D&D (2024) D&D Monster Manual (2025)

[Parmandur]

I’m curious to see what kind of new monsters they will be adding, and I’m very excited for all the new art.

The pieces they have shown so far (a few Dragons, floating around) are fantastic.

They have the stated goal of making sure that all 14 Creature Types have viable options at all character Levels. Apparently there will be a high CR kaiju Ooze, and newbie low Level Liches and Vampires.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

I am interested in the art. But I must say Mordenkainens guide was a let down.

I know I am losing out. Alignment is going to be further diminished (I am one of the vocal few that like it in a more traditional space) and some lore changes feel a little anemic from the glimpses I have had.

Not in favor of floating ASIs.

But I am going to practice what I preach. If my group is more traditional/old school whatever, we can use our older sources. It cures a lot of perceived ills.

BUT I and not above mining the new for good ideas and monsters to swipe! I don’t think I will fully adopt 5.5 but I may well cherry pick some stuff and plunk it in.

I was saying I would not buy the new material. I think that is an exaggeration. I will likely buy MM but not replace current monsters/lore so much.

Of the three core books I am most interested in the DMG followed by MM.

Unless skills and such are mostly in PHB. Damn. May end up buying them all despite my objections.

 

[RoughCoronet0]

I think for me it doesn’t really matter how the default spellcasting mechanic is represented because I customize every main spellcasting monster with thematic spells that pull from a huge source of official and 3pp/homebrew options.

I am also not above giving certain monsters, dragons especially, abilities and actions that are based on spells but aren’t cast like them to showcase that they are innately magical and can just cause powerful magical effects to occur without having to recite an incantation or burn a material component. Red Dragons have a bonus action that mirrors Ashardalon’s Stride, Gray Dragons get a recharge action that is very similar to Steel Wind Strike, and Gold Dragons getting a radiant version of Thunder Step, Celestials can activate various Holy Smite attacks based on the Paladin smite spells without having to actually cast anything, and so on.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I honestly can't wait to see all the art. And I really, really hope for a brand-new statblock format. But that might be asking too much. I'm just tired of the orange thing, frankly.

 

[Cadence]

The pieces they have shown so far (a few Dragons, floating around) are fantastic.

They have the stated goal of making sure that all 14 Creature Types have viable options at all character Levels. Apparently there will be a high CR kaiju Ooze, and newbie low Level Liches and Vampires.

I just hope they group them together by what they are (wimpy ooze, medium ooze, strong ooze - all under ooze) instead of wimpy ooze under w, medium ooze under m, and strong ooze under s.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

So why not write that it's a spell? Why leave the DM to guess if it's supposed to be a spell or not, and if so what level?

Because it should be glaringly obvious to them? Level, OTOH, I can see being a problem. I wonder how often it matters, but I can see that it might.

That's my approach. Counterspell counters spells. Not all magic is spells. But if the NPC is a spellcaster in the fiction, then their abilities are going to be vulnerable to counterspell.

Yeah, that seems easy enough to do.

Be nice if the book said that though, for the many, many people who are unwilling to speculate beyond the official rules. And to protect against rules lawyers.

Seems like needless clutter in an already needlessly cluttered statblock, but you're not wrong that it could easily be done. (Heck, there's other things that IMO could drop to make "room" for it, if need be.)

 

[Micah Sweet]

I just hope they group them together by what they are (wimpy ooze, medium ooze, strong ooze - all under ooze) instead of wimpy ooze under w, medium ooze under m, and strong ooze under s.

Yeah, the new take on non-categorical alphabetical order is weird and off-putting to me.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Because it should be glaringly obvious to them? Level, OTOH, I can see being a problem. I wonder how often it matters, but I can see that it might.


Yeah, that seems easy enough to do.


Seems like needless clutter in an already needlessly cluttered statblock, but you're not wrong that it could easily be done. (Heck, there's other things that IMO could drop to make "room" for it, if need be.)

It doesn't need to be in every statblock. That's what Chapter One is for. You could easily apply a "spellcaster" tag where appropriate.

 

[Parmandur]

I just hope they group them together by what they are (wimpy ooze, medium ooze, strong ooze - all under ooze) instead of wimpy ooze under w, medium ooze under m, and strong ooze under s.

Well, they used the example of the age categories of Dragons, so we should see some of that.

 

[aco175]

This is the one book I'll likely not be buying. By the time it comes out, all the monster stats will be online for me to use and I do not care about the art that much- or I could find the art and print out just what I need.