Preview VOLO'S GUIDE TO MONSTERS

Polygon has scored a look at the upcoming Volo's Guide to Monsters from WotC - six full pages, in fact, which give a very clear idea of what we can expect from the book when it arrived next month! From the looks of their article, it seems that WotC is using this as a testbed for the way they handle future sourcebooks. Polygon confirms the overall product description - 96 new (to 5E) monsters, tons of rules for monster PCs (goblins, orcs, firbolgs), and a buch of deep dives into some iconic monsters. The beholder section is nearly 14 pages on its own. Check out the article at Polygon for more!

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[Demetrios1453]

Just read the Polygon article that goes with the preview pictures, and was exceedingly happy to see that the monstrous deities will be fully covered (well, they specifically mention the kobold deities, but I assume it will be the case for all "featured" monsters).

 

[Greg Benage]

How much did the original Monster Manual set you back in 1977? I seem to recall it was $15, but it's been awhile. That's $59.76 is 2016 dollars. It was black-and-white and 108 pages. We've got it good.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

So. The core 3 are always something like a loss leader This time without a loss, but with less profit fore sure.
So the price is okish.

I love the lore. That is what you need as DM. Stat blocks are easily done. Lore is much more difficult to come by.
That said, I really love the mindwitness. Each of its 6 eye rays target a different saving throw. That really takes advantage of the 5e system and makes the less frequent savi g throws a bit more worthwhile.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Doesn't look bad. If I can get it under 30 I'll probably grab it.

 

[Myrdin Potter]

I can get it for $37.50 in Fantasy Grounds format the day it comes out because I have the other WoTC books already and can access "complete the bundle" pricing. Amazon is $37.91 to preorder. If I wait long enough, FG usually discounts another 20% which is a 45% savings with the "complete the bundle" pricing.

 

[JeffB]

How much did the original Monster Manual set you back in 1977? I seem to recall it was $15, but it's been awhile. That's $59.76 is 2016 dollars. It was black-and-white and 108 pages. We've got it good.

It was $10. And its binding and pages are of far higher quality than anything Wizards has ever produced. In addition it was the very first hardcover gamebook by a small company of hobbyists and done 40 years ago. Comparing it to the massive print capabilities of a large modern corporation like Wizards is ridiculous.

My last print (WOTC) Monstrous Manual is a joke for paper quality and my 5e books came dinged with creaking binding and smudging ink. MY 4e books are marginally better and my 3.0 books were just as bad as the late 2e stuff

If I were Wizards, Iwould be ashamed I could not produce a higher quality book than TSR did on their very first effort.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

It was $10. And its binding and pages are of far higher quality than anything Wizards has ever produced. In addition it was the very first hardcover gamebook by a small company of hobbyists and done 40 years ago. Comparing it to the massive print capabilities of a large modern corporation like Wizards is ridiculous.

My last print (WOTC) Monstrous Manual is a joke for paper quality and my 5e books came dinged with creaking binding and smudging ink. MY 4e books are marginally better and my 3.0 books were just as bad as the late 2e stuff

If I were Wizards, Iwould be ashamed I could not produce a higher quality book than TSR did on their very first effort.

Me thinks you are clouded a bit by nostalgia. Most of the Monster Manuals and other books from 5e have had very little quality complaints. There have a been a few books that got the short end of the straw. (My Monster manual had a few pages that were connected to each other but other then that everything is fine. None of my books have started falling apart there.)

Also $10 back then is the equivalent of $40 now it appears.

 

[Jester David]

I've made peace with the fact that if I want high-level monsters, I'll have to design them myself

Or, y'know, buy Kobold Press' Tome of Beast with its 65 monsters of CR 12+

Ah yes. The question is, has Wizards correctly gauged supply and demand in this case? Since Volo's Guide appeals to both players and DMs, the presumption is that they can charge more for it.

Why would that matter. It's not like more than one copy is going to be purchased per table.

Really, regardless of who the book appeals to, more often than not a DM will be the one who buys.

 

[JeffB]

Me thinks you are clouded a bit by nostalgia. Most of the Monster Manuals and other books from 5e have had very little quality complaints. There have a been a few books that got the short end of the straw. (My Monster manual had a few pages that were connected to each other but other then that everything is fine. None of my books have started falling apart there.)

Not really. Still have 1e books that are in fantastic shape. My 5e books wouldnt last 4 years of regular use, let alone 35-40.

 

[Shasarak]

This might be worthwhile to get just for the art.