Interesting lore and stat block updates to overlooked monsters, with new monsters that don't contradict the original lore but provide minions for the powerful and mysterious Gehereleths (Demodands). The supplement leans into the warden aspects of the gehereleths, and opens up the possibility of a gehereleth-cetnered cult based in a prison. Overall, great supplement. Get it if you are interested in planar campaigns or want another layer of depth to an Avernus or other fiend-centered campaign.

This supplement was a godsend for my plane-hopping game. Some reviews and comments have criticized it for wacky CR ratings and hit point counts, but those have been fixed and I have no complaints about the usability of this product. If you're thinking of running an adventure in or involving Carceri, grab it.

The flavour this supplement gives to Carceri, the prison plane, is fantastic. It opens up an outer plane as a living world with societies, factions, and viscious ecosystems in a way that all the landscape description in the world can't hold a candle to. Any DM with two brain cells to rub together could craft hooks galore from the description, lore, and monster abilities in this beastiary.

Speaking of lore, every single monster in this supplement is illustrated and includes lore that matches its stats and is worded clearly. Too many supplement-writers fall in love with their own voices as much as with Victorian-era English when writing lore, but this text is fun and evocative without being silly. You can skim it to get a general gist if you're in a hurry, or settle down to get a comprehensive understanding.

I liked all of these so much that I went ahead and added them all by hand into my Roll20 character vault, and though I did add some special moves to the rank-and-file, that's a personal preference of mine for monsters to always have tricks up their sleeves, not a fault of the product. I think the only criticism I have is the typoes scattered throughout - as a professional editor I can't not notice these things - but we're only human, and it doesn't detract from anything that matters.

Read my full review here.

Firstly, this supplement contains imaginative monsters that are guaranteed to produce shock and awe at the table. Secondly, it is well balanced, a bit lethal, and quite thematic and flavorful. Thirdly, this bestiary is further enhanced by excellent artwork that is very reminiscent of AD&D and a visually appealing and neat layout. Also, extra brownie points for the print friendly version!

Pretty great stuff!

Really creative monsters that will give chills to your players. The mechanics are really balanced and the art included is unique. The shackle Hag is one of my favourites!