Brings an old school feeling to a whole catalog of monsters. They're tougher than what you'll find in the Monster Manual, but that's not bad. If you're looking for a way to challenge your players, this is it!

i found the monster expansion very helpful and i use it in play alot

I really like the Troll varaints but that is about it. The "Greater Beasts" seem wasteful to me.

Some good ideas to work off in here. The information is laid out well and very readable. Some art would be cool.

This is really good! Really really good! A must have for DM looking for some more powerful monsters. love the kobolds and hobgoblins and the rest are all really good as well! (sorry about the exsessive exclamation marks)

Laid out really well, no stat blocks are cut off. Easy to read and run as is. I like how the creatures are tougher versions but still maintain their roots (so there's a damn tough Orc Conqueror, but he doesn't throw Fireballs). Very good for keeping typically low level threats up with the party.

I highly recommend his other product, NPC Foes Expansion. Both are great, balance and math do not appear to have any mistakes, lore blurbs are short but evocative, and layout are setting a great standard for other products. Even the most complicated monster here, the Dread Lord, is on one page and clearly laid out.

Good range of humanoids. Well presented, well thought out. Highly recommended.

Presentation: The layout is good; everything that should be on the same page is on the same page. Stat blocks are professional, fonts are not obnoxious. Very readable on a screen. Other DM's Guild contributors should take notes. My only complaint is that the picture of the Dread Wraith doesn't match the description.

Content: Exactly as advertised, this is higher-level versions of staple Monster Manual creatures. You know exactly what you're getting here.

Creativity: Many of the stat blocks are pretty uninspired; just stat blocks from the MM with bigger numbers. Theoretically, anyone with the MM and DMG could make these, so most of what you're paying for is the time-saving. That said, there are a few neat ideas in here, such as Middle-earth-style trolls. Also some of the monsters have legendary actions, so that's cool.

Overall: A great product. I want to see more like this. 5 stars.

Great stuff — Used both the gnoll's in my last game as mini-BBEG's! Very helpful as I needed something a bit more powerful/thematic than the MM provides.

I also can't speak to the CR's accuracy yet until I try the monsters in actual play, but reading over this product, I'm glad I bought it and will put it to good use. I would love to see more similar products with even more variety of more powerful versions of common humanoid and beast monsters and also more powerful versions of mind flayers, aboleth, etc. with more specialized powers so it is possible to put together an adventure featuring an orc city, or a hobgoblin invasion, or mind flayer lair, and offer a variety of encounters with the same monster type.

I can't claim to "eyeball" challenge ratings in 5th edition, so I can't speak to whether these are on target or not, but as far as the monsters themselves, they look solid and mechanically well put together.

There is a good range of "expanded" monsters, from humanoids to giantkin to undead, which gives you more of the range of "standard" to "higher end challenge" that the 3.5 Monster Manual provided.

My biggest interest in the product was to have some reference for more powerful versions of standard monsters for things like 3.5 adventures that often had monsters with templates or class levels to boost them, and I think this will give me a fairly good range of "upgraded" standard monsters to work with for those kinds of adventures.

This is a fantastic idea, adequately executed. I feel like some of the Challenge Ratings might err to the high side a bit, especially among the greater beasts, some of which seem a rather weak for their CRs. Unlike many supplements that try to lure in readers with great art but not a lot of real substance, this supplement focuses on its intent rather than being "pretty," which is to its advantage. Even if it requires a little tweaking from a DM to bring the CRs up to speed, its a fantastic resource deserving of a look.