Keith Ammann

What a fascinating book, doing a deep dive into the monsters in 5th edition D&D and helping DMs by going in-depth into their stat blocks and making logical conclusions. Plus, the writer is often witty and it keeps the book readable, even if you're not just using it as a reference. Essential to every DM, not just for these specific monsters, but also because it helps teach how to read a stat block and come to similar conclusions for other monsters.

An invaluable resource for any DM who wants his monsters and NPCs to behave in a 'realistic' fashion, using abilities, attacks and spells in ways consistent with their nature, either as evolved creatures or not. Designed more as a reference than to be read cover to cover, it's clear and straightforward, with enough personal flourishes and micro-asides from the author to stop it being dull. Covers nearly all the monsters in the main 5th edition Monster Manual, helpfully grouped by category. I show more look forward to him doing the same for the new monsters of later sourcebooks. show less

A must-read for any GM. Whether your game is D&D or something else, Ammann's methodology is universally applicable. This could be considered a revolutionary way to approach stat blocks, and I wish that the official D&D books were written more like this book.