What class do monks relate to the most?

[Shoryuken]

Just for the heck of it im curious what you guys think, I think the monk class is a hybrid between a warrior, priest rogue and a bit enhance shammy?

Anyways, if anyone has some great links about the legit monk class in lore please provide them thanks! Id love to read up about them I havent found anything besides WoW Wiki which im always skeptic about! Thanks again

[gherkin]

Monk is a Reverse DK. DK's spend Points to earn Energy, which they then expend while waiting for points.
Monks spend Energy to earn Points, which they then expend while waiting for more Energy.

[MrWolly]

I could see them relating to Warriors when it comes to combat prowess, Shamans/Druids/Priests/Paladins for the fact that they aren't those to strike unless they absolutely have to.

[taaveti]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monk_%2...%26_Dragons%29
There you go.
Wait, did you mean in WoW lore?
(Quoted from wowpedia)

Monks initially were a denied class in the original Warcraft RPG sourcebook, at the time believed not to be relevant to the Warcraft world. However, monks were later incorporated through the Runemaster, and references to monks appear throughout various points in RPG lore as well as in World of Warcraft. However (at the time) no specific monk class was ever created in the RPG, and no specific lore was ever given.

[Tziva]

Are we talking functionally, like playstyle? Or just philosophically?

Monks are similar to cleric classes to me, which I think puts them closest to a paladin on the most abstract level.

As DPS, they're fighters, so maybe closer to a warrior.

Functionally, they don't feel like any of the other classes when you play them. They are closest maybe to a rogue but not as close as people tend to assume.

[Demiknight]

I think they are most like rogues. They have an energy bar... but two types of combo point, light and dark.

[teek37]

I think they're a cross between paladins and combat rogues. between chi/energy and orbs/combo points, i think the combat abilities are very similar, dps wise at least, apart from the huge difference that monks don't have an auto attack or stealth. But the monk also has healing and tanking as well, like the paladin, and I think philosophically they are similar to paladins: martial, disciplined, ideological, but I don't think Pandaren can become paladins because they have no concept of the light, by the sound of it. Priests have always been a bit more flexible in their doctrines, like with trolls or forsaken or gnomes, but Pallys are all about the light and the Naa'ru, so Pandaren really don't fit with that.

[fengosa]

I think they're a cross between paladins and combat rogues. between chi/energy and orbs/combo points, i think the combat abilities are very similar, dps wise at least, apart from the huge difference that monks don't have an auto attack or stealth. But the monk also has healing and tanking as well, like the paladin, and I think philosophically they are similar to paladins: martial, disciplined, ideological, but I don't think Pandaren can become paladins because they have no concept of the light, by the sound of it. Priests have always been a bit more flexible in their doctrines, like with trolls or forsaken or gnomes, but Pallys are all about the light and the Naa'ru, so Pandaren really don't fit with that.

From a play style point of view I agree with rogue/paladin for the combo point type system. From a pure feel stand point I think they have a little more warrior in them because they're based on physical damage with high mobility(roll + flying kick).

[Lihnida]

Monks are bad-ass discipline priests. A monk is a dedicated religious person who lives in a monastery.