I Just Got Xanathar's And Volo's

[JNAProductions]

What's good in them? Anything I can especially use, as a DM? I could (and am going to) read them myself, but I just can't be assed right now.

[Naanomi]

Xanathar’s is mostly player content, but Volos has a lot of good monsters

[JNAProductions]

Xanathar’s is mostly player content, but Volos has a lot of good monsters

Any particular standouts?

[Potato_Priest]

Any particular standouts?

I LOVE the NPC section in Volo's. It really helps when you need to stat out a character on the fly, and provides some more mid-CR NPCs, a thing that was lacking in the monster manual.

[Unoriginal]

Xanathar's got traps, more Common magic items, and new useful rules, notably about tools and downtime activities (including crafting).

Volo's got pretty nice lore, suggestions to modify statblocks (ex: different kind of goblin casters), and monsters/NPC statblocks.

I also like the Tabaxi as a species to put in the world.


Any particular standouts?

Depends what you like and what you search.

I like the Boggle and the Kobold Dragonshield, for example, but they don't fit everything.

Xvarts are fun, too. So are Apprentice Wizards, Yuan-Ti Anathema, and the like.

But if you want which ones are te mot well-done mechanically, it's gonna take a while.

[Naanomi]

Things in Volos we’ve used well:

Gazers (we had one as a familiar, talked like Mushmouth from Fat Albert), Deep Scions, Froghemoth, Grung, Neogi, Sea Spawn, Vegepygmy, Xvarts

I have a big Tlincalli dungeon coming up soon as well

[MrStabby]

In Xanthars the traps section is pretty much a rework of the UA on the same subject but for me that is the best bit of the book. The complex traps are dangerous and fun encounters and give a chance to put skills to the front in dangerous situations.

For a DM the spells are pretty good as well and the revised skills/downtime rules are a small step forwards.

[Unoriginal]

I have a big Tlincalli dungeon coming up soon as well

Sounds nice. Are you going to modify their statblocks for more variety?

[Naanomi]

Sounds nice. Are you going to modify their statblocks for more variety?
Yes; and also some scorpion swarms, giant scorpions, and a few re-skinned demons. Maybe a gnoll slave/captive wing as well

[bc56]

Volo's has great monsters. I was doing a beholder's lair, and I needed beholderkin, so I was glad I didn't have to convert 3.5 stuff to get lesser beholders other than spectator. I also like Xvarts, as the perfect hybrid of every common low level PC challenge, namely cultists, vermin, and small humanoids.
It also has monster lore, which I look at more as examples of how to think about monsters than definitive guidelines to the monsters depicted (I changed Kobolds, a lot)
And player races, like lizardfolk and goblins and Yuan-ti.

Xanathar's has all the hip new subclasses people are itching to play, like Hexblade and umm, something else, probably. Also it has expanded rules for tool proficiencies, which make them not useless (cobbler's tools are really strong!) Xanathar's also has ~10pgs of name tables and another ~10 of random encounter tables, plus stuff for creating character backstories.

[Beechgnome]

Volo's really adds to your stable of aberrations (beholder/mind flayer variants, neogi, morkoth, mindwitness, froghemoth) fey (2 new hags, Darklings, Boggles, redcaps, Quicklings, Meenlocks, Yeth Hounds, Korred) and sea/jungle creatures. So if those are your bag you'll be happy.

I love hags, so love the added lair actions and minion ideas there. As for other monsters I had great fun springing vargouilles and xvarts on a party stuck in Pandemonium.

Some Xanathar subclasses also make good villains: Zealot barbarians, whispers bards, conquest Paladins, shadow sorcerers, Hexblade warlocks and Mastermind Rogues (if you didn't have sword coast adventure guide).

[Protato]

I like the traps in Xan's, give those a look-see. I'm using the traps within as a guideline for a short dungeon with a lot of paralysis traps.

[HolyAvenger7]

As a player I like Xanathar's. Does anyone think that Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes will be on the same level as Xanathar's as a "must have" for players, or will it just add flavor for DM's and backstories? Even SCAG had some great Cantrips and subclasses.

[MaxWilson]

Any particular standouts?

Banderhobbs, Quicklings, Frost Giant Everlasting Ones, Neogis, Ulitharids, Hobgoblin Devastators and Iron Shadows, Orc Red Fang of Shargas, Shoosuvas, Brontosaurs.

Neogis, Ulitharids, and Banderhobbs are my favorites of the above.

[solidork]

The main thing we've used from Xanathar's is the downtime rules.

[Unoriginal]

As a player I like Xanathar's. Does anyone think that Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes will be on the same level as Xanathar's as a "must have" for players, or will it just add flavor for DM's and backstories? Even SCAG had some great Cantrips and subclasses.

The Mordenkainen's Tome of Foe will be more like the Volo's. There will be some player options, but nowhere as much as in the Xanathar's

[Edgerunner]

As a DM I Love the fact that Volo's gives you life/layout in a Creature's Home Colony.

I used to shy away from letting PCs walk into a Hobgoblin Home, just as an example, because I honestly had no clue how to set one up. Now I do.