Magical Monks 'n' Friars (11 July 2006)

A pack of religious bods for your enjoyment, requested by Rambuchan for his Medieval Fantasy scenario.

Each has a non-magical attack (preachifyin') and a magical one. The ini is set to play both, as in the previews, but of course you can change it if you like. Also, if you want them casting spells but you don't like the ones I've done, it would be relatively easy to cut and paste other spell effects (such as these or these) into the Attack A animations. Feel free to do so!

Note: these units are slightly larger than they really should be. I didn't realise this until I'd finished them. I think the size is OK, which is why I haven't resized them. If you find it a problem, I could shrink them a tad if necessary. Also, the previews below seem to be running too fast, but I'm not remaking them just because of that...

Thanks to the usual suspects, but especially to utahjazz7 for re-making Kinboat's Long Kilt prop so that I could use it.

First we have the monks. Christian monks first appeared in the fourth century AD in Egypt, where hermits got together in loose communities. The idea with monks is that they withdraw from the world and focus on God, possibly whilst hurling energy balls at heretics.

A Benedictine Monk. Benedict of Nursia founded this order in the sixth century, and by the high Middle Ages it was by far the most dominant one in Europe. So this unit could serve as a standard medieval monk. Augustinian and Cluniac monks wore the same outfit.




A Cistercian Monk. They were founded by Robert of Molesme in the eleventh century as a reforming order. Carthusian monks also wear the same outfit. The Templar habit was based upon this, but with a red cross added.




Now for the friars. Although they look like monks, friars are quite different - they were invented in the thirteenth century and the idea is that instead of sitting in monasteries they go out and do things in the world, such as preaching. They were renowned for their learning, hence the book instead of a cross.

A Dominican Friar. The Dominicans were founded in the thirteenth century by Dominic de Gusmán as a preaching order. They were often known as "black friars", because of the cloak.




And a Franciscan Friar. The Franciscans were founded in the thirteenth century by Francis of Assisi as an order dedicated to poverty. Originally they wore grey habits (and were known as "grey friars") but they changed to brown at a fairly early stage. I like the Franciscans because they looked after my girlfriend when she was a child!




The Dominican Friar won Unit Of The Month July 2006!



[EDIT - 20/10/06] - I've done new Civilopedia icons for the Benedictine and Cistercian Monks. Check out the downloads pages to get them.

Wow! very nice work, plotinus

i love the birds swooping in the franciscan attack. that storm cloud is great too

you should definately enter one of them in the comp this month.

Wonderfull and very funny, great work, an amazing catholic pack!!!
THe effects of the robes are awesome, you have to share that props!!

They look very good I like especially the Hitchcock-birds on the Fransiscan friar unit

Amazing ! I love the cloth fluidity of the Dominican and the crow attack of the last one.

These are so awsome!
They are very much needed units.

Darn, i wish i would be working for my religion mod.

I think i found a way of getting these into my mod tho.


Just one question: are going to make a jesuite also ? Or do they wear the same habits as some of the above ? ... i remember orange habits from Shogun.

I have to agree with the others the swarm of crows is fantastic. Great job on the whole pack!

Good job, . I love the victory where he's crossing himself, it looks so fluid, .

Glad you like them. The Franciscan "Hitchcock" attack is my favourite too! Although I bet St Francis is spinning in his grave at the thought.

[Heretic Cata] I didn't make a Jesuit since Rambuchan's mod is set in the Middle Ages, so they wouldn't have been needed. However, as far as I can tell Jesuits dress like other Catholic priests, so they don't really have a distinctive look (the Jesuits are a society of priests, not a contemplative or mendicant order).

[Mosca] If you want any details of the outfits (or anything else) then let me know. I'm especially glad that people like the Dominican's cloak (it looks even better in-game!) as this was so difficult you wouldn't believe it. I think I spent more time on that one unit than on every other unit I've done, put together. It's a dynamic prop that I designed myself, but as I found, dynamic props are very difficult to animate, especially with looping animations such as these. I had to spend a lot of time manually editing the frames for this one, after they were rendered, to smooth the animation between loops; even so it's far from perfect. This was the main reason why I didn't make a Carmelite as well (they wear a black habit and white cloak).

These are great, Plotinus. As everyone else said, the birds in the last one are especially great.

Very Very COOL!
Hope you can build an orthodox one!

Heretic_Cata said:

Just one question: are going to make a jesuite also ? Or do they wear the same habits as some of the above ? ... i remember orange habits from Shogun.

Click to expand...

Just a bit of trivia from Shogun - it's never mentioned in the films, but clearly stated in the book: The Jesuits in Japan were required to wear orange robes by the Japanese Daimyos, because that was the color robe Bhuddist monks wore... so that the role of the Jesuits was clearly visible, I guess.

AFAIK, Jesuits usually wore black robes... I'm no expert though.

Amazing. Just amazing. Very fluid, very graceful I would request a little shrink of size, but I know it's a bit of work, anyway they really look Ok, doesn't matter

I just wanted to say thank you so much Plotinus (and utahjazz7!). You exceeded my expectations with each one. Now I just need to get my arse in gear and finish off all the work that I've already done to give them a fitting scenario.

Plotinus said:

[Mosca] If you want any details of the outfits (or anything else) then let me know. I'm especially glad that people like the Dominican's cloak (it looks even better in-game!) as this was so difficult you wouldn't believe it. I think I spent more time on that one unit than on every other unit I've done, put together. It's a dynamic prop that I designed myself, but as I found, dynamic props are very difficult to animate, especially with looping animations such as these. I had to spend a lot of time manually editing the frames for this one, after they were rendered, to smooth the animation between loops; even so it's far from perfect. This was the main reason why I didn't make a Carmelite as well (they wear a black habit and white cloak).

Click to expand...

When I saw the Dominico's cloak I was very surprised, it's amazing how you've solved such a complex effect. I'm very curious about the cloak, I'd like to test it in poser, my e-mail is avillen-at.metautomata-dot-com. You have my unconditonal vote at the montly competition, those are outstanding units, specially the Dominico .

[Partizanac] Hmm - that would probably look like the Benedictine, but with a hat, a big beard, and a big cloak! Maybe, at some point.

[Dragonlord] The Jesuits wore all kinds of things when conducting missions in Asia - when Matteo Ricci visited China he started off dressed as a Buddhist monk and then changed to look like a Confucian. As I say, Jesuits did (and still do) dress much the same as other priests, which is to say, in a variety of ways.

[MoscaTnT] I'll email it to you.

These are wonderful. Like the birds. Very cool.

To say I'm impressed is an understatement. I've worked with kilts and capes that I had to manipulate frame by frame to achieve realistic movement, so I can imagine the effort it took to get those cloaks to turn out as well as they have. You've really outdone yourself Plotinus!

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Click to expand...

I love the Franciscan one. Nice Catholic units!

Those are very good, especially the Dominican. And the bird attack is pure genius!

If I'm to say something negative, it's that the monks' magical attacks are a bit lame. Could be a bit more sparkling and polychromatic. Minor thing, tho.

(I notice, incidentally, that they do it with the left hand. Am I to infer this has some special maledictory significance?)