings and punches things.
Suffice it to say, not particularly fond of this line of thinking.
I'm currently playing a monk/sorc/dragon disciple who will become a natural weapon fighter as soon as his claws start outdoing his unarmed strike. I like to play it as a martial artist of sorts who focuses on discipline and control (RP wise) - I generally picture someone dressed in adventurers robes who is more of a brawler then a swordsmen, rather than a bald headed weirdo who fights while imitating monkey noises.
So, the question is, how do you RP your monk? Any existing fictional characters you tend to get inspiration from?
The last (only?) monk I've played was a 3.5 Forgotten Realms monk who was raised in a temple to the god with the gauntlet with an eye in it (Torm?). I played him pretty much like a mix between a cleric (for piety) and a rogue (for style and overall method). The only thing I really didn't like was that carrying around kamas and shuriken was the best way to not get caught with my pants down, so to speak, about damage type. I would definitely have preferred to carry around a morningstar and some darts or daggers but they would have kind of messed up my ability to do damage.
For his aesthetic, there was some wizard prestige class in Complete Arcane/Mage/Whatever that just looked like a cool, unarmored, unassuming guy to me. That wizard was wearing black but I wore the colors associated with my station in the church. Oh, and I had stylized tattoos of eyes on my primary weapons - my palms.
My two monks are disciples of Irori, raised and trained in a remote monastery. One of the masters there attempted to secretly train young recruits to despise and lead war against the Fey. My other monk is a believer in those teachings and is very pigheaded. Pendin here disbelieves the teachings and has taken to traveling. He's a bit dimwitted but learns from his mistakes. Dedicated to Irori's perfection.
I plan someday to do something to hopefully have them meet...
Sin'ibn, slave of Sarenrae. Katapeshi devotee of the heretically harsh southern sect. Creepily servile to ordained Sarenraens, otherwise merciless enforcer with a rogueish skill set. Much less effective since the flurry fiasco.
Daven Traal, half-orc lore warden maneuver master. Devotion to knowledge and self-control are just facets of his conflicting driving forces, survival at all costs vs eternal exploration. Western rapier/buckler/dirty fighting style, likes to moodswing from dumb thug to ascerbic intellectual.
I try to avoid using characters drawn too heavily from fictional characters in my home games, my group is known for their terrible hair-trigger mockery.
I have two monk characters, one PFS and one not.
The PFS character is a Weapons Adept/Maneuver Master who is all about the martial virtues, always reading and quoting from "The Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier". He is cautious and calculating.
The other is a Master of Many Styles who is much more "magical" (with Elemental Fist, Quingong powers, etc.). He's overconfident, impetuous and shoots his mouth off too much.
I have played 3 monks in my time playing DnD and PF (although sadly, none to very high level).
The first I played in DnD's RPGA setting of Living Greyhawk. He was a Half Orc (with the incredibly awesome name of Fubar Deepfist, or at least I keep telling myself how awesome it was). And I pretty much played him as a very over the top, Street Fighter, type of martial artist. Just about everything said to the man was taken as an offense to his honor and he had a tough time trusting anyone until he had seen them fight as he determined that was the only way to truly see the measure of a man.
The second monk I played was in a friend's Forgotten Realms campain using the PF rules. This character was a sumo, and lived the larger than life - rockstar life that I imagine Sumos probably enjoyed in their hayday being as how popular they were. He wore a Kimono and wooden sandles. He was pretty hilarious, especially since his Kimono had the "tear away" property so it could be removed quickly, just before he engaged in combat.
My most recent (and current) monk is a Zen Archer. I am playing him in the Kingmaker AP so I'm hoping this one will make it a bit further. He's the son of a well off family from Galt. Obviously he is a martial artist per the class, but he mainly focuses on the bow and has almost no Asian theme or influence to the character. He worships Shelyn, and during the group's downtime he spends his time practicing on a lute as he tries to perfect his skill in music as much as he has with the bow.
The two monks I've played recently were drastically different both in terms of combat style and roleplay.
Pavlo was a martial artist monk/brawler fighter. He wasn't really a monk, I suppose, seeing as he wore armor and didn't have any supernatural powers. He was a dim-witted pugilist that liked using force to solve all of his problems. He was dressed in battle-torn and blood-splattered leather armor with the teeth of his enemies lining the knuckles of his gloves, a habit he started prior to the game when he was involved in the blood sports of his city.
The big bad of the game was someone who used ancient magic to ascend to power through nefarious means. Pavlo developed a hatred for 'secret magic' and started taking anti-mage feats. Such was his luck with saving throws and casters failing their defensive concentration rolls (Disruptive chain and high level Brawler ability) that he though himself immune to magic and capable of punching the magic out of people.
Inspiration for his voice and style was mostly derived from Rocky Balboa. Well, a caricature of the character that I distilled from the snippets of the movie I've seen. Addled from a lifetime of blows to the head in underground boxing matches, his speech was slurred and he said the most inane of things. Implacable friend, but his trust could easily be gained with some honeyed words or bountiful bosoms.
Denjiri was a maneuver master and Monk of the Lotus (GM allowed me to mix them despite Quivering Palm interacting). He had little but the robes on his back and his weapon. He fought with a kusarigama, though he only used the bladed end against non-humanoids. He hated bringing suffering to living creatures and primarily focused on making them unable to fight with trips, dirty maneuvers (flavored as striking pressure points), and Touch of Serenity. He tried to subdue and reform the wicked and misguided when at all possible.
Denjiri was originally a man driven to excess in drugs, gambling, and women. He developed a life-threatening illness and all of his former friends and gold fell away. Having nothing left, not even his health, he turned to the spiritual paths that he had always neglected and mocked before. A devout of Irori provided him aid and showed him a path of asceticism. After adopting a a radical set of dietary and spiritual practices he found that his illness had less of a hold on him, though it would resurface should he falter in his regimen.
He was loaded down with the monk vows. Despite being unable to pursue many earthly pleasures, he was very lighthearted and always had a joke or a song to keep spirits up. He was a priest of Irori by the time the game started and was always the first to bring up spiritual matters, praying for any that died or seemed to need guidance. He always placed the good of others above his own and spent most of the money he gained purchasing things for his friends, both NPC and PC. He was killed by a troll king when he closed on it in effort to save a fellow adventurer.
Didn't have any particular inspiration for Denjiri. I suppose the jovial traveling priest archetype was inspiration, though I can't pinpoint a particular character that I got it from.
I don't tend to see such eccentric monks in play with my groups. Then again, I'm usually only one that plays monks.
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Sadly, I have not yet had the chance to play Br. Sapo (not his real name - the order gives monks names like that). He is steadfast in his loyalty to Irori and the Ruby Prince.
He is generally quiet and somewhat shy of people, completely useless in a parley. He just wants to blend into the background as much as possible.
BUT he is not shy at all when fighting.
I have a kitsune martial artist/wizard with the snake style. I play him very mischeviouss. He will turn into other people with change self and do those types of things. Even though he is a wizard he is not afraid to get into a fight with someone either using his unarmed fighting or his sansektuson. He uses his magic as well. I really like him.
My own monk, Byron Kalgoolie, is a barroom brawler with a heart of gold. Wanting to get away from the image of the humble, spiritual, ascetic, I concentrated on the physical stamina and versatility of the monk, particularly his mobility. Byron is basically an Aussie, living on the outback, hunting and scouting for his home town. He drinks (but not to excess), he fights (but never maliciously, just trading knocks with his mates at the pub), and he chases down roos, gators, and dingoes.
He has a slight spiritual bent to his abilities, as he believes that his ancestors watch over him (and his whole village) from the Dreamtime, and that they help him achieve the remarkable physical feats he is capable of. This gives him an in-game basis for his more mystical abilities, without trading anything out. His archetype is Empty Hand, which is perfect for a roughhouse brawler. He hits his enemies with his fists, feet, forehead, beermugs, barstools, discarded mops, and occasionally, their friends.
Very Kwai Chang Kaine, with some Tibetan Buddhism thrown in. He gives people the opportunity to surrender, and usually apologizes afterwards or gives them a short lecture on cause and effect. Stereotypical? Perhaps, but I love it, and it's neat to play someone who is bold and serene---while I as player would crack wise or get worried, he does not.
Except when he tried to help what he thought was an injured person and it turned out to be a small army of undead.
I've played 3 monks in pathfinder.
One was an elf who was always running into danger, wanting to test himself. He didn't think things through very often.
Another (well, a pair, but they were twins that kept finishing each other's sentences, so I'm counting them as one) was a pair of zen archers who came from a pirate tradition. They had a strict code of conduct, even if that code was very short. Really, they were pirates.
Last one was a half dwarf / human (mul) that didn't wear robes or much besides pants. He was a very gruff character who philosophically should have been a paladin. As the game drug on, he became a grappling master. He would have used the martial artist archetype if it was available when I made him.
My last monk was raised in a remote temple of Irori. He was primarily a librarian keeping track of the records and books, and only kept up with the physical aspects as part of his religion.
After he left the temple, he settled in a town to open a library and teach history to any who would listen. Because he was unfortunate enough to be a player character, he often found himself in predicaments where people wanted to kill him or his friends. I used a lot of combat maneuvers, and he would do his best to detain his opponents, killing only if absolutely necessary.
The last monk I played was Abu, a gnome of Sanos Forest in Varisia. Raised in a chaotic Desna-worshiping family, he joined a hunting camp as a ranger trainee. The gnomes of Sanos Forest have secrets, and they decided that the best way to keep those secrets unknown was to give guided tours and hunting expeditions to outsiders, who would think that they had seen all the important parts of Sanos Forest. The ranger-trainee program was another trick, to make sure that most gnomes had militia training in case Sanos Forest was ever invaded.
Abu was Lawful Good, so the camp assigned him a compatible trainer, a gnome monk. Thus, he ended up half ranger and half monk (ranger first). He left Sanos Forest to see the world.
As a loyal worshiper of Desna Abu approached life with a cheerful sense of humor. Yet the tricks he pulled on people involved surprise gifts rather than pratfalls. Another party member had volunteered to be the figurehead leader of the party so long as she did not have to do the work, so Abu did the work behind the scenes. He made sure that the party worked with the lawful authorities of their town, and befriended the local sheriff. With a high intelligence and lots of skills, he also was the party's main problem-solver.
As for his fighting style, he was a switch-hitter archer. He would use his bow until he needed to stand between the enemy and the party's spellcasters to protect them. Then he would hold his bow in one hand and make unarmed strikes with the other. His low strength kept him from doing much damage; instead, his job was to be a speed bump to protect the rest of the caster-heavy party.
While I have GMed a bunch of monks, I only had the opportunity to place one in frequently. It was a short arc of adventures around 8th level. One of my friends was a noble bard. I played his manservant. I had levels in Monk of the Empty Hand and in the Master Spy PRC. It was a good time. I would stand quietly blending into households, inns, or other social settings and be carrying my master's stuff, or serving drinks. I was basically Kato to his Green Hornet. I think my favorite was in the Master Spy PRC, if you get hit with a charm or dominate spell and save, you can pretend to fail and fool the caster.
In public he was servile and deferential. He would take care of others belongings and constantly clean up. It was a good time.
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Bruno Breakbone is a goodhearted but thickheaded grappler who uses the Pathfinder Society to do good deeds. Basically, he's a dum dum old school babyface pro-wrestler looking for bigger and better things to grapple every adventure.
Cyrus Sevenfingers is a dwarven ZenQuisitor--Zen Archer/Inquisitor--of Irori. Tortured to near death but never broken by cultists before being rescued by monks, the hideously scarred and disfigured Cyrus now seeks redemption through his archery as the self-styled The Reach of Irori. He's more interested in proving his skill against worthy opponents than helping the weak, but he always honors his word. He rarely speaks above a whisper, shuns physical contact and prefers his own company.
Feriah is a skilful, worldly practitioner of the martial arts. She is a follower of Irori, and strives always to maintain balance and calm in her life. She quests to save the city and the people in it from the many perils that currently threaten it.
Her companions are a paladin of Iomedae with shiny armour and a dirty mind, a half-elf oracle of Desna who's feet don't touch the ground (literally), an elf ranger who's first action in a battle was to scream and run away, and a lecherous half-orc magus. As such Feriah is the serene nexus of the group, remaining calm and organising her fellows.
So I left. I wandered into the city, and that's where that thrice-damned Gaedren Lamm found me. Ah, they were not all bad times, I'll grant you: I ran the shingles with the best of them, and they called me 'locks' because I could open any that we found. I was good, the best thief he had for a while. Filthy scum, in the end only the reasons for the beatings changed. Oh he made me, and he broke me too, beat me to within an inch of my life when he thought I'd stolen from him, and left me for dead on a trash-heap.
I crawled out, and out of Old Korvosa too. Out of Korvosa even, I didn't want to be there any more. I don't know how I found the Irorans; I just remember waking up there, and them telling me I was uncommonly strong. They healed me and fed me, so I stayed; they treated me better than anyone else ever had, so I loved them; when they started to teach me, I was eager to learn.
Now I am older, wiser, and they have taught me control, compassion, and how to use these things. Gaedren does not frighten me anymore. I have come back to Korvosa not for vengeance, but for justice.
I sought out others that had a grudge against the man - it was not hard, his mark was spread wide across Korvosa. With them I make a compact:
Geadren Lamm must die.
Female Human (Chelaxian) Monk 10
LG Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +17
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DEFENSE
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AC 28, touch 25, flat-footed 21. . (+2 armor, +6 Dex, +1 natural, +2 deflection, +1 dodge)
hp 91 (10d8+20)
Fort +10, Ref +15, Will +12
Defensive Abilities Evasion, Improved Evasion; Immune disease
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OFFENSE
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Spd 60 ft.
Melee +1 Ghost Touch Kama +14/+9 (1d6+3/20/x2) and
. . Cold Iron Kama +13/+8 (1d6+2/20/x2) and
. . Sai +13/+8 (1d4+2/20/x2) and
. . Silver Kama +13/+8 (1d6+1/20/x2) and
. . Unarmed Strike +13/+8 (1d10+2/20/x2)
Ranged Masterwork Crossbow, Light +14/+9 (1d8/19-20/x2) and
. . Shuriken +13/+8 (1d2+2/20/x2) and
. . Sling +13/+8 (1d4+2/20/x2)
Special Attacks Flurry of Blows +8/+8/+3/+3, Ki Strike, Lawful, Ki Strike, Magic
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STATISTICS
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Str 15, Dex 21/23, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 16/18, Cha 14
Base Atk +7; CMB +16 (+18 Disarming, +18 Grappling, +18 Tripping); CMD 34 (36 vs. Disarm, 36 vs. Grapple, 40 vs. Trip)
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Combat Expertise +/-2, Combat Reflexes (7 AoO/round), Dodge, Improved Disarm, Improved Grapple, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike, Monk Weapon Proficiencies, Snake Sidewind, Snake Style, Stunning Fist (10/day) (DC 19), Weapon Finesse
Traits Unhappy Childhood (Tortured), Vagabond Child (urban): Disable Device
Skills Acrobatics +19, Climb +12, Disable Device +22, Escape Artist +11, Heal +7, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (History) +6, Knowledge (Local) +4, Knowledge (Nature) +3, Knowledge (Nobility) +3, Knowledge (Religion) +9, Linguistics +4, Perception +17, Perform (Dance) +7, Profession (Sailor) +8, Ride +10, Sense Motive +19, Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +19, Survival +5, Swim +7
Languages Celestial, Common, Shoanti, Varisian, Vudrani
SQ AC Bonus +6, Fast Movement (+30'), High Jump (+10/+30 with Ki point) (Ex), Ki Defense (Su), Ki Pool (Su), Maneuver Training (Ex), Purity of Body (Ex), Slow Fall 50' (Ex), Stunning Fist (Stun, Fatigue, Sicken) (Ex), Unarmed Strike (1d10), Vow of Truth (+2 Ki), Wholeness of Body (10 HP/use) (Su)
Combat Gear +1 Ghost Touch Kama, Bolts, Crossbow (28), Bullets, Sling (10), Cold Iron Kama, Masterwork Crossbow, Light, Sai, Shuriken (15), Silver Kama, Sling; Other Gear Alchemist's Fire Flask, Amulet of Natural Armor +1, Backpack (16 @ 30.62 lbs), Belt of Incredible Dexterity, +2, Bracers of Armor, +2, Cloak of Resistance, +1, Crowbar, Flint and steel, Grappling hook, Headband of Inspired Wisdom, +2, Healer's kit (10 uses), Holy Water Flask (2), Potion of Cure Serious Wounds (2), Potion of Invisibility, Powder, Ring of Protection, +2, Rope, silk (50 ft.), Soap (per lb), Sunrod (3), Thieves' tools, masterwork, Torch, Waterskin
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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AC Bonus +6 The Monk adds his Wisdom bonus to AC and CMD, more at higher levels.
Agile Maneuvers Use DEX instead of STR for CMB
Combat Expertise +/-2 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Combat Reflexes (7 AoO/round) You may make up to 7 attacks of opportunity per round, and may make them while flat-footed.
Evasion (Ex) If you succeed at a Reflex save for half damage, you take none instead.
Fast Movement (+30') The Monk adds 10 or more feet to his base speed.
Flurry of Blows +8/+8/+3/+3 (Ex) Make Flurry of Blows attack as a full action.
High Jump (+10/+30 with Ki point) (Ex) +10 to Acrobatics checks made to jump.
Immunity to Disease You are immune to diseases.
Improved Disarm Disarm at +2, without an attack of opportunity.
Improved Evasion (Ex) If you succeed at a Reflex save for half damage, you take none instead. If you fail you take half damage.
Improved Grapple You grapple at +2, with no attacks of opportunity allowed.
Improved Trip You Trip at +2 and don't cause an attack of opportunity.
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Ki Defense (Su) A monk can spend 1 point from his ki pool to give himself a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round.
Ki Pool (Su) You have a ki pool equal to 1/2 your monk level + your Wisdom modifier.
Ki Strike, Lawful (Su) If you have ki remaining, unarmed strikes count as lawful to overcome DR.
Ki Strike, Magic (Su) If you have ki remaining, unarmed strikes count as magic to overcome DR.
Maneuver Training (Ex) CMB = other BABs + Monk level
Purity of Body (Ex) At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.
Slow Fall 50' (Ex) Treat a fall as shorter than normal if within arm's reach of a wall.
Snake Sidewind Gain a bonus to avoid being knocked prone, and use Sense Motive check to confirm critical hits
Snake Style Gain +2 on Sense Motive checks, and deal piercing damage with unarmed attacks
Stunning Fist (10/day) (DC 19) You can stun an opponent with an unarmed attack.
Stunning Fist (Stun, Fatigue, Sicken) (Ex) At 1st level, the monk gains Stunning Fist as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. At 4th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the monk gains the ability to apply a new condition to the target of his Stunning Fist. This conditio
Unarmed Strike (1d10) The Monk does lethal damage with his unarmed strikes.
Vow of Truth (+2 Ki) The monk is not allowed to deliberately speak any lies, including bluffing, stating half-truths with the intent to deceive, exaggerating, telling white lies, and so on. This applies to all forms of communication. If presented with circumstances where
Wholeness of Body (10 HP/use) (Su) Self-heal monk level in damage for 2 Ki points.
Kraznuk Jawsnapper is a half-orc Martial artist monk, raised with the Crushbone clan of orcs. They're the clan of orcs who invented the Boar style, eschewing the battle-axes and falchions on their cousins, preferring to rip their opponents to shreds. Kraznuk was a renowned fighter, using the quickness from his human side to outspeed his opponents. One day, he challenged the war chief to a fight for dominance, and was soundly defeated. Ashamed, he left the village, vowing to gain strength and return one day to claim the throne.
He does carry a falchion with him, and allows humans to think of him as another dumb half-orc fighter. But he relished the chance to mix it up, and never draws the blade in a fight.
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Chow-Li Chan is a Vudrani adept of Irori. Far more devout than many men, although not necessarily with regard to outside influence, he takes the perfection of the body and soul to be paramount to anything else.
Working for the Pathfinder Society, he is an excellent reader of a man's character, gleaning insights about motives and hidden agendas (sense motive) as well as a keen detective when it comes to seeing the things that others wish to keep hidden (perception). He may not have a lot of knowledge about a variety of topics, but is very conversational about the various religions around Golarion.
On the battlefield he is in constant motion. He espouses the way of the Panther, and often seems to place himself purposely in danger (purposely provoking the AoO, so as to riposte) by using crazy movements and combat maneuvers, while helping set up flanking positions for his friend, sometimes while repositioning his opponents. Fond of overrunning an opponent and knocking them down, he creates advantageous situations for those less combat oriented. He uses inner strength of will to do the impossible, calling forth water out of thin air, and meditating to hit unerringly (hydrolic push, true strike Qin Gong replacements). Seemingly impossible to hit, he rarely needs healing and often helps heal his companions holistically.
Not particularly friendly, he is often gruff and to the point, especially when dealing with people who are hedonistic. Chow-Li prefers to deal with people who value self improvement and making themselves better people, which improves the world and makes it a better place.
Chow-Li Chan (amalgam of Chow Yun Fat, Jet Li, Jackie Chan)
LVL 5 Monk of the Four Winds/Qin Gong
Human- Vudrani
STR 16 (+2 belt of giant strength)
DEX 16
CON 10 (heresy! a MONK with CON 10?? SAY IT AINT SO!)
INT 10
WIS 20 (headband of inspired wisdom +2)
CHA 7
HP 30
AC 21 (25 if provoking AoO due to movement)
Feats: Dodge, Combat Reflexes, Improved Grapple, Mobility, Panther Style, Panther Claw
Traits: Unorthodox Strategy, Open Palm of Irori
Skills: Acrobatics +12 (+14 if used to avoid AoO)
Perception +13
Sense Motive +11
Stealth +9
Know: Religion +9
my last and probably favorite monk I've played was only monk for the early levels. He ended up joining the party at level 5 as a monk 4 psychic warrior 1. The monastary he was studying at was attacked by several bands of slavers when he was 14. He was sent into the mines along with one of the more cynical masters where his training continued, but not in any manner any other master would have followed.
A few years later his master was killed in a fight against monsters that the guards placed bets on. and since then whenever he is sober he suffers from horrid nightmares. After he was freed he crawled into a bottle as often as he could. His adventuring takes him away from the drink, but also provides him with better ways to vent his frustrations then bar brawling ever could.
The way I role play him is as a bit of a foolhardy brawler, having never gotten to the inner peace part of being raised and trained in a monastary. Whenever the fighting stops for too long he goes quiet and starts looking for a bottle to crawl back into. Any time he see's or hears about slavery he gets in a VERY bad mood until he's freeing slaves and/or killing slavers.
Asta
PSY
You know, if you're having trouble finding personalities or roleplaying ideas for monks, you should watch some kung fu flicks. Here are a few good ones: Fearless, Ip Man, Shaolin Master Killer, Fist of Legend, Once Upon a Time in China, Twin Warriors, Seven Samaria (I know, not technically monks, but still a great movie with excellent characters), Five Deadly Venoms... there are a ton of them out there.
If you're looking for something a little less eastern, a lot of religions have monks. Catholic monks are well known in our world, and it wouldn't be difficult to translate it to Pathfinder. Dan Brown's book Angels & Demons has a catholic monk assassin hunting the main character.
When I lived in Germany, many of the microbreweries I went to were in monasteries run by monks.
Edit: just remembered John Carpenter's Vampires, which had monks keeping catholic relics away from the vampires. The main character wouldn't do well as a monk, but a church sanctioning a monk to fight undead would be an interesting background.
You know now that you got me thinking, I want to make a monk like Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star.
The Iron Monkey (starring Donnie Yen) is great inspiration for a Robin-Hood type monk (Doctor by day, ass-kicking kung fu thief by night).
I've always had an idea for playing a wanna-be monk who has wanted to learn martial arts his whole life. He bumbles his way through his early adventures with a mix of bluster and half-mastered moves learnt by spying on genuine monks in training. Eventually (with level gains) he actually does learn martial arts and becomes a famous master. This archtype is present in many of the Hong Kong kung fu flicks, particularly those starring Jacky Chan (Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, Half a Loaf of Kung Fu).
The Iron Monkey (starring Donnie Yen) is great inspiration for a Robin-Hood type monk (Doctor by day, ass-kicking kung fu thief by night).
I've always had an idea for playing a wanna-be monk who has wanted to learn martial arts his whole life. He bumbles his way through his early adventures with a mix of bluster and half-mastered moves learnt by spying on genuine monks in training. Eventually (with level gains) he actually does learn martial arts and becomes a famous master. This archtype is present in many of the Hong Kong kung fu flicks, particularly those starring Jacky Chan (Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, Half a Loaf of Kung Fu).
Yup. A more American version would be Bulletproof Monk. Shows different monk personalities, as well.
Hell, the wikipedia article on monks shows a great diversity of monk roles, which could be a great source for personalities and roleplaying ideas.
More movies: Rumble in the Bronx, Legend of the Drunken Master (both the older and newer versions with Jackie Chan), Yojimbo, Ran, or anything by Akira Kurosawa for that matter, The Man with the Iron Fists looks good and is released in theaters in November.
Played a fey-ri monk in 3.5. He was, most of the time human in appearance, but was a actually a reformed demon. Trying to help people and fight evil and darkness as a way to attone for the acts he had done as a demon. His goal was to become human, and finally shed the demonic aspects of himself. The campaign ended around 8th level, but he was a lot of fun.
My most recent Monk grew up around Ketapesh with his sister (and because of a GM error, a Fetchling adopted brother). They lived together, surviving on the edges of the more 'civilized' areas. He learned from her, but practiced on his own often as well. He had a way with the elemental forces of the world, and practiced more on disabling people, than outright killing them.
He's a more stealthy character, than upfront combatant. He prefers seeking every advantage he can. Recon and ambushes are a favorite of his and he despises off-the-cuff plans because anything can go wrong. Polite, and religious, his Sister always demanded that he train both his mind and body to if he ever wanted to truly protect himself.
Let is a Monk of the Four Winds and focuses on using Electricity and Cold as his energy types. He likes using the Electric version, because he's found that when someone is capable of clenching their fist and discharging lightning into opponents, people tend to talk and reveal information more. More information is always a good thing. He also prefers Cold as he lives in a relative desert and cold things are great. He often times uses his Elemental Fist to chill his drinking water on days that get really hot.
In combat, he uses Trip, Disarm, and Grapple to disable his enemies and aid his allies. He is by no means a damage king, but I've had a lot of fun with him. Even grappling and pinning a Bulette at 4th level thanks to some very lucky rolls.
As for the adopted Fetchling, well the GM allowed the Fetcling player to come in while we were at 4th-5th level. He told him to choose any of the campaign traits, and he chose Finding Haleen (whom I made my sister in my backstory). So now his backstory spontaneously has an adopted Fetchling brother. I always picture Vaarsuvius and his Familiar when I think about that scenario.
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I had one warforged monk in an campaign that was a personal bodyguard of another character.
A very stoic personality, but gave his opinion in "Sir, I advise against that".
Then I have had a qigong monk I made based off a character from Hero combined with Kung-Fu Mahjong. Just a humble dude that had to kick tail when needed.