Brahmin

The Brahmin is a healing cavalry Monk unique to the Indians in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties.

Overview
The Brahmins have weak basic stats, but they inflict trample damage and they can heal at the start of the game. Indian monks have the stomp ability, which adds a chance for Indian monks to stun all units in a radius around them. They possess a higher ranged resistance than the other monks, and due to being cavalry they have higher speed as well. Their LOS is the same as the Chinese monk, and both have less than the Japanese monk.

Usefulness

 * Their ability to heal is very weak, a mere 4 hit points per second versus the standard rate of 10 per second for units such as Surgeons, etc. This realistically limits it's usefulness to healing each other, as the natural monk health regeneration stacks with the heal ability to restore hit points much quicker than it would for a non-regenerating unit like a Sepoy. The healing rate can be increased by the "Improved Healing" improvement at the Monastery allowing them to heal as much health as the other healers (Surgeons).
 * Favorable Karma is of questionable use, as the Brahmin units gain 60% hit points and damage and learn the ability to train tigers. While it would allow a player to easily claim treasures, it will ultimately leave their economy weaker due to not sending the typical resource card in the Discovery Age.
 * Dukkha Suffering is the Indian equivalent of the Japanese monks Stream of Enlightenment, whereas it slows units instead of weakening them and prevents enemies from effectively fleeing when combined with the area of effect stun attack from the monks also. It can also keep enemy units from chasing down and annihilating the monks or the army they are escorting.

In Campaign
In the Indian campaign, one Brahmin can be trained out of the Town Center. He can heal and collect treasures like a normal Brahmin, but he loses his ability to construct trading posts, and if he dies, he must be again trained by the town center; he can't be rescued like a typical Brahmin.

History
"A Brahmin is a member of India’s highest priestly Hindu caste. They are the only caste that can perform Vedic sacrifice, interpret the Vedas, and preserve Vedic hymns. They are considered to be of greater spiritual purity than members of other castes. The greater Brahmin caste is divided into ten sub-castes that are regionally based, with five in the north of India and five in the south. The Brahmin community has its root in ancient India’s Vedic period, roughly from 2,500 to 600 BCE. Brahmins adhere to the acceptance of the Vedas, the oldest scriptural texts of Hinduism. They believe that the means or ways to salvation are diverse, and that God is one being, but takes countless names and forms. This single deity is the same across all cultures and languages, seeming to change to fit individual perceptions. Scholars, teachers, priests, intellectuals, scientists, and knowledge-seekers formed the Brahmin class."