About the new concept art piece of Forton the monk......

[agewisdom]

I'm ok with the monk in general, but he looks pretty Westernized. Guess this doesn't jive very well with the actual monks we're used to in Asia. But since I love Caradine in Kung Fu, I don't mind. Wonder whether he'll speak like Caradine too in PE

 

However, as mentioned in the update thread, the stance appears awkward. Hopefully they get some helpful input to make it more realistic.

I'm really glad they haven't gone for a typical Asian looking monk.

 

And does the stance really matter that much...? It's just concept art for an isometric fantasy game. A) Why does his stance have to mirror stances used in Earth martial arts? And B) We're probably not going to see that stance in-game.

 

Well, when you mention monks - unarmed combat comes to mind. And stances play an important role a monk's martial abilities. Granted, it's not Earth but people (or maybe it's just me) tend to associate with the familiar.

[JWestfall]

As long as Forton can pull his own weight (e.g. punch the **** out of a gelatinous cube to keep it occupied while my mage can prepare his next spell), he can wear whatever pants and shoes he wants.

 

But the minute he starts getting all preachy about "power needs to be respected" and "we must share our wealth with these distraught peasants"... well, then poor old Forton is going have an unfortunate "accident" somewhere around level 3 of MegaDungeon, said accident most likely involving my barbarian's claymore.

[Osvir]

I said it in another post another thread, I hope the flagellant drug-abusing Forton is Forton's way of being a Monk or a path that you can take the Monk class. I hope it's not what defines the Monk in P:E. I think he is actually pretty cool and he's growing on me more and more (initially I was a little bit "Again!?"), but I wouldn't want my Monk that I am planning to create to be a masochist.

[bronzepoem]

I'm ok with the monk in general, but he looks pretty Westernized. Guess this doesn't jive very well with the actual monks we're used to in Asia. But since I love Caradine in Kung Fu, I don't mind. Wonder whether he'll speak like Caradine too in PE

 

However, as mentioned in the update thread, the stance appears awkward. Hopefully they get some helpful input to make it more realistic.

Yes, at least it's not a balance stance no mattar what kind of Kungfu he studied. It seems better to put left leg back and put right leg forward at that stance.

And his right hand looks like will hit himself.

[bronzepoem]

OK, when I have time I will read my high school English textbook again...

What I mean is: this pant looks like it's spliced by several new cloth by a fashion designer, not like it's broken by hundreds of combats.

 

Try to bear in mind that this piece was probably done on a pretty tight timeline. It's concept art, it's not going to be perfect in every detail. Obsessing over the details of his pants misses the point of a concept rendering like this; it's supposed evoke a "feeling" about a particular character, not be a design template that will be reproduced stitch for stitch in-game.

Maybe.But I think for this time we only have 3 days to go, a cooler and more attractive concept art is really needed.

[Tigranes]

I'd prefer to see monks that get away from "I'm a monk and I'm okay, I wear no shoes and only rags" thing. Why not monks that are urban not hermit, e.g. the precise control of bodies and movements lending them to tasks like infiltration and acrobatics? Why not monks that wear much more tight and well-made attire? There's a lot of possibilities and yet as far as visual style goes.

 

Also, the name. Forton Thorton anyone? :D

[Troller]

Wish there was a monk who fought with no clothes...

[Ieo]

I'd prefer to see monks that get away from "I'm a monk and I'm okay, I wear no shoes and only rags" thing. Why not monks that are urban not hermit, e.g. the precise control of bodies and movements lending them to tasks like infiltration and acrobatics? Why not monks that wear much more tight and well-made attire? There's a lot of possibilities and yet as far as visual style goes.

 

The trope has to do with the implied ascetic lifestyle that goes with being a "monk" in the religious sense... So I think extricating a pure class from the gestalt understanding may be difficult. Then again, the Amkethran monks seemed well-dressed enough--for being little sprites. More Amkethran monks!

 

Infiltration and acrobatics--ninjas?!

[eimatshya]

I think they were trying to make his pants look like he'd stitched them together from a bunch of rags. Like, maybe from the surviving pieces of older clothes that had been torn up in fights. Anyway, his appearance doesn't bother me. I think the haggard, disheveled look works for a drug-addicted ascetic. It kind of reminds me of Toshiro Mifune's character in Sanjuro (he was more of a rogue than a monk, but the general idea is there). It's sort of an interesting departure from the usual monk who is very fastidious.

 

I agree about the stance, though. It seems very awkward. All his weight is shifted over one leg. That seems like a recipe for disaster in a fight. Still, it's just concept art, so I don't really feel the need to nit-pick. I like the general feel that they seem to be going for with the piece, and that's enough for me (at least with respect to concept art).

Edited October 13, 2012 by eimatshya

[Ignatius]

There are two kind of monk in China

 

Who said he was from China? And where is China in Project Eternity's world anyway?

 

Bottom line, if you're looking for realism in a fantasy game, you'll be disappointed -- every time.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Ignatius

[Bloody Hypocrite]

That's why I think it's a bit weird that he's clean shaven, unless it's just an ethnic lack of facial hair. Doesn't seem like he'd bother to shave very often.

[Monte Carlo]

Call me old-fashioned, but bondage and drugs sounds a bit kinky to me. He's definitely made the cut for my party, baby.

[Rink]

He has a distinct look and I think that's okay.

I would have nothing against a beard and the hair having a slightly less pink coloring. :D.

 

..Aand I hope one of my female partymembers will tell him to cut his hair and wash his dirty clothes!

[kenup]

I would like it more, if he was wearing some basic clothing on top of his torso.

 

That, and he should get a beard or a haircut, if that's not possible.

[Piccolo]

That, and he should get a beard or a haircut, if that's not possible.

And make him look more normal? No thanks.

[Monte Carlo]

This is what I call a warrior-monk :

 

 

Alternatively:

 

 

And from the Crusades...

 

 

Obz have gone on a traditional Eastern monk archetype filtered through the Albino dude from the Da Vinci code. *shrugs*

[kenup]

That, and he should get a beard or a haircut, if that's not possible.

And make him look more normal? No thanks.

Maybe they should make him into a green alien?

 

I'm not saying make him normal. But right now he looks like a 70s pimp... or something. And I've seen enough old men in fiction trying to show off their ribs.

[Piccolo]

This is what I call a warrior-monk :

-snip-

When I think of warrior monks, I think of something more along the lines of:

 

 

[Monte Carlo]

^ Those are cool too, kind of crazy extremist flagellants.

[Domigorgon]

The classes in P:E are directly "inspired" by classes from D&D. Deal with it. D&D monk is little more than a kung-fu cliche (Shaolin monks inspired). Which doesn't really make much sense in a European-medieval-themed setting, but oh well...

[Monte Carlo]

LOL "deal with it"

 

I'm not that bothered personally. Slightly bemused that they have gone with such a tired cliche but quietly confident that they will give it an agreeable twist.

[Bloody Hypocrite]

The hair by itself reminds me of a clown wig. I believe you can make a monk that doesn't look asian or friar tuck and still be kick ass.

[kenup]

Now... ok, this guy is a person in game, I guess, not the archetype for monks. The word monk might have many meanings, most surrounded around spirituality, so why the need to only have one type of monk? or only one type for the player to follow? Someone might want to be a hospitaller and someone else a kung fu master. While not as open as the fighter class, nothing says you should follow a certain path.

[Bloody Hypocrite]

kenup, I agree. I think that there could be a wide variety of 'monk' type people throughout the PE world... I'm just not crazy about Forton's design with what we know about the character.

[Hiro Protagonist II]

I would consider the Hospitaller a Paladin than a Monk in D&D terms, since the Hospitaller is a Knight. The Monk concept art is okay with me.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Hiro Protagonist II