I was looking forward to being able to undertake the review of Tome of Beasts II and finally the time has come. Obviously, first of all, I want to thank Kobold Press for sending an evaluative copy of this massive monster manual for D&D5e. Tome of Beasts II starred in a glorious Kickstarter campaign that saw over 6,500 backers provide more than $400,000 to create this 400-monster tome. With a value of $ 1,000 per creature, expectations are really high!
For those interested in purchasing, the volume is available at Kobold Press site, but also in other online stores like Amazon, DrivethruRPG or IBS.it. The price ranges from $29.99 (about € 25) for the digital version to about $55 (€ 45 at current exchange rates) for the physical version.
An Overall Look at the Product
The Tome of Beasts II is a heavy handbook that gives satisfaction in handling it. The smooth and hard cover, the thick pages that do not slip through the hands, the good smell of printed paper are all signs of a quality product. There are 409 pages that end with 3 lists of creatures sorted by type, by challenge and by terrain.
There is an adjective that immediately came to mind when I first looked at this work: the Tome of Beasts II is impudent. Most monsters look you in the face. Laughing. And they challenge you. No limits have been set in experimenting with daring inventions of crossing elements and types of animals. The creatures strike the reader and strike hard. Some for the imagination, others for the madness, still others for the pose. They look like an army ready to conquer the best places among the protagonists of an RPG campaign. Each of them has a dedicated page that includes a descriptive introductory part consisting of a couple of paragraphs; then statistics and skill descriptions. Among them there are also some monsters proposed by backers of the Kickstarter campaign who have passed the scrutiny of the experienced and talented Kobold Press team.
Review On The Creatures of the Tome of Beasts II
I browsed through the pages of the manual to look for the best examples that can fully convey the meaning of this review of the Tome of Beasts II. Well, it was difficult to choose. There is a frightening brute born from a pun: the Ab-errant Knight. You can find imaginative chimeras such as the Alpamac, half trout half bear, or the chameleon hydra or unlikely unions between a wolf and a locust or between a caterpillar and a tiger. There are also various declinations of the most common monsters. Dragon skin or shroud golems; oozes of tar or ichor. And many varieties of constructs, undead, demons, plants. Four hundred monsters is quite a lot and there is a great abundance of jaws, tentacles, limbs and claws. Metallic and mechanical monsters are also in large numbers.
The range of choice is very wide. There are monstrous but also somewhat surreal creatures, such as the Morgrik, a kind of crocodile with a second mouth on its belly that flies by twirling a tail made up of twelve tentacles. Creatures with a more horror and macabre cut, worthy inhabitants of the worst nightmares. Finally, there are powerful, epic and majestic monsters, for those who want to make their players’ hearts beat faster.
And I have only scratched the surface. There are four hundred monsters.
Art and Layout
The layout of Tome of Beasts II doesn’t get much prominence in this review as it has marginal relevance. It is well done, and rightly the same on every page. On the other hand, the art is a central part of the success of this volume. In the end, monsters are a collection of numbers, modifiers and abilities. To light the sacred fire of combat, it is necessary to give numbers a shape, a flavor, an intensity. A “real” creature. And art is the vector that brings the idea into the world, which makes what is described an objective reality shared by all the players.
The art of Tome of Beasts II is captivating and impudent, like the soul of the manual itself. There is a lot of life and a lot of color in the poses of the creatures. Fire and flames, open jaws, sly grins, tense muscles, sinister tendrils and aggressive carapaces. Turning the pages is fun and makes you want to play. As a dungeon master I look at the images and I anticipate the unlikely looks my players will make when I’ll give shape to their imagination.
Final Considerations of the Review of Tome of Beasts II
The final thought of this Tome of Beasts II review is very simple. I think it’s the best monster manual I’ve reviewed so far. There is a lot of choice, a lot of quality, great indexing. Above all there are well-made, unique, endearing creatures that attract and make you want to play. They are cocky, they have a playful spirit and they are structured with experience. Those who know and appreciate Tome of Beasts I will be able to find design and construction continuity.
A lifetime may not be enough to exhaust the desire to confront all the monsters of the Tome of Beasts II, and at least once in your life you have to face its pages.