The Monstrous Manual, released in 1993, is a sourcebook for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition. It replaced the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989) and Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989) as a core rulebook for that edition.
Contents
Content[edit | edit source]
The Monstrous Manual contains statistics for over 600 monsters.
Cover[edit | edit source]
The front cover is illustrated by artist Jeff Easley, and depicts five monsters. Clockwise from top, they are a red dragon, a minotaur, a beholder, a lich, and a thri-kreen.
Introduction[edit | edit source]
The Monstrous Manual begins with a section explaining the background of the work, as well as explaining how to read the monster stat blocks.
List of monsters[edit | edit source]
| This section is incomplete. Please complete this section and remove this {{secstub}} notice. |
Appendices[edit | edit source]
After the monster listings follow several appendices. Appendix I features a blank monster form for use in creature design. Appendix II provides tables for use with the monster summoning spells. Appendix III provides tables to quickly generate NPCs.
Development[edit | edit source]
| This section is incomplete. Please complete this section and remove this {{secstub}} notice. |
The Monstrous Manual was created as a response to requests to gather together AD&D monsters into a "single, durable volume". The Manual includes every monster from the Monstrous Compendium Volume One and Two, as well as creatures from supplements for various campaign settings such as Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Spelljammer, and Dark Sun. Additional new creatures (for the AD&D 2nd edition game) were included as well. The creatures were all revised, updated, and reorganized. However, many monster listings were condensed from their entries in earlier works.[1]
The project was coordinated by Tim Beach, who also served on a "Monster Selection Committee" with Jeff Grubb, John Rateliff, and David Wise. Doug Stewart served as the editor, with Gaye O'Keefe as editorial assistant (and also responsible for typesetting). In addition to Beach, Grubb, Rateliff, and Stewart, development work for the Manual also involved Wolfgang Baur, Slade Henson, Jon Pickens, and Thomas Reid. "Guidance" was provided by Tim Brown, Steve Winter, and James M. Ward.[2]
Art for the Manual was coordinated by Peggy Cooper and Beach. The interior illustrations were produced by Tom Baxa, Jeff Butler, Tony DiTerlizzi, Mark Nelson, and Dave Simons, with Les Dorscheid coloring most of the book.[2] In addition to reprinting artwork from previous Monstrous Compendiums, over 300 new pieces of art were created for the book.
Additional development credits include Paul Hanchette for keylining, and proofreaders Karen Boomgarden, Anne Brown, and Andria Hayday. (Reid and Wise were also credited as proofreaders.)[2]
Reception and influence[edit | edit source]
The Monstrous Manual received a new cover in 1995, to match the revised releases of the Player's Handbook (2e) (1989) and Dungeon Master's Guide (2e) (1989), but the interior contents were unchanged. The Monstrous Manual was reprinted again in 2013, along with the 2nd edition Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide, once again receiving a new cover.[3]
Links[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Monstrous Manual (1993), p.3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Monstrous Manual (1993), p.2.
- ↑ Monstrous Manual (2e) (Dungeon Masters Guild). Retrieved 2020-10-05.
| Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Monstrous Compendiums |
|---|
| Core rules |
| Volume One • Volume Two • Monstrous Manual |
| Appendices |
| Fiend Folio • Outer Planes Al-Qadim • Dark Sun • Dark Sun II • Dragonlance • Forgotten Realms (MC3) • Forgotten Realms (MC11) • Greyhawk • Kara-Tur • Mystara • Ravenloft • Ravenloft II • Ravenloft I & II • Ravenloft III • Savage Coast • Spelljammer (MC7) • Spelljammer (MC9) |
| Annuals |
| Volume One • Volume Two • Volume Three • Volume Four |
| Related |
| Birthright: Blood Spawn |
