britjas

[nothri]

Okay, I'll admit it. I don't get it. I love so much about paridon and the Divinity of Mankind, but no matter how much I look at it the monk inclusion makes no sense to me. Not the monk CONCEPT, per se. I can see how "cloistered group of adherent to a tenant or belief" applies to the Celebrants. The whole scholars in search of enlightenment or occult group trying to unlock human potential...yeah, I can see that. What I can't wrap my head around is the martial arts angle. Nothing I know of about Victorian London lets me satisfy these "british ninjas" in the city. Every time I picture it, it clashes horribly with the rest of the theme and mood. I just picture a group decked out in classic english 19th century garb, leaping from rooftops and beating down thugs ala jackie chan, and my head just says NO! I don't know how to describe the fighting in a way that won't break the atmosphere of the story open. Any advice on what I can do?

[Bloody Morgan]

Take up Bartitsu?

[WolfKook]

Take up Bartitsu?

LOL

Now I picture a bunch of high-class victorian gentlemen taking off their coats (but leaving their hats on half of the time) to swing their walking sticks and throw punches in a semi-cartoonish way!

However, I have to admit that it really applies to the matter at hand, and even gives ideas for the atmosphere around such "britjas"...

IMC, I replaced the standard D&D Monk with the Defender from Midnight, and though the change is very atmospheric when you introduce heavy restrictions (Taxes ) to weapons and armor, as I have done in most of the core domains, it doesn't really fit the followers of the DoM.

[Archedius]

I too prefer the defender from Midnight (I love Midnight as much as RL) but even if you use the (silly IMO) monk base class- it all comes down to how you describe things. It only seems like 'ninja' stuff because you've pegged it as that- although I take issue w/ the generalization of the martial arts that implied on your part That Baritsu looks like the ticket for the DoM.

[Korumil]

One way to deal with it is, as described before, to simply change the way the effects or abilities look. I'm unfamiliar with the majority of the domain of Paridon but from what you've said it sounds like those guys might act a lot like the Keepers from the Thief series of games. The way that whole crowds of people simply don't see them might suggest that they're something more than highly skilled rogues. Perhaps their faith confers some sort of otherworldly mistique about them that makes them hard to look at directly. To explain the combat abilities, one might argue that they simply practice unarmed combat for the purposes of non-lethal accquisition of persons or an unwillingness to be left unarmed, even in an urban environment.

[The Giamarga]

Take up Bartitsu?

First i thought the link would be to some Simpson joke, but that is great stuff! Check out the online essays by Barton-Wright which the wikipedia entry links to. The pictures are awesome and definitely fit into paridon. And it even mentions how to coup-de-grace your foe after throwing/stunning him

I think somebody needs to write up an article on this and stat up the Ravenloft pastiche of Mr. Barton-Wright.

PS: It should be bronks not britjas btw...

[Bloody Morgan]

Complete with notes on how he's seen Sri Raji swamis walk barefoot over hot coals without harm. Of course, they insist on wrapping it all up in mystical mumbo-jumbo, but it's great proof of what the human body can accomplish when the mind is willing! Mind over matter, my good sir.

I don't see Monks as being any great problem to institute in small numbers into such a setup. Replace the bits about sitting on mountaintops in meditations with dawn swims in ice-cold lakes, the importance of milk & red meat in the diet, vigorous "constitutionals", abstinence from alcohol & other poisons, and you came come up with something which fits almost* all the traits from Monk class, while retaining the Paridon culture.

* Almost, because Abundant Step and Empty Body are still undeniably supernatural. But how many 12th level Monks are there really going to be running around?

[The Giamarga]

Considering that most Paridoner monks probably multiclass in Cleric or perhaps Fighter (or even Aristocrat) not that many. But Slow Fall(5th), Wholeness of Body(7th) and Diamond Body (11th) are already a bit of a stretch

Another thought: Substitution levels for Paridon monks. Those should take care of those more troublesome abilities. But seeing how many abilities are troublesome, you could as well make a new variant base class.

Also the Denying Stance or Passive Way styles from UAs alternate Monk fighting styles fit very well imho.

[Bloody Morgan]

Considering that most Paridoner monks probably multiclass in Cleric or perhaps Fighter (or even Aristocrat) not that many. But Slow Fall(5th), Wholeness of Body(7th) and Diamond Body (11th) are already a bit of a stretch.

I don't find these half as hard to work in - they're "just" physical feats. Impressive, suspicious if one is superstitious, yes, but still something that isn't too far gone for a disciple working on the mind over body theory.

Another thought: Substitution levels for Paridon monks. Those should take care of those more troublesome abilities.

Agreed. But personally, I don't know anywhere near enough to come up with something balanced to replace them with.