MMIV Art Gallery...the hell?

[Shade]

The "change a number" method to fill in the missing pictures doesn't even work like usual. I'm wondering if they just weren't finished putting it together before it went live, and will finish filling it in later.

 

[Kesh]

The "change a number" method to fill in the missing pictures doesn't even work like usual. I'm wondering if they just weren't finished putting it together before it went live, and will finish filling it in later.

I'm interested in the gnolls section... but that's about it.

 

[NexH]

The art looks great.

This art gallery has really increased my interest in the MM4, even if I don't like classed critters and spawn of Tiamat very much.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

This.

Is.

THE.

COOLEST.

MONSTER.

BOOK.

EVER!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean it has some some sort of elf called a "Drow" I wonder what that is?

Of maybe that "Githyanki" things. It seems really cool.

Some sort of wierd dog-men called "Gnolls".

And then those wierd Orcs & Ogres. Those seem really neat and orginal.

And let's not forget whatever that Snake-person; the Yaun-Ti; is. I think they might have some cool special abilities.

Sarcasm Module Off.

That has got to be the most idiotic preview I've seen from Wizards. If you are going to try to preview the art in this book, at least do some work on the captions.

I already have Drow, Gnolls, Orcs, and Ogres thank you very much. You can at least label it Fiendish Gnolls, or Ogre Berserkers to at least let us know that this is more than a simple reprint.

It's a reprint with existing Templates & Classes added on. The same as what I have been doing for 4-5 years now.

This might be the 1st monster book I don't buy.


PS. Am I the only one who looks at the Gnoll Picture and thinks "Pomerainian"? Really, they look just like those little puff-balls with bad attitudes. Take a Pom's head and put it on a Humanoid's body & there you go; insta-gnoll.

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

I don't want to, but I'm sure I will give in and buy it eventually. The art is very nice, but I'll reserve total judgement until I am flipping through a copy at the hobby shop.

 

[IceFractal]

I've looked through the book at my FLGS (they've got it out already), and while some of the monsters are cool, I just can't see getting it, because of the overload on filler. I think it was the Orc Berserker that really sealed the deal. It's a friken Orc Barbarian. Let me repeat - an Orc Barbarian, possibly the simplest to make and most commonly used NPC I've ever seen. They may as well be putting in instructions on how to roll a d20.

 

[Knight Otu]

All is forgiven, the book has Link.

Well, not really all. I still think that classed/advanced monsters belong in either an NPC collection, or the Monster book the base form debuted in (or in adventures, but that's not the point of discussion).

 

[Kunimatyu]

The Greathorn Minotaur looks horrible -- it looks like somebody painted themselves blue and attached papermache horns to their head.

 

[BryonD]

But apparently Fiendish Codex 1, and to a lesser extent Tome of Magic, absconded with the entire share of 'freaking awesome book' that had been allocated by WotC for this quarter,

**cough**

**choke**

God, I hope FC1 isn't the new high water mark........

 

[EricNoah]

As I've expressed before, I have no problem with the mixed content or the experimentation with the format. I do think it would make sense to have a whole book that is statted up humanoids and other common monster/class combos. A D&D "Menace Manual" would be quite welcome. I also like the idea of sample lairs, treasures, and maps in a Monster Manual.

I have to say the art isn't striking me as all that appealing this time around. Though it is funny that the very things some folks hate are the ones I loved. I loved that blue minotaur, and I almost always like England's work (not the gnolls though), and I specifically did not care for the pics by Ron Spencer. Different strokes for different folks. The art preview is not drawing me in this time, as it did for MM III.