Taking Questions: Monster Encyclopedia I

[Man-thing]

What would you say is the percentage of humaniod monsters in the book, for me I am getting tired of just another troll, giant, undead, in monster books, I want animalistic monsters!

Does this help:

Aberration: Barbed serpent, bonesucker, charcharodoom,
cloud of madness, copse mother, eyeless, gornothog,
gullhead horror, gyhuum, harrowwing, hive spider greater
warrior. hive spider spellweaver, hive spider tracker, jubear,
scorpidrake, siege-beast, skinswarm, spattergaunt, starrime,
thing in the lake, trisail

(Air): Dancing breeze, emergent of air, firewhirl, lightning
elemental, wind warrior

Animal: Lapsosaur

(Aquatic): Dolphiend, monstrous trilobite, nightswimmer,
sea titan, thing in the lake, widowshark, zombie kelp

(Cold): Polarlisk, ulmouth, wintersinger

Construct: Athanors, basilim, citywarden, divine vessel,
golems, living door, metal angels, prenticeguard, root
guardian, sentinel, shattergolem

Dragon: Worm of the hills

(Earth): Clochelman, creeping stone, crystal viper,
emergent of earth, knocker, knortok, living lava, malebolge,
quakefather, sapphire beetle, wastedweller, worm of the
hills

Elemental: Creeping stone, crystal viper, dancing breeze,
drowning shade, emberwing, emergents, firewhirl,
hearthfire elemental, knortok, lightning elemental, living
lava, quakefather, sapphire beetle, searfellow, wind
warrior

Fey: Bladeleaf, dancer in the glade, faery regal, fey knight,
huntsprite, phouca, thorn sprite, wise hare, woodsong

(Fire): Bane eagle, emberwing, emergent of fire, firewhirl,
hearthfire elemental, hellbat, kakodaimon, lightning
elemental, living lava, oakstump, searfellow, volcano giant
Giant: Barrow troll, bonecracker ogre, bridge troll, gobbler,
ogre king, sea titan, swamp giant, swollen horror, volcano
giant

Goblinoid: Wolfsworn goblin

Humanoid: Living ghoul, monopod, wolfsworn goblin
(Incorporeal): Cloud of madness, mesmeric spectre,
mirror ghost, ragged wraith, searfellow, spirit of spirits,
wintersinger

Magical Beast: Amber animal, bane eagle, black shuck,
brass serpent, campfire guardian, cerebasquid, dreamtoad,
dreary frog, ghosthunter cat, harpooner, hive spider queen,
nightrender, pack totem, piranhatoad, polarlisk, profane
crocodile, rudlagher, sleipnirget, spitting maggots, sweet
panther, thunderbird, tunnel creeper, ulmouth, widowshark

Monstrous Humanoid: Alchemical double, clochelman,
daunt, dungeon stalker, flaygaunt, greenfolk, hags, knocker,
lost druid, malchemic, motley, quinserpent, sandstilter,
trash rat

Ooze: Brainslick, dysmal, eye mire, living web,
primordial ooze, pslime, slime immemorial, spectral slime,
spellwaste

Outsider: Anachras, architect devil, bleak general,
candleman, demons, didact, dolphiend, fellmane, hellbat,
hellephant, kakodaimon, malebolge, masked power,
mercurial, patron imp, platinum unicorn, prismatic
brigand, razorfiend, revoker, sanctified defender, skinrider,
spirit of spirits, swordsworn, umbreach, unraveller, vein,
wastedweller, wyrdling

Plant: Blood bracken, copse spawn, deathspine, fungal
mauler, petrified treant, soulbarb, zombie kelp
(Shapechanger): Wolfsworn goblin

Undead: Batyuk, blood scarecrow, cavewight, devouring
zombie, dissolute, fingerfetch, grasping hands, headless
screamer, mesmeric spectre, mirror ghost, mirthless,
mummer, nightswimmer, oct ospine, parched zombie,
plundering dead, ragged wraith, scuttling skeleton,
wintersinger, withering cadaver

Vermin: Chainwhip beetle, coin ticks, effluvial grub,
flying jellyfish, glitterwing, hive spider drone, hive spider
lesser warrior, monstrous trilobite, savage ants, skullcrab,
solar scorpion

(Water): Drowning shade, emergent of water, swamp
giant

 

[Voadam]

Does it have charts for which monsters can be used with summon monster or summon nature's ally spells?

 

[Voadam]

Mongoose has a history of being a little cheesecakey in its art. Is that continued here?

 

[Man-thing]

As a Owner of Ultimate Monster I....
Are all the monsters stats absolutly, ummm, useless (to be polite), or did they actually TRY to come up with correct monster stats. Just check a few AC's, Initative Mods, simple stuff; see if it meshes.
Thanks,

Okay, contray to DaveMage's suggestion, I'll evaluate the product myself. Let me check a few at random:

small elemental
Knortok: HD (good), Init (good), AC (good), BAB.Grp (good), Atk (missed +1 size modifier to atk and weapon focus should be +6), S/R (good), SV (seems to have all good save, but should only be fortitude), Skills (good), Feats (good), CR (maybe 1 high, but thats more of my opinion)

Checking another small monster to see if size modifier is forgotten from its attacks as well [is this a reoccuring problem or missed on a few]...checking

Bonesucker: HD (good), Init (good), AC (good), BAB/Grp (good), Atk (good); S/R Good; SV (Will +6), Skills (Seems off; It think under Grappling strength special ability they meant to say it also gains a +6 racial bonus to climb, since that is what is missing for the skill points and its equivalent to the grapple bonus provided); Feat (short 1)

huge ooze
Pslime: HD (good), Init (good), AC (good), Bab/grp (good), Atk (good), S/R good, SV (good), Skills -, Feats -, Cr (maybe 1 high, opinion)

Large Giant
Bridge Troll: HD/hp (off by 4), Init (+3), AC (good), Bab/Grp (good), Atk (good; I think the str bonus on secondary attack should be +4 not +5, round down but I could be wrong); S/R (good); SV (good); Skills (good); Feat (missing one, I suggest Great Cleave); CR (good)

So I guess the answer is Yes, they have tried to come up with correct monster stats but a little thing here or there looks like it has slipped by. It doesn't look like the case of Ultimate Monsters Book which has been regarded as a collosal disaster.

For my own use, I don't see much of a difference in play from off 4 hp, or attack should be 1 higher. I will probably use the book completely as is without complaint. If some does the full errata for me I'll take it but I'm not going to waste my time doing it for an error or two.

Probably I will check the feats for all to make sure they have enough, because a well chosen feat can really make the difference in some battles.

Take for instant: The Bulette

Once I dropped the crappy feats it has, take improved natural attack for its bite and claws, improved initiative, and powerful charge for the miniature hb and he devastated my 8th level party (TPK).

 

[Man-thing]

Does it have charts for which monsters can be used with summon monster or summon nature's ally spells?

No, I saw that Joe suggested this to Matt on another thread but that was after the book had been printed. Maybe Matt will have the Tower dwellers do one up as a web enhancement.

 

[Man-thing]

Mongoose has a history of being a little cheesecakey in its art. Is that continued here?

Checking:

I'm going to have to say no. Mostly because the creatures tend to be so monsterous that it would would. This is not the Slayer's Guide to Amazons.

 

[glass]

Mongoose has a history of being a little cheesecakey in its art. Is that continued here?

Cheesecakey?


glass.

 

[DaveMage]

Okay, contray to DaveMage's suggestion, I'll evaluate the product myself.

No insult intended, Man-thing! (Just giving props to John Cooper.)

 

[Man-thing]

Cheesecakey?

glass.

You know what a lot of sci-fi/fantasy artwork used to look like when we were younger. Chainmail bikinis and such.

Although to ammend it there are a couple pieces that are more "cheesecakey" like the Faery Regal.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Does this help:

Aberration: Barbed serpent, bonesucker, charcharodoom,
cloud of madness, copse mother, eyeless, gornothog,
gullhead horror, gyhuum, harrowwing, hive spider greater
warrior. hive spider spellweaver, hive spider tracker, jubear,
scorpidrake, siege-beast, skinswarm, spattergaunt, starrime,
thing in the lake, trisail

(Air): Dancing breeze, emergent of air, firewhirl, lightning
elemental, wind warrior

Animal: Lapsosaur

(Aquatic): Dolphiend, monstrous trilobite, nightswimmer,
sea titan, thing in the lake, widowshark, zombie kelp

(Cold): Polarlisk, ulmouth, wintersinger

Construct: Athanors, basilim, citywarden, divine vessel,
golems, living door, metal angels, prenticeguard, root
guardian, sentinel, shattergolem

Dragon: Worm of the hills

(Earth): Clochelman, creeping stone, crystal viper,
emergent of earth, knocker, knortok, living lava, malebolge,
quakefather, sapphire beetle, wastedweller, worm of the
hills

Elemental: Creeping stone, crystal viper, dancing breeze,
drowning shade, emberwing, emergents, firewhirl,
hearthfire elemental, knortok, lightning elemental, living
lava, quakefather, sapphire beetle, searfellow, wind
warrior

Fey: Bladeleaf, dancer in the glade, faery regal, fey knight,
huntsprite, phouca, thorn sprite, wise hare, woodsong

(Fire): Bane eagle, emberwing, emergent of fire, firewhirl,
hearthfire elemental, hellbat, kakodaimon, lightning
elemental, living lava, oakstump, searfellow, volcano giant
Giant: Barrow troll, bonecracker ogre, bridge troll, gobbler,
ogre king, sea titan, swamp giant, swollen horror, volcano
giant

Goblinoid: Wolfsworn goblin

Humanoid: Living ghoul, monopod, wolfsworn goblin
(Incorporeal): Cloud of madness, mesmeric spectre,
mirror ghost, ragged wraith, searfellow, spirit of spirits,
wintersinger

Magical Beast: Amber animal, bane eagle, black shuck,
brass serpent, campfire guardian, cerebasquid, dreamtoad,
dreary frog, ghosthunter cat, harpooner, hive spider queen,
nightrender, pack totem, piranhatoad, polarlisk, profane
crocodile, rudlagher, sleipnirget, spitting maggots, sweet
panther, thunderbird, tunnel creeper, ulmouth, widowshark

Monstrous Humanoid: Alchemical double, clochelman,
daunt, dungeon stalker, flaygaunt, greenfolk, hags, knocker,
lost druid, malchemic, motley, quinserpent, sandstilter,
trash rat

Ooze: Brainslick, dysmal, eye mire, living web,
primordial ooze, pslime, slime immemorial, spectral slime,
spellwaste

Outsider: Anachras, architect devil, bleak general,
candleman, demons, didact, dolphiend, fellmane, hellbat,
hellephant, kakodaimon, malebolge, masked power,
mercurial, patron imp, platinum unicorn, prismatic
brigand, razorfiend, revoker, sanctified defender, skinrider,
spirit of spirits, swordsworn, umbreach, unraveller, vein,
wastedweller, wyrdling

Plant: Blood bracken, copse spawn, deathspine, fungal
mauler, petrified treant, soulbarb, zombie kelp
(Shapechanger): Wolfsworn goblin

Undead: Batyuk, blood scarecrow, cavewight, devouring
zombie, dissolute, fingerfetch, grasping hands, headless
screamer, mesmeric spectre, mirror ghost, mirthless,
mummer, nightswimmer, oct ospine, parched zombie,
plundering dead, ragged wraith, scuttling skeleton,
wintersinger, withering cadaver

Vermin: Chainwhip beetle, coin ticks, effluvial grub,
flying jellyfish, glitterwing, hive spider drone, hive spider
lesser warrior, monstrous trilobite, savage ants, skullcrab,
solar scorpion

(Water): Drowning shade, emergent of water, swamp
giant

not too much...how many walk on two legs is more that I think I want to know. :\