I guess Elminster or someone else from FR might have been better for you then. That being said, I think this is a useful book for DMs looking for higher CR monsters ideas and worth a look.

As a Dragonlance and Eberron guy I don’t feel supported either, but there are so many old books and 5e can be run pretty well from them.

maybe this quote will help with the sting as Mordenkain’s focus on balance is what puts him in the author seat for the tome.
“This book contains Mordenkainen’s first expression of the Balance. In here, he starts to describe the multiverse as a collection of opposing forces.”

The bait-and-switch thing mentioned above. I feel that by slapping Mordenkainen’s name on the cover, this is a cheap ploy by WotC to trick Greyhawk fans into thinking they’re picking up a Greyhawk book.

“See, we haven’t abandoned your setting, here’s Mordenkainen!”

As a Greyhawk guy, I find this especially irksome, but it would have been the same if they had name-dropped Raistlin, or van Richten, or whoever. If the actual content is setting-neutral, the book’s name should be setting-neutral. It’s dishonest and I’m not going to reward WotC for lying.

This book isn’t for everyone. Just curious, what is your reason for skipping the book?

The content of this book could really help you add places to visit from any setting. the Feywild, Shadowfell, Nine Hells, Astral Plane, etc… like Greyhawk (Oerth), Dragonlance (Krynn), Eberron. etc are all part of the multiverse.

Tome of Foes is generally written as “setting neutral” as possible. Faerun is treated as just another world for the most part.

Definitely skipping.

So I’m guessing from the “other worlds” mentioned, that Forgotten Realms is the assumed default world? If so, why isn’t this Elminster’s tome instead of Mordenkainen’s? (I don’t actually expect you to know, I’m just venting.)

Seems like a bait-and-switch designed to lure in Greyhawk fans.

The book’s lore chapters do contain sidebars on other worlds (Greyhawk, Krynn, Athas) similar to those in the 5e PHB, but a little more detailed. In the Halfling chapter, for example, they mention that a similar race exists on Krynn called Kender. They don’t, however, go into detail about how the Greystone of Gargath created the Kender race.

I’m slightly disappointed that there are no new beasts for Rangers and Druids, though. Not that there aren’t already enough in the Monstrous Manual; I’m just greedy.

Just got in the office and coming here I picked up my limited edition copy.

My FLGS had really stocked for this one; I counted thirteen special edition copies in pre-order (just like mine), four special edition copies available for sale plus another ten of the regular copies. This is the first time they do that in such a volume.

OK, the content is marvelous. Mordi is a calligrapher it seems, although not funny like the previous gentlemen that provided us with guides.

Art is of course top level, although some of it come from previous publications.

The same goes for some of the stat blocks (as the Demon Lords for instance) and I’m pretty sure that the same goes for the text. Well, this is a bit disappointing; I am fully on board with WotCs’ policy to limit the essential books in order to play, but I would really like to make each book truly unique. I hope there is some more lore about the Demon Lords or the other shared content, I haven’t had the chance to read the book through.

Anyhow, a nice addition to 5e!!!