Quote from: Bill;779848Just realized the Succubus/Incubus are not in the Demon or Devil section.

Clearly, a targeted attack on Purple.

   That's part of their attempt to split the difference between pre-4E demonic succubi and 4E diabolic succubi. Given that the creatures and their equivalents (2E-era erinyes) have always stood outside the standard progression of demon types or diabolic hierarchies, making them something outside the Big Two groups makes sense.

   Personally, I don't see a need for them in the core MM. But that's a minority position based on the premises that
   

• the core game should be PG (a minority position to be sure)
• creatures in the MM should be as broadly useful as possible;
• most games don't deal with the deeper themes of temptation, lust, and the like that the succubus can represent explicitly;
• and if they don't, then there's nothing the succubus/incubus can do that can't already be done by the vampire less explicitly, and the vampire's more useful to more games.

 Still, it's by no means a deal-breaker, just like the involvement of Zak S and the Pundit wasn't. And I have no objection to them in things like Planescape or Ravenloft; indeed, Van Richten's Guide to Fiends is one of my favorite books in large part because it uses fiends, including a succubus, to address those deeper themes

Wow,  despite the lack of Froghemoth, I'm happily surprised with how solid this lineup is.

I don't see any 4e critters, not that I'm an expert. Are there any in this? I guess I could just go to purple and see what Ezekiel is throwing a fit about this week.

Quote from: Planet Algol;779918Wow,  despite the lack of Froghemoth, I'm happily surprised with how solid this lineup is.

I don't see any 4e critters, not that I'm an expert. Are there any in this? I guess I could just go to purple and see what Ezekiel is throwing a fit about this week.

I think Nothics are a 4E monster. There may be others.

Looking through the monsters in the basic rules and the previews others have posted here, it seems like immunity to non-magical weapons has generally been nerfed to resistance. Is my perception accurate, and is this a result of a world with pew-pew cantrips or something else?

Quote from: Blacky the Blackball;779826

(It didn't seem worth its own thread.)

haha that's funny. Glad to see they are keeping the trend going

Quote from: Natty Bodak;779927Looking through the monsters in the basic rules and the previews others have posted here, it seems like immunity to non-magical weapons has generally been nerfed to resistance. Is my perception accurate, and is this a result of a world with pew-pew cantrips or something else?

Probably due to the fact that magic items aren't assumed anymore, and are much rarer than in any other edition.  You might hit level 5-6 before you get your first magic weapon in 5e.

Just noticed the "Rug of Smothering". I could have used that during my last campaign!

Quote from: Natty Bodak;779897Why the confusion?

Heh, I dunno, struck me as a weird option, but that's subjective on my part for sure.

Quote from: Natty Bodak;779897Except for "Elves: Drow"?

Oh yeah, but they don't count to me.

QuoteI don't see any 4e critters, not that I'm an expert. Are there any in this? I guess I could just go to purple and see what Ezekiel is throwing a fit about this week.

So far I haven't spotted any, but a lot of classic monsters were re-interpreted in 4e, so we'll have to see their entries to find out which version they went with.

Quote from: Planet Algol;779918Wow,  despite the lack of Froghemoth, I'm happily surprised with how solid this lineup is.

I don't see any 4e critters, not that I'm an expert. Are there any in this? I guess I could just go to purple and see what Ezekiel is throwing a fit about this week.

Flameskull and Revenant are 4e monsters (unless they're using the weird Mentzer revenant, but I'm 90% sure they're not). Deva might be. The name Oni instead of Ogre Mage is also a 4e-ism. I think Nothics might have been a late 3.5 thing that got a bit more attention in 4e.

Edit: Oh, and Blood Hawk is the 4e name for what previously had been known as a Dire Hawk in 3e and a Giant Hawk before.

Quote from: Haffrung;779923I think Nothics are a 4E monster. There may be others.

3rd edition, Miniatures Handbook, I believe.

Blood Hawks were in the 1E Fiend Folio,  from what I remember of the basic PDF it's basically the same critter.

I like the Flameskull!

Quote from: LibraryLass;779942Flameskull and Revenant are 4e monsters (unless they're using the weird Mentzer revenant, but I'm 90% sure they're not). Deva might be. The name Oni instead of Ogre Mage is also a 4e-ism. I think Nothics might have been a late 3.5 thing that got a bit more attention in 4e.

Edit: Oh, and Blood Hawk is the 4e name for what previously had been known as a Dire Hawk in 3e and a Giant Hawk before.

Blood Hawk is 1st edition, from the Fiend Folio.
Flameskull is 2nd edition, Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

As bummed as I am there is no cave fisher, with the extra useability of monsters due to bounded accuracy, and the large content of this book, it just very well might be the best MM since 2e's hardback.

Quote from: Planet Algol;779918Wow,  despite the lack of Froghemoth, I'm happily surprised with how solid this lineup is.

I don't see any 4e critters, not that I'm an expert. Are there any in this? I guess I could just go to purple and see what Ezekiel is throwing a fit about this week.

Boycott until Froghemoth is released?

Quote from: Sacrosanct;779953As bummed as I am there is no cave fisher, with the extra useability of monsters due to bounded accuracy, and the large content of this book, it just very well might be the best MM since 2e's hardback.

Between this and the incredible completeness of the PHB, maybe the plan really is to make splatbooks redundant and focus on the non-rpg elements of the I.P.

My only favourite not in the MM is Jermlaine. Don't know why aren't firmly entrenched as a classic monster by now.