D&D 5E Monsters for a Second Monster Book

[GreenTengu]

Aasimar
Dwarfs
Dragonborn
Elves
Gnomes
Halflings
Tiefling

Generally I want to see NPC enemy entries for the PC races that are similar to those of Gnolls, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Orcs, etc. where as a squad they have an ability that does not simply replicate a class ability, but rather informs you about how they fight.

It is silly to think the standard NPC entries are meant to cover things as different as High Elves and Hill Dwarfs, treating them as nothing more than reskins of humans simply because they are playable.

I want to see something like Wood Elves getting advantage on ranged attacks against opponents who attacked another Wood Elf on their last turn and something that supports ambush tactics.

Maybe Mountain Dwarfs deal extra damage if they don't move for a turn and have some ability to help them resist the impact of charges against them.

Something like that so that if you are fighting a race of humanoids, you uniquely feel like you are facing that race and need to build your tactics around that-- even if those races are default PHB ones and don't have those abilities when played by a player (since the default racial fighting style gets replaced with their class abilities).

This likely would also help immensely when doing PC write-ups for the humanoids in the PHB that were given really ridiculous abilities that a PC just shouldn't get without having to make the entry all about that wonky ability and stack it up with attribute penalties that no other race gets since it would help establish the idea that those abilities are some sort of class ability that the PCs aren't taking.

 

[jrowland]

yea a book like Draconomicon is better (for me at least) then MM2 right now. I would love a "savage encounters" book full of fluff and crunch both... maybe give each base humonid/goblinoid a page or two of stats for 'champions', and 'shaman' each a little different, a 2-3 page write up on 1 or 2 ideas for a tribe, a 1-2 page PCing this race write up, some magic items and feats, and some plot hook ideas...

I'm with you here. Of course, If they publish a "Goblinoid" book when you were after a "Terrible Lizard" book, it would kind of suck.

I think there is room for both: A soft cover focused book on say goblinoids, with Hobgoblin Warlords, Bugbear Champions, and Goblin Cavalry as well as a hard cover "fiend folio" being discussed by others. I would even include things like PC Race write ups for goblinoids, a map of a lair or three, etc to round it out. Of course such a softcover could be handled by a third party while the Fiend Folio could be a WotC only product.

 

[ColinChapman]

There are a LOT of classics they left out, and general critters (monkeys! etc.) they missed, so here's my new monster book wishlist. All together, the entries would form a book around 240 pages in length if formatted the same and illustrated the same as the current MM, inclusive of Contents pages. A reasonably large volume, if smaller than the current MM (though it would likely retail for the same due to smaller print runs necessitated by it not being the main core monster volume).

MMII/Fiend Folio

Android
Aquatic Variants (Koalinth, Lacedon, Scrag)
Aranea
Archon (Hound, Lantern, Sword, Trumpet)
Asperi
Aspis (Drone, Larva, Cow)
Astral Dreadnought
Atomie
Balhannoth
Banderhobb
Barghest (Barghest, Whelp)
Beholders (Death Kiss, Director, Eyeball, Eye of the Deep, Gorbel, Hive Mother, Lensman, Overseer, Watcher)
Bodak
Bonesnapper
Brain in a Jar
Brownie
Buckawn
Caterwaul
Catoblepas
Cave Fisher
Chitine/Choldrith
Choker
Coffer Corpse
Clockwork Horror (Copper, Silver, Gold, Electrum, Platinum, Adamantite)
Crimson Death
Crypt Thing
Crysmal
Dark Creeper/Stalker
Decapus
Demodand (Shaggy, Slime, Tarry)
Demon (Bebelith, Nabassu, Retriever, Rutterkin)
Derro
Devil (Abishai – Black/Blue/Green/Red/White, Nupperibo)
Devourer
“Dinosaurs” (Apatosaurus, Archelon, Compsognathus, Deinonychus, Dunkleosteus, Hadrosaurus, Icthyosaurus, Iguanodon, Kronosaurus, Ornithomimus, Pachycephalosaurus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Therizinosaurus)
Dragon, Catastrophic (Blizzard, Earthquake, Volcanic)
Dragon, Gem (Amethyst, Crystal, Emerald, Sapphire, Topaz)
Dragonne
Eidolon/Rogue Eidolon
Eladrin (Coure, Bralani, Firre, Ghaele, Noviere, Shiere, Shiradi, Tulani)
Elemental Grue (Chaggrin, Harginn, Ildriss, Varrdig)
Elf, Aquatic
Ethergaunt (Black, Red, White)
Eye of Fear and Flame
Feyr (Feyr, Greater Feyr)
Fire Drake
Firenewt
Flail Snail
Formian (Worker, Warrior, Myrmarch, Taskmaster, Queen)
Forsaken Shell
Froghemoth (Froghemoth, Tadhemoth)
Giant (Desert, Jungle, Reef)
Giantkin (Firbolg, Verbeeg, Voadkyn)
Gnome, Spriggan
Golem (Bone, Brain, Caryatid Column, Glass, Iron Cobra, Necrophidius, Topiary, Web, Wood)
Grig
Grippli
Guardinal (Avoral, Cervidal, Equinal, Leonal, Lupinal, Musteval, Ursinal)
Hag, Annis
Half-Demon (Alu, Draegloth, Fey’ri, Tanarukk)
Heucuva
Hybsil
Illithidae (Elder Brain, Neothelid, Ulitharid)
Inevitable (Kolyarut, Marut, Quarut, Zalakhut)
Ixitxachitl (Ixitxachitl, Vampiric Ixitxachitl)
Jermlaine
Kamadan
Kampfult
Kelpie
Kopru
Korred
Lammasu
Leucrotta
Lich (Alhoon, Baelnorn)
Lillend
Lycanthropes (Foxwoman, Werebadger, Werebat, Werecrocodile, Werejaguar, Wereshark, Werespider)
Manscorpion
Mimic, House Hunter
Mongrelfolk
Naga (Dark, Water)
Neogi
Nereid
Nixie
Nuckelavee
Nymph
Paraelemental (Ice, Magma, Ooze, Smoke)
Pech
Phoenix
Plants (Basidirond, Giant Sundew, Hangman Tree, Mantrap, Stranglevine, Strangleweed, Thorny, Tri-Flower Frond)
Prehistoric Beasts (Andrewsarchus, Basilosaurus, Brontotherium, Chalicotherium, Dorudon, Glyptodon, Indricotherium, Megatherium)
Psurlon
Quickling
Redcap
Sandling
Shedu
Sirine
Skeleton Warrior
Spawn of Kyuss
Sphinx (Crio, Hieraco)
Su Monster
Sylph
Tabaxi
Tasloi
Tentamort
Triton
Tsochar
Ulgurstasta
Vargouille
Vegepygmy
Wemic
Wendigo
Wolfwere
Xag-Ya/Xeg-Yi
Xvart
Yellow Musk Creeper (Creeper, Zombie)
Yugoloth (Canoloth, Dergholoth, Gacholoth, Hydroloth, Piscoloth, Yagnoloth)

Appendix Entries
Barracuda
Cat, Winged
Cave Cricket
Cave Moray
Cheetah
Cooshee (Elven Dog)
Dolphin
Fire Bat
Fox
Giant Ant (Worker, Soldier, Queen)
Giant Bee (Worker, Soldier, Queen)
Giant Beetle (Bombardier, Stag, Water)
Giant Jellyfish
Giant Leech
Giant Lynx
Giant Mantis
Giant Moray
Giant Slug
Giant Snake, Amphisbaena
Gull
Hare
Hippocampus
Hippopotamus
Jackelope
Jellyfish
Lynx
Monkey
Moray
Ostrich
Otter
Parrot
Penguin
Porcupine
Raccoon
Rothe
Seal
Skunk
Sperm Whale
Squirrel
Stingray
Swarm of Locusts
Terrier
Walrus

 

[pming]

Hiya.

First, what I don't want. I don't want any sort of "plug-and-play templates". I don't want any "sidebars on how to us as PC race". I don't want to see anything that isn't already covered in the first few pages of the MM as far as "mechanics" go. If you want to do something different, mechanically, with a monster...put it in the monster stat block; don't make it a "thing" that other monsters can have. One monsters ability to "swallow you whole" should almost never be like some other monsters "swallow whole". They are different monsters, they can have different methods of figuring out how to do it.

Second, I'd like to see a series of smaller MM's (say, 128 pages), softback. Each covering a different Terrain Type. One book for "Forests and Woods", another for "Mountains and Hills", another for "Waterways", maybe one for "Elemental Planes", etc. As a DM, when my players have their PC's wandering around semi-lost in a deep forest, I would find it much easier to just grab the "Forests and Woods", and maybe the "Waterways" books. In it I would find the monsters, obviously, but also some base encounter tables (not just monsters; there should be entries for other things you may come across in that terrain, like small ponds, streams, islands, coral reef, etc), perhaps some notes about typical DC's for various hazards that may be encountered there, maybe some notes about weather patterns (winds and waves for Waterways, likelihood of rain in a temperate forest versus a tropical forest, etc). In short, a "monster book" that covers more than just "here's some monsters and their AC's and Hit Points".

As I said in the first point though...I do not want a plethora of "mechanics" for everything. Use what we already have in the core rules to do everything. We don't need "more rules", but "here's how to use the rules we have" would be fine by me.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Quickleaf]

I would like this too. Actually, a combo Monster Manual / Toolkit. And since something like that hasn't really been done in D&D, maybe come up with a brand new product title, like Belligerent Baddies

Actually I went through the 13th Age Bestiary and stripped out dozens of powers and retooled them to fit with 5e. It's not perfect and not playtested, but maybe this is useful to you?

https://app.box.com/s/qmnik6w63kzhiaycpopil5fh6cujcf17

I second the motion.

There's already been some great lists of monsters people would like to see in a MM2 / Fiend Folio.

I'd also like for there to be some customization guidelines such as:

• adding Lairs & Lair Actions to hordes of monsters (like I did for my kobolds)
  *adding simple easy-to-track powers to monsters to simulate certain classes or themes
  *narrative and mechanical advice about Legendary monsters (e.g. constructing a legend worthy of the "Legendary" title)
  *more on monster ecology (e.g. what sort of track and sign does an owlbear leave? what magic items can you make from one?)

And of course lots of monsters.

 

[jadrax]

Some more common NPC types would be handy, a stock Bard, Rogue, Monk, etc.

Other than that, more Monsters, just keep it simple. Anything rules wise that is not a Monster Stat block belongs in the DMG not the MM.

 

[Nebulous]

I'd also like for there to be some customization guidelines such as:

• adding Lairs & Lair Actions to hordes of monsters (like I did for my kobolds)
  *adding simple easy-to-track powers to monsters to simulate certain classes or themes
  *narrative and mechanical advice about Legendary monsters (e.g. constructing a legend worthy of the "Legendary" title)
  *more on monster ecology (e.g. what sort of track and sign does an owlbear leave? what magic items can you make from one?)

And of course lots of monsters.

Yep, all of that would be much appreciated and desired on my end too.

 

[graves3141]

If they do ever produce anything besides the APs, it'll probably be a new monster book... I prefer the name "Fiend Folio" to just "MM 2", the name sounds snazzier and more unique.

I don't know though, it just doesn't feel like WotC is going to produce something like this or campaign settings or anything else for that matter. Honestly, even though I really like 5E, I've kind of lost interest in it because there is hardly anything to look forward to besides the APs which I can personally do without.

I already have a ton of 2E and 3E material so why would I want to invest time into another version of the game that is barely supported?

 

[S_Dalsgaard]

I already have a ton of 2E and 3E material so why would I want to invest time into another version of the game that is barely supported?

You really shouldn't, unless it is the version of the game you prefer. But I guess that is a given, no matter how much new material is released. For me 5e is the best version of D&D (even if they stopped releasing new stuff for it tomorrow), but if I preferred 2e (or any other edition), I would play those.

 

[graves3141]

You really shouldn't, unless it is the version of the game you prefer. But I guess that is a given, no matter how much new material is released. For me 5e is the best version of D&D (even if they stopped releasing new stuff for it tomorrow), but if I preferred 2e (or any other edition), I would play those.

I love 5E but I'd love it 10x more if there were just a few supplements to go along with it (a campaign setting book, maybe a race or planes book, etc...) I don't want or expect the level of product produced under 2E - 4E but something, or even just knowing that something was in the works, would do wonders for my enthusiasm.