Mute Monks

Alexander Gauge as Friar Tuck

In my new #dungeon23 project, one of the commonly encountered factions will be the Mute Monks.

The local arch-cleric has taken the opening of the old mountain's fortress-monastery as an opportunity to thin the ranks of low ranking clergy and has declared a crusade into the haunted halls. Now the local abbeys, convents and charterhouses are sending their least useful and most enthusiastic adherents up to the dungeon. 

Though woefully ill-suited and under-equipped for dungeon exploration, the silent friars will cheerfully do their best to recover artifacts and render aid to the needy within the ruins. 

• These are intended as a comedic cannon-fodder group. Adventuring parties will find their hapless bodies everywhere within the mountain. If I need to telegraph traps, a monk will be discovered clutching his poisoned throat. If I want to forecast a monster, a monk's gnawed bones will be the clue.
• So long as they are not actively mistreated, the monks will do their best to aid adventuring parties within the mountain. They will share rations (bland, sad food), cast blessings and bandage wounds. Hopefully players will feel a little twinge of sadness whenever they find them mangled.
• The monks don't speak and communicate in pantomime (this just seems fun to do as a DM).

BPRD: Hollow Earth

Mute Monk

Armor Class: 8 (unarmored)

Hit Dice: 1-4 (HP4)

Attacks: Per weapon, usually a d4 staff.

Move: Unencumbered human. Vows of poverty prevent overpacking.

Saves: 10+. The saints protect.

Morale: Generally retreat from combat and danger. 

Number Appearing: 1d10

Treasure: Roll on the search body table. 

Monk Encounters:

1. Monks can be heard in a nearby area, singing hymns. If engaged, they will offer to share their food and encourage everyone to join in the songs.
2. Monks struggle to carry back an ugly stone statue of a saint. If engaged, they will offer to share a few flasks of holy water and request assistance carrying the worthless artifact.
3. Monks fleeing or cowering in fear. Half their number have been slaughtered by [random other faction].
4. Monks trying to get one of their injured brothers out of a trap. Monsters will arrive in d4 rounds.
5. d4 monks captured by [random other faction]
6. Monks are lost. They proceed with incense billowing from a censer. If pointed in the right direction, their leader will cast Protection from Evil on the person who helped.
7. Monks hiding in a side passage or empty room bandaging their wounds. Will offer medical assistance to any injured adventurers.
8. Monks joyously setting out to delve deep into the mountain. Their leader will bless adventurers similarly exploring. 

Search the Monk Corpse

In addition to their staff and d4 rations, a monk might have:

1. Alms box with d4 gold and d20 copper.
2. Incense censer (drives away ghosts and incorporeal undead)
3. d4 flasks of holy water
4. Silver holy symbol (worth 10gp)
5. Prayer book. Allows a reader to cast Bless while in a chapel (only works once in any given shrine)
6. Scroll of Protection from Evil
7. Fragment of map
8. Heavy pack with 20 bland rations
9. Lantern on a staff

Despair, Inc.