Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerun (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying) (Paperback)

by James Wyatt (Author), Rob Heinsoo (Author) "Sky hunters, birdmen, feather heads-aarakocras have earned a variety of epithets, not all of them complimentary, from adventurers, mountaineers, and farmers..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Mighty heroes deserve wicked foes

Demons and half-demons, dragons and dragonkin, animated corpses and restless spirits, wielders of magic and eaters of spells: These are the creatures of Faerûn, the monsters of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn contains scores of new monsters for use in Dungeons & Dragons adventures. From the aarakocra to the Tyrantfog zombie, these monsters present a whole new range of challenges.

Although usable in any campaign, these monsters are especially suited for the Forgotten Realms setting -- a world of great magic, terrible villains, and high adventure.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786918322
• ISBN-13: 978-0786918324
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #426,746 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad but definately not worth the money, March 30, 2001

By	Kevin S. Dickens (Edwardsville, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Upon first looking through the book at home I was disappointed to say the least.

Firstly, I noticed the lack of exceptional art that was present in the first monster manual. The art isn't exactly bad, but wizards could have done a much better job. The whole presentation of the book seemed a bit rushed and the lack of a hardcover was especially discouraging.

Next, many of the creatures here are not "Creatures of Faerun" but come from other realms. Genasi and Tieflings were from Planescape, and while its nice to have them back in detail for 3rd edition I'd say the title of the book is a bit misleading. When I see "Creatures of Faerun" it would be nice to have the majority of creatures actually be from Forgotten Realms.

Lastly, the price. I understand that this book has more limited appeal and will make less money then the core books, but I don't think that means that wizards should raise the price. For being a softcover book half the size of the core monster manual this book is way too expensive. The book is even more expensive then the core monster manual which is a hardcover!!!!

I don't want people to think this book is worthless. It has its good points. The sheer number of templates in this book make it an awesome selection and the creatures inside (From faerun or not) are absolutely wonderful additions. I just had to point out the flaws for people who are as picky as myself. So if you don't mind paying extra for less, or you need a good monster to stump experienced players then by all means, buy this book!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Same old stuff in the 3ed way..., February 15, 2001

By	"eyeofodin" (Rockville, MD United States) - See all my reviews

An expansion on the Monster Manual (MM), the Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerun (MC) delivers on some unique and some old monsters that spice up your game.

From Shadow Dragons to outsiders (alternate-planar beings) that are semi-elemental, the MC is a good way to add monsters that will spice up any game. Each of them is done in the same format as in the MM and allows for a DM's own formatting. The book also discusses some of the aspects of the different regional characteristics of some of the alternate races, such as dwarves.

Some of the nice additions are Shadow Dragons, Genasi, Tieflings, Good Lichs, more Were forms, and more types of Beholder.

If you are looking for the best books for 3ed., get them in this order: Monster Manual, Creature Collection (from Sword & Sorcery, which is compatible with 3ed. D&D), and then this book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good buy, but there are some problems, March 12, 2001

By	Hrafn (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

If you are waiting for some of the things in this book, like the dragon descriptions and the Dwarves of Faerun entry, this book is excellent. If you are looking for some lower level undead, this is a good book. That being said, I have some issues with it: the book would have been a much more reasonable if it had had 150% the number of monsters (~150) and been 75% of the price ($16.5, this would have meant about 11 cents per monster).

It has 1/5th the number of monsters that the MM has, is a fairly flimsy paperback, yet it is 110% of the price ($22 as opposed to $20). This is outrageous for the way the book is written and for only 100 monsters. At a price/monster ratio (ignoring that one is hard-cover), the MM is roughly 4.4 cents per monster while this is 22 cents per monster.

The initial price was reasonable, the price of the sourcebooks is approaching ridiculous. Overall the book is good, the content is decent and it is worthwhile for a Faerun campaign, but if you are looking for something truly outstanding, skip it.