News on Monster Manual V

[pawsplay]

Updating a monster to 3E is very easy once one realises that 3E works off very different implied principles to previous editions, and so much of the raw crunch doesn't actually need to be replicated with complete faithfulness. In fact, doing so can often lead to a sub-par monster. What's important is to look at the niche that the monster fills. That can be gaming niche (is it a big brute, an undead bloodsucker, or what), ecological niche (where does it live, what does it need to eat, breed and crap), or dramatic niche (is it going to be mostly a BBEG or a mook, what mythological/fictional sources are you drawing from).

Basically, RAW ogre mage = crappy. Mearlsified ogre mage = awesome.

Really? I definitely prefer the opposite. The ogre mage isn't ideal, but Meals' version is not only a mess, but not an ogre mage.

 

[pawsplay]

Uh-oh. The spawn of Tiamat have made it into MMV! However....



...I think I can live with one.

Noooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Get back, thou dime store draconian!

 

[hong]

Really? I definitely prefer the opposite. The ogre mage isn't ideal, but Meals' version is not only a mess,

No it isn't.

but not an ogre mage.

Yes it is.

 

[megamania]

Good or bad...it's a Monster Manual. I'll buy it anyway.


I am curious about the way they are handling the Mind Flayers though.....

 

[Razz]

Good or bad...it's a Monster Manual. I'll buy it anyway.


I am curious about the way they are handling the Mind Flayers though.....

I'm curious as to how many NEW monsters this one will have compared to MMIV...let's just hope it's more than MMIV or else I'll convince more people not to purchase MMV. Already did it with MMIV, took a friend of mine to look at it before he bought it and, oh man, was he pissed at the new layout.

 

[Piratecat]

No it isn't.


Yes it is.

While it's cool to disagree with someone, just posting "no it isn't" doesn't advance the conversation. It just makes people irritable. Folks, if you disagree with someone, the more information you provide in your rebuttal the better.

That goes for making claims as well. Saying that something categorically is or isn't something is usually dangerous, especially when you're talking about a matter of opinion. It's a lot harder for someone to disagree when you say "I think it's not an ogre mage because..."

 

[the Jester]

All I know is, if the templated/levelled/advanced creatures in MM5 are things that would have been more difficult for me to come up with on my own than those in MM4, I'll be less unhappy. Also, I'd prefer it if they were drawn from different sources- for example, I would like to see an epic pseudonatural half-troll yakman over a fiendish orc wizard 3. Mix and match!! How about a tauric catfolk/runehound? If all the advanced stuff is from MM1, I will most likely feel about as lukeworm about MM5 as I did about MM4.

At least there won't be thirty specialized "spawn of whoever" monsters in this one; that was another thing I didn't like about MM4. Pure product tie-in. I would have preferred having all of those in RHoD and more new cool monsters, or old conversions, in MM4 instead.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If RHoD had all the Tiamatspawn and all the related material from Dragon Magic in it, it would have been probably even more highly praised, ironically.