Monster Manual II
by Ed Bonny, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Skip Williams, Steve Winter
Review by Ken Karlak
Tired of trying to convert the Sons of Kyuss from your 1981 Fiend Folio into 3rd Edition monsters? Well try no longer. Put down that pen and paper, stop worrying about it, and open up WOTC’s latest creation, Monster Manual II. Inside you can find many of your favorite old monsters updated and possibly improved, along with a host of new monsters.
The Sons of Kyuss are now the Spawn of Kyuss. Your guess is as good as mine as to why the named was changed, but that is not the only change. The Sons, as they appeared in the Fiend Folio, were not overly powerful creatures. They had a terrible Armor Class, 10, and only four hit dice. They had a couple good abilities such as; radiate fear, regeneration, and a worm attack that could kill a character similar to a Rot Grub. The Spawn, as they now appear in the 3rd Edition Monster Manual II, are a little more evil. Both their Armor Class and Hit Points have been increased. The Spawn also can transfer their worms to their enemy a bit more easily and have a better chance of infecting their victims with a disease. This disease will quickly debilitate a character as it attacks his constitution and wisdoms scores. The 1st Edition version of the disease was leprosy and was easier to cure.
Many of the other monsters within this book were new to me. I am sure that some of you will recognize monsters that I did not from various previously published products. Still, there are over 200 new creatures. Adding in the monsters you may not have been familiar with, I image that should bring the total to around 300. A nice quantity of bad guys for any campaign.
The artwork however is probably my favorite part of this entire book. While I miss the pen and ink drawings of yesteryear, nothing can compare to the full color artwork displayed within the Monster Manual II. The list of artists who worked on this project is extensive. The number is around twenty, a bit too many too be listed individually. As a group however they really captured the feel of the Dungeons & Dragons setting. The monsters are realistic in appearance and in dress. I was really getting tired of seeing adventurers and villains combined with extreme sport players in the recent drawings. Far too many people were covered in spikes, tattoos, and form fitting leather body suits. Not that I believe all D&D characters should wear woolen tunics and breaches, but the game is usually played in a medieval genera. I simply prefer to see the artwork reflect that genera, and the Monster Manual II does just that.
Retailing for $29.95 you get 225 pages of monsters and creatures all within a hardbound book. Compared to some of the prices that are being placed on new rpg products, this one is priced quite reasonably. So I recommend not holding back. Buy this one, you’ll use it. There is always a need for more monsters, especially new ones. Surprise your players with a creature they have never met before and watch as they scream when hit by a breath weapon they didn’t know was coming!
KK