D&D’s New Monster Manual Is Pricey, But Still A Good Deal

Every good Dungeon Master looks for new ways to brutally murder challenge their players, and nothing makes players roll a one on courage like when they face a great monster in battle. Dungeons & Dragons is now starting its Fifth Edition (also known as D&D Next), and with the new Player’s Handbook and Starter Set, we’ve had tons of fun with the new rules system. And now Wizards of the Coast has released the new Monster Manual.

For newbies, there are three core books to Dungeons & Dragons; a Player’s Handbook, which is the rule book to help create your characters, the Dungeon Master’s Guide which, is self-explanatory, and there’s the Monster Manual, a compendium of creatures from which the Dungeon Master can choose for the game.

I started playing tabletop roleplaying games over twenty years ago, and I have played on so many different systems. I have played Palladium, GURPS, Goodman Games, etc., but always, always I find myself coming back to Dungeons & Dragons. And there are many reasons for this, such as the magnificent worlds they have created like Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance, or the huge number of imaginative spells and magic items, or the number of monsters and threats you can face. And some of these monsters are only unique in this game system, such as The Drow, the Illithid, Beholders, and Death Knights. Comparing this manual to previous editions of the Monster Manual, the fifth edition version is the best version yet.

This book is a thing of beauty. The first thing you will notice once you look through it is how gorgeous the artwork is throughout the book. The cover is a dazzling scene of a female rogue and dwarf running for their lives battling a Beholder. The book is 352 pages long and full of information. They did a great job laying out not only the stats you need to combat the creature but also give dungeon masters and players an idea of not only the creature’s history and behaviors but where it fits in your universe. And speaking of universes, for D&D veterans like myself, this book acts almost like a greatest hits package of your favorite monsters from other world expansions, such as the Death Knights from Dragonlance to Thri-kreens from Dark Sun.

There are are also two Appendices in the back that are a great tool for beginner and veteran DMs. The first section deals with miscellaneous creatures like snakes, lions, blink dogs and other creatures that don’t need a whole page dedicated to them but are necessary to know. The second appendix is more of a tool for DMs if they need certain NPCs like assassins. Overall this book feels very complete. This book is sufficient for Dungeon Masters who are looking for diverse and challenging monsters for their campaigns.

The only negative side I see to this book is the price. Both the new Player’s Handbook and Monster Manual are $50 each, however, while you still can, at Amazon you can purchase each book for almost half the price. But before you grumble too loudly about the price, just remember one thing; I buy $50-$60 dollar video games from time to time that end either being traded or gather dust in my shelf. Dungeons & Dragons is a game that is essentially ageless.