[Dungeon Fantasy] Non-East Asian inspirations for Martial Artists (and Ninja)

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Infornific

An alternate more radical thought would be to put the Monk back into Martial Artists. Make the Martial Artist a variant of the Holy Warrior - peasants and other commoners recruited to serve as guards and foot soldiers for the Church. Because they come from lowly backgrounds, their combat training reflects the tools available. They channel divine will to strengthen their bodies and martial prowess. They act as God's brass knuckles. In this variation, the Divine limitation replaces Chi but prayer & meditation still matter.

The Templars and Hospitallers, and perhaps other holy fighting orders, had three social grades of soldiers. There were brother-knights from aristocratic families in western Europe, and brother-sergeants* also from the West but lacking the aristocratic status, and as a third class "turcopoles" recruited in the East (and not entitled to retire to comfy commanderies in the West when their tours of duty in Outremer were done, but paid instead). Turcopoles were more lightly armed than knights and sergeants, but there is, sadly, no reason to suppose that they were taught esoteric unarmed fighting arts.

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* "Sergeant" meant "servant" at the beginning of the relevant period.