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Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale (4e) $14.99
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Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale (4e)
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Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale (4e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 07/18/2022 13:46:04

Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/07/monstrous-mondays-d-4e-monster-vaults.html

When 2010 rolled around it was becoming obvious that 4e was not going to sell as well as previous versions of D&D. It still sold well, but it was not hitting the number that WotC and Hasbro wanted. Since the old adage was "Core Books sell better" the 4e team reintroduced the D&D 4th edition game with the 4e Essentials line. While no a new edition really, it was designed to make the 4e game a bit easier to play and run and make it more like old editions of the game.

It was not quite successful but it did re-interest me in the game after playing 4e for a bit and then drifting off to Pathfinder.

One of the "interesting" changes in 4e Essentials was the shift of the "Monster Manual" to the "Monster Vault."

They were called these since the first Essentials Monster book was a boxed set with the digest-sized book and monster tokens for all the creatures in the book. Nice touch for a mini-focused game.

Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale

PDF (and softcover). 128 pages, full color. $14.99 for PDF, $32.99 for PoD or $47.98 for both.

If the first Monster Vault was designed to replace or complement the D&D 4 Monster Manuals then a case could be made that Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale could be considered the D&D 4e Monster Manual 4. Indeed, with the updated MV monsters in the fist book, combined with this book a hard cover Monster Manual 4 could have been created. While the cover features a cool looking black dragon, the hard cover could have been Graz'zt to continue with the demon-focused covers.

This originally came as a softcover book in a shrink-wrapped paper slip-case with card-stock tokens like that of the Monster Vault. These included all the monsters for this book. The book though in this case is not digest-sized but letter sized.

There are 40 grouping of monsters here, with some named unique creatures and threats to the Nentir Vale. So the book feels like a campaign-setting monster book. There are about 200 monsters here in total. Since there are unique creatures and Nentir Vale-focused ones, there are monsters here that have never appeared in any D&D monster book before or since. Some are old favorites with new ideas. For example, there are Gnolls, but they are the Black Fang Gnolls here and are a little more vicious. There are new creatures, like the Frost Witches, that have not reappeared anywhere else as far as I know. Others of course are new and have appeared in other books after this.

Personally, I would love to see all of these creatures, along with the rest of the Nentir Vale, translated into D&D 5th edition.

The Essentials Line

Back when it was new in 2010 I spent some time talking about the D&D Essentials line and how it was what 4e should have been from the start.

I feel there is still a good game in here. I might need to delve a bit deeper and even get an Essentials game going sometime. There is still a lot of fun to be had here I think.



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[5 of 5 Stars!]
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