What's The Best Monster Book?

[I'm A Banana]

So over in the "essential books" thread (which is an exceptionally awesome thread), there emerged a point of discussion around some different expectations for what makes a good monster book. I figured it'd be good to spin off that conversation, because it's a topic I've got some Opinions on.

My own take is that so far the best D&D monster book is the 2e Monstrous Manual. Fellow Poster With Opinions, [MENTION=87792]Neonchameleon[/MENTION] , thinks that the 4e monster books rock so much harder.

What do you think? Do they both suck in comparison to the 1e Fiend Folio? Are you olde skoole and think that gnolls being gnome/troll hybrids in OD&D is and forever will be the best idea? I bet we'll get some interesting discussion out of it!

FWIW, your favorite can still have flaws. I think the 2e MM rocks the hardest, but I do think it can be improved on. Just because it's the best ever doesn't mean there isn't even more awesomeness coming up in the future!

 

[darjr]

Wow, I'm really torn on this one.

I REALLY like the fiend folio and am now convinced that I NEED the 2e Monstrous Manual, but I also think that some of the 4e stats are also flavorful and add something to the monsters much like what Neonchameleon said.

 

[Obryn]

Ummm... The problem is, I want different things at different times.

(1) Crunch-heavy... The more stat blocks there are, the fewer I will need to invent down the road. So, from this perspective, I want maximal stat blocks for the pagecount to minimize my workload as a DM. This is awesome in many ways, but it's not exactly enjoyable reading much of the time.

(2) Fluff-heavy, because this is more fun to read and can provide more ideas and plot-hooks. I don't so much care about ecological niches and the like, except insofar as they will help me craft interesting adventures, but that doesn't mean it's not an entertaining way to pass a lunch break.

So when it comes down to it, I guess I want a 600-page, $30 book crammed full of stat blocks and fluff text.

-O

EDIT: Also, I do want the rules to support the fluff. Although it wasn't as visible as it should have been to new players, you can get a lot of mileage out of characteristics like Shifty or Hobgoblins' formation fighting. It's crunch that supports the fluff. I don't think ecology and descriptors matter at all unless there's reasonable in-game crunch to back up the concepts in-play. So, if gnolls are fierce and brutal, they should have abilities to represent that.

EDIT EDIT: Basically take the 4e Monster Vault, expand it to a gigantic hardcover, give me a searchable database like DDI's Adventure Tools, and that's pretty much perfect for me.

 

[Joshua Randall]

I'm going to go with 4e's Monster Vault for all the reasons in the other thread. Although I could be convinced that Threats to the Nentir Vale (a/k/a Monster Vault 2) is even better due to the implied setting.

4e is the first, and most likely only given where 5e is headed -- anyway... first and only edition of D&D to create a monster statblock that blends mechanical and flavorful details into a unified whole. A well designed, well realized 4e monster both tells and shows you how that monster behaves.

I am more than willing to give up the nit-picky simulationist details of previous editions (number appearing? percent in lair? who freakin' cares? I can make up those answers myself) for the elegance of the 4e monster approach.

Now, granted, they didn't really get grooving on this elegant monster design until MM3 and later. But with Monster Vault, they really knocked it out of the park.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

Iron Kingdoms Monsternomicon

I feel it had the right balance of fluff and crunch, giving most monsters a two page spread.

 

[JeffB]

SAGA dragonlance bestiary. Best monster book presentation ever, AFAIC. I would like to see one for every campaign setting. But thats a very specific book obviously.

For D&D I like every version, from every edition, they all have their strengths. I tend to prefer a moderate amount of generic fluff if its a generic volume of monsters. 3.0 is good in that respect.

2E MM is the most useful for my ODD game because it has so many monsters and its all in one book to refernce at the table, but the art leaves alot to be desired, and there are too many goofy critters in it.

I like the 4e MM1/2 entries for coming up with exciting encounters, but I find it weak for coming up with exciting adventures, if that makes sense. I understand the MV is a much better book, but I stopped running 4e before it came out, so IDK.

If Ihad to choose one specific format, I think 3.0 strikes the best balance between fluff and crunch.

 

[Treebore]

The 2E Monster Manual, with the Swords and Wizardry Tome of Horrors close behind. Why? Because they give me monsters at teh power level I want for my games.

I gave up on 4E within months of it coming out, so cannot speak to the 4E MM's.

 

[S'mon]

Hm. Judging by what I actually use, and choose to use when I have alternatives, I'd say:

a) 1e AD&D Monster Manual. Especially for the demons & devils, Arch-Devils and Demon Princes included. Works well with all pre-3e D&D except AD&D using Unearthed Arcana - for that, the steroidal monsters of 1e Monster Manual 2 work better.

b) 4e Monster Vault, well designed monsters that make interesting combat opponents, with plenty of 'fluff'. Monster Vault: Threats to Nentir Vale also very good for NPC types.

Edit: I find the 2e Monstrous Manual art too ugly, and the lack of demons & devils greatly lessens utiility, so I got rid of that one 15 or 20 years ago.
For 3e stuff, never been a fan of 3e monsters, but the Pathfinder Bestiary is very pretty, a superior take on the 3e Monster Manual. The best 3e/PF monster stats though are in the Pathfinder Beginner Box's GM's book.

 

[Obryn]

I understand the MV is a much better book, but I stopped running 4e before it came out, so IDK.

It's basically well-crafted and challenging 4e stat blocks that take the lessons learned over 4e's development seriously, combined with a nice spread of fluff text that both establishes a monster's place in the world and tells you what makes them special and interesting. It pretty much deserves the hype it gets.

Also, it comes with hundreds of cardboard 1"-3" tokens which are simply marvelous for DMs on a budget.

Its sequel was also quite good, but not nearly as good a value and with a much lower range of levels.

-O

 

[mach1.9pants]

If it counts, the latest Hacklopedia of beasts, by a country mile or eight!