Monks in mass combat ?

[Malchor]

Let’s say, there is a unit of 100 monks.

What do they fight as? Defend as?

What else would you do to have 100 monks take on 130 medium foot?

[howandwhy99]

I believe Monks are like Light Foot and are meant to be in a wide skirmish formation like rangers or scouts.

I would send them against other foot or artillery. With no weapons or armor they really are a culturally unique warrior and probably best against other monks. I think they could be support troops, like Clerics or Wizards. Wizard killers are a nice thing to have when facing off against several.

They are a special squad, so they could pair well with sappers to sidestep fortification defenses.

[captainjapan]

100 monks fighting in formation sounds odd. However, I also think they attack/ defend as Light Foot. The only scenario I could think of is that of defending a temple.

[Malchor]

Nov 30, 2021 21:23:51 GMT -6 captainjapan said:

100 monks fighting in formation sounds odd. However, I also think they attack/ defend as Light Foot. The only scenario I could think of is that of defending a temple.

The Palace of the Vampire Queen had a few companion kits. One was The Misty Isles, part sketch of a setting, part hex crawl. There are warring cities that have forces, some are monks, some are monk/magic-user.

Sometimes I see some of the more creative elements of this set and lean into it, sometimes I scratch my head wing it hoping the players do not ask too many questions or better, provide the solutions I could not, then run with it. It is… not is very DIY punk rock.

[Mushgnome]

I would rule, if the monks are Grand Master level (AC as chain) that they can fight as Heavy Foot. Until then, they are Light Foot.

[captainjapan]

The scenario of Misty Isles' Isle of Wizards must be something like The Temple of the Frog. There are specified hundreds of guard troops in the two cities, but players enter the map in skirmish numbers to do adventuring rather than mass combat scale. The true monks of the lawful side of the combat don't seem to leave their mountain lair except in detachments of around 20 men; that's a single Chainmail figure. Encounters with the Elementalist-type Wizards of the side of chaos are encountered in similar numbers. The hexes between the two sides are inhospitable marshland combined with large forces (100+) movement penalties. Forces would be better off sailing around the island to attack, honestly. Horse units and archers are ruled out.

I'm not clear on the real-world Shaolin temple (warrior monks). I've read that at their height during the Tang Dynasty, 7th century (?) that their membership was up to 2000. Even though they trained in kung-fu, how many of those 2000 had permanent residence at the temple? And how many of those resident Shaolin priests were expected to defend the temple in an attack rather than just learning the martial art as part of mental training? I don't know

[Deleted]

Nov 30, 2021 21:23:51 GMT -6 captainjapan said:

100 monks fighting in formation sounds odd. However, I also think they attack/ defend as Light Foot. The only scenario I could think of is that of defending a temple.

Executioners from Shaolin style.

[tombowings]

Remember though, monks can use any weapon. I can't imagine monks fighting unarmed in mass combat, but with bows and pole arms. I might have them move, defend, and fire arrows as Light Foot, but attack as Heavy Foot.

[Malchor]

Dec 1, 2021 11:13:02 GMT -6 captainjapan said:

The scenario of Misty Isles' Isle of Wizards must be something like The Temple of the Frog. There are specified hundreds of guard troops in the two cities, but players enter the map in skirmish numbers to do adventuring rather than mass combat scale.

This is correct. The game overall has fluctuated between dungeon delving and skirmishes in the outdoors sometime using Chainmail or a hybrid mix.  As the part moves up, they are sometime trusted to lead units. So they will not get 100s, but perhaps a group here or there. As they keep gaining reputation, they may be trusted with more troops, or be part of bigger battles with the units they lead.

Misty Isles is not so much a scenario, as a description of what is in a bunch of hexes on a bunch of islands. There is also a overview per island and conflict all over the place. Really, the whole place is one big powder keg.

The campaign has slowly unfolded from one town and a dungeon to more and more political intrigue leading to some side quests that leads to learning more about what is happening.

[waysoftheearth]

Move as LF.
Never fatigued.
Attack as HF, defend as LF.
If equipped with polearms, may form a hedgehog.
Always equipped with throwing stars, knives, darts (treat as hand ax).
For morale treat as AF or pike.

[Deleted]

Dec 1, 2021 23:41:05 GMT -6 tombowings said:

Remember though, monks can use any weapon. I can't imagine monks fighting unarmed in mass combat, but with bows and pole arms. I might have them move, defend, and fire arrows as Light Foot, but attack as Heavy Foot.

Exactly. Monks defending their Monastery would act primarily as archers and spearmen until the invaders enter the close quarters of the inner sanctum. That's when the more stereotypical kung fu fighting would commence, but even then the monks would be employing a variety of bladed weapons in all likelihood. 

[aramis]

Many forms of Kung Fu teach armed forms from fairly early in training. The only KF form I know of that doesn't use weapons is Tai Chi.

So, yeah, monks would likely be archers with light food, their dodging (natural AC) letting them count as light armored foot. The sifu and elder monks would likely count as heavy foot or even light horse (due to mobility)...

[Starbeard]

Tai Chi also has weapon forms, but they aren't very common in the West, I gather. Sword is the usual, but I've seen some old folks in the park here use spear too.

I'm kinda partial to monks, so I would probably give them cool features: let them defend LF, or defend HF if fighting for a cause aligned with their religious concerns, and defend AF if defending their temple. Mystic fanaticism and all that.

When the attacking force, they can be fielded wielding any weapon. When deployed as a defending force, they count as having all weapons.

They may ignore most terrain and climb vertical surfaces at half speed.

Other harebrained ideas: Allow saving throws to avoid hits. Monks are grouped as individual figures (20 monks = 1 figure), which acts more or less like a hero. Monks may split move and melee during the ranged phase (just because).

[delta]

I guess treat them as Pikes if you want to go semi-gonzo.

[Deleted]

This is turning into Kung Fu Hustle.