Spectral monk

Spectral monk Level 25 Family Humanoid family creatures Body Type Biped Classification(s) Non-corporeal undead Area(s) Found The Monastery Castle Varunar BCS <Not Known> HP 205 Speed ?

Attack Attributes Physical Attacks Quarterstaff 227 AS Scythe 227 AS Warding Spells Silence (210) 136 CS Frenzy (216) 136 CS Blind (311) 142 CS Mind Jolt (706) 146 CS Misc. Offensive Spells Bravery (211)

Defense Attributes Armor Double Leather ASG 8 Defensive Strength (DS) Melee 225 - 235 Ranged ? Bolt 100 - 132 Unarmed Defense Factor UDF ? Target Defense (TD) Bard Base ? Cleric Base 76 - 101 Empath Base ? Paladin Base ? Ranger Base ? Sorcerer Base 107 Wizard Base ? Minor Elemental 98 Major Elemental 98 Minor Spiritual ? Major Spiritual ? Minor Mental ? Defensive Spells Spirit Warding I (101) Spirit Shield (202) Prismatic Guard (905) Prayer of Protection (303)

Treasure Attributes Coins Yes Gems Yes Magic Items Yes Boxes Yes Skin None Other ?

A tattered black cowl obscures the spectral monk's face.  Given the burning green eyes and foul stench he exudes, perhaps that is for the best.  Tattered rags cloak his shimmering pellucid form.  Its ghostly body flickers in and out of existance, as if only his desire to destroy keeps him bound to this plane.

Hunting strategies

They have the ability to heal themselves and the monastic liches, so you may want to kill them first. The upper level of the monastery is somewhat more dangerous than the lower level because of them. The spectral monks are actually more likely to hit you with warding spells.

Other information

Spectral monks disperse into the wind almost immediately once dead. So it is best to search them immediately after killing. They will decay at the start of what would have been their next round to perform an action.

When they kill you they will sometimes claw into your forehead, which gives a rank 3 head wound and nerve damage:

The spectral monk moans victoriously!
DEAD>
A spectral monk's eyes blaze with hate.
DEAD>
A spectral monk claws an unholy symbol into your forehead!
DEAD>
A spectral monk pulls back his cowl a moment revealing nothing but a pair of blazing green eyes floating in the dark emptiness.
DEAD>
A spectral monk shimmers with an eerie green light.

Behind the scenes

It is difficult to parse much of any symbolic or intentional allusions out of The Monastery, but it is possible the rare messaging the monks perform when you are dead refers to "The Masque of the Red Death". It is set inside a sealed abbey as a plague sweeps the outside world, here the Wars of Dominion, while the nobles inside ignore their surroundings and hold masquerades with grotesque exaggerations of faces. (This would reflect the emotive faces in the lower level and the noblewoman statue. It is worth noting the masquerade rooms are spoken of as dreams.) When an attendee dressed as a victim of the Red Death appears in the abbey, they discover to their horror there is nothing beneath its robes and everyone dies. In the story it is attacked with a dagger. While the spectral monks mostly carry black modwir staffs now, in the I.C.E. Age their weapon was daggers.

References

• Monk on Wikipedia

Near-level creatures

Level 23 arachne acolyte centaur centaur ranger crazed zombie fenghai niirsha nonomino rotting woodsman zombie Level 24 arctic wolverine burly reiver giant albino scorpion ice hound jungle feyling night hound reiver roa'ter wormling storm hound tree viper vapor hound veteran reiver water hound wolverine Level 25 carceris gnoll jarl huge jungle toad krolvin warfarer sacristan spirit spectral monk Level 26 arachne priest arachne priestess jungle troll tree spirit Level 27 cloud sprite meddler cyclops frenzied monk grutik savage lesser stone gargoyle monastic lich snow leopard troll chieftain