Expanded Options #02 – Monster Lore Skill for 5th Edition Fantasy by Troy Daniels is a role playing game supplement published by Fat Goblin Games for use with Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
This is a five-page PDF that is available from DriveThruRPG for $1.50 but was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. One page is the front cover and one the Open Game License.
The introductory paragraphs state that the existing rules of 5th Edition don’t take into account the important skill of monster identification. It also explains that the Expanded Options range bring new ideas and rules to the game.
Monster Lore – A Derived Skill starts by explaining the concept of derived skills and affinity.
Monster Lore explains that each class should know a little about monsters that said class deals with and should therefore get a proficiency bonus when encountering such creatures, and that this insight should increase as the character advances.
There are rules for using Monster Lore as a skill check, and the modifications done to the skill check, based on the Challenge Rating and class affinity. A table then has the monster lore that could be learned, together with an example. A sidebar gives the major classes and the creatures they would have affinity for.
Expanded Options #02 – Monster Lore Skill for 5th Edition Fantasy in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and, at this length, doesn’t need them. Navigation is okay. The text maintains a two-column colour format and, apart from the cover, there are no illustrations. Presentation is okay. There are a few errors in the text; D&D 5E is referred to by name, which isn’t supposed to be done, and the supplement is called a Sidebar in a couple of locations – the Sidebar series is similar in nature, but for Pathfinder, and this series is called Expanded Options.
Other than the errors, this is a nice idea for an optional rule. Characters should know at least something about a monster their class specialises in – even if some of the specialities are a bit forced, so that every class has one – and gaining more understanding of these creatures as a character’s level increases also makes sense. Expanded Options #02 – Monster Lore Skill for 5th Edition Fantasy is a decent little supplement and it can be found by clicking here.
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