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Monster Manual II is a 160-page monster sourcebook for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition released in August 1983.

Official synopsis[]

"the most complete alphabetical listing and description of the latest AD&D™ game creatures" A must for the serious AD&D™ game player. This manual contains all the new members, from Abishai to Zygom, including new creatures like the Deadly Pudding, Devas, and Valley Elves. And you'll also have the advantage of the expanded lists of lycanthropes, giants, and other beasts.

Content[]

List of monsters[]

The book provides game statistics for over 250 monsters:

aboleth, afanc, agathion, annis, ant lion, ascomoid, aspis (drone, larva, cow), atomie, aurumvorax, azer, baku, banderlog, barghest, barkburr, basidirond, basilisk (greater basilisk), bat (mobat, ordinary bat, fire bat), bear (northern bear (polar bear), giant bee (worker honeybee, soldier honeybee, bumblebee), giant beetle (death watch beetle, slicer beetle), behemoth, behir, bloodthorn, boalisk, bodak, boggart, boggle, boobrie, bookworm, bowler, buckawn, cat (domestic cat, wild cat), cat lord, giant catfish, cave cricket, cave fisher, cave moray, centipede (huge centipede, megalocentipede), cheetah, choke creeper, cloaker, cooshee (elven dog), giant crane, crysmal, crystal ooze, cyclopskin, daemon (arcanadaemon (greater daemon), Charon (the Boatman of the Lower Planes), charonadaemon (lesser daemon), derghodaemon (lesser daemon), hydrodaemon (lesser daemon), Oinodaemon (Anthraxus), piscodaemon (lesser daemon), ultrodaemon (greater daemon), yagnodaemon (lesser daemon)), dao, crimson death, demilich, demodand (farastu (tarry) demodand, kelubar (slime) demodand, shator (shaggy) demodand), demon (alu-demon (semi-demon), babau (minor demon), Baphomet (demon lord), bar-lgura (minor demon), cambion (semi-demon) (major, baron/marquis), chasme (minor demon), dretch (minor demon), Fraz-Urb'luu (Prince of Deception), Graz'zt (demon prince), Kostchtchie (demon lord), nabassu (major demon), Pazuzu (Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms), rutterkin (minor demon)), derro, deva (astral deva, monadic deva, movanic deva), devil (abishai (lesser devil) (black, blue, green, red, white), Amon (Duke of Hell), Bael (Duke of Hell), bearded devil (lesser devil), Belial (arch-devil), Glasya (Princess of Hell), Hutijin (Duke of Hell), Mammon (arch-devil), Mephistopheles (arch-devil)), Moloch (arch-devil), nupperibo (least devil), Titivilus (Duke of Hell), spined devil (least devil)), diakk, dinosaur (ankisaurus, camptosaurus, compsognathus, dacentrurus, deinonychus, dilophosaurus, dimetrodon, euparkeria, kentrosaurus, mamechisaurus, massopondylus, nothosaurus, ornitholestes, phororhacos, podokesaurus, giant pterosaur, struthiomimus, tanystropheus, tennodontosaurus), dracolisk, dragon (cloud dragon (draco cumulus welkin), faerie dragon, mist dragon (draco nebulus obscura), shadow dragon), giant dragonfly, dragon horse, dragonnel, drelb (haunting custodian), drider, duergar, dustdigger, eagle, eblis, eel (marine electric eel), elf (grugach, valley elf), elfin cat, executioner's hood, falcon (hawk) (small falcon, large falcon), firefriend (giant firefly), giant fly (giant bluebottle fly, giant horsefly), foo creatures (foo dog, foo lion), forester's bane (snapper-saw), formian (centaur-ant) (myrmarch, warrior, worker), froghemoth, galeb duhr, giant (fomorian, firbolg, verbeeg), gibbering mouther, gloomwing, goat, gorgimera, greenhag, grippli, grig, grim, elemental grue (chaggrin, harginn, ildriss, varrdig), hangman tree, haunt, hollyphant, hordling (hordes of Hades), hybsil, jann, mustard jelly, kampfult, kech, korred, kraken, lammasu (greater lammasu), lamprey (land lamprey), luck eater, lycanthrope (foxwoman, seawolf (greater, lesser), wereshark), magman, mandragora, giant mantis, mantrap, margoyle, marid, shadow mastiff, mihstu, miner, minimal, modron (monodrone]] (base modron), duodrone (base modron), tridrone (base modron), quadrone (base modron), pentadrone (base modron), decaton (hierarch modron), nonaton (hierarch modron), octon (hierarch modron), septon (hierarch modron), hexton (hierarch modron), quinton (hierarch modron), quarton (hierarch modron), tertian (hierarch modron), secundus (hierarch modron), Primus (the One and the Prime)), mold (russet mold), mongrelman, moon dog, muckdweller, mud-man, myconid (fungus man), nereid, narwhale, obliviax (memory moss), ogre (aquatic ogre (merrow), oliphant, ophidian, opinicus, otter, owl, para-elemental (ice para-elemental, smoke para-elemental, magma para-elemental, ooze paraelemental), pech, pedipalp (large (schizomida), huge (amblypygus), giant (uropygus)), phantom, phoenix, phycomid, planetar, pseudo-undead, deadly pudding (brown pudding, dun pudding, white pudding), pyrolisk, quasi-elemental lightning, quickling, quickwood (spy tree), ram, rat (Described are the ordinary rat and vapor rat), raven (crow) (ordinary raven, huge raven, giant raven), retch plant, rock reptile, sandling, scorpion (large scorpion, huge scorpion), scum creeper, selkie, shade, shedu (greater shedu), sirine, skeleton (animal skeleton), skunk, slime creature, olive slime, snake (constrictor snake, poisonous snake), solar, solifugid (large, huge, giant), spectator, spider (giant marine spider), spriggan, squealer, squirrel (giant black squirrel, ordinary squirrel, carnivorous flying squirrel), stegocentipede, stench kow, stone guardian, storoper, giant sundew, swan, swanmay, swordfish, taer, tarrasque, tasloi, giant harvester termite (worker, soldier), thessalhydra, thri-kreen (mantis warrior), thunder beast, thunderherder, time elemental, transposer, tri-flower frond, troll (marine troll (scrag (freshwater troll, saltwater troll)), twilight bloom, urchin (land urchin), ustilagor, vagabond, vargouille, vegepygmy, verme, vilstrak, vulchling, vulture (giant vulture, ordinary vulture), weasel, webbird, wemic, black willow, wolf-in-sheep's-clothing, wolfwere, worm (tenebrous worm, tunnel worm), xag-ya and xeg-yi, xaren, yeth hound, yochlol (handmaiden of Lolth), yuan ti, zombie (juju zombie, monster zombie), zorbo, zygom.

Development and release[]

Development[]

The book was written by Gary Gygax. Art was provided by Jeff Easley, Jim Holloway, Harry Quinn, Dave Sutherland and Larry Elmore.

Gygax wrote the foreword to the book in October 1982. He credited Frank Mentzer and Francois Marcela-Froideval in particular for their assistance.

Release[]

Monster Manual II was released by TSR in August 1983 for $[missing data] US or $[missing data] Canadian.

On February 5, 2013, it was re-released in digital format. It is currently available on DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild for $5.99.

Reception and influence[]

Sales[]

Monster Manual II sold 541,568 copies between 1983 and 1991. Annual sales were comparable to the original Monster Manual (1e) (1977).[1]

Year Sales
1983 290,649
1984 106,437
1985 58,852
1986 24,682
1987 29,534
1988 21,371
1989 3,564
1990 4,406
1991 2,073

Critical reception[]

As of 2023, Monster Manual II reached the rank of Mithral seller on DriveThruRPG.

Influence on other works[]

External links[]

References[]


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)
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition
Core rules
Players HandbookDungeon Masters GuideMonster Manual
Supplements
Battlesystem: Fantasy Combat SupplementThe Book of LairsThe Book of Lairs IIDeities & Demigods (Legends & Lore) • Dungeoneer's Survival GuideFiend FolioManual of the PlanesMonster Manual IIOriental AdventuresThe Rogues GalleryUnearthed ArcanaWilderness Survival Guide
Adventures
Desert of Desolation (PharaohOasis of the White PalmLost Tomb of Martek) • Queen of the Spiders (Against the Giants (Steading of the Hill Giant ChiefGlacial Rift of the Frost Giant JarlHall of the Fire Giant King) • Descent Into the Depths of the EarthShrine of the Kuo-ToaVault of the DrowQueen of the Demonweb Pits) • Realms of Horror (Tomb of HorrorsWhite Plume MountainExpedition to the Barrier PeaksLost Caverns of Tsojcanth) • Scourge of the Slavelords (Slave Pits of the UndercitySecret of the Slavers StockadeAssault on the Aerie of the Slave LordsIn the Dungeons of the Slave Lords) • The Temple of Elemental Evil (The Village of Hommlet) • DungeonlandThe Land Beyond the Magic MirrorThe Secret of Bone HillThe Assassin's KnotDeep Dwarven DelveThe Sinister Secret of SaltmarshDanger at DunwaterThe Final EnemyAdventure Pack IAgainst the Cult of the Reptile GodAll That Glitters...Baltron's BeaconThe Bane of LlywelynBeyond the Crystal CaveDark Clouds GatherDay of Al'AkbarDestiny of KingsDwellers of the Forbidden CityEgg of the PhoenixEye of the SerpentThe Forest OracleThe GauntletThe Ghost Tower of InvernessThe Hidden Shrine of TamoachanThe Lost Island of CastanamirMidnight on Dagger AlleyNeedleRavager of TimeRavenloftRavenloft II: The House on Gryphon HillThe SentinelThe Shattered StatueTales of the Outer PlanesTo Find a KingTomb of the Lizard KingTreasure HuntWhen a Star Falls
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