20 Interesting Things from Monster Manual 2

Here are the things that stand out as I read MM2, mostly musing. Feel free to post what you thought was interesting/weird/good.

1) I think the images of smooth-faced angels are rather bland compared to earlier edition celestials.

2) Ankhegs have a "taste for bipedal prey." As opposed to quadrapeds? Maybe leg bones are harder to crunch?

3) The images of the giant ants seem stretched out and emaciated, kind of like an insect version of Kate Moss.

4) Barghests are now "savage goblin shapeshifters" rather than outsiders. Works for me.

5) The beholder eye of frost has frost-based attacks. Fits the theme, but aren't a lot of fantasy prey kind of immune to cold if they live in the frozen wastes? Also, reminds me of some kind of machine-made exotic ice cube.

6) Bullywugs "turn any swamp they inhabit into a dismal echo of the land it once was." I'm guessing that a dismal echo of a swamp would be really dismal.

7) Centaurs serve as mercenaries a lot. That is actually a nice little bit of flavor that fits the feel of the race.

8) I'm still not used to the deva as a PC race.

9) Pics of the djinn are much cooler than previous editions -- more elemental and less Aladdin.

10) Unaligned metallic dragons make for more interesting beasties, IMNSHO.

11) Duergar have quills, as I've pointed out elsewhere on the boards. This is amusing to me.

12) Having a "human insane noble" as a monster entry is just weird to me. If you're going to feature an insane noble, it should be an NPC with some thought put into him. Again, just my opinion.

13) I really like the recasting of ogre mages as oni. It feels less like anime that has been dubbed and edited for afternoon cartoon viewing.

14) Green slime is a monster again, rather than a terrain feature.

15) Aboleth skum are no longer humanoids, but actual oozy scum.

16) Rust monsters captures the residium from eaten magic weapons. So, does rust monster poop glow under detect magic?

17) I'm guessing they did away with the andro-/gyno-/crio-/hieraco- breakdown for sphinxes (sphinces?) because the distinctions were vague?

18) Star Spawn seem like a clear nod to Cthulu-type gaming. They are creepy in a way that pseudonatural creatures never seemed to be.

19) Steel predators have a new back story tying them to Bane. I'm ambivalent about this.

20) For some reason, I really like the Troll Vinespeakers. They add something to the concept of trolls.

Anyway, just some thoughts now that I've had a chance to sit down and read through MM2 in more detail.

Rust monsters captures the residium from eaten magic weapons. So, does rust monster poop glow under detect magic?

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After they have killed the party - yes.

Having a "human insane noble" as a monster entry is just weird to me. If you're going to feature an insane noble, it should be an NPC with some thought put into him. Again, just my opinion.

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It almost seems as if they had missed an entry in the knowledge check section. Sure, there is an entry for noble, but only at the low DC, and the "insane noble" can't be actually that similar to the "normal" noble.

DreadPirateMurphy said:

5) The beholder eye of frost has frost-based attacks. Fits the theme, but aren't a lot of fantasy prey kind of immune to cold if they live in the frozen wastes? Also, reminds me of some kind of machine-made exotic ice cube.

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It's the eternal conundrum. By rights, ice-based creatures should love their fire attacks. But it's just not genre-appropriate. Volcano things get fire attacks, glacier things get cold attacks, etc.

It's even more confusing when a spellcaster from a frozen tundra chooses to specialize in cold-based spells. For something like a beholder, you can at least assume that nature made 'em that way.

8) I'm still not used to the deva as a PC race.

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It takes a bit. I think if you move past the name, they're a very interesting and uniquely-flavored race.

9) Pics of the djinn are much cooler than previous editions -- more elemental and less Aladdin.

10) Unaligned metallic dragons make for more interesting beasties, IMNSHO.

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Agreed on both counts.

12) Having a "human insane noble" as a monster entry is just weird to me. If you're going to feature an insane noble, it should be an NPC with some thought put into him. Again, just my opinion.

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I think it's hilarious. But yeah, I think the assumption is that you can take the Insane Noble stat block and use it for your own purposes in-game, giving him/her a name and personality. Ditto, the Dread Assassin. I wouldn't expect anyone to just use these stat blocks as-is without further thought.

16) Rust monsters captures the residium from eaten magic weapons. So, does rust monster poop glow under detect magic?

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Yes, and in fact, they are very valuable commodities when you want to get rid of an outdated magic item. "Quick, Bob! Feed ol' Rusty that +2 Greatsword you never use anymore! We need to Raise poor Larry, here, but won't get nearly enough residuum from just Disenchanting it!"

18) Star Spawn seem like a clear nod to Cthulu-type gaming. They are creepy in a way that pseudonatural creatures never seemed to be.

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I love 'em. I also love the flavor. I think they need some errata, though - at least one of them mentions a power in the Tactics section that doesn't appear in their stat block.

-O

The Insane Noble is a weirdly specific niche for an MM entry. Compare it to Pirate, Pirate Captain, regular ole Noble, even Knife Fighter, all of which seem to be more broadly useful to me. I wonder if the Insane Noble stats came from an adventure, the same as the Yochlol and the Nothics.

Obryn said:

It's the eternal conundrum. By rights, ice-based creatures should love their fire attacks. But it's just not genre-appropriate. Volcano things get fire attacks, glacier things get cold attacks, etc.

It's even more confusing when a spellcaster from a frozen tundra chooses to specialize in cold-based spells. For something like a beholder, you can at least assume that nature made 'em that way.

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A recurring issue. The explanation I have to offer that it's "environmental affinity". While it might be really really err... cool... to have fire powers in ice environments, it is a lot easier to create and manipulate ice.

A mage might take up ice spells in the frozen north because they are a lot easier to learn and master there. Why he doesn't eventually leave to dominate the non-frozen south might be a relevant question, then.

Of course, a monster like the Remorhaz seems to do it "correctly" - it produces body heat to survive in its icy environment, and can use offensively. I guess every intelligent denizen of the North tries to domesticate them.

DreadPirateMurphy said:

6) Bullywugs "turn any swamp they inhabit into a dismal echo of the land it once was." I'm guessing that a dismal echo of a swamp would be really dismal.

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Have you ever been to a swamp? They're teeming with life and a rich, diverse ecosystem. Calling a swamp gross I could understand, but they're far from depressing.

Asmor said:

Have you ever been to a swamp? They're teeming with life and a rich, diverse ecosystem. Calling a swamp gross I could understand, but they're far from depressing.

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I was going to say this too.

There are also many different types of swamp. The ones in Florida are different than the ones in Maryland, for example.

Lots of flora and fauna, they can be loud too. My cousin lived near a swamp and it was like a symphony at night.

Asmor said:

Have you ever been to a swamp? They're teeming with life and a rich, diverse ecosystem. Calling a swamp gross I could understand, but they're far from depressing.

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Wetlands in general strike me as humid, insect-filled, and hazardous to city-folk such as myself. I am aware that to some folks, swamps are beautiful parts of nature, but I am not one of those folks. I'm much happier with Internet cafes and bookstores. Your opinion isn't wrong -- I just don't share it.

Apart from that, there is a certain literary tendency in fantasy and horror to see swamps as dark and dismal. The monster is more likely to live in a swamp than on rolling farmland. There is no more literal validity in that then in the pretense that wolves are evil or that you can stop volcanoes with sacrifices, of course.

DreadPirateMurphy said:

Wetlands in general strike me as humid, insect-filled, and hazardous to city-folk such as myself. I am aware that to some folks, swamps are beautiful parts of nature, but I am not one of those folks. I'm much happier with Internet cafes and bookstores. Your opinion isn't wrong -- I just don't share it.

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Don't get me wrong, I'm not the outdoorsy type. Actually, I vastly prefer staying home on the internet. I've only ever been to a swamp once (and technically it was a bog-- not sure what the difference is), when I was a kid on some nature hike, but I still have memories about how cool it was. Very interesting and colorful, and you got to see things like carnivorous plants up close. I still have a soft spot for pitcher plants because of that hike.

But I mean, picture the Florida Everglades, which are basically a giant swamp. I can't imagine someone describing them as dismal. Go see some of the pictures of swamps on Wikipedia (though, in all fairness, this specific picture is both really cool and slightly creepy... Imagine that picture if it were taken at night! Perfect pic for D&D, actually... *saves*)

Asmor said:

But I mean, picture the Florida Everglades, which are basically a giant swamp. I can't imagine someone describing them as dismal. Go see some of the pictures of swamps on Wikipedia

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ROTFL

Sorry, but that article includes the quote, "The most famous swamps in the United States are the Everglades, Okeefenokee Swamp, and the GREAT DISMAL SWAMP (emphasis added)."

So I'm not the only person to connect "dismal" with "swamp."