One Sentence Summary
The D&D Monster Manual is a Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook showcasing a vast array of monsters and villains that feature in the game.
Book Genre
This book is a role-playing game sourcebook, based upon Dungeons & Dragons.
Main Topic of the Book
The main topic of the book is showing how to use the creatures in a Dungeons & Dragons game in order to bring to life the fantastic, thrilling and spectacular adventures that Dungeons & Dragons promises.
Key Ideas
Some key ideas presented in the book include:
- Lore: giving detailed descriptions of hundreds of monsters, detailing their physical characteristics, behavior, and the different ways they might be encountered in the game.
- Game Mechanics: providing guidance on combat movement, tactics, hit points, and other considerations for use in dungeon-mastering encounters.
- Variance: introducing expanded and alternate monsters, allowing players to create and customize their own creatures.
Main Parts of the Book and a Short Summary
The book is split into three main parts:
- Part One: introducing a plethora of monsters such as bats, horses, kobolds, giants, dragons, constructs, vampires, and more. Each creature notably includes descriptions of their physical characteristics, behavior, and the different ways it might be encountered in the game.
- Part Two: provides advice on how to come across monsters as surprises in the game, how to build them for the most dramatic and exciting effect, and monster tactics for combat.
- Part Three: provides an extended and varied selection of alternate monsters, allowing Dungeon Masters to customize monsters to their own desires, story, and game style.
Key Takeaways
The key takeaways from the book are:
- Gaining an in-depth understanding of the creatures used in Dungeons & Dragons.
- Using endearing lore and vivid descriptions to bring to life these creatures.
- Enabling Dungeon Masters to customize monsters and build their own unique adventures.
- Gaining an understanding of combat movement, tactics, hit points, and other considerations for use in dungeon-mastering.
Author’s Background and Qualifications
The authors of the book are an impressive line-up of game designers, writers, and artists. The lead authors are Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, and Christopher Perkins.
Additionally, a team of editors, designers, web developers, writers, and artists have worked on the book.
Target Audience
This book is directed at gamers who like the idea of creating their own campaign stories using the significant advantages that Dungeons & Dragons offers, as well as Dungeon Masters running pre-made campaigns.
Publisher and First Publication Date
The book is published by Wizards of the Coast. It was first published in 2014.