GameSpot's Might & Magic VII Game Guide

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Character Creation (cont.)

Monk
The monk is a new addition to Might and Magic VII. It is a powerful fighter and second to the knight in raw physical power. This class gets a good number of hit points and later on gains the ability to cast rudimentary self magic, although it is the weakest of all spellcasters. The monk can attack unarmed and, so, needs no weapons. It also has the dodging skill, so it doesn't need to wear armor. At low levels, the monk won't be your most powerful or well-armored warrior, but as it progresses in level, the monk will steadily grow stronger and stronger. When it achieves master level in leather and armsmaster and grandmaster levels in unarmed fighting, dodging, and staff, the monk becomes a crushingly powerful fighter. The monk also can take its bodybuilding skill to grandmaster level and thus gains hit points that are second in quantity only to the knight.

Because the monk doesn't need weapons or armor, it is a cheap class to maintain. You can save money on their weapons and armor, and that in turn lets you buy better spells and equipment for your other party members. At low levels, this side benefit is pretty handy, but this benefit diminishes by mid game.

The monk unfortunately does not contribute much to your party. The only skills the monk can bring to grandmaster level are body building and learning, two skills that only benefit the monk. The only master level skill the monk can have is armsmaster. However, if you don't have a real thief, the ninja can serve as a poor man's thief. The good monk master can only learn expert disarm trap skill, but the evil ninja can learn up to master disarm trap. This makes the ninja the best replacement for the thief, but of course, it only benefits you if you choose to side with evil. Otherwise, the good monk's disarm trap skill is just the same as a ranger's. The monk is very poor with the bow and also does not gain any appreciable skill with any weapons or armor except for the staff and leather armor.