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THE MONK
In Hellfire, although you will be able to choose from the original three heroes
of Diablo there is an addition to the list, The Monk.
An arcane visitor from an unknown land, endowed with abilities outside the realm
of the
ordinary. Highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat and master of the staff, he also
has a unique gift for magic.
History of the Monk
Monks of the Brotherhood of the Bough are a rare sight. It is said that they
come
from a desolate wilderness, where their people were forced to flee after being
conquered
by an invading horde. Because of their great defeat, these people vowed to
master
the arts of combat. Lacking resources such as iron, they learned to use their
bare hands
and simple wooden staves as deadly weapons, and do not depend on metal armor to
provide
protection in battle. Instead, they rely upon speed and concentration. In their
harsh
native clime, they have been forced to find food and other essentials in the
most
unlikely of places. Over time, this careful searching has honed their visual
perception
to an almost supernatural level.
It is rumored that a dark sickness has fallen upon the homeland of the Monks,
and many
of their people have died. The Brotherhood of the Bough has sought to unearth
the foulness,
to no avail. Desperate for answers, lone Monks have ventured to distant lands,
searching
for regions suffering a similar affliction. Tales of the evils besetting
Tristram
will have already attracted the attention of the Brotherhood.
The Monk is extremely skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and is a master of the
staff,
which he can use to strike many opponents with a single blow. However, he is not
well trained with bladed or projectile weapons, and is not used to wearing heavy
armor.
Foes of weak or moderate ability tend to fail easily before him, but tougher
enemies
may provide him with a considerable challenge. All Monks have the ability to
find
items easily because of their exceptional eyesight.
Unique plate is treated as mail and unique mail as leather when calculating AC
for a
monk. Any armor with a strength requirement causes the armor class of the monk
to
decrease, since the monk gains armor class with each level and works best with
light armor.
The monk is capable of blocking enemy hits with a staff, and can also hit three
enemies
at a time with a staff. The monk's special ability is the search spell; casting
this
spell several times in a row will make it last much longer. Attacking with bare
hands
is faster than using a staff, but you will not be able to hit multiple opponents.
Later
in the game, bare hands may be more powerful than a staff as well, unless you
have found
a staff with large bonuses.
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