With the sales push of 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons in full swing, there are many people who are holding on to what they feel is a great game being cast by the wayside. I'm one of those people. As a lover of the 3rd edition rules, I'm buying up as much material as I can while its still around. There are several pieces that are must-buys, and I include the Fiend Folio near the top of that list. This collection of creatures was designed by some of the biggest names in the industry today and it shows. The book provides over 150 monsters to utilize in your game. Some are old favorites that were introduced in the original AD&D Fiend Folio, such as the iron cobra, the necrophidius, and the yellow musk creeper and its attendant zombies. Others are new and a welcome addition to the game. The wicker man, an animated construct that will capture and imprison folk in its cage-like body and has the possibility of being set ablaze in order to become a walking inferno, is one I'm looking forward to unleashing in my own games. The artwork for each creature ranges from adequate to amazing, which is not surprising since the interior artists list includes such luminaries as Jeff Easley, Todd Lockwood, and Wayne Reynolds. A bonus are the two appendices of the book. The first provides prestige classes that can be applied to fiends to give them even more depth and increase the amount of hurt they can put on mortals. The second deals with grafts and symbionts, illustrating creatures and parts of creatures that can be joined with characters to provide them with additional abilities. (That's assuming, of course, that such characters would be inclined to tack on parts from abberations, fiends, or undead to increase their power.) All in all, this is a winning entry into any D&D gamer's collection. I find very little at fault with the work as a whole. There are certain pieces of artwork that seem lackluster and one creature, the canomorph, gets the short end of the stick. Shapeshifting planar dwellers, the canomorph comes in various types, yet only one type was seen fit to be given an illustration. Another thing to keep in mind is that this book was published in 2003, before the shift to the 3.5 rules. If you are running a 3.5 campaign you'll want to accquire the revisions for this rulebook. They are currently available as a free pdf download from Wizards of the Coast, but with 4E rolling ever onward and the company apparently wanting to bring its previous chapter to a close, you'll want to hurry and get them while they're still available. So, there you have it. This is a book worthy of any DM's collection. Grab yourself a copy while you can. You won't regret it.Read full review
Where the 1980 AD&D Fiend Folio gave us the description of the death knight, Lolth, ettercap, grell, shadow demon, and the slaadi types, the version 3 Fiend Folio is not quite so ambitious. The monsters contained in this version are so obscure you probably will never miss them (cranium rats?). There are only two actual devils covered here and a handful of demons. The remainder is filled with a hodge-podge of beasts that as a DM I would hardly consider interesting or unique enough to add to a campaign. The first "fiend" listed is the abrian. It is a talking ostrich with a special shriek attack. Seriously, how did this monster make the cut? I expect that the "Fiend" Folio is going to contain actual fiends, not just fodder that couldn't be included in the Monster Manual series. For crying out loud, they made 5 Monster Manuals in the 3 - 3.5 version. Is the abrian not better suited to be listed in one of those? The deva is in this book too. These are angels for crying out loud! What are they doing in the Fiend Folio? This, in my humble opinion, is another reason why the D&D players of old do not care for how Wizards has treated the game. For version 3 - 3.5 there are 5 Monster Manuals and a truckload of "companions": Book of Vile Darkness, Draconomicon, Drow of the Underdark, Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss, Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells, Libris Mortis: The Book of the Dead, Lords of Madness, & Planar Handbook are just a few. An accurate and complete description of many of these monsters is scattered throughout these books. Gone are the days when you could simply buy the two Monster Manuals and the Fiend Folio and have everything you needed to run any monster or fiend. The bottom line is: this book is filler. There are no iconic monsters listed here that you would need if you're simply looking for reference material to build a campaign. Stick to the other 30+ books that Wizards has spun out. I can't bear to even go on to version 4. It looks like the same thing is happening again. They are already on Players Guide 3!Read full review
This book is in great condition, and has everything I was looking for in the 3.5e monsters. Granted I’m using it as inspiration for my 5e campaign- but it’s still a very useful book that I’m happy to have.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
i have had the Fiend Folio that was new in 1983 and now i have the most recent update and new Fiend Folio and it is extremly helpful with the identity and info. of many hard to explain monsters and fiends this is a referance book that in conjuntion with other D&D books help give the game that little extra it is also one of the reasons i have been playing the game sence 1978or79 i enjoy the time i play still for that break in every day stuff so when i get to geather with my friends on weekends so this book is great and dose offer alot as far as identifying and stats to help with the use of and encontering creatures that are good to make everyone have more fun in D&D as well as readind about the minis that are in it to i hope this helps some one to chose to buy and use e-bay for the good deals and oppertunitys that it give people from buyers to sellers enjoy life 358allenRead full review
If you really want to expand the evil that your heroes must face, I suggest perusing the Fiend Folio.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Great supplement book!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is a great book, filled with some pretty terrifying monsters. Great for any DM that wants to whip their group into shape.
the basic book on in depth nasties from the Pits of Hell or the Abyss. a must if you are needing something below and beyond the 'imps' one finds in a dungeon
This is a better updated version of the orginial one from version 1.0 of the D&D game by tsr/wizards of the coast.
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