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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aldarc" data-source="post: 7898739" data-attributes="member: 5142">I'll just discuss two that have not been mentioned. 2) Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead (4e): 4e got a lot of undeserved flack about monster write-ups being light on lore and fluff, but that was far from the truth. Much like the next entry, I believe that 4e grasped the importance of providing GMs with guidance on how monsters are effectively used. However, I am giving this slot to Open Grave because I believe that it encapsulated one of the best parts of 4e's approach to monsters: it tried to rationalize three prior editions of oddball lore, in this case undead. It sought to explain why and how ghosts, zombies, wights, vampires, and the like were different. It sought to explain and expand the lore about how undeath ties into the wider (4e D&D) cosmology. 1) The Ninth World Bestiary (Numenera): This position could arguably belong to any of the Numenera books that include a healthy list of creature write-ups. Monte Cook grasps something critical about "monsters" in how almost every entry contains important gamemastery information such as the prime motivation for a creature ("hungers for flesh," "gather artifacts," to infect others," etc.), how it frequently likes to fight in combat or when and if it flees, whether communication with the creature is even possible, and possible plot hooks or GM Intrusions that a GM can use. The monsters are bizarre, alien, and creative. It's just enough information to use and inspire without cluttering the page with a lot of needless distraction, though it helps that what is required to create a monster in the Cypher System is exceedingly light.</blockquote>

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