D&D (2024) DMG 2024: The Planes

[Hussar]

Um no? Which monster manual are you referring to that was organized by creature type and not alphabetically? I have no idea which book you're referring to

We've actually already covered this, but, just to reiterate, I don't think there has ever been a monster manual organized by creature type, either by WotC, TSR or pretty much any 3pp that I can think of. There might be a "Demon" and "Devil" section, but, that's about it. And, really, that's largely a legacy element from AD&D, and, again mostly because demons and devils had special rules like true names, or being able to gate in additional demons.

I've got an embarrassingly large number of monster manuals on my shelves and on my hard drive and AFAIK, none of them have ever organized by type.

((In case it wasn't clear @DrJawaPhD I am agreeing with you entirely.))

 

[Reynard]

We've actually already covered this, but, just to reiterate, I don't think there has ever been a monster manual organized by creature type, either by WotC, TSR or pretty much any 3pp that I can think of. There might be a "Demon" and "Devil" section, but, that's about it. And, really, that's largely a legacy element from AD&D, and, again mostly because demons and devils had special rules like true names, or being able to gate in additional demons.

I've got an embarrassingly large number of monster manuals on my shelves and on my hard drive and AFAIK, none of them have ever organized by type.

((In case it wasn't clear @DrJawaPhD I am agreeing with you entirely.))

So, no MM has ever done it, except when they have?

You also know there are other games than D&D, right?

 

[Hussar]

So, no MM has ever done it, except when they have?

You also know there are other games than D&D, right?

What monster manual has ever listed monsters by type?

I’m honestly curious. I’ve got dozens of monster books and I’ve never seen one that did.

 

[Reynard]

What monster manual has ever listed monsters by type?

I’m honestly curious. I’ve got dozens of monster books and I’ve never seen one that did.

When Demons, Devils and Dragons have their own sections, that it what we are talking about. My Dragonbane Bestiary divides the monsters into section, as does the The One Ring. In fact, the majority of non-D&D monster manuals do it.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Um no? Which monster manual are you referring to that was organized by creature type and not alphabetically? I have no idea which book you're referring to

I thought you were referring to things like dragons, giants, demons, etc. Sorry.

 

[the Jester]

Why would you be looking them up by name then? You don't generally get the name first and then go look for the monster unless is appearing in a module you are running, in which case the module will generally let you know that the deathdrinker is a demon and the xag-ya is an elemental.

And even if you didn't know deathdrinker is a demon or the xag-ya is an elemental, once you looked up the page number for them in the index and looked at it, you would.

The change really doesn't help anyone, because we already had a way to look them up by name for those few obscure monsters.

I'll just agree to disagree. I think alphabetizing the monsters is a big improvement in organization. I do think it would be good to have a "Demon" entry that includes general notes on demons; however, in most cases, such as aberrations or oozes, there really aren't a lot of notes that apply to all the monsters in the category. Type doesn't mean much these days.

 

[the Jester]

Perhaps a topic for another thread, but what makes a dungeon "awesome" rather than a series of rooms filled with monster fights?

Well- first of all, it isn't just a series of rooms with monsters to fight.

An awesome dungeon should have mysteries to be unraveled through exploring it, interesting features including traps, secret areas, weird elements, and tricks, often factions that can be interacted with to set them against one another, and cool history. It shouldn't be linear. It shouldn't be a series of the same encounter over and over again with minor variations- even an orc fortress should have a variety of encounters (e.g. a spellcaster here, some kind of pets there, a room with traps in it over there, orcs with differing personalities that come out in their tactics and in diplomatic encounters, etc).

A larger dungeon should usually have multiple entrances and different ways to access various areas within it. The environment should include its own dangers, from yellow mold and green slime to underground waterways that can sweep you away and drown you to lava pools you have to find a way to get around.

There should be a reason that the pcs want to go into it- maybe there's a threat within, maybe there's a legendary treasure, maybe there's a wanted criminal lairing within, maybe there's the answer to a longstanding mystery.

Finally, an awesome dungeon should feel dangerous. Not every encounter should be easily beaten; some can even feel impossible to overcome at first blush.

 

[dave2008]

Type doesn't mean much these days.

I'm torn. I think I want it to mean more, but I'm honestly not sure if that is a good or bad idea at this point.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

When Demons, Devils and Dragons have their own sections, that it what we are talking about. My Dragonbane Bestiary divides the monsters into section, as does the The One Ring. In fact, the majority of non-D&D monster manuals do it.

They were talking about the entire book being sorted by type. Not a few sections.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

An awesome dungeon should have mysteries to be unraveled through exploring it, interesting features including traps, secret areas, weird elements, and tricks, often factions that can be interacted with to set them against one another, and cool history

So, the same things as a good non-dungeon adventure. Why does it need to be a dungeon?