Monk

Synonyms: Benedictine, Order of Saint Benedict, Franciscan, Order of Friars Minor, Dominican, Order of Preachers, Carthusians, Order of Saint Bruno

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Special: Archetype

Monk is an Archetype, it is a special kind of Feat. A character can only have one Archetype in total. Apart from that, Archetypes are like normal Feats and may be taken at character creation or on any level up. On your sheet, mark Monk as one of your Feats and add all Feats gained separately.

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Description

Monasteries in the middle age, are a very rare opportunity for those seeking to change their social status.

To some minor exceptions, people live and die in the same craft as their parents. Monasteries where a rare occasion for people to chose their destiny.

Most monastic orders are derived from the Order of Saint Benedict and follow a core set of rules.

All monks have to make the vows of obedience, poverty and chastity, pray at regular intervals within the day and spend most of their life in dedication to god and their order.

Each orders are known for different reasons.

Benedictines are the most numerous monks by far. They are organised in large monasteries and are renown for their love of books and calligraphy. Most well known philosophers, alchemists and scholars where from this order.

Carthusians are also organised in monasteries, but they are known for their austerity, where members lived in their own cells and spent several hours a day in prayer and meditation. They are also famous for harsh means of self imposed repentance using flagellation and wearing painful cilices as often as necessary.

Franciscans and Dominicans are mendicant orders, known for their lifestyle of poverty, traveling, and living in urban areas for purposes of preaching, evangelization, and ministry, especially to the poor.

Dominicans are also known because most inquisitors where chosen from their ranks.

If you character is a Dominican Inquisitor or a Knight Hospitaller, it is better to take those feats instead.

A Monk (benedictine) gains the Feat Knowledge.

A Monk (franciscan) gains the Feat Survival.

A Monk (dominican) gains Survival or a Feat of his choice in the list of Feats granted by the Inquisitor archetype.

A Monk (carthusians) gains the Feat Fanatic.

A Monk (other) gains the Feat Knowledge.

He also gains two Feats of his choice in this list :

• Knowledge
• Fanatic
• Sleepless
• Knowledge (apothecary)
• Knowledge (medicine)
• Noble
• Photographic Memory
• Reputation
• Well Connected
• Miracle (even if the character isn't third level)
• Revelation (even if the character isn't third level)
• Venerable Age

If the character chooses the Feat Venerable Age, he only gains one additional Feat of his choice (inside our outside this list) instead of the two normally provided by Venerable Age. This is an exception to the rule, normally a character is not able to have two archetypes.

Note that not all monks have this feat and the character may de facto be a monk from any of those orders without having it.