Monster's Handbook: A Sourcebook for Creating and Customizing d20 System Monsters (Legends & Lairs, d20 System) [Hardcover]

Fantasy Flight Games (Author), Various (Author)

Book Description

Series: Legends & Lairs | Publication Date: November 1, 2002

The definitive d20 System resource for enhancing and modifying the monsters in your game.

• More than 60 new feats for monsters of all types.
• More than a dozen new prestige classes, including the thunder hammer giant and draconic tyrant.
• Dozens of new special attacks, special qualities, and traits conveniently broken down by creature type.
• New templates such as the chaos dragon and relentless undead that can be applied to a variety of creatures to create devastating and interesting new breeds of enemy.
• Detailed guidelines on adding abilities to monsters and adjusting their CRs to reflect the new challenge for PCs.
• A comprehensive discussion on using monsters effectively in your game, and suggestions on how to modify existing monsters to present exciting and mysterious new challenges to your players every session.
• In-depth suggestions for combining core feats, skills, classes, and magic items with different types of monsters.
• Sample creatures in each section showcase the new rules and make suggestions on how to effectively integrate them into your campaign.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589940768
• ISBN-13: 978-1589940765
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,278,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very handy book for GM's, February 1, 2006

By 

Morgan Tribala (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monster's Handbook: A Sourcebook for Creating and Customizing d20 System Monsters (Legends & Lairs, d20 System) (Hardcover)

This has to be one of the best, if not the best Monster enhancing book available to GM's. Only 1 problem, it is 3.0 and not 3.5. Beacause of this, the book has some very obvious hinderances. However, these are easily overlooked and fixed by any GM new and experienced. It just takes a bit of time. I still use this book constantly in my current 3.5 campaign.

This is not a book full of new monsters, nor is it a book full of simple templates like most other monster enhancing books are. This is a detailed book that delves into the creation of monsters, giving the DM a 'point buy' type of system for creating monsters and assigning CR's. No longer will you have to sit and wonder what a god CR is for your latest creation. Put a simple formula in on your calculater, and there is your answer.

This book covers each monster type is a fully detailed chapter. The only exception is Magical Beasts, but this can be picked up from FF's website as an enhancement for free, and you should check it out before buying the book, as it will give you an excellent idea about the book.

The first chapter details all the various supernatural, extraordinary, spell like and other such abilities of monsters. It shows you how to give creatures the use of any spell in the PHB, and most any monster ability found in the MM. It then goes on to explain how to give the monsters more flavor and description, calculating the CR, and some other basic info on moster creation.

The remaining chapters, as said above, detail each monster type. This goes into EXCELLENT detail. It gives optimum class choices for each monster type, good spells and equipment to use, feats to choose, skills, and in some cases techniques in battle. It then has a series of feats designed to that creature type, several creature type specific templates and PrC's (for each creature type). There is probably 20+ templates, and 15+ PrC's.

The book then has some new and example special abilities for that creature type, which you can add in, or simply base an ability off of, along with how much 'difficulty' it ads to the creature for calculating the CR. The chapter then ends with an example creature of the type.

You definatly get your money's worth for this book, and as long as you don't mind convertng bits over to 3.5, or if you are in a 3.0 game, then definatly a great and very handy book for any GM.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource for creating new monsters, April 21, 2006

By 

Rayek (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monster's Handbook: A Sourcebook for Creating and Customizing d20 System Monsters (Legends & Lairs, d20 System) (Hardcover)

I agree with the previous reviewer on all points.

This is an excellent book that I wish I had purchased years ago. I have acquired eight monster books from various publishers, plus scoured the web in an effort to keep my players challenged with monsters they've never seen before. Invariably; however, someone in the group is already familiar with what I'm throwing at them.

Even though they try not to take advantage of their knowledge of the creature's strengths and weaknesses while at the game table, it's a little disappointing when you pull out something you think is new and someone already knows what it is and what it can do.

The Monster's Handbook solves this problem handily. Through Feats, Prestige Classes and other special abilities, this book let's you turn old standbys into new beasts that will surprise your players. As long as you don't go sharing your notes, your players will never know what hit them and won't be able to look it up.

The book's simple point-buy system makes calculating Challenge Ratings for your new creations a snap. The author's guidelines help you decide what special abilities make sense for the type of monster you're customizing. All in all, the monster customizing system in this book is much more user friendly than anything else I've read.

I highly recommend this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Helpful Gaming Aid, November 8, 2007

By 

K. Schweighauser (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Monster's Handbook: A Sourcebook for Creating and Customizing d20 System Monsters (Legends & Lairs, d20 System) (Hardcover)

I am very impressed by the Legends and Lairs people - it seems that most of their products are superior to those produced by WotC. This book is an excellent overview of how to make new monsters, customize exsisting monsters to your home campaign and how to advance existing monsters correctly. Highly recommended to any GM/ DM that like to throw something new at his/ her players once in a while.