Loot the Monster: A Hunter's Guide to the Monster Manual

Can I loot the body?

You know the moment. The party leans in, eyes gleaming with a mix of greed and curiosity, and someone asks the question every DM dreads: "Can I loot the body?"

You glance at the CR and mumble "well it doesn't technically have pockets, but…about 900 gold?" and watch the light die in their eyes.

They didn't kill a beholder for pocket change. They want the eye!

Loot the Monster is the definitive field guide to stripping the dead, turning every creature in the 5e (2014 & 2024) Monster Manuals into functional trophies your players will actually use. Not souvenirs, actual magic items, spell components, and craftable gear with real mechanics attached.

That beholder's eye you just carved off? Casts Antimagic Field. Mastercraft its eyestalks and you can summon a Spectator to guard a location for 101 years. Its smaller eyes become arcane foci that fire random beholder rays. And that's just one entry.

Grab a Bone Saw and Start Stripping the Dead.

The Monster Manual passes the buck: "Roll on a coin table sorted by CR." One roll for everything, from a bandit to a beholder.

Here's what you get instead:

• Complete MM Coverage, from A to Z. If it has a heart, you can carve it out.
• Trophies With Teeth. Every part has a mechanical effect or a crafting path. Eyes cast spells. Hides become armor. Organs brew into potions. Nothing is flavor text.
• The "Yes, You Can" System. A streamlined harvest check tied to creature type: Nature for Beasts, Religion for Celestials, Arcana for the Weird.
• Built for the Mid-Session Panic. Look up the monster and tell them what they find. No wading through fluff.

A beholder's eye that casts Antimagic Field. A troll's regenerating liver brewed into healing draughts. A displacer beast's pelt sewn into a cloak that won't quite stay where you put it. Every monster, every trophy, every session.

What's Inside

A complete, table-ready harvesting guide for 5th Edition (2014 & 2024), delivered as a hardcover book and PDF.

• Harvestable trophies and crafting paths for the full creature roster
• 1,000+ craftable items: weapons, armor, spell components and more!
• The "Yes, You Can" harvest-check system, organized by creature type
• Quick-reference layout designed for live use at the table
• Compatible with every monster you already run

The Hunter's Companion App

The Hunter's Companion puts the book on your phone, tablet or laptop. Quickly search any creature, roll the knowledge and harvest checks right in the app, and every part your party carves out lands in a shared Party Bag. The Craft tab shows what you're closest to making from what you've already got.

Included with the Digital Bundle, Hardback and Ultimate Bundle tiers. Runs in any web browser, with lifetime access. No subscription, no extra cost.

Companion App Features

Every creature, one search away. Search a name and the app rolls the knowledge and harvest checks the book's way, so there's no confusion. You won't need to flip pages mid-session.

One bag for the whole party. Every part you carve out goes into a shared Party Bag, with its gold value and weight. Players join from a link on their own phone and claim their share. They see the loot, never the book's tables.

See what you can craft. Pick an item and it shows every part it needs, which creature has it, and what the party already holds. Craft it and the parts come out of the bag.

Reward Tiers

Every tier is complete on its own. No add-on purchase is required to unlock or use any reward.

THE PDF, £20: The complete Loot the Monster guide as a digital PDF, compatible with both 5e 2014 & 2024. Delivered through the StoryForge pledge manager within two weeks of funds clearing. No additional costs.

DIGITAL BUNDLE, £25: The complete PDF plus Companion app access. Delivered through the StoryForge pledge manager within two weeks of funds clearing. No additional costs.

HARDCOVER + PDF + APP, £55: The full-color hardcover book, plus the complete PDF and Companion App delivered first so you can start carving while waiting for the book to print. Shipping is charged separately in the StoryForge pledge manager after the campaign (see Shipping).

THE ULTIMATE BUNDLE, £61: Everything in the Hardcover, PDF + App tier, plus our previous project: The Travel Encounter Toolkit. The full hardback, both PDFs, the Companion App, and your name in the credits. Shipping is charged separately in the StoryForge pledge manager after the campaign (see Shipping).

Shipping

Shipping for physical rewards is not included in the pledge price. After the campaign, we'll send every backer a pledge manager link from StoryForge, where you confirm your address and pay shipping for any physical rewards. Digital rewards have no shipping cost.

Books are printed and shipped by Lulu from regional hubs in the US, UK and Europe, so most orders ship domestically. Estimated shipping per hardcover:

• UK: £6
• USA: £6
• Europe: £7-9
• Canada: £10
• Australia: £18
• Rest of world: £20-45

Customs duties or import taxes, where they apply, are the backer's responsibility.

Fulfillment Timeline

Here is our step-by-step plan from campaign close to delivery:

• Campaign closes: Funds clear approximately two weeks after the campaign ends.
• Pledge manager opens: Backers confirm their address and pay shipping for physical rewards.
• PDF delivery (within 2 weeks of funds clearing): PDFs are delivered through the pledge manager.
• Print files sent to printer (within 2 weeks of funds clearing): We print through Lulu. Proof copies are already on order and will be reviewed before the full print run.
• Orders printed & shipped: Once the pledge manager closes, Lulu prints and ships directly to backers from regional hubs.

Estimated total time from campaign close to final delivery: 8–10 weeks.

How Funds Will Be Used

We want to be transparent about where your pledges go:

• Writing, design & app development: Content from our designer and commissioned editor, plus building and hosting the Hunter's Companion app (approx. 30% of funds)
• Printing & fulfilment: Book production through Lulu's regional printing hubs (approx. 30% of funds)
• Art licensing & layout: Cover and interior artwork licenses, commissioned pieces, plus final layout and proofing (approx. 10% of funds)
• Marketing & outreach: Advertising and promotion to reach the Kickstarter community (approx. 10% of funds)
• Kickstarter & payment processing fees: Platform and transaction fees (approx. 10% of funds)
• Publishing & operations: Project management, customer support, and contingency buffer (approx. 10% of funds)