Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn (d20)
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Seit Ende letzter Woche liefern wir ein neues amerikanisches D&D-Produkt der Vergessenen Reiche ausIn 'Monsters of Faerun' trifft man auf viele altbekannte Monster wie Malaugrym¸ Darkenbeasts und Phaerimm¸ wird aber auch von neuen und stark überarbeiteten Monstern überrascht. Insgesamt warten in 'Monsters of Faerun' knapp 150 Monster darauf¸ auf die Spieler losgelassen zu werden.
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 History
Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn (2001)¸ by Rob Heinsoo and James Wyatt¸ was the first Forgotten Realms sourcebook for D&D 3e. It was published in February 2001.
About the Title. Monsters of Faerûn is labeled a "Monster Compendium". This was a callback to AD&D 2e (1989-2000)¸ where extensive Monstrous Compendiums detailed the beasts and brutes of the many worlds of D&D. Perhaps Wizards originally intended to do the same with 3e¸ supplementing the core Monster Manual (2000) with Monster Compendiums for individual settings … but this would be the only one.
Intriguingly¸ this book doesn't advertise it as a monster book for the Forgotten Realms¸ but instead for "Faerûn". That's the name of the subcontinent where most of the action occurs in the Realms¸ but this was the first time that it appeared in a product name. The prominent use of the name Faerûn would continue throughout the 3e Forgotten Realms line.
Beginning the 3e Forgotten Realms (Again). The Forgotten Realms was released for 3e in a rather unusual order. It started with a pair of adventures followed by Monsters of Faerûn¸ all of which preceded the actual Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (2001) - which appeared four months later. Because of this ordering¸ Monsters of Faerûn doesn't have the white trade dress of the 3e Forgotten Realms line. Instead the book is a close match for the 3e Monster Manual.
About the Book. Monsters of Faerûn is a 96-page softcover book. The soft cover had been typical for the older AD&D line¸ which had only used hardcovers for its most important rulebooks. However¸ the 3.0 era of D&D (2000-2003) was a transitional period; many major books still appearing in softcovers¸ but an increasing number of hardcovers also snuck out. By the time D&D 3.5 (2003) was published¸ the softcovers would be gone. Today¸ 3e's softcover rules books look like a weird aberration compared to the rest of the line.
The price point for Monsters of Faerûn was $21.95¸ which turned out to be somewhat troublesome - primarily because it was competing with the Monster Manual¸ a much longer hardcover book that sold for just $19.95! Wizards belatedly explained that they were discounting the early printings of the D&D 3.0 core books to aid the transition¸ but this still left a bad taste in many fan's mouths. A short time later¸ when the core books jumped to $29.95¸ Monsters of Faerûn looked much more reasonable.
Expanding D&D. Monsters of Faerûn is clearly an early D&D 3e release¸ because it doesn't fully match the trends and tropes of the updated game. The biggest divergences center on class levels for monsters. Monsters of Faerûn tries to place limits on this mechanic - restricting what classes¸ abilities¸ or spells certain monsters can acquire. This sort of restriction-based d
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.
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.