Monster Manual III is a 224-page monster sourcebook released in September 2004 for Dungeons & Dragons 3.5.
Official synopsis[]
Encounter additional adversaries and allies
Lairing within these pages is an unstoppable wave of creatures ranging from ambush drake to zezir. A menagerie of beasts, behemoths and other ferocious beings, the monsters presented here are well prepared to battle or befriend the characters of any campaign.
This supplement for the D&D game offers a fully illustrated array of new creatures such as the boneclaw, eldritch giant, and web golem. Also included are advanced versions of some monsters as well as tactics sections to help DMs effectively run more complex creatures. Additionally, many entries contain information about where monsters are likely to appear in the Forgotten Realms and Eberron campaign settings.
Content[]
Introduction[]
Monster Manual III begins with a four-page introduction, which briefly describes how to use the sourcebook and how to read the statblocks.
List of monsters[]
The book provides game statistics for over 150 monsters:
ambush drake, arcane ooze, armand (armand; armand warden, 4th-level monk), astral stalker, avalancher, battlebriar (battlebriar, warbound impaler (lesser battlebriar)), bearhound, boneclaw, bonedrinker (bonedrinker, lesser bonedrinker), brood keeper (brood keeper, brood keeper larva swarm), cadaver collector (cadaver collector, greater cadaver collector), changeling (changeling, 1st-level warrior; changeling spy, 3rd-level rogue), charnel hound, chelicera, chraal, cinder swarm, conflagration ooze (conflagration ooze, infernal conflagration ooze), deathshrieker (deathshrieker, advanced deathshrieker), demon (arrow demon, sorrowsworn demon), dinosaur (battletitan, bloodstriker, fleshraker, swindlespitter), dracotaur (dracotaur; dracotaur rager, 4th-level barbarian), dragon eel, dread blossom swarm, drowned, dust wight, elemental (storm elemental), ephemeral swarm, feral yowler, geriviar, giant (death giant; eldritch giant; eldritch giant confessor, 11th-level cleric; sand giant; sand giant champion, 5th-level fighter), glaistig (glaistig; glaistig mindbender, 5th-level sorcerer), gnoll (flind), goatfolk (ibixian), goblin (forestkith goblin, 1st-level warrior; forestkith goblin, 1st-level barbarian), golem (alchemical golem, gloom golem, hangman golem, mud golem, prismatic golem, shadesteel golem, greater shadesteel golem, web golem), grimweird, grisgol, gulgar, harpoon spider (harpoon spider, dread harpoon spider), harssaf, ironclad mauler, justicator, kenku (kenku, 1st-level warrior; kenku sneak, 1st-level rogue), knell beetle (knell beetle, lesser knell beetle), lhosk, living spell (template; chilling fog, glitterfire, living blasphemy, sickening sleep), lizardfolk (blackscale lizardfolk; poison dusk lizardfolk, 1st-level ranger; poison dusk lieutenant, 4th-level ranger), lumi (lumi; lumi crusader, 2nd-level fighter/6th-level cleric), lurking strangler, mastodon, mindshredder (mindshredder larva, mindshredder warrior, mindshredder zenthal), mivilorn (mivilorn, elite demon war mount), necronaut, needletooth swarm, night twist (night twist, ancient night twist), nycter (nycter; nycter defender of the cave, 5th-level druid), odopi (odopi, elder odopi), ogre (skullcrusher ogre; skullcrusher ogre sergeant, 3rd-level fighter), omnimental, otyugh (lifeleech otyugh), petal, phoelarch (phoelarch, phoera), plague brush, plague spewer, protean scourge (protean scourge; protean scourge arcanist, 4th-level sorcerer), quaraphon (quaraphon; quaraphon bully, 5th-level barbarian), rage drake (rage drake, fiendish rage drake), ragewalker, rakshasa (ak'chazar rakshasa, naztharune rakshasa, redcap (young redcap, elder redcap), rejkar, roper (prismatic roper), rot reaver (rot reaver, necrothane), runehound, salt mummy, sea tiger, seryulin (seryulin, greater seryulin), shifter, shimmerling swarm, shredstorm, shrieking terror (five-headed terror, ten-headed terror), siege crab (siege crab, greater siege crab), skindancer, slaughterstone behemoth, slaughterstone eviscerator, snowflake ooze, spellwarped creature (template; spellwarped ettin), splinterwaif (splinterwaif, splinterwaif knave), ssvaklor (ssvaklor, greater ssvaklor), stonesinger, summoning ooze, susurrus, swamp strider swarm, thorn, topiary guardian (boar topiary guardian, lion topiary guardian, triceratops topiary guardian, alternative topiary guardians), trilloch, troll (cave troll, crystalline troll, forest troll, mountain troll, war troll), vasuthant (vasuthant, horrific vasuthant), vermin lord, visilight, voidmind creature (template; voidmind grimlock), warforged (warforged, 1st-level warrior; warforged charger; warforged scout), witchknife (witchknife; witchknife captain, 3rd-level rogue), wood woad, woodling (template; woodling monitor lizard; Autumn, 9th-level woodling human druid), yugoloth (canoloth, mezzoloth, nycaloth, nycaloth commander, ultroloth), zezir.
Many of the entries also describe ways to use the monster in Eberron or Faerûn (Forgotten Realms). Some entries also provide guidelines for player character versions of that monster.
Other material[]
The remainder of the book features:
- a listing of monster feats, largely duplicated from the Monster Manual (3.5) (2003), but with a few new additions
- a glossary expanding on the one in the Monster Manual
- lists of monsters ranked by Challenge Rating and ECL
Development and release[]
Development[]
The credited designers for Monster Manual III were Rich Burlew, Eric Cagle, Jesse Decker, Andrew J. Finch, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Rich Redman, Matthew Sernett, Chris Thomasson, and P. Nathan Toomey. Kestrel also served as the managing editor, alongside Kim Mohan; Finch was also the development manager, and with Andy Collins and Ed Stark, formed the development team.
Keith Baker, Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell, James Jacobs, David Noonan, Christopher Perkins, Mike Selinker, Bill Slavicsek, and James Wyatt were credited with "additional design"; Perkins was also the design manager, while Slavicsek was credited as director of RPG R&D. The editors for the work were Greg Collins, John D. Rateliff, and Gary Sarli. Christopher Lindsay was the proofreader.
Robert Raper was the art director and graphic designer. The cover artist was Henry Higginbotham; the interior art was provided by Dave Allsop, David Bircham, Matt Cavotta, Wayne England, Emily Fiegenschuh, Rafa Garres, Ralph Horsley, Frazer Irving, Ron Lemen, Howard Lyon, Leslie Minnis, Dean Ormston, Lucio Parrillo, Steve Prescott, Vinod Rams, Adam Rex, Wayne Reynolds, Anne Stokes, Mark Tedin, Francis Tsai, Franz Vohwinkel, Anthony Waters, Jonathon Wayshak, Sam Wood, and James Zhang. Erin Dorries was credited as graphic production specialist; Candice Baker was credited as image technician. Josh Fischer was credited as production manager.
Dragon Magazine, Dungeon Magazine, the Manual of the Planes (3e) (2001), the Planescape supplement Planes of Law (1995), and the original Fiend Folio (1e) (1981) were credited as resources for the work. A number of creatures from the Eberron campaign setting were also provided outside the context of their original world.[2]
Release[]
Monster Manual III was released by Wizards of the Coast in September 2004 for $34.95 US, or $51.95 Canadian.[1]
An updated version of the book's glossary, with errata, was later released on Wizards of the Coast's web site.[3]
The Monster Manual III received a digital re-release on August 6, 2013. It is available on DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild for $10.19.
Reception and influence[]
Critical reception[]
As of October 2020, Monster Manual III was an Electrum best-seller on the Dungeon Masters Guild.[2] In 2023, it was ranked Gold seller.
Influence on other works[]
External links[]
- Monster Manual III (3.5) on Dungeon Masters Guild
- Product page (Internet Archive)
- Monster Manual III Design Team Interview at Wizards.com (2004)
- Art gallery at Wizards.com (2004)
- Monster Manual III Wallpapers and Screensaver at Wizards.com (2004)
- Troll Outpost (web enhancement) at Wizards.com (2004)
- Glossary (revised, with errata) at Wizards.com (2004)
- Errata (2006)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Product page. Wizards.com, via Web Archive.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Monster Manual III (3.5) (Dungeon Masters Guild). Retrieved 2020-10-25.
- ↑ Glossary (revised, with errata) (archive.wizards.com). Retrieved 2020-10-25.
| Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manuals |
|---|
| Monster Manual (1e) • Monster Manual II (1e) Monstrous Compendium Volume One (2e) • Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (2e) • Monstrous Manual (2e) Monster Manual (3.0) • Monster Manual II (3.0) Monster Manual (3.5) • Monster Manual III (3.5) • Monster Manual IV (3.5) • Monster Manual V (3.5) Monster Manual (4e) • Monster Manual 2 (4e) • Monster Manual 3 (4e) • Monster Vault (4e) Monster Manual (5e) • Monster Manual (5e revised) |