The iterations of creature compendiums goes back to the very beginning of RPGs, with the Monsters and Treasure booklet of the D&D wood-grain box.
The direct antecedent to this one, the 3E Monster Manual, was released in 2000, with a page count of 224. The 3.5E Monster Manual has gained a (very) hefty 94 pages, going from 224 pages to 320. The monster listing section alone is now longer than the entire original 3E MM. This does not even include the new additional chapters.
Here is a page breakdown of the first 3E Monster Manual.
TOC...........................................2
Introduction..............................10
Monsters A to Z.........................178
Appendix 1: Animals..................12
Appendix 2: Vermin....................6
Appendix 3: Templates..............12
Monster List by CR.....................2
The original 3E MMI TOC listed 391 monster entries. That number is misleading however, as both a group and all of its types were listed individually (including the specific examples of monsters with levels). Thus, Elemental was listed, as was Air Elemental, Fire Elemental, et cetera, and also Lich, then Lich (11th level). This was a handy format for finding various creatures.
This useful listing format has been carried over to the Revised 3.5E MM, which lists 417 entries.
TOC........................................................2
Introduction...........................................3
Chapter 1: Monsters A to Z....................260
Chapter 2: Animals................................16
Chapter 3: Vermin..................................6
Chapter 4: Improving Monsters..............5
Chapter 5: Making Monsters...................8
Chapter 6: Monster Skills and Feats.......2
Chapter 7: Glossary................................13
Monster List by CR...................................2
Stat-block listings for creature sub-types no longer share "unified" tables (examples of this were the dinosaurs, devils, etc.) Stat-block listings are now tabled only for variants of the same creature (for example, standard skeleton, large skeleton etc.)
Speaking of stat-blocks, the Attacks entry has been split into: Base Attack/Grapple (attack bonuses only), Attack, and Full-Attack. The latter 2 include damage listings. There is no longer a separate damage listing. Climate/Terrain is now listed as Environment, and there is another new listing: Level Adjustment. This number is used for converting the monster-type to a playable character race.
A short description (intended to be read to players) is the biggest addition to monster entries. These descriptions vary widely in value. For a ghoul:
"This foul creature appears more or less humanoid, but has mottled decaying flesh drawn tight across clearly visible bones. It is mostly hairless and has a carnivore's sharp teeth. Its eyes burn like hot coals in their sunken sockets." (page 118)
The description given here is considerably better than the picture of the purple guy with gingivitis depicted next to the stat block. Amusingly, the original ghoul description contains the following: "Thier eyes burn like hot coals in their sunken sockets"(pg 97), which is no longer found in the description ("Hmmm..."). This sort of thing is fairly widespread through out the manual.
Contrastingly, the drider is described thusly:
"This strange being has the head and torso of a dark elf and the legs and lower body of a giant spider." I guess dark elves are a common sight now, but with all the Drizzt clones running around, I should not be surprised.
This flavorless description fares poorly against one of the truly creepy pictures in the MM: the accompanying picture of a drider binding its human prey.
Most descriptions are actually decent when not pretty good, and in any case are useful in making the DMs work easier, which is always appreciated.
The Animals and Vermin sections are mostly unchanged, aside from a the format issues already mentioned. Chapters 4-6 provide expanded and better organized methods of altering monsters to your needs, and describe the peculiarities of each monster as is. Guidelines are given for increasing Hit Dice, modifying ability scores, and the step-by-step addition of a template to a pre-existing monster.
The Making Monsters chapter is a welcome addition to the MM, and will likely be a favorite of many imaginative DMs. It is exactly what it sounds like, a strep by step guide for creating monsters from concept to final product.
Templates are now listed like monsters, rather than in a separate chapter. The Glossary contains material that was included in the Introduction of the first MM, but the descriptions are more fully explained for added (and needed) clarity.
PRESENTATION
I counted more than 2-dozen new pieces of art. There are some replacements for old art, and some completely new. Most of the new art is from Sam Wood and Wayne Reynolds. Without exception, the new art is better. The work of Sam Wood especially has "matured", showing new levels of detail. My favorite pieces include the new Ettercap, Lich and the Lycanthropes by Reynolds, and the Bearded/Horned/Erinyes triplet of Devils by Sam Wood. His picture of the Balor is quite good as well. (BTW, For the Devil listing they have ditched the irritating "Gelugon" and "Hamatula" nonsense, and returned to Ice Devil and Barbed Devil and so on.) Other excellent pieces include the Abyssal Greater Basilisk by Lockwood, and the Mummy Lord by Raven Mimura.
I do have one minor disappointment to register. In the Fiend Folio, the fantastic half-page illustration of the Yuan-ti Anathema on page 195 stood out as the best of the book. It remains my personal favorite from all of these books, and the Remorhaz piece remains my favorite from the Monster Manual. While I do not expect a half-page illustration for every creature, there are some that are quite worth it, and a few such pieces add a great deal to any monster manual.
Oh, well. I am an art junkie.
One issue which bothered many was the formatting of the stat-blocks, and the way they were distorted by illustrations and the like. The complaints were heeded, and to a large degree, this is no longer the issue it once was. There is the occasional stat-block that could be better, but even in these cases, the distortion is not as bad as it was before.
Overall, the presentation is pretty much flawless. The art is better. The tables are clearer. The stat-blocks are improved. One would really have to have an axe to grind to attack it. Much as I would enjoy demonstrating that I am a "harsh, but fair" reviewer by finding something to rip on, its simply not there.
CONCLUSION
Unlike the 3.5E PH, there is considerable reason to "upgrade" to the 3.5 MM. The additional content (new monsters, new material on developing monsters) alone goes a long way toward justifying the price. The new stat-block format is better, and the presentation is overall better in every respect.
This is the best Monster Manual yet.
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