About this title: This second in the series of rulebooks presents more than 300 official monsters for all levels of D&D play. Each monster is illustrated and comes with complete game statistics and tips for the Dungeon Master. (Games/Gamebooks/Crosswords)
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: Fourth edition First printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780786948529ISBN:0786948523
Description: New. Roleplaying Game Core Rules. Quarto. Illustrated cover, green and creame spine. Like new. Lightly bumped spine end. 287 pages. read more
Edition: 4th edition
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780786948529ISBN:0786948523
Description: New. This second in the series of rulebooks presents more than 300 official monsters for all levels of D&D play. Each monster is illustrated and comes with complete game statistics and tips for the Dungeon Master. (Games/Gamebooks/Crosswords) read more
"The Player's Handbook is the crucial book in D&D, but the Monster Manual is not far behind. And the 4th edition Monster Manual, while not a home run, is a pretty good evolution of the Monster Manuals I-V of D&D 3.5.
I'll start with what I miss. The description of each monster that could be read to the players was handy, and while there was never a ton of information about the monsters, the 4th edition Monster Manual definitely stresses the tactical aspect of the new game. Each monster gets a tiny paragraph to describe it's basic purpose in the game. No information on their usual habitat, their history, etc. Tellingly, they each get a tiny paragraph of tactical advice instead.
I'm also a touch annoyed that the Lore section, an outgrowth of the great Knowledge sections in the later 3.5 Monster Manuals, is not stronger. It's nice that the monsters all *have* that section, but it'd be nicer if it had some useful information for players that make their knowledge checks. As is, you make your knowledge check, and unless the GM ad-libs, you get a quick, fairly useless history of the monster, rather than any hint as to their abilities or weaknesses.
So that's the complaints. But what works is so strong I'm compelled to more or less ignore them. The biggest change is re-packaging the monsters so that you don't have to create every single one as if it were a character. Dragons are now playable out of the book. Human bad guys don't require you to roll up characters. And every monster has different level versions of itself, and different tactics and powers. It makes it much easier for a DM to throw together an encounter on the fly, and more importantly, the different powers make all the monsters (even the ubiquitous orcs, kobolds and hobgoblins) interesting and more unique.
Plus, as with all the Wizards stuff, it's packed with beautiful artwork, which is crucial to a good Monster Manual."
"Not much new or interesting. Lots of beasts with fatal flaws so a standard group of regular gamers will be able to kill them without getting wiped out. I was hoping for some new, original monsters and with few exceptions, they all felt like they'd been done before."
"Looks like your pretty standard monster compendium. I am please with the manner in which they layout the abilities and explain how they can be used. Probably the best part in each entry is the Strategy section, just as it has been in previous versions."
"An excellent initial tome of beasties for the D&D 4th Edition game. It very much is a Part 1 in the Monster Manual series, lacking some very basic creatures/animals, but it certainly provides enough fodder to throw at heroes of all levels."
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