So, as for Monks...

[Tahlian]

Monks are out for worgen because worgen are seething bags of furry rage...and such a condition is not conducive to a zen sort of mindset. Their coffee gets cold? They wolf out. Someone looks at them funny? They wolf out. They enter combat for any reason at all? They wolf out.

A worgen of any other class apprenticing to a monk character in an attempt to learn some control over their inner rage would probably be a really cool RP concept...but there are good reasons why worgen can't be monks.

[Lupis]

Trolls could easily be monks. They already extensively practice hand-to-hand combat and they're built for a long reach, agility, and balance - perfect for being a monk. As for Chi, you don't need to think of it as Chi. It could be light and dark power from the Loas.

Same with Tauren - while not built for the same agility, they have plenty of kicking, chopping and punching power. That along with their belief in the sun and the moon would make them perfect. (Light energy = An'she, the sun. Dark energy = Mu'sha, the moon. Easy.)

(By the way, Sunwalkers make plenty of sense, what are you talking about? O.o)

[Chimera]

i dunno.. sunwalkers are a great concept but the pally powers make it too weird for me

[Lupis]

Ah, yeah, I see what you mean there. The names of the powers don't make sense in context - I just mentally rename them all. xD

[Vephriel]

*nod* I imagine the Sunwalkers are much different in terms of lore and story, but for game mechanics they have to have identical abilities as other Paladins, and some of those abilities don't seem quite fitted.

[Cerele]

i dunno.. sunwalkers are a great concept but the pally powers make it too weird for me

hero class
Sunwalkers
Avalible races Tauren and night elf
next hero class

JK

No but sunwalker seriously should not be a pally, native americans didnt crusade too often

[Calixte]

<3 the idea of a healy monk. I think initially I'm going to try out a Pandaren monk and probably roll a Pandaren hunter as well if I like the female model. I sort of like the idea of a Tauren monk as well but none of the other races really make sense in my mind. Perhaps trolls, but certainly not anyone else. I especially hate Blood Elves as monks because they feel really artificial and certainly not spiritual in the least. I once played a lot of Blood Elves but have felt more and more that they're such a shallow, superficial race.

[Lupis]

Eh, I think if you don't take the powers by name, they make sense. I mean, the sun can easily burn or heal, judging by how it's portrayed. Sure, "Exorcism" doesn't make sense at first, but just imagine it as power from the sun burning the enemy.

As for crusades, there are plenty of tauren in the Argent Crusade.

[Mindsprocket]

Well, I guess what this discussion shows us is that there are already race/class combos that are highly disputed and many different opinions on what does or doesn't make sense. So I guess monks won't make it worse at least.

I myself have a big problem with Goblin Shamans. I mean, their totems are machines that constantly spill oil and smoke. Could they possibly be less environmental? At least with Gnome monks, even if you think that Gnomish society doesn't care about monks, you could just imagine that your gnome is an oddball who just likes to do things differently. But Shamans whose totems spread pollution? That just doesn't make sense.

But hey, I can live with it. I don't play a Goblin Shaman for that reason, but I don't hate people who do and I obviously also didn't rage-quit over it.

I'll definitely try out monks and I'll live with any explanation of why race x can play them. It can't be worse than the explanation of why Worgen are druids (or why Worgen are Worgen for that matter).

[Cerah]

I myself have a big problem with Goblin Shamans. I mean, their totems are machines that constantly spill oil and smoke. Could they possibly be less environmental? At least with Gnome monks, even if you think that Gnomish society doesn't care about monks, you could just imagine that your gnome is an oddball who just likes to do things differently. But Shamans whose totems spread pollution? That just doesn't make sense.

I play a goblin Elementalist Shaman, and here's how I explain her:

Trixzie: (to Elemental) Have I got a deal for you!

IMO, Goblins simply see Shamanism as a more practical art than other members of the Horde. They don't see the Elements as something to worship -- they see them as something useful, and they, in return, can do things that the Elements/Elementals can't necessairly do themselves (like manipulate technology -- sometimes to clean up the environment, like the Shaman trainer in the Goblin Slums of Orgrimmar does, with the help of her little earth elementals). They see shamanism as a game of give and take, as a mutually beneficial business venture, with just slightly more unusual customers. Elementals, like any beings, need certain things to survive. Goblins can provide services the elementals can't do themselves, and in return, the elementals grant them portions of their power. Of course, goblins, being goblins, will try to come out on top of this venture whenever they feel they can get away with it. It's up to the elements to decide to what level they'll put up with it.

So yeah, a Goblin will never be Thrall-level shaman, but the class still makes sense for them.

As for Monks, I'm looking forward to making my Pandaran a healer monk. I just can't do melee dps very well anyway (tried a rogue and feral druid, had to delete them both), and I'll be able to reuse my balance/resto druid's heirloom gear.

[7seti]

I am 99% certain the race restrictions for Monks are due to model limitations, not lore.

The Monk class is going to involve a lot of fancy new animations; rolls, kicks and suchlike. We also know that new player models are in the works. Now, why not allow the class to goblins and worgen? Surely a goblin monk is no more silly than a gnome one. The obvious answer (at least, to me) is that all these new animations require a special skeleton. The goblins and worgen, although fairly new, were not designed for this kind of animation, but their models are recent enough to not be worth updating.

Ergo, we'll be seeing new player models (including Belves and Draenei) in Mists of Pandaria.

[Chimera]

updating player models that already exist is a touchy thing, its not like updating a mob, theres a choice there to keep it or not, it doesnt affect the player aside from a longing desire to have their old modelled cat back, to update player models is a huge thing and there is no choice, i sorta hope they dont update the models till perhaps the expansion after, they need to take precautions so they dont lose a large amount of they're player base which could very well happen since its the very characters themselves that are being messed with graphically (im not even sure i wanna hear the complaints about the talent tree system, i myself have no opinion on it cause i havent looked into it enough to form one).

Most likley the models will be updated but they're gonna have to give the players plenty of time to soak it in before implimenting. It isnt gonna be a huge overhaul i know that, they're probably just gonna smooth out the models, perhaps give more flow to the movements, give us a bit more texture but theres a lot of people who like the old ways. But definitely, i didnt think of how the monk mechanics would work on other races, our skeletons are too stiff imo for it. I myself am extremely all for the change but its going to be quite interesting on how this whole deal plays out if a new skeleton and thus new skin for each race is introduced.

[7seti]

updating player models that already exist is a touchy thing, its not like updating a mob, theres a choice there to keep it or not, it doesnt affect the player aside from a longing desire to have their old modelled cat back, to update player models is a huge thing and there is no choice, i sorta hope they dont update the models till perhaps the expansion after, they need to take precautions so they dont lose a large amount of they're player base which could very well happen since its the very characters themselves that are being messed with graphically (im not even sure i wanna hear the complaints about the talent tree system, i myself have no opinion on it cause i havent looked into it enough to form one).

Most likley the models will be updated but they're gonna have to give the players plenty of time to soak it in before implimenting. It isnt gonna be a huge overhaul i know that, they're probably just gonna smooth out the models, perhaps give more flow to the movements, give us a bit more texture but theres a lot of people who like the old ways. But definitely, i didnt think of how the monk mechanics would work on other races, our skeletons are too stiff imo for it. I myself am extremely all for the change but its going to be quite interesting on how this whole deal plays out if a new skeleton and thus new skin for each race is introduced.

I think it would be easy enough to implement new models the same way they did new epic mounts. Make new characters new models only, but give all pre-existing characters a free recustomisation, so they could choose to keep their old look or upgrade. You'd end up with a mix of old and new models running around, but I think that's better than causing a riot by forcibly changing everyone's looks.

However they do it, new models will have to be in place by the release of the expansion. The monk animations simply won't work on the primitive old models.

[Chimera]

I like that idea, the choice for free re-customization, but i dunno what would happen to people making alts, or new players that want the old model rather then new, i dont know if blizz would give them the option to be 'new' or 'old'. They would need to go with the newer model if they wanted to be monk, on the 'old' model creation it could be greyed out and then new model, it would light up but im just not sure if blizz would give new characters a choice

[Holgarr]

I am 99% certain the race restrictions for Monks are due to model limitations, not lore.

The Monk class is going to involve a lot of fancy new animations; rolls, kicks and suchlike. We also know that new player models are in the works. Now, why not allow the class to goblins and worgen? Surely a goblin monk is no more silly than a gnome one. The obvious answer (at least, to me) is that all these new animations require a special skeleton. The goblins and worgen, although fairly new, were not designed for this kind of animation, but their models are recent enough to not be worth updating.

Ergo, we'll be seeing new player models (including Belves and Draenei) in Mists of Pandaria.

Nope.avi

Goblins and Worgen won't get Monks because of lore and startzone complications. Both races have their entire startzones take place well before the Pandaren are discovered - so how could there be monks if there's nobody to train them...?

[7seti]

Nope.avi

Goblins and Worgen won't get Monks because of lore and startzone complications. Both races have their entire startzones take place well before the Pandaren are discovered - so how could there be monks if there's nobody to train them...?

So do all races. Every starting zone is set at the beginning of Cataclysm. Besides, you know how Blizzard likes to fudge the lore. It was clearly stated that worgen and goblin death knights only exist because they devs thought it would be cool. They would do the same here if there weren't technical limitations preventing it.

[Chimera]

Yea.. the um, the cataclysm was kinda how we met the Pandarens, or erm, theres still unfinished lore behind that but the cataclysm connected us to pandarens, a lotta the start zones revolve around the pre-cat events like trolls regaining the echo isles after defeating zazalane, and that event happened durng WotLK, the cataclysm hadnt hit yet (i would say more but ive only done the beginning quests to a few characters)

[Kayb]

Goblin death knights are perfectly logical, Worgen ones certainly were not however, just as Pandaren ones are not.

I don't really think Monks gel well for Night or Blood Elves. They absolutely do not for Gnomes and I query why the Forsaken get them also. The whole concept of "well they used to be human and humans can do it" thing is a weaksauce reason rather than a real one. Blood Elves at least, had they still been suffering from magic withdrawals anyway, would have had a workable story for it.

I can see it for Draeni, but they should really get off their butts and revamp their starter zones to fit with the advanced storyline. (not to mention the Belf ones) Instead rather they're going for the 'we're just gonna say they were always there' approach, which stinks. But yeah I can see that race having them.

Tauren and Dwarves, yes it does, fit but it could look terribly awkward as far as the animations go. It's more a case of it being Runemaster like in nature rather the traditional Monk archtype.

Orc, Trolls and Humans? Absolutely! Very good fit.

[Vephriel]

I've been thinking on this some more, and I believe I'll roll a male Troll monk. They just really appeal to me, and with their capoeira style dancing I can totally picture them with some martial arts moves. Plus, male Trolls are awesome and I need more.