Monks are already included in the game as a class I think, but I am not sure at the moment about the actual effect they have. And your characters can have the ‘idiot’ trait, but I assume that only affects the rate at which experience is gained. Not sure, though. The wildman class gives you quite a bit of a boost to your resolve however, so maybe that comes close to what you imagined? That’d be a battle brother and not a companion though, which I suppose you were aiming for.
In general, I am very happy about the way the developers approach this game and the options which they grant the players. They do not make any hasty decisions and take their time to think about changes before they are implemented – as you can see further up in this topic. I can only recommend to keep it this way.
While orcs and undead would surely be sweet characters to form a battle band with -who would not want to play a plundering orc mob or a constantly growing horde of undead- it simply would not fit into this particular game. They are the evil guys, the opponents, and a lot of the feeling you get when you play through this game comes from that. Despite your opposition being fantastic and horrible at once, stronger and tougher than humans, raise again after being slayn or lurk in the shadows unseen as you pass along, preparing the ambush – your battle brothers will still prevail.
And this, this is exactly what makes this setting so neat. That you face an opponent which might seem overwhleming, unfathomable and the most horrible threat the small country this takes place in ever had to endure. And yet in the end, after a long while, dozends of nerve-wrecking battles and the loss of quite a few of your best men, you will come out on top. Not by the use of magic, not by the use of monstrous beast or other horrors which will cause your oponents to cower in fear, but by the use of the battle-hardened warriors your once normal humans have become.
Therefore, I really appreciate that the developers are intended to keep magic, fantasy races and other supernatural things very low on the player side. Keep it for the enemies, to provide a great challenge you will be matched against, and which will make you fear for the life of your men even in the late stages of the game.
Plague Rats - we're not famous, but we get the job done.
