How Many Monster Books Do You Own?

[Beale Knight]

Just MM 3.5 and MM II, which I haven't used except for some ideas. I've made up a handful of middle ground monsters that are really more like strange beasts, but otherwise the MM has been plenty, once levels and advances (or regressions - such as the juvenile otyugh I sic'ed on some L2 pcs) are worked in.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I am too a big fan of the monster book at six at this time. I seem to pick up at least one a year.

 

[MonsterMash]

3.5 Monster Manual and Tome of Horrors II, plus a couple of other books with some creatures in.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

I dunno, let's count:

CC 1-3 /3
MM 1-2 /5
FF /6
Monsternomicon/7
ToH 1-2 /9
FFG Lore books (Draconic, Necro, Giant, Elemental & Twisted) /14
Monsters of Faerun /15
GR's Eastern Monster Book ( "Jade" something or other ) /16
Book of Fiends ( Does this count as three? ) /17
Legacy of Dragons /18
Monsters of the Mind /19
Liber Beastarus (sp) /20
Minions of Shadow/21
Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary/22

Wow- more than I thought !

I guess Draconomicon should count too -so should FFG's Monster Handbook.

Plus more than a dozen or so other books that are heavy with Monsters. Necropolis is a good example, having dozens of monster entries.

edit: added what I missed before

 

[Agemegos]

I own eighteen different RPGs: D&D 3.0, The Fantasy Trip, DragonQuest, GURPS, Vampire, BESM, Hero System, In Nomine, Passion Play, Star Wars (d20), Chivalry & Sorcery (3rd edition), James Bond 007, Fuzion, CyberPunk 2020, Bushido, Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium version), Hero Wars, and ForeSight.

Among the eighteen of them, all put together, I own one monster book: the 3.0 MM. It is more than enough: in fact I almost never open it. People make far more interesting opponents for PCs than monsters do.

IMHO. YMMV. YDWYDWP.

[edited to add] By the way: I note that this poll doesn't allow for the person who owns no monster books. Outside monster-obsessed D&D that is not unusual, and within the D&D community there are non-GMing players who do not own the MM or DMG.

 

[Steve Jung]

If I just count 3.x, I have 3 books. 3.0 Monster Manual, 3.5 Monster Manual, and Monsters of Faerûn.

In earlier editions, I have 1st ed. Monster Manual, 1st ed. Monster Manual II, and 2nd ed. Monstrous Compendium.

 

[scott-fs]

I voted 2-3 before I realized how many monster "books" I have. 23 total at current count. This doesn't include books I may have downloaded.

Dedicated "Monster Books":
MM (2e)
MM (3.0)
Creature Collection (3.0)
Beasts of Lejend (Legendary Adventures)
Star*Drive Alien Compendium 2 (Alternity)
Blood Enemies: Abominations of Cerilia (2e- Birthright)
Ravenloft Monstrous Compedium 1&2 (2e- Ravenloft)
Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium 3 (2e- Ravenloft)
Van Richten's Guide to... (8 total *) (2e- Ravenloft)
Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium 1, 2 and 3. (2e- Ravenloft)

Game Systems that include a bestiary/creature section:
HarnMaster 3 **
Warhammer FRP
Star Wars (d20)
Alternity Game Masters Guide

* Each VR guide focused on 7 different horror creature type from Ravenloft: Vampire, Lich, Ancient Dead (Mummy), Werebeast, Ghost, Fiend, Created (Golems), as well as two related Ravenloft subject: Vistani, Witches. The VHMHC's reprinted the 8 original in 3 groups of 3 with Witches being new to the set. They still count as 11.

** HarnMaster is organized in a very modular format, and are released in groups of looseleaf articles (similar to the 2e Monstrous Compendium Appendices), rather than individual bound books. It could get unwieldly with some systems, but Harn really doesn't need hundreds of creatures players will rarely encounter once in their lifetime.

 

[tetsujin28]

People make far more interesting opponents for PCs than monsters do.

Ah-yup.

 

[Seonaid]

Monster Manual 3.5 and Fiend Folio. Wish I had the time and money to buy and read more.

 

[Orius]

Counting 2e and 3e books, I come up with a tally of 10.

• Monster Manual 3.0.
• Monstrous Manual 2e.
• All 4 Monstrous Compendium Annuals.
• All 3 Planscape MC appendices.
• Mystara MC Appendix