Name: Monster Manual 2
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
System: D20

Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition is a year old. In that time, most people have already chosen sides, with purists sticking to 3.5 and below, while others embrace the new, quick gameplay. If you follow PnPP you have likely realized that I fall into the second category, feeling that the mechanics of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition greatly surpass those of its predecessors. But enough about that, if you wanted to know my thoughts on 4E you would have gone to that review. It's important to know that, however, because in many ways, the Monster Manual 2 is a perfect example of 4th Edition at its finest.

As expected, the Monster Manual 2 contains hundreds of new enemies (and allies) to D&D. Unlike the Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons, there's no theme to the book. With the book's release it seemed that Wizards was going to take a strange (see: milking) approach to the expansion books, but that doesn't appear to be the case. The variety knows no bounds, and it introduces as many creatures as it expands on.

Most surprising is the inclusion of Metallic dragons, which it seemed would be saved for a second edition of the Draconomicon. Adamantine, Copper, Gold, Iron, and Silver dragons are all included. While it doesn't give the stats for every form of each of them, it usually gives a young, a middle-aged, and an old version of each, which should be more than enough for any DM to use until a full book is released.

Other races are also expanded on from their introduction in the original Monster Manual. Beholders, for example, now come in even more flavors, allowing players to meet them at as low as 5th level and as high as 29th. Wizards of the Coast looks to lower the gap that has previously plagued Dungeons & Dragons, and gives DMs more creatures for every level. This doesn't mean players at 3rd level can expect epic battles with massive monsters, but there's a much wider variety, of each creature.  The core races (as well as those added in the Player's Handbook 2) also come in various types, now, and give prospective DMs plenty of new ways to throw familiar enemies at their party.

Other races are new to at least 4th Edition, if not entirely original. The Bullywug, featured above, might be one of the more interesting, and should be adaptable to nearly any campaign. Almost every fantasy novel and game has some sort of frog race, and it shouldn't be too hard to find a spot to work them in. In fact, they're even given stats at the end of the book to become playable, along with the Duergar and Kenku. I'm sure some are already wringing their hands, thinking of having players polymorph into the somewhat unattractive (but entirely adorable) creatures after receiving a kiss from a beautiful princess.

For those who come to D&D with a video game background there are a few creatures that will likely look familiar. The Colossus has a description that appears to be taken straight from the game Shadow of the Colossus. These huge elemental constructs were created eons ago by powerful mages who have long since died, and simply wander the world "seeking to fulfill the orders of their long-gone masters."



Artistically, the book is as wonderful as Dungeons & Dragons fans should expect. Nearly every creature is given an image of some type to further define their appearance, most of which are new illustrations. Some, however, are recycled, and stand out for anyone who has spent time looking over the past books. It's especially upsetting to see that the Kenku image that was used in 3rd Edition making a return, especially since it wasn't especially good in the first place, and could have used an upgrade as the race was given character statistics. Hell, there are six types of Kenku in the book spanning three pages, a second picture should have been a given.

Nitpick of reusing art aside,  4th Edition's Monster Manual 2 is wonderful. It isn't packed with any specific type of content, it isn't exclusively made for high or low level players, it's simply several hundred new creatures to expand the D&D universe. It's a must own for fans of the game, especially those looking for new creatures, and should be on the shelf of every Dungeon Master tired of the same old crawls, and wanting to throw a curve ball at their party. Personally, I suggest that curve ball come in the form of a Demogorgon.

Monster Manual 2 retails for $35.95 and is out on May 19th.