D&D 5E What the Monster Manual is missing

[Parmandur]

IIRC, most of the animals (giant x) don't have pictures.

 

[SilverfireSage]

Which sounds very strange to me... unless those missing pictures are for "submonsters", for instance I don't think anyone is expecting different pictures for each dragon age category of course.

Pretty sure that's what it is.

 

[Grazzt]

IIRC, most of the animals (giant x) don't have pictures.

Those aren't really necessary, are they?

 

[Grainger]

Those aren't really necessary, are they?

You can never have too many pictures of stoats*.








*Weasels, but that was artistic license, because "stoats" is a much funnier word.

 

[Sacrosanct]

flipping through it, and some of the art is sub par, but the vast majority is stunning. A beautiful book. Truly. Most of the monsters as far as I can tell that don't have illios are the giant versions of normal animals.


An oh, I can't wait until the moon druid hits level 6

 

[Quickleaf]

I agree it looks like a great MM

However based on previews it looks like the following things are absent this MM:

1. Companion monsters commonly encountered with the monster
2. Monsters as magic ingredients
3. Treasure types, morale, no. appearing

My hunch is that the DMG (and possibly the DM basic rules update) will address #3.

 

[GX.Sigma]

Archons, Eladrins, and Guardinals.

Oh, wait, I thought this was another kind of thread.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I agree it looks like a great MM

However based on previews it looks like the following things are absent this MM:

1. Companion monsters commonly encountered with the monster
2. Monsters as magic ingredients
3. Treasure types, morale, no. appearing

My hunch is that the DMG (and possibly the DM basic rules update) will address #3.

What do you mean by 1? Do you mean like kobolds in a dragon lair? They're in the book

Monsters as ingredients? Do you mean parts of monsters, like potion ingredients?

#3 I'm sure will be in the DMG

 

[Grimstaff]

I love it! I really do. Monster stay blocks and presentation are the best I've ever seen. But there are a couple critical, crucial things missing that I really can't live without as a DM:

• Robust monster creation guidelines. It's got a few pages that give a couple tables for size and hit dice, but I would have liked more.
• Lists by CR. Or XP.
• Lists by terrain. This is really, really important for me.

By far and away though, that first one is killer for me. In 4e I hardly ever ran a stock monster, so I've gotten used to home brewing all my foes. I miss this one dearly.

All three will be in the DMG. Patience, padawan.

 

[Quickleaf]

What do you mean by 1? Do you mean like kobolds in a dragon lair? They're in the book

For example, 4e (and I believe 3e) listed example encounter groupings according to monsters that commonly worked together such as fire salamanders being slaves to efreeti or kobolds riding dire weasels. For old DMs this stuff is a snap to improv, but not so for younger DMs.

Monsters as ingredients? Do you mean parts of monsters, like potion ingredients?

Yes. 2e was chock full of this stuff, for example:

Displacer beasts have little to fear from other large predators, save perhaps trolls or giants. Some wizards and alchemists value their hides for use in certain magical preparations, and will offer generous rewards for them. The eyes of a displacer beast are a highly prized, if uncommon, good luck charms among thieves who believe that they will protect the bearer from detection.

#3 I'm sure will be in the DMG

I think so too. Back in the playtest there was a nice breakdown of treasure by pouch / chest / hoard that I thought was pretty well done. So far no word on morale, but it's not that complex. # appearing I suspect may have gone the way of the dodo, but time will tell.