Monster Manual V ?!

[satori01]

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0786941154.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_V44556996_AA240_.jpg

So this popped into my email today. anyone know anything about this book? The cover makes me think some new Aberration...or classed Mind Flayers.

 

[Ry]

I'm just really hoping it's like MMIV. I really don't need alternate monsters for the same niches, but classed monsters and variants already prepared with adventure / encounter ideas goes straight to my game.

 

[the Jester]

I'm just really hoping it's like MMIV.

Uuugh.

Not me. I'm a whore for monster books, but I can't make myself pay for 2nd level gnoll rangers. Jesus christ, if they're gonna put classed monsters in an MM at least make them something that will save me some work, not a super easy one!

 

[Mr Samedi]

I'm hoping it'll be like MM4 in that it had countless little gems in its pages.

For every 2nd level gnoll ranger or yet-another-spider-monster there was a Balhannoth, a skiurid and a howler wasp.

 

[Glyfair]

I'm just really hoping it's like MMIV. I really don't need alternate monsters for the same niches, but classed monsters and variants already prepared with adventure / encounter ideas goes straight to my game.

I believe the description of the product (on the WOTC site?) pretty much describes the MMIV format.

 

[BlueBlackRed]

My FLGS owner has told me it will be just like MM4.
He's not expecting it to sell well.

 

[Shemeska]

MMIV was a mix of good and wretched. I like the increased ecology details, but the normal monsters with class levels tacked on were a waste of money (had I bought the book). Some creatures like the balhannoth and zern were quite the little gems, but then opposite them we had things like the voor and corruptor of fate posing as so-called yugoloths.

The format for MMIV had promise, and MMV still has that same promise, but hopefully the new book gets implimented better than the last. We'll see.

 

[Razz]

Jeez I hated MMIV.

The maps...waste. The encounters. Stupid. It's a MONSTER MANUAL! The increased detail...half of it is useless. I don't need to know how long a creature is in its gestation period or the color of its dung. The classed monsters just pissed me off to the point where I wanted to rip out the pages, mail them to WotC and leave a letter saying "NO! Bad designers! No! Wrong book!"

The gems were there, like the new fey creatures (I like Lunar Ravager and Verdant Prince) and a few others, even the yugoloths of course (even though the guy wrote the their names screwed up with the naming convention).

I believe it was James Jacobs, not sure exactly, but he said he wrote some of the new creatures in MMV and doesn't recall there being too many classed creatures as before and doesn't remember writing them himself.

 

[Imruphel]

I like the expanded format. I would rather have fewer monsters with more information about them because I can always use that information for adventure/encounter hooks or just to add to the general sense of verisimilitude that I aim for IMC.

However, I really, really, REALLY don't want to see:

1. another dragonspawn ever again; or
2. more classed creatures (although I may reconsider this if the stat blocks are John Cooper-perfect).

 

[Alzrius]

I see the MMIV and V as being part of the same problem as the encounter format in the "Expedition" series of adventures. They keep trying to pre-package streamlined encounters into two pages or so, for plug 'n' play value. I personally can't stand it, as they should either just give us the tools and let us build what we want, or not skimp and give us real adventures/encounters.