There’s something of a standard operating procedure for monster books. The usual protocol is that a fairly hefty amount of monsters, covering a vast range of creature types and Challenge Ratings, are needed in order to have something that’ll sell. The flipside to this is that you don’t need to worry too much about fleshing the monster out. A paragraph or two about it, maybe one or two more for its ecology and such, and that’s it. The rest is all focus on its stats and combat abilities. Rite Publishing, however, disputes that paradigm with Veiled Denizens.

Veiled Denizens says right on the cover “Requires the use of Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved,” which I found to be rather confusing. Each monster has a box of alternate rules for various forms of d20 gaming, such as alignment, 3.0-style damage reduction, sanity loss, taint, etc. This seems to imply that Arcana Evolved isn’t actually required to use what’s here, and indeed it’s not…for the most part.

Five new monsters are presented in Veiled Denizens, all of which are relatively low-powered (CRs ranging from 5 to 8). Rather than shy away from flavor, this book revels in it, with the description for each creature being given in-character by the creature itself. There are expressive Lore tables (that is, skill checks) for what can be learned about the monster at various DCs, and sometimes there are notes from the designer or playtesters tucked in the book also, before the sidebar with the variant rules. The stat blocks for the monsters, likewise, are very well-formed, and each monster has at least one power that’s not only unique, but lends itself to driving a plot also. That said, the fluff text is specific to the Arcana Evolved setting, so GM’s looking to use these creatures elsewhere should be prepared to make up their own backstories.

In regards to artwork, Veiled Denizens does an impressive job. Each of the book’s monsters has an illustration depicting them, often using very soft colors and shades that seem black and white, but have enough toning that you’re unsure if there’s a mix of colors in there too. Black borders alternate on facing sides of each page, usually with a light reproduction of part of the monster’s illustration. There is no printer-friendly version, but in a book this brief (particularly when you’re likely to just need to print out one monster at a time) I can’t really hold that against it.

However, for all its merits, this book does have its flaws. For one thing, there are no bookmarks. It seems odd to mention that for a PDF that’s twenty pages long, but ease of navigation is always a top priority in PDFs, even the short ones. There are also a few errors, such as the playtesters note about the Red Harlot being reproduced for Vlada-mrak. One of the things I found most lacking, however, was a reproduction of the description of Arcana Evolved-specific spells when they were mentioned. The Trikar-mrak, for example, can use Unknown once per day as a spell-like ability. I have no idea what that is, since I don’t have Arcana Evolved. Now, to be fair, the book does say it requires Arcana Evolved, as noted previously, but the conversion sidebar seems to fly in the face of that. Why give me everything I need to use this monster in a straight 3.5 game, and then not explain what its sole spell-like ability does? It’s the little things like this that flaw what would otherwise be a perfect book – even then, the people who do use this for Arcana Evolved won’t have this particular problem anyway.

If I had the option, I’d have given this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. As it is, I’m rounding that down simply because I came at it from the perspective of a 3.5-edition gamer, so I felt the incompleteness of the “variant” information keenly. This book’s successes far and away outweigh its flaws though, and the new monsters here are crafted so exquisitely that Monte Cook himself would be proud of them. Veiled Denizens brings a great set of sly new creatures to your 3.5 game, whatever variant it may be.

Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved is one of the more fascinating fantasy worlds based on the d20 system. Unlike the more generic Dungeons & Dragons 3.x system, the character classes, races, magics, creatures and even the magic items in AE are intricately tied into the world history and themes.

Monsters Evolved: Veiled Denizens continues Cook's tradition. Published by Rite Publishing, the 20 page pdf covers five unique creatures for one's AE campaign. (A print copy can be purchased at Lulu.) As you will see in the following, the supplement is also superbly presented for both traditional fantasy worlds and more exotic ones as well.

The monsters in Veiled Denizens are not your typical creatures for the PCs to slay and get its gold. Each creature -- the Kralvo, Labyvo Crvyn, Trikar-Mrak, Vlada-Mrak, and Xesnor -- exemplifies a particular theme by the author. The Labyvo Crvyn, for example, is the perils of lust gone wrong, while the Trikar-Mrak shows how to turn a PC's strengths against them.

Each entry starts off with the monster's stats and how it describes itself. Yes, you read that right. While there's an illustration of each creature, the description reveals its sef-image: its form, history, and purpose. Disquieting stuff, since none of the creatures believes itself to be evil. The Designer 's Note and the playtest casts suggestion sections then cover how to use the particular in one's campaign. Unfortunately, only a few entries had them with the red harlot's entry irritatingly being in twice in different entries.

Lore shows what information PCs can gleam by making akashi memory or the appropriate Knowledge checks.

PC, being who they are, and monsters, being what they are, will eventually come into conflict. The combat section covers what each Monsters Evolved creature will do in most melee situations.

Campaigns that use different options such as the wounds/vitality system or action points will love the Variant aside sections. Monsters Evolved is the first supplement I've ever seen provide such information and I give it kudos for realizing not everyone plays with same ruleset. A new feat and even a new material (folded steel) are found in the pdf as well.

Artwork and layout of Veiled Denizens are very good, with the front and back covers colored similar to the Arcana Evolved book. Most of the art ranges from passable (kralvoj, Xesnor) to very good (labyvo Crvyn). Only the vlada-mrak looked amateurish.

Entries are broken down into two columns and text is easily legible. Editing is decent with the exception of the red harlot's playtester casts suggestion entry being, again, in two different places. Oh, and the misspelled "compatable" and "usuable" on the back cover.

So what's my overall opinion? Veiled Denizen is a very professional work, both in the ideas presented and the presentation. DMs who like their monsters with personality and purpose will enjoy this product. I only wish more designer notes were included in each entry, and even more suggestions of using them in one's campaign.

This review is based on review copy provided by Rite Publishing.