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Monster Manual

2021-05-11T02:03:11Z

2601:203:400:CE90:5D4D:C037:E2F6:6310: /* Monster Manual (AD&D) */

[[File:MM 1e cover.jpg|thumb|D&D's first Monster Manual]]
A '''Monster Manual''' (sometimes called a Monstrous Manual or a Bestiary) is a book (or set of pages you can put in a binder if you are a particularly crusty [[neckbeard]]) used in [[RPG]]s to describe the various kinds of [[monster]]s the PCs can encounter and fight. The Manual is intended for [[DM]]s to make encounters for the players. Though they are more often described in the DMG, these books can also contain descriptions for the more exotic kind of [[trap]] (no not like that). Some books may also include templates to apply to existing monsters to change them (read: make them deadlier) or ways to make your very own monster from the ground up.

If they are not bundled into the main manual, a new release of a game can see a new Monster Manual as well. This first Monster Manual is seen as a "core book" in the trinity of the Manual, the [[Player's Handbook|Handbook]] and the holy [[Dungeon Master's Guide|Guide]]. There have been times when the first monster manual ''preceded'' the rest of the core: this notably happened in 1977, so its Manual was compatible with the ancient rules that became BXCMI, up to which the AD&D ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' had to catch. This also happened in 3e/d20 with [[White_Wolf|Sword and Sorcery Studios]]' rushed-to-print ''[[Creature Collection]]'', and with Violet Dawn's ''Denizens of Avadnu''. If ever comes that published setting at all, as Eden's ''Liber Bestarius''.

After the first Monster Manual of an edition the follow-up books are divided into two different camps. One is the list of Monster Manuals who will be named Monster Manual II, Monster Manual III and so on. The other are the more "themed" books that describe settings for adventures and monsters that fit in those settings, like books describing the [[Underdark]] having many [[Drow]], spider and Aberration type enemies, or [[The Manual of the Planes]] describing Fiends like [[Tanar'ri]] and [[Baatezu]], alongside creatures of Chaos like the [[Githzerai]] and creatures of Law like [[Modron]]s. Books in the latter category are not considered Monster Manuals despite their number of described creatures.

Then there are the "B Side Collections"... In the early 1980s TSR found itself with dozens of post-Manual monsters from early adventure-modules and especially from ''another country'' - Great Britain, in ''[[White Dwarf]]'' magazine. Gygax bundled the former with the best he could scrounge from the latter, birthing - or, perhaps, pinching off - the ''[[Fiend Folio]]''. After this one's [[skub|mixed]] reception, "fiend folio" is now a term for a holding-pen of niche monsters which you don't want defiling the mainline of Manual sequelae.

The problem with making a lot of Monster Manuals is that the monsters in the later books are split up into four groups: 30% will be reprints of monsters from older books of varying obscurity, 30% will be either upscaled animals or creatures made by slapping a number of templates together ending with creatures that lack the focus and originality of their progenitors, 30% will be 'Folio-bait (Three-headed hermaphrodites! Killer paper! Murderous hats!), and the final 10% being actually interesting creatures (either original or mythological) that could make an interesting addition to a game.

Theoretically the game can be played without the Monster Manual and just the PHB+DMG by making human(oid)s and traps the only enemies. In practice this is never done for long and the Monster Manual is an important part of any game, as a game with nothing interesting to fight is just as bad as uninteresting mechanics or [[class]]es.

The only two editions after AD&D to not start with a Monster Manual are 2nd Edition, which instead had the Monstrous Compendium series which were released in loose-leaf form instead of as books before they later released the Monst'''rous''' Manual, and 4th Edition Essentials, which instead had the short-lived Monster Vault series. Those ideas went down like Monica on the Hindenberg against the Washington Monument.

=List of Monster Manuals and the Monsters within=
(Under Construction)
==Monster Manual (AD&D)==
The basic monsters were the monsters which the English Speaking Peoples [TM, Churchill] grew up with, from such stories as Gary Gygax read in his childhood - which was a long time ago. (Note that E.G.G. was a "coot" even in Dave Arneson's eyes in the early 1970s.) You will see a lot of Europe in here, from Grimm and Greece. Where the critters aren't European - like the djinn - they are from Victorian-era translations of Egyptian and Syrian work. The most truly exotic here are the demons; perhaps as they should be.

* [[Aerial Servant]]
* [[Ankheg|Anhkheg]]
* Giant Ant
* Ape
** Gorilla
** Carnivorous Ape
* [[Axe Beak]]
* Baboon
* Badger
* [[Baluchitherium]]
* Barracuda
* [[Basilisk]]
* Bear
* Giant Beaver
* Giant Beetle
* [[Beholder]]
* [[Slime|Black Pudding]]
* [[Blink Dog]]
* Boar
* [[Brain Mole]]
* [[Brownie]]
* Buffalo
* [[Bugbear]]
* [[Bulette]]
* Bull
* Wild Camel
* [[Carrion Crawler]]
* [[Catoblepas]]
* Wild Cattle
* [[Centaur]]
* Giant Centipede
* [[Cerebral Parasite]]
* [[Chimera]]
* [[Cockatrice]]
* [[Coatl]]
* Giant Crab
* Giant Crayfish
* Crocodile
* [[Tanar'ri|Demon]]
** [[Demogorgon]]
** [[Juiblex]]
** Mane
** [[Orcus]]
** [[Succubus]]
** Vrock
** Hezrou
** Glabrezu
** Nalfeshnee
** Marilith
** Balor
** Yeenoghu
* [[Baatezu|Devil]]
** [[Asmodeus]]
** [[Baalzebul]]
** Barbed Devil
** Bone Devil
** [[Dispater]]
** Erinyes
** [[Geryon]]
** Horned Devil
** Ice Devil
** Lemure
** Pit Fiend
* [[Dinosaur]]
** Anatosaurus
** Ankylosaurus
** Antrodemus
** Apatosaurus
** Achelon Ischyras
** Brachiosaurus
** Camarasaurus
** Ceratosaurus
** Cetiosaurus
** Dinichtys
** Diplodocus
** Elasmosaurus
** Gorgosaurus
** Iguanadon
** Lambiosaurus
** Megalosaurus
** Monoclonius
** Mosasaurus
** Paleoscincus
** Pentaceratops
** Plateosaurus
** Plesiosaurus
** Pteranodon
** Stegosaurus
** Styracosaurus
** Teratosaurus
** Triceratops
** Tyrannosaurus Rex
* [[Displacer Beast]]
* [[Djinni]]
* [[Dog]]
** War Dog
** Wild Dog
* Dolphin
* [[Doppleganger]]
* [[Dragon]]
** Black Dragon
** Blue Dragon
** Brass Dragon
** Bronze Dragon
** [[Tiamat]]
** Copper Dragon
** Gold Dragon
** Green Dragon
** Platinum Dragon
** Red Dragon
** Silver Dragon
** White Dragon
* [[Dragonne]]
* [[Dragon Turtle]]
* [[Dryad]]
* [[Dwarf]]
* Giant Eagle
* [[Ear Seaker]]
* Eel
** Electric Eel
** Giant Eel
** Weed Eel
* [[Efreeti]]
* [[Elemental]]
** Air Elemental
** Earth Elemental
** Fire ELemental
** Water Elemental
* Elephant
** Asiatic Elephant
** African Elephant
* [[Elf]]: Has only one stat block used for multiple kinds of elves. Describes the [[Aquatic Elf]]. [[Drow]], [[Grey Elf]], [[Half-Elf]], and [[Wood Elf]].
* [[Ettin]]
* Floating Eye
* [[Beholder|Eye of the Deep]]
* Flightless Bird
* Frog
** Giant Frog
** Killer Frog
** Poisonous Frog
* Violet [[Fungus]]
* Giant Gar
* Gargoyle
* [[Fungus|Gas Spore]]
* [[Slime|Gelatinous Cute]]
* [[Ghast]]
* [[Ghost]]
* [[Ghoul]]
* [[Giant]]
** [[Cloud Giant]]
** [[Fire Giant]]
** [[Frost Giant]]
** [[Stone Giant]]
** [[Storm Giant]]
* [[Gnoll]]
* [[Gnome]]
* Giant Goat
* [[Goblin]]
* [[Golem]]
** Clay Golem
** [[Flesh Golem]]
** Iron Golem
** Stone Golem
* [[Gorgon]]
* [[Slime|Grey Ooze]]
* Green [[Slime]]
* [[Griffon]]
* Groaning Spirit ([[Banshee]])
* [[Halfling]]
** Tallfellow
** Stout
* [[Harpy]]
* [[Hellhound]]
* Herd Animal
* [[Hippocampus]]
* [[Hippogriff]]
* Hippopotamus
* [[Hobgoblin]]
** [[Koalinth]]
* [[Homunculus]]
* [[Horse]]
** Draft Horse
** Heavy Horse
** Light Horse
** Medium Horse
** Pony
** Wild Horse
* [[Hydra]]
* Hyena
* Giant Hyena
* [[Imp]]
* [[Intellect Devourer]]
* [[Invisible Stalker]]
* Irish Deer
* [[Ixitxachitl]]
* Jackal
* [[Jackalwere]]
* Jaguar
* [[Ki-rin]]
* [[Kobold]]
* [[Lamia]]
* [[Lammasu]]
* Lamprey
* [[Larva]]
* Giant Leech
* Leopard
* [[Leprechaun]]
* [[Leucrotta]]
* [[Lich]]
* Lion
** Lion
** Mountain Lion
** Spotted Lion
* Lizard
** Fire Lizard
** Giant Lizard
** Minotaur Lizard
** Subterranean Lizard
* [[Lizard Man]]
* [[Locanthah]]
* [[Gotcha Monster|Lurker Above]]
* Lycanthrope
** [[Werebear]]
** [[Wereboar]]
** [[Wererat]]
** [[Weretiger]]
** [[Werewolf]]
* Giant Lynx
* Mammoth
* [[Manticore]]
* [[Masher]]
* [[Mastodon]]
* [[Medusa]]
* [[Men]]
** [[Bandit]]
** [[Berserker]]
** [[Pirate|Buccaneer]]
** Caveman
** [[Dervish]]
** [[Merchant]]
** Pilgrim
* [[Merman]]
* [[Mimic]]
* [[Mind Flayer]]
* [[Minotaur]]
* [[Mold]]
* [[Morkoth]]
* Mule
* [[Mummy]]

This list is currently about 50% complete.

===Monster Manual II (AD&D)===
The [[Fiend Folio]] was deemed a failure to which end TSR's marketing geniuses figured out its MAIN problem... ''branding''. So here we got the third Manual sold to us as the second. As the Folio passed along 1970s-era monsters (and a lot of shit from the [[Fiend Factory]]), this "second" Manual packaged up early 80s monsters from the S- series and [[Scourge_of_the_Slavelords|the A- series]] (alongside some shit from ''Dragon''). The illustrations are better than Folio's grainy and gory horrors. The font is still awful, so a generation of gamers never did figure out if the orangutan demon was a bar-lgura or a bar-igura.

==Monstrous Manual (AD&D 2E)==
This was an odd duck in the series, because post-Gygax TSR got it into its head that we didn't ''need'' no stinkin' manual. Their rationale was that every setting should differ, and where an Athas might not have orcs (anymore) another locale might be like [[Talislanta]] and short on elves. Even if they did have something called an "elf" it will be setting-specific. So they released "Monstrous Compendium" sheafs, each monster to fill two sides of a page, which the DM could put into a binder or a Trapper Keeper or something.

As usual, early 1990s TSR had failed to listen to their actual customers, [[Lorraine Williams|lost demon-worshipping souls as we are]]. It turns out that plenty of settings agree on the same basic monsters, or at least like to leaf through the pages for inspiration. So, kicking and screaming, in 1993 TSR released the Monstr''ous'' Manual. It followed the same monster-to-a-page format, so you could detach these ladies and fill your binders with them as the Prophets demand.

==Monster Manual (D&D 3E)==
===Monster Manual II (D&D 3E)===

==Monster Manual (D&D 3.5E)==
===Monster Manual III (D&D 3.5E)===
===Monster Manual IV (D&D 3.5E)===
===Monster Manual V (D&D 3.5E)===

==Monster Manual (D&D 4E)==
===Monster Manual 2 (D&D 4E)===
===Monster Manual 3 (D&D 4E)===
==Monster Manual (D&D 5E)==

[[Category:Game Books]][[Category:Monsters]]

Powers Check

2021-05-10T19:55:52Z

2601:203:400:CE90:5D4D:C037:E2F6:6310: /* In Later Editions */

{{dnd-stub}}

'''Powers Checks''' (an abbreviation of '''Dark Powers Checks''') are a mechanic unique to the [[Dungeons & Dragons]] setting of [[Ravenloft]]. Intended to be a way to enforce mechanically the roleplaying/thematic background element of how the Dark Powers rewards villains by gifting them with both unnatural powers ''and'' malefic curses, the basic idea is that when a player characters commits certain sinful acts, such as murder, betrayal, using a [[Necromancer|necromantic]] spell, blasphemy, etc, the player rolls a Percentile Die. This is compared to a large table that combines various sins and sin modifiers (acts of passion tend to be more likely to draw their eyes than cold-blooded, dispassionate malice, for example); if the player rolls equal to or less than this number, then they have caught the attention of the Dark Powers and are infused with spiritual taint. The more times this happens, the greater their powers - and their curses - grow, until ultimately they become [[monster]]s or even full-fledged [[Darklord]]s.

==Act of Ultimate Darkness==
In [[Ravenloft]] canon, there are some acts so foul, so horrible, so monstrous, that no Powers Checks are required; those who commit them just automatically get the Dark Powers' attention. For PCs, this is generally an automatic failed Powers Check, but for NPCs, this could even cause them to leap from "normal person" to "[[Darklord]]" in a single fell swoop.

Precisely what counts as an Act of Ultimate Darkness is left to the DM's discretion. For example, [[Strahd von Zarovich]], in one night: turned himself into a [[vampire]] to try and preserve his youth, murdered his brother to take his brother's wife, murdered all the guests at his brother's wedding to disguise what he'd done, and tried to mind control the woman he "loved" so he could turn her into his vampire bride - which caused her to curse him and leap to her death from the parapets of [[Castle Ravenloft]].

==Terror Track==
Powers Checks are intended to build towards a specific theme; the end result should be a coherent set of powers and curses that ultimately creates a recognizable monster. The term "Terror Track" is thusly used to define a specific set of Powers Check-gated gifts & curses that build towards a specific creature end-goal - for example, one of the earliest uses of the term in the boxed set "Domains of Dread" for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 2nd Edition, gives us the Terror Track of the [[Vampire]].

Unfortunately, much like the general powers and curses of a failed Powers Check in general, the effort of inventing a Terror Track is left up to the DM. The [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]] provides three sample Terror Tracks; the Ringleader, the Brute, and the Coward. Fans have responded by trying to create Terror Tracks for other DMs to use, resulting in them being scattered over various [[Ravenloft]] netbooks.

In [[Quoth the Raven]] #9, Terror Tracks are provided for the [[Kuo-toa]], the [[Sahuagin]] and the [[Reaver]].

In the [[Undead Sea Scrolls]] 2002, Terror Tracks are provided for the [[Aswang]] and the [[Upir Lichy]].

The largest source of Terror Tracks, however, can be found in the article "Terrible Transformations" for [[Books of S|The Book of Shadows]], which features '''twenty''' different Terror Tracks! Uniquely, it's the only one of its kind that focuses on rules for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] Terror Tracks, whereas the other five mentioned above are written for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]].
* [[Skin Thief]]
* [[Banshee]]
* Boneless
* [[Chosen One]]
* [[Dream Spawn]]
* [[Ettercap]]
* [[Gargoyle]]
* [[Ghoul]]
* [[Grimlock]]
* [[Heucuva]]
* [[Lich]]
* [[Mist Horror]]
* [[Reaver]]
* [[Red Widow]]
* [[Sea Spawn]] Master
* [[Shadow]]
* [[Werejackal]]
* [[Wererat]]
* [[Zombie]] Lord

==Redemption==
Unlike in some games, [[Ravenloft]] Powers Checks are ''not'' certain doom for your player; redemption is as much a part of [[Gothic Horror]] as damnation, after all. It's not easy, and you can never reach the heights of purity again, but it is possible through roleplaying and mechanical actions to purge yourself of the dark gifts and curses, climbing back towards normalcy.

==Reception==
The intent behind Powers Checks was to act as a curtail on [[Murderhobo]]s. Did it work? Well... honestly, probably not; many players find Powers Checks either never come up, or else annoying in how they seem deliberately tailored to screw over the players - the 3.5 "Ravenloft Player's Handbook" was widely critiqued for how many extra sources of Powers Checks it added, including '''leveling up in certain classes''', and even before then there were absurdities like the Speak with Dead and Deathwatch spells (which, respectively, let you ask a few questions of the deceased and ''let you check how much HP creatures have'') causing Powers Checks.

To say nothing of [[munchkin]]s deliberately aiming for Powers Checks because the penalties were often roleplaying centric and thusly worth it for the mechanical benefits of the powers.

==In Later Editions==
Powers Checks were deeply rooted in TSR's approach to D&D, and so they didn't really sit too well with WotC. In 4th edition, the concept was dropped (if only because a dedicated Ravenloft setting never resurfaced there), with instead the player being suggested to come up with spooky background or character traits to represent brushes with the dark powers. The closest that 4e got to Powers Checks were a pair of Themes called the Haunted Blade and the Misshapen, which gave the character powers tied to a brush with dark forces.

In 5th edition, [[Van Richten's Guide]] to [[Ravenloft]] scrapped the idea of Powers Checks entirely and replaced them with '''Dark Gifts''': an entirely voluntary option that the player can pick at starting level, or earn throguh play, that grants them distinct boons, at the cost of largely cosmetic "spooky" drawbacks. As a result, the book contains a specific array of Dark Gifts, consisting of the following. Each grants a couple of minor powers, but comes with a drawback.

'''Echoing Soul:''' You have a connection to past incarnations, were magically swapped into your current body, or you have a deep spiritual link to another being - there's a d6 table to roll on to randomly generate the specifics. Regardless, you experience intrusive echoes of one or more entirely different lives; on the plus side, this gives you two free skill proficiencies and a bonus language. The downside is the ''Intrusive Echoes'' trait; if you trigger the downside by rolling a 1 on an attack roll, ability check or saving throw, you become overwhelmed by foreign visions and memories, which you determine by rolling on a d6 table. You might end up charmed or frightened by a random creature for 1 minute, blinded for a turn, halve your speed for a turn, be incapacitated for a turn, or even get to reroll the triggering roll because you awoke a memory of a past triumph. Fortunately, Intrusive Echoes can only happen once per short rest.

'''Gathered Whispers:''' You're a spiritwalker, somebody who can naturally perceive the spirits of the deceased or denizens of other planes, and thus have to deal with them endlessly haunting you. d6 table to explain who the haunts are. It gives you the positive traits ''Spirit Whispers'' (Message as an SLA) and ''Sudden Cacophony'' (1/day, add Proficiency Bonus to AC vs. an attack - doesn't work against deaf assailants). The negative trait is ''Voices from Beyond'', which forces you to roll on a d4 table; you might end up with Disadvantage on your next attack roll/ability check/saving throw, be deafened for 1 minute, be frightened of a random creature for a turn, or get the benefits of a free Augury spells. ''Voices from Beyond'' triggers when you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check or saving throw, but can only happen once per short rest, just like the ''Intrusive Echoes'' trait.

'''Living Shadow:''' Like the name says, your shadow is mysteriously animate all on its own. Ever heard of a little Disney movie called "The Princess and the Frog"? You're basically Dr. Facilier. Positive traits: ''Grasping Shadow'' (Mage Hand SLA) and ''Shadow Strike'' (give yourself +10feet of reach with a melee attack Proficiency Bonus times per day). Downside: ''Ominous Will'', which causes the next creature to make an attack roll, saving throw or ability check within 30 feet to roll a d4; they add the even number as a bonus and subtract the odd number as a penalty.

'''Mist Walker:''' You have spent so long traversing the infamous Mists of Ravenloft that you have gained an unparalled connection to them, for both good and ill. The positive traits are ''Misty Step'' (cast Misty Step 1/day, and if spellcaster, gain it as a bonus spell) and ''Mist Traveler'' (you don't need Mist Talismans to reach domains; you just need to know the domain's name). The downside is ''Poisoned Roots'': Once you finish a long rest, the terrain in a 10-mile radius becomes spiritually poisoned against you. You can only stay in such an area for weeks equal to your Constitution modifier, and if you overstay, you ''gain'' 1 level of Exhaustion each time you complete a long rest there which can't be removed until you move on. Basically, this is an adapatation of the ''Static Burn'' curse that the [[Vistani]] suffered in 2nd and 3rd edition.

'''Second Skin:''' You have a Jekyll & Hyde-esque ability to transform into a strange secondary form, which you can either specifically designate or generate through a roll on a d6 table. There's only a single benefit here; ''Transformation'', which lets you cast Alter Self (Change Appearance only) on yourself 1/day and adds Alter Self to your spells list if you're a spellcaster. But, if you use this SLA, then when you return to normal, you'll retain some visible trait of your previous form until you complete a long rest. Rather than the standard "critical fail" triggered downside, this Dark Gift's downside is ''Involuntary Change'', where exposure to a catalyst (either determined or chosen from a d6 table) forces you to pass a DC 15 Charisma save or automatically shapeshift via your Alter Self SLA. Basically, this gift is pretty much all fluff, as there's not a lot of crunch wrapped up in transforming this way.

'''Symbiotic Being:''' You're Venom. Seriously. That's it. You have a physical living creature with its own indepentent mind and personality fused to your body. There's a d6 table to generate manifestation, and they include a living tattoo, crystaline growths, and basically an homage to Vampire Hunter D (or Voldemort in the very first Harry Potter novel). You gain the traits ''Entwined Existence'' (Symbiote has its own Int, Wis and Cha scores, and gives you free proficiency in either Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Religion, Perception or Persuasion) and ''Sustained Symbiosis'' (1/day, you can sacrifice a Hit Dice to either boost a saving throw or to automatically critical succeed a Death Saving Throw). The downside is, of course, ''Symbiotic Agenda'' - your symbiote has its own goal that it wants to achieve, and if you try to pass up an opportunity to pursue that goal, you have to pass a Charisma save (DC 12 + symbiote's Cha modifier) or else it takes over you, represented as a Charm effect that lasts 1d12 hours. You can either create the symbiote's agenda, or roll on the provided d6 table.

'''Touch of Death:''' Your flesh courses with malevolent energies or supernatural venom, allowing you to bring death to whoever brushes your skin. There's a d6 table to suggest how this might have been caused and manifests. Your positive traits are ''Death Touch'' (as an action, make an unarmed strike that does +1d10 Necrotic damage, boosted by +1d10 at levels 5, 11 and 17), ''Inescapable Death'' (your attacks ignore Necrotic Resistance), and ''Withering Contact'' (if you start your turn grappling or being grappled, the other guy takes 1d10 Necrotic damage). Surprisingly, there's no explicit downside to this ability! Although a sneaky DM could rule that the ability can activate involuntarily outside of combat and cause you to accidently kill someone you touch.

'''Watchers:''' You are the object of interest to ethereal spirits, which manifest themselves in Tiny-sized bodies made of shadowstuff and constantly hang arond you, even if you try to drive them away. There's a d8 table of example forms that these watchers might take, from ravens and rats to drifting religious symbols or animated objects. For a positive trait, you get ''Borrowed Eyes'', which lets you invoke the power of the Watchers to gain Adventage on Investigation & Perception checks plus Immunity to Blindness for 1 hour 1/day. The negative trait is ''Dread Presence'': you have Disadvantage on saves against Scrying, and if your Watchers are visible, you also suffer Disadvantage on Deception, Performance and Charisma checks. You can disperse these Watchers with a minute's work and a successful DC 15 Animal Handling check, but it only lasts for 1 hour and can only be done 1/day.

[[Category: Game Mechanics]] [[Category: Ravenloft]]

Monster Manual

2021-05-10T19:23:33Z

2601:203:400:CE90:5D4D:C037:E2F6:6310: /* Monster Manual (AD&D) */

[[File:MM 1e cover.jpg|thumb|D&D's first Monster Manual]]
A '''Monster Manual''' (sometimes called a Monstrous Manual or a Bestiary) is a book (or set of pages you can put in a binder if you are a particularly crusty [[neckbeard]]) used in [[RPG]]s to describe the various kinds of [[monster]]s the PCs can encounter and fight. The Manual is intended for [[DM]]s to make encounters for the players. Though they are more often described in the DMG, these books can also contain descriptions for the more exotic kind of [[trap]] (no not like that). Some books may also include templates to apply to existing monsters to change them (read: make them deadlier) or ways to make your very own monster from the ground up.

If they are not bundled into the main manual, a new release of a game can see a new Monster Manual as well. This first Monster Manual is seen as a "core book" in the trinity of the Manual, the [[Player's Handbook|Handbook]] and the holy [[Dungeon Master's Guide|Guide]]. There have been times when the first monster manual ''preceded'' the rest of the core: this notably happened in 1977, so its Manual was compatible with the ancient rules that became BXCMI, up to which the AD&D ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' had to catch. This also happened in 3e/d20 with [[White_Wolf|Sword and Sorcery Studios]]' rushed-to-print ''[[Creature Collection]]'', and with Violet Dawn's ''Denizens of Avadnu''. If ever comes that published setting at all, as Eden's ''Liber Bestarius''.

After the first Monster Manual of an edition the follow-up books are divided into two different camps. One is the list of Monster Manuals who will be named Monster Manual II, Monster Manual III and so on. The other are the more "themed" books that describe settings for adventures and monsters that fit in those settings, like books describing the [[Underdark]] having many [[Drow]], spider and Aberration type enemies, or [[The Manual of the Planes]] describing Fiends like [[Tanar'ri]] and [[Baatezu]], alongside creatures of Chaos like the [[Githzerai]] and creatures of Law like [[Modron]]s. Books in the latter category are not considered Monster Manuals despite their number of described creatures.

Then there are the "B Side Collections"... In the early 1980s TSR found itself with dozens of post-Manual monsters from early adventure-modules and especially from ''another country'' - Great Britain, in ''[[White Dwarf]]'' magazine. Gygax bundled the former with the best he could scrounge from the latter, birthing - or, perhaps, pinching off - the ''[[Fiend Folio]]''. After this one's [[skub|mixed]] reception, "fiend folio" is now a term for a holding-pen of niche monsters which you don't want defiling the mainline of Manual sequelae.

The problem with making a lot of Monster Manuals is that the monsters in the later books are split up into four groups: 30% will be reprints of monsters from older books of varying obscurity, 30% will be either upscaled animals or creatures made by slapping a number of templates together ending with creatures that lack the focus and originality of their progenitors, 30% will be 'Folio-bait (Three-headed hermaphrodites! Killer paper! Murderous hats!), and the final 10% being actually interesting creatures (either original or mythological) that could make an interesting addition to a game.

Theoretically the game can be played without the Monster Manual and just the PHB+DMG by making human(oid)s and traps the only enemies. In practice this is never done for long and the Monster Manual is an important part of any game, as a game with nothing interesting to fight is just as bad as uninteresting mechanics or [[class]]es.

The only two editions after AD&D to not start with a Monster Manual are 2nd Edition, which instead had the Monstrous Compendium series which were released in loose-leaf form instead of as books before they later released the Monst'''rous''' Manual, and 4th Edition Essentials, which instead had the short-lived Monster Vault series. Those ideas went down like Monica on the Hindenberg against the Washington Monument.

=List of Monster Manuals and the Monsters within=
(Under Construction)
==Monster Manual (AD&D)==
The basic monsters were the monsters which the English Speaking Peoples [TM, Churchill] grew up with, from such stories as Gary Gygax read in his childhood - which was a long time ago. (Note that E.G.G. was a "coot" even in Dave Arneson's eyes in the early 1970s.) You will see a lot of Europe in here, from Grimm and Greece. Where the critters aren't European - like the djinn - they are from Victorian-era translations of Egyptian and Syrian work. The most truly exotic here are the demons; perhaps as they should be.

* [[Aerial Servant]]
* [[Ankheg|Anhkheg]]
* Giant Ant
* Ape
** Gorilla
** Carnivorous Ape
* [[Axe Beak]]
* Baboon
* Badger
* [[Baluchitherium]]
* Barracuda
* [[Basilisk]]
* Bear
* Giant Beaver
* Giant Beetle
* [[Beholder]]
* [[Slime|Black Pudding]]
* [[Blink Dog]]
* Boar
* [[Brain Mole]]
* [[Brownie]]
* Buffalo
* [[Bugbear]]
* [[Bulette]]
* Bull
* Wild Camel
* [[Carrion Crawler]]
* [[Catoblepas]]
* Wild Cattle
* [[Centaur]]
* Giant Centipede
* [[Cerebral Parasite]]
* [[Chimera]]
* [[Cockatrice]]
* [[Coatl]]
* Giant Crab
* Giant Crayfish
* Crocodile
* [[Tanar'ri|Demon]]
** [[Demogorgon]]
** [[Juiblex]]
** Mane
** [[Orcus]]
** [[Succubus]]
** Vrock
** Hezrou
** Glabrezu
** Nalfeshnee
** Marilith
** Balor
** Yeenoghu
* [[Baatezu|Devil]]
** [[Asmodeus]]
** [[Baalzebul]]
** Barbed Devil
** Bone Devil
** [[Dispater]]
** Erinyes
** [[Geryon]]
** Horned Devil
** Ice Devil
** Lemure
** Pit Fiend
* [[Dinosaur]]
** Anatosaurus
** Ankylosaurus
** Antrodemus
** Apatosaurus
** Achelon Ischyras
** Brachiosaurus
** Camarasaurus
** Ceratosaurus
** Cetiosaurus
** Dinichtys
** Diplodocus
** Elasmosaurus
** Gorgosaurus
** Iguanadon
** Lambiosaurus
** Megalosaurus
** Monoclonius
** Mosasaurus
** Paleoscincus
** Pentaceratops
** Plateosaurus
** Plesiosaurus
** Pteranodon
** Stegosaurus
** Styracosaurus
** Teratosaurus
** Triceratops
** Tyrannosaurus Rex
* [[Displacer Beast]]
* [[Djinni]]
* [[Dog]]
** War Dog
** Wild Dog
* Dolphin
* [[Doppleganger]]
* [[Dragon]]
** Black Dragon
** Blue Dragon
** Brass Dragon
** Bronze Dragon
** [[Tiamat]]
** Copper Dragon
** Gold Dragon
** Green Dragon
** Platinum Dragon
** Red Dragon
** Silver Dragon
** White Dragon
* [[Dragonne]]
* [[Dragon Turtle]]
* [[Dryad]]
* [[Dwarf]]
* Giant Eagle
* [[Ear Seaker]]
* Eel
** Electric Eel
** Giant Eel
** Weed Eel
* [[Efreeti]]
* [[Elemental]]
** Air Elemental
** Earth Elemental
** Fire ELemental
** Water Elemental
* Elephant
** Asiatic Elephant
** African Elephant
* [[Elf]]: Has only one stat block used for multiple kinds of elves. Describes the [[Aquatic Elf]]. [[Drow]], [[Grey Elf]], [[Half-Elf]], and [[Wood Elf]].
* [[Ettin]]
* Floating Eye
* [[Beholder|Eye of the Deep]]
* Flightless Bird
* Frog
** Giant Frog
** Killer Frog
** Poisonous Frog
* Violet [[Fungus]]
* Giant Gar
* Gargoyle
* [[Fungus|Gas Spore]]
* [[Slime|Gelatinous Cute]]
* [[Ghast]]
* [[Ghost]]
* [[Ghoul]]
* [[Giant]]
** [[Cloud Giant]]
** [[Fire Giant]]
** [[Frost Giant]]
** [[Stone Giant]]
** [[Storm Giant]]
* [[Gnoll]]
* [[Gnome]]
* Giant Goat
* [[Goblin]]
* [[Golem]]
** Clay Golem
** [[Flesh Golem]]
** Iron Golem
** Stone Golem
* [[Gorgon]]
* [[Slime|Grey Ooze]]
* Green [[Slime]]
* [[Griffon]]
* Groaning Spirit ([[Banshee]])
* [[Halfling]]
** Tallfellow
** Stout
* [[Harpy]]
* [[Hellhound]]
* Herd Animal
* [[Hippocampus]]
* [[Hippogriff]]
* Hippopotamus
* [[Hobgoblin]]
** [[Koalinth]]
* [[Homunculus]]
* [[Horse]]
** Draft Horse
** Heavy Horse
** Light Horse
** Medium Horse
** Pony
** Wild Horse
* [[Hydra]]
* Hyena
* Giant Hyena
* [[Imp]]
* [[Intellect Devourer]]
* [[Invisible Stalker]]
* Irish Deer
* [[Ixitxachitl]]
* Jackal
* [[Jackalwere]]
* Jaguar
* [[Ki-rin]]
* [[Kobold]]
* [[Lamia]]
* [[Lammasu]]
* Lamprey
* [[Larva]]
* Giant Leech
* Leopard
* [[Leprechaun]]
* [[Leucrotta]]
* [[Lich]]
* Lion
** Lion
** Mountain Lion
** Spotted Lion
* Lizard
** Fire Lizard
** Giant Lizard
** Minotaur Lizard
** Subterranean Lizard
* [[Lizard Man]]
* [[Locanthah]]
* [[Gotcha Monster|Lurker Above]]
* Lycanthrope
** [[Werebear]]
** [[Wereboar]]
** [[Wererat]]
** [[Weretiger]]
** [[Werewolf]]
* Giant Lynx
This list is currently about 50% complete.

===Monster Manual II (AD&D)===
The [[Fiend Folio]] was deemed a failure to which end TSR's marketing geniuses figured out its MAIN problem... ''branding''. So here we got the third Manual sold to us as the second. As the Folio passed along 1970s-era monsters (and a lot of shit from the [[Fiend Factory]]), this "second" Manual packaged up early 80s monsters from the S- series and [[Scourge_of_the_Slavelords|the A- series]] (alongside some shit from ''Dragon''). The illustrations are better than Folio's grainy and gory horrors. The font is still awful, so a generation of gamers never did figure out if the orangutan demon was a bar-lgura or a bar-igura.

==Monstrous Manual (AD&D 2E)==
This was an odd duck in the series, because post-Gygax TSR got it into its head that we didn't ''need'' no stinkin' manual. Their rationale was that every setting should differ, and where an Athas might not have orcs (anymore) another locale might be like [[Talislanta]] and short on elves. Even if they did have something called an "elf" it will be setting-specific. So they released "Monstrous Compendium" sheafs, each monster to fill two sides of a page, which the DM could put into a binder or a Trapper Keeper or something.

As usual, early 1990s TSR had failed to listen to their actual customers, [[Lorraine Williams|lost demon-worshipping souls as we are]]. It turns out that plenty of settings agree on the same basic monsters, or at least like to leaf through the pages for inspiration. So, kicking and screaming, in 1993 TSR released the Monstr''ous'' Manual. It followed the same monster-to-a-page format, so you could detach these ladies and fill your binders with them as the Prophets demand.

==Monster Manual (D&D 3E)==
===Monster Manual II (D&D 3E)===

==Monster Manual (D&D 3.5E)==
===Monster Manual III (D&D 3.5E)===
===Monster Manual IV (D&D 3.5E)===
===Monster Manual V (D&D 3.5E)===

==Monster Manual (D&D 4E)==
===Monster Manual 2 (D&D 4E)===
===Monster Manual 3 (D&D 4E)===
==Monster Manual (D&D 5E)==

[[Category:Game Books]][[Category:Monsters]]

Van Richten's Guide

2021-05-10T19:16:12Z

2601:203:400:CE90:5D4D:C037:E2F6:6310: /* Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft */

{{NeedsImages}}
'''The Van Richten's Guides''' are a series of monster-related sourcebooks written for [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and connected to the setting of [[Ravenloft]].

From an in-universe perspective, the Guides are, as their title says, treatises on monster-hunting written by the esteemed Dr. [[Van Richten]], the most prolific and well-educated monster hunter in all of the [[Demiplane of Dread]]. At some point, Van Richten disappeared, after which his legacy was taken up by the [[Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins]]. In addition to completing and publishing his own unfinished notes - the Guides to the Fiend, Vistani and Witch - they went on to create their own guides, which they published under the same name for legacy purposes and to ensure they would reach their target audience.

On the meta-level, each Guidebook examines a single creature type and expands upon it to make it both a better fit for Ravenloft's purported "Gothic Horror" goal (even if, in practice, it leans closer to [[Castlevania]] amongst most people who actually play it), providing an exhaustive examination of tactics that can be used to run that monster or fight that monster, variant "salient abilities", unique weaknesses, lore, and other aspects that flesh them out.

Van Richten wrote and published on his own the following books for the [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] system:
* Guide to [[Vampire]]s
* Guide to [[Lich]]es
* Guide to [[Ghost]]s
* Guide to [[Therianthrope|Werebeasts]]
* Guide to [[Fiend]]s
* Guide to the [[Mummy|Ancient Dead]]
* Guide to the [[Golem|Created]]
* Guide to the [[Vistani]]

These books were later reprinted in "collected editions" by the Weathermay Twins, known as the Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendiums. The third and last of these volumes also included the otherwise unprinted "Van Richten's Guide to [[Witch]]es", which, as the name suggests, examines [[Witch]]es, [[Warlock]]s and [[Hag]]s.

The Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins wrote two guides completely of their own for [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3rd edition which saw print; one for the [[Walking Dead]] and a second for the [[Shadow Fey]]. A third guidebook, dedicated to "The Mists", which focused on anomalous and eerie entities born from the reality-binding vapors that wreathe the land, in addition to covering Outlanders (humanoids from other worlds brought amongst the ignorant natives of the [[Demiplane of Dread]]) and anomalous reality-zones that one might encounter whilst enveloped by the Mists, was completely written up... but, [[White Wolf]] lost the license before they could officially print and sell it. The PDF was set free onto the internet, and is now hosted on, amongst other things, the [[Fraternity of Shadows]] website.

Looking into adapting content found in these guides to later editions? Note that not everything written by White Wolf & Sword&Sorcery for 3-3.5e was converted entirely everything from the 2nd Edition, and- more intriguingly, the powers Liches are privy to in Guide to the Lich are still, 3.5 canon, such as the salient abilities Liches gain are in Monsters of Faerun, though only a small excerpt. Please note, that these make both liches and vampires essentially epic-level threats, whom are more dangerous depending on their personal holdings and age- a vampire patriarch for example, is essentially a demigod immune to sunlight, and probably only beatable if they gained additional weaknesses over their long-term existence, they can even fully heal themselves once per day through the use of their alternate form ability, which has an additional form of their choosing- essentially their second Castlevania Dracula Form- limited to no CR or cap or anything. They can even cheat themselves into becoming this strong. If you've ever heard of the epic-questline, the Quicksilver Hourglass in 3.5, a quest where you have to stop members of the Union of Eclipses using a deific artifact to age the world to death and rule the remainder, then failure would result in vampires like this popping up all over the material plane. Bullet dodged.

==Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft==
{{dnd-stub}}

A new Van Richten's Guide is scheduled for release in 18th May 2021, which will serve as the complete [[Ravenloft]] setting book for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]].

For players, this book offers mechanics for [[Dhampir]], [[Hexblood]] and [[Reborn]] "races", new "horror-themed" Trinkets, tips on altering backgrounds to a more horror motif, the new (or possibly reprinted from [[Curse of Strahd]]) Haunted One and Investigator backgrounds, the [[Necromancer||College of Spirits]] subclass for [[bard]]s and the [[Undead]] patron for [[warlock]]s. A new mechanic in the form of "Dark Gifts" is also offered, possibly replacing the [[Powers Checks]] of old.

Most of the book is dedicated to DMs, however. The second chapter is devoted to the topic of ''Creating Domains of Dread'', and provides advice on building darklords and their domains, and discusses the major genres of horror useful to a Ravenloft 5e game, which it breaks down as ''Body Horror'', ''Cosmic Horror'', ''Dark Fantasy'', ''Folk Horror'', ''Ghost Story'', ''Gothic Horror'' and ''Other''.

Chapter 3 is devoted to providing details on '''Domains of Ravenloft'''. After discussing the mists, magic, metaphysics, daily life in the [[Demiplane of Dread]], facing [[Darklord]]s and building characters ''from'' these domains, it then provides a list of 39, of which 17 are 3-5 page long "in-depth" analyses and the rest are shorter and more perfunctory. Many of the returning domains have been heavily altered from their past incarnations.s

Still in chapter 3, it then provides major Ravenloft organizations (with the emphasis on the [[keepers of the Feather]] and the [[Vistani]] and prominent NPCs native to the Demiplane of Dread:
* [[Alanik Ray]] & Arthur Sedgwick (the Ravenloftian Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson)
* The Caller (obviously the [[Incubus]] known as the [[Gentleman Caller]])
* Erasmus van Richten (Dr. van Richten's previously dead [[vampire]] son)
* [[Ez d'Avenir]]
* [[Firan Zal'honan]]
* [[Jander Sunstar]] (heroic [[elf]] [[vampire]])
* [[Larissa Snowmane]]
* Dr. Rudolph [[van Richten]] (the iconic van Helsing expy)
* The [[Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins]]

Chapter 4 is short again, and is full of basic DM tricks, hence its title of '''Horror Adventures'''. Most of interest are new mechanics for curses, fear, stress, haunted traps, and survivors. There's also a short adventure set in the infamous House of Lament.

Finally, chapter 5 is all about the '''Monsters of Ravenloft'''. Whilst there are some new critters, most of these are actually returning beasties from old!
* [[Bodytaker Plant]] (originally called the Doppelganger Plant, an expy of the pods from Invasion of the body Snatchers)
* [[Boneless]]
* [[Brain in a Jar]]
* [[Carrion Stalker]]
* [[Carionette]]
* [[Death's Head]]
* [[Dullahan]]
* [[Gallows Speaker]]
* [[Gremishka]]
* [[Jiangshi]]
* [[Loup Garou]]
* [[Necrichor]]
* [[Nosferatu]]
* Priests of [[Osybus]]
* [[Relentless Killer]]
* [[Star Spawn]] Emissary
* [[Strigoi]]
* Swarms (Maggots, Scarabs)
* Ulmist Inquisitors
* [[Unspeakable Horror]]s
* [[Vampire|Vampiric]] [[Mind Flayer]]
* [[Wereraven]]
* [[Zombie]]s (swarm of zombie limbs, zombie clot, zombie plague spreader)

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Ravenloft]] [[Category: Game Books]]

Van Richten's Guide

2021-05-10T19:15:00Z

2601:203:400:CE90:5D4D:C037:E2F6:6310: /* Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft */

{{NeedsImages}}
'''The Van Richten's Guides''' are a series of monster-related sourcebooks written for [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and connected to the setting of [[Ravenloft]].

From an in-universe perspective, the Guides are, as their title says, treatises on monster-hunting written by the esteemed Dr. [[Van Richten]], the most prolific and well-educated monster hunter in all of the [[Demiplane of Dread]]. At some point, Van Richten disappeared, after which his legacy was taken up by the [[Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins]]. In addition to completing and publishing his own unfinished notes - the Guides to the Fiend, Vistani and Witch - they went on to create their own guides, which they published under the same name for legacy purposes and to ensure they would reach their target audience.

On the meta-level, each Guidebook examines a single creature type and expands upon it to make it both a better fit for Ravenloft's purported "Gothic Horror" goal (even if, in practice, it leans closer to [[Castlevania]] amongst most people who actually play it), providing an exhaustive examination of tactics that can be used to run that monster or fight that monster, variant "salient abilities", unique weaknesses, lore, and other aspects that flesh them out.

Van Richten wrote and published on his own the following books for the [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] system:
* Guide to [[Vampire]]s
* Guide to [[Lich]]es
* Guide to [[Ghost]]s
* Guide to [[Therianthrope|Werebeasts]]
* Guide to [[Fiend]]s
* Guide to the [[Mummy|Ancient Dead]]
* Guide to the [[Golem|Created]]
* Guide to the [[Vistani]]

These books were later reprinted in "collected editions" by the Weathermay Twins, known as the Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendiums. The third and last of these volumes also included the otherwise unprinted "Van Richten's Guide to [[Witch]]es", which, as the name suggests, examines [[Witch]]es, [[Warlock]]s and [[Hag]]s.

The Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins wrote two guides completely of their own for [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3rd edition which saw print; one for the [[Walking Dead]] and a second for the [[Shadow Fey]]. A third guidebook, dedicated to "The Mists", which focused on anomalous and eerie entities born from the reality-binding vapors that wreathe the land, in addition to covering Outlanders (humanoids from other worlds brought amongst the ignorant natives of the [[Demiplane of Dread]]) and anomalous reality-zones that one might encounter whilst enveloped by the Mists, was completely written up... but, [[White Wolf]] lost the license before they could officially print and sell it. The PDF was set free onto the internet, and is now hosted on, amongst other things, the [[Fraternity of Shadows]] website.

Looking into adapting content found in these guides to later editions? Note that not everything written by White Wolf & Sword&Sorcery for 3-3.5e was converted entirely everything from the 2nd Edition, and- more intriguingly, the powers Liches are privy to in Guide to the Lich are still, 3.5 canon, such as the salient abilities Liches gain are in Monsters of Faerun, though only a small excerpt. Please note, that these make both liches and vampires essentially epic-level threats, whom are more dangerous depending on their personal holdings and age- a vampire patriarch for example, is essentially a demigod immune to sunlight, and probably only beatable if they gained additional weaknesses over their long-term existence, they can even fully heal themselves once per day through the use of their alternate form ability, which has an additional form of their choosing- essentially their second Castlevania Dracula Form- limited to no CR or cap or anything. They can even cheat themselves into becoming this strong. If you've ever heard of the epic-questline, the Quicksilver Hourglass in 3.5, a quest where you have to stop members of the Union of Eclipses using a deific artifact to age the world to death and rule the remainder, then failure would result in vampires like this popping up all over the material plane. Bullet dodged.

==Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft==
{{dnd-stub}}

A new Van Richten's Guide is scheduled for release in 18th May 2021, which will serve as the complete [[Ravenloft]] setting book for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]].

For players, this book offers mechanics for [[Dhampir]], [[Hexblood]] and [[Reborn]] "races", new "horror-themed" Trinkets, tips on altering backgrounds to a more horror motif, the new (or possibly reprinted from [[Curse of Strahd]]) Haunted One and Investigator backgrounds, the [[Necromancer||College of Spirits]] subclass for [[bard]]s and the [[Undead]] patron for [[warlock]]s. A new mechanic in the form of "Dark Gifts" is also offered, possibly replacing the [[Powers Checks]] of old.

Most of the book is dedicated to DMs, however. The second chapter is devoted to the topic of ''Creating Domains of Dread'', and provides advice on building darklords and their domains, and discusses the major genres of horror useful to a Ravenloft 5e game, which it breaks down as ''Body Horror'', ''Cosmic Horror'', ''Dark Fantasy'', ''Folk Horror'', ''Ghost Story'', ''Gothic Horror'' and ''Other''.

Chapter 3 is devoted to providing details on '''Domains of Ravenloft'''. After discussing the mists, magic, metaphysics, daily life in the [[Demiplane of Dread]], facing [[Darklord]]s and building characters ''from'' these domains, it then provides a list of 39, of which 17 are 3-5 page long "in-depth" analyses and the rest are shorter and more perfunctory. Many of the returning domains have been heavily altered from their past incarnations.s

Still in chapter 3, it then provides major Ravenloft organizations (with the emphasis on the [[keepers of the Feather]] and the [[Vistani]] and prominent NPCs native to the Demiplane of Dread:
* [[Alanik]] Ray & Arthur Sedgwick (the Ravenloftian Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson)
* The Caller (obviously the [[Incubus]] known as the [[Gentleman Caller]])
* Erasmus van Richten (Dr. van Richten's previously dead [[vampire]] son)
* [[Ez d'Avenir]]
* [[Firan Zal'honan]]
* [[Jander Sunstar]] (heroic [[elf]] [[vampire]])
* [[Larissa Snowmane]]
* Dr. Rudolph [[van Richten]] (the iconic van Helsing expy)
* The [[Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins]]

Chapter 4 is short again, and is full of basic DM tricks, hence its title of '''Horror Adventures'''. Most of interest are new mechanics for curses, fear, stress, haunted traps, and survivors. There's also a short adventure set in the infamous House of Lament.

Finally, chapter 5 is all about the '''Monsters of Ravenloft'''. Whilst there are some new critters, most of these are actually returning beasties from old!
* [[Bodytaker Plant]] (originally called the Doppelganger Plant, an expy of the pods from Invasion of the body Snatchers)
* [[Boneless]]
* [[Brain in a Jar]]
* [[Carrion Stalker]]
* [[Carionette]]
* [[Death's Head]]
* [[Dullahan]]
* [[Gallows Speaker]]
* [[Gremishka]]
* [[Jiangshi]]
* [[Loup Garou]]
* [[Necrichor]]
* [[Nosferatu]]
* Priests of [[Osybus]]
* [[Relentless Killer]]
* [[Star Spawn]] Emissary
* [[Strigoi]]
* Swarms (Maggots, Scarabs)
* Ulmist Inquisitors
* [[Unspeakable Horror]]s
* [[Vampire|Vampiric]] [[Mind Flayer]]
* [[Wereraven]]
* [[Zombie]]s (swarm of zombie limbs, zombie clot, zombie plague spreader)

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Ravenloft]] [[Category: Game Books]]

Van Richten's Guide

2021-05-10T19:12:42Z

2601:203:400:CE90:5D4D:C037:E2F6:6310: /* Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft */

{{NeedsImages}}
'''The Van Richten's Guides''' are a series of monster-related sourcebooks written for [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and connected to the setting of [[Ravenloft]].

From an in-universe perspective, the Guides are, as their title says, treatises on monster-hunting written by the esteemed Dr. [[Van Richten]], the most prolific and well-educated monster hunter in all of the [[Demiplane of Dread]]. At some point, Van Richten disappeared, after which his legacy was taken up by the [[Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins]]. In addition to completing and publishing his own unfinished notes - the Guides to the Fiend, Vistani and Witch - they went on to create their own guides, which they published under the same name for legacy purposes and to ensure they would reach their target audience.

On the meta-level, each Guidebook examines a single creature type and expands upon it to make it both a better fit for Ravenloft's purported "Gothic Horror" goal (even if, in practice, it leans closer to [[Castlevania]] amongst most people who actually play it), providing an exhaustive examination of tactics that can be used to run that monster or fight that monster, variant "salient abilities", unique weaknesses, lore, and other aspects that flesh them out.

Van Richten wrote and published on his own the following books for the [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] system:
* Guide to [[Vampire]]s
* Guide to [[Lich]]es
* Guide to [[Ghost]]s
* Guide to [[Therianthrope|Werebeasts]]
* Guide to [[Fiend]]s
* Guide to the [[Mummy|Ancient Dead]]
* Guide to the [[Golem|Created]]
* Guide to the [[Vistani]]

These books were later reprinted in "collected editions" by the Weathermay Twins, known as the Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendiums. The third and last of these volumes also included the otherwise unprinted "Van Richten's Guide to [[Witch]]es", which, as the name suggests, examines [[Witch]]es, [[Warlock]]s and [[Hag]]s.

The Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins wrote two guides completely of their own for [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3rd edition which saw print; one for the [[Walking Dead]] and a second for the [[Shadow Fey]]. A third guidebook, dedicated to "The Mists", which focused on anomalous and eerie entities born from the reality-binding vapors that wreathe the land, in addition to covering Outlanders (humanoids from other worlds brought amongst the ignorant natives of the [[Demiplane of Dread]]) and anomalous reality-zones that one might encounter whilst enveloped by the Mists, was completely written up... but, [[White Wolf]] lost the license before they could officially print and sell it. The PDF was set free onto the internet, and is now hosted on, amongst other things, the [[Fraternity of Shadows]] website.

Looking into adapting content found in these guides to later editions? Note that not everything written by White Wolf & Sword&Sorcery for 3-3.5e was converted entirely everything from the 2nd Edition, and- more intriguingly, the powers Liches are privy to in Guide to the Lich are still, 3.5 canon, such as the salient abilities Liches gain are in Monsters of Faerun, though only a small excerpt. Please note, that these make both liches and vampires essentially epic-level threats, whom are more dangerous depending on their personal holdings and age- a vampire patriarch for example, is essentially a demigod immune to sunlight, and probably only beatable if they gained additional weaknesses over their long-term existence, they can even fully heal themselves once per day through the use of their alternate form ability, which has an additional form of their choosing- essentially their second Castlevania Dracula Form- limited to no CR or cap or anything. They can even cheat themselves into becoming this strong. If you've ever heard of the epic-questline, the Quicksilver Hourglass in 3.5, a quest where you have to stop members of the Union of Eclipses using a deific artifact to age the world to death and rule the remainder, then failure would result in vampires like this popping up all over the material plane. Bullet dodged.

==Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft==
{{dnd-stub}}

A new Van Richten's Guide is scheduled for release in 18th May 2021, which will serve as the complete [[Ravenloft]] setting book for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]].

For players, this book offers mechanics for [[Dhampir]], [[Hexblood]] and [[Reborn]] "races", new "horror-themed" Trinkets, tips on altering backgrounds to a more horror motif, the new (or possibly reprinted from [[Curse of Strahd]]) Haunted One and Investigator backgrounds, the [[Necromancer||College of Spirits]] subclass for [[bard]]s and the [[Undead]] patron for [[warlock]]s. A new mechanic in the form of "Dark Gifts" is also offered, possibly replacing the [[Powers Checks]] of old.

Most of the book is dedicated to DMs, however. The second chapter is devoted to the topic of ''Creating Domains of Dread'', and provides advice on building darklords and their domains, and discusses the major genres of horror useful to a Ravenloft 5e game, which it breaks down as ''Body Horror'', ''Cosmic Horror'', ''Dark Fantasy'', ''Folk Horror'', ''Ghost Story'', ''Gothic Horror'' and ''Other''.

Chapter 3 is devoted to providing details on '''Domains of Ravenloft'''. After discussing the mists, magic, metaphysics, daily life in the [[Demiplane of Dread]], facing [[Darklord]]s and building characters ''from'' these domains, it then provides a list of 39, of which 17 are 3-5 page long "in-depth" analyses and the rest are shorter and more perfunctory. Many of the returning domains have been heavily altered from their past incarnations.s

Still in chapter 3, it then provides major Ravenloft organizations (with the emphasis on the [[keepers of the Feather]] and the [[Vistani]] and prominent NPCs native to the Demiplane of Dread:
* Alanik Ray & Arthur Sedgwick (the Ravenloftian Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson)
* The Caller (obviously the [[Incubus]] known as the Gentleman Caller)
* Erasmus van Richten (Dr. van Richten's previously dead [[vampire]] son)
* Ez d'Avenir
* Firan Zal'honan
* [[Jander Sunstar]] (heroic [[elf]] [[vampire]])
* Larissa Snowmane
* Dr. Rudolph van Richten (the iconic van Helsing expy)
* The Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins

Chapter 4 is short again, and is full of basic DM tricks, hence its title of '''Horror Adventures'''. Most of interest are new mechanics for curses, fear, stress, haunted traps, and survivors. There's also a short adventure set in the infamous House of Lament.

Finally, chapter 5 is all about the '''Monsters of Ravenloft'''. Whilst there are some new critters, most of these are actually returning beasties from old!
* [[Bodytaker Plant]] (originally called the Doppelganger Plant, an expy of the pods from Invasion of the body Snatchers)
* [[Boneless]]
* [[Brain in a Jar]]
* [[Carrion Stalker]]
* [[Carionette]]
* [[Death's Head]]
* [[Dullahan
* [[Gallows Speaker]]
* [[Gremishka]]
* [[Jiangshi]]
* [[Loup Garou]]
* [[Necrichor]]
* [[Nosferatu]]
* Priests of [[Osybus]]
* [[Relentless Killer]]
* [[Star Spawn]] Emissary
* [[Strigoi]]
* Swarms (Maggots, Scarabs)
* Ulmist Inquisitors
* [[Unspeakable Horror]]s
* [[Vampire|Vampiric]] [[Mind Flayer]]
* [[Wereraven]]
* [[Zombie]]s (swarm of zombie limbs, zombie clot, zombie plague spreader)

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