Difference between Monster Vault and Threats of Nentir vale?

[Rechan]

Heh. And I thought the first Monster Vault didn't have that many monsters in it. I understand it was pretty Heroic/Lower Paragon, but it didn't have much that was NEW or very different.

 

[MrMyth]

Heh. And I thought the first Monster Vault didn't have that many monsters in it. I understand it was pretty Heroic/Lower Paragon, but it didn't have much that was NEW or very different.

Well, yes and no. It had a solid amount of monsters, but not much that was new or different - it focused heavily on the same types of monsters as seen in MM1 (the exact same ones, in some cases, updated with new monster guidelines, more background/fluff/etc.)

MM1 had over 400 monsters in it. MM2 and MM3, along with MV, had around 300 or so. Nentir Vale has just under 200, I think.

 

[Scribble]

Does Nentir focus the entries into like, encounter groups?

IE if I needed an ambush or something I could just open up to a bandits section and find a premade encounter group?

 

[Drammattex]

Does Nentir focus the entries into like, encounter groups?

IE if I needed an ambush or something I could just open up to a bandits section and find a premade encounter group?

Nentir Vale is generally divided into encounter groups. The Raven Roost Bandits, for example, are exactly what you're talking about.

As for "which is better," imo that question can't accurately be answered since you'd be using them in different circumstances.

For me, the Monster Vault is my go-to D&D monster reference. It includes most of the "core" D&D monsters and it amps up the story content on each of them. It's a fantastic general use 4e monster manual. However...

However my campaign has been, and will continue to remain, human-centric. I get some humans in Monster Vault, but MVNV gives me whole groups of human barbarians, human bandits, human mages, and human warriors, and it (again, in my opinion) packs more story per monster than any monster book from any edition. And though it's set in the Nentir Vale, by design all of it is easily transferable to anywhere else--usually just by changing a name or two. So that book is going to see more play on my table than the Essentials Monster Vault simply by virtue of the kind of game I like to run. For a paragon or epic game, I'd use a different source, but most of the stuff I play is heroic.

I see the books as two different tools in my toolbox. Both are very handy, but one is a more specific type tool and one is a more all purpose tool. In general I'd use the all purpose tool more, but my particular needs favor the more specific one.

 

[Scribble]

Nentir Vale is generally divided into encounter groups. The Raven Roost Bandits, for example, are exactly what you're talking about.

As for "which is better," imo that question can't accurately be answered since you'd be using them in different circumstances.

Huh? I don't think I asked which is better... or maybe I forgot?

In any case- your description sounds like a book I will be purchasing soon.

I was hoping it would function as you say another tool in the box.

 

[Drammattex]

Better vs. not better vs. prioritizing... in response to the conversation in general, not to your quote specifically.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

The factions are as follows:

Abyssal Plague Demons - demons, 6 monsters, lvls 5-9
Barrowhaunts - ghosts of adventurers, 6 monsters, lvls 7-9
Bitterstrike - Dragon & its (largely fey) allies, 6 monsters, lvls 8-10
Blackfang Gnolls - gnolls, 6 monsters, lvls 6-8
Bloodfire ooze - an ooze, 1 monster, lvl 7
Boggle - a type of fey, 4 monsters, lvls 3-5
Cadavar Collector - a construct & its master, 2 monsters, lvl 9
Calastryx - dragon & its potential followers, 2 monsters, lvls 14 & 4
Clan Bloodspear - orks, some other humanoids, 8 monsters, lvls 4-10
Daggerburg Goblins - goblinoids + mount, 11 monsters, lvls 4-9
Dark Drake of the Moon Hills - drakes, 3 monsters, lvls 6, 7 & 8
Dythan's Legion - dragonborn + "mounts", 7 monsters, lvls 11-15
Fell Court - Tieflings, 6 monsters, lvls 2-5
Felldrake - drakes, 4 monsters, lvls 1-4
Frost Witches - witches & followers, 5 monsters, lvls 6, 8, 12, 15, 18
Gravelstoke Family - humans, 5 monsters, lvls 12-16
Gray Company - humans + 1 undead, 5 monsters, lvls 6-9
Hearken's Heart - druids & dryads, 4 monsters, lvls 7-10
Hounds of Ill Omen - undead, 3 monsters, lvls 7-10
Hunter Spiders - drow, 4 monsters, lvls 15-17
Hurly-Burly Brothers - trolls, 1 monster, lvl 9
Iron Circle - human + 2 demons, 7 monsters, lvls 3-5
Mages of Saruun - mages & followers, 6 monsters, lvls 8-14
Mooncalf - aberation, 4 monsters, lvls 10-15
Penanggalan - undead, 3 monsters, lvl 8, 9, 10
Peryton - beast, 2 monsters, lvls 4 & 6
Phantom Brigade - undead, 6 monsters, lvls 6-8, 12 & 14
Ragewind - construct, 1 monster, lvl 18
Raven Roost Bandits - bandits, 9 monsters, lvls 4-8
River Rats - criminals, 6 monsters, lvls 2-5
Scroll Mummy - construct, 1 monster, lvl 15
Shadowmire - dragon, 1 monster, lvl 19
Tigerclaw Barbarians - barbarians + mounts, 8 monsters, lvl 3-8
Treants of Nentir Vale - treants & woads, 6 monsters, lvl 11-20
Twig Blight - plants, 4 monsters, lvl 1-5
Vampiric Mist - undead, 4 monsters 9, 9, 11, 19
Vestapalk - dragon & kobold pal, 2 monsters, lvl 6 & 13
Wandering Tower - aberations + others, 3 monsters + hazard, lvl 14, 15, 18, 18
Witchlight Lizardfolk - lizardmen, 8 monsters, lvl 3-7
Wolf Runners - bandits, 3 monsters, lvl 5, 5, 6

 

[Rechan]

Holy crap wow, that's very great of you. I'd give you XP if I didn't have to spread it around.

Also, VAMPIRE MIST? Hell yeah!