D&D 5E Monster Manual Expanded III HARDCOVER/PoD is FINALLY OUT! Get it now from the DM's Guild!

[Helldritch]

I am using both EMM 1 and 2 in my games and my players are often confused by the abilities of some supposedly "common" humanoids and monsters. The famous they can't do that followed by a picture of the appropriate monster in the EMM gives them the creep. The more I see from the 3rd inception of the EMM the more I want it.

 

[Darktentacles]

Hmmm, it's nice to see things like Deepspawn, Brown Dragon, Purple Dragon, Fang Dragon, plants and some others return, but all these humanoid races getting new pages is really bad in my opinion, also very bland monsters like 3 headed dragons and boring drakes...

The Philippine monsters, why? WHY? Tikbalang, Tiyanak, Anggitay, Manananggal, Batibat, Sigbin, Kubot, there are so many awesome monsters in those myths, it seems that D&D found the most boring ones (spare for the cyclops and Nuno) and gave them a shot... Never cared for Engkantos for example.

Also no Destrachan? Darktentacles? Metal Masters? Grey Jesters? Ghaunadan? Astral Stalkers? Deadly Dancers? Crimson Death? What do they have against those creatures? They are far more original than things like Shedu and Lammasu... Especially when we already get like 20 types of boring sphinxes, just sphinxes with different animal heads, any child can make that stuff up...

There are also a lot of awesome mythology creatures that could be used, like giant Skunk monsters called Aniwye or horrible disease spreading Nuckelavee... But if D&D uses a myth creature it is mostly greek or some boring holy creature from Asia (Lammasu ect)

It's like the D&D Monster Manual creators don't have enough imagination, I mean Kobold Press and Pathfinder monster manuals are TEEMING with original monsters that look nothing like the next, of course there are variants too, but they are nicely mixed together, in D&D there are more copies of other monsters than anything else, and if they finally create a cool monster (Destrachan) they seem to forget about it in the next edition.

Really hope the previews in this topic are just a few of what still to come, as I really want my Destrachan to return.

 

[Scottius]

Hmmm, it's nice to see things like Deepspawn, Brown Dragon, Purple Dragon, Fang Dragon, plants and some others return, but all these humanoid races getting new pages is really bad in my opinion, also very bland monsters like 3 headed dragons and boring drakes...

The Philippine monsters, why? WHY? Tikbalang, Tiyanak, Anggitay, Manananggal, Batibat, Sigbin, Kubot, there are so many awesome monsters in those myths, it seems that D&D found the most boring ones (spare for the cyclops and Nuno) and gave them a shot... Never cared for Engkantos for example.

Also no Destrachan? Darktentacles? Metal Masters? Grey Jesters? Ghaunadan? Astral Stalkers? Deadly Dancers? Crimson Death? What do they have against those creatures? They are far more original than things like Shedu and Lammasu... Especially when we already get like 20 types of boring sphinxes, just sphinxes with different animal heads, any child can make that stuff up...

There are also a lot of awesome mythology creatures that could be used, like giant Skunk monsters called Aniwye or horrible disease spreading Nuckelavee... But if D&D uses a myth creature it is mostly greek or some boring holy creature from Asia (Lammasu ect)

It's like the D&D Monster Manual creators don't have enough imagination, I mean Kobold Press and Pathfinder monster manuals are TEEMING with original monsters that look nothing like the next, of course there are variants too, but they are nicely mixed together, in D&D there are more copies of other monsters than anything else, and if they finally create a cool monster (Destrachan) they seem to forget about it in the next edition.

Really hope the previews in this topic are just a few of what still to come, as I really want my Destrachan to return.

The Destrachan already appeared in Monster Manual Expanded 2, along with a larger Pack Lord variant version.

 

[Darktentacles]

The Destrachan already appeared in Monster Manual Expanded 2, along with a larger Pack Lord variant version.

That is not an official D&D product though, spare from Kobold Press, I'm not a fan of 3rd party products, they often use black-white art work or no artwork at all, or in the case of this book you mentioned, they re-use artwork from earlier products... I'm only in to monsters from D&D, not about rules or just-stat-blocks.

 

[Nixlord]

That is not an official D&D product though, spare from Kobold Press, I'm not a fan of 3rd party products, they often use black-white art work or no artwork at all, or in the case of this book you mentioned, they re-use artwork from earlier products... I'm only in to monsters from D&D, not about rules or just-stat-blocks.

By the sound of your comments then it seems that you've mistaken this as an official WOTC release. It's not, it's actually the third book of the 3rd party DM's Guild Monster Manual Expanded series, which Scottius was alluding to. I think your emotions got the best of you and you just skimmed this thread without really reading or even looking at what's written in the art themselves. So I'll just assume that your passionate comments and your frustrations were directed to WOTC (thinking this was official) and I'll take them as a compliment.

 

[Darktentacles]

Hmmm then I'm sorry, but isn't there a new monster manual book on it's way from the real WOTC?? That's why I'm kinda confused.

 

[Azzy]

Hmmm then I'm sorry, but isn't there a new monster manual book on it's way from the real WOTC?? That's why I'm kinda confused.

NNot that has been announced.

 

[Darktentacles]

I have to say this, this new book (Part 3) is a great update from part 2, the art is stunning on most creatures and it looks official, while I may not into new orc variants or dragons and lammasu, this is still a good product for people that actual play the game, so have fun with creating/and using it, I'm sorry to confuse you all, I'm just tired of WOTC using monster manuals with 100 types of the same creatures in it, I understand it from 3rd parties, but not from WOTC themselves, also they ignore a lot of old pearls from themselves like the Darktentacles, maybe an idea for part 4 of your series, Deadly Dancer, Ethereal Slayer, Grey Jester, Darktentacles and Metal Master are looking for some love and attention ;-p

 

[Nixlord]

I have to say this, this new book (Part 3) is a great update from part 2, the art is stunning on most creatures and it looks official, while I may not into new orc variants or dragons and lammasu, this is still a good product for people that actual play the game, so have fun with creating/and using it, I'm sorry to confuse you all, I'm just tired of WOTC using monster manuals with 100 types of the same creatures in it, I understand it from 3rd parties, but not from WOTC themselves, also they ignore a lot of old pearls from themselves like the Darktentacles, maybe an idea for part 4 of your series, Deadly Dancer, Ethereal Slayer, Grey Jester, Darktentacles and Metal Master are looking for some love and attention ;-p

The darktentacles almost made it (I used them a lot when I was running Ruins of Undermountain) so it will definitely be part of 4. I know you don't like the art but I suggest you take a look at the previous books, you might find them useful. But I know you will like Book 3 if you give it a chance, there's a lot of classic stuff in here that seems to have lost their way (since 3rd ed).

Also, regarding your comment about the lammasus, shedus, and sphinxes, I made sure they are all different from each other.
The lammasus are clerics that can breathe fire. The shedus are powerful psionicists. And the sphinxes (like the official ones) have different roars/bellows/howls and have legendary actions. Some will have spells, others will not. DMs will have fun using them.

 

[Darktentacles]

With original art I'm gonna look into your third book, for sphinxes I never liked the Crio and Andro sphinxes, I was more into the normal Gynosphinx from greek myths, and sometimes when the Gynosphinx was a good-alignment in my project, I also used the Hieracosphinx as evil counterpart, but I would never use more than two sphinxes as my curse is that I never like duplicates in powers, looks or behavior, every monster has to be very different from the last one. (it really is a bad thing for myself, but I just can't like anything to similiar to each other...)

But can you use any monster from previous D&D material that you like in your products? No copyright strikes? I know Paizo can't use anything other than the ones that may be used?

If you can use anything you want that is really awesome and I'm really rooting for the Metalmaster and Deadly Dancer and a more mantis-like Ethereal Slayer to make it in your next book! (just search a picture of the deadly dancer, it is one of the most beautiful things i've seen, so bizarre and special!