leg1on
Level 3 Conjurer
Posts: 88 
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Post by leg1on on Apr 11, 2022 2:36:13 GMT -6
I recently discovered Sham's Bleak Beyond Bestiary; it's my current fave.
What's yours?
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Post by jeffb on Apr 11, 2022 17:36:33 GMT -6
Creatures of Barsaive (Earthdawn)
The Bestiary (Dragonlance SAGA system)
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phantomtim
Level 3 Conjurer
13th Age Enthusiast
Posts: 87
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Post by phantomtim on Apr 12, 2022 3:31:14 GMT -6
I recently discovered Sham's Bleak Beyond Bestiary; it's my current fave. What's yours? Thanks for sharing your discovery. I'd never heard of this until now. I'm going to check it out as well. |
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Post by makofan on Apr 12, 2022 7:07:16 GMT -6
I've always been fascinated by the list of 72 demons in SPI's Dragonquest
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phantomtim
Level 3 Conjurer
13th Age Enthusiast
Posts: 87
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Post by phantomtim on Apr 12, 2022 21:44:16 GMT -6
The 13th Age Bestiary is quite possibly my favorite monster book. I love how it offers several possible origins or icon relationships for each monster type. You could run a half dozen 13th Age campaigns, and each would feel completely different, as the monsters would feel very different from campaign to campaign. Plus, for common monsters (e.g., kobolds, goblins), there are several variants spanning a range of levels. This helps the GM represent the variations that you see within that monster type.
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Post by jeffb on Apr 13, 2022 5:43:49 GMT -6
I totally blanked on/forgot the 13th Age Bestiary. That goes on my list.
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Post by Flintlock on Apr 13, 2022 13:18:55 GMT -6
Out of the Pit (Fighting Fantasy).
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Post by scottenkainen on Apr 14, 2022 10:58:57 GMT -6
The original Monster Manual still can't be beat.
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Post by spellslingsellsword on Apr 14, 2022 11:21:24 GMT -6
I like the AD&D 2E Monstrous Manual and HackMaster's Hacklopedia of Beasts. I appreciate the combat tactics, habitat/society, and ecology information in both of them. Hacklopedia adds some cool stuff like tracks, range maps, and yield listings for medicinal, magical, and edible parts of the monster.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 6:22:57 GMT -6
I like the AD&D 2E Monstrous Manual and HackMaster's Hacklopedia of Beasts. I appreciate the combat tactics, habitat/society, and ecology information in both of them. Hacklopedia adds some cool stuff like tracks, range maps, and yield listings for medicinal, magical, and edible parts of the monster. One of my players' PCs in my old home town game always insisted on eating things he killed. Dwarf of course. He became quite sick or magically cursed on more than one occasion. Sounds like the authors of Hackmaster must have experienced similar play styles that influenced that addition. "Well, we know some players will insist on sticking things into their mouths so here is what it does." |
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Post by scottenkainen on Apr 15, 2022 19:24:57 GMT -6
I like the AD&D 2E Monstrous Manual and HackMaster's Hacklopedia of Beasts. I appreciate the combat tactics, habitat/society, and ecology information in both of them. Hacklopedia adds some cool stuff like tracks, range maps, and yield listings for medicinal, magical, and edible parts of the monster. Hacklopedia of Beasts was great, just too unwieldy in its original version (how many volumes did it run to?). |
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Post by spellslingsellsword on Apr 15, 2022 22:52:12 GMT -6
I like the AD&D 2E Monstrous Manual and HackMaster's Hacklopedia of Beasts. I appreciate the combat tactics, habitat/society, and ecology information in both of them. Hacklopedia adds some cool stuff like tracks, range maps, and yield listings for medicinal, magical, and edible parts of the monster. Hacklopedia of Beasts was great, just too unwieldy in its original version (how many volumes did it run to?). The parody version I think had 8 volumes. I didn't own those ones, I only have the "5th Edition" version of the book. |
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Post by tdenmark on May 6, 2022 1:01:44 GMT -6
My favorite monster book is the original Monster Manual. I find the DragonLance SAGA Bestiary to be appealing.
The Flee Mortals! monster book by MCDM looked interesting to me, but I missed backing it:
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Post by Finarvyn on May 6, 2022 4:10:39 GMT -6
The original Monster Manual still can't be beat. Except that the 2E version has color pictures. I kind of like that part better and so I often use my 2E version instead of the 1E one at the gaming table. Otherwise, I agree that the 1E Monster Manual is still the best OD&D monster book ever! |
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Post by captainjapan on May 6, 2022 6:50:53 GMT -6
The original Monster Manual still can't be beat. Except that the 2E version has color pictures. I kind of like that part better and so I often use my 2E version instead of the 1E one at the gaming table. Otherwise, I agree that the 1E Monster Manual is still the best OD&D monster book ever! I repurchased, on the cheap, and restored a 1st ed. Monster Manual five years ago with the express intent of coloring in the monster illustrations. I'm about half way there. The old rough paper stock takes colored pencil very well. I was inspired to do it by somebody on the internet who bought his copy, used, and discovered it had been colored in.    I think my daughter did the elementals. |
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Post by scottenkainen on May 6, 2022 7:43:34 GMT -6
I too like the idea of treating them as coloring books and should buy a third copy someday just for that. The 1st ed artwork may lack color, but the Trampier illustrations are superior to all the art in the 2nd edition books.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2022 12:45:18 GMT -6
Looks great!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2022 12:48:02 GMT -6
The original Monster Manual still can't be beat. I'm also a huge fan of Fiends Folio - Babblers anyone? |
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Post by simrion on May 7, 2022 5:35:31 GMT -6
I like the AD&D 2E Monstrous Manual and HackMaster's Hacklopedia of Beasts. I appreciate the combat tactics, habitat/society, and ecology information in both of them. Hacklopedia adds some cool stuff like tracks, range maps, and yield listings for medicinal, magical, and edible parts of the monster. One of my players' PCs in my old home town game always insisted on eating things he killed. Dwarf of course. He became quite sick or magically cursed on more than one occasion. Sounds like the authors of Hackmaster must have experienced similar play styles that influenced that addition. "Well, we know some players will insist on sticking things into their mouths so here is what it does." An AD&D DM of mine had a tavern in the home base town that would cook anything you brought them! |
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Post by machfront on May 7, 2022 5:56:36 GMT -6
Now I just want to send a couple of my MMs to captainjapan so he can color them for me because those pics made me crazy jealous! 😁
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Post by tdenmark on May 9, 2022 4:56:48 GMT -6
I repurchased, on the cheap, and restored a 1st ed. Monster Manual five years ago with the express intent of coloring in the monster illustrations. I'm about half way there. The old rough paper stock takes colored pencil very well. I was inspired to do it by somebody on the internet who bought his copy, used, and discovered it had been colored in. This is a great idea! I don't know why it has never occurred to me to do this. I've gotten a few extra copies over the years from various eBay lots won, garage and used bookstore sales. My daughters would probably enjoy helping, they are little coloring book monsters. |
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Post by scottenkainen on May 9, 2022 7:33:04 GMT -6
Congrats to anyone who found an old AD&D Monster Manual cheap. I was just at a store yesterday where they wanted $75 for one!
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Post by captainjapan on May 9, 2022 9:49:36 GMT -6
Congrats to anyone who found an old AD&D Monster Manual cheap. I was just at a store yesterday where they wanted $75 for one! I probably paid $25-$30 for this one. I say it was five years ago, but it might have been more like ten. There is a Monster Manual listed on eBay, right now, for about that much. There is no picture, though. My copy was in a very poor state.The cover was/is heavily scuffed and warped. The text block was coming apart from the covers so that it just sort of dangled when held upright. I learned a lot about bookbinding from fixing the damage on this Monster Manual. |
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Post by jeffb on May 10, 2022 5:54:30 GMT -6
Now that I picked up a first print MM awhile back, I may just give my late 4th print the colored pencil treatment once I'm moved and have my books back on shelves. captainjapan 's work has been inspirational. I'm absolutely amazed at pricing on old D&D (and other game) books these days. Had I only known. With all the (now) rare Items I had and the quantity of items in total, I could have sold everything now for $20K, instead of $2K, when I did. Who would have thought our nerdy hobby of graph paper and weird dice would end up in vogue, like this? |
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Post by tdenmark on May 13, 2022 2:08:28 GMT -6
I've always wanted to see a Monster Manual done in the style of Rien Poortvliet's Gnomes, or Brian Froud's Faeries book.  |
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skars
Level 6 Magician
Posts: 407
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Post by skars on May 13, 2022 15:22:10 GMT -6
I've always wanted to see a Monster Manual done in the style of Rien Poortvliet's Gnomes, or Brian Froud's Faeries book. Wasn't there a "Giants" book like this as well? |
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Post by tdenmark on May 13, 2022 19:51:46 GMT -6
Wasn't there a "Giants" book like this as well? No. Maybe by some other artist. Since Gnomes came out it has been copied many times over with Faeries, Dragons, Mermaids, etc. But nothing is as good as the original. It is a masterpiece. Though Froud's Faeries is pretty good too. |
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skars
Level 6 Magician
Posts: 407
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Post by skars on May 15, 2022 17:01:05 GMT -6
Wasn't there a "Giants" book like this as well? No. Maybe by some other artist. Since Gnomes came out it has been copied many times over with Faeries, Dragons, Mermaids, etc. But nothing is as good as the original. It is a masterpiece. Though Froud's Faeries is pretty good too. Ahh makes sense. I know there was a resurgence in those types of books in the 90s but this was the one I was thinking of:  |
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Post by tdenmark on May 16, 2022 3:52:14 GMT -6
Oh, that book by Julek Heller! I have a few of his books, Knights being my favorite. Yeah his work is right up there with Faeries. Gnomes is still my gold standard. But yeah, wouldn't it be great to see a Monster Manual like that? I feel in places the 5th edition MM almost gets there.  |
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Post by tkdco2 on May 20, 2022 14:19:54 GMT -6
Monstrous Manual (2e)
AC 9 Creature Catalogue (BECMI)
The Enchanted World Series
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