If they played WoW: Shaolin monks

Shaolin monks have a long, deep seated history with the martial arts. They’ve not only been able to master and create different sorts of fighting style, but they’ve also managed, with the help of their discipline and training, to master all sorts of bodily functions. That being said, who wouldn’t want to hang out with a guy who can kill you with a chopstick, right? (Ed: I wouldn’t! LOL!)

One of the many other reasons why I’d want to take a monk into World of Warcraft is because they want to keep others from making money off their martial arts prowess. Who better to be litigious about martial arts than the masters themselves, right?

With the right party, any half-decent Shaolin monk will be an offensive powerhouse capable of tanking you through Karazhan in the search for intellectual property infringement. That being said, I’d be more than willing to let a Shaolin monk play shaman for my team any day.

Reasons why await after the jump!

Shaolin monks have a long, deep seated history with the martial arts. They’ve not only been able to master and create different sorts of fighting style, but they’ve also managed, with the help of their discipline and training, to master all sorts of bodily functions. That being said, who wouldn’t want to hang out with a guy who can kill you with a chopstick, right? (Ed: I wouldn’t! LOL!)

One of the many other reasons why I’d want to take a monk into World of Warcraft is because they want to keep others from making money off their martial arts prowess. Who better to be litigious about martial arts than the masters themselves, right?

With the right party, any half-decent Shaolin monk will be an offensive powerhouse capable of tanking you through Karazhan in the search for intellectual property infringement. That being said, I’d be more than willing to let a Shaolin monk play shaman for my team any day, and below are the reasons why.

He Inspires and Makes Whole

One of the things that makes it obvious that he’d be a Draenei Shaman is that his innate abilities of awesomeness have much to do with the exiles on the Exodar. For one thing, their kicks and punches give them an instinctual bearing of awesomeness to their peers, which ties in the Heroic and Inspiring Presence traits the Draenei already have. 

The Draenei and the Shaolin also have another trait in common: the power to make themselves whole. Through sheer mental discipline, it is said that any Buddhist monk can revitalize himself and even stave himself against the darkness and the cold of night. Legend has it that the Japanese monk Kukai, who is supposed to be dead, is merely meditating up until now, waiting for the arrival of the next Buddha Maitreya. That being said, Draenei and Shaolin monks both carry some amount of regenerative powers and resistance to shadow.

Lastly, expect Shaolin monks to use their hands and feet to shape the earth into something they can use. They can use quivering palms and devastating kicks to fashion jewels that will make them stronger through training. That, and jewelcrafting is the only profession that makes any sort of fist weapon, so expect them to rush their way through the skill just to get some brass knuckles on their hands.

Butt-Kicking for Goodness

As warriors for good, Shaolin monks will find themselves most at home with Shamans for a variety of reasons. Most notable of these is how a shaman can specialize in one type of weapon exclusively, or become a jack of all trades and use everything from a greataxe to daggers with ease. Historically speaking, monks will have to learn to use multiple forms of weapons in their lifetime, from swords to maces, and even things like halberds and fan blades depending on their proficiency.

That being said, his main assets would have to lie almost exclusively on the self-enhancement tree, with some allotments made for restoration to go hand-in-hand with the Gift of the Naaru racial ability. Because of his offensive style, a 42/19 Enhancement Restoration shaman would probably do best, offering increased critical hits to weapons and affinities with specific weapon types, as well as special attacks that will allow him to augment his party’s abilities as well.

For instance, he can pop Strength of Earth, Fire Nova, and Healing Stream totems to keep damage and healing up. At the same time, his enhancement skills allow him to connect with critical hits more often, which not only increase his attack speed through flurry, but also increase the attack power of his comrades by 10% using Unleashed Rage. A critical Stormstrike attack would be very painful in that regard.

Final Thoughts

With the ability to master different weapon styles and even do well without any weapons, the Shaolin shaman makes for a devastating hybrid, capable of buffing teammates, dealing damage, and healing in a pinch. A three-man team with a warrior and a priest will suit him best, especially if acting as a core group for five-man teams or ten-man raids inside Blizzard‘s epic MMO.

The main problem with this fellow? Getting him to stop mentioning how WoW stole the good IP from Shaolin monks and keeping him playing, rather than making his very own Shaolin MMO called Shaolin Sio-Down or some such.