Started 5E, what next?

[ZeroSpace9000]

I've started collecting the latest round of books, having picked up the PHB with a gift card I got for Christmas. My question is, which book would be better to pick up next; Monster Manual, or Dungeon Masters Guide.

Of note, I'm the only one in my group to own any 5e books.

[gfishfunk]

I've started collecting the latest round of books, having picked up the PHB with a gift card I got for Christmas. My question is, which book would be better to pick up next; Monster Manual, or Dungeon Masters Guide.

Of note, I'm the only one in my group to own any 5e books.

Monster Manuel. The DMG is good for generating your own content, but even now I rarely refer to them except for a couple of tables.

[Deleted]

I've started collecting the latest round of books, having picked up the PHB with a gift card I got for Christmas. My question is, which book would be better to pick up next; Monster Manual, or Dungeon Masters Guide.

Of note, I'm the only one in my group to own any 5e books.

Neither.

The monster manual is repetitive and mostly boring. Just make stuff up based off the monsters from the link below.

http://www.5esrd.com/


If you pick up an old DMG from 3e or 4e you will have a majority of what you need to build a world in 5e.

Just use the information from the srd (ability check DCs, monsters, and random other stuff) and you will be fine.

Don't waste your money on the Monster Manual or DMG. They aren't worth it in the slightest.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Yeah, on balance the MM is more important. The list of monsters in the PHB is very limited so you'll need the MM to flesh out a campaign.

I will say though that the DMG is great; it's got magic items and some useful variant rules. I find myself referring to it frequently for encounter sizing and monster design - probably more often than I use the MM due to the amount of homebrewing I do.

Both books are full of beautiful illustrations and well worth the money, in my opinion.

[Knaight]

If you pick up an old DMG from 3e or 4e you will have a majority of what you need to build a world in 5e.

I am going to strongly disagree with this. The mechanical side is irrelevant, the setting design advice side is frequently downright bad. The single biggest jump in my GMing ability came when I decided to toss every bit of 3.5 DMG advice and do things a different way, and I'm far from the only person who can say that. If you're getting a DMG, get the 5e DMG and get it for the mechanics. Better setting design advice is freely available all over the place.

[Deleted]

I am going to strongly disagree with this. The mechanical side is irrelevant, the setting design advice side is frequently downright bad. The single biggest jump in my GMing ability came when I decided to toss every bit of 3.5 DMG advice and do things a different way, and I'm far from the only person who can say that. If you're getting a DMG, get the 5e DMG and get it for the mechanics. Better setting design advice is freely available all over the place.

The mechanics aren't needed in the 5e DMG.

That's the issue. The DMG gives you nothing you need. All the fluff can come from previous editions or the internet. Mechanically it is baaaad.

Maybe one or two tables are nice but everything else is a waste. If you want setting advice, the internet will give you that for free and the information will be so much better.

Even the magic items aren't noteworthy in the 5e DMG.

The Monster Manual and the DMG are primarily picture books with scribbles on the side.

[Byke]

Neither.


Don't waste your money on the Monster Manual or DMG. They aren't worth it in the slightest.

I agree with Deleted here. Not worth the coin if you have any previous experience, with 3.x and up, there are plenty of online resources for anything not covered in the PHB.

[gfishfunk]

Whether or not you enjoy making your own monsters, you still need the Monster Manuel to give you a baseline. Once you get comfortable with the monsters there, you can start making stuff up easier and easier.

I rarely use anything out of the book now, but I often compare what I make with things in the book as a quick quality check.

[Deleted]

Whether or not you enjoy making your own monsters, you still need the Monster Manuel to give you a baseline. Once you get comfortable with the monsters there, you can start making stuff up easier and easier.

I rarely use anything out of the book now, but I often compare what I make with things in the book as a quick quality check.

No you don't.


http://www.5esrd.com/gamemastering/monsters-foes/

http://www.5esrd.com/gamemastering/monsters-foes/monsters-alphabetical/

There are plenty of resources online for monster creation or picking up info from other DMs that will be so much better than what 5e has you pay for.

If the DMG and MM were like $10 or $15 each I could see them being "worth it" but for what they gove you, they are not worth anything close to full price even if they didn't have an SRD.


Edit===

What I will say, if you want design yout own monsters, is to pick up 4e's MM 2 or Monster Vault. You can take what you learn from there and port it over to 5e.

The monaters in 5e are samey and boring.

[ProphetSword]

I don't agree that you don't need the DMG and the MM for 5th Edition. Pick them up and make your own decision if they're useful to you or not. If you have to pick one to purchase first, I say go with the Monster Manual.

[Nimlouth]

Get the Monster Manual first... It is a masterpiece of a book and will grant you TONS of inspiration for your campaign encounters, just seeing the monsters illustrations and stats. GET THIS xD (No joke, it is amazing)

Now with the DMG, I've found that some mechanical ideas there are really cool and it really helps you get the hang of how 5e is supposed to work. But... The only thing that keeps me going back to it is the wonderfull list of magical items (which in my opinion are amazing and fresh compared to 3e for example). The rest is fluff :d

[Squibsallotl]

Get the Monster Manual first... It is a masterpiece of a book and will grant you TONS of inspiration for your campaign encounters, just seeing the monsters illustrations and stats. GET THIS xD (No joke, it is amazing)

Now with the DMG, I've found that some mechanical ideas there are really cool and it really helps you get the hang of how 5e is supposed to work. But... The only thing that keeps me going back to it is the wonderfull list of magical items (which in my opinion are amazing and fresh compared to 3e for example). The rest is fluff :d

Agreed for the most part, although the DMG does offer Death Cleric and Oathbreaker Paladin stats as well.

I think all three books are great. I bring physical copies to each game, and I've found the monsters in the MM and the magical items in the DMG sufficiently well designed to not need to create my own for the most part.

[Byke]

or just use Wizards free mm media, for the basics and work thee rest out yourself.

http://media.wizards.com/2014/downloads/dnd/DMDnDBasicRules_v0.1.pdf#page=8

[Idkwhatmyscreen]

Do you need anything aside from the internet to play 5e? the answer is no

Do you want anything aside from the internet to play 5e? the answer is yes

I would recommend the DMG if you want to build a world. ( Back when my group was playing pathfinder, the DM was using 5e DMG and it is why we converted over)

The monster manual is nice, the more stat blocks you got the better off you are. Often you can't run of to the internet for 5 minutes to find a stat block for the unexpected encounter, but the MM covers 90% of what you will need and it does not take long to thumb though for somthing

[ZeroSpace9000]

So, it seems like the answer is leaning to neither if money is an issue, which at $60+ a book it is. I'd heard there was an SRD, so that will be helpful.

Now, with all that said, are there any other books out there that ARE worth my time/money to pick up?

[Vogonjeltz]

I've started collecting the latest round of books, having picked up the PHB with a gift card I got for Christmas. My question is, which book would be better to pick up next; Monster Manual, or Dungeon Masters Guide.

Of note, I'm the only one in my group to own any 5e books.

Get the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), get the Monster Manual (MM), and if you want more character options get the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (SCAG) and Volo's Guide to Monsters (Volo's).

DMG answers questions that are found here on a routine basis, it also has all the rules for adjudicating from the DM's side of things, which is a metric ton of information that isn't available in the PHB. Plus hundreds of optional rules, and all the magic items.

MM flat out gives you stat blocks which your players will want for use with a variety of spells (especially anything conjuration related).


or just use Wizards free mm media, for the basics and work thee rest out yourself.

This is just an atrociously bad idea for a new DM.

The DMG also provides the guidelines for creating character level correct encounters, which is pretty crucial if you don't want to spend most of your time handwaving a TPK out of existence. Oh right, it also provides guidelines on the experience value of monsters (crucial), magic items (crucial), very good advice on how to engage with different kinds of players (quite valuable), handy tables for building campaigns, NPCs, and Villains, hooks for adventures, more in depth information on the planes, tons of player options, and specific guidelines on creating new races, spells, backgrounds, and class options.

So yeah, lots of handy information that's well worth the price of admission. If you truly doubt this, browse the forum and recognize that verging on 100% of the time a question gets asked the answer is already clearly written in one of three books: PHB, DMG, and MM.

[ProphetSword]

So, it seems like the answer is leaning to neither if money is an issue, which at $60+ a book it is. I'd heard there was an SRD, so that will be helpful.


You can get them on Amazon at way less than half that amount. Current prices:

Monster Manual (https://www.amazon.com/Monster-Manual-Core-Rulebook-Wizards/dp/0786965614/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487285491&sr=8-1&keywords=D%26D+5e+monster+manual): $30.58

Dungeon Master's Guide (https://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Guide-Core-Rulebook/dp/0786965622/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487285636&sr=8-1&keywords=D%26D+5e+dungeon+master%27s+guide): $29.73

Click the book titles above to go to the Amazon page and check for yourself. While you're there, read some of the reviews to see if people think they're worth the money or not.

Short answer: Totally worth the money.

[ZeroSpace9000]

Alright, reply time. Vogonjeltz, good to know, appreciated more options books. As for being a new DM, hardly; I'm just new to 5e. I have played earlier editions of D&D, mainly 3.5, but also Pathfinder, so I'm used to working with the SRD. Appreciate the sentiment, though.

Prophetsword, those are most likely USD prices, amiright? That'll still come to closer to $40 for me, but then having started with 3.5 in it's heyday, I'm used to $35 for a new book. Either way, still something to look into.

[ProphetSword]

They are USD. If you're elsewhere, you might look into the prices in your area to see if you can find a good deal. You might even be able to utilize something like EBay to get the full set at a fairly cheap price.

In the end, it's up to you. I think you've heard all the opinions at this point. If you have the option to check the books out in some way (like at a book store), you might consider flipping through them before purchase to decide if you like them or not.

[Unoriginal]

You can take what you learn from there and port it over to 5e.

That essentially means you have to re-create monsters from the ground up.






The monster manual is repetitive and mostly boring.





The monaters in 5e are samey and boring.


Mind expanding on this?

[Puh Laden]

The monster manual can be a fun way to get inspiration to use monsters, but it's not necessary if you're used to creating your own monsters since the SRD (which searchable unlike a paper book) has most of the monsters. As for the DMG, again the SRD has most of the magic items anyway. And for creating your own monsters, if you're already used to it, it won't contribute much. I've made monsters without using the DMG and they've worked out fine.

[Deleted]

That essentially means you have to re-create monsters from the ground up.

Mind expanding on this?

I know tons of people who actually does this. I learned from a friend in mine while visiting Pittsburgh a few ago during the playtest.

That dude can do this on the fly during a sandbox game. I knew a few other people that could do the same thing.

Take a monster that is the same type/cR/level that you want to go up against a 5e group via the srd. There are only a few types of creature, lurkers, brutes, controllers, leaders, and solos.

Generalize everything, you don't need to know the specific strength or dex of a creature just their to hit, damage, and average ability check bonus.

Goblin
HP: 7 (as 5e)
AC: 15 (leather, shield) (as 5e)

+4 to attack (scimitar or shortbow), 1d6 + 2 to damage (as 5e)

Special Save/Skill (Dex): +2
All Other Save/Skill: -1

This allows you to focus on special features. A lot of 4e creatures have cool features. The Goblin in 5e already has one cool feature but let's change it from a Lurker to a Controller.

Blinding Hex (Once): A creature hit by a weapon attack has disadvantage on their next attack.

====

Saves are the same as skill bonus. There is actually a player option in the DMG for this.

This dude has the same damage output, the same AC, the same HP, and the same to hit/damage as the normal 5e goblin. The difference is that you call out the primary ability score the creature will be using (typically Str, Dex, Int, Wis, or Cha in 5e) and then take the median of the others.

If the 5e monster gains a skill bonus you can add it whenever it would come up.


===

It takes less time than designing a creature once you do it a few times because you are using a 4e and 5e creature as a mold and just adjusting things instead of building a creature from the ground up.

I'm not the best at explaining this via typing, it is one of those things I could teach in person though

Edit===

This is for people who want to make their own monsters or change the monsters in 5e, obviously taking stock monsters will always be faster.

But if you are making your own monsters then you might as well go big or go home :p

4e Monster Vault is absolutely amazing :D

[Asmotherion]

I don't regret getting any of them. The MM can be helpfull if you don't want to waste time (as a DM) prepearing monster after monster for encounters. the DMG has a lot of customisation option and a list of magic items.

About magic items: Wile they are prized items, there is a tendency in 5e to neglect them. I have seen campains were the only magic items were +weapons/wands and some scrolls, and other campains were they were prominent. Bothe can be great.

[Sigreid]

The practicality of building everything without the books is based on your time, desire and patience. For me, the books were worth every penny. And worth every penny again when I received Fantasy Grounds as a gift to have them available in the program.

[Deleted]

I don't regret getting any of them. The MM can be helpfull if you don't want to waste time (as a DM) prepearing monster after monster for encounters. the DMG has a lot of customisation option and a list of magic items.

About magic items: Wile they are prized items, there is a tendency in 5e to neglect them. I have seen campains were the only magic items were +weapons/wands and some scrolls, and other campains were they were prominent. Bothe can be great.


My biggest problem with magic items is just how boring they are.

Like... Take the magic items in 3e and 4e and covert them to 5e numbers.

I can't recall one single magic item from the 5e PHB that makes me think "oh, magic item from 5e"!

I like how they did wands but I saw that has a houseful ever since internal wands became a thing in 3e (or whatever their names were).

I'm trying to think of a single good part of the 5e DMG or MM and I can't. The art was good but mechanically... Stuff that actually helps make the game better? Nadda.

[Nimlouth]

I'm trying to think of a single good part of the 5e DMG or MM and I can't. The art was good but mechanically... Stuff that actually helps make the game better? Nadda.

Sir, i think you are infected with the 3e sickness...

[Deleted]

Sir, i think you are infected with the 3e sickness...

Nah, that isn't even my favorite edition of D&D :p

I like all editions that ive played, currently playing in a 2e game, lots of fun for what it is.

5e has a lot of things to love about it, but it has many many flaws. Just vecause I love something doesnt mean I have to love all of it. I can see the flaws just fine.

Something doesn't have to be perfect for me to enjoy or love it.

[Tetrasodium]

I've started collecting the latest round of books, having picked up the PHB with a gift card I got for Christmas. My question is, which book would be better to pick up next; Monster Manual, or Dungeon Masters Guide.

Of note, I'm the only one in my group to own any 5e books.

IMO, Volo'd guide to monsters is much better

CONTENTS
Preface .................................................. ........ 4 Ch. 2: Character Races

......................... 103 App. A: Assorted Beasts ......................

207

Ch. 1: Monster Lore ................................... 5 Aasimar

.................................................. .... 104 App. B: Nonplayer Characters ........... 209

Beholders: Bad Dreams Come True ....... 5 Firbolg

.................................................. ...... 105

A C 221

G W Id Sh k

18 Goliath

.................................................. ...... 108 pp. : Monster Lists ............

·-············

iants: or a ers ...........................

..
Gnolls: The Insatiable Hunger ............... 33
Goblinoids: The Conquering Host. ....... .40
Hags: Dark Sisterhood ............................. 52
Kobolds: Little Dragons ........................... 63
Mind Flayers: Scourge of Worlds .......... 71
Ores: The Godsworn ................................ 82
Yuan-ti: Snake People .............................. 92

Kenku .................................................. ....... 109 Maps or Monster Lairs
Lizardfolk .................................................. 111 Beholder Lair .............................................. 14
Tabaxi ... -.................................................. . 113 Goblinoid War Camp ................

,y,.,

•••....... 51
Triton .................................................. ........ 115 HagLairs .................................................. ... 60
Monstrous Adventurers ......................... 118 Kobold Lair ................................................. 69
Height and Weight ................................... 120 Mind Flayer Colony ........

·-···················-·· 79

Ch 3• Bestiary 121 Ore Stronghold .............

. . . ....................................... . -........................... 91

Yuan-ti Temple ......................................... 101

INDEX OF MONSTER STAT BLOCKS
Abjurer .................................................. .....

209 Flind

......................................... ,

.................. 153 Ore Nurtured One ofYurtrus ................. 184
Alhoon .................................................. ...... 172 Froghemoth .............................................. 145 Ore Red Fang of Shargaas .................... 185
Annis hag ................. .-............................... 159 Frost giant everlasting one

.................... 148 Ox (cow) ............................................ .,., ..... 207
Apprentice wizard ................................... 209 Gau th .................................................. ........ 125 Quetzalcoatlus ............................... ,

.......... 140
Archdruid .................................................. 210 Gazer .................................................. ........ 126 Quickling .................................................. . 187
Archer .................................................. ....... 210 Giant strider .............................................. 143 Redcap .................................................. ..... 188
Aurochs .................................................. ....

207 Girallon .................................................. .

-.152 Rothe (cow) ································-··········-·207

Babau .................

-....................................... 136 Gnoll flesh gnawer ·····················-···-··-154 Sea spawn-··············································· 189

Banderhobb

............................................... 122 Gnoll hunter .............................................. 154 Shadow mastiff ........................................ 190
Bard .................................................. .......... 211 Gnoll witherling ....................................... 155 Shoosuva .................................................. . 137
Barghest .........•........................................ .. 123 Grung .................................................. ....... 156 Slithering tracker ·······:····················ou····· 191
Bheur hag .................................................. 160 Grung elite warrior ................................. 157 Spawn of Kyuss ....................................... 192
Blackguard .......................... ,

..................... 211 Grung wildling ......................................... 157 Stegosaurus .............................................. 140
Bodak .................................................. ....... 127 Guard drake .............................................. 158 Stench kow (cow) ..................................

-.207
Boggle .................................................. ...... 128 Hadrosaurus ............................................. 140 Stone giant dreamwalker .................. , ... 150
Brontosaurus ............................................ 139 Hobgoblin devastator._.

.......................... 161 Storm giant quintessent. ..

, ..................... 151
Catoblepas ................................................. 129 Hobgoblin Iron Shadow .......................... 162 Swarm of cranium rats ........................... 133
Cave fisher ............................

,

................

,

... 130 Illusionist.

..

�

.............................................. 214 Swarm of rot grubs

.,

.............

, ...............

, 208
Champion .................................................. 212 Ki-rin .................................................. ........ 163 Swashbuckler ........................................... 217
Chitine ....... _

.............. n •••••••••••••••••••

-.... y

.... 131 Kobold dragonshield

............................... 165 Tanarukk·-····················-···············-·-·····186

Choldrith

.................................................. .. 132 Kobold inventor ........................................ 166 Thorny .................................................. ...... 197
Cloud giant smiling one ..... m

................. 146 Kobold scale sorcerer

............................. 167 TlincaUi ......•. y •••••••• -............................

,-... 193

Conjurer .........

, ..............

,

............................ 212 Korred

·················································· ·-··· 168 Transmuter ................................................ 218
Cow .................................................. ........... 207 Kraken priest.. .......................................... 215 Trapper .................................................. ..... 194
Cranium rat ............................................... 133 Leucrotta .................................................. . 169 Ulitharid .................................................. .. 175
Darkling .................................................. ... 134 Martial arts adept..

..............

,

.................... 216 Vargouille .................................................. 195

Darkling elder .......................................... 134 Master thief

.............................. -............... 216 Vegepygmy ................................................ 196

Death kiss

......... _.

...................................... 124 Maw demon ........................................ , ...... 137 Vegepygmy chief ..................... ,

................ 197
Deep scion ............................... -............... 135 Meenlock .................................................. . 170 Velociraptor ............................................... 140
Deinonychus .............. -,

............................ 139 Mind flayer lich. ........................................ 172 War priest, ........................

,.�·-·········-"'""'· 218

Devourer .................................................. .. 138 Mindwitness .................. "' ........................ 176 Warlock of the archfey ..

y

..

, ..................... 219

Dimetrodon ............................................... 139 Morkoth

..........................................

�

.......... 178 Warlock of the fiend ................................ 219
Diviner.-.................................................. ... 213 Mouth of Grolantor .................................. 149 Warlock of the Great Old One ..............

220
Dolphin .................................................. ... 208 Necromancer ............................................ 217 Warlord .................................................. ....

220

Draegloth .................................................. . 141 Neogi..

.................................................. ....... 180 Wood woad ......................................... -..... 198
Elder brain ................................................ 174 Neogi hatchling ........................................ 179 Xvart .................................................. ........ 200
Enchanter .................................................. 213 Neogi master .............................................

180 Xvart warlock ofRaxivort

..................... 200
Evoker .................................................. ...... 214 Neothelid .................................................. . 181 Yeth hound ................................................ 201
Fire giant dreadnought .......................... 147 Nilbog .................................................. ....... 182 Yuan-ti anathema .....................................

202

Firenewt ···············································-·· 142 Ore Blade of Ilneval ................................ 183 Yuan-ti broodguard ........................

,.., ..... 203
Firenewt warlock of lmix ................... -. 143 Ore Claw of Luthic .................................. 183 Yuan-ti mind whisperer ..........................

204

Flail snail ..................................

-..........

� .. 144 Ore Hand ofYurtrus ............................... 184 Yuan-ti nightmare speaker .....................

205
Yuan-ti pit master ................................... 206

CONTENTS
Introduction .. . .. .. . .. ... ... .. ... 4 Gnome, Deep (Svirfneblin) . . .. . . 164 Revenant .. ... . . .... . .. ..... . .. 259
Aarakocra ............ . .. ....... 12 Goblins ................. . ..... 165 Roc ...... .. ......... . .. ... .... 260
Aboleth .. ..... . .... .. . .. .. .. ... 13 Colems ........ ...... . .. .... .. 167 Roper ....... . ......... .. . . . . .. 261
Angels ... .... . ..... . ....... .. .. 15 Gorgon ..... .... .. .. .... .. . .. . 171 Rust Monster . . . . .... . . . . ...... 262
Animated Objects ..... . .... ... . . 19 Grell ... ... ...... .. . . .. ....... . 172 Sahuagin ....... .... . ...... ... 263.
Ankheg ...... . .. . . .. . .......... 21 Grick . . ....... .. ... . .. ........ 173 Salamanders . ..... . .... ... . , .'. 265
Azer .......... ...... . . . ... . .. .. 22 Griffon . . ....... . ... .. .. . ..... . 174 Satyr . . .. ...... . ... .... . ....... 267
Banshee ......... . . . . ...... . .... 23 Grimlock . . .. .. .... . ... .. . .... . 175 Scarecrow . .... .... . ..... . .... 268
Basilisk .............. . .. . . ..... 24 Hags ............. . ... . ... . .... 176 Shadow . .. . . .. .. ..... ......... 269
Behir . .. .. ................. .. . . 25 Half-Dragon .. . .. . ... . .. . ...... 180 Shambling Mound . .. . ... : . .'' .. ·. ~70
Beholders ........... . .......... 26 Harpy .. . . .. . .. .... ... . . .. ... .. 181 S hield Guardian . .............. . 271
Blights .. . ....... ............... 31 Hell Hound . .. . ....... . . . ... ... 182 Skeletons .. . . . .. .. . . .. . ....... 272
Bugbears ....... .. .............. 33 Helmed Horror .......... . . .. .. 183 Slaadi ............ . . ..... ·

. .... 274
Bulette .. . .. . . ... .... . .......... 34 Hippogriff ............. . .... . .. 184 Specter ..... . . .. ....... .... . . . 279
Bullywug . ..... ......... . .. ..... 35 Hobgoblins . . . . ........ .. . .. . . . 185 Sphinxes .... .. .. . ... . ......... 280
Cambion .. . .. . ............ . ... . 36 Homunculus . .. ........ .. .. . ... 188 Sprite .. . .. ... . ..

•

.. . ...... ... . . 283
Carrion Crawler ................ 37 Hook Horror ... . .... .. ...... . .. 189 Stirge ............ . ......... .. . 284
Centaur ... . .. . ... . . . .. . . .. ..... 38 Hydra ..... . ... . ... ..... . .. .. .. 190 Succubus/Incubus .. .... ....... 285
Chimera ..... .. .......... .. ... . 39 Intellect Devourer ............ .. 191 Tarrasque ..................... 286
Chuul .. . .. ... . . .. .. ... . . . .... .. 40 Invisible Stalker .. ........... .. 192 Thri-kreen . ............ . ....... 288
Cloaker ...... . .. . ...... . .. . ... . 41 Jackalwere .... . .. . ....... ..... 193 Treant ...... . .. .. ..... . .. . ..... 289
Cockatrice .. . ... . .... .. .. .. .. .. 42 Kenku . . ..... . ........ . .... . .. 194 Troglodyte .. . .. . ..... .. . . ...... 290
Couatl . . .. .... . . .. . .. . . ........ 43 Kobolds ...... .. .. .. . ...... . . .. 195 Troll ...... . ..... . ..... . . . ..... 291
Crawling Claw .. .. . ... . . ... ..... 44 Kraken ....... . ... .. .... .. . . . . . 196 Umber Hulk ... . ............... 292
Cyclops ..... . .. . .. .. . ...... . ... 45 Kuo-toa ... . ....... . ...... . .. .. 198 Unicorn .... ................ . .. 293
Darkmantle ... .. ~ ..... . .. . ... .. 46 Lamia . .... . ....... . .. ... . .... 201 Vampires ....... . ............. 295
Death Knight .. . . ... ... . . . .. ... . 47 Lich . ......... . .. .. . ..... ... .. 202 Water Weird . .. . . .. ......... .. . 299
Demilich .. . ...... . .. . .. .. . . .... 48 Lizardfolk ....... .. .. .. ........ 204 Wight .. . .. . . . .. .. . ......... . . . 300
Demons ......... ·"· ... .. . .. . . ... 50 Lycanthropes .... .. .. . ... .. ... . 206 Will-o'-wisp . . . ... ....... .. -.... 301
Devils .. ......... : . .. . ..... . ... . 66 Magmin ................. . ..... 212 Wraith .. .. . . . ...... .. ....... .. 302
Dinosaurs . ............ . .. . ..... 79 Manticore ........... .. ..... . . . 213 Wyvern . . .. . .. ... . ..... .. ..... 303
Displacer Beast ........ ..... .... 81 Medusa ........... .. .. . ....... 214 Xorn ... . .. . .. . . . ..... . ........ 304
Doppelganger ........ ..... . ..... 82 Mephits . . ...... ... . ... . ...... . 215 Yetis .......... .. . . .. . ... .. ... . 305
Dracolich .. . .. .................. 83 Merfolk .......... .. . . . . ....... 218 Yuan-ti ...... . . . . ....... . ...... 307
Dragon, Shadow ... . ......... .. . 84 Merrow ....... ..... . .... ...... 219 Yugoloths .................. .. . 311
Dragons . . .. .. . .. ............. . 86 Mimic ........ . .. ... . .. ....... 220 Zombies ........ . . . .. .. .... .. .' 315
Dragon Turtle ............. .. . . 119 Mind Flayer .. . .... .. .. ..... ... 221
Drider . .. . .. ........ . ......... 120 Minotaur . .. . ... .. . .... ........ 223 Appendix A: Miscellaneous
Dryad . .. .... . ......... .... ... . 121 Modrons ........ . . .... . ..... .. 224 Creatures ........ ... ........ 317
Duergar . .. . .. . .. ............. . 122 Mummies ... . .... .. . . .... . .... 227 Appendix B: Nonplayer
Elementals ............. . .. .... 123 Myconids . ... . .... .. .. .. .. . .... 230 Characters ...... . .. .. . . ... .. 342
Elves: Drow .... . . . ....... . ... . 126 Nagas .. ...... . ... .. ...... . .... 233 Index of Stat Blocks .. .. .. . .... . 351
Empyrean ................. . .. . 130 Nightmare ..... .... ..... . . .. . . 235
Ettercap ...... . .. . . ..... . .. .. . . 131 Nothic .... ..... .. .. . ........ . . 236
Ettin .. ..... .... ... . . . .. . ... . .. 132 Ogres ... . . . . .. .. . ... . ...... ... 237
Faerie Dragon . ...... . . . . .. .. .. 133 Oni . ........... . .... . ...... . .. 239
Flameskull ........ . . . ... . .. ... 134 Oozes . .... . .... . .. . . . ... .. .. . . 240
Flumph . .. . . . . .. ...... . . .. .... 135 Orcs ... . ................ .. .... 244
Fomorian .... .. .. ..... . . . ..... 136 Otyugh .. . .. ......... .. . .. .... 248
Fungi ............ . .... .... . ... 137 Owlbear . ......... . . . ......... 249
Galeb Duhr ... . ..... . .......... 139 Pegasus . ... ........ .. .. . ...... 250
Gargoyle . .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. 140 Peryton ....... .. . .. .. ......... 251
Genies . .. .. . .. .. ..... . . .... ... 141 Piercer .. .. . . ... . .. ........ .. .. 252
Ghost . .. . .... ...... . . .. .. . .. .. 147 Pixie . .. ..... .. . .. .......... ... 253
Ghouls ....... . ........... .. .. . 148 Pseudodragon ........ .. ... . . .. 254
Giants ........ .. .... . .. . .. . .. . 149 Purple Worm ..... . ... .. . ... . .. 255
Gibbering Mouther .... . ...... .. 157 Quaggoth .. . ......... ...... .. . 256
Gith ...... . .......... ..... ..... 158 Rakshasa ....... . ... .. ...... .. 257
Gnolls . . .. . .. . . .. ...... . . ..... 162 Remorhazes ....... ... ...... . .. 258

Plenty of monsters in either, but volo's has a whole bunch of very cool playble monstrous races that are actually different

[Knaight]

The mechanics aren't needed in the 5e DMG.

They aren't needed, but at least they're relevant. An earlier DMG offers nothing - you could buy a whole different game (the whole 3 core book standard is a D&D specific thing) for less most of the time, and you'll get more out of it.

[Sariel Vailo]

volos has additonal player races and other nice things but theirs an app that allows you to use volos player races. i have volos i wasnt upset with my purchase of volos

[Ninja_Prawn]

On the subject of 'other books' you should download the Elemental Evil Player's Companion if you haven't already. It's free and it has a bunch of nice spells in it. I never play without it!