The ''Monster Manual'' (''MM'' is the primary
bestiary
A bestiary (from ''bestiarum vocabulum'') is a compendium of beasts. Originating in the ancient world, bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals and even rocks. The natural history a ...
sourcebook for
monsters
A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
in the ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...
'' (''D&D''
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
, first published in 1977 by
TSR. The ''Monster Manual'' was the first hardcover D&D book and includes monsters derived from
mythology
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
and
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
, as well as creatures created specifically for ''D&D''. Creature descriptions include game-specific statistics (such as the monster's
level
Level or levels may refer to:
Engineering
*Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights
*Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical
*Canal pound or level
*Regr ...
or number of hit dice), a brief description of its habits and habitats, and typically an image of the creature. Along with the ''
Player's Handbook
The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). It does not contain the complete set of ru ...
'' and ''
Dungeon Master's Guide
The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (''DMG'' or ''DM's Guide''; in some printings, the ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' or ''Dungeon Master Guide'') is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' co ...
'', the ''Monster Manual'' is one of the three "core rulebooks" in most editions of the ''D&D'' game. As such, new editions of the ''Monster Manual'' have been released for each edition of ''D&D''. Due to the level of detail and illustration included in the 1977 release, the book was cited as a pivotal example of a new style of wargame books. Future editions would draw on various sources and act as a compendium of published monsters.
History of the ''Monster Manual''s
Early ''Dungeons & Dragons''
The first
''D&D'' boxed set did not have a separate ''Monster Manual'' but provided listings for monsters in ''Book 2: Monsters and Treasure'', one of the included booklets.
After the series was separated into basic and advanced games, the basic game continued to be published in level-based boxes. Monsters of the appropriate level were included in the rulebooks for the various basic game sets (the
''Basic'',
''Expert'',
''Companion'',
''Master'', and
''Immortal'' sets). These monsters were later collected in the ''
Rules Cyclopedia'', which replaced higher-level the boxed sets, and the ''
Creature Catalogue
''Creature Catalogue'' is a supplement for Basic ''Dungeons & Dragons'' first released in 1986, and updated in 1993.
Contents
The ''Creature Catalogue'' is a supplement which describes over 200 monsters, most of which had been collected from '' ...
''.
''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''
Original ''Monster Manual''
The first publication bearing the title ''Monster Manual'' was written by
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
and published in 1977 as a 108-page book.
It was the first
hardcover
A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occa ...
book for any ''D&D'' game
and the first of the core manuals published for the new ''
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...
'' (''AD&D'' version of the game.
The ''Monster Manual'' was a supplement to the game, intended to describe the standard monsters used in ''AD&D''.
The book was a
compendium
A compendium (plural: compendia or compendiums) is a comprehensive collection of information and analysis pertaining to a body of knowledge. A compendium may concisely summarize a larger work. In most cases, the body of knowledge will concern a s ...
of more than 350 monsters. Some monsters were new—others were compiled and revised from older sources such as ''
Monsters and Treasure'', ''
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson ...
'', ''
Blackmoor
Blackmore is a village in Essex, England.
Blackmore or Blackmoor may also refer to:
* Blackmore (name), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
* Blackmoor, Hampshire, a village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England
...
'', ''
Eldritch Wizardry
''Eldritch Wizardry'' is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core game ...
'', ''
The Strategic Review
''Dragon'' is one of the two official magazines for source material for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game and associated products, along with ''Dungeon''.
TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed ...
'' and
''Dragon'' magazine.
Each monster was listed alphabetically with a comprehensive description and full statistics and was, in many cases, supported by an illustration.
The cover of the original printing was illustrated by
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III (April 4, 1949"United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JT69-9Y8 : accessed 12 Feb 2013), David C Sutherland, 6 June 2005; citing U.S. Social Security Administra ...
. A softcover version of the ''Monster Manual'' was printed in the United Kingdom by
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group (often abbreviated as GW) is a British manufacturer of miniature wargames, based in Nottingham, England. Its best-known products are ''Warhammer Age of Sigmar'' and ''Warhammer 40,000''.
Founded in 1975 by John Peake (gam ...
in 1978.
When the book was reprinted in 1985 it featured new cover art by
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley (born 1954) is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork for role-playing games, comics, and magazines, as well as non-fantasy commercial art.
Early life
Easley was born in Nicholasville, Kentucky in 1954. He spent time drawing as ...
.
The book remained relatively unchanged throughout its fifteen printings up to 1989. Minor changes during the print run included a cover art change to match a new logo and
house style, and some minor corrections introduced in the 1978 printings.
The first edition ''Monster Manual'' included topless portrayals of some of its female monsters, such as the
succubus
A succubus is a demon or supernatural entity in folklore, in female form, that appears in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. According to religious tradition, a succubus needs male semen to survive; repeated sexual activity ...
,
Type V demons, lamia, and
sylph
A sylph (also called sylphid) is an air spirit stemming from the 16th-century works of Paracelsus, who describes sylphs as (invisible) beings of the air, his elementals of air. A significant number of subsequent literary and occult works have be ...
. The first edition was also the first appearance of the
mimic
MIMIC, known in capitalized form only, is a former simulation computer language developed 1964 by H. E. Petersen, F. J. Sansom and L. M. Warshawsky of Systems Engineering Group within the Air Force Materiel Command at the Wright-Patterson AFB in ...
.
The 1st edition ''Monster Manual'' was reproduced as a reprint in 2012.
''Monster Manual'' was also reviewed by
Don Turnbull who felt that "this manual deserves a place on every ''D&D'' enthusiast's bookshelf", and praised the explanatory text, stating that it "amplifies, where necessary,
he game statisticsand the result is the most comprehensive listing of ''D&D'' monsters you will find, presented in a clarity which is unfortunately all too rare in other sources."
Turnbull noted some minor printing errors and felt that some of the drawings were not as good as others, but felt that the book's quality "is as high as one can reasonably expect in such a complex matter".
Turnbull concluded by saying "I can do no more than heap high praise on the ''Monster Manual''. If every
DM and every player didn't buy it, I would be very surprised. It is without doubt the best thing that
TSR have produced so far."
Lawrence Schick, author of ''Heroic Worlds'', commented that "As nothing is easier to design than new monsters, it has spawned a host of imitations."
Games journalist
David M. Ewalt commented that the "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ''Monster Manual'' may have been a rush job, but its quality is undeniable.
..The ''Monster Manual'' succeeded not just as a game supplement but by elevating the D&D rule book to fetish object.
..The book became a beloved companion to a generation of gamers, something they came back to again and again."
=Reviews
=
* ''
Casus Belli
A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one b ...
'' #45 (June 1988)
''Fiend Folio''
''
Fiend Folio
''Fiend Folio'' is the name of three separate products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). All three are collections of monsters.
The bulk of the material in the first edition ca ...
'' was published by
TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had bee ...
''Fiend Folio'' was primarily made up of monsters described in the "Fiend Factory" feature of ''
White Dwarf
A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes fro ...
'' and from various
''D&D'' modules, while some were original creations. It introduced several popular monsters to the ''D&D'' game including
drow
The drow ( or ) or dark elves are a dark-skinned and white-haired subrace of Elf (Dungeons & Dragons), elves connected to the Subterranea (geography), subterranean Underdark in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. The drow have ...
, githyanki,
githzerai
This is the list of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition monsters, an important element of that role-playing game. This list only includes monsters from official ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd Edition supplements published by TSR, I ...
,
slaad, and death knights. It also featured monsters that were widely ridiculed, such as the flumph, one of the few non-evil creatures presented in the volume.
''Monster Manual II''
''
Monster Manual II
''Monster Manual II'' is the title shared by two hardback rulebooks published for different versions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy roleplaying game.
''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''
''Monster Manual II'' was a 160-page hardcove ...
'' was a 160-page hardcover book published in 1983, also credited solely to Gygax.
The book was a supplement describing over 250 monsters, most with illustrations. Many of the monsters were drawn from scenario modules.
The book included random encounter tables for dungeon and wilderness settings built from the ''Monster Manual'', ''Fiend Folio'', and ''Monster Manual II''.
Some of its contents were taken from various ''AD&D'' adventure modules, in particular quite a number from ''
S4: Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth'', and a dozen new devils that had been first published in the pages of ''Dragon'' magazine. Like the ''Fiend Folio'' before it, the monsters in ''Monster Manual II'' listed the experience point value for each monster within the entry. The ''Monster Manual II'' along with the First Edition ''
Unearthed Arcana
''Unearthed Arcana'' (abbreviated UA) is the title shared by two hardback books published for different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Both were designed as supplements to the core rulebooks, containing materi ...
'' book featured quite a number of monsters, races, and places from Gary Gygax's home
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson ...
campaign world.
''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition''
The ''
Monstrous Compendium
The ''Monstrous Compendium'' is a series of accessories for the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game released from 1989 to 1998. The title was then used for a series of 5th Edition ''Dungeons & Dragons'' supplements released ...
'' superseded the ''Monster Manual'' with the release of ''AD&D'' 2nd edition.
The ''Compendium'' was a binder of looseleaf sheets, rather than a hardback book. The first two volumes contained the core monsters of the game. These were followed by many appendices that contained extra monsters for particular
campaign settings
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A ''campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and c ...
.
The format was intended to help
Dungeon Masters (DM) keep handy only the monster statistics needed for a particular game session, as well as to greatly expand the information about each monster, as each was given at least one full page. It would also mean they would only need to purchase core volumes and appendix volumes for the campaigns they wanted, rather than getting a mix of monsters in books. However, the binder format ultimately proved impractical for two main reasons. First, looseleaf pages were not as durable as the hardcover format. As it was a frequently used game aid this was a serious concern. Second, TSR routinely printed different monsters on each side of a sheet, making it impossible to keep monsters in strict alphabetical order.
In 1993, the ''Monstrous Manual'' was released,
compiling all monsters from the first two volumes of the ''Monstrous Compendium'' plus many monsters from other sources into a 384-page hardcover book edited by
Doug Stewart. More ''Monstrous Compendium'' appendices were released as a supplements to the ''Monstrous Manual'' in the form of
paperback
A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...
books. They included updated reprints of loose leaf ''Monstrous Compendium Appendices'' and new volumes.
''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3rd edition
The ''Monster Manual'' for the third edition of ''D&D'' was released on October 1, 2000 as the third of three core books of the system.
Monte Cook
Monte Cook is an American professional tabletop role-playing game designer and writer, best known for his work on ''Dungeons & Dragons''.
Role-playing industry career
Early years
Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, worki ...
,
Jonathan Tweet
Jonathan Tweet (born 1965) is an American game designer who has been involved in the development of the role-playing games ''Ars Magica'', ''Everway'', ''Over the Edge (game), Over the Edge'', ''Talislanta'', the third edition of ''Dungeons & Dra ...
, and
Skip Williams
Ralph Williams, almost always referred to as Skip Williams, is an American game designer. He is married to Penny Williams, who is also involved with the games industry. He was the co-creator of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3rd Edition and the longtime au ...
all contributed to the third edition ''Monster Manual''.
Williams is credited with the design of the book. The updates were not intended to make major changes, only to update older monsters to third edition rules. According to Williams, "the first item on the agenda was combing through the game's twenty year collection of monsters, and deciding which ones were going into the book... The design team decided to focus on creatures that fit well into classic dungeon style adventures, with extra emphasis on creatures we felt the game needed."
In 2001 ''Monster Manual'' won the
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so (for example) the 1979 aw ...
for ''Best Graphic Design of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement 2000''. One reviewer for ''
Pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
'' called it "...an essential reference book, and it is a bargain..."
The next volumes, ''
Monster Manual II
''Monster Manual II'' is the title shared by two hardback rulebooks published for different versions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy roleplaying game.
''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''
''Monster Manual II'' was a 160-page hardcove ...
'' and ''
Fiend Folio
''Fiend Folio'' is the name of three separate products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). All three are collections of monsters.
The bulk of the material in the first edition ca ...
'' were new monster-specific rulebooks. They contain mostly updated monsters from the sourcebooks of earlier editions, though some monsters have almost no overlap with those of their first edition namesakes. There were no new versions of ''Monster Manual II'' or ''Fiend Folio'' for the 3.5 edition of ''D&D'', although update errata for both volumes and for the original third edition ''Monster Manual'' are available for download from the publisher's website.
Reviews
*''Backstab'' #24
*''
SF Site
SF may refer to:
Locations
* San Francisco, California, United States
* Sidi Fredj, Algeria
* South Florida, an urban region in the United States
* Suomi Finland, former vehicular country code for Finland
In arts and entertainment Genre ...
''
''Dungeons & Dragons'' version 3.5
In July 2003, the ''Monster Manual'' was revised and released again for ''D&D'' v 3.5. The revision was done by
Rich Baker and Skip Williams. The 3.5 revision has a slightly different entry on each monster than 3rd edition. Notably, each monster's attack has been divided into ''attack'' and ''full attack'' entries.
When asked about the hardest part in revising the book, Rich Baker replied: "The hardest part of the job was probably the sheer volume of the work we needed to do. There are hundreds of monster entries, and each monster has a couple dozen data points to examine and check." Some creatures from the ''
Psionics Handbook
The ''Psionics Handbook'' is a sourcebook published by Wizards of the Coast in 2001 for the 3rd edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It contains a multitude of rules and options for integrating psionic powers into t ...
'' and the third edition ''
Manual of the Planes
The ''Manual of the Planes'' (abbreviated MoP) is a manual for the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' role-playing game. This text addresses the planar cosmology of the game universe.
The original book (for use with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st Ed ...
'' were added to the revised book.
Further revision included the addition of an enhanced version of most monsters as an example of advancement (usually either with a template or with class levels). Many monsters also included instructions on how to use them as player characters.
The ''Monster Manual'' v 3.5 was reproduced as a premium reprint on September 18, 2012.
''Monster Manual III''
''
Monster Manual III
''Monster Manual III'' is a manual published in September 2004 by Wizards of the Coast, for use with the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. It is the first of the monster specific books published by Wizards of the Coast to be made for th ...
'' was published in September 2004, and was designed by
Rich Burlew
Rich may refer to:
Common uses
* Rich, an entity possessing wealth
* Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling
** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting
Places United States
* Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...
,
Eric Cagle
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
,
Jesse Decker
Jesse Decker is an author, designer, and editor of roleplaying game material.
Biography
Decker began playing ''Dungeons & Dragons'' in 1983 during recess at his elementary school. During the summer of 1996, he began doing "temp work" for Wizards ...
,
Andrew J. Finch,
Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel,
Rich Redman
Rich may refer to:
Common uses
* Rich, an entity possessing wealth
* Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling
**Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting
Places United States
* Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated commun ...
,
Matthew Sernett
Matthew Lee Sernett is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games.
Career
Matt Sernett was part of the SCRAMJET team, led by Richard Baker, with designers James Wyatt, Ed Stark, Michele Carter, Stacy Longstreet, and Chri ...
,
Chris Thomasson, and P. Nathan Toomey. This Monster Manual is notable for its descriptions of where the monsters might be found in the
Eberron
Eberron is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') role-playing game. The game is set primarily on the continent of Khorvaire following a vast destructive war. Eberron is designed to accommodate traditional ''D&D'' elements a ...
and
Forgotten Realms
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...
campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A ''campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and ca ...
s.
Chris Perkins explained: "Almost all of the monsters in the ''Monster Manual III'' are new. We didn't want to give gamers a bunch of beasties they'd already seen, and we found several interesting monster niches to fill.
''Monster Manual IV''
''
Monster Manual IV'', published July 2006, was designed by
Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel,
Jennifer Clarke Wilkes,
Matthew Sernett
Matthew Lee Sernett is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games.
Career
Matt Sernett was part of the SCRAMJET team, led by Richard Baker, with designers James Wyatt, Ed Stark, Michele Carter, Stacy Longstreet, and Chri ...
,
Eric Cagle
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
,
Andrew Finch
Andrew J. Finch is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games.
Career
Andrew Finch began working at Wizards of the Coast in 1996, and held a number of different positions. Finch was ultimately working as the Director of Digi ...
,
Christopher Lindsay
Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει ...
,
Kolja Raven Liquette Kolja or Colja is a short form of the given name Nikolai. It may refer to:
* ''Kolya'' (Czech: ''Kolja''), a 1996 Czech drama film
* Kolja Afriyie (born 1982), German former professional football player
* Kolja Blacher (born 1963), German violin ...
, Chris Sims,
Owen K.C. Stephens
Owen K.C. Stephens (born October 28, 1970) is a game designer who has worked on a number of products for the '' Starfinder'', '' Pathfinder'' and '' Star Wars Roleplaying Game'' and other games.
Career
In 2000, Wizards of the Coast brought Owe ...
,
Travis Stout,
JD Wiker
J. D. Wiker is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games.
Career
JD Wiker originally comes from Indianapolis, where he began his love of games, starting with his family's collection of board games and the weekly game night. ...
, and
Skip Williams
Ralph Williams, almost always referred to as Skip Williams, is an American game designer. He is married to Penny Williams, who is also involved with the games industry. He was the co-creator of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3rd Edition and the longtime au ...
. This book was also published in the v3.5 format and used the new stat block format that was introduced in the ''Dungeon Master's Guide II''. ''Monster Manual IV'' contained fewer actual monsters than Monster Manual II and III, but had sample lairs and encounters for them, gave stats for classes and templates applied to old creatures, and full page maps. The book also ties into the "Year of the Dragons" theme that Wizards of the Coast planned out for 2006 with the
Spawn of Tiamat
Spawn or spawning may refer to:
* Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise
** ''Spawn: Arm ...
, yet contains no new monsters that are considered true dragons.
''Special Edition Monster Manual''
In October 2006, the ''Special Edition Monster Manual'' was released, completing the set of special edition core rulebooks started in 2004 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of ''D&D''. Like the others, this book was leather-bound with silver-gilt edges and a cloth bookmark. The book was expanded with some new information, 31 new illustrations, and a new index. All collected errata up to its release date were included in this revision.
''Monster Manual V''
''
Monster Manual V
''Monster Manual V'' is an optional supplemental source book for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game.
Contents
As with other ''Monster Manual'' supplements, ''MM5'' contains a variety of new creatures as well as expand ...
'' was released in July 2007, with
David Noonan as lead designer, and additional design by
Creighton Broadhurst,
Jason Bulmahn
Jason Bulmahn is an American game designer who has written or contributed to several works.
Career
Jason Bulmahn coordinated the world's largest organized play ''D&D'' campaign for the RPGA (Living Greyhawk), and then joined Paizo Publishing as ...
,
David Chart
David Chart is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games.
Career
David Chart authored '' Akrasia: Thief of Time'' (2001), the first in Eden Studios's "Eden Odyssey" series of adventures. Chart took over as ''Ars Magica'' Lin ...
,
B. Matthew Conklin III
B is the second letter of the Latin alphabet.
B may also refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Astronomy
* Astronomical objects in the Barnard list of dark nebulae (abbreviation B)
* Latitude (''b'') in the galactic coordinate syste ...
,
Jesse Decker
Jesse Decker is an author, designer, and editor of roleplaying game material.
Biography
Decker began playing ''Dungeons & Dragons'' in 1983 during recess at his elementary school. During the summer of 1996, he began doing "temp work" for Wizards ...
,
James "Grim" Desborough,
Rob Heinsoo
Rob or ROB may refer to:
Places
* Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia
* Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia
People
* Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn
* Rob ( ...
,
Sterling Hershey,
Tim Hitchcock,
Luke Johnson,
Nicholas Logue,
Mike McArtor,
Aaron Rosenberg
Aaron "Rosy" Rosenberg (August 26, 1912 – September 1, 1979) was a two-time " All-American" college football player, and a film and television producer with more than 60 credits.Robert Slater (2000)''Great Jews in Sports''/ref> He received a ...
,
Robert J. Schwalb,
Rodney Thompson
Rodney Thompson is a game designer whose writing credits include numerous books for the '' Star Wars Roleplaying Game'' and the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. He was the lead developer for the 4th edition version of the Dark Su ...
, and
Wil Upchurch. This book was published in the same format as the ''Monster Manual IV'', featuring lairs and tactics and, like III and IV, detailing how these new monsters fit into Eberron and Forgotten Realms.
''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th edition
The ''D&D'' 4th edition ''Monster Manual'' was released with the other core books on June 6, 2008. It featured the demon prince
Orcus
Orcus ( la, Orcus) was a god of the underworld, punisher of broken oaths in Etruscan and Roman mythology. As with Hades, the name of the god was also used for the underworld itself. In the later tradition, he was conflated with Dis Pater.
A ...
on the cover. The book was designed by
Mike Mearls
Michael Mearls is a writer and designer of fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) and related fiction. He was the senior manager for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' research and design team. He co-led design for the 5th edition of the game. He also worked ...
,
Stephen Schubert, and
James Wyatt
James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to 1806.
Early life
W ...
.
''
Monster Manual 2
''Monster Manual 2'' is a supplement to the 4th edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game.
Contents
''Monster Manual 2'' presents hundreds of monsters for ''D&D'' campaigns. Monsters such as centaurs and frost giants make their fir ...
'' was released on May 20, 2009 with
Demogorgon
Demogorgon is a deity or demon
associated with the underworld. Although often ascribed to Greek mythology, the name probably arises from an unknown copyist's misreading of a commentary by a fourth-century scholar, Lactantius Placidus. The conc ...
on the cover; ''Monster Manual 3'' was released on June 15, 2010 featuring
Lolth on its cover.
''
Monster Vault'' was released November 16, 2010 and featured monsters introduced in the ''Monster Manual'' revised to the new format that was introduced in ''Monster Manual 3''. ''
Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale'' was released June 28, 2011 and re-introduced a few new monsters as well as several related to the setting of
Nentir Vale. All volumes of the ''Monster Vault'' are parts of the ''Dungeons & Dragons Essentials'' line of 4th edition ''D&D'' products.
Reviews
*''
Pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
''
''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th edition
On September 30, 2014, the ''D&D'' 5th edition ''Monster Manual'' was the second core book released for the new edition. On the staggered release schedule,
Jeremy Crawford
Jeremy Crawford is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. He is most widely known for being the Lead Rules Designer for Wizards of the Coast.
Career
Jeremy Crawford co-designed and edited the ''Blue Rose'' role-playin ...
wrote "our small team couldn’t finish the books at the same time and also ensure their high quality.
..We could either stagger their releases, or we could sit on the books until all three were finished".
Crawford and
Mike Mearls
Michael Mearls is a writer and designer of fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) and related fiction. He was the senior manager for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' research and design team. He co-led design for the 5th edition of the game. He also worked ...
co-lead design for the
Fifth Edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The cover depicts the
beholder Xanathar attacking adventurers in the
Underdark
The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing campaigns and ''Dungeons & Dragons''-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore. It is described as a vast subterra ...
.
Reception
In ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
's'' "Best-selling Books Week Ending October 13, 2014", ''Monster Manual'' was #5 in "Hardcover Nonfiction" and sold 16,956 units.
In a review of ''Monster Manual'' in ''
Black Gate'', Scott Taylor said "In all, this is a very sharp book in the gaming 'Big Three' (''Players Handbook'', ''DMG'', and ''MM''), and anyone looking to take on the challenge of 5E will be happy with what they've invested in."
The 5th edition ''Monster Manual'' won the 2015
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so (for example) the 1979 aw ...
for Best Role Playing Supplement and Fan Favorite Role Playing Supplement. The book won two 2015 gold
ENnie Awards
The ENNIE Awards (previously stylized as ENnie Awards) are awards for role-playing game (RPG) products (including game-related accessories, publications, and art) and their creators. The awards were created in 2001 by Russ Morrissey of EN World i ...
: "Best Monster/Adversary" and "Best Interior Art".
Reviews
* ''
Casus Belli
A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one b ...
'' (vol. 4, Issue 12, Nov/Dec 2014)
References
External links
Detailed information on the 1st ''Monster Manual'' and differences between printings3rd Edition ''Monster Manual''at
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...
website
4th Edition ''Monster Manual''at Wizards of the Coast website
5th Edition ''Monster Manual''at Wizards of the Coast website
Errata: Monster ManualMonsters by Challenge Rating
{{D&D topics
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