Monk - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: pothole

2026-07-20T06:56:43Z

pothole

Umbire the Phantom: /* Attributes */ per my talk page

2026-01-14T22:31:30Z

‎Attributes: per my talk page

Umbire the Phantom: table-ify hp/pw, touch-ups

2026-01-13T13:44:29Z

table-ify hp/pw, touch-ups

Tomsod: /* Attributes */ hp/pw

2025-12-22T05:46:46Z

‎Attributes: hp/pw

Umbire the Phantom: tweaks

2025-10-07T18:10:58Z

tweaks

Umbire the Phantom: /* Starting equipment */ scrolls

2025-08-08T05:15:44Z

‎Starting equipment: scrolls

Umbire the Phantom: copyedit + upcoming cites

2025-08-08T05:14:58Z

copyedit + upcoming cites

Show changes

Umbire the Phantom: /* SLASH'EM */ copyedit

2025-08-08T00:37:23Z

‎SLASH'EM: copyedit

Umbire the Phantom: /* Strategy */ pass over this for clarity and the like

2025-07-14T08:48:56Z

‎Strategy: pass over this for clarity and the like

Show changes

Umbire the Phantom: /* Attributes */ likewise here

2025-07-14T05:59:15Z

‎Attributes: likewise here

@@ Line 84: / Line 84: @@
 * Monks are expected to maintain at least a [[vegetarian]] diet, and take a -1 penalty to alignment record every time they consume non-vegetarian food.{{refsrc|src/eat.c|1162|nethack=3.6.7}}
 * A Monk [[exercises]] wisdom while they are at a [[nutrition]] level that leaves them weak from hunger, and abuses wisdom while they are satiated{{refsrc|src/attrib.c|472|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/attrib.c|466|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;this abuse is applied in addition to the normal stat abuse for both conditions, and occurs on every game turn whose number is a multiple of 10.
-* Monks wearing a [[suit]] of armor in their normal form incur a -20 to-hit penalty for melee attacks (equal to their spellcasting penalty for worn armor).{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|294|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Monks that are in normal form and not wearing a suit of armor, using a [[shield]], or wielding a [[weapon]] can perform [[staggering blow]]s when attacking in melee or [[kicking]], and gain a to-hit bonus equal to {{frac|XL|3}} + 2 for melee attacks.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|297|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=to-hit bonus}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|691|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=<tt>unarmed</tt> boolean}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1174|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=staggering blow conditions}}
+* Monks wearing a [[suit]] of armor in their normal form incur a -20 to-hit penalty for melee attacks (equal to their spellcasting penalty for worn armor).{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|294|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Monks that are in normal form and not wearing a suit of armor, using a [[shield]], or wielding a [[weapon]] can perform [[staggering blow]]s when attacking in melee or [[Kick (command)|kicking]], and gain a to-hit bonus equal to {{frac|XL|3}} + 2 for melee attacks.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|297|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=to-hit bonus}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|691|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=<tt>unarmed</tt> boolean}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1174|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=staggering blow conditions}}
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|c09733f2e4c45ac42d4414d2948bde8ffb8589d8}} and {{commit|7c44e06ab115faf3cb70fe763e0a498f65c6a508}}, a Monk that reaches Minetown and does not load a [[bones]] level will have a [[health food shop]] in place of the standard delicatessen if possible. This is meant to be already present in the most recent version of the game, but only the shopkeeper's name is changed whenever this occurs, while the shop type and underlying room type are unchanged.

@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 The means and standard deviations were calculated via simulation, whose source code can be found on [[Talk:Role#Initial attribute simulation code|the role article's talk page]], and assumes that all given roles are played as humans.
-The following table summarizes the starting [[HP]] and [[energy]] values for Monks, as well as their bonuses upon gaining an experience level:
+Monks start with 14 [[HP]] and 4-5 [[Pw]].
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|33556788c38b2853e8af8b26852fd1348981986b}}, Monks and other roles that start with a level 1 spell will always have a minimum of 5 power in order to enable casting it.}}

@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 The means and standard deviations were calculated via simulation, whose source code can be found on [[Talk:Role#Initial attribute simulation code|the role article's talk page]], and assumes that all given roles are played as humans.
-Monks start with 14 [[HP]] and 4-5 [[Pw]] at random.
+The following table summarizes the starting [[HP]] and [[energy]] values for Monks, as well as their bonuses upon gaining an experience level:
 ==Skills==
@@ Line 122: / Line 153: @@
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|c1c515af9f2528b3d26a93fc8b708454a3153ed1}}, martial arts attacks that roll a 1 on their damage die will still apply bonuses and penalties based on skill, strength and the like. Per {{commit|d1b5b39e6dba45839ea2f5f236e5be9120bf77cd}}, martial arts users performing kicks will always deal damage if they land one&mdash;a monster can still block or evade the kick.
-Per {{commit|60c1956850179f4860e59957138154ec65255998}}, heroes that bare-handed and martial arts attacks have a skill-based chance of making an additional "off-hand" attack similar to [[two-weapon combat]]&mdash;the chance is 20% at Skilled and increases by 20% for each skill level (up to 80% at Grand Master), and also requires the hero to not wear a shield per {{commit|fcf1a42cacece384ad10577cf75240c8c23aacfe}}. Hitting twice applies only {{frac|3|4}} of the strength bonus on each hit, but adds up to a {{frac|3|2}} strength bonus if both hits land. The [[silver]] damage bonus from wearing a [[silver ring]] with no [[gloves]] is only applied on the first hit.
+Per {{commit|60c1956850179f4860e59957138154ec65255998}}, heroes that use bare-handed and martial arts attacks have a skill-based chance of making an additional "off-hand" attack similar to [[two-weapon combat]]&mdash;the chance is 20% at Skilled and increases by 20% for each skill level (up to 80% at Grand Master), and also requires the hero to not wear a shield per {{commit|fcf1a42cacece384ad10577cf75240c8c23aacfe}}. Hitting twice applies only {{frac|3|4}} of the strength bonus on each hit, but adds up to a {{frac|3|2}} strength bonus if both hits land. The [[silver]] damage bonus from wearing a [[silver ring]] with no [[gloves]] is only applied on the first hit.
 Per {{commit|0d508cc93628b7b0ebb1a335bfe2f7eee3fe4188}}, the {{+ of|chain lightning}} spell is introduced, which is a powerful tool to deal with groups of weaker hostile monsters and can prove an invaluable aid to a Monk for managing group combat.}}
@@ Line 152: / Line 183: @@
 Monks that feel a pressing need for a non-magical ranged weapon can try to utilize a [[crossbow]] and some [[crossbow bolt|bolts]] or a stack of [[spear]] weapons: crossbows are plentiful in the [[Gnomish Mines]], but require more than 18 [[strength]] to [[multishot]], and weaponless users risk breaking the conduct; all types of spears are heavier and trickier to assemble stacks of, but can be more safely thrown for weaponless play. [[Shuriken]] are a superior option to both, but are vanishingly rare in the early stages of the game, and it is hard to maintain a stack of them without a combination of high luck, [[Scroll of enchant weapon|enchantment]] and a means of blessing them.
-{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|As mentioned previously, Monks can no longer start with the spellbook of sleep, whose spell is raised to level 3, but can start with the spellbook of confuse monster, whose spell level is lowered to 1. The spell and [[scroll of confuse monster]] also apply more uses of the ability if used while no charges are currently stored. The confuse monster ability works naturally with a Monk's unarmed fighting, and can easily daze hostile monsters into missing attacks repeatedly, granting the Monk a significant combat edge.
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|As mentioned previously, Monks can no longer start with the spellbook of sleep, whose spell is raised to level 3, but can start with the spellbook of confuse monster, whose spell level is lowered to 1. The spell and [[scroll of confuse monster]] also apply more uses of the ability if used while no charges are currently stored. The confuse monster ability works naturally with a Monk's unarmed fighting, and can easily daze hostile monsters into missing attacks repeatedly, granting the Monk a significant combat edge. Additionally, Monks will always have a minimum of 5 power to cast their starting spell with.}}
-Per {{commit|39a7dc1c522d95b54e3238328dacef91c6ce8c47}}, monsters cannot drop food items besides their corpse upon death, unless they are carrying food at the time of death, or else are of a monster type that will pick up and collect food items. To compensate for the decrease in generated food, {{commit|ae3e5d281f333f4d2f7f22dda14adb6665babc8c}} adds bonus items to some early game levels to encourage pressing forward.}}
+Per {{commit|39a7dc1c522d95b54e3238328dacef91c6ce8c47}}, monsters cannot drop food items besides their corpse upon death, unless they are carrying food at the time of death, or else are of a monster type that will pick up and collect food items. To compensate for the resulting decrease in generated food, {{commit|ae3e5d281f333f4d2f7f22dda14adb6665babc8c}} adds bonus items to some early game levels to encourage pressing forward.}}
 ===Mid game===
-In the mid-game, the Monk's needs will diverge significantly depending on a player's aims and build considerations. The [[Monk quest]] has a well-earned reputation as one of the toughest in ''NetHack'': [[Master Kaen]] is a legendarily difficult melee fighter that can also cast clerical [[monster spell]]s, usually requiring magic resistance and a means of ensuring a quick and painless fight; Monks grappling with armor choice questions will often want to clear the [[Castle]] first unless they opt for particular strategies to deal with him. Master Kaen has a thankfully-low [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]], leaving him vulnerable to [[sleep]], offensive magic and other status conditions, and is often (''but not '''always''''') vulnerable to a [[wand of death]]&mdash;he and other hostiles can also be held back by a [[scroll of scare monster]] on the ground. See Master Kaen's article for precise details on taking him down.
+In the mid-game, the Monk's needs will diverge significantly depending on a player's aims and build considerations. The [[Monk quest]] has a well-earned reputation as one of the toughest in ''NetHack'': [[Master Kaen]] is a legendarily difficult nemesis that is a powerful melee fighter and can also cast clerical [[monster spell]]s, usually requiring magic resistance and a means of ensuring a quick and painless fight&mdash;Monks grappling with armor choice questions will often want to clear the [[Castle]] first unless they opt for particular strategies to deal with him. Master Kaen has a thankfully-low [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]], leaving him vulnerable to [[sleep]], offensive magic and other status conditions, and is often (''but not '''always''''') vulnerable to a [[wand of death]]&mdash;he and other hostiles can also be held back by a [[scroll of scare monster]] on the ground. See Master Kaen's article for precise details on taking him down.
 High-priority goals for Monks include maintaining alignment record, maximizing luck and obtaining a [[luckstone]], especially if they are planning to use or wish for weapons and/or body armor. Martial arts are still very effective for weaponless Monks, especially at Grand Master level, though they may have to mix in smart spell-work and/or item usage against some of the mid-game's nastier hostiles&mdash;the Monk's quest is also full of [[xorn]]s and [[earth elemental]]s, which are slow-moving but have [[phasing]] and can reliably swarm a Monk at almost any location, and the xorn's strong attacks can chew through their often-low HP pool unless they have very good AC. Training and maintaining [[dexterity]] is vital to keep up a Monk's to-hit, and [[gauntlets of dexterity]] are a good choice of armor for almost any Monk; Monks not as concerned with dexterity or frequent casting may instead consider [[gauntlets of power]]. A worn [[ring of increase damage]] and/or [[ring of increase accuracy]] that is at least +2 can be potentially useful as well.
@@ Line 175: / Line 206: @@
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|dc9fe0d8bc96e006c119fa183c9c9a7c4cde2f53}}, the scroll of scare monster no longer works on any [[human or elf]] or any [[unique monster]].
-Per {{commit|43d331c4ebe7bcd30a7cab7d4228957e283584c2}}, Unicorn horns no longer restore reduced attributes, making the spell of restore ability somewhat more useful as the Monk's special spell, though as a crowning gift it will likely be favored much less than an artifact weapon in many instances.
+Per {{commit|43d331c4ebe7bcd30a7cab7d4228957e283584c2}}, unicorn horns no longer restore reduced attributes, making the spell of restore ability somewhat more useful as the Monk's special spell, though as a crowning gift it will likely be favored much less than an artifact weapon in many instances.
 Per {{commit|87f3b4809f7b60b57efb4a63f503d00aa1af0050}}, extra food rations are placed on the Monk quest's home level to compensate for the food generation changes mentioned in the previous section and better support vegetarian Monks. Per {{commit|c2894a422b217d3fb8dd676f03ce2a35a3488e48}}, tins of [[spinach]] are added to the quest's home and locate levels as a similar aid to vegetarian Monks.
@@ Line 213: / Line 244: @@
 The Monk is based off the archetype of the Shaolin kung fu practitioner, a member of the Shaolin Monastery (or Shaolin Temple) located at the foot of Wuru Peak within the Songshan mountain range in Dengfeng County, Henan province, China. The Shaolin Monastery dates back to 495 AD and is recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism, which is the originating tradition of Zen Buddhism and a main pillar of Shaolin culture; the first Monk to preach Buddhism at the temple is simply known as "Batuo". The other main pillar and primary creation of its culture is Shaolin kung fu: the name 'Shaolin' is used as a brand for "external styles" of kung fu in southern and northern China, and it is debated whether or not there is any significant difference between "internal" and "external" kung fu styles.
-Shaolin is said to be the largest and most famous kung fu style, and blends Zen philosophy with martial arts. Somewhat contrary to the style of monk featured in ''NetHack'', Shaolin kung fu features several exercises and teaches a number of techniques and styles for both bare-handed combat and weapon combat, including situations that pit one against the other. Batuo's first Chinese disciples, Huiguang and Sengchou, are both attested by historical record to have possessed exceptional martial skills, to the point that Sengchou's skill with the tin staff and 'empty-hand' strikes is documented in the Chinese Buddhist canon, and is among the most recognizable characteristics of Shaolin styles in the modern eye.
+Shaolin is said to be the largest and most famous kung fu style, and blends Zen philosophy with martial arts. Somewhat contrary to the style of monk featured in ''NetHack'', Shaolin kung fu features several exercises and teaches a number of techniques and styles for both bare-handed combat and weapon combat, including situations that pit one against the other. Batuo's first Chinese disciples, Huiguang and Sengchou, are both attested by historical record to have possessed exceptional martial skills, to the point that Sengchou's skill with the tin staff and 'empty-hand' strikes is documented in the Chinese Buddhist canon, and is among the most recognizable characteristics of Shaolin styles in the modern eye. This is likely the reason for the Monk's designed focus on weaponless combat in ''NetHack'' and its variants.
 The Sui dynasty of the 6th and 7th centuries AD saw the building blocks of Shaolin kung fu begin to form, and Shaolin monks began to create their fighting systems in earnest; their martial training was not as thoroughly detailed until the early 17th century, with late Ming dynasty literature containing various references to Shaolin martial arts and describing unarmed combat, spear combat, and staff combat alike. The earliest extant manual on Shaolin kung fu, ''Exposition of the Original Shaolin Staff Method'', was written in around 1610 and published in 1621 from what the author Chéng Zōngyóu learned during a more than ten-year stay at the monastery.

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:46, 22 December 2025
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	The means and standard deviations were calculated via simulation, whose source code can be found on [[Talk:Role#Initial attribute simulation code\|the role article's talk page]], and assumes that all given roles are played as humans.		The means and standard deviations were calculated via simulation, whose source code can be found on [[Talk:Role#Initial attribute simulation code\|the role article's talk page]], and assumes that all given roles are played as humans.
		+
		+	Monks start with 14 [[HP]] and 4-5 [[Pw]] at random.

	==Skills==		==Skills==

@@ Line 120: / Line 120: @@
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|c1c515af9f2528b3d26a93fc8b708454a3153ed1}}, martial arts attacks that roll a 1 on their damage die will still apply bonuses and penalties based on skill, strength and the like. Per {{commit|d1b5b39e6dba45839ea2f5f236e5be9120bf77cd}}, martial arts users performing kicks will always deal damage if they land one&mdash;a monster can still block or evade the kick.
-Per {{commit|60c1956850179f4860e59957138154ec65255998}}, bare-handed and martial arts attacks have a skill-based chance to make an "off-hand" attack, as in [[two-weapon combat]]&mdash;the chance is 20% at Skilled and increases by 20% for each skill level (up to 80% at Grand Master), and requires the hero to not wear a shield per {{commit|fcf1a42cacece384ad10577cf75240c8c23aacfe}}. Hitting twice applies only {{frac|3|4}} of the strength bonus on each hit, but adds up to a {{frac|3|2}} strength bonus if both hits land. The [[silver]] damage bonus from wearing a [[silver ring]] and no gloves is only applied on the first hit.
+Per {{commit|60c1956850179f4860e59957138154ec65255998}}, heroes that bare-handed and martial arts attacks have a skill-based chance of making an additional "off-hand" attack similar to [[two-weapon combat]]&mdash;the chance is 20% at Skilled and increases by 20% for each skill level (up to 80% at Grand Master), and also requires the hero to not wear a shield per {{commit|fcf1a42cacece384ad10577cf75240c8c23aacfe}}. Hitting twice applies only {{frac|3|4}} of the strength bonus on each hit, but adds up to a {{frac|3|2}} strength bonus if both hits land. The [[silver]] damage bonus from wearing a [[silver ring]] with no [[gloves]] is only applied on the first hit.
 Per {{commit|0d508cc93628b7b0ebb1a335bfe2f7eee3fe4188}}, the {{+ of|chain lightning}} spell is introduced, which is a powerful tool to deal with groups of weaker hostile monsters and can prove an invaluable aid to a Monk for managing group combat.}}

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ** [[spellbook of protection]]
 ** [[spellbook of sleep]]
-* a random [[scroll]] that is ''not'' a [[scroll of enchant weapon]]{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|89|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|1013|nethack=3.6.7}}, nor a [[scroll of fire]], {{? of|amnesia|or=1|blank paper}}{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|1004|nethack=3.6.7}}
+* a random [[scroll]] that is ''not'' a [[scroll of enchant weapon]], {{? of|fire|amnesia|or=1|blank paper}}{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|89|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|1013|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|1004|nethack=3.6.7}}
 * 3 [[potions of healing]], any of which may be blessed
 * 3-6 uncursed [[food ration]]s

@@ Line 220: / Line 220: @@
 ===SLASH'EM===
 {{main|Monk/SLASH'EM}}
-In [[SLASH'EM]], Monks are only penalized for wearing body armor if they are also fighting while unarmed, and have the most techniques of any role, which are either used to provide vital defensive properties or else powerful offensive strikes and boosts to damage. They can also [[twoweapon]] using martial arts as well. The Monk's first sacrifice gift is the [[Gauntlets of Defense]].
+In [[SLASH'EM]], Monks are only penalized for wearing body armor if they are also fighting while unarmed, and can [[twoweapon]] using martial arts as well. The Monk's first sacrifice gift is the [[Gauntlets of Defense]].
 ===UnNetHack===

@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 | Mean w/ standard deviation || 17.34±2.37 || 13.63±2.10 || 11.26±1.95 || 9.86±1.66 || 13.63±2.10 || 9.57±1.59
 |}
 ==Skills==