Books : Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual: Roleplaying Game Core Rules, 4th Edition

Rating: - The best of the 4e core books, but still leaves me feeling a bit sour
This is the best of the 4e core books for me, but still left me feeling a bit sour.

First the good. In the tradition of the 1st edition AD&D Monster Manual, this book dispenses with lengthy descriptions of monsters and instead focuses on stats. Only in rare circumstances do we get lengthy prose regarding a monster's motivations outside of being fodder for the adventurers to beat up on. Filling in the details is left to the DM. The new stat blocks are straightforward and much easier to use than their 3.5 counterparts. Special abilities are in the stat block rather than hidden amongst the monster's descriptive text. That's a welcome change indeed. Also, one of my favorite things from the last two 3.5 MM's is carried over: knowledge checks to see what our heroes might know about their current foe. All in all, this is a very easy to use book.

Then there's the bad news. There are a lot of monsters missing from this book when compared to its 3.5 counterpart. Yes, some of the new core monsters were pulled from books other than the first MM, but leaving out monsters as classic as metallic dragons reeks of a mandate from marketing. Just like with the PHB, things many veteran players expect have been left out for the sole reason of saving them for another book to sell. You want your metallic dragons and the rest of the giants? Buy `Monster Manual II'. Then there's the artwork. A friend and I spent about 10 minutes playing `spot the recycled art' with this book. Roughly 10-15%, maybe more, is culled from 3.5 books. Were the contracted artists unable to meet their deadline for new artwork, or did someone at Wizards decide to cut the budget? You be the judge.

So what we're left with is a very well designed Monster Manual that's easy to use, but missing a significant number of iconic monsters and wholly original artwork. That's good for a 3 in my book.

---

Rating: - Like the new monster design, but...
the book is by far the weakest of the three core books.

The good:
The new mechanics focus on the "screen time" devoted to each monster and keeps things simpler. Most entries provide knowledge check info with DCs and useful info. Book is colorful and includes lots of creatures and variations

The bad:
Other than the DC check knowledge, background info on the creatures is really sparse. In some cases variations in a entry don't even have a phsyical description of how they are different. Templates would be better served in here than in the DMG (though that's a minor quibble).

Overall, still well worth the money if you are going to run a game.

---

Rating: - 3.5 is better
The book was all nice, neat, and all that jazz, but 4th ed itself, it just seems to be lacking, I suggest WAIT TILL 4.5. 4.0 feels more like a public test release; Save your money, just wait a little longer. Wizards of the Coast have already released updates for the 3 core books, and some others. The book has pretty much all the same Monster, some new baddies.
There's no Monster descriptions, everything is way too much combat orientated, read more like a Video Game Monster Manual, just stats. The art work was ok, nothing wowing.

3 stars cause

Goods
New ideas
New races
New Powers
New Classes
Simplified


Bads
Little to no customization for PCs, no where near 3.5.
Over Simplified everything
Confusing over use of words: Basic Melee Attack Bonus, Basic Ranged Attack Bonus, Basic this, Basic that, Power this, Power that, Basic Melee Ranged Power power. you get the idea.
All the powers are Combat orientated.
Skills are over simplified

Why buy something that is out dated already, check wizards of the coast and look for yourself, they've already releasing Updates for all the Core Books.

---

Rating: - D&D MONSTER
Fourth edition is very exciting. I have been playing D&D for over 20 years, and this is the first time I have looked at an edition past 2nd.

---

Rating: - Best book of the new edition
Ugh, I'm so tired of this 3.5 vs 4ed debate. And it really bums me out that people's whining has given THIS BOOK, out of all three, has the lowest score.

This is easily the coolest and most inspiring out of all three core books. Every monster has a really clear level of challenge and cool abilities and powers. It really sets them apart, more than the old "here's some hit points and an attack pattern." Sure, the entries could use some more flavor text, but they more than make up for it with neat exploits and twists for each beast.

There was one guy in my group who was unwilling to play 4ed until he read this book, and this book alone made him give it a begrudging chance.