monk dual class to rogue

[Jellyfish]

Originally posted by Nightowl2: Really? What are the eight chambers (in the real world)? Now you've got me interested! Nightowl2

Due to my poor english composition skill and limited vocabulary, I cannot describe that very well. I just try to put my best foot forward.

All the things are known as a lengend, but some parts were proved to be true.

As a monk, you may not get married, and you must be a vegetarian. Also, you must stand the cruel training and the meditation which will last for a long time.
In acient China, when a monk wanted to give up and leave the temple called Shao Lin located in the middle part of China, known as the origin of the monk martial arts( you still can visit it now if you go there.) , he must pass one test to get the permission to leave.

In this test, the monk would be sent into a chamber full of traps and mazes.
And there were 18 copper-made monks in the very end part of this test. They were some kind of machine guarding the exit. They were hard to beat because they mastered excelent martial arts and they were made of hard metals.

A lot of monks who wanted to leave just turned back again.

Because of this test, the people who wanted to join the temple to be a monk needed to consider it again and again before they went there, and the monks in the temple were all well-trained.

[Jack of Speed]

So is it more like "American Ninja 3" or "Gymkata"? [img]smile.gif[/img]

[timberwolf]

What Jelly said was very true to us Asian. In our culture the monk is suppose to be a very spiritual, holy and powerful person.

If you are interested, here is story.
In the Shaolin temple the monks there are fame for their martial art. They form the backbone of all China's Kung Fu. They practice martial art as a form of execise. The temple is like a small cities with its own rules and regulations.
(1) No ladies visitor in the temple premises.
(2) Shave the head and nine minor burn holes to signify that he have left the world behind and devote his life to the monk cause.
(3) Will never take meat again only Vege
(4) Will never leave the temple unless on official business. If not must go thru the "eighteen Bronze monk formation" - And yes they have official business and sometimes they do the bidding of the empror.

The have different rows for each and every monks, some are like receptionist, specialize in PR [img]smile.gif[/img] some are like police which delt our punishment and they even have librarians, chefs etc.

Of course there are some black sheep (Like the one I have in my party [img]smile.gif[/img] )
But in general they are on the lawful good side.

[Nightowl2]

Jellyfish and Timberwolf, thanks much for the information. I think we can see where the D&D monk got his start. I had heard of Shaolin, but wasn't up on the details.

And Jelly, don't worry about your English, it's better than you think. A bit more practice posting messages, and you'll be writing better than some native-born English speakers

Nightowl2

[Jellyfish]

Thank you ,Nightowl2.
I just arrived in USA for two months, but I learnt a lot in this short period.
I am now reading some english novels such as the dark elf trilogy which I have read in my first language, just trying to improve my english as fast as I can.
And also thank you mr. timberwolf for showing more details to my beloved monks.

[toriuxik]

Ninja's are more subtle than monks are.... They are more like a rogue/sorcerer than a monk. Monks are closer to berserkes in their mind over body skills. Moo. lol Still, a monk/rogue is going to be much more subtle than a normal monk.

[Jellyfish]

What do you mean by 'Monks are closer to berserkes in their mind over body skills.'?

[toriuxik]

By that I mean that their body isn't their TRUE ability, its their mind that allows their body to do amazing/impossible things, like shatter lots of thick boards. A berserker isn't able to shrug off that blow to the head because he has a thicker skull (though he might), he is because his mind doesn't regisiter it. He ignores it rather than is harmed. Monks are more liek this, with the power from within and what not. Ninja aren't.

[Lifetime]

Just a note to you all, saying Monks come from China is as wrong as stereotypes get. Its not exactly a very novel idea, that monks are related to everything Chinese. And while Shao Lin is probably the most famous temple, it by far is not the only one. There are hundreds of temples within China's borders alone, and the Shao Lin are not the only ones to practice what is now known as Kung Fu. Japanese Shinto monks practiced much of the same principles as the Chinese and Mongolian ones, and Ninjas are also very rooted in spirituality and the supernatural. Essentially evil or neutral monks in Dnd very much resemble Ninjas (who were master spies and scouts rather than the stereotypical assassins). The path a monk took in a temple such as Shao Lin was not only that of martial arts, but more importantly that of meditation and contemplation to achieve perfection, as well as education in matters such as language and mathematics. It wasnt just a school for martial arts, and it wasnt common for families to send sons to various temples in China for them to acquire the skills of a monk. Monks were well trained not because of some fictionary copper adversary that would be more at home in a cheesy Hollywood B movie, but because of physical and mental determination, which was thought even before actual martial training began. The idea of Trials in mazes and such is pretty much a joke. Legend perhaps, but not exactly very firmly rooted in truth.
Samurais are still a distinct group in Japan, even though their role as bodyguards and elite warriors is now defunct. Japan still functions very heavily around Bushido, the Samurai, or rather military code of honor, very much like the code of chivalry, and there are still many many old families in Japan which still practice this code and maintain the skills of Archery and Kendo (Japanese fencing).

[ 10-30-2002, 10:43 PM: Message edited by: Lifetime ]