As a Monk, will my skills be hindered by equipping a shield?
Solution 1:
Monks do not suffer from equipping a shield, except for losing the ability to equip a 2nd fist weapon or wield a 2-handed monk staff.
To note, the majority of the monk skills involve the monk sheathing his weapons in the first place (fist-weapons excepted), so you do tend to wind up with your shield on your back a lot, but its a visual effect only, as you can still block attacks as normal.