D&D 5E Monster Manual 2 or Player's Handbook 2?

[MichaelSomething]

Neither.
Designers would not be able to fill a whole MM2 without making up stupid monsters.

But it wouldn't be D&D if the designers didn't make up stupid monsters!

 

[TwoSix]

PHB2. It's easy to make monsters. It's a lot harder to get new PC concepts that every table will accept.

 

[Thunderfoot]

MM2. Only option.

PC options are perfectly doable through various supplements and/or campaign and/or race specific books.

Anything that wasn't important enough to make the PHB[1], quite obviously, does not need/is not important enough to be in a PHB.

The whole concept of serial PHBs brought on by...from what I can tell, the edition immediately prior to 5e...can die in the fire from whence it was surely created.

Seconded and motion carried - PHB 2 is a silly marketing ploy - let it die in the fires of the Abyss from whence it was spawned.

And bring me a MM2.

 

[Ezequielramone]

So much interesting opinions. thanks you all.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Honestly, I see the MM2 getting more overall useability. You might have a few people want to play "shiny new alternate PC class", but you'll have most every group use monsters at some point.

I base this on experience, so take it FWIW. I.e., every group I knew used the AD&D MM2 and FF a lot more frequently than we used UA or Oriental Adventures.

*Edit* also, it's worth noting that all those monsters (and most the stuff in UA and OA), were first published in adventures and/or Dragon magazine. so all those that are talking about preferring to see expansions in an..expansion rather than a brand new book, there is precedence there. The books were just a one-stop-collection of all that data

 

[Joe Liker]

The only additional player option I want to see is psionics. I do not see the need for the 3e/4e mess of player options, and I honestly hope it never happens.

So I would rather see a Monster Manual 2 and a Psionics Handbook.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I wouldn't mind eventual "Twos" of ALL THREE core books. (DMG2 can have more traps/hazards, magic items, optional rulesets, epic boons, etc) but then THAT'S IT. No "threes" for anything, ever. Just adventures and adventure or world-specific extra content, out at a reasonable (IE pretty slow) pace.

Also, I don't think they should do "twos" before 2016. 2017 might even be better. And a Rules Compendium around that time.

Keep it under control for sure.

 

[Stormonu]

I'm all for a MM2; D&D's 30+ years has spawned hundreds of monstrosities that have literally filled volumes.

Although I wouldn't mind a PHB2; we've had "Complete", UA's and plenty of other books throughout the editions so it's no skin off my back. It's just not very high on my list. Heck, I'm fine with the starter classes/races for players TBH.

 

[MortalPlague]

I'd love another monster book, long before another PHB. Playing some high-level 5th Edition has shown that there is a dearth of good foes about level 10. Granted, you can put together some compelling encounters with lower-CR baddies, but it would be nice to have a few more go-to solo monsters who aren't devils, demons, or dragons.

 

[Darth Quiris]

MM2. Only option.

PC options are perfectly doable through various supplements and/or campaign and/or race specific books.

Anything that wasn't important enough to make the PHB[1], quite obviously, does not need/is not important enough to be in a PHB.

The whole concept of serial PHBs brought on by...from what I can tell, the edition immediately prior to 5e...can die in the fire from whence it was surely created.

I will totally disagree with this. They could have put in a whole bunch more into this PHB that they already gave us and they chose to not do so specifically so they could do further PHB books. The way they wrote this PHB, the number of 'options' they gave us, is pretty identical to their approach in 4th edition, where each Class in PHB 4th edition had only 2 to 3 paths and then they had those class books that also had 2 to 3 paths for those classes. They could have easily put all those paths in this PHB and didn't do so.

We will see more PHB books, and we'll see more Monster Manuals. They just won't be coming out with the supplemental books like they did for previous editions.

This is the one area where the Pathfinder game rips D&D 5th edition to shreds. Just compare the two books Sorcerer classes. If they can have 6+ Sorcerer bloodlines in the core Pathfinder book, than WotC could have easily done the same in theirs. But they gave us the same exact two Sorcerer Bloodlines that they gave us in their PHB2 for 4th edition. In this way they copied and pasted a lot of their ideas from 4th to 5th edition. IMHO of course.