D&D 5E Monster Manual - What pictures really stood out, or changed your view on a monster?

[Salamandyr]

After the abomination that was the Players' Handbook, I'll admit I wasn't expecting much, but I just got my Monster Manual today, and man was I blown away.

Until I got to the Cambion, but then, you can't get them all right.

I'd say the various demons and devils that got me the most excited.

 

[Mercurius]

After the abomination that was the Players' Handbook, I'll admit I wasn't expecting much, but I just got my Monster Manual today, and man was I blown away.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but don't you think that's a bit hyperbolic? I mean, abomination?! When I hear that word I think of the Far Realms, genocide, Justin Bieber - that sort of thing.

 

[Salamandyr]

If abomination equals genocide, then no. But the art, or more accurately, the art direction, was at least as bad as Justin Beiber, and for pretty much the same reasons.

The PHB had some competent artists working on it, I checked out some of their work elsewhere and found them perfectly capable of depicting all sorts of exciting, heroic illustrations, things that made my inner 12 year old go "squee!". Unfortunately, almost none of those illustrations were chosen for inclusion in this book. Instead, they chose to populate it with people posing for the JC Penney Fall Adventurer line.

Rather than exciting my inner 12 year old, it was like they wanted me to be ashamed of having been one. No thanks.

 

[Quickleaf]

I have thoughts on the modron & slaad art.

Modrons art is replicated from a Dragon magazine article, and is quite cartoonish and IMO fails to capture any of the strangeness/gravitas of Modrons, or how I might use them as besides comic relief. I give it a solid "C."

Slaad art OTOH is new, outstanding, and evocative. I really feel the differences in the various types of slaad and get a sense that I could use them as insidious infiltrators and initiators of chaos. I give it a solid "A."

 

[Stormonu]

I have to disagree on the artwork in the MM, I really feel it missed the boat. This was an edition to get everyone back on board, and rather than get "classic" renditions of the monsters, it feels like they tried to push the art direction towards edgier designs that'd be easier to slap IP/trademarks on.

Some of the ones that really stood out: The kobold muscleman (they're Str 7!), the kraken (WTF - doesn't even resemble the old ubersquid or titan from Clash), the sheepdog pegasus, the mialee-dog gynosphinx, fishy merfolk, the cloverfield baskilisk and most of the demon/devils (worst offender: Barlgura - it used to be an orangutang, not an orange gorilla). Anyone notice that the mephits ARE IN THE SAME POSE IN EACH PICTURE (except the Mud)? Why do the yeti have ram's horns? Why does every snake-like creature have a cobra's hood? In some places, the line drawings would have been better than the completed pictures (see the Griffon). And the worst two offenders? The owlbear and the behir - I just hate them both.

Now, there were some I did like - the angels, cockatrice, merrow, centaur & chimera, quasit and the picture of Castle Ravenloft are great. The displacer beast looks sleek and fearsome. Most of the dragons are well done (exception is the red & shadow). I'm glad to see a woman-like Dryad back instead of the tree abomination. What makes me shake my head is how awesome the androsphinx looks, and how much the gynosphinx sucks. The DiTerlizzi-like modrons harken back to Planescape, but seem out of place (BTW, they were the first page I opened up to when I got the MM - made me smile).

Unfortunately, most of the rest of the art falls into the meh or blech range for me. Overall, on my first glance through it, I hated the art. I had to sit back down and go picture by picture to start finding art I did like. I'm just not fond of it and while it works for the stats, the art is just - meh.

 

[Beleriphon]

I like the lycanthrope myself, I flipped it open to the page and immediately though that Captain Marvel was punching a werewolf in the face.

 

[Leatherhead]

Trolls with Loathsome Limbs are disgustingly horrific and hilarious at the same time.

 

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

I loved the piercer... I've never seen one like that... I also love almost every monster, but they all took a level of badass...

 

[Scorpio616]

the kraken (WTF - doesn't even resemble the old ubersquid or titan from Clash)

Considering it's a upgraded squark, it could look worse.

Why do the yeti have ram's horns?

I'd bet it's a reference to this guy.

 

[transtemporal]

I agree with the earlier poster that the Demons aren't as menacing as they used to be. I'd add the Yugoloths into that category. They seem cartoony somehow. Not sure about the cloud giant either - since when did cloud giants have vampire teeth? Thri Kreen look awful. Bring back the proper praying mantis thri kreen!

Whereas Quaggoth, Troglydyte are pretty cool. I kind of like the medusa too. Ankheg and Bone devil are suddenly scary. The Death Slaad is bloody terrifying!

Orc, goblin, hobgoblin, ogre, troll have all changed quite a bit from earlier editions. Is it just me or do they look a bit "warcrafty but with different colours"?