Building a Better Monk: Martial Arts in TTRPGs
A lot of OSR games donāt include a martial arts class, and I can understand why! It wasnāt one of the original classes in OD&D (It was first published a year later in the Blackmoor supplement), and when it was added, it was sort of a weird hybrid between a cleric and a thief that could also punch. Anecdotally, Iāve also found the Monk to be one of the less popular classes in every edition of D&D Iāve played, and itās not an obvious thematic fit with the rest of the classic D&D classes. I can see how D&D hacks decide to cut the monk.
The Monk is also a little less grounded than other classes in modern editions of D&D (punches that deal as much damage as weapons, ki as a tangible, usable force). Games that go for a more gritty or western-style fantasy feel might not think itās a good fit. Fair enough.
I like martial arts classes, though. As a martial arts practitioner myself (Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Wing Chun), I love it when martial arts classes exist, and they can fit a little better than people think! Hereās how I incorporate martial arts classes into my game:
My Approach to Martial Arts
My game, Revolver, is an OSR game. Martial arts arenāt a major focus of the setting, but I wanted to include them anyway. Since my game heavily features Americana from the late 1800s, I also wanted to include classes inspired by the cultures of immigrants in America in the same time period. Being a practitioner myself, a martial artist class inspired by Southern Chinaās Wing Chun felt appropriate.
Additionally, Wing Chun is a pretty good fit for the tone of the setting. Most of my classes are reserved. Thereās only a single magic class, and most classes donāt let you do anything superhuman. Wing Chun techniques arenāt overly flashy and unrealistic, and its training includes weapons. Perfect. My martial artist wonāt have fists that deal more damage than weapons. Instead, martial artists will use unarmed techniques to redirect their opponent or open their guard to supplement their usage of butterfly blades or staves.
Basing a class on a specific, real martial art makes it really easy to come up with a coherent ethos and abilities for the class. Just use the real techniques and concepts from the martial art, they even usually have cool names! You can edit them a bit if you think you could make them slightly cooler, like adding the armor and weapon disarming bit to the disarming parry feature below, which is based on a technique for blocking punches with your elbow.
Oh, I also dropped the name Monk, lots of martial artists arenāt monks, and monk is a specific role in my setting.
Martial Artist
Better to perfect a few techniques than know 1 million at an average level. That's what your sifu taught you anyway. You've dedicated a portion of your life to Guo Jiang and aim to master its weapons and techniques.
You have technique dice, they are d6s. The maximum number of technique dice you can have at once is equal to the number of martial artist templates you have.
You can spend technique dice on martial artist features youāve learned, as long as you are either unarmed, wielding a Bo staff, or wielding butterfly swords.
Starts With:
- Crude armor
- A memento from your sifu (decide what it is)
choose one of: - A Bo staff (1d6)
- 2 butterfly swords (1d6)
Templates
1: Breach the center line, Stay with what comes
2: Chain strike
3: Balance and structure, Disarming parry
4: Efficiency of motion
Breach the center line
Whenever you damage an enemy with an unarmed attack without using a martial artist feature, you break the targetās guard and seize the advantage, restoring one spent technique die.
Stay With What Comes
You are always prepared for an opponent's attack. When a close opponent attacks you or attempts to move away from you, you can spend a technique die to attack or use a martial artist ability against them before they take their action.
Chain strike
When you attack and aren't impaired, you can spend a technique die to overwhelm your target with repeated, rapid strikes. When you do so, you strike 3 times for 1d4 damage each.
Balance and structure
Anytime you would fall prone, you can spend a technique die to land on your feet. If you would take damage from falling, roll the technique die and reduce the damage by the result.
Disarming parry
When an enemy strikes you with a melee attack, if you are wearing armor, you can spend one or more technique dice to parry the blow. When you do, roll the technique dice and subtract the sum from the damage.
If the damage is reduced to 0 or lower, you parry their blow into your metal elbow guards. Armed opponents are disarmed and must spend an action picking up their weapon. If they are unarmed, they take 1d4 damage.
Efficiency of motion
You break your opponents down with blinding speed and expertise. When you restore a technique die using Breach the center line, you restore 2 technique dice instead of 1.
Incorporating Martial Arts into Other Classes
You can also include martial arts in classes where martial arts isnāt necessarily the main focus. In real life, samurai learned kenjutsu, a sword based martial art, and jujutsu, an art that focused on close combat, joint locks, and throws, many designed for use against armored opponents. Both could be included in a Samurai class! In my Ronin class, I didnāt include Jujutsu, but the classās stance feature incorporates stances directly from kenjutsu.
I like that this adds a bit of history to the game, and it also makes the abilities very easy to name. Whoever invented the martial art already did it for you!
There are lots of classes that could incorporate a martial arts technique here or there. A bounty hunter class might have a choke inspired by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. A soldier class might include a few close combat techniques in case they are ever disarmed.
Remember that martial arts is more than just punching and kicking. Kyudo takes a martial arts approach to archery, Shaolin Kung Fu trains with swords, staves, daggers, spears, sharpened metal hooks, and more. Thereās a deep well of martial arts even for games that donāt want to include ki or focus on unarmed combat.
A Different Approach to Martial Arts
In my game, it makes sense to have just one martial artist class focused on one martial art, the one thatās popular in the region my game takes place in. For a setting with multiple martial arts, though, this wouldnāt be sufficient. One option is to simply have multiple martial arts classes. However, I sort of like the idea of a wandering martial artist that can learn different styles and techniques, so sort of like a Street Fighter character mixed with a wizard!
Hereās what a more modular martial artist class might look like, along with 2 styles. Though you could add any additional styles based on martial arts or martial arts films that inspire you!
Martial Artist
With nothing in your hands, you are armed and dangerous. Youāve spent years studying martial arts, taking away new techniques and learnings from each style you are exposed to.
You have technique dice, they are d6s. The maximum number of technique dice you can have at once is equal to the number of martial artist templates you have.
You can spend technique dice to use martial artist techniques.
Starts With:
- Crude armor
- A memento from your first Master (decide what it is)
- One of the weapons from the style you choose with Style Mastery
Templates
1: Enter the Flow, Technician
2: New technique, Forever Student
3: New technique
4: New technique, Flow state
Enter the Flow
Whenever you damage an enemy with an unarmed attack without using another martial artist technique, you break the targetās guard and seize the advantage, restoring one spent technique die.
Technician
You can learn, practice, and master martial arts techniques.
Choose one martial arts style. You know the basics of that style and choose one technique from its technique list to learn and master.
You can use martial arts techniques that youāve learned as an action as long as you have technique dice available to spend on them. Non-mastered techniques have a 2 in 6 chance of failure. Mastered techniques are always successful.
You can master a number of techniques equal to the number of martial artist templates you have. After rest and relaxation, you can master a learned technique. If you are at the maximum number of mastered techniques, choose one to unmaster, itās rusty from lack of recent practice.
New Technique
You learn 1 technique from the technique list of any style you know the basics of. You may master it immediately.
Forever Student
You can learn new techniques and styles with the right tools.
Styles: You can learn a style from any master willing to teach you. Most masters will want payment, a favor, or both before taking on a new student. After training for a week with a master, you know the basics of their style.
Techniques: A master can teach you a specific technique with a week of training. You can also learn techniques from scrolls and manuals. Learning from a scroll or manual requires a week of training. At the end of that week, make a Mind check, if you succeed, you learn the technique. If not, youāll have to train for another week to try again.
Flow state
Your understanding of battle deepens. When you restore a technique die using Enter the Flow, you restore 2 technique dice instead of 1.
Styles and Techniques
Hereās an example of how styles and techniques are written
Style Name
Short description of the style
Weapons: Weapons used by the style
Technique Name
Weapons: A list of weapons the technique can be used with
Requirement: If applicable, a requirement that must be met to use the technique
Cost: How many technique dice you have to spend to use the technique
Range: the techniques range
Target: the number of targets for the technique
Description of the techniqueās effects
Wing Chun
Wing Chun focuses on close range, rapid punches, hand trapping, and controlling an opponentās centerline.
Weapons: Bo staff, Butterfly Swords
Chain strike
Weapons: Unarmed, Butterfly Swords
Cost: 1
Range: Close
Target: 1 creature
You overwhelm your target with repeated, rapid strikes to the centerline. When you do so, you strike 3 times for 1d4 damage each.
Disarming parry
Weapons: Unarmed, Butterfly Swords, Bo Staff
Requirement: An opponent attempts to attack you with a melee weapon or unarmed attack
Cost: 1 or more
Range: Close
Target: 1 creature
When an enemy strikes you with a melee attack, if you are wearing armor, you can spend one or more technique dice to parry the blow. When you do, roll the technique dice and subtract the sum from the damage.
If the damage is reduced to 0 or lower, you parry their blow into your elbow guards. Armed opponents are disarmed and must spend an action picking up their weapon. If they are unarmed, they take 1d4 damage.
Stay With What Comes
Weapons: Unarmed, Butterfly Swords, Bo Staff
Requirement: A close opponent attempts to attack you or move away from you
Cost: 1 or more
Range: Close
Target: 1 creature
You interrupt your opponent with a quick strike. When a close creature attacks you or moves away from you, you can make an attack against them before they take their action.
Strike First
Weapons: Any
Requirement: You roll a Mind check for initiative
Cost: 1 or more
Range: Close
Target: 1 creature
You aim to move fast and strike quickly. When you use this technique. When you do, roll the technique dice and subtract the sum from your Mind check.
Karate
Karate focuses on striking, with an emphasis on kicks and deep stances to strengthen the legs. There are many types of Karate. This style takes inspiration from ChitÅ-ryÅ« karate and Okinawan kobudÅ.
Weapons: Unarmed, Sai, Nunchaku
Kansetsu Geri
Weapons: Unarmed
Cost: 1
Range: Close
Target: 1 creature
A stomping kick at the side or back of an opponentās knee. Deals damage as an unarmed attack. The target must make Brawn check or suffer an injured knee. With an injured knee, the target cannot move and take an action on the same turn until they receive magical healing, or Hit the Hay.
Ushiro Geri
Weapons: Unarmed
Cost: 1
Range: Close
Target: 1 creature
A powerful backwards kick delivered after a spin. Deals damage as an unarmed attack and knocks the target back 5 feet. The target must make a Brawn check or spend their next turn catching their breath.
Suppressing Block
Weapons: Sai, Nanchaku
Requirement: An opponent attempts to attack you with a melee weapon or unarmed attack
Cost: 1 or more
Range: Close
Target: 1 creature
As an opponent attacks you, you tie their weapon up with your own. When you do, roll the technique dice and subtract the sum from the damage. Until you release the tie, or the opponent spends an action making a Brawn check to break the tie, neither you nor the target can move, and you can each only use one hand.
Disarming Strike
Weapons: Sai, Nanchaku
Cost: 1
Range: Close
Target: 1 creature with a held weapon
You strike the opponent's weapon or attempt to wrench it away from them. Roll the technique die. The target makes a Brawn check with a penalty equal to what you rolled on the technique die. On a failure, they are disarmed and the weapon lands 4d6 feet away from them in a direction of your choice.