The Monk - What You Need To Know About Kung Fu & Wu Xia (Tell a Better Story)

[@DontStopThinking]

What do you think? Do you agree that “The Chosen One” trope dilutes the “Kung Fu” narrative?

[@BLynn]

CJ I think this is my favorite video of yours so far. Thank you for your efforts, I have enjoyed following along. I completely understand the narrative idea of one troupe watering down the other, though I would say there are a few stories that could combine the 2, for example "The Chosen One" who saves you but dies in the process can be an encouragement to be as good, helpful, protective or as encouraging as you possibly can be.

[@owlenfamily]

yes. it messes up a lot of narratives. i'm fine with prophecies, but when someone is labeled as 'chosen' in a story, you're never really surprised when they succeed.

[@naldormight6420]

I really prefere heroes that earn their skills. Thats why batman is hands down the best super hero.

[@lowidex7803]

i think i like the monk class can be placed on all genres on every book, tv, movies and so on u can place them on action, adventure, thriller, comedy, horror and so on in order make things interesting :D

[@kenneth6989]

I have not finished the video yet but Here goes my summary for my monk that I'm making A gnome had watched up the shore of A mysterious island that he had washed up on due to the fact the that His ship was attacked by a Dragon turtle. That's all I can commit right now but I'm going to give you a shorter version The island he washed up on plane-shift ixalan. Teacher or Sensei is a female Changeling The teaching that she was going to be teaching The Gnome is the way of the sun Soul Monk. I know when people hear that they say I'm going to be making another Goku clone. Screw that I'm going Aztec theme

[@Pantysneefer]

Thank you for showing us this. This was always something that made me feel out of place whenever I would talk about non-generic monks to other players or DMs. I've always love the concept of martial arts film and kung fu. Sadly I never liked the way they were portrayed in D&D. They always seem stereotypical and players who I've met all had similar monks style story and such. What I end up doing was making a character, I made a human who was really good at fighting with his fists and feet. He was a tavern brawler, with a pirate background. My character has a missing arm, which was replace with a special dwarven metal arm. Instead of having ki, my character instead had the arm create electric charges that acts as ki uses. This made playing a monk on a whole different level for me ! And this was a ton of fun to role-play ! Some folks may not like this, because it broke the "monk" style of game play, but I feel you should be able to do what you want to do and have fun with it. Sorry for the long text I thought this was something I'd like to share and I appreciate they way you explained more ways to play a monk !

[@Maehedrose]

Back in the days of "City of Heroes" I did a lot of roleplaying with my characters, one of which was a bare-knuckle street fighting girl who grew up developing a deep love for her city. She used her winnings to help feed kids and used her skills to fight the ever-growing gangs. But then the heroes came and the level of destruction they brought upon the city, with their superhero battles, broke her heart. These weren't people who'd grown up in the city and cared about it, they were show offs and heroes of convenience, who didn't care about collateral damage. So she trained herself to the point where she could fight on the level of superheroes and tried to create a counter-culture against superheroes, demanding they let the people protect themselves. She was an anti-superhero, hero - a street monk fighting for the people against all comers.

[@brycenerdstrom567]

My favorite monk is a character I made in Eberron called Khalid Al Ghurab. He's a Shadar-kai who trained in his youth to hunt monsters in order to protect his people in the Shadowfell, and on a hunt that went bad, he fell through a pool of water that tried to consume him, and in the process of escaping it he ended up in a different plane (Eberron's Prime Material). There, he was found taking shelter in an Oasis in the barren reaches of Drooam, half dead after eating what little fruit grew there, and taken as an exotic slave by an Oni, and forced to fight in the arena. Surrounded by monsters, he gained many mentors, many enemies, and many friends, and learned to control his erratic moods, and use his nature to defeat more physically powerful foes. Eventually, he became a famous arena fighter, earned the title Khalid Al Ghurab, which means "Blade of The Raven" in Primordial, and earned his freedom by volunteering to fight in The Last War as a mercenary. The hag sisters who had come to power in Drooam wanted to field elite teams of mercs, to impress the other nations, and set the stage for the recognition of Drooam as a power that the nations would have to treat with. When the war ended, Khalid was set adrift, and eventually found his way to the same place many former mercenaries looking for work found themselves. Sharn, City of Towers. There, he found an old friend, and began helping her control her own rage and inner nature, while working as an Inquisitive, using the infiltration and spying skills he'd trained during the War. Now, he's a 5th level Drunken Master Monk, his subclass represents his ability to avoid being pinned down, and to let an enemy use their own power against themselves. He's a skilled investigator, sneak, and brawler, and still does some pit fighting in the Cogs when he needs to blow off steam.

[@NachoBran_CandyCabbage]

whoever disliked this vid has improperly meditated on the offered knowledge.

[@polrua]

At one point, I played a wuxia sorcerer... focusing on spells simulating the various mighty leaps, force blasts and Taoist sorcery tropes. I played him like a Monk... but more on the Zu Warriors level than the Kung Fu Cult Master level. I'd love to see a follow up on using wu xia tropes to play other classes... playing a cleric as a 'Chinese Ghost Story'-style demon hunter... playing a paladin as a Three Kingdoms-style martial hero... playing a Rogue or Ranger as a Bandit Hero...

[@naldormight6420]

My monk is a arabian style dancer that found out that fighting and dancing are basically the same. After losing a arm in a fight she decided to replace her missing fist with a buckler and to wander the desert in search of enlightenment and spiritual truth. Oh yeah and she is also possesed by a demon and now trying to exorcise herself.

[@DontStopThinking]

That's a really cool concept. I like it.

[@Stavol2Dual]

Dervish is very cool

[@chainer8686]

This is very similar to the Shieldbreaker in Darkest Dungeon; arabian dancer martial artist with a missing arm and buckler,

[@naldormight6420]

You`re right. I took some inspiration from there.

[@chainer8686]

Awesome :D I personally love the idea, and theres so much potential for a character like that

[@tharrock337]

I didn't really think much about the monk in D&D until I watched your video about the class. Since then they have become one of - if not my favorite class. Played a tabaxi monk, busted out my worst asian accent, read wikipedia articles about bushido, buddhism, Kung Fu and Shaolin culture, mixed it all together and got in a game. At some point our vengance oath paladin said at the sight of a village pillaged by Orcs "This demands justice, the old kind. An Eye for an eye I say, let's make these bastards pay" And I could reply with "You haht is in rught place friend, yet anga clouds you judgement. Eye fo eye makes hole wurld blind." I can die happy now.

[@swellactually]

Are you fucking kidding me

[@nickenquist3788]

As someone who has studied Kung Fu in the past (Wing Chun), I really wanted to make sure that my monk in my DND game would not fall into a chosen one trope. More like that his background was circumstantial and accidental. But he still worked hard to achieve his goals. It gives him a flippant yet optimistic attitude towards his world. I also put him in the Drunken Master style so I can have a lot of fun describing how wild his attacks are.

[@sergiofrazier4604]

This was so good. More videos like this please with the other classes.

[@leapatata453]

I havent ever got a player that played as a monk... but if someone does, this video will prepare me!!!

[@Briansgate]

That is Wimp Lo, we trained him wrong on purpose, as a joke.

[@benzen5190]

I have a half-orc monk who uses the teachings of the monk to repress his own evil/angry nature, Steady balancing between good and evil. But when in battle he lets himself go and uses his anger to power his moves. He follows the god of earth, Grumbar, which taught him not to change but to accept himself for who he is. Starts out quite traditional but i might make him lose the battle and give in to his evilness. Any thoughts? Its my first character created.

[@Washius]

Multi class. Monk/Barbarian.

[@raykendo]

Oh my goodness, this video should be required viewing for anyone considering a monk character. Very well done. I especially like the idea of an Oathbreaker/Wild-magic Monk type for those who meditate unsuccessfully or go to the "dark side".

[@destonnight5444]

Hotdamn Where has this been when I started playing my Gith monk character? Thankfully, from what I understand, I'm already a fair way in the right direction for my character She's a githzerai monk who's father believed the two subraces of Gith can come to peace together, she didn't know of it because such ideals are not accapted in either subraces, but she's starting so subconsciously adopting that ideal I could go off from there and make her a better character with all the tips I got from here. Good video! I think this is worth mentioning My character lost her left hand through a series of bad rolls and bad decisions, she managed to adapte because she innately knows the mage hand cantrip via the gith psychic powers and use it as a replacement to hold stuff with. Talk about mind above matter

[@Onthewayover]

I loved the video! Monks are so underestimated in rp potential! They exemplify really well the virtue of hard work and perseverance, but I think any proper monk, martial or not, is governed by a commitment to a way of self-discipline. Monk-like fighters of many types can certainly exist, but I find monks in particular to be lawful and to derive their strength from being molded by a law. It's why the martial forms are so important, and the grueling repetitive exercises, but also the simple or ascetic lifestyle, time of disciplined study, and tendency to gather in monastic orders. In my mind, the path of the monk in both eastern and western traditions is very much the path of a disciple who is shaped by both dedication and learning into something extraordinary.

[@MalosPrime]

This really helps with a novel I'm working on. Its a science fantasy where a nobleman trains in the fighting arts to take back his kingdom. While at the same time encountering an ancient empress seeking to reclaim her lost realm.

[@Lan5674]

This was very interesting! It give me some ideas for a new character! Thanx!

[@GuardianTempest]

Wait, no Jackie Chan films? Drunken Master at least fits the theme. How about the other old films like Police Story and Meals on Wheels? Bringing it up as I want to play a Chan-esque monk when opportunity allows me.

[@1nONLY_DRock]

Kung Fu and Wuxia movies were more of a thing from the 60's to the 90's in North America, expecially with guys like Bruce Lee, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Etc. it was mostly Hong Kong stuff like Sun Brothers films. Mainland stuff never really took off due to the communist bent. And even today I can just tell in comparison, aside from gems like Ip Man, is kind of weak and has that political bent. Mainland China doesn't really make a lot of movies that capture the North American imagination. Heck, last hugely popular martial arts films I remember were Tony Jaa films from Thailand, or The Raid Redemption, which was Indonesian! Chinese films lost ground. Which is too bad. In their heyday Hong Kong Cinema was the best.

[@Max2ds]

Monk is my favorite class to play, and I don’t think I’ve ever done the whole “Kung Fu” thing. The first Monk I played was actually a boxer. The second was a ninja for a one shot, and the current is a freestyle grappler. Each with their own unique stories and playstyles. Eventually I’ll play the typical Kung Fu or other stereotypical monk style, but I have too much fun being something else. Besides, since the lawful requirement was removed in fifth edition there’s a lot more wiggle room for that sort of thing.

[@couragew6260]

I was actually kind of shocked with the lack of originality when I met people discussing Monk backstories. Now, it’s very likely that I’m just too cultured when it came to martial arts movies like Drunken Master, Enter the Dragon, and basically anything involving Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and Jet Li, but I was still rather shocked. You couldn’t have come up with another backstory like, for instance, traveling the world to learn from foreign cultures; or you saw a traveling monk save you from some bullies as a kid, and you wanted to know where the monk learned his skills which brought you to the monk’s temple; You were a beggar kid caught stealing by a young monk apprentice, but you held your ground surprisingly well albeit sloppily and showed potential as a monk when more adults showed up. And who says you have to strictly be in a monk’s temple. You could have done the classic Karate Kid theme if you wanted and have a monk teacher in your local town who came from a monk temple far FAR from your village. Or you’re self taught, only basing your training from local stories, pictures, books, word of mouth from traveling traders and adventurers, and simply practicing your own style. After all, historically speaking, all martial arts had to start somewhere with basic workout routines, trial and error with experimental moves. Practice with your body and weapons, studying the muscles of your fallen foes and figured out how they could bend and break (which was a THING IRL)

[@sergeigen1]

AMAZING VIDEO, so cool man, the whole "telll a better story" is such a good idea, thanks for doing them

[@jasonvoorhees895]

Wow, that was a great video. I'm not very familiar with the later incarnations of D&D but I played a 1st Edition Oriental Adventures Monk in a 2nd Edition group and he was a lot of fun...until he died LOL. Always wanted to try a Monk from the 1st Edition PHB

[@1nONLY_DRock]

As for monks these days, I stray away from asia and explore western interpretations of the monk. There's plenty of western influences which I can draw inspiration. Some christian cloistered monasteries practiced forms of boxing and wrestling for physical exercise, as well as practicing quarterstaff and cudgel fighting (though I can't think of specific examples atm). There was plenty of wrestling styles, such as greco-roman, or ringen. There's western boxing and even kickboxing (such as Savate). And later on there were hybrid fighting styles developed from multiple influences, such as baritsu in the victorian era, and krav maga in the modern era. Western world has plenty of ways to make a D&D style monk. Change the asian monastery with a christian monastery, or a dojo with a wrestling circle. Change kung-fu to boxing and wrestling. Change the sickles and nunchaku with shepherd's staff and wooden clubs. Wandering the earth spreading the word of god, defending the weak and fighting evil doesn't change. 'God's Blessing' and a healthy lifestyle full of physical exercise and eating right keeps the monk eternally young and resilient. Even monk pacifism doesn't change, a western monk doesn't seek a fight and does not kill but certainly knows how to finish a fight (and God is fuzzy on the subject of kneecaps). Lots to work with here.

[@-Thunder-Warrior-]

My Monk is a Goliath, trained by Ogre Martial Arts Master Brute Lee in the Way of the Intercepting Gut. The real world inspiration came from Sumo.

[@exomancer3632]

Something else to take into consideration: If you separate the class from it's history for a bit and only look at the abilities you get, you can come up with other characters that fit the bill. Someone who is fast, a good hand to hand combatant, and can draw on some inner power to be even faster. At later levels their strikes can stun opponents, they can defend against ranged attacks and can survive long falls. Someone who can predict incoming attacks. This doesn't have to be a Kung Fu hero, this can be any hand to hand martial artist. Make a grappler build and call it a viking; Be Black Panther, or a Spartan (spears are monk weapons, and the spartan kick is an unarmed attack if I've ever seen one). A Monk can sometimes just be a Fighter who doesn't use weapons. A Monk could be a doctor, who uses knowledge of anatomy to make unarmed strikes more potent; like that Robert Downy Jr. Sherlock Holmes movie. All that said (sorry for rambling a bit), this video was interesting, and the ideas present certainly help to round out any monk (or fighter for that matter).

[@RatchildUK]

Most people play monks as just a fist fighter. That would be a martial artist. A monk is much closer to a Cleric, but instead of serving a god, they work inwards, bettering oneself through discipline and ascending.

[@SamA-cw3be]

I wanted to play a monk, and i thought long and hard about how to play one that was COMPLETELY against type. it took me about a week to figure out a concept that i fell in love with: Valley Girl Monk. as deep and thoughtful as a thimble. selfish, but not evil. doesn't care about history, because it's just more fun to head to the beach and see all the cute guys. she can't spell BMW, but that okay. she drives a Porsche. she became a monk, not by years and years of dedication in a monetarist, but rather by going to yoga classes on Saturdays because the yoga instructor was this really hot elf.

[@GothArtisan]

I’m playing an “Apocalyptic Ascetic” Kineticist, in Pathfinder. Yet I find this is still relevant, and useful!

[@trevor7861]

My Monk was a lot more like Friar Tuck than Caine. I’ll was tonsured, frocked and drinking a healthy amount. Still a martial artist, but I liked to imagine the character fought with just his right hand punch. I still love the Kung Fu style traditional monk, but there is more available if your board with the classic

[@tikalthewhimsicott2736]

My half-orc uses the Korean martial art Hapkido as his martial art. He usually goes adventuring with his fellow students, a goblin and a kolbold. Theyre master is still alive. They usualy spend the money they get from adventuring to renovate their dojang (basicaly a Korean dojo).

[@dolphinsniper]

... But, half the reason why Aang is so compelling of a character is that despite his power and natural talent. He still needs to struggle and learn how to harness his powers, and the responsibility of being an Avatar, yet still being true to himself. It's an incredibly strong story. Removing the 'Chosen One' elements of Avatar creates an entirely different show that quite frankly wouldn't be as good.

[@LadyChubbyBlueberry]

Started fiddling with the monk class and made a tiefling monk who was part of the circus and uses her monk athletic skills to performing amazing acrobatic acts. That's also why, if she gets to the level, she'll choose Way of the Four Elements discipline to enhance her performances.

[@Big3Taxi]

The Monk class is right up there in my top 3 favourite classes, although I'm still unsure which archetype or ’Monastic Tradition’ I like the best.

[@durdurdurlerutte2875]

I'm currently in my first campaign and I play a monk, but I got a bit excited when developing the background. I am a (custom) tiefling monk with a dark history and my master advised me to leave the monastery because my inner conflict hampered my spiritual growth, but that made it a lot harder to roleplay because my character is so complicated. This video has given me some ideas on how to handle this, so thanks.

[@deamongimli]

Not finished the video yet but I just want to throw this out there. Hobgoblin Iron Shadows are literally just hobgoblin monks who have swapped out some of their monk abilities for spellcasting, and they are an awesome concept.

[@legendarydigitize2523]

As a karate-do student myself i can relate Its more than just stupid stunts or tough guy feats It is a lot about discipline and upholding lawful morallity A real world failed example of not following discipline and lawful morality is the infamous Ateneo Kid bully Joaquin Montes I will make a villain character out of this kid and treat him as a recurring villain for very good reasons

[@jesserichards5582]

This video definately reminded me how cool kung fu movies are & playing a monk character too. Just need someone to be a dungeon master so i can play a monk character lol In the past i have played a barbarian, fighter, paladin, & ranger. This is the next class i am stoked to play

[@Xaxp]

The first Monk I played was actually the Christian/Catholic version of a monk, I just said he happened to know martial arts and everyone went along with it. It was funny, especially since he was basically Kenshiro if he wore a set of vestments at all times.

[@numbug1234]

An idea I got from this very video just now is a monk whose explicitly working to break a prophecy associated with them, essentially using the opposing nature it has with the chosen one narrative as a ludo-narrative synchronization.

[@Mrkoala2211]

Thanks CJ :) I'm a new dm who is going to run Curse of strahd and one of my player will play a Way of the death monk :) I will send him this video to help him flesh out his caracter :)

[@jjbb84x]

You gained a subscriber as soon as I got to the part where you acknowledged The Karate Kid as a kung fu movie! I always believed that the karate was a metaphor for the philosophy at the heart of the movie. Combat was just a narrative means to an end. An odd point to gain my attention with, but hey, here we are!

[@davidlindsay5905]

Adding a bit of herbalism and medicine to a monk goes a long way in character building to build a more Chinese Wuxia style monk. Understanding the body and how it works is quite essential in both their fighting and storytelling.

[@BrianHuynhPersonal]

if you'd like to see a good starting wuxia novel I'd sudgest coiling dragon on qidian (formerly wuxia world)

[@SWGaming757]

I like to play my monk as someone who is corrupted. How I did this was that his backstory revolved around being trained to run a temple one day. But since he had a few violent tendency’s he was told he had to leave with the quest to truly find himself.

[@loganfrandrup6590]

Can you make a Deviant Monk class? Also, as some one in Ti Kwon Do, I will take this inconsideration when I make my next monk character.

[@driftingswordsmanzer]

As a fan of the monk class this was very helpful thank you. Liked and favorited 👍🏾✌🏾

[@fantasia34]

Can I suggest some deviant style monks? Way of the Asura: Monks train to have mastery of their body as well as their mind and spirit but those who follow the ways of the Asura give up their spirit so that the body can become stronger. After continuous meditation sessions a student began questioning on how to use the emotion he has the most difficulty in controlling, anger. The teachers are always trying to suppress his destructive emotions but as time flew by the student instead learned to harness his anger into his body. When time as come for sparring matches the student showed the result of his training to the teachers beating all his opponents with strength unparalleled to the other students. The teachers punish him claiming that what he is doing does not follow the philosophy of the temple. With great rage the student challenges the teacher to prove him wrong. The combat between the student and teacher escalated to the point where one fatal move could end the life of one of the combatants, all the while the student actions are becoming more and more reckless. Like the old saying "cut my flesh to break their bone" the student despite being in a enraged state still manages to keep his form to avoid taking any lethal hit to return the pain two folds. At the end of this conflict the teacher has been slain and the bloodied student still stands only by his sheer anger roars triumphantly before being executed by the master. Since the incident there are secret sect of students who sought power learn from him and attempt to gain the same of strength by imitating him. One must be careful for if they succumb to the rage they are no more than animals lashing out at any that moves. Way of the Hungry ghost: I won't go into a long story for this one since it's pretty much Kai the main villain in Kung fu panda 3 where instead of creating Ki naturally they instead steal them from their opponents like vampires.

[@fuzzydragon]

My monk doesn't yet realize his training as he has been raised to think he was abandoned due to being deformed and so thinking he is human wears a hood over his Tabaxi face, the headmaster who refused to train him instead made him a groundskeeper instead giving him near imposible tasks every day in a sense creating a more improvised personal kung fu technique that he grew partly hi.self and partly by spying on students and teachers around the temple, when the temple was attacked they didnt bother with the deformed grounds keeper but put every monk to the sword.

[@stevenharris4933]

A great video! Take a look at the Anime from the late 1990s Shuarto. It was the first time I saw 2 heroes that had a lot of martial arts training given superpowers. It was a pleasant change.

[@alttaab]

This is super great and introduces a lot of depth and real world cultural depth into a class with often stale character archetypes in D&D. I feel like Druids suffer from that issue a lot too and I'd love to see a video by you offering deeper cultural references and alternative perspectives.

[@davi1415]

Nice video! I am playing a monk too and he is definitely my favorite character. His whole character is based on dealing with a trauma from his past and figuring out what kind he person he wants to be. His main conflict comes from dealing with his two social identities. He does not know if he wants to return to a mundane life or stay as a wandering fighter. All this internal conflicts has caused him to lash out and be something of a hothead at times. Not help by the fact that his martial art styles is based on the philosophy of using his anger.

[@firelordkushroll]

mt current monk is based off of a character from the matrix. it is modern martial arts, and fits in with a lot of my mechanics, gives me a bit of a rich RP value while aloowing me to make some meta and whimsical dialogue similiar to deadpool of knowing that our characters are in a simulation.

[@ihaveterriblerolls9531]

I have a Monk who is a Red Dragonborn who was forced to fight in a human sized dog fighting pit by slavers until his freedom was bought by a monk who offered to allow him to better refine his skills as fighter instead of just being a savage animal, while he trained he learned how to be more refined, that's when he realized he didn't want to be the best fighter there could be he wanted to be a man, he left his monastery on a quest to learn to be a man instead of a beast like he was in that fighting pit, to use his naturally talents and his learned skills to be a better person, and to do some good along the way.

[@MrRazielsBeast]

it is actually also a good video to give the dm out there who don't let their players play monk. Thanks from a Monk player

[@KingMJAH]

Really made me rethink my monk’s backstory supper helpful

[@Sephole]

Oh-hoh-hoh-hoah Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting!

[@RykersRange]

Omfg this is sooooo awesome... Only you can do stuff in detail and the like. PLEASEEE do fighters next, Then warlock

[@tynorem9694]

I really wish there were more videos on roleplaying like this one. Cant stop rewatching

[@kaleidoslug7777]

My character is a young and rowdy, yet loyal Halfling troublemaker whose village sent to a temple to try and mold him into something decent when they couldn't (basically military school but quieter). He lived there for three years, getting very good with his martial arts but not showing much improvement with his attitude or spirituality. Eventually, during a trip across a mountain, he and the other apprentices were caught in a fight with a herd of barbarians, resulting in his death when hr blocked an axe swing intended for one of his only friends. The others had to leave his body behind to save themselves, but he *somehow* rose back from the dead a week later filled with cold rage towards the herd that killed him. Not feeling welcomed at neither the temple or his village (and not wanting to freak people out) he struck out on his own looking to get revenge on those barbarians, find himself and understand just what the hell brought him back in the first place. And that's how the story of my Long Death Monk starts

[@lalobuki8789]

Amazing video, and just in time, i'm about to have my second session with my first Monk character (based on Master Oogway). But this gives me new ideas on how to evolve the role.

[@peacetotheworld5051]

I genuinely love this video. Discussing tropes, misconceptions, etc. for character creation is honestly a genius idea and I would love to see it done more. Monk might be the only class where this can be done for, but I would really love to see it be carried on.

[@zachbowman296]

This is an AMAZING video CJ! I grew up watching "Kung Fu" movies in the 70s and 80s and have always thought of Chinese legends and heroes in the same way as I've thought of Tolkien, or Robert E. Howard, etc. This is a great video, even for someone who's seen hundreds of these films. I've learned a lot. I really hope the people at WotC watch this video and give your suggestions due consideration. Thanks!

[@TheHypno15]

My take away from this? I forgot how much I loved Kung Fu Hustle

[@joeywarren60]

10:48 I have that movie, and I've been watching it so much. I want to make a kensei monk who focuses on axes

[@crisrody852]

The secret to make a good monk is to use the orphan story "My mother died on my birth, so my father took me to the woods and raised me until I was 10, he was sad and broken, and he ended up dying from his sadness. The only thing I only saw making my father happy was his training, so, I've always wanted to understand more about it. I've growth alone in the wilds until I was found by elves at age 22, I had been living by fighting with my bare hands against the ferals of the wild for food." LOL

[@lstcloud]

Don't Stop Thinking - Hey CJ, it's been a while since I had myself a good Kung Fu & Wu Xia marathon and after seeing your video here I thought I'd delve a bit into the zhou huo ru mo concept @7:30 you mentioned that you could understand the tropes by only watching a handful of movies, but you never said any in particular except for Legend of the Condor Heroes. Are there any others that you think really explain the concept well?

[@DontStopThinking]

Sadly, all of the clearest examples of zhou huo ru mo are in Louis Cha's (Jin Yong) series. It is a recurring trope in his fiction. He is virtually the godfather of Wuxia novel in Chinese speaking countries including Vietnam and South East Asia. Each series of his Condor series trilogy (The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes, The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber) has been remade at least 5 times since the 70s and makes up at least 50% of all Wuxia fiction consumed in the East. Even if other authors do not use the trope as much, it is becomes a memorable trope due to the immense popularity of the series.

[@dragonafro4462]

I’m currently playing a way of the shadow Dragonborn monk(which is pretty edgy by itself) with a pretty edgy backstory as well. I got bored of him at level 3 because my 2 other party members did my job better. I told my DM this and we had finished the session with me getting a Lich soul stone(with the help of a nat 20 of course). He asked me if I wanted my character to end up dying from the soul stone and I agreed. He rolled for a time limit and my character ended up getting 18 days to live. After a few sessions, I’m starting to regret this decision since I’m having fun with him now that he is a couple of levels higher. However, I chose this decision and my character has to die for it.

[@lordbiscuitthetossable5352]

Well that's just it really. Take this opportunity to explore a better story with a defined end; what would a character do if he/she only had a limited time to live? What would they do? Do they have a particular objective to accomplish? Do they want to right a particular wrong in a city? Do they want some of their legacy to live on? Or are they seeking a way to persist? Rei from the fist of the north star literally was built up initially as his rival and only appeariated what he had when his days were limited. It might make for a beautiful, if tragic story.

[@mileslugo6430]

Any must see movies that I can watch on Netflix?

[@markbartbmw]

Man I have to watch this one a few times. Really good content

[@snjvxscape]

Thanks so much. Kudos on all the work you put in.

[@legendarydigitize2523]

I did make a variant human drunken master monk that is an entertainer The physics defying feats of strength and agility is insanely awesome to watch Comparable to bruce lee, jackie chan, jet li you name it

[@legendarydigitize2523]

The entertainer monk's best drive is fame and fortune

[@legendarydigitize2523]

You know what im kinda saddened they didnt make a str focused monk sub class Since how the monk levels up it virtually locks them to only focus on wis and dex then con on the side Plus slightly increase their squishy hp on the str focused sub class

[@joeywarren60]

*Adds wisdom to AC *Has Evasion *Is extremely speedy *Can stop Reactions, throw down shadows, shoot sunbeams, or manipulate elements, depending on archetype *Is still called squishy

[@joshuahicks7798]

Deviant monk sounds like a very interesting idea.

[@gingergrant1057]

My Monk is just Dr. House who knows king-fu.

[@Washius]

My first monk was a tortle named Oogway

[@the11382]

4:10 Now I want to see a monk class that allows you to fly. Sounds pretty balanced, you can’t use another weapon while using it but I see its use for other missions. I kinda want to start watching Wu Xia movies.

[@lowidex7803]

time to play a lot of kung fu BGM starting tonight and even waiting for the new PS4 Fist of the North Star game in a few days from now upcoming october 2018 :D

[@iOnRX9]

can you do more videos on the way of the open hand?

[@blablablaksheep7210]

More videos like this on other classes please!

[@TJRex01]

I really liked this. Like, can you do...more stuff like this?

[@DontStopThinking]

Sure.

[@Lythias]

Thanks for that CJ! That was really great to listen to, and a great intro to the genre. I've recently started reading a lot of translated webnovel wuxia, xianxia and xuanhuan the last few years or so, and have found the non-Western narrative a refreshing change. If you're interested in wu xia in roleplaying, as influenced and seen through kung fu film and novel lenses, I'd recommend giving the Jiang Hu podcast a listen. They talk about how parts of what we learn in looking at the genre(s) can be used for your games and characters, and are looking at making their own RPG as a result. misdirectedmark.com/category/podcasts/jianghu/

[@Lythias]

...and currently powering my way through 'Legend of Fuyao' which I recommend to those of you who are looking for a female protagonist in your wu xia.

[@DontStopThinking]

Interesting podcast. I'm already listening to the first episode.

[@mrfreddorenton]

This is amazing! I didn't know I wanted this sort of stuff from you until I got it. If you have more to say, I'd gladly hear it. (slightly disappointed you did'nt include either the Raid or Ong Bak movies)

[@DontStopThinking]

Well, at least Toni Jaa is shown in the Killzone 2 clip.😁

[@Stavol2Dual]

Also be sure to look at The Night Comes For Us, will be on netflix oct 19

[@Marshl]

Now i know why i love my wuxiaworld

[@Shadowfiend1300]

I would love to see more videos like these.

[@rodolforupp292]

Correction: Fewer and fewer people* :P Also, can you provide a list of Wu Xia films to watch, in order to get a good understanding of the genre?

[@DontStopThinking]

You can start with Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, Kung Fu Cult Master and work your way through the list.

[@BrianHuynhPersonal]

I'd sudgest reading coiling dragon :p

[@calvinfranklyn5499]

Thanks for your insights!

[@jasonmorello1374]

Interesting. Would you say One Punch Man is like an Archtypal self discovered monk?

[@DontStopThinking]

Yes. But exaggerated to comedic effects.

[@legendarydigitize2523]

@@DontStopThinking opm is meant to satirically make fun of the typical shonen formula

[@clanjebb2017]

Out of curiosity could you possibly make this a series for the rest of the classes? I have just started playing D&D and my character is a Tiefling Bard. while his personality, stats, and abilities were pretty easy to set up his backstory was more difficult. No matter what angle I approached him from I could not get a solid backstory out of it, to the point that I had to hand in some bullet points to the DM, which while it did not cause any problems for the game itself it left me really unsatisfied.

[@clanjebb2017]

Sorry for the rant. I guess what I mean to say is that if you could do a video like this for other classes it would help me out alot.

[@BlueSun_]

These pages might give you some tips: www.dndbeyond.com/forums/class-forums/bard/1949-tell-us-about-your-bard www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/5ox8zs/5e_bards_of_reddit_introduce_us_to_your_bard/ But generally I recommend thinking about you character as a person first and a Class second. This may help you from relying too much on clichés. You don't have to be super social sing-along seducer bard. You could not even know how to sing and just inspire people in some other way. Or if you are the singing type you could think how and why and where did the character learn their art? Why do they adventure? What do they want? What do they fear? Why?

[@clanjebb2017]

thanks for the links and tips! They helped flesh out ol' Damien (name of my tiefking bard) quite alot.

[@MaskedRiderChris]

I actually have a relatively interesting character concept for my Dragonstar character I'm currently playing; he is a half-orc who was abandoned at a monastery as an infant, spent his life there, and is aspiring to become a Gun Dancer (imagine a mash up of Kwai Chang Kane/David Carradine in "Kung Fu" and John Preston/Christian Bale in "Equilibrium"). His motives for leaving the monastery and exploring the galaxy are to someday find his mother and ask her what made her leave him at the monastery, and to either find or brew the best cup of coffee in the galaxy. He also cooks--dexterity training from his sifu--and plays harmonica (because why not?) and erhu (Chinese violin). As of now, he is bodyguarding a Drow sorcerer and is very much the deadpan straight man of our group, reeling off sarcastic one liners with a totally straight face. I like where he's going as a character since I had in mind playing him as an atypical member of his race. So far so good!

[@nooneimportant9623]

My monk is a british boxer

[@davidberkowitz7411]

Most definitely more!

[@Greyshadow_17]

When I role played a Monk, a Shadow Monk/Ninja and Open Hand/Shaolin Monk I started off being silent because they both are quiet i.e. vow of silence or just being stealthy. Not to mention I actually study and practice martial arts regularly so I would brag about my fighting moves in and out of the game and annoy my friends who I play with lol.

[@owlenfamily]

i really liked this video. great job. do you think videos like this would work for other classes? you were able to focus on the core aspects of what i think this monk class is based on, but are the basis of the other classes just too broad?

[@DontStopThinking]

Not necessarily. I can go in depth into other classes in the future.

[@naldormight6420]

I'd really like to more videos like this one.

[@jonathanbionicle36]

I for one would definitely be interesting in a "Tell a Better Story" video for every class in D&D. And if possible, include similar videos for Unearthed Arcana classes like the Mystic and the Artificer.

[@sharkdentures3247]

Great video. While I do play a wide variety of classes, at my core I am a M&M player. (mages & monks) It's always good to get new perspectives & roleplaying ideas. Thanks.

[@mattrondeau2]

PERFECT timing! Got a buddy in a new campaign we're going to do who wants to be a half orc monk. Worked it out where he's trying to keep his people's ancient traditions and philosophies alive, so his goal is to uncover any lost fragments left from the "golden age" of his people. He figured a monk build would be cool since most orcs are usually fighters or barbarians, so a twist of an orc being a philosopher who practices ancient martial arts was something he wanted to try.

[@kungfujoe2136]

did someone say kunfu?

[@DHTheAlaskan]

The first monk in 5e I plan to play is going Way of Shadows. He's going to focus on being a scout and spy first and a monk second using his training to enhance his abilities. What spy wouldn't want to be a able to jump from shadow to shadow undetected?

[@Orlafis]

I'm playing a very unusual monk on my DnD 5, he started as a ranger, from a desert nomadic tribe, with heavy inspirations on the Sikhs and Bedouins, with a unusual religion based on a "timeless" god who keeps the existence together through a music he plays, and as a believer you just have to go along with the music harmony (chaotic neutral as you can see xD), but as the campaign moved forward his religious aspect started to get more and more important and went for a more philosophical approach as a conflict mediator in a group full of opposing morality values, and it came naturally that he would become a monk it was just a matter of justifying him learning to fight with his fists and without armor... and accidentally he lost all his equipment when a ship the group was using to travel sunk, and he had to fight unarmed for the rest of the adventure, so through the levels 1 to 3 he started to study more about his religious manuscripts, meditate and train his body and the GM was kind enough to introduce a veteran monk NPC to the group so he could learn a bit more; so now he is more like a wandering monk with some sikh moves.

[@manuelyausaz2976]

Cj i really have to say that your videos always help me a lot. Here from Argentina i humbly ask plz make this kind of videos with all the other classes