Chi Discussion

So, I have a simple question about chi really. Can it be warded against? If it basically is the same as a Shaman's spiritual connection or so, then it can, right?
Also, if anyone have anything they wanna ask/discuss about chi, go ahead. It could be fun having a topic about it, just please stay calm x]

"Warded against"? It's essentially the energi of the caster's own spirit. It's not granted from an outside source, like elemental spirits, or the holy light. Chi is the magic power inherent in the spirit of any living being, monks just learn to harness it.

Essentially, Chi is to Warcraft what the Force is to Star Wars.

I don't understand your question though. What do you mean "Can it be warded against"? If you mean "Can you shield yourself against other people's chi magic" then yes, you absolutely can. Chi powers deal elemental damage and as such if you ward against the element that the chi power in question deals, it should protect against it. So a fire ward vs. firebreath, a nature damage ward against crackling jade lightning, so on.

Note that the genuine only source we have on this is how the game mechanics treat it. For a lack of actual lore sources on it, I'd suggest going by the game mechanics.

With warded against I mean specific rooms that has wards so that the user can't use magic etc. I've understood that it's pretty much the same source as Shaman uses.

In the Novel "War Crimes", the one centered around Garrosh trial, the entire Temple of the White Tiger had an Anti-Magical field in place that prevented the use of Magic, even Holy Light.

By that, i'd say that any general "Anti-Magic Zone" is able to prevent one from utilizing their magic.

If you want to take inspiration from other universes, there are examples where ones flow of Chi is blocked through the use of Pressure Points. Would probably not be impossible to do the same through a Curse or Spell.

I'd say use common sense.

If an area is warded against magic, you might not want to allow monks to shoot lightning from their fingertips.

However, something like channeling your Chi to kick real hard should be okay.

Also, monks pulling from the same source as shamans is, in my opinion, a common misconception. The "source" from which Shamans pull their strength are the elemental spirits, with who they commune and deal. It's classical Divine magic: you perform a ritual to request something from a spiritual force and said force may or may nor fulfill your desires.

Monks are very different. They are primarily physical, albeit spirtual warriors: they hone their bodies and minds to the utmost of physical potential due to dilligent training and meditation to perform feats one might percieve as supernatural. Chi, if it is anything like it is in the real world, is an abstract idea symbolizing the power of Body and Mind pushed past their peak potential.

The physical manifestation of a Monk's firebreath might be superficially similar to a mage's fireball or a shaman's lava burst, but the feel and logic behind the attacks are completely different.

A wizard learns how to fire a fireball by studying the laws of the cosmos and using his mana to bend the universe to his whims: an intellectual feat.

A shaman learns how to fire a fireball by bartering with the spirits, performing rituals to earn their favor: a spiritual feat.

A monk learns how to breathe fire due to years of intense training and meditation - and of course by chugging down some lager to lit on fire: a physical feat.

So how do you prevent these respective different magics? Get creative!

You can effectively prevent a intellectual spellcaster from casting his spells by simply gagging him: they often rely on verbal incantations.

You can prevent a divine spellcaster from casting spells by distorting his connections with his Deity: a good example of this is how Garrosh prevented Thrall from calling on the elements during the Siege of Ogrimmar by having his dark shamans torment and corrupt them.

You can prevent a physical spellcaster from casting spells by binding him down: a monk should not be able to perform any "magics" if he cannot physically move, since his "spells" rely on movement and stances, except for perhaps purely mental things like astral projection, which could be blocked by more conventinal spell-jamming.

My paradigm for how monks should feel has always been kung fu movies and such. An image of a student carrying jugs of water up impossible steps; counting push-ups well into the tens of thousands; sitting perfectly still on top of a tiny needle meditating for days without eating; etc. I feel this is supported by many areas in World of Warcraft lore, in particular the Pandaren starting area and quests in the Jade Forest and Valley of the Four Winds area (Tian Monestary and the Hidden Master in particular)