ISFP
Monk
Lead Stat – Introverted Feeling – Wisdom
Secondary Stat – Extroverted Sensing – Dexterity/Perception
Tertiary/Hidden Stat – Introverted Intuition – Mana/Insight
Struggle/Weak Stat – Extroverted Thinking – Strength
The three men approach the monk meditating peacefully in the center of the temple grounds, weapons drawn. The residents hide out of sight, only peeking out to observe what they can only assume will end badly. “Come won’t you, join me in reflection.” The biggest of the men steps forward “We don’t have time for this. Pay us our protection fee or we’ll burn this place to the ground.” The monk stands and smiles at the men, every movement graceful, peaceful. “I seek not violence today” He kicks a wooden staff up from his feet into his hands and in a swift movement balanced between grace and force he twirls it and enters a ready stance. “But I will not hesitate to protect that which is dear to me. Those who seek to spill blood on these sacred grounds shall feel my resolve.” The men smirk and advance. The smallest man rushes first, a blade in hand, and performs an overhead slash down towards the monk. He smoothly moves his body to the side, twirls using the momentum of the dodge and brings his elbow into the attacker’s stomach, knocking the air from his chest. Two other men, one with blade one with maul, approach from each side. The maul of the largest man comes first and using the staff the monk deflects it to the side, more so redirecting the energy than stopping or parrying it. The blade comes from behind and the monk swiftly brings the staff back in both hands and strikes behind him, still facing forward, hitting the attacker in the throat. Before the man with the maul even has time to recover from the weight of the redirection the monk steps forward, spinning the staff as if it was an extension of his very being, and brings it down onto the hand of the man causing him to drop the maul. He releases the staff into the air, delivers a flurry of punches knocking the man to the ground and catches the staff before it reaches the ground. Two men lie gasping on the ground and the largest on his back without weapon in hand. The monk steps forward as if to strike the man’s head and he winces in anticipation of the strike…then blinks his eyes open. The monk stands in front of him, staff held in one hand behind his back, the other hand outstretched to him . “Come won’t you, join me in reflection. Who we are now is not who we have to be forever. As long as your lungs give breath there is a chance to do better, to do right.”
“What is right to you, what is important to you. These are what matter in life. Stand firmly for what you know to be just and let your actions align with your beliefs. Have patience with others for just as you are on the eternal journey of self-discovery, so are they. As long as you are you though, that is what matters.”
ISFPs/Monks lead with Wisdom. Think to the definition of wisdom, what does it mean? “The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.” Experience, knowledge, and sound judgement are what the Monk seeks. There are infinite experiences to be had in the world and for the monk they seek to go out into the world via their dexterity/perception Se and experience all they can. Unlike the ESFP though, it is not the thrill of the experience or the experience in and of itself that the monk enjoys, it is the insight and wisdom that they can glean from such experiences. How do these experiences relate to who I am or what I believe in? Am I being my most authentic self? Am I doing what is right and what resonates with my soul? After experiencing the world and what there is to see within it, they can use their insight Ni to reflect on what these experiences mean and then, most importantly, how these experiences resonate with their identity and what they believe is right, true, and just. Insight is an area of growth, a hidden stat for the monk though, and a major issue they might face if not careful is only engaging in the FiSe process when determining what is right. They will experience an event or action and then immediately judge it as right or wrong, good or bad, without allowing it to go through the lens of insight. When one stumbles upon a fly caught in a web we might know it is bad to see the poor creature be devoured. Our experiences and judgements might cause us to intervene. It is insight though that says “without the fly to eat, the spider will starve. A direct good can cause an indirect bad if we are not careful.” The marriage of this balance of dexterity experience and insight is what allows them to harness and develop their iron sense of self and morals – their wisdom. As they grow and develop their wisdom becomes exceptionally strong from a foundational level and it is near impossible to convince a monk to betray what they believe to be just or right. The Monks weakest stat is strength Te. While they often may feel passionately and strongly on some subjects and topics, they also respect the boundaries of most other individuals and unless pushed into a state of stress they are unlikely to attempt to overtly change the world through their wisdom. Afterall, to the 90-year-old monk meditating in the temple his life journey is still ongoing and they often see themselves in an eternal state of processing and updating what is right or what it even means to be right. Monks often excel as teachers of wisdom instead of those who crusade for change. The old monk may not push change, but he encourages and raises a generation of individuals who are able to learn from the experiences he had and the wisdom he gleaned from them. While the ISFP/Monk may not value overt strength or force of change, they would do good to remember the good that can come from them standing up for what is right beyond just the individual level. There should be balance between staying in the temple to ponder one’s experiences and going out into the world to share their wisdom.
Skills:
Iron Will - The resolve of the monk is unwavering. Should they be brought to no health they can resist fainting once per rest/day.
Martial Master - Monks excel in the physical realm and are incredibly adaptive. Monks can learn multiple fighting styles and are able to fluidly switch between them (including weapon styles).
Stillness of Mind - Monks believe entirely in whatever is right or wrong to them. Monks are immune to being charmed or frightened and will stand tall against whatever would seek to threaten what they believe to be important.
Chi Blast - Deep within the monk there is hidden mana. They can unleash this energy in small bursts of energy that acts as a reflection of their emotions and values.
