The 5th ed. Monster Manual is a book that just works for me. It's fun to flip through it, then stop to read entries that catch your eye. Naturally, a big part of that is the artwork.
Now, while I do find some of the art distinctly "meh," there is a ton of great stuff in there. At the very least, I think it's fair to say that there's enough variation that anyone should be able to find a few pieces that stand out for them.
As an excuse to flip through the MM again, I decided to pick out three of my favourites.
This little exercise ended up being tougher than expected, but I was determined to not put up a bloated laundry list of beautiful monster illustrations. I wanted to keep it to three, and somehow managed to stick to that.
Hmm. I don't even know that I necessarily ended up listing my three favourites - rather, they're three of my favourites.
What are your's?
Now, while I do find some of the art distinctly "meh," there is a ton of great stuff in there. At the very least, I think it's fair to say that there's enough variation that anyone should be able to find a few pieces that stand out for them.
As an excuse to flip through the MM again, I decided to pick out three of my favourites.
- Harpy: (pg. 181) a great representation of a classic monster. It's a very humanoid-looking representation, but somehow feels like it's more of a beast.
- Maniticore: (pg. 213) this piece ticks all the boxes for a manticore, but manages to look totally unique. On top of that, it has a really cohesive appearance for something that's essentially a collection of mismatched parts.
- Pseudodragon: (pg. 254) I like this one because it's not just a good piece of art, but also because it sets a simple, interesting scene.
This little exercise ended up being tougher than expected, but I was determined to not put up a bloated laundry list of beautiful monster illustrations. I wanted to keep it to three, and somehow managed to stick to that.
Hmm. I don't even know that I necessarily ended up listing my three favourites - rather, they're three of my favourites.
What are your's?
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