Volo's Guide to Monsters Review - D&D 5e Books

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Starring Monty Martin & Kelly McLaughlin

[jesterssketchbook]

DM: ....it is then that you realize, this isnt a zombie...
Players: what is it, the-
(throws green gummy snakes at player's faces)

[Zthewise]

Whenever Volo's is pulled out with my group I know my party is in for a hard time.

[jonathanhallberg]

I gotta say, I love hobgoblins. In fact, I´m currently creating a world where they have become the greatest power in the known world after a Hobgoblin Warleader managed to unite all of the legions under one banner and from there conquer nation after nation.

[VMSelvaggio]

Funny Story about Kenku: My daughter was running her first D&D campaign, and created pre-generated characters for all of us to play, but she threw my wife what she thought would be a twist. It was my wife's birthday, and she had to only mimic what she overheard from other people. She went STRAIGHT into character from her LARP days as this glamoured Kenku Trickery Cleric and put on one HELL of a show! Had my daughter incapable of narrating the story or interacting because of the amazing job she did!

[TheBlackSerpentBeta]

As someone who already plays a goblin, this new goblin stuff interests me
No more homebrew for me...
Maybe

[danielrobson]

Have not played since 1992 the last time my group played before deployed to new duty stations. We had 1st and 2nd editions plus dragonlance magazine to play by. Thanks for all these great new information on newest edition!

[corranholmes]

I was really hesitant when one of my players wanted to play a yuan-ti. But after digging into the lore in Volo’s I realized that I could set up a subplot/side quest for that character that involves his former brethren trying to make a power grab in the elven kingdom. I really liked how well the lore and artwork for that monster section linked up with ancient Aztecs and used that for creating the landscape nearby with pyramid temples and sacrificial altars.

[TacDyne]

I was just reminded of my first time through NWN's Hordes of the Underdark. I had Deekin as a henchman and had given him a stockpile of scrolls I couldn't use. We came around a corner and ended up facing a beholder...
Deekin immediately cast grease.... yes, on the beholder... then Deekin promptly fell down in the grease.
I swear, both the beholder and I stood there for several rounds just staring at him in his grease.

[radiorose]

I'll second TysonA. You guys really take the time to (correctly and accurately) analyze content and rules far better than just about any other dnd nerds out there. I'm particularly impressed with some of your ideas and strategies for using the materials in interesting and effective ways - the spells for bad guys episode was a prime example.

Now that that stuff about you is out of the way, on to me.

I did something pretty similar to your magical experiments character creation idea around minute 10. I gave my DM a background for my wizard character in which he was one of a family of servants in an archmage's tower, and his whole family wound up exterminated through the various experiments (sister permanently feebleminded, brother lost in an extra planar spell practice, parents burned to death by misfired fireball). My character was permanently true polymorphed into another race to further a diplomatic initiative toward a xenophobic fortress of said other race. This allowed me to play the race, but without ALL of the race's usual idiosyncrasies. Half of the background was a rogues gallery of the archmage's apprentices responsible for his misery, and my character's stated goals of revenging himself upon them and attaining enough power to rescue his sister and brother.

Remains to be seen if the DM will take up the proffered background stuff and work it in or not. But it's definitely one of my best attempts at creating playable, useful background material (and it was fun doing it!).

Okay, back to you. Good stuff, guys! Keep it coming and I'm sure your channel will grow in followers.

[jordanwoodard]

I DM’d a 4 week goblin campaign, with all the player characters playing crazy quirky goblins on a quest to recover the handle of Maglubiyet’s long lost axe.

Near the end, I created a Goblin Bard NPC to assist the party who called himself Djembe. He played the drum in a funny and ridiculous manner. He was hilarious, passionate, yet also unintelligent which in the end got him killed in a crazy cliffhanger moment that left all my players crying! By far one my favorite npc’s to have been to date.

[ecthelion]

I know the Tabaxi are kind of designed as Jaguar people for the Maztica setting, but they're easy to reskin as other cat races. Look at lynx, european wildcats, and leopards for inspiration, for example.

[MorrisMeynolt]

I am in love with Aasimar. Would love to see a video about them, with inspiration tips and examples, or just ideas you might have. I loved my drunken bard aasimar who bent under pressure from their celestial guide. Kind of like Hank Moody from Californiation. :P

[kevinboulter]

Great content I started playing in the 70's still going in my 50's latest edition is the best love it

[OxygenZer]

10:43 Your Canadian is showing, lol. Luv U guyz!

[Tysonplays]

Good stuff guys keep it up, very high production value!

[Jeromy]

Goblins have been my favorite fantasy creature for a bad reason: I think of them as having a great preoccupation with breeding. I feel like bearing as many young as possible would be how they serve Maglubiyet. I was rather disappointed to find out that they're all about slavery and have actual skill at crafting and agriculture. I expected them to steal everything they own. I'm also kinda missing the old bonus goblins used to have to riding. The idea that a monster is well-known for cavalry of various odd sorts is also an interesting idea.

[mattfisher]

Since finding the Goliath, most of my characters are now Goliath barbrian or multi-class. The ultimate tank

[HundredYearsBoar]

Anyone notice tieflings looking less like Neeshka and more like Hellboy these days? :P

[ron]

Hey guys, REALLY liking your informative videos. Would love to see/get information about your display/game room, maybe a video?

[StateBlaze]

Can't say I've heard of a "fear-bog" before.