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30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best of the 4e MMs, June 16, 2010
This review is from: Monster Manual 3: A 4th Edition D&D Core Rulebook (Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition) (Hardcover)
The edition of flavor/lore text is welcome, and the overall quality of the book is a huge step up from the MM2 in my opinion. Also, the stat blocks have been revamped making it easier to read. Gone are the useless "encounter groups" from the first 2 MMs. Instead, they give suggestions on what (if any) other creatures the beast in question might be found with.
Some old favorites make their return: Mimics, cloaker, catoblepas, etc. I guess my only minor complaint concerns adding yet more flavors of some monsters (do we really need more beholders??) but again, even these are well presented and I am sure many do see the need!
The artwork is also a step up from that found in the MM2, with no recycled art that I am aware of.
An excellent book.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MM3 is great, June 23, 2010
This review is from: Monster Manual 3: A 4th Edition D&D Core Rulebook (Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition) (Hardcover)
I really enjoyed MM3. MUCH MUCH better than MM2. I agree that the encounter groups from the previous 2 books are largely useless, especially if you are a DDI subscriber. (the website has an online tool that allows you to craft encounters in a way that keeps the level right, etc.) Unlike MM2, there aren't too many wasted pages. (who needs, like, 10 different 'humans' in a monster manual?!) Also, many classics are back...Mimics, thri-kreen, lolth, gremlins, catoblepas, and so on. Some new cool additions are the catastrophic dragons (not solos, for some reason), and more psionic and primal flavored creatures.
The art is good, as usual, and the text is much richer, and better written than previous MMs for 4e. My only complaint is that they did recycle several illustrations from 3e. C'mon guys, illustrators/artists need work too.
The re-organization of the stat block bothered me at first...And id does bother me that I have all 3 MMs, and their stat blocks don't line up, so mixing encounters from all three books might be a pain. But, I do have to say, after reading through it, the new stat block layout makes more sense. Too bad they didn't think of that in the first place back in 2008. Oh well. Better late then never.
Bottom line: if you're new to DMing, and you just have the first 3 core rulebooks, skip mm2, and get this one.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Big improvements, July 25, 2010
This review is from: Monster Manual 3: A 4th Edition D&D Core Rulebook (Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition) (Hardcover)
The latest in the Monster Manual line for Dungeons & Dragons introduces two changes. The new stat block is much easier to use in play, organizing actions by their type (standard, minor, triggered) and including relevant information about traits in the block itself, so you don't have to look them up in the glossary. Further, there is more flavor text for each entry, giving descriptions, background, and even stories about the creature. This latter was something that was sorely lacking in the 4th edition Monster Manuals and I'm glad to see its return. The Lore entries simply weren't sufficient in many cases to get a good feel for a monster. As for the selection of monsters, there is a fine variety with a slight emphasis on the Epic tier. Many new varieties of already established monsters are here (Drow, Dragons, Elementals, Giants) as well as creative 4th edition updates of old classics (Catoblepas, Mimic, Thri-kreen, Cloakers) and entirely new creations like Apocalypse Spells, sentient remnants of powerful ancient spells. As with all of the monster books in 4th edition, there is also the stats for a god (Lolth, in this case) and several creatures of god-like power (two of the old Princes of Elemental Evil: Imix and Ogremoch) for upper Epic-level campaigns. Overall, it is an excellent entry into the line.
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