Level Up (A5E) Mythological Figures & Maleficent Monsters, which version to get?

[Voadam]

I am interested in the Mythological Figures & Maleficent Monsters book but it comes in two versions, normal 5e and Level Up. I am trying to decide which to get. I run a normal 5e game and not a Level Up one. I own Level Up stuff from a bundle of holding but have not gone through a lot of it, mostly a bit of the monster book. I like 4e style mechanically interesting but straightforward to run at the table monsters that do not require a lot of cross referencing or fiddly little things to track. I expect stat blocks for figures like Baba Yaga to be more complex than stuff out of the base monster book, but I want a balance of cool and interesting stuff going on and easy to use at the table and understand stat blocks without a lot of new cross references.

Is the Level Up version designed for people immersed in Level Up who know all the LU cross references and new mechanics or is it a better buy than the straight 5e version for a 5e person who wants more mechanically interesting but still easy to quickly pick up and use stuff?

Thanks

 

[Morrus]

They are very, very similar. The Level Up version just has a few tweaks like Maneuver DC etc. A Level Up monster works in a 5E game and vice versa--they don't have new mechanics you need to learn. Everything you need is in the stat block.

 

[Mike Myler]

@Voadam all of the entries in the Level Up version of the book are presented entirely as if they were built like monsters, and in the 5E version (where appropriate) some NPCs are built as if they were characters (with class levels listed in the statblock.) So if you think you might want to grab it off your shelf so somebody can fill in as Aladdin or Allan Quatermain etc., you will get slightly more mileage out of the 5E version.

 

[Steampunkette]

Clearly the answer is to buy both. sagenod

More seriously, the LU/A5e version is probably going to be the better option, especially after WotC revamps 5.5ish in a year or two with a new "Tasha's" or similar concept book.