Volo's Preview at Kotaku: Flinds, Yuan-Ti, & More

Kotaku has posted a new preview of Volo's Guide to Monsters. This one looks at gnolls, lizardfolk, flinds, and yuan-ti. Don't forget to check out all the previous previews of the upcoming 224-page monster book for D&D 5th Edition - the froghemoth, giants and orcs, mindflayers and beholders, fire giant dreadnoughts, giant lore, and the book's preface. Credit goes to EN World member Entsuropi for spotting this one!

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[gyor]

The Flind isn't the only one to get a promotion. When did Dendar get a promotion to Goddess?

She started off an Eldrich Horror, then moved to Primodial, then Star Pact Elder Evil, then now Yuan Ti Goddess. She's going up in the world!!! Hehehe.

On a more serious note, I guess I was wrong about Flind being playable, dang was I wrong.

I love a Lizardfolk Quirks, it makes me want to play Lizardfolk, something I never expected, they were so funny. They really played up the alieness of the Lizardfolk.

I loved the Yuan Ti Nightmarespeaker. Its a nice twist on the Yuan Ti. Still they should remember that Dendar only feeds on nightmares people FORGET, you that requires subtly to the torture, and no sleep depraving, wake someone up too earily and they may remember the nightmare. I want to know in what region of FR do Yuan Ti worship Dendar?

 

[Corpsetaker]

One thing I really miss are the physical descriptions we used to get. I remember Flinds were always described as bigger but stockier than normal Flinds. I'm not seeing anything on the Flind Bar either.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I think the gnoll stuff is kind of weak.

Maybe the best way to articulate it...look at how often the Gnoll mentions demons or name-checks Yeenoghu. Compare that to how often the other monster bits released so far need to talk about their origin story - yuan-ti, beholders, mind flayers...what created them isn't the most relevant part of their biography. But it feels like gnolls are kind of all about that demon lord, and not much else. Their identity is boiled down to "minions of a demon lord." It's kind of a narrow, simplistic lens.

This may just be an artifact of a limited viewport, maybe the gnoll entry goes on about more than just how bad of a dude Yeenoghu is (and the gnolls are just examples of his bad dudeness!) on other pages and we're just not seein' 'em. And maybe I'm just a big grump. But personally, I don't think the most interesting thing about Batman is that he is a rich kid with dead parents.

 

[Istbor]

I like those lizardman quirks. I want to play a Lizardman who always brings a tub to fill with water for sleeping!

 

[Demetrios1453]

Rot grubs are mentioned on the kobold inventor page in the Gizmodo preview - they will be appearing in "Appendix A". So it looks like we'll have the MM set-up with "Miscellaneous Creatures" in Appendix A and NPCs in Appendix B.

 

[Corpsetaker]

I think the gnoll stuff is kind of weak.

Maybe the best way to articulate it...look at how often the Gnoll mentions demons or name-checks Yeenoghu. Compare that to how often the other monster bits released so far need to talk about their origin story - yuan-ti, beholders, mind flayers...what created them isn't the most relevant part of their biography. But it feels like gnolls are kind of all about that demon lord, and not much else. Their identity is boiled down to "minions of a demon lord." It's kind of a narrow, simplistic lens.

This may just be an artifact of a limited viewport, maybe the gnoll entry goes on about more than just how bad of a dude Yeenoghu is (and the gnolls are just examples of his bad dudeness!) on other pages and we're just not seein' 'em. And maybe I'm just a big grump. But personally, I don't think the most interesting thing about Batman is that he is a rich kid with dead parents.

I think it's because they have decided to take the history of the gnoll and twist it around.

 

[gyor]

Look, yet another preview, on Gizmodo, with more new pages:

http://io9.gizmodo.com/an-inside-look-at-the-creepy-creatures-of-dungeons-dr-1788412425


New stuff on goblins, hobgoblins, and kobolds, plus the barghest is getting updated for the new edition. I'm wanting this book more and more with each preview!

Heh, the nilbog is back as well, although not so "gamey" as it was previously. And finally, a mention of a goblinoid god who isn't Maglubiyet, as Khurgorbaeyeg is mentioned in the nilbog article (as well as another, unnamed dead goblin deity whose essence creates nilbogs).

I love the Goblin Nilbog, its sounds like alot of fun, choatic evil, but easily appeased and so in a limited sense tamable.

Given we know we get playable goblins, it'd be fun to play a Goblin Bard who had previously been possessed by a Nilbog, or a Goblin Warlock who'd make some kind of pact with a Nilbog (not sure which pact fits best, fiendish maybe, although I think Star pacts gifts fit the Nilbog better, or maybe even a Undying Pact with it.

 

[Ath-kethin]

It's interesting to see warlocks getting some more attention here (See: Yuan-ti Nightmare Speaker).

EDIT: also bards, by way of the Gizmodo nilbog preview.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

The Flind isn't the only one to get a promotion. When did Dendar get a promotion to Goddess?

She started off an Eldrich Horror, then moved to Primodial, then Star Pact Elder Evil, then now Yuan Ti Goddess. She's going up in the world!!! Hehehe.

On a more serious note, I guess I was wrong about Flind being playable, dang was I wrong.

I love a Lizardfolk Quirks, it makes me want to play Lizardfolk, something I never expected, they were so funny. They really played up the alieness of the Lizardfolk.

I loved the Yuan Ti Nightmarespeaker. Its a nice twist on the Yuan Ti. Still they should remember that Dendar only feeds on nightmares people FORGET, you that requires subtly to the torture, and no sleep depraving, wake someone up too earily and they may remember the nightmare. I want to know in what region of FR do Yuan Ti worship Dendar?

Dendar was mentioned in the Monster Manual and Storm King's Thunder as an object of Yuan Ti Worship. She is also still stated to be a primordial but Yuan Ti worship her like a god. And it really does not require subtly for the torture as it will likely scare them and give them nightmares of the pain or more torture.

 

[flametitan]

Look, yet another preview, on Gizmodo, with more new pages:

http://io9.gizmodo.com/an-inside-look-at-the-creepy-creatures-of-dungeons-dr-1788412425


New stuff on goblins, hobgoblins, and kobolds, plus the barghest is getting updated for the new edition. I'm wanting this book more and more with each preview!

Heh, the nilbog is back as well, although not so "gamey" as it was previously. And finally, a mention of a goblinoid god who isn't Maglubiyet, as Khurgorbaeyeg is mentioned in the nilbog article (as well as another, unnamed dead goblin deity whose essence creates nilbogs).

I'm now really hoping there will be playable hobgoblins. I really want to make a hobgoblin Ironshadow for a character when I'm not a perma DM.