Greatest. Monster Book. Ever.
- Thread starter blackshirt5
- Start date
Excellent! A Whole Tread Full of Monsternomicon Fans!
I was one of the wordsmiths for the Monsternomicon (specifically the Assassin Fly, Boatman, Dune Prowler, Eldritch, Lemax, Oasis Ooze, Rusalka, Sepulcharal Lurker, and Tatzylwurm). I would love to hear what people think of the monsters I designed... What did you like? Dislike? Have you used them in a game? If so, how did it go?
Need the Info!
Joseph Miller
PP Wordsmith (Monsternomicon)
PS: What were your favorite three monsters from the books? Why? Thanks ;-)
I was one of the wordsmiths for the Monsternomicon (specifically the Assassin Fly, Boatman, Dune Prowler, Eldritch, Lemax, Oasis Ooze, Rusalka, Sepulcharal Lurker, and Tatzylwurm). I would love to hear what people think of the monsters I designed... What did you like? Dislike? Have you used them in a game? If so, how did it go?
Need the Info!
Joseph Miller
PP Wordsmith (Monsternomicon)
PS: What were your favorite three monsters from the books? Why? Thanks ;-)
ColonelHardisson
What? Me Worry?
Privateer has yet to produce anything bad in the Iron Kingdoms line. I don't mind waiting for their stuff if they keep up this kind of quality. The Monsternomicon is a fantastic book. The last year or so has seen a lot of fantastic monster books, from Tome of Horrors to MMII to the Fiend Folio to the Monsternomicon. It's like monster heaven has opened up and bodily assumed me.
barsoomcore
Unattainable Ideal
Well, then, a hearty tip of the hat to you. A very fine job, my friend. Very fine indeed.jaldaen said:
Because I know only too well how important real feedback can be, I'll do my best to give you some. I'm not a reviewer (I don't even play one on TV), though, so don't expect much.
- Assassin Fly -- Have not used it. Like it, though. It's nasty and mean and can catch players by surprise. I approve.
- Boatman -- Have not used it (haven't used any of yours, actually. Sorry). Seems mostly useful against a single player, which isn't a situation I DM very often. Opening description was long enough that I passed on this one first read-through.
- Dune Prowler -- I didn't care for the picture on first sight. It's a good, straightforward beast, though.
- Eldritch -- love these guys! Great pics, great idea. Don't use elves on Barsoom, otherwise I'd be all over these. Still might throw a little eldritch action at my party before long.
- Lemax -- Not so interesting. I think it ought to have a Climb speed. Still, I like the bribery notion. On a re-read, worth considering.
- Oasis Ooze -- Oh yeah. I'll take two of these. I like the Constrict ability and the general sneakiness.
- Rusalka -- I liked her, but she's kind of hard to use. Very specific. I haven't had a chance to use this, and don't know that I will.
- Sepulchral Lurker -- Like this one. It makes skeletons suddenly more interesting. Very cool.
- Tatzylwurm -- Looking for a chance to use these. Just enough description, cool powers and I like the mention of their pack hunting techniques. Sets the wheels turning...
- Cephalyx -- Except for the fact that this thing's advancement is by HD, I love these guys. Had great fun with one of them that had a bunch of Mechanithralls, an Iron Maiden and other playmates.
- Curator Infernal -- Man, he is SO bad. I just called him "The Curator" and he struck fear into my party for weeks. Hurrah.
- Satyxis -- Do I really have to explain? Holy crap.
Another Monsternomicon (Volume II) will also register an immediate sale on my turf!
Desdichado
Hero
IK is probably the only campaign setting I would consider running in lieu of a homebrew. Although, to be quite honest, my homebrews have been borrowing more and more from this as more has come into print.barsoomcore said:
Kanegrundar
Explorer
I agree 100%. The Monsternomicon is a great monster book. It's full of imaginative ideas that really gives a good feel for the Iron Kingdoms setting. It blows other books like both Creature Collections, Tome of Horrors, Monster Manual 2, and Liber Bestarius out of the water. Here's how I rank my monster/race book collection:
Monsternomicon- A simply awe-inspiring book. It alone made me look into the Iron Kingdoms, and I'm glad I did. Great setting, even if you're not really into the whole "Steampunk" genre.
Savage Species- I really like this one a lot. It has some great templates, plus the idea of monster classes has lead me to convert a lot of ECL monsters into classes. Some may hate it, but I think it's a valuable resource.
Bastards and Bloodlines- Say what you will about elf and unicorn crossings, but the races in this book are really interesting. Sure, I'm re-writing a few backgrounds since I don't like the idea of beastiality in my games, but the races are too good not to use.
Monster Manual- Simple and basic. This book is chock full of good ol' standbys for my games.
Fiend Folio- WotC's best monster collection to date. While my games don't tend to get into the high levels, I know if they do the Fiend Folio will see a LOT of use. Even then there are some cool new planetouched races and other lower-leveled critter therein as well.
Ravenloft Denizens of Darkness: While I don't game in RL anymore (the idea of an entire setting based on fantasy horror isn't that appealing to me anymore), this book has some great sinister monsters that only take a little bit of revision to make work in any generic fantasy game.
Minions Fearsome Foes- There are some wierd monsters in this book, but they are imaginative and many have found a steady place in my games. Plus, it is a very sound book as far as mechanics go, even if a couple of the ECL's are off.
Mythic Races- I've loved this book since I picked it up. Some of the monsters are used in my games, and other have really unimaginative names (Animan for animal-headed humanoids for instance), but they give some great depth to each race. This is the book that made me realize how cool an undead PC race could be.
Monsters of Faerun- Not bad. Some old classics are in this one
and some cool new Realms monsters as well.
Liber Beastarius- While this isn't the most original book and the idea of giving stats for a mid-level NPC and calling them a such and such "badass" a little immature (IMO), there are some great monsters to be found in this book.
Tome of Horrors- I was diappointed in this book. Don't bet me wrong, I'm glad to have stats for most of these critters, but I was hoping for something more that a simple rehash of 1E stats. I thought that they might update them to fit the 3E feel more rather than just convert them, and I would have liked more information about the creatures than just a basic (and I mean basic) summary of each monster. They could have dropped some of the more useless monsters and given more meat to each entry. Regardless, it still gets used in my games.
Armies of the Abyss- I don't get my PC's into the infernal realms that much, but when I do this book has been invaluable.
Legions of Hell- It's a little light on monsters compared to AotA, but the background on major demons is pretty good. (Shax is a major evil god IMC.) This is another book that hasn't seen too much time, however, due to the low to mid level of power of the current campaign.
Monster Manual 2- I liked the creatures, but most were too different to see much use in my games. There are a few that make it in, mostly planetouched and a couple other PC-suitable races, however.
Races of Faerun- This is an ok book. There are some neat new feats for the various races, but since I don't play in the Realms so much of the material has to be re-worked a bit for use IMC. At least I have Avariel stats now!
Creature Collection 2- This is a decent collection of monsters, some are pretty original, but they weren't too great in the naming. (How many blood this and that creatures do we need in one book?) It has a better feel that the first CC, but it's still a little random and varied.
Monster- I used this book a lot before Savage Species came out. I liked the idea of "devolving" ECL races into ECL 0 PC races, but some were still what I would consider to be ECL 1 or 2 however. While I don't use much of the book, there are still some interesting new monsters that have seen the gaming table.
Creature Collection 1- I like many of the monsters found in this book, but the mechanics are horrible. I plan on picking up the revised edition since the Aasaathi have become a major force in my campaign.
My 50 cents,
Kane
Monsternomicon- A simply awe-inspiring book. It alone made me look into the Iron Kingdoms, and I'm glad I did. Great setting, even if you're not really into the whole "Steampunk" genre.
Savage Species- I really like this one a lot. It has some great templates, plus the idea of monster classes has lead me to convert a lot of ECL monsters into classes. Some may hate it, but I think it's a valuable resource.
Bastards and Bloodlines- Say what you will about elf and unicorn crossings, but the races in this book are really interesting. Sure, I'm re-writing a few backgrounds since I don't like the idea of beastiality in my games, but the races are too good not to use.
Monster Manual- Simple and basic. This book is chock full of good ol' standbys for my games.
Fiend Folio- WotC's best monster collection to date. While my games don't tend to get into the high levels, I know if they do the Fiend Folio will see a LOT of use. Even then there are some cool new planetouched races and other lower-leveled critter therein as well.
Ravenloft Denizens of Darkness: While I don't game in RL anymore (the idea of an entire setting based on fantasy horror isn't that appealing to me anymore), this book has some great sinister monsters that only take a little bit of revision to make work in any generic fantasy game.
Minions Fearsome Foes- There are some wierd monsters in this book, but they are imaginative and many have found a steady place in my games. Plus, it is a very sound book as far as mechanics go, even if a couple of the ECL's are off.
Mythic Races- I've loved this book since I picked it up. Some of the monsters are used in my games, and other have really unimaginative names (Animan for animal-headed humanoids for instance), but they give some great depth to each race. This is the book that made me realize how cool an undead PC race could be.
Monsters of Faerun- Not bad. Some old classics are in this one
and some cool new Realms monsters as well.
Liber Beastarius- While this isn't the most original book and the idea of giving stats for a mid-level NPC and calling them a such and such "badass" a little immature (IMO), there are some great monsters to be found in this book.
Tome of Horrors- I was diappointed in this book. Don't bet me wrong, I'm glad to have stats for most of these critters, but I was hoping for something more that a simple rehash of 1E stats. I thought that they might update them to fit the 3E feel more rather than just convert them, and I would have liked more information about the creatures than just a basic (and I mean basic) summary of each monster. They could have dropped some of the more useless monsters and given more meat to each entry. Regardless, it still gets used in my games.
Armies of the Abyss- I don't get my PC's into the infernal realms that much, but when I do this book has been invaluable.
Legions of Hell- It's a little light on monsters compared to AotA, but the background on major demons is pretty good. (Shax is a major evil god IMC.) This is another book that hasn't seen too much time, however, due to the low to mid level of power of the current campaign.
Monster Manual 2- I liked the creatures, but most were too different to see much use in my games. There are a few that make it in, mostly planetouched and a couple other PC-suitable races, however.
Races of Faerun- This is an ok book. There are some neat new feats for the various races, but since I don't play in the Realms so much of the material has to be re-worked a bit for use IMC. At least I have Avariel stats now!
Creature Collection 2- This is a decent collection of monsters, some are pretty original, but they weren't too great in the naming. (How many blood this and that creatures do we need in one book?) It has a better feel that the first CC, but it's still a little random and varied.
Monster- I used this book a lot before Savage Species came out. I liked the idea of "devolving" ECL races into ECL 0 PC races, but some were still what I would consider to be ECL 1 or 2 however. While I don't use much of the book, there are still some interesting new monsters that have seen the gaming table.
Creature Collection 1- I like many of the monsters found in this book, but the mechanics are horrible. I plan on picking up the revised edition since the Aasaathi have become a major force in my campaign.
My 50 cents,
Kane
ColonelHardisson said:
*grimaces a bit*
Sorry, gents, involuntary reaction there. When I hear someone asking a crunchy question about a product like "how does this monster book avoid the common habit of its ilk by simply repeating minor variants on the same roles that are already by filled by creatures in a dozen monster books that proceeded them?", and they get a somewhat vague response like "by being so darn cool!", I just have to grimace a little. Sometimes people get excited over a book's "flavour" and give it rave reviews without scratching beneath the surface.
Case in point: my first and only purchase to date in the Privateer Press line was The Longest Night. It soon wound up on my pile unusable gaming material. I found it to be a highly-scripted railroad of an adventure that violated many of the basic tenets that they teach in "DMing 101". Then about a month later I walked in late to a session to find another DM actually running it. Sure enough, the story that to him looked so friggin' cool on paper evoked little from the players other than boredom and exasperation. Monte Cook's review covers some of TLN’s weak aspects, although his comments are really just the tip of the lameberg.
The really disappointing thing about TLN is that I purchased it based on the landslide of 5-star rave reviews here at ENWorld. IMO, it seems like everyone got so fixated on praising the "storyteller" elements--creepy ambience and deep character motivations--that they overlooked some pretty obvious design flaws, namely that the book places little importance on either the value of sound game mechanics or the significance of player choices. There are some pretty ready warning signs too, such as a sidebar where the author shares his secret to good DM-ing, which boils down to something like this: "Events should always proceed as planned regardless of what the players do. It is the true Art of the DM to trick players into thinking that their foresight and ingenuity can influence the outcome of an encounter, while tactfully and subtly quashing any and all attempts to disrupt the flow of his story".
Well, fool me once, shame on PP....
Now once again I'm reading a whole lotta gushing posts about a Privateer Press book that contain relatively few specific details. Anyone care to go a little beyond adding to the number of times the word "cool" has been used?
Why exactly does the book inspire awe? What in particular about the monsters are original? Up to this point here are the details I've been able to gather about the Monsternomicon's major strengths:
1) Idea-mining: Each monster is given a lot of individual attention as to how they can be inserted.
2) Superlative artwork
3) Guns and other steampunk elements that provide a new twist.
So far that sounds fairly cool. What else?
(Barsoomcore, thanks for the individual critter write-ups!)
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