Alternative to Ki?

[Sezdrin]

So I'm working with one of my players to help develop their character.
Essentially, they're going for a rough and tumble brawler. Originally, they wanted to go with a fighter because he wanted to go more MMa, so he was trying to avoid all the eastern, kung-fu vibes the monk has attached to it, bit I just assured him we can re-flavor that part. Sure, he didn't have a monastery, but the hard life of the streets and the fighting pits he grew up in is the only teacher a kid needs.
However, the one issue I'm running into is Ki. That feels less like something that you just pick up and more something that needs taught. And since it basically produces magical effects, it's hard to write off the player healing himself as "Yeah, he's just THAT good at punching."
So I decided to turn to you clever folk in a plea to help me in my time of need.

[Dork_Forge]

So I'm working with one of my players to help develop their character.
Essentially, they're going for a rough and tumble brawler. Originally, they wanted to go with a fighter because he wanted to go more MMa, so he was trying to avoid all the eastern, kung-fu vibes the monk has attached to it, bit I just assured him we can re-flavor that part. Sure, he didn't have a monastery, but the hard life of the streets and the fighting pits he grew up in is the only teacher a kid needs.
However, the one issue I'm running into is Ki. That feels less like something that you just pick up and more something that needs taught. And since it basically produces magical effects, it's hard to write off the player healing himself as "Yeah, he's just THAT good at punching."
So I decided to turn to you clever folk in a plea to help me in my time of need.

Just drop the ki label, it's a pool of energy his body keep in reserve, a result of his physical fitness and he learned to draw upon it in those street brawls where if he didn't then he would have died. Call them stamina points or something else, Healing himself? His wounds aren't really healing he's just pushing past the pain and getting in the zone. Stunning someone? After years of trial and error he found the soft bits of the body that makes the rest go stiff when you hit them hard enough.

Obviously this gets harder to reflavour if he was something like a Shadow monk but it sounded like he was going way of the open hand.

[Tawmis]

So I'm working with one of my players to help develop their character.
Essentially, they're going for a rough and tumble brawler. Originally, they wanted to go with a fighter because he wanted to go more MMa, so he was trying to avoid all the eastern, kung-fu vibes the monk has attached to it, bit I just assured him we can re-flavor that part. Sure, he didn't have a monastery, but the hard life of the streets and the fighting pits he grew up in is the only teacher a kid needs. However, the one issue I'm running into is Ki. That feels less like something that you just pick up and more something that needs taught. And since it basically produces magical effects, it's hard to write off the player healing himself as "Yeah, he's just THAT good at punching."
So I decided to turn to you clever folk in a plea to help me in my time of need.

So if he's going for MMA style, why not just say where he trained (the gym) was his "Monastery." But rather than teaching "channeled peace" they teach "Opportunity Strikes."

Reflavor it to:

Monks make careful study of body language to understand when a person is going to lunge, attack, and strike - giving them "Opportunity Strikes."

This training allows them to harness their knowledge within themselves to create what seems like magical knowledge of understanding the body and their own - as well as their opponents physical capabilities and weaknesses, and some of their special attacks can hinder an opponents ability to strike back. Using this knowledge, Monks channel their uncanny speed and strength into unarmed strikes. As they gain experience, their martial training and their mastery of the human body gives them more power over their bodies and the bodies of their foes.

Which is a re-flavor of what it says for actual Monks:
Monks make careful study of a magical energy that most monastic traditions call ki. This energy is an element of the magic that suffuses the multiverse—specifically, the element that flows through living bodies. Monks harness this power within themselves to create magical effects and exceed their bodies’ physical capabilities, and some of their special attacks can hinder the flow of ki in their opponents. Using this energy, monks channel uncanny speed and strength into their unarmed strikes. As they gain experience, their martial training and their mastery of ki gives them more power over their bodies and the bodies of their foes.

So rather than "focusing Ki Points" - they're focusing "Opportunity Strike Points."

[Contrast]

it's hard to write off the player healing himself as "Yeah, he's just THAT good at punching."

Do you insist that a barbarians soaking of damage and ability to shrug off death is magical or do you just think of it as the big burly dude resisting the pain and refusing to go down?

Same thing here except with someone with truly remarkable reflexes. A monk is closer to Spiderman than Doctor Strange after all.

Some are harder to refluff than others but Open Hand, Drunken Master or Kensai all seem within the realm of physical plausibility.

I'm imagining something like the fight scenes from Sherlock Holmes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGCMfprPJoA

[Lord Raziere]

So I'm working with one of my players to help develop their character.
Essentially, they're going for a rough and tumble brawler. Originally, they wanted to go with a fighter because he wanted to go more MMa, so he was trying to avoid all the eastern, kung-fu vibes the monk has attached to it, bit I just assured him we can re-flavor that part. Sure, he didn't have a monastery, but the hard life of the streets and the fighting pits he grew up in is the only teacher a kid needs.
However, the one issue I'm running into is Ki. That feels less like something that you just pick up and more something that needs taught. And since it basically produces magical effects, it's hard to write off the player healing himself as "Yeah, he's just THAT good at punching."
So I decided to turn to you clever folk in a plea to help me in my time of need.

well you can try and write it off as some non-magical stuff like the others. just him being Just That Good...

or!

how about this, there is an an equal but opposite force to Ki. think of Ki as the Lawful energy, now imagine a Chaotic version of it, that doesn't care about the eastern kung-fu or whatever, it just cares that your tough, that that doesn't have any specific technique or style to it, it just something you pick up because its primal and savage almost like a barbarian but less rage and more instinct. that trying to put techniques on it is doomed to fail, it supports your ability to brawl and punch like a gritty quick-thinking tough guy you are, its essentially your primal will to survive any adversity life throws at you. and it can have many names: Moxie, Guts, Scrap, Scralg, something, anything that sounds as far away from ki in name as possible. and it does all things ki does, but more instinctual and rough about it.

[Sindal]

Call Ki something like "Grit"

[Particle_Man]

Call Ki something like "Grit"

I agree with this. Grit can cover a lot!

[Zhorn]

Just drop the ki label, it's a pool of energy his body keep in reserve

I'll second this. Just using the mechanics of an open hand monk under a different name will get them most of the results they're after, with a dip into fighter/barbarian for second wind/action surge/rage to fill in the rest of the flavor.

Alternatively there's the Pugilist with their Moxie Points, though I'm less of a fan of the 3rd party/homebrews that are mostly just re-skins of what can already be achieved using the official classes (same issue I had with gunslingers when battlemasters offer a similar toolkit). But if it works for you; neato.

[Misterwhisper]

As long as the mechanics are the same, call it. Whatever you want.

Want something more chaotic sounding call it Chaos Mechanics, the monk understands the chaotic nature of the universe so well they can bend it in their favor through the force of their will.

Heck you could call them Piety Points and day it is their dedication to the acetic ways that bless them with small blessings.

[TyGuy]

Call Ki something like "Grit"

Beat me to it

[Teaguethebean]

Darn I was gonna say call it grit :smallannoyed: