Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual
Hardcover
Wizards Of The Coast
Release Date: September 30, 2014
Cover Price: $49.95

The second of three core books from Dungeons & Dragons has arrived (you might remember me mentioning it in this article here)! Today we welcome the Monster Manual to our D&D rulebook collections. Wedged between the covers of this tome we find classic monsters along with a plethora of less common creatures. In total, more than one hundred fifty types of beasties are compiled here. But it’s more than just statistics here, many of the entries are steeped in legend and lore.

Included within these pages are twelve different dragons, over half a dozen giantkind, and a multitude of demons and devils. Creatures unique to Dungeons & Dragons like beholders, displacer beasts and mind flayers are also given space within this compendium. Orcs, kobolds, ogres, and the like are in here, too. And no monstrous book would be complete with the ever popular goblin and related kin. I could go on and on, but there is no need. Suffice to say there is a wide array of creatures that any Dungeon Master will be happy to throw at hapless adventurers.

Grouping together Hit Points, Armor Class, and Speed along with individual skills and specific ability scores help round out each creature for use in virtually any campaign or adventure. Detailed stories help round out the monsters and give the DM more information with which to work, creating a more involved story for players to enjoy. Additionally, beautiful artwork is found throughout the book, exquisitely detailing the look of the creatures to help provide a better roleplaying experience. This bestiary is an essential part of the D&D gaming experience and a pivotal tool in creating the best encounters possible for a party of adventurers.

It’s really the details that stand out here. Presenting the Dungeon Master with a multitude of options to customize their adventure is really what this bestiary is all about. From minute features such as how the creature’s color changes with age to more generalized characteristics such as what other monsters can be found in its presence, this tome brings roleplaying back to its roots of storytelling. There are a wide variety of hack and slash RPGs out there but Dungeons & Dragons has long been known for its more involved stories and in-depth adventuring.

Of course, as I said earlier, this is the second of three rulebooks coming out currently. If you missed my review of the first one, the Player’s Handbook, be sure to check it out here. It was the first of the three rulebooks released; the Dungeon Master’s Guide is next up, hitting stores in November.

But don’t miss out on adding the Monster Manual to your collection today, you cannot grasp the full effect of the new core gaming rules without keeping this book handy. It has a retail price of $49.95 but Amazon currently has it available for $29.97! Don’t miss out on this deal, that’s a 40% savings!