D&D 5E Mordenkainens starting to show up in the wild?

[Demetrios1453]

That may be misleading: there over 230 digital objects for Roll20, but if I recall correctly Volo's got slight inflated by things like multiplying Kobold stat blocks by six (for each Draconic type) when translated to Roll20.

Still, interesting. Also, full printable handouts for the Lord's of the Nine Hells, veeeery interesting.

Good point. For example, given what they said about devilish and demonic cults being detailed, we might have templates for each archdevil and demon prince to apply to the generic MM cultists.

But even so, I imagine we have a good chance of being closer to 200 monster stat blocks (if not still above) than 100 with that statement.

Which takes me to the page numbers. Moloch is in the "D" section (for "Devil" obviously, and the "D" is helpfully shown on each page), and is on pages 176 - 177. I hadn't looked previously for some reason (which is odd, since I always check for page numbers in previews so I can get as much info as possible on what an upcoming book contains), but the Astral Dreadnought is on page 117. So, given that we'll likely have a few "A" creatures before the Astral Dreadnought, the Bestiary is going to start somewhere around page 105 - 110 or so. As we know the book is 256 pages long, and the Bestiary is the last chapter of the book, that will give us ~155 - 160 pages or so of monsters, which is pretty impressive (barring a surprise appendix or something similar). Also, that means it's going to take a full 60 pages or so to get just from towards the end of "A" to the middle of "D". As we already know from the Fantasy Grounds preview that there are not that many "B" monsters (and even most of those there will actually be in the Demon and Devil sections in MToF), either we have a lot of stuff for "C" (while we know some clockwork stuff is going to be in there, it's probably not going to be dozens of pages worth!), or we're getting a heck of a lot of demons and devils (duergar will be after Moloch, and drow will be too, although they will probably be in the "E" section anyway like they were in the MM). Even the reprinted demon princes from OotA only take up 18 pages. Besides demons and devils, the only "theme" creatures that fit in that range would be derro, and I can't see them taking up more than a few pages. And of course, we'll still have other random creatures in that section as well. But still, that's a lot of page acreage to fill in such a small part of the alphabet! (And, we'll still have ~90 pages of monsters left for the post-Moloch section as well!)

 

[Parmandur]

Good point. For example, given what they said about devilish and demonic cults being detailed, we might have templates for each archdevil and demon prince to apply to the generic MM cultists.

But even so, I imagine we have a good chance of being closer to 200 monster stat blocks (if not still above) than 100 with that statement.

Which takes me to the page numbers. Moloch is in the "D" section (for "Devil" obviously, and the "D" is helpfully shown on each page), and is on pages 176 - 177. I hadn't looked previously for some reason (which is odd, since I always check for page numbers in previews so I can get as much info as possible on what an upcoming book contains), but the Astral Dreadnought is on page 117. So, given that we'll likely have a few "A" creatures before the Astral Dreadnought, the Bestiary is going to start somewhere around page 105 - 110 or so. As we know the book is 256 pages long, and the Bestiary is the last chapter of the book, that will give us ~155 - 160 pages or so of monsters, which is pretty impressive (barring a surprise appendix or something similar). Also, that means it's going to take a full 60 pages or so to get just from towards the end of "A" to the middle of "D". As we already know from the Fantasy Grounds preview that there are not that many "B" monsters (and even most of those there will actually be in the Demon and Devil sections in MToF), either we have a lot of stuff for "C" (while we know some clockwork stuff is going to be in there, it's probably not going to be dozens of pages worth!), or we're getting a heck of a lot of demons and devils (duergar will be after Moloch, and drow will be too, although they will probably be in the "E" section anyway like they were in the MM). Even the reprinted demon princes from OotA only take up 18 pages. Besides demons and devils, the only "theme" creatures that fit in that range would be derro, and I can't see them taking up more than a few pages. And of course, we'll still have other random creatures in that section as well. But still, that's a lot of page acreage to fill in such a small part of the alphabet! (And, we'll still have ~90 pages of monsters left for the post-Moloch section as well!)

Yeah, I think we will see a looooot of Fiends in this here book.

The Bestiary will probably be somewhat truncated by the 20 pages of random name tables and the appendix if Halfling art, which is fine by me (though seriously, I reckon there will be some Appendix surprises, it's how WotC rolls).

 

[Demetrios1453]

Yeah, I think we will see a looooot of Fiends in this here book.

The Bestiary will probably be somewhat truncated by the 20 pages of random name tables and the appendix if Halfling art, which is fine by me (though seriously, I reckon there will be some Appendix surprises, it's how WotC rolls).

Thinking a bit more on it, demodands would be in that section as well (assuming they use that name instead of gehreleth, which seems to be confined to 2e), which would also fit the fiend theme admirably. But then again, there are canonically only three types of demodand, so they won't be taking up many pages either (likely 3 - 4 or so) should they be in the book.

 

[Mouseferatu]

But then again, there are canonically only three types of demodand, so they won't be taking up many pages either (likely 3 - 4 or so) should they be in the book.

I would love to see that list of three expanded, actually. And for all demodands to be made even weirder and more fearsome.

The flavor text back in 1E strongly implied that even other fiends were afraid to travel where the demodands dwelt. I loved the idea of a "boogeyman to the Lower Planes," and I was always disappointed that the stats of the demodands were neither potent nor interesting enough to support that concept. 5E seems as good a time as any to finally correct that.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Well...from the screenshot it looks like some of the material has already been published in a tome. e.g Baphomet in Out of the Abyss. I am hoping there is a minimum of repetition....
Cas

 

[R_Chance]

Well...from the screenshot it looks like some of the material has already been published in a tome. e.g Baphomet in Out of the Abyss. I am hoping there is a minimum of repetition....
Cas

There is going to be a certain amount of retreads. Particularly stuff like that; not everyone buys adventures / adventure paths. I run my own game, I don't use their adventures. The low rate of published material has allowed me to buy their hardback adventure paths for reading material though, and I crib some ideas / material from them. Of course, I'm older, well... old, and employed. I can afford the reading material

 

[Jester David]

The current halfling are missing the large furry feet. I imagine that’s to avoid making them shameless Tolkien rip-offs.
But without the big clue of large hairy feet, they need to exaggerate the head size.

Look at this art:



It’s hard to tell at a glance whether she’s a human with slightly off proportions or a halfling.

Or this:


Is that a halfling on a giant weasel, or a human on a dire weasel?


4e tried to distinguish halfling by their hair and 3e tried by slightly altering their head shape. But, really, if you didn’t know, you could easily look at this art and assume they're humans:

 

[Hjorimir]

It must be mine. It shall be mine!

Seriously, just looking forward to all the fiendish goodness (Am I allowed to say that?) that the book has to offer.

As to halflings, just give them the furry feet already. It's been a staple of D&D.


Jim Holloway always defined for me what a halfling looked like in D&D.

 

[Ancalagon]

Look at this art:
View attachment 96679

It’s hard to tell at a glance whether she’s a human with slightly off proportions or a halfling.

... Some might say there is another thing or two wrong with the image... when/where is this from?

 

[Parmandur]

... Some might say there is another thing or two wrong with the image... when/where is this from?

Looks like Paizo era Dragon magazine. Sexualized toddler sized people are...squiggy.