Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I got my copy of Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes a tad early, and as a DM, I couldn't be happier. This book is a look at extraplanar existence in 5E, focusing on many great places (such as the Nine Hells) and interesting races (like the Gith and Eladrin) to add flavor to different places in a lot of campaigns. That said, this book might not be for everyone (particularly players), so I've decided to supply a rundown of what this book is and what it isn't. So, without further ado: WHAT THE BOOK IS: 1 - A Tome of Terrifying Foes: Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes is a treasure trove of high CR monsters, providing loads of new, tier 3-4 monsters as well as republishing some particularly juicy enemies, such as Demogorgon from the Out of the Abyss module. Many of these creatures do not call the Material Plane their home, and are plentiful on other planes. The Feywild's Eladrin have received their own statblocks. The Shadowfell has become less sparsely populated with the introduction of creatures based on negative emotions. Zariel the Archdevil makes an appearance. Strange creatures known as Star Spawn, beings oft associated with Elder Evils or Great Old Ones, are also present, and many others are to be found. Any DMs who are running or intend to run high level campaigns, one shots, or content in places other than the Material Plane will definitely love the creatures this book provides. Even those who prefer lower level experiences can find some new and engaging stat blocks. 2 - A Tome of Lore: Mordenkainen's also expands upon lore elements present within 5E, such as the origins of elves, the inscrutable Raven Queen, the Blood War between Fiends, and other noteworthy pieces of D&D lore. These bits of information and mythology can easily serve as the basis for new campaigns, ways to add flavors to Devils, Fey and other creatures, and even grant perspective into elements previously established in other 5E supplements. WHAT THE BOOK IS NOT: 1 - A Player Resource: While the Tome of Foes grants so many tools and plot devices for DMs, it provides exceedingly little for players. In fact, the only new content designed with the players specifically in mind in this book are the new races/subraces. There are no new classes or archetypes, no new feats, spells or variant rules that players might want to use. There are wonderful bonds and background ideas for many types of adventurers (such as drow and duergar), but in my experience, many players will often gloss over written suggestions in favor of their own, though your own mileage with these new ideas will vary. While the new races/subraces are cool and interesting, if you are a player hoping to use this in a way similar to Xanathar's Guide to Everything, you will almost certainly be disappointed. 2 - A Focused Book: Covering topics that span a multitude of planes, times, and histories, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes does seem a little... all over the place. It may be an excellent foundation for extraplanar adventures, but there is no broad story to be told, no specific species expanded upon in the way that Volo's Guide to Monsters expanded on Beholders, Giants and so on. It expands more on racial and planar history rather than creature personalities, which some might find disappointing. FINAL THOUGHTS: As a DM myself in the midst of creating my own homebrew world, I love this book. It adds a lot of interesting lore to already interesting races/places, and expands upon a few that haven't really gotten much limelight in 5E. If I had been a person not interested in DMing, however? The five star rating I gave this book would have probably dropped to a 3. There just isn't much here for players, something that previous supplements all had. This is probably the first book since the Dungeon Master's Guide that is very, very heavily tailored to one side of the D&D player spectrum (the DMs, in this case). If you're a DM looking for a new expansion on lore and high CR creatures, I recommend this book wholeheartedly. If you're a player, you'll probably want to skip over this one. The races/subraces aren't enough to justify a $30-$50 price tag.