Quintessential Monk II, The - Advanced Tactics

The martial artist is a staple of popular culture and has been for decades in Western society. The fighting prowess of the martial artist has been amply demonstrated in comic books, in novels, in film and in television and many martial artists have achieved superstardom, or even cinematic immortality. In the East, martial arts popular culture has an even longer history, with famous monks, both entirely fictional and historical, taking centre stage in film for almost a century and in literature for literally millennia.

The martial artist appeals to us on multiple levels. Visually, unarmed fighting techniques are beautiful, even the most straightforward of them, for there is beauty in brutal simplicity; this means that well made martial films and shows are thrilling to watch. Beyond the visceral thrill of watching lightning fast flips, punches, kicks and throws, there is also the unspoken admiration we have for anyone who can truly claim to be a master of some skill. The best martial artists are absolutely, unswervingly dedicated to the perfection of their bodies and of their fighting skills and we, as viewers, or even martial arts practitioners, respond to that.

This book, The Quintessential Monk II, is designed to bring the thrill of martial arts to your d20 fantasy gaming. Using the rules presented in this book, you will be able to create characters who truly emulate the martial arts heroes of popular culture, of myth and of legend. Read on and immerse yourself in the martial arts world.

The Advanced Tactics series takes an advanced look at the whole range of class and racial sourcebooks from Mongoose Publishing, all designed to greatly widen a player’s options for his character within the d20 games system. More than simple continuations, the second series of Quintessential books slot seamlessly into any fantasy-based campaign, giving advanced alternatives for characters of one class or race within the game, allowing both players and Games Masters the chance to give mid- and high-level characters new options without overpowering or unbalancing the game as a whole. The Advanced Tactics series will not necessarily allow players to make their characters even better, but they will be able to do a lot more than they ever thought possible before. The Quintessential Monk II is the sequel to and companion piece for the Quintessential Monk I. In some cases, information from the previous book has been updated and redesigned to better reflect the changes made to the d20 system in the years between the publishing of that first work and this one. In no case, however, does this book presume that you have access to the previous, meaning you can use this book as a stand alone item.

The book opens with Class Paths, which are thematic enhancements which will allow you to focus your martial artist’s character hook with laser precision. Following that chapter is the Multi-Class Monk, a thematic continuation of the Alternative Schools presented in the original Quintessential Monk; using the multiclass paths presented in this chapter, Players and Games Masters alike will be able to create martial artists of almost endless variety, the better to replicate the many, many martial arts archetypes of history and legend. Speaking of legends, the Legendary Monk introduces six new prestige classes designed and intended for advanced play, each with an assortment of powers truly worthy of high level heroics. After that are new Superior Tools, new Tricks of the trade and new items for the magical monk, a collection of mundane and magical weapons which will make the monk’s life much easier and an extensive assortment of new uses for his existing skills which will make his enemy’s lives much, much harder. Of course, no Quintessential Monk book would be complete without new martial arts feats and new abilities, so you will find secret symbols and complete martial arts styles, each composed of multiple new feats, here as well. The book closes with Surviving to Enlightenment, a long discussion of the tips and tactics essential for surviving and thriving and all levels of play.