Mail Room: Monster Vault 2 (PDF)

The one thing I like about Tales of the Valiant is how they are forging an identity apart from D&D and coming up with "their own stuff," including the monsters of the world. Unlike Pathfinder 2E, they did not throw out the classic monsters, so if I still wanted blue dragons and Drow in my ToV games, they are there, supported, and can show up in published adventures.

This is the best of what we had in D&D, minus the licensed product identity, but all the classics I love are still here. One thing I did not like about the Pathfinder 2E remaster was the memory holing of some of my favorites, including entire races from the world lore. I know, the OGL and all, but it felt extreme.

Also, unlike D&D 2024, they did not censor the monster list. Goblins, orcs, gnolls, and all my favorites are still here. The game did not "go stupid" on us, so some editor could prove a point. The game walks a line between newer players and old-school players and manages to please both crowds. I do not mind some of the progressive stuff in here since they do not go out of their way to insult grognards.

Thank you. Respect shown is respect given.

The Monster Vault 2 is a good addition to the game. 5E is easier to play without the books, just running off PDFs. I don't miss the hardcovers; they took up a lot of space, and I ended up ignoring them and using the PDFs anyway. I play ToV more without my hardcovers out, strangely.

We get expanded doom rules, monster bundles, more monster templates, a few hundred monsters, an animals appendix, and an NPC appendix. We also get reference tables in the back for CRs, creature types, tags, and terrains. The book hits all the notes a monster book should, and even increases ease-of-use at the table with its extra charts and tables.

ToV is still the best 5E. It does not go overboard with too many changes like Level Up A5E (I still like this version, it is just tough to play), and it manages to keep complexity down while increasing character options. I wish they had solved the 'nobody dies' problem in 5E, but that is partially mitigated by increased challenge. I can always homebrew or just make rulings, too.

These are great monsters, unlike what we are used to, but they draw inspiration from a fantasy world and don't seem too out of place. There are fun ones in here, too, like a barrel golem and a bunch of other ones with a touch of fantasy whimsy. I like my fantasy world to feel fantastical, and these monsters hit the right spot. Unlike D&D, the worlds in Tales of the Valiant still feel like medieval and Renaissance fantasy, not modern allegories or West Coast cities dressed in Ren Faire costumes.

ToV, after two years, is proving it has staying power, and it still holds up well against a withering-on-the-vine 2024 D&D with a drought of interesting releases and options. Now, we hear discussion of a 6th Edition of D&D, and a possible return to a version of AD&D. 

ToV will still be there when Wizards gives up on 5E to chase nostalgia.

Game on with your version of choice.