Best 3.5 monster books?

[jdrakeh]

The reason that I ask is because I want to run a Trailblazer game sometime in the future and, currently, monsters and spells are the two things that aren't really given much room in the rule set. I could always just settle for using the SRD to fill in the holes but I think that using 3rd party stuff adds a little bit of 'magic' by introducing more obscure spells/monsters into the mix.

 

[DMH]

Some that have yet to be mentioned

The Wanderer Guild line from Goodman and 3 AM- Monsters of the Endless Dark, Monsters of the Boundless Blue, Primeval Groves (all GG) and Monsters of the Savage Snow (3 AM).

The Template Troves trio from Silverthorne.

Beast Builder (no monsters, just advice) from XRP.

And speaking of which, Savage Species doesn't get a lot of love but does have some useful advice in creature design if you look at it right.

Behmoth3 had 2 interesting books based on one creature apiece- Maze of the Minotaur and A Swarm of Stirges. There are more creatures in each and Minotaur has one rather amazing idea on monster advancement.

The Creature Weekly series (which made 7 weeks and then 4-5 a year or two later) from Octavirate Games have all kinds of weird and interesting creatures. This is pdf only.

Ronin Art's Six Swarms and Throwing Dice Games' Notebook Essentials: Swarms, Stampedes and Skirmishes add a lot to the idea of the swarm subtype.

And finally there is Genjitsu's A Flock of Foes- creatures from the MM with templates already applied and 4 templates on making anything into the 4 basic golems. More interesting than it sounds, there is advice on how to make changes beyond what the template states.

And for the Deluxe Book of Templates, both 3.0 and 3.5 are worth owning. They cut somethings I consider significant in the 3.5 update (the worse being how to use templates section at the end).

 

[Aberzanzorax]

Monsters of the Endless Dark? I downloaded the preview and, IF I remember correctly...it was horrible.

Could you please tell me more about this one? Maybe I missed a gem!

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

The reason that I ask is because I want to run a Trailblazer game sometime in the future and, currently, monsters and spells are the two things that aren't really given much room in the rule set. I could always just settle for using the SRD to fill in the holes but I think that using 3rd party stuff adds a little bit of 'magic' by introducing more obscure spells/monsters into the mix.

Of course you realize (and I know you do...) that we're working on a Trailblazer "monster manual."

You'll be able to use it "As Is" or use the tips and tricks therein to improve any one of the excellent suggestions above.

I'll add my vote for Monsternomicon, Denizens of Avadnu, and Advanced Bestiary.

 

[Greg K]

My favorites:

WOTC:

Fiendish Codex 1

MM1, MM2, Fiend Folio: While I am not a fan of the new monsters created specifically for 3e, these have most of the monsters from previous editions


3rd party:
Advanced Bestiary
Book of Fiends
Book of Templates, Deluxe Revised

 

[Maggan]

Very system specific, but I thought Monsternomicon 2 was outstanding. The layout, stories, and art were superb.

Yeah, I think the Monsternomicons are among the best monster books ever, for any system or setting.

/M

 

[DMH]

Monsters of the Endless Dark? I downloaded the preview and, IF I remember correctly...it was horrible.

Could you please tell me more about this one? Maybe I missed a gem!

There are several- the flamethrowing bugs, the soul eating caterpillar/squid, the illithid wantabe and slaves, the cyborg, the ooze that throws spikes, the fish that jumps out of the water (think about where it lives), the hyperintelligent undead and the lava lake predator from the top of my head. The only one I can think of that isn't interesting is the humanoid (not that the one in Boundless Blue is any better).