Back Online

Peasant Butcher and I have returned from our brief adventure to Toronto. It’ll take some time to get over the jet lag and catch up on a few of the comment discussions (on this and other blogs) that occurred during our absence. I intend to write about the gaming/comic stores we managed to visit there (sorta like a brief visitor’s guide for geeks and man-children obsessed with plastic figurines).

And stay tuned for future posts about some of the games I managed to blow my money on, including the Savage Worlds RPG and Cthulhu Munchkins.

In other news, I should be hosting my first online RP session this Sunday. More on that later.

Time for a nap now.

-j

P.S. f00 finds himself in Atlanta currently, so things will probably be a little quiet from his side for awhile. However, if you’d like to share what you know of the gaming scene in Atlanta, please do.

The Case of the Bitch [Full Text]

The full text version of The Case of the Bitch: Gender and Identity Construction and Formation Within Role-Playing Narratives can be found here.

beginner roleplayers

This article is probably a bit hastily put together, but I thought it was well worth putting these down and having people comment on it.

Roleplaying is not an easy task. I’ve recently had the opportunity to play with a mixed group of veteran roleplayers and greenhorns; and I came to the conclusion that it isn’t easy for beginners to appreciate what roleplaying can be about. This article describes my observations from myself (when I started) and others I’ve seen begin playing.

Typically players that begin playing are strongly influenced that it is about “beating” the game; rather than “living” a character in the context of a world shaped by the GM. Secondly, beginning players have a lot of difficulty grasping the complex interplay of mechanics that form the framework for the gaming experience. Thirdly, beginners tend to believe in a “all for one and one for all” approach where everybody is on the same bandwagon – not realizing that characters very well have their own agendas and schemes. Lastly, I find that beginners tend to focus on a specific subset of the roleplaying experience.

The first point is perhaps the most crucial. Experienced players naturally want to win the quest and take home the loot as much as anyone out there – but experienced players also realize that a lot of the game is played for enjoyments sake and the memories you form. Rather than the loot and xp, it is about about the events that lead up to the loot and xp. For example, experienced players are far more likely to get into each others way, actively undermine the “good of the party”, or make life difficult for the DM by going into wholly random and unplanned directions. Oddly enough – a beginner party is more likely to actually “tough it out” versus a hard combat challenge; whereas a verteran party is a lot more likely to have part of the party abandon a fight leaving one or two to be sacrificed to the encounter.

It is no surprise that beginners have trouble couping with the intricacies of the game. DnD is nothing if not thorough about the broadest set of gameplaying possibilities. For example, strategic concepts such as lowering or raising personal initiative is a wholly unknown dimension of min-maxing for beginners.

The third point is relatively obvious: inexperienced players tend to believe that the party is working towards something. A little remniscent of the naive and trusting glow of a level 1 adventurer that shouts “You have to fight”; the reality for veterans is that their party is often a loosely connected crew of vaguely like-minded individuals. Maybe, to put it another way, irrespective of the character alignment, beginner players are all lawfully-good. And most experienced players are chaotically-neutral.

My last observation emphasizes the difference in what players focus on when playing a roleplaying game. Specifically inexperienced players who lack exposure to possibilities cling (out of necessity) to a subset of the roleplaying game experience. What I mean to say is that beginners tend to heavily focus on certain aspects of their character (often a class feature, or game mechanic) and revolve their roleplaying behavior around this subset. Fortunately, this last point usually quickly dissipates as players experience more veteran players who display a more well-rounded approach to the game.

character background: tashee

How better to underline pb’s conclusion but by posting character backgrounds? I encourage anybody to post in comments (or as tenletter posts) about their characters.

The character’s history described below, Tashee (level 1 human, age 23), is the newest character I’m playing. She is probably unique in my character discography in that she has “18″ in the charisma stat – on a class to whom charisma is entirely superfluous: the Scout (a class without any charisma related skills or class feats). This is to reflect the nature of Tashee and her history. Charisma is often described as a combination of attractiveness and force of personality. Tashee (as the background will explain) possesses a significantly reduced force of personality, her high charisma score is purely the result of an incredible physical attractiveness (I like to think that if Tashee had a “normal” force of personality, then her charisma score would be around 24).

Tashee’s class is a Scout. This – in truth – does not reflect any military background or inquisitive nature: it purely emphasizes Tashee’s desire to possess a means of escape. A fighting style that emphasizes mobility and distance, and a good measure of stealth.

Background:

“Mistress! Why can’t I sleep without feeling your eyes on me?!”

Tashee has only scant memories of a happy childhood. Barely her physical beauty blossomed when she caught the eye of a passing potentate, the Mistress. The Mistress commands absolute obedience and bought Tashee at the cost of a few gold coins from her parents.

Tashee spent years in the twisted harem that the Mistress pleases to keep, learning over time both the perversion and the dread fascination that the Mistress commanded of her and her fellow concubines. The Mistress used her supernatural control over the wills of others to push the girls that populate her harem to ever new delightful depravities – humans, humanoids, beasts and monsters – nothing was held sacred. It was only after spending nearly a decade in her mistress’ deranged desires that she came to realize that the Mistress was ever more deviant than she had imagined: for the Mistress actually invades the minds of her harem girls to experience their pleasure and pain first hand, sometimes riding the minds of an entire orgy and empowering herself on the lustful energy that resides in each girl.

Sensing an ever growing twistedness in her Mistress, Tashee began in earnest to search for a means of escape – eventually finding it in stealth and a fighting style that emphasizes mobility and distance over impact and deadliness; a means by which she could finally make good an attempt to outrun the guards that line the palace of the Mistress. (Note, unbeknown to Tashee it was actually her Mistress that orchestrated the escape and who led Tashee down the path of flightful fighting.)

Tashee now roams the world, loathe to stay still at any one place for too long – lest her Mistress track her down. She’s still fleet of foot, prefering to keep distance between herself and enemies. She often makes use of ropes and whips, tools she’s intimately acquainted with.

However, she also found that the years in her Mistress’ command have left her unsuited for normal society – despite herself her body is addicted to carnal pleasure, twisting between submissive desires and sadistic revelries, but coupled with a deeprooted distrust of others; this causes her soul to be under constant tension between the contradictory demands of her body and mind. Additionally the lack of exposure to normal society has left her socially awkward, unable to formulate normal conversation; though this often is a mute point as her astounding good looks pre-empt the need for delicate words.

Occasionally Tashee suspects that she did not really escape her Mistress, but that it was merely a ruse – giving Tashee the illusion of freedom while her Mistress continues to ride her mind and steer her subtly and overtly towards ever new corruption. She has not yet found any evidence in support or against this theory.

Tashee has not, despite quiet inquiry, found any knowledge on who or what the Mistress is. Only rarely is any information forthcoming – and each is poorly supported. Where she remembers the Mistress palace to be located she found mere woodlands. Among the few that can comment on the Mistress some suggest that the Mistress is a pleasure seeking sorceress, others hint at the possibility that she is in truth a powerful succubus, still others propose that the Mistress is a shapeshifter; and occasionally a whisper silences all others: “The Mistress is a godess.”

The Case of the Bitch (Bibliography)

Here follows the bibliography of the Case of the Bitch, which can be found at part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11 and part 12.

~~~

Blackwilder, K. et al. (2005). Mage: The Awakening. Edited by Balka, A. & Cliffe, K.  Canada. White Wolf Publishing, Inc.

Brandes, J. & Hepler, C. Saving Throw For Half Cooties Gaming and the Femininely Advantaged. Retrieved from the World Wide Web 10 November 2005 http://www.tasteslikephoenix.com/articles/women.pdf .

Butler, J. (1991).Imitation and Gender Insubordination in Fuss, D. (Ed). Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories. London. Routledge. (13 – 31).

Butler, J. (2004). Undoing Gender. London. Routledge.

Cook, M., Tweet, J. & Williams, S. (2003). Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook Core Rulebook I v.3.5. Edited by Martin, J. & Ratliff, J. USA. Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Cook, M., Tweet, J. & Williams, S. (2003). Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guide Core Rulebook II v. 3.5. Edited by Martin, J. & Ratliff, J. USA. Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Culler, J. (1997). Literary Theory A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.

De Wet, E. (1997). Subversive Acts: The Politics Of The Female Subject In Performance. Unpublished master’s thesis. Cape Town. University of Cape Town.

Fisher, W. R. (1984). Narration as Human Communication Paradigm: The Case of Public Moral Argument in Communication Monographs. Vol. 51. (1- 22).

Gauntlett, D. (1998). Judith Butler: What has she said? a text summarising of Gender Trouble by Butler, J. (1990). Routledge. Retrieved from the World Wide Web  1 May 2006 http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-butl.htm .

Kim, J. (2004). Who Are Roleplayers? .Retrieved from the World Wide Web 29 September 2006 http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rog/whatis/demographics.html .

Lehr, S. (2001). The Anomalous Female And The Ubiquitous Male. In Lehr, S. (Ed). Beauty Brains and Brawn the Construction of Gender in Children’s Literature. Portsmouth. Heinemann.

Lehr, S. (2001). The Hidden Curriculum. In Lehr, S. (Ed). Beauty Brains and Brawn the Construction of Gender in Children’s Literature. Portsmouth. Heinemann.

Livingstone, I. (1982). Dicing With Dragons. London. Routledge.

Moore, R.E. (2000). Dungeons & Dragons Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. USA. Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Wilson, M. (2006). A Feminist Gaming Manifesto, Part 1 and 2. Retrieved from the World Wide Web 29 September 2006 http://rpgtalk.net.msw/weblog/148.html.

The Case of the Bitch (Final)

Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11 and now for the final chapter:

~~~

The lack of distinction between player and created character is not the only narrative clash that may occur. There is also the clash of the various players’ narratives. This clash is illustrated in the conflicts that can occur between players for non-role-playing reasons yet they emerge within the game. A possible reason why such clashes occur is due to the process of one’s identity being mediated by the perceptions of others, and a desire for recognition. This could amount to recognition when playing, as some players are more vocal than others and can for that reason gain more attention from the DM/ST, or in certain cases a desire for recognition of whom you are and your place within the male dominated group as a female player. “The terms by which we are recognised as human are socially articulated and changeable. And sometimes the very terms that confer ‘humanness’ on some individuals are those that deprive certain other individuals of the possibility of achieving that status (Butler: 2004; 2). This reaffirms the thought that one’s gender and identity are linked, and that within the role-playing situation even if you are a female player playing a male you will not be recognised, as all the other players can see is your gender.

Your character will not be recognised as the very nature of “table top role-playing” means that the other players can see you, not your character. Players observe each other playing their character, thus if the character’s gender is different to that of the person playing her the character will not register as clearly as she should with the other players. You see yourself as others see you or you use others to differentiate between yourself and the other or the other is used to identify with. Just as one player goes through these processess and use them so too do the other players, yet, again demonstrating the interactive nature of table top role-playing. This interactive nature of table top role-playing introduces additional concerns to the communal narrative. These concerns include the interaction of the players amongst each other and with the DM/ST. All the players with characters are after all sharing and at times competing for the attention of the DM/ST, a situation that can, as mentioned previously, cause conflict and disruption to the communal narrative. This conflict and disruption has its roots in the desire of all involved in the process for recognition. The DM/ST wants recognition for his efforts in creating the world and running the session, while the players want recognition for taking part and doing their part to make the session enjoyable for all, because it is only through recognition that any of us become constituted as socially viable beings (Butler: 2004; 2). And without being recognised as a socially viable being there is no place for the individual within the group, and as such the group’s identity and that of the individual shifts to something new. Thus, even though character creation most clearly illustrates the manner in which gender and identity are constructed and formed through interactions with others, it is also the process of playing that constructs and forms genders and identities.

Desire for recognition for who you are and your place within the male dominated group in which being a woman makes you an abnormality, is illustrated by the following:

Most women we have found liked gaming when first introduced to it, but have been turned away by bad experiences. However, when isolated and given a second chance, they enjoyed it a lot. Asking what was different, we found that it was not that these women didn’t like the people in the mixed groups (they were friends with them outside the game), but that they didn’t like how these friends behaved when the dice came out. The fact that they were playing a game or were “in character” gave these men an excuse to behave the way they always had when gaming: acting like little boys. This is nice when you want to be a “kid at heart,” but think; little boys are often competitive, violent, and vulgar. Many women see a man’s changing behaviour when the game starts as a sign that they are not wanted. As one long-time female gamer confessed to us recently, “even though everyone in my present game are really nice to me, I never feel included in their jokes. When they try to include me, it ends up feeling like they’re doing me a favour rather than accepting me as an equal participant… One female friend of ours was complaining one day, saying, “I really like role-playing, and I want to do more of it, but I had to drop out of the game I was in because of my boyfriend. He’s so concerned that I have a good time he doesn’t let me speak.” In trying to make “suggestions,” her boyfriend was in the habit of literally taking away her character sheet, looking at her skills and telling the GM what she wanted to do without so much as consulting her. While this guy thought he was being nice by making sure her character was included in the action, he had forgotten completely about the person (Brandes & Hepler).

As demonstrated by Brandes and Hepler, the problem of non-recognition can have a huge impact on both the communal narrative and the individual’s narrative. Brandes and Hepler also serve to illustrate that in the gaming world gender is intrinsically linked to identity, and that male players take advantage of their social position of power and privilege within the group as the norm and use it to, hopefully unconsciously, subjugate female players. The above extract also demonstrates the effect that seeing the player and not the character has on the narrative and the players. The extract also provides horrific examples of the male norm enabling men to take their position of power too far and not recognising that there is a person attached to the gender they are seeing; which also serves to exhibit the manner in which gender and the assumptions that come with it reinforce the societal norm of men as the dominant group.

Another friend of ours describes a game that “I was lucky to get out of when I did.” On the night after she left, the party got arrested by the city watch. After throwing the PCs into separate cells, the male game master had the guards rape every female character. The women left in tears and never returned to role-playing, while, as our friend described incredulously, “the GM never understood what he did wrong.” In yet another game, a friend of ours ended up playing the self-described “town slut.” Though this was not a role she wanted, she had felt so pressured that she “ended up giving it away before someone tried to take it.”…Role-playing games allow people to act out fantasies in a forum where, as the ads and magazines say, “the only limit is your imagination.”… Killing another person’s character primarily signifies “beating” them at the game, not a real desire to commit murder. Role-playing rape means one thing, and can be legally prosecutable harassment. Imagine how you would feel if every time a player mentioned killing your character, you knew they were wearing a gun (Brandes & Hepler).

Within the extract gender is shown as a regulatory norm as it is used as the tool to reinforce the subjugation of woman (Butler: 2004; 53).

The acquisition of a different gender when a player has role-played for years is a natural progression within his experience of role-playing. What role-playing does however, is reflect the beliefs held by society of different genders. Because it is not only the player making the choices he makes when creating a character, but also the views held by those he plays with, informing those choices. Choices which highlight that gender and identity are not only constructed by the individual, but also by the group. These choices also serve as a demonstration of society’s narrative that informs and affects the narratives of all and as such re-enforces stereotypical beliefs held of different genders by the dominant male norm.

The Case of the Bitch, Part 11

Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10 and now part 11:

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The min-max situation that occurs within the WoD character creation system is not a problem within the DnD character creation system as the skills available to the character are those which the character should possess due to his class. The impact of the group on the individual’s skill selection choice may also be negated by the DnD system. One other respect in which the group can affect the individual’s character creation is by the choices the other players make for their characters. Within DnD this is done by the avoidance of two characters of the same class within a party and the attempt to build the optimum party. The optimum party within DnD consists of a fighter, wizard, cleric and rogue, with support classes if there are more than four players. Not all players strive for the optimum party build as it not only limits the individual player’s choice – the best class for the party does not necessarily equal the best class for you to play –  but can also become monotonous. Although each player is creating an individual character there are some traits common to those characters of the same class. Bards, for example are tellers of tales and entertainers by nature. Thus for a party to have two bards who are similar disrupts the narrative, as the players of those characters could potentially clash over how to use their abilities.

With a limit of five choices for the starting character it would seem that within WoD there will always be at least two people who have chosen the same path or have the same arcanum in the case of the Mage example being used throughout this essay. Although this does occur it does not have the same narrative hampering effect within WoD as it does within DnD. A possible reason for this is due to the skill and class selection in DnD. Once a class and the corresponding skills are chosen the character is limited in the manner in which he will engage in combat, a large focus of DnD, but not WoD. Although both DnD and WoD are role-playing games, DnD is combat focused and thus players build their characters for optimum fighting; after all you are an adventurer. Whereas WoD is more role-playing intensive, although combat is a possibility, it does not have to occur in every session. Within DnD sessions can feel incomplete for players without at least one fight; whereas it is common for a session or two to occur in a WoD campaign without fights occurring. Although WoD does not have as much combat it does not mean that there are not moments fraught with tension. As WoD is more role-playing intensive greater emphasis is placed on who your character is over what it is he can do. Thus although combat is fun, if you have built a character that is optimal for combat and only combat, he will lag behind in the moments of social battle.

An interesting aspect of the processess of both systems is that both place details of the character last. This is strange, as it is often the characters history and/or personality that provide the concept or their reasons for adventuring in DnD or committing to a new life in WoD. A history for your character is especially important in the DnD, setting as it is medieval fantasy and women adventurers would not be easily accepted by society (Brandes & Hepler). Although the distribution of traits and attributes helps determine some of the details of the character, it can also be argued that certain details of the character help determine traits and attributes. Granted that hair colour does not determine the charisma or presence of a character, it is a factor that can display the value of that particular attribute or trait. Just as people’s identities and manner in which they perceive gender is shaped by their environment and the different behavioural messages received by those around them, so too is the identity of the character formed. It is important to remember that although, not a flesh and blood person, the character must seem real.

One should be able to distinguish between the player and the character in order to have a successful communal narrative. If players are unable to distinguish between themselves and the created character then an identity was not created: the character then serves as a copy of the player in the created world. It is for this reason that it is important for the character to have as complete a history as it is possible for the player to create. Without any history the character is flat and one dimensional. A character with amnesia has a past, even though she does not remember it; she does however, know that somewhere out in the world there is someone who helped shape her. The character with amnesia might not be able to remember her past, but she does have motivations, habits and desires. Without those any character will fall flat and not even an amazing concept will help.

The Case of the Bitch, Part X

Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9 and now part X:

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Step two of the WoD process requires the player to select attributes. The attributes consist of three core groups each with three subcategories. The core groups are mental, physical and social, and the subcategories are power, finesse and resistance. Thus the mental attribute consists of intelligence, wits and resolve, the physical attribute consisting of strength, dexterity and stamina and the social attribute consisting of presence, manipulation and composure. All attributes are important and ideally a player would like to have four or maximum dots – dots being the representations on the character sheet of the characters abilities, skills and other measurable aspects – in each of them. However, in the need for believability and familiarity in an unfamiliar world it is not possible to do so: although it is set in modern day the world your character finds himself in is not one he was familiar with. Thus when creating your character it is important to use your concept in guiding you to determine which of the attributes is your primary, secondary and tertiary attribute, as it will determine how many dots you have available for use. All characters begin with one dot in each attribute, the basic human capabilities. Five dots are allocated to the character’s primary category, four dots to her secondary category, and three dots to her tertiary category (Blackwilder et al: 2005; 64).

Once the character’s attributes have been established it is time to move onto the third step, selecting skills. Skills are divided into the same three core groups as attributes: mental, physical and social. Unlike attributes, though, the character does not start with one dot in each skill as skills represent the knowledge, training and interactions that your character has had and it is unlikely for one person to have a basic understanding of everything (Blackwilder et al: 2005; 64). Similarly to attributes, skill sets are also divided into primary, secondary and tertiary, with the primary sets having eleven dots available for distribution, the secondary seven and the tertiary four. This does mean that a player could make use of “min-max” – using the positive to balance out the negative, in this case placing the most skills in the low corresponding attribute – to create a character that is capable in all situations. If the player does not make use of min-max and truly creates someone in line with the concept you will have a situation in play that mimics reality: those more competent at what is being done will take centre stage and do what needs to be done. This does also mean that at this stage of character creation the player is influenced to a certain extent by the other players he will be playing with and choices could be made in terms of “party make up” and not what would best suit either the player or the character. This influence held by the other players illustrates the manner in which identity is not only constructed by the player, but also formed by the other players. Identity is formed in conjunction with the views and actions of others, because they shape the views and actions of the self.

By contrast within DnD skill selection is the seventh consideration; this one consideration deals with what takes two steps in the WoD system. This is because within WoD skill selection is followed by selecting skill specialities. DnD character creation system deals with skill specialities by not leaving it open to the player to choose them for his character according to what could work in terms of concept and story as in WoD, but by having certain skills only available to certain classes. Thus the choice is made for the character by virtue of the class chosen. In both systems the player is able to purchase further skills, be they gaining more experience in those he already possess or learning a new skill. The WoD system allows the player to spend the experience points gained in any manner that would best suit his character; and certain things cost more than others. The cost of the various skills, abilities and attributes are explained at the bottom of Appendix A, the Mage character sheet. The DnD system however; has a certain number of skill points available per level the character gains, which the player can spend as would best suit the character and his particular narrative. The skills available to the character’s particular class are cheaper than those he gains outside his class – “cross class skills”. The character can however, make use of money earned through adventuring to purchase equipment or magical items which could have a positive impact on his skills – as indicated by the miscellaneous modifier column in the skill’s section on the DnD character sheet, Appendix B. Another aspect to note in the skill section on the character sheet is that certain skills can be used by an untrained character, including skills such as jumping and hiding, which the average person is able to do.

The Case of the Bitch, Part 9

Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8 and now part 9:

The impact of gender on a concept a player might have for a character within a DnD campaign is only important insofar as the assumptions that the players might hold about the time period of the setting. Given that the DnD world in the core rulebooks is placed within a fantasy setting and as such the classes are those you would find in such a setting, it stands to reason that as there is no way to validate or invalidate the assumptions held by the players, some might use it to enforce the thought of males as the norm. This means that certain classes could then be considered only fitting for certain genders i.e. females being sorcerers instead of wizards, but the only true distinction between these two classes lies in the fact that sorcerer’s arcane abilities are innate whereas wizard’s arcane abilities are learnt. Yet within the gaming world more often than not you will find a scantly clad female sorcerer and a cloaked male wizard. It has become the accepted and expected norm for a player wanting to create a female mage in the DnD world to have their character assume the gender and class assumptions of the particular class.

It is not only for the mage classes of the DnD world that these gender assumptions come to light: some of the very names of the classes and their assumptions make it difficult to imagine a female character perform that particular class. One such example is the class of cleric; the term in itself denotes a male priest and as such the associations carried with it are those of a religious father figure. In contrast to the religious father figure we have the religious nurturing mother figure in the class of healer; we also have the innate favored soul’s abilities that imply feminine aspects. Healers are implied to be female and the class itself implies that it is a class exclusively for the female character wanting to portray aspects of the religious figure. This is as one of the later abilities of the class is a “special companion”, a unicorn. The unicorn is an animal that is only able to be ridden by chaste females and here gender does have a definite impact on character creation.

Within the WoD setting however, one is not confronted with issues of class choices being possibly hampered by gender choice for your character. This is because WoD is set in the modern day society where all paths are open to those of all genders, something which we find reflected within the World of Darkness. Within Mage, Vampire and Werewolf there are no classes, but there are paths, bloodlines and clans respectively. Unlike the limitless choices a starting character has available in terms of class in the DnD system, within the WoD system the starting character is limited to five different paths, clans or tribes. The simple rule system for WoD is what holds great appeal for players coming from the DnD setting. There is more flexibility within the WoD Mage setting, as it allows for open interpretations of the paths and the arcanum. The uses of the arcanum given within the Mage core rulebook are examples and guidelines to what your character could do with the arcanum. Both systems allow for fluidity of character; your character is after all growing and gaining experience. Thus changes to the character’s personality, goals and desires are all allowed within play, as long as the narrative supports it. One can not have your character make the change from pacifist to someone not averse to getting into a good fistfight within one session, as there will have been no time for growth and change in the characters life. If this change occurs after several months – in game time – with the character having gone through events which lead to a justifiable change of mindset then it would be allowed by the DM/ST. The importance given to having a concept in WoD is confirmed in the thought that “you the player always have a guiding concept to fall back upon”, just as the player always has the concept to fall back on so does he have the associations with that concept to fall back (Blackwilder: 2005; 64).

reworking the 3.x monk class – a reprisal

I have a soft-spot for the monk class in DnD (and I curse the day that WotC decided to exclude the monk from BOTH the 4th ed players handbooks 1 and 2). As such I’ve got an avid interest in j’s occasional forays into reworking the monk for 3.x. He’s made a number of posts highlighting various problem areas of the monk, and has vowed (well, close enough) to find a way to fix these.

In this post I propose a different angle on reworking the monk. I suggest that it is not necessary to rework the heavy stat dependence that is required to play an effective monk – instead I propose to make use of compensatory “Martial Style feats”.

What is a Martial Style feat?

Martial Style feats are accessible to any character that is a monk  or possesses the Martial Style Training feat. A Martial Style feat is actually a set of feats that are accessible to a monk while he or she is making use of a particular style. Only one style may be active at any one time and it takes a full round action to change from one style to a different style. Feats temporarily from making use of a martial style do not allow a character to qualify for feats or prestige classes.

A monk may chose a Martial Style feat other than the martial style Training feats every 4 levels, starting at level 2. However, the monk loses the bonus feats he traditionally received on levels 2 and 6.

Martial Style and related feats list

Naturally many more Martial Style feats can be created, this list should demonstrate the basic ideas of martial style.

• Martial Style Training [General, Fighter]
  Requires:  -
  Description:  you have mastered the basic training required to learn martial combat styles
  Benefit:  you may chose Martial Style feats
  Note:  a monk gains Martial Style Training at level 1 as a bonus feat
• Improved Martial Style Training [Martial Style]
  Requires:  Martial Style Training
  Description:  your continued training in martial styles have made you more adaptable in combat situations
  Benefit:  you may change active Martial Style as a movement action
  Note:  a monk gains Improved Martial Style Training at level 6 as a bonus feat
• Superior Martial Style Training [Martial Style]
  Requires:  Improved Martial Style Training
  Description:  years of living martial lifestyle have honed your body, mind and spirit into unison – you can swiftly adapt in combat situations
  Benefit:  you may change active Martial Style as a swift action
  Note:  a monk gains Superior martial Style Training at level 11 as a bonus feat
• Martial Style Mastery [Martial Style]
  Requires:  Superior Martial Style Training
  Description:  you have mastered every nuance of martial styles combat
  Benefit:  you may have two Martial Style feats active simultaneously. You can only change one active style at once, but you can make use of Superior Martial Style training to change one style as a swift action followed by Improved Martial Style Training to change another style as a move action.
• Tiger Claw [Martial Style]
  Requires:  Martial Style Training
  Description:  this fighting style empowers you with the ferocity of the tiger.
  Benefit:  while making use of the Tiger Claw style you gain the Power Attack, Cleave and Great Cleave feats
• Dancing Monkey [Martial Style]
  Requires:  Martial Style Training, at least character level 4
  Description:  this fighting style provides the user with swift, hard to predict motion that allows great maneuverability on the battlefield.
  Benefit:  while making use of the Dancing Monkey style you gain the Dodge, Mobility and Spring Attack feats
• Triumphing Dragon [Martial Style]
  Requires:  Martial Style Training, at least character level 4
  Description:  this fighting style awakens deep powers within its user
  Benefit:  while making use of the Triumphing Dragon style you gain the Fiery Fist, Fiery Ki Defense and Ki Blast feats (Players Handbook 2)
• Hand of Buddha [Martial Style]
  Requires:  Martial Style Training
  Description:  this fighting style emphasizes profound insight into the nature of combat
  Benefit:  while making use of the Hand of Buddha style you gain Weapon Focus (unarmed), Intuitive Strike and Versatile Unarmed Strike feats
  Note:  Intuitive Strike is from Exalted Deeds, Versatile Unarmed Strike is from Players Handbook 2
• Fist of Thoughts [Martial Style]
  Requires:  Martial Style Training
  Description:  this fighting style emphasizes weakness in opponents thoughts
  Benefit:  while making use of the Fist of Thoughts style you gain Ki Strike (Good), Ki Strike (Evil), Ki Strike (Lawful), Ki Strike (Chaotic)
• Fist of Matter [Martial Style]
  Requires:  Martial Style Training
  Description:  this fighting style emphasizes weakness in opponents defense
  Benefit:  while making use of the Fist of Matter style you gain Ki Strike (Silver), Ki Strike (Cold Iron), Ki Strike (Adamantine)
• Cold Bear [Martial Style]
  Requires:  Martial Style Training, at least character level 4
  Description:  this fighting style emphasizes brute strength
  Benefit:  while making use of the Cold Bear style you gain the Improved Bullrush and Die Hard feats, as well as Rage (as the Barbarian class feature) usable once a day – unlike the Barbarian Rage, though, the duration is dependent on the Wisdom modifier, rather than Constitution modifier. Additionally you are not fatigued when the rage ends.
  Note:  should a character have both barbarian (or another class that gives Rage or Frenzy like abilities) and monk levels, only the rage instilled by Cold Bear does not fatigue the user when it ends.