Monster Manual
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/* Current Monster Manual (4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons) */ +space
{{infobox book|
|name=Monster Manual
|image=[[Image:MonsterManual-v35-Cover.jpg|200px]]
|image_caption = ''Monster Manual'' for the D&D v3.5 rules
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|publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]
|release_date=
|genre=[[Role-playing game]]
|media_type = Print ([[Hardback]])
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<!-- FAIR USE of MonsterManual-v35-Cover.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MonsterManual-v35-Cover.jpg for rationale -->
The '''''Monster Manual''''' ('''''Monstrous Manual''''', or '''''Monstrous Compendium''''') is the primary sourcebook for [[monster]]s in the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' [[fantasy]] [[role-playing game]]. It includes monsters derived from [[mythology]], and [[folklore]], as well as creatures created for D&D specifically. It describes each with game-specific statistics (such as number of [[hit dice]]), and a brief description of its habits and habitats. Most of the entries also have an image of the creature. Along with the ''[[Player's Handbook]]'' and ''[[Dungeon Master's Guide]]'', it is one of the three "core rulebooks" in all editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game.
==Current ''Monster Manual'' (4th Edition ''Dungeons & Dragons'')==
The 4th edition Monster Manual was released with the other core book on 6th June 2008.
==Earlier ''Monster Manual''s==
===Early ''Dungeons & Dragons''===
The earliest ''Dungeons and Dragons'' box games did not have separate ''Monster Manual''s but provided listings for monsters in the manuals in the boxed set. The original boxed set included a ''Book 2: Monsters and Treasure''.
[[Image:MonsterManual-1stEdAD&D-Cover.jpg|thumb|100px|right|First edition ''Monster Manual'' (Sutherland artwork)]]
After the separation D&D into separate "Basic" and "Advanced" games, the "Basic" game continued to be published in level-based boxes. Monsters of the appropriate level were included in the rulebooks for the various "Basic Game" sets (Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, and Immortal) and later collected in a single ''D&D Rules Cyclopedia'' book.
The original book actually bearing the title ''Monster Manual'' was written by [[Gary Gygax]] and published in 1977. It was the first [[hardcover]] book for any ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game<ref>{{Citation| last =Turnbull| first =Don| title =The Open Box, The Monster Manual| journal =White Dwarf| issue =8| pages =16–17| date =Aug/Sept.| year =1978}}</ref>, and the first of the Core Manuals published for the new ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (AD&D) version of the game<ref>Lawrence Schick. ''Heroic Worlds'' (Prometheus Books, [[1991]]).</ref>. Except for a cover art change in 1983 to match a new logo and [[house style]], and some minor corrections introduced in the 1978 printings, it went through very little change in its fifteen printings up to 1989.
The credited artists of the first manual, in order, are [[David C. Sutherland III]] (DCS), [[David A. Trampier]] (DAT), [[Tom Wham]] (TW), and [[Jean Wells]]. The editor of the original edition was [[Mike Carr (game designer)|Mike Carr]].
The first edition ''Monster Manual'' is also famous for the topless portrayals of its female monsters, such as the succubus and Type V demons, the lamia, the sylph, among others. The casual depiction of female nudity is a hallmark of first edition ''Dungeons and Dragons'' art.
[[Image:FiendFolioCover.jpg|thumb|100px|left|First edition ''Fiend Folio'']]
''[[Fiend Folio]]'' (1981) was published by TSR UK. Much of the ''Fiend Folio'' 's contents were taken from the ''Fiend Factory'' feature of ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'', others were taken from various [[List of Dungeons & Dragons modules|D&D modules]], and some were original creations for this volume. It introduced several popular monsters to the D&D game including [[Drow (Dungeons & Dragons)|drow]], [[githyanki]], [[githzerai]], [[slaad]], and [[death knight]]s. It also featured monsters that were widely ridiculed, such as the [[flumph]], one of the few non-evil creatures presented in that volume. ''Fiend Folio'' featured more consistent artwork than the original ''Monster Manual''. The illustrations in this volume were of same general style as the ''Monster Manual'', but were typically darker and made more use of light and shadow.
[[Image:MonsterManual2Cover.jpg|thumb||100px|right|First edition ''Monster Manual II'']]
''Monster Manual II'' (1983) was also credited to Gygax, though some of its contents was taken from various AD&D adventure modules, in particular quite a number from ''[[Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth|S4: Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth]]'' and a dozen new devils that had been first published in the pages of ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' magazine. It was rated fairly well at the time, receiving 7 out of 10 in a review in Issue 49 of ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite journal| last =Evans
| first =Megan C| authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Open Box: Dungeon Modules | format = review| journal =[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]| volume =| issue =Issue 49| pages =14| publisher =[[Games Workshop]]| year = 1984| month = January| url = | issn =0265-8712| accessdate = }}</ref> Like the Fiend Folio before it, the monsters in Monster Manual II listed the experience point value for each monster in the entry itself. The Monster Manual II along with the 1st Edition [[Unearthed Arcana]] book featured quite a number of monsters, races and place names from Gary Gygax’s [[World of Greyhawk|Greyhawk]] Campaign world.
===2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons=== <!-- This section is linked from [[Drow]] -->
''Monstrous Compendium'' (1989) replaced the ''Monster Manual'' with the release of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' Second Edition. The ''Compendium'' was a binder of looseleaf sheets rather than a hardback book. The first two volumes contained the "core" monsters of the game. These were followed by a large number of appendices that contained extra monsters for particular [[campaign settings]].
The format was intended to help [[gamemaster|Dungeon Master]]s keep handy only the monster statistics needed for a particular game session, as well as to greatly expand the information about each monster, as each was given at least one full page. It would also mean they would only need to purchase core volumes and appendix volumes for the campaigns they wanted, rather than getting a mix of monsters in books. However, the binder format ultimately proved impractical for two main reasons:
* Looseleaf pages were not as durable as the hardcover format, especially for a frequently used game aid;
* Although some pages featured only one monster per sheet, TSR routinely printed different monsters on both sides, making it practically impossible to keep monsters in strict alphabetical order.
[[Image:addmm.jpg|thumb|100px|left|Second edition ''Monstrous Manual']]
In 1993 the ''Monstrous Manual'' was released, compiling all monsters from the first two volumes of the ''Monstrous Compendium'' plus a large number of monsters from other sources into a 384 page hardcover book. More ''Monstrous Compendium'' Appendices were released as a supplement to the ''Monstrous Manual'' in the form of [[paperback]] books, mostly 128 pages. They included updated reprints of loose leaf ''Monstrous Compendium Appendices'' and new volumes.
====''Monstrous Compendium'' volumes issued====
The MC series was the loose leaf version. These included:
*MC1 Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989) - 144 pages, 12 dividers and 3-ring D-binder
*MC2 Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989)
*MC3 Monstrous Compendium Volume Three [[Forgotten Realms]] Appendix
*MC4 Monstrous Compendium [[Dragonlance]] Appendix (1989) - 96 pages, 4 dividers and 3-ring D-binder
*MC5 Monstrous Compendium [[Greyhawk]] Adventures Appendix (1990) - 32 pages, 4 dividers
*MC6 Monstrous Compendium [[Kara-Tur]] Appendix
*MC7 Monstrous Compendium [[Spelljammer]] Appendix (1990) - 64 pages, 4 dividers
*MC8 Monstrous Compendium [[Outer Plane]]s Appendix (1991) - 48 pages, 4 dividers
*MC9 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix (1991)
*MC10 Monstrous Compendium [[Ravenloft]] Appendix (1991) - 32 pages, 4 dividers
*MC11 Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (1991) - 32 pages, 4 dividers
*MC12 Monstrous Compendium [[Dark Sun]] Appendix: Terrors of the Desert (1992) - 96 pages
*MC13 Monstrous Compendium [[Al-Qadim]] Appendix (1992) - 32 pages, 4 dividers
*MC14 Monstrous Compendium Fiend Folio Appendix (1992) - 32 pages, 4 dividers
*MC15 Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix II: Children of the Night (1993) - 32 pages, 4 dividers
After the loose leaf format was abandoned, ''Monstrous Compendium'' Appendices were published in book form. Except where noted, are 128 page [[paperback]]s with mostly new material. They included:
*Monstrous Manual (1993) - 384 page [[hardcover]] reprinting MC1 & MC2 plus others
*Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium Appendix II: Terrors Beyond Tyr (1995)
*Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendices I & II (1996) - reprinting MC10 & MC15
*Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness (1994)
*[[Planescape]] Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994)
*Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (1995)
*Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III (1998)
*[[Mystara]] Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994)
*Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume One (1994) - reprints from modules and magazines of 1993
*Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Two (1995) - reprints from modules and magazines of 1994
*Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996)- reprints from modules and magazines of 1995
*Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Four (1998) - 96 pages - reprints from modules and magazines of 1996/7
Additionally one appendix was released as a download only version ([[Rich Text Format|RTF]]/[[.txt|TXT]] file, 83 [[JPEG]] illustration files)
*[[Savage Coast]] Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1996)
===3rd Edition ''Dungeons & Dragons''===
The ''Monster Manual'' for Third Edition ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was released in 2000 as one of three core books of the system. It was revised and released again as ''Monster Manual'' subtitled ''Core Rulebook III v3.5'', in July 2003.
These volumes are not major variations from the earlier concepts of the ''Monster Manual''; they update older monsters to Third Edition rules. In 2001, ''Monster Manual'' won the [[Origins Award]] for ''Best Graphic Design of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement 2000''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/2000 | title = 2000: List of Winner | accessdate = 2007-12-24 | work = Origins Game Fair | publisher = Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design | language = English | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.originsgamefair.com%2Fawards%2F2000&date=2007-12-24 | archivedate=2007-12-24 }}</ref> One reviewer called it "...an essential reference book, and it is a bargain...."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=1918 | title = Pyramid Picks: Monster Manual (WotC) and Creature Collection (Sword & Sorcery Studios), for D&D3/d20 | accessdate = 2007-12-24 | date = 2000-10-20 | last = Shafer | first = Scott | work = [[Pyramid (magazine)|Pyramid]] | publisher = Steve Jackson Games | language = English }}</ref>
The v3.5 revision has a slightly different entry on each monster, particularly the division of the attack into Attack and Full Attack entries.<ref>"The improvements include separate lines for standard and full attack action...." {{cite web | url = http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=4147| title = Pyramid Review: Monster Manual v.3.5 (for Dungeons & Dragons) | accessdate = 2007-12-24 | date = 2003-08-22 | last = Ehrbar | first = Steven E. | work = [[Pyramid (magazine)|Pyramid]] | publisher = Steve Jackson Games | language = English }}</ref> Also, most of the monsters now have an enhanced version of them near the original one as an example of advancement (usually either with a template or with class levels). Many monsters now have instructions on how to use them as player characters.
''Monster Manual II'' (2002) and ''[[Fiend Folio]]'' (2003) are new monster-specific rulebooks, and contain mostly updated monsters from the sourcebooks of earlier editions, though some others of the specific monsters featured therein have almost no overlap with those of their first edition namesakes. ''Monster Manual II'' includes a discussion of monster design.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=3691 | title = Monster Manual II | accessdate = 2007-12-24 | date = 2002-10-02 | last = Kohler | first = Alan D. | work = [[Pyramid (magazine)|Pyramid]] (originally published in ''d20 Weekly'') | publisher = Steve Jackson Games | language = English }}</ref> There have been no new versions of ''Monster Manual II'' and ''Fiend Folio'' for 3.5 edition, however update errata for both volumes and for the original third edition Monster Manual are available for download from the publishers website [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a ].
''[[Monster Manual III]]'' (2004) contains more monsters and was originally published in the v3.5 format. This Monster Manual is notable for having descriptions within on where the monsters might be found in the [[Eberron]] and [[Forgotten Realms]] [[campaign setting]]s.<ref>"...virtually every creature lists where it frequently occurs in the Wizard's campaign settings of Faerun and Eberron...." {{cite web | url = http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=5204 | title = Pyramid Review: Monster Manual III (for Dungeons & Dragons) | accessdate = 2007-12-24 | date = 2005-01-21 | last = Honeywell | first = Steve | work = [[Pyramid (magazine)|Pyramid]] | publisher = Steve Jackson Games | language = English }}</ref>
''[[Monster Manual IV]]'' (July 2006) is also published in the v3.5 format, and uses the new stat block format that was introduced in the ''Dungeon Master's Guide II''. Monster Manual IV contains fewer actual monsters than Monster Manual II and III, but has sample lairs and encounters for them, gives stats for classes and templates applied to old creatures (for example [[Drow (Dungeons & Dragons)|Drow]] Ninja) and full page maps. Also, like the third, it has information on where the monsters might appear in Eberron or the Forgotten Realms. The book also ties into the "Year of the Dragons" theme that Wizards of the Coast has planned out for 2006 with the [[Spawn of Tiamat]], yet contains no new monsters that are considered 'true dragons.'
In October 2006 the ''Special Edition Monster Manual'' was released, completing the set of special edition core rulebooks started in 2004 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. Like the others, this book was leather-bound with silver-gilt edges and a cloth bookmark. The book was expanded with some new information, 31 new illustrations, and a new index. All collected errata up to its release date was included in this revision, making this edition the most up-to-date ''Monster Manual'' so far[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndcore/953907200 ].
''Monster Manual V'' was released in July 2007, published in the same format as the ''Monster Manual IV'', featuring lairs and tactics and like III and IV how these new monsters fit into [[Eberron]] and [[Forgotten Realms]]. According to previews of the Night Below Dungeons & Dragons miniatures set, some of the new monsters that will feature in it include the Greenspawn Zealot, the Arcadian Avenger, the Verdant Reaver, and the Carnage Demon.
==See also==
*[[List of species in fantasy fiction]]
*[[:Category:Dungeons & Dragons creatures]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndcore/177550000 Current Monster Manual] at [[Wizards of the Coast]] website.
*[http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/monster.html Detailed information on the 1st ''Monster Manual'' and differences between printings]
*[http://www.thekyngdoms.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26 Full list of contents for the AD&D Monster Manual]
*[http://www.thekyngdoms.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=25 Full list of contents for the AD&D Monster Manual II]
*[http://www.thekyngdoms.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=29 Full list of contents for the AD&D Fiend Folio]
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