Favorite third party monster book

[Voadam]

No love for the Bestiary of Krynn? It took second place at the Ennies a couple of years back.

Even as I entered it as a choice I thought it might be the red headed step child in voting, this is a field filled with lots of high quality contenders. And I'm glad there are so many good monster books out there for me to enjoy.

 

[Voadam]

As much as I love Minions, the Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary is still first with me.

For template books, Bodies and Souls from Second World nudges out Advanced Bestiary and Book of Templates 3.5.

For me, even though I wrote a bunch of the PFB monsters, I've used a bunch, and like it a lot, Minions edges it out for me based on use in my games. When I was populating a planar LE tendency city of War I instantly thought of asherakes for residents with all their accoutrements including using slaves as aerial bombardment weapons from airships and their frostsnake flung living weapons, only later did Zenzogin and the lawful animal head spirits come up as possible individual encounters that I used.

What specifically from bodies and souls jumped out at you? I prefer the BoT's elemental ones over the B&S's elemental scions ones myself.

 

[DMH]

The insect scion. Unlike most templates, I can add so much to it without changing the essence at all.

 

[Nightfall]

*two*

While I'm always, always a HUGE Creature Collection fan, I also realize one thing that's glaringly obvious to most. The mechanics of many of these monsters (and indeed the art at times), isn't anywhere NEAR as good at Tome of Horrors.

So Tome of Horrors series, I choose you!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Denizens of Dread or Advanced Bestiary. Both of them have gotten actual use in my campaign. Monsternomicon I may eventually use for an iron lich or a related critter, but the vast majority of the book is wasted on me.

Year's Best D20 has great monsters as well.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I would love to see a detailed write-up of the contents of Beastiary of Krynn and Dangerous Denizens sometime.

 

[Nightfall]

Year's Best D20 has great monsters as well.

*seven*
Some of which came from sources LIKE Tome of Horrors and Creature Collections. Well sort of.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Immortal's Handbook: Epic Bestiary, Vol. I

 

[JustKim]

Going down a mental list of what I would call my favorites, the first one in the poll would be Creature Collection 3. I couldn't possibly call all of them my favorites, since the second and especially the first one were really poor, mechanically. So I didn't vote.

 

[wykthor]

Denizens of Avadnu, followed by the Book of fiends.