Monster Manual III: Buying?

[coyote6]

I bought it. I've only skimmed it, but there's some interesting stuff in there.

My two quibbles: as someone else mentioned, some of those CRs are a bit iffy. (e.g., a 20 HD undead with unholy toughness [an extra 20 hp], fast healing 5, and an aura that causes things within 30 feet to begin drowning [Con check every round, starting at DC 10 & increasing; failure = KO, dying next round, dead the last round]? CR 8. Then there's the CR 11 magical beast with 324 hp, +42 grapple, and swallow whole* -- vs. this thing, it looks like you're either flying or dying.)

I'm not sure about having some creatures with Power Attack prefigured into the stats; it might be convenient, if you're playing the critters from the book (and using the 3.5e two-handed Power Attack, in many cases), but if you want to vary the Power Attack amount, you then have to find the amount they're figured as using in the text. Not too hard, but kind of annoying, IMO.

*(speaking of the mivilorn -- why does its mouth have DR 15/bludgeoning? You'd think a blunt instrument would be the least useful weapon to have while stuck in something's mouth. Maybe you're using it to tickle its tonsils. And you don't even get the chance of trying a grapple check to break free, either. [Yeah, if you get swallowed and want to get out, you have to deal a total of 40 pts of damage past DR 15, with a light weapon -- no Power Attack for you! Hope you remembered your light mace, pal . . .])

 

[ScottDM]

I already picked it up. Mostly because I love monsters. I am pleased with it, and I do like it better than MM2 and FF, though I thought they were "OK" as far as monster books go, there is very little I will use from either. The ToH books seemed a little "goofy" to me, and CC and CC2 were very world specific.

 

[Li Shenron]

From what I have heard so far, this MMIII seems to me better than the MMII and FF (which I don't own), but I am not sure if that will be enough for me to buy it. I am not especially fond of monsters book, I find it kind of enough to use the core MM and then modify the monsters with templates or advancements.

 

[Razz0putin]

I believe two falls and ni sheron said it best. why buy? when it comes to monster books I've barely used the ones I've gotten so I really REALLY don't need more. although to the person who said that it's better to have a new creature than for a knowledgeable player to play dumb I do agree. However I'd either temp them out or add some levels in a class or two to give them a worthy surprise.

 

[Scharlata]

So are you going to buy MM III?

Bought it . Like it. Used it (needed some new swamp/marsh monsters).

Has a better format than the MM2/FF.

Only thing to complain: dinosaurs, AGAIN! :\

Kind regards

 

[Gez]

speaking of the mivilorn -- why does its mouth have DR 15/bludgeoning? You'd think a blunt instrument would be the least useful weapon to have while stuck in something's mouth.

Could it be the same error as in the Planar Handbook, with the designers confusing the reduced damage and the bypassing damage? Because it would make more sense being DR 15 versus bludgeoning damage, that is, DR 15/Piercing or slashing.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I have to SEE it first! From the list and peeks I have seen the book does not look like one I will be buying because more than likely I will not use the monsters, to me the monsters in Frostburn look more usable and with other envirmoment book from other companies coming out I think the money may be better used there.

 

[Garnfellow]

Boy, I'm a total monster book glutton, but I'm really not sure about this one. The preview monsters didn't do much for me, nor did the monster lists, and I'm not running Eberron, either. And I'm really concerned about the reports of editing problems. (I know that WotC has already made changes in their QA/QC procedure based on past gaffes, but what books benefit?)

I wonder if we have finally hit total d20 monster saturation, the point at which every new monster is just (a) a pale variation on past monsters, (b) a powered-up, kick-ass version, or (c) a heavily world-specific variant. It's like a beholder, but this one is /purple/! This is a /blood/ troll, and it has 20 HD and a vorpal bite! This is a halfling, but they're called mu-shus, and here's six pages of loving description of their culture and history in the World of Gorth!

I understand that a fourth Monster Manual is under development. And a Tome of Horrors III is in the works, and even though I am a huge fan of the first two ToHs, I'm really not excited about the idea.

Now the Monster Geographica series, on the other hand, is a different story -- culling through exisiting monster books, pulling out worthy candidates and updating them to 3.5? /That/ seems like a worthy project.

 

[MonsterMash]

Undecided, but very doubtful as its the contents list hasn't grabbed my imagination, but I'll have a look at it in the store before deciding.

 

[Li Shenron]

I wonder if we have finally hit total d20 monster saturation, the point at which every new monster is just (a) a pale variation on past monsters, (b) a powered-up, kick-ass version, or (c) a heavily world-specific variant. It's like a beholder, but this one is /purple/! This is a /blood/ troll, and it has 20 HD and a vorpal bite! This is a halfling, but they're called mu-shus, and here's six pages of loving description of their culture and history in the World of Gorth.

The reason why I didn't buy more monsters books after MM is not only this. It's that to me and my fellow gamers monsters should evoke something, which sometimes it's plain good-old fear of the unknown, but for most used monsters it is the fact that those monsters are inspired by legends or fairy tales. MM basically had almost all of the classic monsters from many sources (celtic, nordic, greek, egyptian, horror-gothic...) and the new books have mostly new stuff which says nothing to the players.