#open hand

Many years ago I had the weirdest of dreams, in that dream I saw this hand headed girl. It was a disturbing experience, and I haven't been able to forget her ever since.

Photography by Cig Harvey (2013):

Some classes and backgrounds mesh naturally, from a conceptual standpoint.  Soldier and Fighter, Entertainer and Bard, Sage and Wizard.  But backgrounds aren’t class-restricted, and so I wonder what it would look like if you paired every class with every background, even the ones that seem at odds, like Sage and Barbarian, or Outlander and Wizard.  So I thought about it, and this is what I came up with.  Some character concepts for each class, and each Player’s Handbook background for each class.

Monk

Monk is one of those classes that carries a lot of baggage, but it’s not like druids, where they always have to have some kind of a relationship with a concept as broad as nature.  Monastic traditions as they exist in D&D are a direct reference to martial arts- usually, this is taken to mean East Asian martial arts. There’s nothing wrong with leaning into that, but not every monk in your kind-of-European-ish setting is a foreigner with strange ways, and not every expression of inner power can or should be called ki.  A monk can be more like a Greek wrestler, English bare-knuckle boxer, or Brazilian capoeirista than a Shaolin monk- the only thing you must know is that your will is as much if not more of a weapon as your body, or the one your body holds. Not every monk learns in a monastery- after all, don’t you know someone who seems just a little more aware of how they are, where their body is, than you?

The Acolyte Monk wanders the desert under the scorching sun stripped to the waist, yet they are not burnt.  Their order commands all acolytes forty days in the red sands of the Hungry Desert, but their pilgrimage has been much longer. The sun speaks to something deep in them, and they wander without armor or shade, feeling the sun on both sides of their skin.  The light carries them through the battles of survival against bulette and worm alike, spear, fist, and the light within their only weapons and armor.

The Charlatan Monk lives large and tells the tales freely.  Daughter to another, more famous tale-teller, she prefers to tell stories for fun and profit- and drinks, of course.  She always has another tall tale for the next round, and dodges out just before her turn to pay.  Those who track her down to collect their bill later find her adept at the barroom brawl, more than ready to lay down a beating deep in her cups or stone sober, and bobbing like a drunk either way.

The Criminal Monk has served the Snake Clan as a bodyguard and hush-man since he was a teenager.  To match his clan’s air of quiet menace and sudden violence, he favors fighting with the garrotte, seizing enemies from the shadows when he can but taking any edge he can find otherwise.  He’s a consummate grappler with or without it, though, and much of his training was on cultivating stillness- both his own, and his foe’s.

The Entertainer Monk follows a tradition in masked street dancing that goes back generations and hundreds of years. In his home at the southern edge of the Greenmind Jungle, the tradition of masked dancing stretches back hundreds of years, to master the rhythms of life and death.  Now, he’s a student on that same path, moving to the beat of the drum and learning to move the beat of others’ hearts with his own inner power.

The Folk Hero Monk was left to a monastery as a child after being orphaned in one of Kou’s crusades against the Infernal city of Long Nail.  Among the students, their focus on their studies distinguished them from their peers, and their dedication to the spiritual arts of the monastery came to the forefront when they scared off a bandit attack single-handedly by manifesting two additional arms with which to join the fray.  Now famous for halting the attack, they wander, seeking an answer and opportunity to help others.

The Guild Artisan Monk travels far and yon, bearing her goods tied to her shell.  Stout of leg and light of heart, defending herself has always come easy to this old tortle, who bobs and dips as though full of good rice wine regardless of her state of inebriation.  In her line of work, being able to defend herself is a necessity, but ever thrifty, she saves on caravan guards by bearing that burden herself.  In truth, it’s as much the journey as the gold that drives her to wander, as trade is a good way to make sure you have a reason to move.

The Hermit Monk has hidden away in the hills for most of his life, ever since a distant murder that spoke to the darkest shadow of his soul.  Isolated by choice to control his killer’s impulses, he still practices his art on wolves and deer, stalking and killing as he needs to to survive.  In his isolation, he’s found many odd places hidden away in Kyne’s rolling hills, deep dells, and dense forests, and the secrets hidden within have done nothing to calm his already unsettled mind.

The Noble Monk has an instinctive feel for the blade- many learn to fight with the sword as a tool, but he has always felt it an extension of his arm and his will.  His focus, discipline, and precision, as well as the elevated status he holds as one of the sons of the Savannah Kings, have placed him in high demand. The upper classes are always in need of a duelist to settle debates, be it in a contest of athleticism, a bare-knuckles match to first blood, or a contest of blades to the death.

The Outlander Monk has been a member of a druid circle in the Aeries for a lifetime- she was rescued by the druids from a wildfire as a child.  When she was old enough, she left her home and swore to protect them and their woods and mountains for a lifetime.  Now, despite her lack of magical talent, she brings the power of the elements to bear against those who mean her charges harm, and tends the land and its creatures in between.

The Sage Monk was born a member of the Enlightened caste, and took to the lifetime of civic service, discipline, and education well.  A skilled healer and religious scholar, she has served as physician, pharmacist, altar-servant, and most recently, as assistant to the governor of the small town in which she lives.  Now, she’s left paperwork, scheduling, and bodyguarding behind to wander the Hegemony, doing what she can to aid in the war effort from far behind the front lines.

The Sailor Monk has been enamored of the sea since he saw it as a child.  All his life, he knew he wanted to live the life of discipline he saw on the waves, and when he was old enough to stow away, he made his dream reality. That was years ago, and now he’s one of the crew, fast on the deck and in the rigging, quick to take or throw the first punch, and cultivating what magic he can from the ship’s storm-mage. His tattoos speak of wind and wave, and to those who fight him in earnest, so do his fists.

The Soldier Monk was the youngest daughter of a poor family, and so to avoid feeding another mouth, her parents gave her to the Stonebreak Coast Military Academy as soon as she was old enough. Trained in the arts of combat, politics, and assassination, she graduated not a woman, but a weapon. While the People’s Kingdom is not at war presently, she has served as guard, spy, and enforcer for the state. With her mandatory period of service ending, she waits to see what new future steps from her shadows.

Now i'll just rest from the world that is here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_HZqcLylT4