Monster Manual IV thoughts?

[MerricB]

I miss the entry for "Man" in the original MM.

Cheers!

 

[Deadguy]

Traps, mechanical and magical, provide challenges to PCs too, maybe MM5 should have 1/3 of the book dedicated to tons of new traps, the ecology impacted by those traps, the society of people creating those traps, the typical treasure left behind when those traps slay their victims, Knowledge (dungeoneering) or Knowledge (architecture&engineering)tables for those traps, maps providing areas of where to stick those traps for DMs without a second of time to waste.

And we'll still call the book "Monster Manual 5", btw.

And note I said "creatures". Levelled, templated and otherwise modified creatures remain creatures.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Would a book with a wide range of CR stat blocks be more or less valueable?

Becausing thinking, like math, is hard!

 

[WizarDru]

Well, while I can see why it wouldn't be to the liking of many gamers, it floats my boat for the exact same reason it doesn't please some others. I've got monster collections. Lots of 'em. I've got them in modules. I've got them in magazines. I've got them in hardbound editions. I've got them in compliations. I've got them in PDFs. Since D&D's inception, new DM content for the game primarily consists of new monsters, new treasure and new spells. If you look at many of the D&D mainstay monsters, they first appeared in a module, as often as not.

MM IV is not like the original MM. It's different in design approach and intent. Razz's jokingly proposed 'trappy' MM 5 would appeal to me, if it centered on a bunch of monsters that used traps extensivley as part of their profile. Would I want every book from this point on to follow MM IV's exact style? No...but we're on the fourth book, now. I think it's time to experiment with the formula a little.

 

[BryonD]

Well, I'll ask you the same question I've asked others who say they like this because they already have plenty of monsters:

Wouldn't it have been even better if you could get the stat blocks without being forced to buy all the new MMIV monsters along with the stat blocks? And wouldn't MORE statblocks in place of those monsters have been even better still?

 

[MerricB]

Well, I'll ask you the same question I've asked others who say they like this because they already have plenty of monsters:

Wouldn't it have been even better if you could get the stat blocks without being forced to buy all the new MMIV monsters along with the stat blocks? And wouldn't MORE statblocks in place of those monsters have been even better still?

I'd love it if Wizards gave me all their books for free, yes.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

Well, while I can see why it wouldn't be to the liking of many gamers, it floats my boat for the exact same reason it doesn't please some others. I've got monster collections. Lots of 'em. I've got them in modules. I've got them in magazines. I've got them in hardbound editions. I've got them in compliations. I've got them in PDFs. Since D&D's inception, new DM content for the game primarily consists of new monsters, new treasure and new spells. If you look at many of the D&D mainstay monsters, they first appeared in a module, as often as not.

MM IV is not like the original MM. It's different in design approach and intent. Razz's jokingly proposed 'trappy' MM 5 would appeal to me, if it centered on a bunch of monsters that used traps extensivley as part of their profile. Would I want every book from this point on to follow MM IV's exact style? No...but we're on the fourth book, now. I think it's time to experiment with the formula a little.

CHANGE IS BAD!!!

Don't you know anything about gamers?!

Really I love D&D but I like the people who play it less and less (my groups excepted of course).

 

[JoeGKushner]

CHANGE IS BAD!!!

Don't you know anything about gamers?!

Really I love D&D but I like the people who play it less and less (my groups excepted of course).

Page count on $29.95 books going from 192 to 160 is a change and yup, I think it was a bad one.

 

[WizarDru]

Wouldn't it have been even better if you could get the stat blocks without being forced to buy all the new MMIV monsters along with the stat blocks? And wouldn't MORE statblocks in place of those monsters have been even better still?

I'm not sure I understand the first question. You're asking if I would have like it better if I had gotten just stat-blocks, without any material about the monsters at all? Or are you asking if I'd preferred only to have gotten upgrades to old monsters instead of the monsters in the MM IV? I thought I was clear on both points, above...if given the choice between nothing but stat-blocks or a book of stat-blocks with space devoted to lairs, psychology and placement...I'll favor the latter, after the first book.

I think people would be less unhappy with the book if it wasn't entitled Monster Manual IV. Certainly, I don't remember the same complaints for Dragonomicon, Libris Mortis and Lords of Madness.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

Page count on $29.95 books going from 192 to 160 is a change and yup, I think it was a bad one.

MM4 has 228 pages. And I get my books at less than the US$ price in Canadain$ so