Volo’s Guide to Monsters

Well thought out and imaginative addition to the 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons. In keeping with the general trend in the latest iteration of the game, the stress is on storytelling rather than rules. Many of the new races available for characters are not too different in many respects to other core races (Goliaths have virtually identical stat adds to Half Orcs already described in the PHB for example) but their background and history gives roleplaying tips to make them different to play. This volume is full of valuable resources, more powerful versions of standard Monster Manual critters ; Monster lairs (the Mind Flayer tunnel complex is extremely challenging), New races for PCs ; example NPCs; Detailed ecologies for some creature. All are useful and usable. It is a bit unwieldy in that some of the book is designed for DMS and some for players but , I suppose, that is close to the AD&D version of many moons ago, the Unearthed Arcana. Great production values and top notch artwork feature throughout...the Fire Giant Dreadnought and Slithering Tracker pics are highlights for me. The cover artwork is slightly underwhelming, in contrast. It's a shame no space could be found to credit the original creators of these creatures, I remember many of the best here (Kenku, Tabaxi, Nilbog etc) appearing in White Dwarf Magazine way back in the day , sent in by fan contributors. Still, in a way, their longevity and continued popularity, renewed in these up to date versions, are a testament to the writers who invented them,

An excellent addition to my gaming group's universe. The new player races are very welcome - this supplement provides detailed rules for 5 new origins and stats for a handful of traditional monster races people may like to roleplay. The in-depth exploration of key D&D monsters, their habits, society and homes, really adds the worlds you can build - It has been ideal for designing campaigns pitting the players against arch enemies, where they can be immersed in the lore of the orc warlord's clan, or delve into the devious web of puppets controlled by a hag, rather than slog through a series of randomly populated dungeons.

great info and artwork ,book was in pristine condition so i can only assume that the binding etc has now been sorted as other reviews have complained about it. good value and will be a great addition to my daughters collection.

Definitely the best subplinent book so far for 5e, the monsters are more fun to add to games as they aren't as well known to most of my players as the standard MM monsters, the lore is great for DMs and the new player races really sparked my imagination, the Tabaxi are by far my favourite race in D&D

While the in depth lore entries are only applicable to the forgotten realms, they're perfect as food for thought and inspiration for your own lore, and are detailed enough to fill in for anything you might have forgotten while writing your own lore. The playable races are reserved to a very small area of the book, but since this is more for DMs than players that's understandable. Plently of new and interesting monsters even if you are not interested in the races the rest of the book focuses on, though not enough to justify buying the book for new monsters alone. Despite what other reviews have said, no quality issues with my copy. Hopefully I'm not the anomaly here. Verdict: a worthwhile purchase for any DM seeking to make the most of classic dnd monsters, plus some playable races and extra monsters to boot.

Very useful looks good but only issue which its not the a fault with the book that i dont have the info on dnd beyond wish there was a code that would let me use both because i want the books but dnd beyond is very useful for understanding certain enemies and what they can do only browsed it also has new characters

apart from the bottom right hand corners of the cover being creased, there is little to show for it being second hand. It is in the same condition as described and i'm very happy with it.

I like the images of examples lairs for several different monsters and explores their goals, motivations and history like the PHB did with character races. The bestiary adds new additions to 5e with the vegepymy or the froghemoth. I recommend good read.

Don't think too much, just click, and buy!

This book is a great mix - half full of lore to hang story hooks on, half full of stats and rules to build gameplay on. If you're looking for a way to make some traditional D&D monsters fresh and new, pick it up.

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it is what it says it is

This is a great addition to 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. The cutesy banter between Volo and Elminster is kept to a minimum, leaving some really great, meaty content. While I just received my print copy today, I've been using the online version through Roll20 for two weeks. My review is based on two weeks of experience with the content, plus sitting with the physical book today. What exactly are you getting in this book? - Nearly 90 pages of in depth monster lore, focusing on Beholders, Giants, Gnolls, Goblinoids, Hags, Kobolds, Mind Flayers, Orcs, and Yuan-ti. This is very in depth work, with multiple pages providing variants, tables, lairs (including maps), historical background, and even some of the psychology of the creatures that can really help you flesh out these types of creatures in your games. - 7 new Player Character races, including Aasimar, Firbolg, Goliath, Kenku, Lizardfolk, Tabaxi, and Triton. These are a nice edition, and I especially like how the details for these new races includes tips on how to role-play as these slightly more unique creature types. Overall, these new races feel like they can breathe a lot of new life into campaigns for players who might be starting to get tired of the standard set from the Player's Handbook. - 6 new Monstrous Player Character races, which feature groups that were represented in the first 90 pages. These are more limited/specialized builds that a DM would really need to weigh before including in a game, but absolutely could provide some fantastic adventures for the right group of players. The 6 Monstrous races represented are Bugbear, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Kobold, Orc, and Yuan-ti Pureblood. - An expanded Bestiary.The next 99 pages of the book are dedicated to new monsters for your games. There are an excellent variety of new creatures, including some favorites that didn't make the original Monster Manual. Personally, I was glad to see a nice balance between creature types, and that these new creatures help round out some of the groups, such as Fey. It also is nice to see a book like this deepen the bench; this section of the book provides an especially large amount of new monsters of the type covered in the first 90 pages (Beholders, Giants, Gnolls, Goblinoids, Hags, Kobolds, Mind Flayers, Orcs, and Yuan-ti). A full 10 pages of this is also used to create new NPC stats, which is a great boon to be able to build encounters that stretch across a wider CR level in more civilized locations. - The book wraps up with 4 pages of Appendixes which provide a quick reference no matter how you are looking for a creature: you can find them by CR level, by Creature Type, or by the typical environment that you would find the monster in. All in all, the content is incredibly useful for any dungeon master who wants more content. The new monsters alone are worth the price of admission. The new character races are also an excellent new addition, although their uniqueness may make them more useful for some groups over others; that said, options are always nice to have. The first 90 pages of lore will be most useful to DM's who are planning on using the types of creatures listed in their campaigns. Especially if you are using those creature types, I highly recommend this as an addition to your collection, as the amount of material provided on these creatures is sure to spark your imagination and spin new adventures for your table.