A simple question regarding the Monster Manuals [Archive] - Wizards Community

A simple question regarding the Monster Manuals [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Ta'veren
12-29-04, 02:11 PM As a new player of D&D, dose it matter which of the three Monster Manuals I get, or do I just need any one of them?

Thanks for your help and time,
Ta'veren
Selvan
12-29-04, 03:08 PM I would strongly recommend the MM1 (3.5 Edition) because it contains the stats for the most common monsters like orcs, dragons, giants, trolls etc.

As far as I know, there is no 3.5 version of the MM2, so be careful.

Furthermore the monsters in MM2 and MM3 often seem very, very weird and don't fit into every campaign.

Selvan
The Happy Gank
12-29-04, 03:13 PM As a new player of D&D, dose it matter which of the three Monster Manuals I get, or do I just need any one of them?

Thanks for your help and time,
Ta'veren

For the most run-of-the-mill DnD monsters (e.g., Mindflayers, Beholders, Gnolls, etc.), MMI is a must. MMIII is nice, and important if you're planning to have a campaign in the Eberron setting.

On the other hand, many people consider MMII the biggest disappointment of these books. The artwork is nice in most cases, but a good deal of the monsters that GMs don't like using are found in this book.
Ta'veren
12-30-04, 11:15 AM I bought MM3 a few days ago, and being a wee bit short on cash, do you think it's worth returning MM3 and purchasing MM1?

Thanks again for your help, I appreciate it. :)
The Vorpal Tribble
12-30-04, 12:05 PM If you don't care about the fancies, here you go ;)

http://srd.pbemnexus.com/monstersAtoZ.html
The Happy Gank
12-30-04, 12:09 PM I bought MM3 a few days ago, and being a wee bit short on cash, do you think it's worth returning MM3 and purchasing MM1?

Thanks again for your help, I appreciate it. :)

You've found an RPG shop that will let you return things?!? :mymy: None of the places I haunt are big on giving receipts out with their sales...making it very hard to return things unless you want to see if they'll buy them used...

On the matter of the Monster Manuals, it depends...do you plan to run campaigns outside of the Eberron setting? Then the answer is most definitely yes...the MMI gives you a whole lot more options when it comes to monsters that can be used in multiple settings. Now if you're running an Eberron campaign, I'd say keep MMIII and save up for MMI.

Edit: Or you could make use of the source The Vorpal Tribble gave above...
Ta'veren
12-30-04, 12:43 PM @ The Vorpal Tribble
Thaks a LOT for the link :D That will most definitely come in handy! :w00t: :w00t:

@ The Happy Gank
I bought it at Borders. ;)
I think I will save up for MM1 and keep MM3, thanks for the help again :)

--I love these message boards; people are so friendly... thanks again everyone! :tiphat:
Dackad
01-01-05, 12:09 AM I bought MM3 a few days ago, and being a wee bit short on cash, do you think it's worth returning MM3 and purchasing MM1?

Thanks again for your help, I appreciate it. :)
Well, if you can't return the MMIII, then you can always use the SRD for the most common D&D monsters.
You can find the 3.5 SRD here (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/home.html).
Greyman
01-01-05, 12:25 AM As a new player of D&D, dose it matter which of the three Monster Manuals I get, or do I just need any one of them?As a *Player*, you do not really need to get a Monster Manual at all. It is mostly a DM resource. ;)

As Dackad advises, all a Player needs to do is reference the System Reference Documents. However, for DM essentials, as stated above, Monster Manuals I and III are the best of the lot so far, but the Fiend Folio and Monster Manual II aren't all that bad.
TemporalEnergon
01-01-05, 03:18 AM I practically worship the MMII! I still don't get why people don't like it :confused: . Please enlighten me.
The Happy Gank
01-01-05, 11:33 AM I practically worship the MMII! I still don't get why people don't like it :confused: . Please enlighten me.

I think most people think less of the MMII than the MMI or the MMIII because of the fact that many of the monsters in MMII are "very weird" or not thought out that well. I, for one, think there's been more than enough oozes created.

Overall, I like the MMII too...it's just considered a major disappointment by most people considering how well MMI was received...
Tevish Szat
01-01-05, 01:55 PM I liked the MMII, but i think it is the weakest of the monster books. my reaction to it was around "Ho, hum... more things to throw at the PCs" where as i had more positive reactions to the Fiend Folio and MMIII (and of course MM origional). it is the weakest of the monster books, but it is still good. honestly, part of its problem was having too many high-end and therefore not easily useable monsters, as it was crossmarketed, so it seemed, with Epic. Not that high CR monsters aren't good, but a monster book should not be weighted towards them. Also, there were very few creatures in the MMII that jumped out and made you say "WOW!". it had plenty of decent monsters, but nothing terribly spectacular.

Here's the 3.0 SRD for ya. HERE (http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html)
Morwen
01-02-05, 07:16 PM Monsters of Faerūn is also a very nice Monster Manual-type book. It has lots of low-to-medium CR creatures (none except the Dragons go above CR 14). The only drawback is that it is a 3.0 book, so you'd need to manually convert the creatures to 3.5. Well worth it in my opinion though, if you want more books than MM1 and 3. Which are otherwise my personal favorites :)
Dackad
01-05-05, 06:50 PM Monsters of Faerūn is also a very nice Monster Manual-type book. It has lots of low-to-medium CR creatures (none except the Dragons go above CR 14). The only drawback is that it is a 3.0 book, so you'd need to manually convert the creatures to 3.5. Well worth it in my opinion though, if you want more books than MM1 and 3. Which are otherwise my personal favorites :)
It can also be hard to find since it is out of print and I'm personally not too fond of some the mechanics or CR's in there. Plus, it is kinda expensive for what you get.
ksbsnowowl
01-06-05, 02:05 AM It can also be hard to find since it is out of print and I'm personally not too fond of some the mechanics or CR's in there. Plus, it is kinda expensive for what you get.Actually, I found it quite affordable on Overstock.com; I got it new for less than $14.

Also, I'm almost positive that it was one of the books updated in the 3.5 update PDF that WotC has on this site that updated the MMII, FF, De&Dg, etc.
Dackad
01-06-05, 09:32 PM Also, I'm almost positive that it was one of the books updated in the 3.5 update PDF that WotC has on this site that updated the MMII, FF, De&Dg, etc.
Actually, MoF isn't in the 3.5 update PDF (at least, not in mine...), but rumors have been persisting that the contents of the book will be updated in a new FR book sometime this year.
I believe that Ancient Empires of Faerun will have most of the MoF monsters in it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ta'veren 12-29-04, 02:11 PM	As a new player of D&D, dose it matter which of the three Monster Manuals I get, or do I just need any one of them? Thanks for your help and time, Ta'veren
Selvan 12-29-04, 03:08 PM	I would strongly recommend the MM1 (3.5 Edition) because it contains the stats for the most common monsters like orcs, dragons, giants, trolls etc. As far as I know, there is no 3.5 version of the MM2, so be careful. Furthermore the monsters in MM2 and MM3 often seem very, very weird and don't fit into every campaign. Selvan
The Happy Gank 12-29-04, 03:13 PM	As a new player of D&D, dose it matter which of the three Monster Manuals I get, or do I just need any one of them? Thanks for your help and time, Ta'veren For the most run-of-the-mill DnD monsters (e.g., Mindflayers, Beholders, Gnolls, etc.), MMI is a must. MMIII is nice, and important if you're planning to have a campaign in the Eberron setting. On the other hand, many people consider MMII the biggest disappointment of these books. The artwork is nice in most cases, but a good deal of the monsters that GMs don't like using are found in this book.
Ta'veren 12-30-04, 11:15 AM	I bought MM3 a few days ago, and being a wee bit short on cash, do you think it's worth returning MM3 and purchasing MM1? Thanks again for your help, I appreciate it. :)
The Vorpal Tribble 12-30-04, 12:05 PM	If you don't care about the fancies, here you go ;) http://srd.pbemnexus.com/monstersAtoZ.html
The Happy Gank 12-30-04, 12:09 PM	I bought MM3 a few days ago, and being a wee bit short on cash, do you think it's worth returning MM3 and purchasing MM1? Thanks again for your help, I appreciate it. :) You've found an RPG shop that will let you return things?!? :mymy: None of the places I haunt are big on giving receipts out with their sales...making it very hard to return things unless you want to see if they'll buy them used... On the matter of the Monster Manuals, it depends...do you plan to run campaigns outside of the Eberron setting? Then the answer is most definitely yes...the MMI gives you a whole lot more options when it comes to monsters that can be used in multiple settings. Now if you're running an Eberron campaign, I'd say keep MMIII and save up for MMI. Edit: Or you could make use of the source The Vorpal Tribble gave above...
Ta'veren 12-30-04, 12:43 PM	@ The Vorpal Tribble Thaks a LOT for the link :D That will most definitely come in handy! :w00t: :w00t: @ The Happy Gank I bought it at Borders. ;) I think I will save up for MM1 and keep MM3, thanks for the help again :) --I love these message boards; people are so friendly... thanks again everyone! :tiphat:
Dackad 01-01-05, 12:09 AM	I bought MM3 a few days ago, and being a wee bit short on cash, do you think it's worth returning MM3 and purchasing MM1? Thanks again for your help, I appreciate it. :) Well, if you can't return the MMIII, then you can always use the SRD for the most common D&D monsters. You can find the 3.5 SRD here (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/home.html).
Greyman 01-01-05, 12:25 AM	As a new player of D&D, dose it matter which of the three Monster Manuals I get, or do I just need any one of them?As a Player, you do not really need to get a Monster Manual at all. It is mostly a DM resource. ;) As Dackad advises, all a Player needs to do is reference the System Reference Documents. However, for DM essentials, as stated above, Monster Manuals I and III are the best of the lot so far, but the Fiend Folio and Monster Manual II aren't all that bad.
TemporalEnergon 01-01-05, 03:18 AM	I practically worship the MMII! I still don't get why people don't like it :confused: . Please enlighten me.
The Happy Gank 01-01-05, 11:33 AM	I practically worship the MMII! I still don't get why people don't like it :confused: . Please enlighten me. I think most people think less of the MMII than the MMI or the MMIII because of the fact that many of the monsters in MMII are "very weird" or not thought out that well. I, for one, think there's been more than enough oozes created. Overall, I like the MMII too...it's just considered a major disappointment by most people considering how well MMI was received...
Tevish Szat 01-01-05, 01:55 PM	I liked the MMII, but i think it is the weakest of the monster books. my reaction to it was around "Ho, hum... more things to throw at the PCs" where as i had more positive reactions to the Fiend Folio and MMIII (and of course MM origional). it is the weakest of the monster books, but it is still good. honestly, part of its problem was having too many high-end and therefore not easily useable monsters, as it was crossmarketed, so it seemed, with Epic. Not that high CR monsters aren't good, but a monster book should not be weighted towards them. Also, there were very few creatures in the MMII that jumped out and made you say "WOW!". it had plenty of decent monsters, but nothing terribly spectacular. Here's the 3.0 SRD for ya. HERE (http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html)
Morwen 01-02-05, 07:16 PM	Monsters of Faerūn is also a very nice Monster Manual-type book. It has lots of low-to-medium CR creatures (none except the Dragons go above CR 14). The only drawback is that it is a 3.0 book, so you'd need to manually convert the creatures to 3.5. Well worth it in my opinion though, if you want more books than MM1 and 3. Which are otherwise my personal favorites :)
Dackad 01-05-05, 06:50 PM	Monsters of Faerūn is also a very nice Monster Manual-type book. It has lots of low-to-medium CR creatures (none except the Dragons go above CR 14). The only drawback is that it is a 3.0 book, so you'd need to manually convert the creatures to 3.5. Well worth it in my opinion though, if you want more books than MM1 and 3. Which are otherwise my personal favorites :) It can also be hard to find since it is out of print and I'm personally not too fond of some the mechanics or CR's in there. Plus, it is kinda expensive for what you get.
ksbsnowowl 01-06-05, 02:05 AM	It can also be hard to find since it is out of print and I'm personally not too fond of some the mechanics or CR's in there. Plus, it is kinda expensive for what you get.Actually, I found it quite affordable on Overstock.com; I got it new for less than $14. Also, I'm almost positive that it was one of the books updated in the 3.5 update PDF that WotC has on this site that updated the MMII, FF, De&Dg, etc.
Dackad 01-06-05, 09:32 PM	Also, I'm almost positive that it was one of the books updated in the 3.5 update PDF that WotC has on this site that updated the MMII, FF, De&Dg, etc. Actually, MoF isn't in the 3.5 update PDF (at least, not in mine...), but rumors have been persisting that the contents of the book will be updated in a new FR book sometime this year. I believe that Ancient Empires of Faerun will have most of the MoF monsters in it.