Tag: Monster Manual

Review: Monster Manual (5e D&D)

Post author By Ameron (Derek Myers)
Post date September 19, 2014
16 Comments on Review: Monster Manual (5e D&D)

Gamers can pick up their own copy of the 5e Monster Manual today at premier gaming stores. For everyone else the Monster Manual hits shelves on September 30. This is a tricky book to review because it’s just a monster cyclopedia. If you want official 5e monsters stats then you’re going to buy this book no matter what the reviews say.

To help you decide if you should purchase the new 5e Monster Manual I’ve listed 15 things I like about the Monster Manual and 5 things I don’t like. I’ve tried to be fair with my praise and criticisms so that you can make an informed decision about this quality and value of this book before you buy it.

The fact that my pros outweigh my cons by 3:1 should give you a pretty good idea of where I stand. I think this book is fantastic and you’re about to find out why.

Tags 5e, D&D, Dungeon's Master, Dungeons & Dragons, Monster Manual, Monster Manual Review, Review

Book Reviews

Monster Manual 3: An Early Review

Post author By Ameron (Derek Myers)
Post date June 14, 2010
12 Comments on Monster Manual 3: An Early Review

On shelves tomorrow, Monster Manual 3 is exactly what you’d expect from the new creature catalog. It’s chalked full of new monsters – some brand new and many other old favourites that have been noticeably absent from 4e D&D. There are about 300 monsters in the Monster Manual 3. About 125 are heroic tier, 100 paragon tier and 75 at epic tier. With more of us playing at paragon and epic tier, these new creatures give DMs more high level foes to throw at those poor unsuspecting PCs.

Tags 4e, D&D, Dungeon's Master, Dungeons and Dragons, Lolth, Monster, Monster Makeover, Monster Manual, Monster Manual 3, Wizards of the Coast

Editorial

Wizards Delivers a Killer Monster Makeover (Part 2)

Post author By Suddry
Post date March 4, 2010
8 Comments on Wizards Delivers a Killer Monster Makeover (Part 2)

This morning Ameron shared his thoughts on the new monster makeover Wizards announced yesterday. I’ve looked at the new format and thought a lot about it myself. Here are my initial impressions, with a little background to justify my thoughts.

I’m a secondary school teacher. My main “teachables” are math and computer studies. One of the computer courses I teach deals in part with the design and layout of graphics in order to more effectively convey a message or disseminate important information. It is amazing what a simple rearrangement and regrouping can do in this regard. With this in mind I must say that the DM in me has a good feeling about the upcoming changes to the monster stat blocks.

Tags 4e, D&D, Dungeon's Master, Dungeons and Dragons, Monster Manual, Monster Manual 2, Monster Manual 3, Wizards of the Coast

Editorial

Wizards Delivers a Killer Monster Makeover

Post author By Ameron (Derek Myers)
Post date March 4, 2010
12 Comments on Wizards Delivers a Killer Monster Makeover

Keep the design simple, make the layout easy to follow and eliminate guess work. This is good advice if you’re designing a website or improving the Monster Manual. Yes, the masterminds at Wizards of the Coast have improved the Monster Manual. We’re not just talking about the release of new monsters, we’re talking about redesigned monster stat blocks.

In Bill Slavicsek’s latest Ampersand article Beyond Essentials … (release online yesterday to DDI subscribers) from Dragon#385, he debuted the forthcoming changes to monster stat blocks in 4e D&D. “We’ve reorganized the information to make it easier to use and so that you can immediately find the details you need to run the monsters.”

Tags 4e, D&D, Dungeon's Master, Dungeons and Dragons, Monster Makeover, Monster Manual, Monster Manual 3, Wizards of the Coast

Editorial

Worldwide D&D Game Day – Monster Manual 2

Post author By Ameron (Derek Myers)
Post date May 23, 2009
9 Comments on Worldwide D&D Game Day – Monster Manual 2

wwddgd-mm2 I once again had the pleasure of participating in Worldwide D&D Game Day at 401Games in downtown Toronto. The adventure was called Journey Through the Silver Caves. It was designed for five, 5th level characters. The event attracted a lot of familiar faces as well as a few new ones. I had a lot of fun and would like to take this opportunity to share my thoughts about how Worldwide D&D Game Day went this time around.

Tags 4e, D&D, Dungeons and Dragons, Journey Through the Silver Caves, Monster Manual, Monster Manual 2, RPG, Rust Monster, Wizards of the Coast, Worldwide Game Day 2009, WWD&DGD

Book Reviews

Monster Manual 2: An Early Review

Post author By Ameron (Derek Myers)
Post date May 13, 2009
8 Comments on Monster Manual 2: An Early Review

Monster Manual 2

I have the Monster Manual 2.
I know it’s not supposed to be out for another week, but I’ve got one. And I feel it’s my duty to share some of the greatness inside with my fellow gamers. Since many of you will have the book by this time next week, I’ll try to give you just enough to keep you salivating and not enough to ruin all of the surprises.

Tags 4e, Beholder, D&D, Demogorgon, Dungeon's Master, Dungeons and Dragons, Dweomer Eater, Kenku, Metallic Dragon, Monster Manual, Monster Manual 2, Product Reviews, Review, Rust Monster, Ultimate Tyrant