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Dungeons & Dragons

Monster Manual II

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Even Greater Threats Await!
As heroes grow in power, they seek out more formidable adversaries. Whether sinister or seductive, ferocious or foul, the creatures lurking within these pages will challenge the most experienced characters of any campaign.
This supplement for the D&D game unleashes a horde of monsters to confront characters at all levels of play, including several with Challenge Ratings of 21 or higher. Inside are old favorites such as the death knight and the gem dragons, as well as all-new creatures such as the bronze serpent, the effigy, and the fiendwurm. Along with updated and expanded monster creation rules, "Monster Manual II" provides an inexhaustible source of ways to keep even the toughest heroes fighting and running for their lives.
To use this supplement, a Dungeon Master also needs the "Player's Handbook" and the "Dungeon Master""'s Guide." A player needs only the "Player's Handbook."

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2002

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Wizards of the Coast

430 books426 followers
Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC /ˈwɒtˌsiː/ or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, the company popularized the collectible card game genre with Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s, acquired the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game by purchasing the failing company TSR, and experienced tremendous success by publishing the licensed Pokémon Trading Card Game. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Renton, Washington in the United States.[1]

Wizards of the Coast publishes role-playing games, board games, and collectible card games. They have received numerous awards, including several Origins Awards. The company has been a subsidiary of Hasbro since 1999. All Wizards of the Coast stores were closed in 2004.

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for Caleb Wachter.
Author 31 books40 followers
April 8, 2014
I did enjoy the artwork of this book, finding it to be very crisp and vivid in most cases.

The presented specimens were also well-described and I thought they presented a fairly good assortment of setting-specific adversaries (allies?) for players looking for a fresh batch of inhabitants for their campaign.

That said, where this book fell down for me was that it didn't take enough risks. The 'new' subgroups just didn't inspire my imagination, which is ultimately what I personally look for in a bestiary/magic item compendium/setting rulebook. The minutiae is fine, but having a set of hardened 'guideposts' in the form of major NPCs, magic systems, or new subraces is essential for me to re-read these books. I just don't find myself doing that with this one.

Which is not to say that it's not a good book; I think it slots in just fine next to the others on my shelf. But I don't pick it out specifically to pore over its listed monsters when I'm looking for inspiration, which I do find myself doing with other books like the early Sword & Sorcery books and many of the Eberron books.
Profile Image for Robert.
98 reviews10 followers
April 30, 2008
Monster Manual II brings in all kinds of new creatures to add to your game, and a lot of them are pretty cool, if a little weird. While not many of them fall into the "meet up with these every session" category like Orcs and Gnolls do, they can all be used in just about any campaign as special encounters, boss fights, or even just a change from the ordinary.

The best part of this book is the templates in the back! These templates can definitely be used at least once a campaign in order to give the players a new challenge that can go in almost any direction. From Captured Ones and Half Golems to Monsters of Legend and Tauric beasts, the possible combinations will keep the party guessing as to whats coming at them next!
Profile Image for Liz.
820 reviews8 followers
March 11, 2019
You bought the core three and needed more stuff. 3.5 was the most popular edition, right? So, yes, the monster manual remix.
Profile Image for Kat.
2,375 reviews117 followers
February 7, 2020
Basic Premise: More monsters for D&D 3.0.

More monsters at higher challenge ratings. The art is always well-done in these books, it seems. Everything seems to be organized well, and the appendices give lots of ideas for advancing monsters and making them more challenging for players.
Profile Image for Nika.
92 reviews8 followers
May 31, 2007
Love the art work in this...always have. A must have for DnD players
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews

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