When you think of the terms "online" and "role-playing" games together, you probably think of either massively multiplayer, persistent-world games like EverQuest, or you think of hack-and-slash games like Diablo. ArenaNet's upcoming game Guild Wars falls somewhere in between the two. The game will let you play as a character in a colorful, high-fantasy setting by choosing two different professions--a primary profession and a secondary profession--from a starting group of six different ones. The main differences between your primary and secondary choices will be your primary attributes--you can have only one from your primary class--and the certain types of armor that your character can wear. Each profession will have the ability to learn up to 75 different skills, which can include anything from the ability to fire arrows straight and true using a bow, to raining fire down on your enemies, to summoning armies of zombies from the corpses of your fallen foes. However, you can carry only eight normal skills into battle, so you'll need to choose them wisely.

　　We begin our character profile previews with the divine powers of the monk.

　　Since your character will have two professions, you'll actually be able to access a whopping 150 skills, in total, for each character. All skills will cost your character a certain amount of endurance points, but your endurance meter recharges fairly rapidly. This is because Guild Wars' tactics, with the exception of one type of skill that will be mentioned below, will focus on making good decisions in the middle of battle rather than using costly skills that require a lengthy recovery time. The game will feature many different classes of skills, including: character enchantments, which provide lasting positive effects on characters; hexes, which provide lasting negative effects on characters; world enchantments, which provide lasting global effects; and signets, which provide powerful miscellaneous magical effects. (These magical effects cost no magic energy, but they do require some time to recharge.)

　　And that's not even counting the humongous number of combinations and permutations you can arrive at when your character teams up with other characters that have chosen other professions and other skills. And, as it turns out, Guild Wars' skill-based gameplay will emphasize careful strategy and planning against the most cunning prey of all--other players that have access to the same skills and professions you have access to. The development team is committed to making what is intended to be a game of skill, first and foremost. So, while the team at Seattle-based ArenaNet is hard at work balancing the incredible number of skill combinations available in the game, we decided we'd get in on the action by bringing you these character profile stories, which present the individual strengths and powers of each of the game's six starting classes, over the next six days.

　　These profile stories should help you decide what kind of character you'll play in the upcoming "world preview event" on Friday, October 29. It is here that ArenaNet will open up a test version of the game for you to try out. If you don't make it in to that weekend event--and you're a GameSpot member--don't worry. You'll also be able to try out the game the following weekend in an enhanced event that will feature even more unlocked content. For now, we'll begin our series of profile previews with the monk profession. Keep an eye on GameSpot's preview section of Guild Wars for more character profiles, and be sure to watch an exclusive developer interview on the game, in addition to exclusive new footage from it. Both the developer interview and the new game footage are linked below.

　　

The Monk

Monks are Guild Wars' healers. They possess powerful support abilities that are crucial for keeping your teammates alive in battle. Monks have three major areas of expertise: healing, protection, and smiting. Monks are the most powerful healers in the game, and they can learn skills that instantly heal wounded allies, among others. The monk's protective powers include those that can deflect or absorb damage, which may not seem to be of obvious use. However, these powers can be extremely efficient, especially when used on larger groups. The smiting line is used to not only attack the unholy armies of the undead, but also to summon forth retributive powers that can rebuke enemies that perform certain actions in battle. Monks will likely prove to be excellent support-class characters as well as presenting themselves as powerful allies against undead foes.

　　Monks possess curative and protective powers, and they are the only characters capable of reviving their fallen comrades.

　　

Attributes and Abilities

Primary Attribute:

　　Divine Healing

　　Divine healing is the monk's primary attribute. As a result, it's only available to those characters that choose the monk as their primary profession. By spending skill points that are earned at each experience level on divine healing, monk characters will actually be able to heal their allies with every spell they cast.

　　Additional Abilities:

　　Resurrection/Upkeep Enchantments

　　In addition to their powerful healing spells, monks are currently the only profession in Guild Wars capable of reviving dead comrades in battle.

　　Monks also possess powerful "upkeep" enchantment spells that provide protective bonuses to their targets for indefinite durations. Instead of paying a massive amount of energy to use these skills, monks instead may not regenerate as much spent energy, effectively limiting their current maximums.

　　

Skill List

Normal, Non-Elite Skills: Please note: This skill list is based on the current, prerelease version of the game and is subject to change. Each profession possesses 75 skills in total, including 50 normal skills and 25 "elite" skills. Below you can find the most current listing of normal skills. Elite skills will be revealed later. (Additionally, ArenaNet is only revealing a handful of skill descriptions for each class at this time.)

　　

Icon	Skill and Description
	Aegis
	Balthazar's Aura
	Balthazar's Spirit
	Bane Signet Target foe takes 28 holy damage. If that foe was attacking, he is knocked down.
	Banish Target foe takes 28 holy damage.
	Blessed Aura
	Blessed Signet
	Convert Hexes
	Divine Boon
	Divine Healing
	Divine Intervention
	Divine Spirit
	Draw Conditions
	Dwayna's Kiss
	Essence Bond
	Guardian
	Heal Area
	Heal Other Heal target for 70 points.
	Heal Party
	Healing Breeze
	Healing Hands
	Healing Seed
	Healing Touch
	Holy Strike
	Holy Veil
	Holy Wrath
	Infuse Health
	Judge's Insight
	Life Attunement
	Life Bond
	Light of Dwayna
	Live Vicariously While you maintain this "Enchantment," whenever a target ally hits a foe, you gain 1(+) Health.
	Mantle of Protection
	Mend Ailment Remove Poison, Disease, Silence, and Blindness from target ally. That ally is healed 35 points for each of these "Conditions" that is removed.
	Mend Condition
	Mend Injury Remove Bleeding, Crippled, and Deep Wound from target ally. That ally is healed 35 points for each of these "Conditions" that is removed.
	Mending While you maintain this "Enchantment," target ally gains Health regeneration +4.
	Orison of Healing Heal target ally for 40 points.
	Pacifism
	Protective Spirit
	Purge Signet
	Rebirth
	Remove Hex
	Restore Life
	Resurrect
	Retribution While you maintain this "Enchantment," whenever target ally takes melee damage, this spell deals 34% of the damage back to the source.
	Reversal of Fortune The next time target ally would take damage, that ally gains that amount of Health instead--maximum 40.
	Scourge Healing
	Scourge Sacrifice
	Shielding Hands For 10 seconds, damage received by target ally is reduced by 8.
	Signet of Devotion
	Smite This staff attack deals 32 holy damage.
	Smite Hex
	Strength of Honor While you maintain this "Enchantment," target ally deals 5 more damage in melee.
	Succor
	Symbol of Wrath
	Vengeance
	Vigorous Spirit
	Vital Blessing
	Watchful Spirit
	Zealot’s Fire

　　Editor's note 10/27/04: The preview originally stated Guild Wars characters could choose 10 skills, when in fact they can choose only eight. GameSpot regrets the error.