Roll20 D&D Monster Manual (Tabletop) Review

Need a way to throw more dastardly, bizarre, or difficult creatures at your virtual adventuring party? Look no further than Roll20.net! Released in February 2017, Roll20 now carries the official Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Monster Manual to fluff your virtual tabletop game to the max!

Retailing at $49.99 USD on it’s website, Roll20 integrates the entire Monster Manual. So you, the GM, and your players have access to some of the most iconic creatures in the Dungeons and Dragons world!  

The Monster Manual itself is worth purchasing, but Roll20 makes it incredibly easy to load these monsters into your campaign. You’ll have beholders, mind flayers, dragons, Modrons, slaads, demons and more available instantly.

Each monster has it’s own entry in the D&D 5e Compendium on Roll20

And each listing is complete with detailed information regarding the creature too.  The DM also has instantaneous access to the stat blocks for all of the creatures in the manual. That makes it supremely easy to incorporate these official creatures into your current or new campaign.  There are circular tokens featuring the same artwork from the physical book too. That’s enhances your campaign nicely in the visual department.

If you aren’t familiar with Roll20.net, it’s currently one of the best ways to experience tabletop roleplaying games- remotely! Not everyone is local. Maybe your friends from school moved away, or you took a job in another country. Whatever the reason for your empty gaming table, Roll20 brings players together through audio, video, and visual representations of any TRPG you’re looking to play!

As of last year, they’ve teamed up with Wizards of the Coast.  That deal brought official D&D information to Roll20’s compendium, that features rules, weapons, gear, and general information on how to play the game.

Players are able to create their own unique characters in the system

They can roll for stats, cast spells, produce damage, and continue to customize their character as needed throughout a campaign: all from the comfort of their own home. And all without the hassle of bringing a backpack full of books, note paper, pencils, miniatures, and dice.

Roll20 also has Volo’s Guide to Monsters, which is a more in-depth look at some of the most iconic creature encounters of the D&D realms. The Storm King’s Thunder campaign book is also available for you and your friends to experience!

The cooperation between Roll20 and WoTC makes roleplaying games more accessible to players that might never have been able to find a group in their area to play with.

While the Monster Manual itself is a phenomenal resource, there’s no denying that the cost of the book is, well, rather undesirable.  You can purchase a physical copy of the book for $35 on Amazon, so to pay $49.99 for a digital version seems silly. That’s especially true when you start looking at purchasing all of the other official books for digital use.

The cost adds up. Quick. As a DM, it’s rather daunting to consider just how expensive it is to set up an official campaign on Roll20, in comparison to playing at your own table at home. But for some, the cost is worth the accessibility.

Considering the cost, it is still worth adding this digital book to your Roll20 library.  The level of quick use and integration of monsters needed for your campaign allows for your game to flow smoothly.  Overall, the Monster Manual itself is Brutal Gamer 5/5 rating. But for it’s use specifically on Roll20, the price is just too high to receive a perfect score.  With a 4/5 rating, it’s still worth picking up!