D&D 5E Hard Core Monster Manual

[Guest 6801328]

One of the more intriguing ideas I've heard lately is for an alternative version of the Monster Manual with better monsters.

I think this is a rather interesting idea, and could even see myself ponying up for an entirely new MM, even if it contained the exact same entries. Honestly, I don't really need more monsters, I just want the ones I've got to have more variety.

The main thing I would want is more special abilities/actions for every monster.

Even better, if each monster had some variability. I think the idea of "Feats for Monsters" (c.f. another thread) raises an interesting idea. What if many/most/all of the monsters had a list of Feats, from which the DM was supposed to pick one? That way even players who had read the MM cover to cover wouldn't be 100% sure of what they were facing. (That is, for the kind of DM who describes his monsters by their name in the MM.)

I could also imagine monsters with multiple entries to cover a range of CRs (sort of like Dragons). It's always bugged me that all...fill in the blank...are exactly the same power. (My dream digital tool is a Monster Manual where you adjust a slider, CR 1 to 20, and the monster scales appropriately.)

What else could be in the Badass Monster Manual?

And what would be the best name for such a tome?

 

[CM]

"Monster Vault" has a nice ring to it.

 

[Alatar]

You might want to check out the 4e Monster Manual. Cooler Monsters for sure. Check out the dragons, for example. Porting those to 5e might be a thing to do. Distributing said thing, on the other hand, might not be a thing to do.

 

[transtemporal]

I wouldn't mind a bit of variability but I don't want monsters to become as complex as characters because they become difficult to run. Did you ever see the 4e statblock for the dark sun sorcerer-kings? Classic example. Really cool, but they had so many different abilitites and spells, auras, actions it would've been a nightmare to run.

I dunno about a radically different sliding scale for monsters but within about 4-5 CRs either way could be cool. I think at some stage the party should stop fighting kobolds.

 

[Azurewraith]

Did you ever see the 4e statblock for the dark sun sorcerer-kings? Classic example. Really cool, but they had so many different abilitites and spells, auras, actions it would've been a nightmare to run.

As a lover of dark sun I thought those stat blocks were amazing... right up until my players started pulling phones out, it was taking that damn long planning his turn! They understood that a sorcerer king should be using every ability to perfection but if iI see a phone/book whatever I have failed as a dm.

It would be nice to get a series of monster feats and have things like orcs and kobolds ranging from CR 1-20. Save me some time.

 

[DEFCON 1]

This is exactly the thing an enterprising DMs Guild author should be all over. Write up a small book of "megamonsters" for sale with expanded statblocks with more special abilities and features for each monster.

The question of course being whether there are enough people who actually want/need megamonsters enough to spend money on a DMs Guild product for them, while not actually wanting to just make up the statblocks for themselves.

 

[Ath-kethin]

I dunno about a radically different sliding scale for monsters but within about 4-5 CRs either way could be cool. I think at some stage the party should stop fighting kobolds.

I agree in principle, but in practice I think things can operate differently. My mind keeps going back to the 2e module Dragon Mountain, which was a terrifying meat grinder of a dungeon designed for high level characters. The main opponents? Kobolds. Measly little 2 HP apiece kobolds. And they were slaughtering parties of high level PCs.

Used innovatively, even the most pedestrian of monsters can pose a challenge to a vast level range of player characters.

 

[Guest 6801328]

This is exactly the thing an enterprising DMs Guild author should be all over. Write up a small book of "megamonsters" for sale with expanded statblocks with more special abilities and features for each monster.

The question of course being whether there are enough people who actually want/need megamonsters enough to spend money on a DMs Guild product for them, while not actually wanting to just make up the statblocks for themselves.

Yes, but I wasn't talking about "mega monsters". I was talking about Orcs that have unexpected abilities, Trolls that have alternative vulnerabilities or strategies, etc.

 

[JeffB]

Someone has converted 13th Age monster "specials" to 5e.. out on the internet for free, not DMsGuild. I have it saved on my desktop. Highly recommended to dress up boring 5e monsters (and I have used for C&C as well)

Edit-link to thread that contains document.
Edit the Edit- second document/part 2 on last post of thread. Didn't know of that one. Thanks to [MENTION=31465]Nebulous[/MENTION] for doing these

13th-Age-monsters-in-5E

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I would love for a hard core MM to be released....

I would start by adding back in some 4eisms...and giving every monster over a certain level a feat or two...

I would also change up resistance to weapon damage. going back a bit to 3e I would have an upgraded type of resistance for dragons and demon/devils... immune to non magic weapons, resistant to +1 weapons, and only takes full damage from +2 or higher weapons...