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    •  Downloads: 916

    •  File Size: 751750

    •  Version: 1.2
    •  Author: Sakaslan - Orgolove

If you like this mod, a thumbs up/endorsement/FotM vote goes a long way towards encouraging further mod development.

Chantry Monk Specialization-Martial Arts Unarmed Combat

Version 1.2 -- 09/26/2010

* Slightly increased base damage, Dexterity damage modifier, and attack speed of unarmed combat (Hidden Fist weapon).
* Increased unarmed combat base armor penetration from 6 to 10.
* Changed overlapping Animation IDs. NPCs should no longer perform combat animations as part of their ambient animation sequence.
* Ironskin: Reduced Constitution bonus formula to 10% of Willpower modifier. (Was 5+10% of Willpower modifier.)
* Martial Training: Altered attack bonus formula to 10 + 10% of Willpower modifier. (Was 5 + 20% of Willpower modifier.) This should provide a better hit rate in the early game and a slightly lower attack bonus at very high levels of Willpower (60+).
* Martial Training: Increased delay of deathblow checks in Martial Training script in an attempt to cut down on repeat deathblow animations after an NPC has already been deathblowed.
* Snap Kick: Reduced attribute requirement to 18 Dexterity. (Was 22 Dex.)

--- As always, please fully uninstall the old version before installing the new one. ---

Version 1.1 -- 09/21/2010

* Removed "Test CWep Fist - Dragonbone" item from items granted by Carthus when becoming a monk in the Harrowing Fade.

NOTE: This item was never intended to exist in the final version, but the item's existence in game should have no real effect on the game. If you've already installed Version 1.0, you can simply deleted "Test CWep Fist - Dragonbone" from inventory and do not need to install the new version.

******NOTICE******
LEARN MARTIAL TRAINING AS ONE OF YOUR FIRST SKILLS AND ALWAYS KEEP IT ACTIVE!!

PLEASE CHECK THE FAQ BEFORE PLAYING THE GAME!

Please see the Readme.pdf included in the package for ability descriptions and other mod details.

Scroll to bottom for changelog.

Downloaded a 0 bytes file? Wait a few minutes and try again.
******NOTICE******

Note on custom tints: The custom monk robes used in this mod use the Chantry Robe texture, but are re-colored variously using custom tints. Because the game doesn't include a tint map file for the Chantry Robe (among several other base items), a custom tint map is required. Nezroy has a great custom tint map package available along with his Universal Dye Kit mod. I highly recommend the UDK itself, but if you want to see the custom tints on the monk robes in this mod, at the very least you need the file nez_tintpak_v3. Download and extract the nez_tintpak.erf into your DAO override directory ({my documents}BioWareDragon Agepackagescoreoverride).

The UDK mod and the tintpak file are available here.

[size=3]DEMONSTRATION VIDEO[/size]

This video showcases many of the new martial arts skills added in this mod as the monk annihilates many of the major bosses of Ferelden! CHECK OUT THE HD!Addendum: The video is for DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES. Note the title of this section... It has been intentionally made with a character specifically altered to showcase all the abilities in its most spectacular forms. The actual mod will -not- make you god-like! Actually try the mod before making conclusions like that.

[size=3]INTRODUCTION[/size]

A well trained fist is a weapon far more powerful than even the most ancient, the most legendary of all items. For there is nothing more familiar to a person than his own body, nothing more natural and perfectly in tune with your thoughts than your own hands and feet.Unarmed Combat was thus an important part of any combat system of fantasy style RPGs, including Bioware's own Neverwinter Nights/expansions and Neverwinter Nights 2/Expansions. Once you experienced the exhilaration of defeating the lord of all demons with your bare hands, what greater joy could there be?Unfortunately, Bioware's latest RPG, Dragon Age, greatly devalued Unarmed combat until it was worth less than the space its code occupied in the DVD. I mean, they actually spent money getting voicesets that complained when you tried to fight without a weapon. This was blasphemy! So, we, Sakaslan and Orgolove, worked hard together to bring you this mod, that truly shows the potential Dragon Age's system can bring for unarmed combat! With this mod, you can become a veritable juggernaut capable of ripping open the hide of an old god with your bare hands!

The Chantry Monk is a new mage specialization that includes three sub-specializations and 48 abilities and utilizes unarmed attack animations for standard attacks as well as a wide variety of special ability animations, including deathblows (which are not a part of the regular game's unarmed combat resolution scripts.)



Chantry Monks use Willpower and Dexterity as their primary attributes. All monk abilities that have attribute prerequisites will use either Willpower or Dexterity. Willpower in general determines the power of a monk's magic-like abilities and is the stat against which targets of monk abilities must pass their resistance checks in most cases. Dexterity increases a monk's hand-to-hand base damage. (See below or Readme.pdf for individual ability descriptions.) The monk is intended as a separate leveling path for mages, beginning at level one. That is, if you choose to play as a monk, most if not all of your abilities should be monk abilities. Standard mage abilities that scale off Magic/Spellpower will be of little use to a well-designed monk. A monk recruiter will appearing just inside the Fade during a new mage's Harrowing, giving the player the option to gain the base Chantry Monk specialization immediately. (See Section titled Starting as a Monk for details.)

All feedback, particularly with regard to balance issues, is welcome. The monk is intended to remain on the same general power level as other classes throughout the leveling spectrum of the game, including the added expansion levels. The final two monk specializations, Exemplar and Transcendant, are primarily intended as Awakening-level specializations.

[size=3]FEATURES[/size]


  • VIABLE UNARMED COMBAT
  • ATTACK AND ABILITY ANIMATIONS FROM MULTIPLE FIGHTING STYLES ALL INCLUDED IN UNARMED COMBAT.
  • 4 NEW LINKED SPECIALIZATIONS
  • OVER 40+ CUSTOM ABILITIES
  • UNARMED DEATHBLOW ANIMATIONS
  • OVER 20 CUSTOM ITEMS DESIGNED FOR UNARMED COMBAT



[size=3]BACKGROUND[/size]

"By your will may all things be done."
- The Chant of Light, Canticle of Threnodies 5:1


The existence of an order of mage-ascetics within the Chantry is an inadmissable secret at the upper echelons of Chantry hierarchy. But no organization grows so large and influential without burying a secret or two. While the Templars exist to corral and police the magi of the various Circles, the Chantry Monks exist to...handle problems for which the Templars are ill-suited. While Templars may attack a situation head-on in regiment-style numbers, monks work solo or in duos or trios to covertly bring about a resolution favorable to the Chantry.

Indeed, the foundation of the Ashen Order can be traced back to such a situation: The growing feud between the Chantry hierarchy within Tevinter and the rest of the Chantry hierarchy across Thedas during the middle years of the Towers Age. After the Battle of Hunter Fell, Orlais took possession of Nevarra City while Tevinter claimed Hunter Fell. The Orlesian clergy sought to curb the Imperium's expansion and thus curb the dissenting voices of the Tevinter clergy. But the Orlesians did not want war, particularly not while the funeral pyres of the Third Blight still smoldered. A variety of political subterfuges and socio-economic machinations met with minor successes, but the results were not nearly worth the high financial costs of such schemes.

Then in 3:42 Towers, a young mage of the Orlesian Circle brought a proposal before the Deacons of the College of Clerics in Val Royeaux, and through them to the Divine herself.

In 3:19 Towers, a grandson named Cadmon was born to the Revered Mother of the Nevarra City Chantry. Six years later, when Orlais assumed occupation of Nevarra City there was some talk amongst the College of Clerics of removing the Revered Mother in favor of an Orlesian native, but in this the College was overruled by the Divine. The Nevarran Revered Mother had, it seemed, strong familial ties on the maternal side to Val Royeaux. In fact, when a twelve-year-old Cadmon began to show signs of magical affinity, he was sent not to Cumberland but to the Orlesian Circle and was there well-looked-after as a favor to his grandmother.

Cadmon's family on his grandmother's paternal side descended from the hassarans of the Free Marches and through them the ancient hand-to-hand combat style was kept alive. When Cadmon was oblated to the Orlesian Circle, an older cousin who was an officer of the Templars was transferred to the Circle Tower to both watch over the boy and continue Cadmon's hassaran training.

During his five years of apprenticeship, Cadmon showed little aptitude for magical instruction, and although his ability to resist magic through application of his own willpower in direct conflict with that of his mentor was noted as above average, the general assumption amongst the senior enchanters was that the boy could not possibly complete the Harrowing and must be made Tranquil. Throughout his apprenticeship, however, Cadmon innovated a form of magical practice that blended his hassaran fighting style with magical effects. On the counsel of his Templar cousin, Cadmon kept these innovations secret from the other apprentices and magi at the tower.

In 3:36 Towers, by joint agreement of the First Enchanter and the Templar Knight-Commander, it was decreed that Cadmon (now 17 years old) would undergo the Rite of Tranquility. Both men believed this to be an act of compassion, since Cadmon's instructors unanimously acknowledged that the boy was incapable of handling sufficient magical forces to survive the Harrowing. Cadmon, however, managed to convince the First Enchanter to Harrow him anyway, and the boy easily defeated his demonic opponent to become a full mage of the Circle.

Three years later, Cadmon began composing the first article of a monastic oath and system of rules that would become known as the Regula Cadmon. In it, he set forth the ideology of a way of life and the policies for a self-governing order of mage-ascetics trained in his magical hassaran hybrid practices and dedicated to the pursuit of both mental and physical perfection in the service of The Maker and His Chantry. Using his grandmother's contacts throughout the Val Royeaux clergy, Cadmon began seeking audiences with key members of the College of Clerics.

Cadmon spent several years attempting to convince the clergy of the need for a special, covert order within the Chantry purposed with thwarting the designs of the rebellious ideologues of the Chantry in Tevinter (which had not yet split into the Imperial Chantry) as well as protecting Chantry concerns throughout Thedas.

This was exactly the solution the Divine and her advisors had been searching for. But a cadre of magi operating directly for the Chantry, which was dogmatically opposed to the unrestricted use of magic, posed both an ethical and practical obstacle. In the end, the Divine went before the College of Clerics to publicly deny Cadmon's petition and declared the matter ended.

Privately, however, she created the Ashen Order and granted it the ancient monastery at Whitehall in the western Vimmarks. The Divine rechristened the monastery Whitehall Priory and elevated Cadmon to the rank of Prior. The Priory (as the Ashen Order would become colloquially known--among those who were even aware of its existence, at least) was further granted authority to observe apprentices and magi from any Circle and remove those fit for Prior Cadmon's specific mode of training into the Priory's custody. Because the training of a monk required incredible willpower, it was more unlikely that one deemed fit for the training would succumb to demonic influence or possession, but even so, the restrictions placed upon Prior Cadmon's selection process were severe. As a further measure, it was agreed that a single, high-ranking Templar would be stationed at Whitehall to act as a liaison between the Priory, the Chantry, the Mage Circles, and the Templar Order. When and if new monasteries were opened, each would house one Templar liaison.

The Ashen Order was (un)officially founded in 3:43 Towers. Its first mission was to remove Hunter Fell from Imperium occupation. Six years later, the first group of initiates graduated to the rank of ascendant and the Imperium was quietly, forcefully expelled from Hunter Fell.

"The sword is not a tool of war, but an instrument of mercy."
- The Second Article, Regula Cadmon


Over the following decades, the Priory came into its own. Its system of training grew more refined, and new techniques were discovered and added to the curriculum. The Priory proved itself a valuable asset to the Chantry, repeatedly stymieing the efforts of the Tevinter Chantry and the political maneuverings of the Imperium's magisters. A short period of contention between the Priory and the Chantry occurred in 3:65 Towers when Nevarra City gained independence from Orlais, purportedly with significant help from Prior Cadmon and his monks. But by the time of the Schism, tensions between the Priory and the Andrastian Chantry had smoothed, and the Priory's attentions were turned to the newly-declared Imperial Chantry.

Key members of the Imperial Chantry's clergy were targeted for assassination, and these missions met with failure as frequently as success. Of particular note was a quartet of unsuccessful attempts on the life of the Black Divine after the declaration of a holy day upon the death of Joyous II at the end of the Towers Age. Still, the Imperial Chantry was made to understand that their rebellion against Val Royeaux would not be limited to a war of words and ideals.

During the four Exalted Marches against the Imperial Chantry, the monks of the Priory played significant roles softening key military targets ahead of the Andrastian army through covert strikes and assassinations of Tevinter officials, both clerical and military. Since then, the Priory has had a hand in numerous Chantry-related affairs, from the protection of small, rural chantries to the opposition of Imperium schemes against nations faithful to the true worship of The Maker.

In 4:28 Black, Prior Cadmon died at the age of 109. His successor, Reginald of Montfort, refused the title of Prior, saying that none should replace their departed Most Holy Brother. Instead, he assumed the title Vicar and this tradition has held fast to the present day.

Chantry Monks do not live in the Circle Towers, but rather in monastic abbeys typically established in reclusive areas. Today, most nations of Thedas serve as home to at least one abbey of the Ashen Order, though most of these are either secret holdfasts or disguised as common monasteries. Some few monks dwell in small dormitories within cities.

Monks train in a two-fold path governing both body and mind, and their use of magic is focused primarily inward in order to cultivate a strong will and develop astonishing physical abilities. Their system of martial combat based on the ancient hassaran traditions is combined with this force of will, physical acumen, and a mage's innate connection to the Fade in order to augment this art with magical effects. Unlike most mages, the primary attributes of monks are Willpower and Dexterity. Few monks develop the kind of magical ability practiced by the enchanters of the Circles.

[size=3]STARTING AS A MONK[/size]

While this mod can be used with a mage character already in the middle of a play-through simply by spending a specialization point on the Chantry Monk specialization, it was really designed to be used on a newly-created mage.Create the mage normally through character generation, but bear in mind the monk's focus on Willpower and Dexterity when allocating attribute points. Select spells as normal and start the game. Once you enter the Fade for your Harrowing, you will find a Monk Itinerant (wandering monks charged with selecting candidates for initiation into the Ashen Order) named Carthus.Speaking with Carthus gives you the opportunity to become a monk at level one. If you accept his offer, your initial 3 spell allotments will be reset, allowing you to spend those 3 points on monk abilities. Only your spell choices will be reset. Attributes will remain as designated in chargen. Carthus will also give you your Initiate's Robe and training in unarmed fighting. The "training" is handled via a hidden item that controls the stats of unarmed attacks. (See Unarmed Fighting below or in the Readme for more.)

[size=3]UNARMED FIGHTING[/size]

The monk specialization is designed to use the base unarmed attack animations provided in DAO for its regular attacks. Additionally, a "push" or double-palm strike animation and a kick animation have been added for regular attacks and will randomly appear in rotation with left fist/right fist punch animations.The power and speed of the monk's attacks are controlled by a hidden item equipped on the character either by being inducted into the Ashen Order by Carthus in the Fade during the Harrowing or by being trained by Preceptor Roslin in the party camp. Note that the item is automatically equipped on the character by accepting Carthus's offer to become a monk or by asking Preceptor Roslin to train you. Once it's equipped, the monk attacks considerably faster unarmed and unarmed combat damage scales with the Dexterity attribute. Additionally, all normal unarmed attacks have a chance to briefly stun the target.Although in the base Dragon Age game, unarmed attacks have no associated deathblows, the mod adds deathblow capability for monks. The monk ability Martial Training must be active in order to accomplish a deathblow. Deathblows may occur against targets ranked Lieutenant or higher.Note on Specific Boss Deathblows: Unarmed deathblows against High Dragons and the Broodmother will not always properly synch the monk to the target model, so there may be some unavoidable gaps/distance between the target and the monk while the deathblow plays.

[size=3]MONK ABILITIES[/size]

Please see the Readme for ability descriptions, including level and attribute prerequisites.CHANTRY MONK: MARTIAL WAYCHANTRY MONK: MYSTIC WAY

MASTER MONK
Image

EXEMPLAR
Image

TRANSCENDANT
Image

[size=3]INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS[/size]

Installation with DAModder is preferred:1. Drag "monk unarmed combat.dazip" in DAModder and let it install2. Launch the game and enjoy :)Installing with the DAupdater may cause issues:1. Open the program daupdater.exe, which is in your Dragon Agebin_ship folder.2. Click "Select DAZIPs".3. Locate the .dazip that you downloaded (extract from "zip" archive first).

4. Select the .dazip after it has appeared on the list and then press "Install Selected".
5. Launch the game and enjoy :)

[size=3]UNINSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS[/size]

Uninstall with DAModder or delete the folder.

[size=3]COMPATIBILITY[/size]

THIS MOD IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH OUR PREVIOUS UNARMED COMBAT MODS! YOU MUST DELETE OUR OLD MODS BEFORE THIS ONE WILL WORK!!!

All important files are standalone and should be compatible with any other mods as well as both Origins and Awakening. See the Readme for further compatibility notes.

[size=3]FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS[/size]

LEARN MARTIAL TRAINING AS ONE OF YOUR FIRST SKILLS AND ALWAYS KEEP IT ACTIVE!!All of the monk skills are based on either DEXTERITY or WILLPOWER. You should try to pump those stats at character creation :)

1. Q. The mod does not start.
A: You need to uninstall both our previous mods - otherwise they will conflict and cause a lot of problems.
Also, this is a -mage- specialization. You need to start as a mage to gain access to these talents.

2. Q: Some of the ability animations cause you to stand still and miss entirely.
A: Again, this is a problem with mod conflicts. You have to delete both our previous mods to get it to work!

3. Q: I keep standing there when the enemy is near death without actually killing him!
A: You didn't take Martial Training as one of your first skills. You have to take Martial Training and keep it active all the time for this to work!

4. Q: The unarmed animation is too slow.
A: It depends on your preference :/ Until we reach a consensus on whether it should be made faster or not, you should KEEP MARTIAL TRAINING ACTIVE and go for attack speed increasing talents, such as Hurricane.

AUTHOR'S COMMENTSA list of Future Plans is available in the Readme.

CHANGELOG09/26/2010Ver 1.2 released* Slightly increased base damage, Dexterity damage modifier, and attack speed of unarmed combat (Hidden Fist weapon).* Increased unarmed combat base armor penetration from 6 to 10.* Changed overlapping Animation IDs. NPCs should no longer perform combat animations as part of their ambient animation sequence.* Ironskin: Reduced Constitution bonus formula to 10% of Willpower modifier. (Was 5+10% of Willpower modifier.)* Martial Training: Altered attack bonus formula to 10 + 10% of Willpower modifier. (Was 5 + 20% of Willpower modifier.) This should provide a better hit rate in the early game and a slightly lower attack bonus at very high levels of Willpower (60+).

* Martial Training: Increased delay of deathblow checks in Martial Training script in an attempt to cut down on repeat deathblow animations after an NPC has already been deathblowed.
* Snap Kick: Reduced attribute requirement to 18 Dexterity. (Was 22 Dex.)

09/22/2010
Ver 1.1 released
* Removed "Test CWep Fist - Dragonbone" item from items awarded by Carthus when becoming a monk in the Harrowing Fade.

09/21/2010
v1.0
Mod released.

Thanks:

TimelordDC & Phaenan over at Bioware forums for help delaying inside a spellscript!
Zedd for the teleport script used in Fadestep and Stride!
Nezroy for the Chantry Robe tint map!
Werikk for the Respec code (hacked into the removal of chargen spells when selecting monk in the Harrowing Fade.)

Chantry Monk

Item Image

 Downloads offline


If you like this mod, a thumbs up/endorsement/FotM vote goes a long way towards encouraging further mod development.

Chantry Monk Specialization-Martial Arts Unarmed Combat

Version 1.2 -- 09/26/2010

* Slightly increased base damage, Dexterity damage modifier, and attack speed of unarmed combat (Hidden Fist weapon).
* Increased unarmed combat base armor penetration from 6 to 10.
* Changed overlapping Animation IDs. NPCs should no longer perform combat animations as part of their ambient animation sequence.
* Ironskin: Reduced Constitution bonus formula to 10% of Willpower modifier. (Was 5+10% of Willpower modifier.)
* Martial Training: Altered attack bonus formula to 10 + 10% of Willpower modifier. (Was 5 + 20% of Willpower modifier.) This should provide a better hit rate in the early game and a slightly lower attack bonus at very high levels of Willpower (60+).
* Martial Training: Increased delay of deathblow checks in Martial Training script in an attempt to cut down on repeat deathblow animations after an NPC has already been deathblowed.
* Snap Kick: Reduced attribute requirement to 18 Dexterity. (Was 22 Dex.)

--- As always, please fully uninstall the old version before installing the new one. ---

Version 1.1 -- 09/21/2010

* Removed "Test CWep Fist - Dragonbone" item from items granted by Carthus when becoming a monk in the Harrowing Fade.

NOTE: This item was never intended to exist in the final version, but the item's existence in game should have no real effect on the game. If you've already installed Version 1.0, you can simply deleted "Test CWep Fist - Dragonbone" from inventory and do not need to install the new version.

******NOTICE******
LEARN MARTIAL TRAINING AS ONE OF YOUR FIRST SKILLS AND ALWAYS KEEP IT ACTIVE!!

PLEASE CHECK THE FAQ BEFORE PLAYING THE GAME!

Please see the Readme.pdf included in the package for ability descriptions and other mod details.

Scroll to bottom for changelog.

Downloaded a 0 bytes file? Wait a few minutes and try again.
******NOTICE******

Note on custom tints: The custom monk robes used in this mod use the Chantry Robe texture, but are re-colored variously using custom tints. Because the game doesn't include a tint map file for the Chantry Robe (among several other base items), a custom tint map is required. Nezroy has a great custom tint map package available along with his Universal Dye Kit mod. I highly recommend the UDK itself, but if you want to see the custom tints on the monk robes in this mod, at the very least you need the file nez_tintpak_v3. Download and extract the nez_tintpak.erf into your DAO override directory ({my documents}BioWareDragon Agepackagescoreoverride).

The UDK mod and the tintpak file are available here.

[size=3]DEMONSTRATION VIDEO[/size]

This video showcases many of the new martial arts skills added in this mod as the monk annihilates many of the major bosses of Ferelden! CHECK OUT THE HD!Addendum: The video is for DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES. Note the title of this section... It has been intentionally made with a character specifically altered to showcase all the abilities in its most spectacular forms. The actual mod will -not- make you god-like! Actually try the mod before making conclusions like that.

[size=3]INTRODUCTION[/size]

A well trained fist is a weapon far more powerful than even the most ancient, the most legendary of all items. For there is nothing more familiar to a person than his own body, nothing more natural and perfectly in tune with your thoughts than your own hands and feet.Unarmed Combat was thus an important part of any combat system of fantasy style RPGs, including Bioware's own Neverwinter Nights/expansions and Neverwinter Nights 2/Expansions. Once you experienced the exhilaration of defeating the lord of all demons with your bare hands, what greater joy could there be?Unfortunately, Bioware's latest RPG, Dragon Age, greatly devalued Unarmed combat until it was worth less than the space its code occupied in the DVD. I mean, they actually spent money getting voicesets that complained when you tried to fight without a weapon. This was blasphemy! So, we, Sakaslan and Orgolove, worked hard together to bring you this mod, that truly shows the potential Dragon Age's system can bring for unarmed combat! With this mod, you can become a veritable juggernaut capable of ripping open the hide of an old god with your bare hands!

The Chantry Monk is a new mage specialization that includes three sub-specializations and 48 abilities and utilizes unarmed attack animations for standard attacks as well as a wide variety of special ability animations, including deathblows (which are not a part of the regular game's unarmed combat resolution scripts.)



Chantry Monks use Willpower and Dexterity as their primary attributes. All monk abilities that have attribute prerequisites will use either Willpower or Dexterity. Willpower in general determines the power of a monk's magic-like abilities and is the stat against which targets of monk abilities must pass their resistance checks in most cases. Dexterity increases a monk's hand-to-hand base damage. (See below or Readme.pdf for individual ability descriptions.) The monk is intended as a separate leveling path for mages, beginning at level one. That is, if you choose to play as a monk, most if not all of your abilities should be monk abilities. Standard mage abilities that scale off Magic/Spellpower will be of little use to a well-designed monk. A monk recruiter will appearing just inside the Fade during a new mage's Harrowing, giving the player the option to gain the base Chantry Monk specialization immediately. (See Section titled Starting as a Monk for details.)

All feedback, particularly with regard to balance issues, is welcome. The monk is intended to remain on the same general power level as other classes throughout the leveling spectrum of the game, including the added expansion levels. The final two monk specializations, Exemplar and Transcendant, are primarily intended as Awakening-level specializations.

[size=3]FEATURES[/size]


  • VIABLE UNARMED COMBAT
  • ATTACK AND ABILITY ANIMATIONS FROM MULTIPLE FIGHTING STYLES ALL INCLUDED IN UNARMED COMBAT.
  • 4 NEW LINKED SPECIALIZATIONS
  • OVER 40+ CUSTOM ABILITIES
  • UNARMED DEATHBLOW ANIMATIONS
  • OVER 20 CUSTOM ITEMS DESIGNED FOR UNARMED COMBAT



[size=3]BACKGROUND[/size]

"By your will may all things be done."
- The Chant of Light, Canticle of Threnodies 5:1


The existence of an order of mage-ascetics within the Chantry is an inadmissable secret at the upper echelons of Chantry hierarchy. But no organization grows so large and influential without burying a secret or two. While the Templars exist to corral and police the magi of the various Circles, the Chantry Monks exist to...handle problems for which the Templars are ill-suited. While Templars may attack a situation head-on in regiment-style numbers, monks work solo or in duos or trios to covertly bring about a resolution favorable to the Chantry.

Indeed, the foundation of the Ashen Order can be traced back to such a situation: The growing feud between the Chantry hierarchy within Tevinter and the rest of the Chantry hierarchy across Thedas during the middle years of the Towers Age. After the Battle of Hunter Fell, Orlais took possession of Nevarra City while Tevinter claimed Hunter Fell. The Orlesian clergy sought to curb the Imperium's expansion and thus curb the dissenting voices of the Tevinter clergy. But the Orlesians did not want war, particularly not while the funeral pyres of the Third Blight still smoldered. A variety of political subterfuges and socio-economic machinations met with minor successes, but the results were not nearly worth the high financial costs of such schemes.

Then in 3:42 Towers, a young mage of the Orlesian Circle brought a proposal before the Deacons of the College of Clerics in Val Royeaux, and through them to the Divine herself.

In 3:19 Towers, a grandson named Cadmon was born to the Revered Mother of the Nevarra City Chantry. Six years later, when Orlais assumed occupation of Nevarra City there was some talk amongst the College of Clerics of removing the Revered Mother in favor of an Orlesian native, but in this the College was overruled by the Divine. The Nevarran Revered Mother had, it seemed, strong familial ties on the maternal side to Val Royeaux. In fact, when a twelve-year-old Cadmon began to show signs of magical affinity, he was sent not to Cumberland but to the Orlesian Circle and was there well-looked-after as a favor to his grandmother.

Cadmon's family on his grandmother's paternal side descended from the hassarans of the Free Marches and through them the ancient hand-to-hand combat style was kept alive. When Cadmon was oblated to the Orlesian Circle, an older cousin who was an officer of the Templars was transferred to the Circle Tower to both watch over the boy and continue Cadmon's hassaran training.

During his five years of apprenticeship, Cadmon showed little aptitude for magical instruction, and although his ability to resist magic through application of his own willpower in direct conflict with that of his mentor was noted as above average, the general assumption amongst the senior enchanters was that the boy could not possibly complete the Harrowing and must be made Tranquil. Throughout his apprenticeship, however, Cadmon innovated a form of magical practice that blended his hassaran fighting style with magical effects. On the counsel of his Templar cousin, Cadmon kept these innovations secret from the other apprentices and magi at the tower.

In 3:36 Towers, by joint agreement of the First Enchanter and the Templar Knight-Commander, it was decreed that Cadmon (now 17 years old) would undergo the Rite of Tranquility. Both men believed this to be an act of compassion, since Cadmon's instructors unanimously acknowledged that the boy was incapable of handling sufficient magical forces to survive the Harrowing. Cadmon, however, managed to convince the First Enchanter to Harrow him anyway, and the boy easily defeated his demonic opponent to become a full mage of the Circle.

Three years later, Cadmon began composing the first article of a monastic oath and system of rules that would become known as the Regula Cadmon. In it, he set forth the ideology of a way of life and the policies for a self-governing order of mage-ascetics trained in his magical hassaran hybrid practices and dedicated to the pursuit of both mental and physical perfection in the service of The Maker and His Chantry. Using his grandmother's contacts throughout the Val Royeaux clergy, Cadmon began seeking audiences with key members of the College of Clerics.

Cadmon spent several years attempting to convince the clergy of the need for a special, covert order within the Chantry purposed with thwarting the designs of the rebellious ideologues of the Chantry in Tevinter (which had not yet split into the Imperial Chantry) as well as protecting Chantry concerns throughout Thedas.

This was exactly the solution the Divine and her advisors had been searching for. But a cadre of magi operating directly for the Chantry, which was dogmatically opposed to the unrestricted use of magic, posed both an ethical and practical obstacle. In the end, the Divine went before the College of Clerics to publicly deny Cadmon's petition and declared the matter ended.

Privately, however, she created the Ashen Order and granted it the ancient monastery at Whitehall in the western Vimmarks. The Divine rechristened the monastery Whitehall Priory and elevated Cadmon to the rank of Prior. The Priory (as the Ashen Order would become colloquially known--among those who were even aware of its existence, at least) was further granted authority to observe apprentices and magi from any Circle and remove those fit for Prior Cadmon's specific mode of training into the Priory's custody. Because the training of a monk required incredible willpower, it was more unlikely that one deemed fit for the training would succumb to demonic influence or possession, but even so, the restrictions placed upon Prior Cadmon's selection process were severe. As a further measure, it was agreed that a single, high-ranking Templar would be stationed at Whitehall to act as a liaison between the Priory, the Chantry, the Mage Circles, and the Templar Order. When and if new monasteries were opened, each would house one Templar liaison.

The Ashen Order was (un)officially founded in 3:43 Towers. Its first mission was to remove Hunter Fell from Imperium occupation. Six years later, the first group of initiates graduated to the rank of ascendant and the Imperium was quietly, forcefully expelled from Hunter Fell.

"The sword is not a tool of war, but an instrument of mercy."
- The Second Article, Regula Cadmon


Over the following decades, the Priory came into its own. Its system of training grew more refined, and new techniques were discovered and added to the curriculum. The Priory proved itself a valuable asset to the Chantry, repeatedly stymieing the efforts of the Tevinter Chantry and the political maneuverings of the Imperium's magisters. A short period of contention between the Priory and the Chantry occurred in 3:65 Towers when Nevarra City gained independence from Orlais, purportedly with significant help from Prior Cadmon and his monks. But by the time of the Schism, tensions between the Priory and the Andrastian Chantry had smoothed, and the Priory's attentions were turned to the newly-declared Imperial Chantry.

Key members of the Imperial Chantry's clergy were targeted for assassination, and these missions met with failure as frequently as success. Of particular note was a quartet of unsuccessful attempts on the life of the Black Divine after the declaration of a holy day upon the death of Joyous II at the end of the Towers Age. Still, the Imperial Chantry was made to understand that their rebellion against Val Royeaux would not be limited to a war of words and ideals.

During the four Exalted Marches against the Imperial Chantry, the monks of the Priory played significant roles softening key military targets ahead of the Andrastian army through covert strikes and assassinations of Tevinter officials, both clerical and military. Since then, the Priory has had a hand in numerous Chantry-related affairs, from the protection of small, rural chantries to the opposition of Imperium schemes against nations faithful to the true worship of The Maker.

In 4:28 Black, Prior Cadmon died at the age of 109. His successor, Reginald of Montfort, refused the title of Prior, saying that none should replace their departed Most Holy Brother. Instead, he assumed the title Vicar and this tradition has held fast to the present day.

Chantry Monks do not live in the Circle Towers, but rather in monastic abbeys typically established in reclusive areas. Today, most nations of Thedas serve as home to at least one abbey of the Ashen Order, though most of these are either secret holdfasts or disguised as common monasteries. Some few monks dwell in small dormitories within cities.

Monks train in a two-fold path governing both body and mind, and their use of magic is focused primarily inward in order to cultivate a strong will and develop astonishing physical abilities. Their system of martial combat based on the ancient hassaran traditions is combined with this force of will, physical acumen, and a mage's innate connection to the Fade in order to augment this art with magical effects. Unlike most mages, the primary attributes of monks are Willpower and Dexterity. Few monks develop the kind of magical ability practiced by the enchanters of the Circles.

[size=3]STARTING AS A MONK[/size]

While this mod can be used with a mage character already in the middle of a play-through simply by spending a specialization point on the Chantry Monk specialization, it was really designed to be used on a newly-created mage.Create the mage normally through character generation, but bear in mind the monk's focus on Willpower and Dexterity when allocating attribute points. Select spells as normal and start the game. Once you enter the Fade for your Harrowing, you will find a Monk Itinerant (wandering monks charged with selecting candidates for initiation into the Ashen Order) named Carthus.Speaking with Carthus gives you the opportunity to become a monk at level one. If you accept his offer, your initial 3 spell allotments will be reset, allowing you to spend those 3 points on monk abilities. Only your spell choices will be reset. Attributes will remain as designated in chargen. Carthus will also give you your Initiate's Robe and training in unarmed fighting. The "training" is handled via a hidden item that controls the stats of unarmed attacks. (See Unarmed Fighting below or in the Readme for more.)

[size=3]UNARMED FIGHTING[/size]

The monk specialization is designed to use the base unarmed attack animations provided in DAO for its regular attacks. Additionally, a "push" or double-palm strike animation and a kick animation have been added for regular attacks and will randomly appear in rotation with left fist/right fist punch animations.The power and speed of the monk's attacks are controlled by a hidden item equipped on the character either by being inducted into the Ashen Order by Carthus in the Fade during the Harrowing or by being trained by Preceptor Roslin in the party camp. Note that the item is automatically equipped on the character by accepting Carthus's offer to become a monk or by asking Preceptor Roslin to train you. Once it's equipped, the monk attacks considerably faster unarmed and unarmed combat damage scales with the Dexterity attribute. Additionally, all normal unarmed attacks have a chance to briefly stun the target.Although in the base Dragon Age game, unarmed attacks have no associated deathblows, the mod adds deathblow capability for monks. The monk ability Martial Training must be active in order to accomplish a deathblow. Deathblows may occur against targets ranked Lieutenant or higher.Note on Specific Boss Deathblows: Unarmed deathblows against High Dragons and the Broodmother will not always properly synch the monk to the target model, so there may be some unavoidable gaps/distance between the target and the monk while the deathblow plays.

[size=3]MONK ABILITIES[/size]

Please see the Readme for ability descriptions, including level and attribute prerequisites.CHANTRY MONK: MARTIAL WAYCHANTRY MONK: MYSTIC WAY

MASTER MONK
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EXEMPLAR
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TRANSCENDANT
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[size=3]INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS[/size]

Installation with DAModder is preferred:1. Drag "monk unarmed combat.dazip" in DAModder and let it install2. Launch the game and enjoy :)Installing with the DAupdater may cause issues:1. Open the program daupdater.exe, which is in your Dragon Agebin_ship folder.2. Click "Select DAZIPs".3. Locate the .dazip that you downloaded (extract from "zip" archive first).

4. Select the .dazip after it has appeared on the list and then press "Install Selected".
5. Launch the game and enjoy :)

[size=3]UNINSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS[/size]

Uninstall with DAModder or delete the folder.

[size=3]COMPATIBILITY[/size]

THIS MOD IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH OUR PREVIOUS UNARMED COMBAT MODS! YOU MUST DELETE OUR OLD MODS BEFORE THIS ONE WILL WORK!!!

All important files are standalone and should be compatible with any other mods as well as both Origins and Awakening. See the Readme for further compatibility notes.

[size=3]FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS[/size]

LEARN MARTIAL TRAINING AS ONE OF YOUR FIRST SKILLS AND ALWAYS KEEP IT ACTIVE!!All of the monk skills are based on either DEXTERITY or WILLPOWER. You should try to pump those stats at character creation :)

1. Q. The mod does not start.
A: You need to uninstall both our previous mods - otherwise they will conflict and cause a lot of problems.
Also, this is a -mage- specialization. You need to start as a mage to gain access to these talents.

2. Q: Some of the ability animations cause you to stand still and miss entirely.
A: Again, this is a problem with mod conflicts. You have to delete both our previous mods to get it to work!

3. Q: I keep standing there when the enemy is near death without actually killing him!
A: You didn't take Martial Training as one of your first skills. You have to take Martial Training and keep it active all the time for this to work!

4. Q: The unarmed animation is too slow.
A: It depends on your preference :/ Until we reach a consensus on whether it should be made faster or not, you should KEEP MARTIAL TRAINING ACTIVE and go for attack speed increasing talents, such as Hurricane.

AUTHOR'S COMMENTSA list of Future Plans is available in the Readme.

CHANGELOG09/26/2010Ver 1.2 released* Slightly increased base damage, Dexterity damage modifier, and attack speed of unarmed combat (Hidden Fist weapon).* Increased unarmed combat base armor penetration from 6 to 10.* Changed overlapping Animation IDs. NPCs should no longer perform combat animations as part of their ambient animation sequence.* Ironskin: Reduced Constitution bonus formula to 10% of Willpower modifier. (Was 5+10% of Willpower modifier.)* Martial Training: Altered attack bonus formula to 10 + 10% of Willpower modifier. (Was 5 + 20% of Willpower modifier.) This should provide a better hit rate in the early game and a slightly lower attack bonus at very high levels of Willpower (60+).

* Martial Training: Increased delay of deathblow checks in Martial Training script in an attempt to cut down on repeat deathblow animations after an NPC has already been deathblowed.
* Snap Kick: Reduced attribute requirement to 18 Dexterity. (Was 22 Dex.)

09/22/2010
Ver 1.1 released
* Removed "Test CWep Fist - Dragonbone" item from items awarded by Carthus when becoming a monk in the Harrowing Fade.

09/21/2010
v1.0
Mod released.

Thanks:

TimelordDC & Phaenan over at Bioware forums for help delaying inside a spellscript!
Zedd for the teleport script used in Fadestep and Stride!
Nezroy for the Chantry Robe tint map!
Werikk for the Respec code (hacked into the removal of chargen spells when selecting monk in the Harrowing Fade.)


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