Monstrous Compendium Annual, Vol. 3 (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Accessory/2166)

Customer Reviews:

Old adversaries.......2007-05-13

This is good jor the experieced D.M. to find those creatures that have yet to be reincarnated int the newest versions of the D&D system.

Clarifications of my review below..........2000-01-16

The Monstrous Compendium Annuals are basically digests of all the best creatures in that year's adventures and magazines. In this way, the appendices can be seen as expansions for the MM, unless you plan to buy every single adventure TSR produces. One of the largest problems with the appendices is the fact that they frequently re-release creatures from books that are still in print, but with revised statistics, causing major havoc and confusion. Also, it appears that these books were not proofread at all, as the text in several places resorts to a jumble of senseless words stringed together with no punctuation, making hard it under- reading you stand what are.

Below are the separate ratings for each volume of the appendices:

1st - published in 1994, contains creatures of 1993. The only appendix with a white cover,also the largest. This little guy contains monsters in the very same format as the Monsteous Manual, which is very relaxing. Most of the monsters are interesting and a large part are actually useful in day-to-day campaigning. Highlights include the new Linnorm dragons and the low-level outerplanar creatures. Five stars.

2nd - Released in 1995, contains 1994 materials. in this volume the creatures aren't framed but sprawl around the pages in a variety of places and positions. Although this could cause some wprd-wrap problems like in the Planescape MC's, it doesn't seem to do it too much. Nevertheless, a change from the routine is not all too bad. Most of the monsters are vibrant and colorful, but lighter than the ones in #1 ( perhaps because Tony DiTerlizzi is not the artist, but does that make such a big difference! ). I enjoyed the Chronolily, but the centaur sub-species are rip-offs. Four stars.

3rd - released either in 1996 or 1997, contains monsters of '95, '96 ( or at least I think so). I don't own this one, so I can't tell you too much. It seems though, that TSR skipped a year somewhere.

4th - TSR is cleaning up its case. Released in 1998, contains 1997 materials. Many old creatures making a comeback. Art is extremely beautiful, and the fact that it is done by a variety of artists only swwetens the candy. Finally TSR agreed to publish the sources of the creatures in the book. This is the last one in print.

Basically, this is where you turn for creatures after you exhausted the MM. If you think you can bypass the spelling and the syntax problems, you will enjoy these.

Incredible!.......1999-12-19

As far as I am concerned, this is one of the best "monster books" in existense in the AD&D game. The art is fresh and vibrant ( unlike the washed-out art of Planescape appendixes), the creatures are creative and each and every one of them is capable of having an entire adventure centered on it and it alone. A few things - the spelling is horrible; the binding is simple glue spread - the book falls apart easily with time; also, the text isn't as enchanting as it used to be...

This is one of the best, and I consider it a near must-have.

Great art, interesting creatures, horrible editting.......1999-07-21

Yes, the artwork is really great in this book, but while the book does have an editor listed, I am not sure anything more than a spell check was performed.

There are TONS of instances where typos got by the spell check because they resulted in real words that were inappropriate to the current context. Maybe it's just me, but typos like this detract from the professionalism of a book.

Unfortunately this seems to be par-for-the-course for TSR lately.

Great Monsters for AD&D.......1998-07-16

I think that all of the monsters were very well thought out and designed, the artwork is 10 times better than the crumy artwork in the Monsterous Manual. Five Stars!

Terrors Beyond Tyr (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition : Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium Appendix II)

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Terrors Beyond Tyr (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition : Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium Appendix II)

Manufacturer: TSR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786900970

Monstrous Compendium Annual, Vol. 2 (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Accessory/2158)

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I've seen better/
Well Thought

Monstrous Compendium Annual, Vol. 2 (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Accessory/2158)

Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786901993
Release Date: 1996-01-01

Customer Reviews:

I've seen better/.......2000-10-01

Okay even this had been the worst of the lot I still would've bought it but thats because im obssesed with collecting every singel compendium. For those of you who arent this book is not neccessairly a must have. Id say the two good parts which stick out are the Wereshark and the Brine dragon. The art compared to annual 1 and some of the monsters are pretty stupid too, two words: Centaur Kin. Basically they stuck demihumans on horse bodies, any DM who knows the first thing about monster creation could've done that, if you need a compendium buy annual 1 or 3 which are infinetly better.

Well Thought.......2000-04-11

I first think that these additional volumes of monsters are really a great help. Often times in the old compendium I find myself not being able to find a "new" encounter for the players to deal with. Witht the annual compendiums I find more and more encounters that can add great fun. For example I find that the new types of dragons, golems, and lycanthropes add surprise to the game. My players often know how to deal with anything I throw at them so the new monsters in this book challenge them more and create more fun.

Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (Planescape) (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Accessory/2613)

Average customer rating:

A good compendium, but not an essential one...
Finally - original monsters!
Adds whole new dimensions to the monsters of Planescape.
Great artwork and descriptions!!!

Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (Planescape) (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Accessory/2613)
Rich Baker
Manufacturer: TSR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 078690173X
Release Date: 1995-10-10

Customer Reviews:

A good compendium, but not an essential one..........2000-05-04

The Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II, is an interesting addition to the collection of any DM interested to run adventures on the outer planes. However this book will only be of minor interest to anybody else. The artwork in the book, done by DiTerlizzi, is pretty good, altough I prefer the job he did on the first compendium. A lot of the monsters included in this book had not been featured in any other supplement before. Exemples of what you will be getting for your monney are: a new race usable for the PC'S (Aasimar), 3 new angelic species (Eladrin, Lupinal, Guardinal), and a new tanari ( Maurezhi). To sum it up the book is interesting, but considering the high cost of these Planescape's Compendiums you should only buy it if you intend to run most of your campaign on the outer planes.

Finally - original monsters!.......2000-01-09

While this is easily the least useful volume of the Planescape Appendices ( one containing the Baatezu and the Tanar'ri, three focusing on the Elementals), Number Two readily catches my eye with the fact that most of the creatures within have never apeared in print before, and the few that have haven't been heard from in many years (on the other hand, numbers one and three usually simply take a random, and probably well-known creature from one of the older supplements, change its stats and name, and - voila! - a "new" monster!). I find this volume to be a most enjoyable resource of absurd creatures I use to knock the ground from under my PCs' feet.

Adds whole new dimensions to the monsters of Planescape........1998-12-16

The new Sects contained in this suppliment are invaluable when you are in a clinch to make a new encounter. The monsters are a little more balanced than the ones in the other expansions and include some pretty freaky concepts.

Great artwork and descriptions!!!.......1998-09-15

Although I found the artwork excellent, and I really enjoyed the descriptions; I found the lack of timestream entries somewhat disconcerting.

Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Ravenloft Accessory/2153)

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The most original& the weirdest Monster Manual on the market
Paraelementals, Quasielementals, Fundamentals..
Simply incredible!
A must for all DMs
Planescape does a great job making monsters more than stats

Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Ravenloft Accessory/2153)
Kirk Botulla , Shane Hensley , Nicky Rea , and Teeuwynn Woodruff
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560769149

Customer Reviews:

The most original& the weirdest Monster Manual on the market.......2000-07-14

For their third compendium release, the planescape team (directed by Monte Cook) decided to concentrate on monsters from the inner planes. The idea is a good one and the new monsters presented in this book are among the strangest players will ever come across. As for the older monsters, most of them taken from the original Monster Manuals they fit very well in the book and the new informations & drawings of them are excellent. The result make for a refreshing book that I definitly recomend to experienced players & Dm who are tired of the same old monsters and think they have seen it all. However if you are just starting a campaign or do not intend to adventure on the planes this book will only hold a marginal interest for your campaign.

Paraelementals, Quasielementals, Fundamentals.........2000-01-05

WOW! The best monstrous compendium(other than ravenloft) ever created! It has all the elementals one could ever want, including Ice, Ash, radiance, magma, ooze, and even Vacuum! An almost-Must-have for any party with a high level wizard with access to the conjuration/summoning school! The other animals in this book are also incredibly cool. also includedin the front and back of the book are guides to the way creatures react with each other, and harmless residents of the inner planes!

Simply incredible!.......1999-12-05

Wow!

All I can say is........WOW! This is the treasure trove of the unique, original, and inspiring creatures I have always longed for... The art is amazing, the text is well-written, the book is sturdy and very attractive, and the content is....... simply put, oustanding. This is a sort of book that you lift up and say " why haven't I heard of this earlier! " or " why haven't they released this a couple years ago! ". Every single creature is so original and unique, they fully deserve to have legends written about them. BUY THIS BOOK!

A must for all DMs.......1999-10-17

Just what I need. Finnally, that "Summon Planar Creature" spell can summon more than just Imps and Baatzu.

Planescape does a great job making monsters more than stats.......1999-08-13

This is a great addition to Planescape material. Finally, attention is given to the Inner planes. But it is much more than your typical "monsters by the numbers" treatment. There is lots of background and mood envoking text to make these creatures more than the sum of their hit dice. In fact, in some ways there is more new material about the inner planes themselves than in the Inner Planes supplument. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting detailed creatures of a more bizarre nature.

Monstrous Compendium Appendix (Planescape) (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Accessory/2602)

Average customer rating:

Fantastic artwork and tons of material to use in your campaign
I love it; my players shiver when I pull it out
An excellent monster supplement
The Bare Necessities
The most essential monstrous compendium accessory out there.

Monstrous Compendium Appendix (Planescape) (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Accessory/2602)

Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560768622

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic artwork and tons of material to use in your campaign.......2006-04-28

Planescape has always been my personal favorite D&D campaign setting. The crazy, far off locales, a reality that's constantly shifting, abstract ideals given form and flesh, it's all the best stuff TSR ever came out with. The Monstrous Compendium Appendix is a must have if you are planning on running a Planescape campaign. Besides just giving the dungeon master some cannon fodder to throw at the players, there is a wealth of additional Planescape material presented. The hierarchy of the Aasimon, Baatezu, and Tanar'ri are all clearly explained, along with the background history and normal behaviors of the major races common to Planescape - such as the Githzerai and Bariaur. After having played the Wizards of the Coast (3rd Edition) D&D, and then going back and seeing all the old AD&D Planescape material, you'll be quite supprised by how much things have changed. The Slaad and Tanar'ri creatures look completely different between the two additions. Also, check out the descriptions of the "Marut" creature in this book versus the Marut (listed as in "Inevitable") in the 3rd Edition Monster Manual. While they have retained the same basic look, they are completely different creatures all together.

The artwork here is superb! DiTerlizzi has a style all his own that you don't really see done elsewhere, and it definetely fits the mood of the Planescape campaign. Every creature has it's own individual picture, and it's clear a good deal of effort was put forth to ensure each monster looks exactly as it should. The best part of any Planescape accesory is the commentary, and it abounds here. Every few pages a little quote is given, along with the name and title of the quoter. The little details they give really flesh out the setting as a whole. My favorite here is on the listing for the "Maelephant" creature (a quite large elephant type creature that stands on two legs). Two quotes sit side by side here, both of which say the same thing "You know, a herd of maelephants might be just the thing we need...", what makes the quotes funny is when you see who said them. The first is Factol Haskar of the guvners, pondering how best to institute law and order in the city of Sigil. The second quote is a snippet of conversation heard between two anarchists in a tavern.

My only complaints would have to be that the book seems kind of short, and that it's a flimsy paperback, instead of a longer lasting hardcover (and since this book is no longer in print, you'll have to get a used one - which will probably be quite battered and worn). To be fair, there are quite a few creatures presented and with lots of extra details, but this supplement seems much smaller than the standard "Monster Manuals". Overall an excellent addition to the Planescape world. You should get your hands on it if you can.

I love it; my players shiver when I pull it out.......2001-03-23

I have been DMing with the same group for almost five years now and while some of the PCs are new, they seem to have all the basic monsters and rules memorized. They're also high level, ranging from 9th to 12th.

Problem is: I have to change the appearances of most monsters and appearances to fool the group.

What I love about this item is: it's got a ton of powerful creatures in it with new pictures that the PCs can't distinguish from . . . and, moreover, they don't know the special powers of these creatures and it works very well against high level PCs.

About half of this book encompasses the Yugoloth, devils and demons. All worthy foes.

The pictures are fantastic, for the most part, and you can cover up the other page and show the picture to the PCs to give them a visual.

You do not need to be running a PLANESCAPE campaign to use these creatures. Besides, most of these creatures were from the AD&D first edition.

Would recommend but only if you are running or planning to run for players with a median average of at least 7th or 8th level.

An excellent monster supplement.......2000-05-31

The first monstrous compendium to come out of the planescape setting is a success. The terrific illustrations by DiTerlizzi and the well organised & detailled notes on the different monsters listed inside breath new life into some old favorite from the planes. demons & devils have never looked so good, and I can finally make sense of the hierarchy of the Aasimon (archon) & Yugoloth (daevil).There is a great continuity in this work and you get the feeling that every monster included in this book belongs here. A short table at the end of the book helps you by sorting out the monster by planes, making it easier to create your own encounter tables. The only importants omissions of this book are the modron (included in the Planescape boxed set) and the demon & devil lord (sadly, they seems to have been forgotten in the planescape campaign...). In short this book is the most usefull of the 3 monster compendiums made for the planescape setting, and the only one most people will ever need. Easily adaptable to any other campaign setting, smartly written and with great illustrations to look at, this supplement is an excellent purchase.

The Bare Necessities.......2000-04-01

This is one of those books you just can't live without. It is one of the most useful guides to monsters and mayhem there is. It is another one of the many fine TSR products that has made role-playing games like Advanced Dungeons & Dragons alive and kicking all the way into the new millenium.

The most essential monstrous compendium accessory out there........2000-03-11

If a person is running a low-powered, prime material campaign, then they canusually get by on nothing more than the monstrous manual and their own made-up monsters. As the PC's inevitably progress higher and higher in level while their characters are still young and unwilling to retire... books like this one are very handy. The artwork is very nice (though I must agree that some of the baatezu/tanar'ri don't look so terrible; and the pit fiend looks downright silly) and the text is useful in describing thier combat abilities. Any DM who can't make up just enough ecology for the players to buy it should buy the appropriate supplement (for Baatezu, the Guide to hell, etc.) For example, when the PC's stumble across a baatezu or tanar'ri it should be one of the weaker types. If, on the other hand, you decide that their home plane just became the newest battleground in the Blood War, and they're spending all their time going after Pit Fiends and Balor, then this book is not only useful but essential. The toned-down XP values are much closer to reasonable than the exaggerated numbers given in the MM. A warning, however- some of these beasties really are insanely powerful. The Solar, for example, is worth about 10,000 XP too little, the Marut is a roaming machine of death, and the average Maralith is a minor goddess of war with seven solid attacks per round and lots of HP. Use these sparingly until your PC's are all around level 12+.

Monstrous Compendium: Outer Planes Appendix (AD&D/Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Accessory MC8)

Average customer rating:

Demons and Devils oh my.

Monstrous Compendium: Outer Planes Appendix (AD&D/Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Accessory MC8)
James Lafountain
Manufacturer: TSR Hobbies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560760559

Customer Reviews:

Demons and Devils oh my........2001-04-24

This is a 2nd Edition D&D compendium of extraplanar monsters from the fiends of the lower planes to the angelic but powerful minions of the higher planes and plenty of just plain wierd critters from the odd bits of the D&D universe. Demons and Devils are renamed Tanari and Baatezu but the descriptions of them and their society are the best you are going to get in any D&D product. In 2nd edition all outer planar creatures were removed from the core compendiums, until this came out and then they were reintroduced a little with the last release of the monstrous compendium, this however is the only source to in depth cover them and their hierarchies providing a solid framework to guide in using the creatures.

Customer Reviews:

Almost perfect, but not quite.......2001-03-26

This is a combination of the previous releases of Ravenloft Monstrous Compendiums 1 and 2, both of which are made more accessible in a bound book rather than the original loose leaf as I have them. The first compendium contains many monsters native to the demiplane of dread, most of which are worth the purchase of this book, though a few bad apples (like the Doppleganger Plant) appeared. Thankfully, these are few.

The second compendium was a collection of 20 ready to play characters with fully detailed backgrounds and advice on their use. Though some are worth it and are generally unique, many are just standard creatures of their race with a story added. The format of the characters is also poor, given a format equal to that of a standard monstrous compendium creature rather than todays NPC's we are used to seeing. STill, this section is good, with minor flaws, even with many unoriginal characters within it.

Sadly, this book is out of print, as is the entire Ravenloft line, though with the new Ravenloft from White Wolf in the works, maybe a new version of this book will follow. If you want to get this book, I recommend seeking out a second hand edition or searching in bookfinders, as it is worth almost, but not quite, its weight in gold.

Great Accessory.......1999-12-21

The Monsterous Compendium Ravenloft Appendices I and II are awesome if you run a Ravenloft campaign. Half the times I run my Ravenloft campaign I cant think of any new monsters to throw at the PC's but definately now that I have these books they are a great help =) especially to my stress level.

Terrors of the Desert (Monstrous Compendium, Dark Sun Appendix)

Average customer rating:

Powerful 2nd edition monsters

Terrors of the Desert (Monstrous Compendium, Dark Sun Appendix)
Tsr
Manufacturer: TSR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560762721

Customer Reviews:

Powerful 2nd edition monsters.......2001-04-24

This is a 2nd edition D&D compendium of monsters for the Dark Sun setting, expanding on the limited supply contained in the original box set. It contains very powerful monsters, some of which are useable in any setting, some of which could easily be ported into any desert campaign and many which are just bizaare and tough but appropriate for dark sun. The Greater and lesser elementals (along with the spells for summoning them) are the most portable elements and should have been included in the core series of monsters and spells. On the other end of the spectrum are the ash golem made from defiling magic and the answer to what happens to dwarves in Athas who die deviating from their foci.

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