Do monks have to come from (be trained) in a Monastery?


Advice


My group is starting Skull and Shackles. I need to take a Campaign trait and get my bio together for a Half-elf Zen monk. This is difficult if I have to work this into his character. Can you be an some regular guy going up in monk levels if you didn't get proper training?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

You can be trained by a hermit master living in the woods if you like. There should be SOMETHING that made you what you are today. Monks are fairly ascetic characters who generally just don't spring up on a whim, especially in that campaign.


This is something you should talk to with your GM. The rules don't say either way and different people have different opinions on the subject.

Silver Crusade

Not that this helps, but I think the "monk" is mis named. I think the class should be called "Martial Artist". In 1st and 2nd edition the Thief class was often part of a Thieve's guild. When 3rd edition came along, the Thief was changed into a "Rogue". With this change it became much easier to think of the class in other character concept roles other then "pick pocket" "trap springer" or "second story man".

I think If the Monk's class's name was changed to Martial Artist, then people would not automatically think of "shao Lin" or something like that.

I guess as it was said by BaronBytes, talk to your GM. There isn't any reason your "monk" has to be formally trained.

Scarab Sages

Check with your DM. There is no reason why a ZA can't have been taught by a master archer on a deserted island somewhere. That's Oliver Queen's backstory on Arrow and he is pretty clearly a Zen Archer in PF terms.


There's a strong tradition in wuxia films and chop socky films and whatnot that the martial arts hero does not have to be trained specifically in a monastery. As a matter of fact, it's a common trope that he did not fit in to the monastery, was thrown out for a lack of discipline, and ended up being trained personally by a hermit or something.

Think of how Luke Skywalker got his training, first from Obi-Wan Kenobi and later from Yoda.

On the other hand, there's an equally strong trope, possibly even stronger, that the martial arts hero does, in fact, get trained. Again, think of Luke's training montages. So presumably someone taught your hero what he knows.....

Sczarni

My Zen Archer monk is a devout follower of Erastil. He more closely resembles a Ranger. However, from mechanical aspect he is straight up ZAM. I gave him ranks in Knowledge Religion & Nature as well as Survival to round him out and give him the hermit from the wilderness feel.

TL/DR: your character can be whatever you want, subject to GM approval.


Wisdom is hardly been Ollie's big stat. He's pretty much an archetypal ranger - archery focused, living off the land, trained by an expert in practical rather than spiritual matters, using his intelligence and skills rather than philosophical insight into the world or mastering his ki.
He's got a decent BAB so he's obviously going to be a danger in unarmed combat compared to most other humans, and not so great against real specialists.

As for the monk question, it really depends on what you take 'monk' to mean. If you mean 'member of a monastery', then yes, you need to be trained at a monastery. If you mean 'guy who's good at fighting with his fists and can do some weird ki stuff', then no - there are plenty of examples in fiction about people living alone in the wilderness and training and becoming awesome. Ultimate Combat has a martial artist archetype for the one who wants to be the type of monk found in innumerable bad kung fu movies - excellent fighter but no actual supernatural abilities.

If you take the monk to be the characters in kung fu and wuxia movies, there is no need at all to be trained in a monastery - they can learn their skills anywhere, from the battlefield to court to remote mountaintops to slums. The term 'monk' is just as inaccurate as 'fighter' - do not barbarians fight? Are all rogues outcasts or misfits? Do all bards sing and harp (or write plays)? Why are druids so nature focused?


Per RAW, no a monk need not come from a monastery. That's merely a fairly common element of a monk character's back story. It doesn't have to be an element of any particular monk's back story though. Unless of course the GM Rule 0's it in his campaign, but that's a different issue.

To me, the purpose of the back story is to explain how your character got to where she is today, and why she has taken up the call of the adventurer -- hardly a safe profession after all. My personal opinion (and that's all it is) is that a monk character should have something in his or her background that explains how it is she became a monk. Somebody probably taught her the techniques she uses. Maybe she came across an ancient tome that intrigued her and she saw the techniques described as a means to elevate herself to an equal footing with those who would keep her down. Maybe her father was a devout monk who had to leave his monastery for some reason, but decided to pass his training on to his daughter. Perhaps the character's family has always practiced a unique fighting tradition and said tradition has been passed down through the generations. Or maybe she just learned from a kindly teacher who thought she needed some additional tricks up her sleeve.

The point is, there are any number of ways in which any character could acquire their unique skill sets. Being a monk is really no different.

Scarab Sages

Bjørn Røyrvik wrote:

Wisdom is hardly been Ollie's big stat. He's pretty much an archetypal ranger - archery focused, living off the land, trained by an expert in practical rather than spiritual matters, using his intelligence and skills rather than philosophical insight into the world or mastering his ki.

He's got a decent BAB so he's obviously going to be a danger in unarmed combat compared to most other humans, and not so great against real specialists.

ZAMs don't need to be wisdom based, they can still be very effective if they go straight DEX. In terms of abilities Ollie has more in common with a ZAM than a ranger. Maybe a trapper ranger, but other than trick arrows, Ollie sucks with traps.


I'd say that you don't have to. Chen Tuan created the Liuhebafa martial arts style while secluded away in a cave. Plus, you can always reflavor, per GM approval.

My brother for example, RPs a tetori monk as a laid-back, greek-style wrestler that worships Genshau and was trained via the army and was just really good at hand-to-hand.

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