The last weeks of autumn had settled upon Ivgorod, and the first breath of winter had crept into the air. As night fell and the sun dipped below the horizon, I was all too grateful to take refuge in a tavern. As I entered, I noted a certain tension in the room. Despite the hour, it was not busy, with only scattered, small groups huddled at the tables around the edges of the room. The benches at the centre of the room were empty except for one man.

The man seemed ignorant of the cold. He was dressed like a beggar, wearing little more than an orange sheet wound around his body, leaving half of his chest exposed. A garland of large wooden beads hung around his thick neck. His head was completely shaved, with the exception of a wild bushy beard. Then, recognition struck me: upon his forehead he had a tattoo of two red dots, one larger than the other. As any informed student of the peoples and cultures of this world must also realize, this man was one of the monks of Ivgorod, the secretive and reclusive holy warriors of the country.

I had heard countless fantastic stories about the monks, tales that were surely the beneficiary of significant embellishment. The monks’ skin, the accounts said, was as hard as iron, impenetrable by the blade of any sword or by the point of any arrow, and their fists could break stone as easily as you or I would snap a twig. Though the unassuming man before me seemed miles away from what I had heard and read of the monks, I approached cautiously, sliding down onto the bench across from him, eager to take his measure. He beckoned me forward with a small wave of his hand.

 ”Ah, a soul brave enough to sit with me. Come, friend.”

Food was placed before me, but I had little hunger for it, focusing instead on recording the details of the monk’s life. He told me of his belief in the existence of a thousand and one gods, gods he believed could be found in all things: the fire in the hearth, the water in the river and the air that we breathed. Pretty enough for a story, perhaps. But any reasoned individual must surely, as I did, scoff at such a view of the world as little more than superstition. He went on to describe his intense mental and physical training, his unending quest to hone his mind and body into an instrument of divine justice. Though I do wonder for what need his thousand gods would require a mortal man to implement their will. When I asked him why he did not carry a sword or, indeed, any weapon at all, he simply replied, “My body is my weapon.” Then raising his hand and tapping his forehead, he added, “As is my mind.”

Most unexpectedly, I would be treated to a display of this mastery.

A group of men approached our table, knocking my book to the floor and shoving me out of the way, producing knives and other weapons as they advanced. They were focused only on the solitary figure of the monk seated across from me. I scrabbled beneath the table, having an inkling of what was to come. I watched as at some unseen signal, they attacked.

The New Monk in Diablo 3

Diablo 3 Monk’s Skills

Monk Skill: Impenetrable Defence

The Impenetrable Defence is simply the best for any Monk. Any attack directed at you will be returned to the attacker and protects you from damage. This defence creates a bubble and then the Monk uses his Staff to throw the attack back to the enemy doing the damage to them instead. Many people will be Monks because of this one skill. Monk Class

Monk Skill: Exploding Palm

Spinning around, this attack causes a great deal of damage to your enemies. The Exploding Palm attack can be used in quick succession and is very effective against large groups. Bosses and other strong enemies’ will feel the effect of this ability. Monk Class

Monk Skill: Seven Sided Strike

Set this attack in motion, and a series of strikes will fly in and hit your enemies from multiple directions causing a great deal of damage. When coupled with an Exploding Palm you’ll easily kill off large groups of attackers very easily. Monk Class

Monk Skill: Way of the Hundred Fists

This attack uses a lot of spirit, but can be used in quick succession and caused a lot of damage. This attack is a 3 stage attack and is most effective against large, closely grouped together attackers. Monk Class

Monk Skill: Crippling Wave

Using the Crippling Wave attack, the Monk lifts his staff to make a blue wave which then travels and deals damage to your enemies. Most monks will use this attack because of its speed and damage ability. This attack is ideal for one on one enemy battles, but can be affective on up to 3 enemies at a time. The Crippling Wave attack would be very good against bosses or other “hard” enemies’. Monk Class