[UPDATE: NOW LIVE] TOME OF BEASTS Preview - A 5E Monster Book from the Kobolds!

Kobold Press is continuing its D&D 5E offerings with a new Kickstarter which is set to launch today (Monday). I'll update this article with the link when it arrives (update - it's now live), but the project is a new 5E monster book called Tome of Beasts. Kobold Press, of course, made the Tyranny of Dragons adventures for WotC. They've kindly sent along a preview of this new book - an eye golem - which is one of the more than 300 monsters in this book.

[UPDATE: The Kickstarter has now launched!]

This makes the second major monster book from a third-party (Necromancer Games produced 5th Edition Foes earlier this year). Here's what I know about it so far - it's 300+ new monsters which are compiled from Kobold Press' history, full colour, and will be Kickstarted for 30 days starting Monday 5th October. They mentioned that the book would include clockwork creatures, drakes, dragons, devils, and dark fey.

There's also a Book of Lairs which features short adventures (and also starring some of these monsters), each with a large encounter map.

What else have the Kobolds produced for 5E? Aside from the two Tyranny of Dragons adventures for WotC, they've already brought us an adventure called The Raven's Call, and a pile of races and backgrounds in Midgard Heroes.

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[SkidAce]

Thats...Fantastic!

 

[discoDM]

CR?

Is Challenge Rating missing? or is that what the 6 at the bottom of the page represents?

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

Is Challenge Rating missing? or is that what the 6 at the bottom of the page represents?

It's in about the middle of the stat block, but it is "Challenge" just like the 5th edition monster manual, rather than "CR"

 

[Eric V]

I love it. Much more than just a bag of hp. Well done!

 

[GMforPowergamers]

that is awsome'

 

[Jester David]

I like the after image of the monster in the background and length of flavour text. Nice to see 3PP step up their game and not just tweaking statblocks.

I'm likely to throw money at this. I liked the adventures well enough and the two race books were decent. Southland Heroes was funky at first but after a couple revisions it was much better. And I appreciated the update. They've proven themselves.

I remember Wolfgang Baur talking about this during a GenCon panel. He wanted to do it but was waiting for a new licence, but the content was ready to go. He was willing to risk a small book but not a big hardcover.
I guess he decided it had been long enough and could afford to pull the trigger, adjusting the book post Kickstarter but pre-printing if a licence drops.

 

[Xeviat]

Pretty cool ... except I dislike when established companies use Kickstarter ... it's not for preorders.

 

[techno]

Will definitely pledge.

 

[Henry]

Pretty cool ... except I dislike when established companies use Kickstarter ... it's not for preorders.

It is, however, the new normal, and likely almost every company who isn't named Wizards or Paizo will be kickstarting or using a patronage model. It's cottage industry returned, really.