Page 33 - DnD 5e - Xanathar's Guide to Everything

d6 Monastery
Your monastery is carved out of a mountainside,
where it looms over a treacherous pass.
2 Your monastery is high in the branches of an im-
mense tree in the Feywild.
3 Your monastery was founded long ago by a cloud
giant and is inside a cloud castle that can be
reached only by flying.
4 Your monastery is built beside a volcanic system
of hot springs, geysers, and sulfur pools. You regu-
larly received visits from azer traders.
5 Your monastery was founded by gnomes and is an
MONK underground labyrinth of tunnels and rooms.
6 Your monastery was carved from an iceberg in the
DO NOT MISTAKE MY SILENCE FOR ACCEPTANCE OF YOUR
frozen reaches of the world.
villainy. While you blustered and threatened, I've planned
four different ways to snap your neck with my bare hands. MONASTIC ICON
-Ember, grand master of flowers Even in the monastic lifestyle , which eschews materi-
alism and personal possessions, symbolism plays an
Monks walk a path of contradiction. They study their art important part in defining the identity of an order. Some
as a wizard does, and like a wizard, they wear no armor monastic orders treat certain creatures with special
and typically eschew weapons. Yet they are deadly com- regard, either because the creature is tied to the order's
batants, their abilities on a par with those of a raging history or because it serves as an example of a quality
barba rian or a superbly trained fighter. Monks embrace the monks seek to emulate.
this seeming contradiction, for it speaks to the core of If your cha racter's monastery had a special icon, you
all monastic study. By coming to know oneself com- might wear a crude image of the creature somewhere
pletely, one learns much of the wider world. inconspicuous on your clothing to serve as an identify-
A monk's focus on inner mastery leads many such ing mark. Or perhaps your order's icon does not have a
individuals to become detached from society, more con- physical form but is expressed through a gesture or a
cerned with their personal experience tha n with hap- posture that you adopt, and which other monks might
penings elsewhere. Adventuring monks are a rare breed know how to interpret.
of an a lready rare type of character, taking their quest
for perfection beyond the walls of the monastery into the MONASTIC ICONS
world at large. d6 Icon
Playing a monk character offers many intriguing op-
Monkey. Quick reflexes and the ability to travel
portunities to try something different. To distinguish
your monk character even further, consider the options through the treetops are two of the reasons why
your order admires the mon key.
in the sections that follow.
2 Dragon Turtle. The monks of your seaside mon-
MONASTERY astery venerate the dragon turtle, reciting ancient
prayers and offering garlands of flowers to honor
A monk studies in a monastery in preparation for a life
of asceticism. Most of those who enter a monastery this living spirit of the sea.
make it their home for the rest of their lives, with the 3 Ki-rin. Your monastery sees its main purpose as
exception of adventurers and others who have reason to watching over and protecting the land in the man-
leave. For those individuals, a monastery might serve as ner of the ki-rin.
a refuge between excursions to the world or as a source 4 Owlbear. The monks of your monastery revere a
of support in times of need. family of owl bears and have coexisted with them
What sort of place was your monastery, and where is for generations.
it located? Did attending it contr ibute to your experience 5 Hydra. Your order singles out the hydra for its abil-
in an unus ual or distinctive way?
ity to unleash several attacks simultaneously.
6 Dragon. A dragon once laired within your monas-
tery. Its influence remains lo ng after its departure.

CHAPTER 1 I CHARACTER OPTIONS