Recently I purchased Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures and Beyond the Wall: Further Afield. I’m planning on running a few games of this for several people who have never RPG’d before. I think it’ll be a fun way for them to learn. Very few skills or moving parts to burden new players. I do have some houserules that I’ll post up soon to add a few more choices for players.
Anyways, I thought it’d be fun to write a monk class and character book for it.
Here’s the PDF The Exiled Monk (updated 4/26/15)
The Exiled Monk
The Exiled Monk
You and your family have been exiled from your home in far distant lands. Your family struggled with the harsh journey and eventually settled in the village. Many shunned you for being different, philosophically and physically. Yet you and your family worked hard and persevered. Your mind is calm and your movements swift, and your strikes precise.
You have trained hard and are studied well under your father. You have attempted to learn the new culture that surrounds you, but you are still not wholly welcome in these foreign lands, even after all these years. Your Dexterity starts at a 12, your Wisdom at a 10, your Charisma at a 6, and all your other ability scores begin at 8.
| 1d12 | What is the history of your people? | Gain |
| 1 | You value the purity of body and mind above all else. | +2 Wis, +2 Con,
+1 Str |
| 2 | Your people are deeply philosophical and seek knowledge. | +2 Wis, +1 Int, +1 Chr
Skill: Ancient knowledge |
| 3 | Your people are war-like and expansionistic. | +2 Str, +1 Con, +1 Dex
Skill: Tactics |
| 4 | Your people live in an ancient rainforest. | +2 Dex, +1 Wis, +1 Int
Skill: Herbalism |
| 5 | Your people are known for their great endurance and skill. | +2 Con, +1 Str, +1 Dex
Skill: Athletics |
| 6 | Your people celebrate life and worship the sun and a divine being. | +2 Chr, +1 Con, +1 Int, +1 Wis |
| 7 | Your people say they can hear the whispers of the dead in their dreams. | +2 Wis, +1 Int, +1 Con, +1 Chr |
| 8 | Your people are known to be hired as assassins | +2 Str, +1 Dex, +1 Int
Skill: Stealth |
| 9 | Your people herd sheep and large birds. | +2 Int, +1 Wis, +1 Dex
Skill: Herding |
| 10 | Your people are great hunters of terrifying beasts that plague far away lands. | +2 Str, +1 Dex, +1 Con
Skill: Tracking |
| 11 | Your people worship animals and believe each carries omens and portents. | +2 Wis, +1 Int, +1 Chr
Skill: Animal lore |
| 12 | Your people serve as elite guards to a grand emperor. | +2 Str, +1 Dex, +1 Wis
Skill: Alertness |
| 1d8 | Why were your parents exiled from your lands? | Gain |
| 1 | Your father stole from a noble out of desperation. | +2 Dex, +1 Int |
| 2 | Your mother was accused of being a witch and your family had to flee. | +2 Wis, +1 Chr |
| 3 | You were born with a birthmark that is an omen of bad tiding. | +2 Str, +1 Dex |
| 4 | Your uncle overthrew your father as head of the family and had you exiled. | +2 Str, +1 Int |
| 5 | Your father accidentally slew a great bird and was dishonored. | +2 Dex, +1 Int |
| 6 | You are of a lower caste and fled for fear of persecution. | +2 Con, +1 Str |
| 7 | You and the noble’s son left the village without permission to go play and he was killed by a predatory animal. | +1 Str, +1 Dex, +1 Int |
| 8 | Your home was destroyed by an ancient and horrible evil. | +1 Con, +1 Wis, +1 Chr |
| 1d8 | Many of the other villagers shied away from you and your family, but the other player characters welcomed you in and were your best friends. Who else in the village befriended you while you were growing up? | Gain |
| 1 | One of the village elders who is fascinated with other cultures. | +2 Int, +1 Chr |
| 2 | A brash and young rogue. | +2 Dex, +1 Str |
| 3 | The local temple’s pious priest. | +2 Wis, +1 Int |
| 4 | The tavern drunk, he can always spins a good yarn. | +2 Con, +1 Chr |
| 5 | The town fisherman. | +2 Str, +1 Dex |
| 6 | The leader of the village took you in and treated you as her own. | +2 Wis, +1 Con |
| 7 | You felt isolated and cut off. You spent most of your time alone. | +1 Str, +1 Int,
+1 Wis |
| 8 | A witch that lived on the outskirts of the village. | +1 Con, +1 Int, +1 Chr |
Under your father’s tutelage you learn the mystic arts of your people. You are now a level 1 monk and gain the abilities Iron Fist, Unarmored, Slow Fall, and Meditation, and the skill Athletics. See descriptions below.
| 1d6 | Why did your father decide to teach you the mystic arts? | Gain |
| 1 | To pass on family tradition. | +3 Int
Skill: Heraldry |
| 2 | To better defend yourself in a strange and foreign land. | +3 Dex
Skill: Intimidate |
| 3 | To aid your rise to power. | +3 Wis
Skill: Persuasion |
| 4 | He believes in the survival of the fittest. | +3 Str
One skill of your choice
|
| 5 | To help calm the anger and resentment in your mind. | +3 Str
Skill: Healing |
| 6 | To help you become a leader and return a hero to your people. | +3 Chr
Skill: Command |
| 1d6 | What does your father say is your greatest weakness? | Gain |
| 1 | You are too quick to act. | +2 Dex
+1 Initiative |
| 2 | You lack focus. | +2 Con
Skill: performance skill of your choice
|
| 3 | You have trouble empathizing with others. | +2 Int
Skill: Intimidate |
| 4 | Your hatred of others consumes you. | +2 Str
Weapon Specialization: Quarterstaff (as per the Warrior) |
| 5 | You empathize with people too much. | +2 Chr
Skill: Persuasion |
| 6 | You are concerned with the evil that lurks within man. | +2 Str
Weapon specialization: Crossbow or throwing stars* |
| 1d6 | You went on a vision quest in the spirit realm. What did you see? The player to your right was somehow pulled along with you. | Gain |
| 1 | You saw a three-headed beast that attempted to devour your soul. The friend to your right pulled you from its grasp and back to the physical world, and gains +1 Dex. | +2 Wis
+1 Initiative |
| 2 | You soared through the spirit realm as a majestic bird. The friend to your right soared with you, and gains +1 Chr | +2 Chr
Increase slow fall by 5ft |
| 3 | You met the spirit of a long-forgotten relative. They told you a family secret. The friend to your right heard it and has not betrayed your trust, gaining +1 Int. | +2 Int
+ 1 to mind-affecting saves.
|
| 4 | You battled a horrid nightmare. The brave friend to your right aided in defeating this creature, gaining +1 Str. | +2 Str
Weapon Specialization: Your choice (as per the Warrior) |
| 5 | You battle yourself, and nearly lose to your own vices. The friend to your right was able to pull you out of your despair and allowed you to persevere, gaining +1 Wis. | +2 Dex
Weapon Specialization: your fists |
| 6 | You allowed a viper to bite you, absorbing its venom into your body. The friend to your right followed suit, gaining +1 Con. | +2 Con
Roll two d20 on poison saves, take the better result. |
| 1d6 | Your mother gave you a family heirloom. What was it? | Gain |
| 1 | A golden broach. | +2 Int, a golden broach that never becomes tarnished. |
| 2 | An idol of the ancient gods of your people. | +2 Wis, bizarre ancient idol. |
| 3 | The blessed throwing stars of her father. | +2 Dex, 2d4 silver throwing stars. |
| 4 | The inheritance her family left her. | +2 Chr, +1d4 gold, +2d6 silver. |
| 5 | A remembrance of her. | +2 Con, a lock of her hair. |
| 6 | The silken gown of her father or mother (player’s choice). | +2 Wis, a silken gown that never gets dirty or ripped. |
* Throwing stars do 1d4 damage.
Class Abilities
Hit Dice: d8
Initiative Bonus: +1
Armor: see below
Iron Fists– A monk has trained so that their fists are deadly weapons and they know where to strike opponents. From levels 1-5 a monk’s fists do 1d6 damage; levels 6-9 1d8 damage; at level 10 a monks fists do 1d10 damage.
Unarmored- A monk does not wear armor as it hinders their ability to move around. When a monk is unarmored they add their Wisdom modifier in addition to their Dexterity modifier to their AC. Additionally a monk adds +1 AC every even level.
Slow Fall- A monk that falls 20’ or less suffers no damage from that height.
Meditation– Monks enter a trance-like state instead of sleeping and only require 4 hours of rest. Additionally a monk gains 1d4 HP back a night than normal.
| Level | Experience | Base Attack Bonus | Poison
Save |
Breath Weapon Save | Polymorph
Save |
Spell
Save |
Magic Item
Save |
| 1 | 0 | +0 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 17 |
| 2 | 1,500 | +1 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 17 |
| 3 | 3,000 | +2 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 16 |
| 4 | 6,000 | +3 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 16 |
| 5 | 12,000 | +4 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 14 |
| 6 | 25,000 | +5 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 13 |
| 7 | 50,000 | +6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 12 |
| 8 | 100,000 | +7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 12 |
| 9 | 200,000 | +8 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 11 |
| 10 | 300,000 | +9 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 10 |
