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Volo’s Guide to Monsters
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<blockquote data-quote="sphere830" data-source="post: 6937499" data-attributes="member: 65424"><p><strong>5 out of 5 rating for Volo’s Guide to Monsters</strong></p><p></p><p>Volo's Guide to Monsters: After carefully reading a good portion of Chapter 1, Monster Lore; Reading chapter 2, character races; And perusing chapter 3, Bestiary I think this is a great direction in possible future material. The appendices are also very helpful adding npc list and monster list by stat blocks, challenge rating, and environment. These monster lists, especially, will help build great encounter tables for those that like to build sand-box games. The one critique that may trouble some people is that this book does three things, which I think is a strength. It builds monster lore for the DM, adds options for Players and the PHB, and adds to the Monster manual bestiary. Not a critique really, but some may argue that the book does too many things and not enough of any one of them. To that end, the authors suggest that there will be future products, perhaps, in this format. The book, however, comes in at 224 pages and I like the format. So I think the book is worth the retail price, but especially at the usual internet 25% discount. That said, I liked the Mind-flayer cover for retail stores as a boost for FLGS. I picked up my copy at Chicagoland Dice Dojo (Great cover, book and badass local game store) which was about $55.11 in Illinois. </p><p></p><p>Chapter 1 is over 100 pages long. The monster lore section, along with the layout of this book, is fantastic. Expounding on the flaws, thinking, organizations, motivations and personalities of Beholders, Giants, Gnolls, Goblinoids, Hags, Kobolds, Mind Flayers, Orcs, and Yuan-ti is a DMs boon. Some of the races have adventure maps of lairs. The Beholder, Goblinoid, Hag, Kobold, Mind Flayer, Orc, and Yuan-ti all have example lairs. This is tremendous, along with some class-oriented variants of each monster listed overall. I became immersed reading this section, as each entry inspires many potential adventures sites. This is largely helped by sections containing treasure, but importantly, lesser minions, greater minions, or even pets of the monsters (as is the case for beholders and mind-flayers). Overall the monster lore is a great addition to any fantasy gamer's library who runs games with some of the monsters that have become so heavily associated with classic sword and sorcery.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 2 character races also rates very high for me. Official expansion material is trickling out for fifth edition, and as long as it well tested and of high quality like the playable races in this book, then options books like this will be welcomed at my gaming table. PCs and NPCs can be built from Aasimar, Firbolg, Goliath, Kenku (crow-like people), Lizardfolk, Tabaxi (cat-like folk), and Triton (underwater folk) as well as a short section on "Monstrous Adventurers." While I didn't think I would care for the anthropomorphic races, I immediately imagined a Kenku merchant on the black market. These races seem balanced and appropriate for a millieu of environments/adventures. While this section expands the PHB for players, it also adds some great NPC material for DMs building adventures. I like the additional races.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 3 is the Bestiary. Again, this section is a great addition to this edition. Many classics pop-up here such as Quicklings, for those of you that played first edition. But also some additions from second and third edition like the Draegloth and Rothe' (cow). This section also has several variants of the featured monster races in chapter one. This deepens the ranks of otherwise two dimensional monster tribes, groups, or lairs that often populate adventure areas or adversaries. I like the associated expansion of both classics monsters from previous editions and variants in the featured monster lore section of this book.</p><p></p><p>Appendices are also worth noting and great additions to the book, adding to its utility at both the table and during adventure/encounter table building. There are three appendices including assorted beasts, nonplayer characters, and monster lists. The assorted beasts reminds me of and is the continuation of how the monster manual was set up, which is handy I think. The NPCs are very handy for game population with little work. The apprentice wizard caught my eye and immediately forced into my mind a story surrounding this little fellow as a side quest in a campaign. Again, this book seems like it will be relevant at both the table, but especially during adventure building/planning.</p><p></p><p>In conclusion, the monster lore, expanded character races, bestiary and appendices make this book a hit for me. That and the reoccurring rule of three that seems to be peppered throughout this tome adds a fun theme, easy navigation, and again, solid organization. This is one of those books that will likely stay in my collection after this edition and join some of my classic basic and 1st edition tomes. This book also signals a new type of splat book in essence. But the addition of the monster lore makes this a fantastic adventure building addition to the fifth edition library. I give this book a 5/5 for DMs looking for some well thought-out adventure building material for 5th/any edition Dungeons and Dragons.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="sphere830, post: 6937499, member: 65424"] [b]5 out of 5 rating for Volo’s Guide to Monsters[/b] Volo's Guide to Monsters: After carefully reading a good portion of Chapter 1, Monster Lore; Reading chapter 2, character races; And perusing chapter 3, Bestiary I think this is a great direction in possible future material. The appendices are also very helpful adding npc list and monster list by stat blocks, challenge rating, and environment. These monster lists, especially, will help build great encounter tables for those that like to build sand-box games. The one critique that may trouble some people is that this book does three things, which I think is a strength. It builds monster lore for the DM, adds options for Players and the PHB, and adds to the Monster manual bestiary. Not a critique really, but some may argue that the book does too many things and not enough of any one of them. To that end, the authors suggest that there will be future products, perhaps, in this format. The book, however, comes in at 224 pages and I like the format. So I think the book is worth the retail price, but especially at the usual internet 25% discount. That said, I liked the Mind-flayer cover for retail stores as a boost for FLGS. I picked up my copy at Chicagoland Dice Dojo (Great cover, book and badass local game store) which was about $55.11 in Illinois. Chapter 1 is over 100 pages long. The monster lore section, along with the layout of this book, is fantastic. Expounding on the flaws, thinking, organizations, motivations and personalities of Beholders, Giants, Gnolls, Goblinoids, Hags, Kobolds, Mind Flayers, Orcs, and Yuan-ti is a DMs boon. Some of the races have adventure maps of lairs. The Beholder, Goblinoid, Hag, Kobold, Mind Flayer, Orc, and Yuan-ti all have example lairs. This is tremendous, along with some class-oriented variants of each monster listed overall. I became immersed reading this section, as each entry inspires many potential adventures sites. This is largely helped by sections containing treasure, but importantly, lesser minions, greater minions, or even pets of the monsters (as is the case for beholders and mind-flayers). Overall the monster lore is a great addition to any fantasy gamer's library who runs games with some of the monsters that have become so heavily associated with classic sword and sorcery. Chapter 2 character races also rates very high for me. Official expansion material is trickling out for fifth edition, and as long as it well tested and of high quality like the playable races in this book, then options books like this will be welcomed at my gaming table. PCs and NPCs can be built from Aasimar, Firbolg, Goliath, Kenku (crow-like people), Lizardfolk, Tabaxi (cat-like folk), and Triton (underwater folk) as well as a short section on "Monstrous Adventurers." While I didn't think I would care for the anthropomorphic races, I immediately imagined a Kenku merchant on the black market. These races seem balanced and appropriate for a millieu of environments/adventures. While this section expands the PHB for players, it also adds some great NPC material for DMs building adventures. I like the additional races. Chapter 3 is the Bestiary. Again, this section is a great addition to this edition. Many classics pop-up here such as Quicklings, for those of you that played first edition. But also some additions from second and third edition like the Draegloth and Rothe' (cow). This section also has several variants of the featured monster races in chapter one. This deepens the ranks of otherwise two dimensional monster tribes, groups, or lairs that often populate adventure areas or adversaries. I like the associated expansion of both classics monsters from previous editions and variants in the featured monster lore section of this book. Appendices are also worth noting and great additions to the book, adding to its utility at both the table and during adventure/encounter table building. There are three appendices including assorted beasts, nonplayer characters, and monster lists. The assorted beasts reminds me of and is the continuation of how the monster manual was set up, which is handy I think. The NPCs are very handy for game population with little work. The apprentice wizard caught my eye and immediately forced into my mind a story surrounding this little fellow as a side quest in a campaign. Again, this book seems like it will be relevant at both the table, but especially during adventure building/planning. In conclusion, the monster lore, expanded character races, bestiary and appendices make this book a hit for me. That and the reoccurring rule of three that seems to be peppered throughout this tome adds a fun theme, easy navigation, and again, solid organization. This is one of those books that will likely stay in my collection after this edition and join some of my classic basic and 1st edition tomes. This book also signals a new type of splat book in essence. But the addition of the monster lore makes this a fantastic adventure building addition to the fifth edition library. I give this book a 5/5 for DMs looking for some well thought-out adventure building material for 5th/any edition Dungeons and Dragons. [/QUOTE]
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