Speaking personally, I like to think I could play any monster with decent effectiveness, but this book lays out exactly how devastating some of these creatures can be if used to their full potential. This is extremely helpful for new DMs or even experienced DMs who want to more effectively challenge players. And it does the same thing for all the above-mentioned monster types.īest of all, the book gives you battle tactics for the various creatures. It gives you charts of what minions might be found in a beholder lair. It gives you suggestions on how to roleplay beholders. It gives you tables full of names and physical characteristics for beholders. (I thought I knew a lot about giants after Storm King’s Thunder, but this goes even deeper.) Even if I don’t use it, I’m glad I have it, especially for the book’s first section.īeholders, giants, gnolls, goblinoids, hags, kobolds, mind flayers, orcs and yuan-ti each get their own incredibly descriptive chapters detailing everything you’d ever want to know. But I have to say that everything in the book is so freaking good. Volo’s Guide is more for DMs crafting their own campaign worlds, those that want to expand the amount of monsters they can toss at adventuring parties or those adapting old adventures to 5th edition.Įvaluated through that lens, it’s not a must-have. If you’re running published adventures or don’t feel like you need more monsters, you can probably skip the book. Especially with the price tag, I’d just borrow your DM’s copy when rolling up your character.Īnd not even every DM is going to need it. Unless you’re just dying to play as a cat person or just love to read D&D lore, players probably don’t need to pick up Volo’s Guide. Though it has some content for players, it’s definitely a Dungeon Master-focused book. It’s an essential tool for DMs crafting their own campaigns. The thought that went into every page is impressive, and it is a nuanced book full of tons of fantastical detail.

Volo’s Guide to Monsters is a fantastic book.

Support Crit For Brains by buying a copy of Volo’s Guide to Monsters from Amazon.Īfter poring over the book, I found myself with two seemingly contrasting realizations:

D&d new monster manual