D&D General 2024 Monster Creation

[the Jester]

Got the new DMG today and I looked at the Making a Creature section.

Let's just say that if the rules for monster creation aren't in the MM instead of this extremely deficient garbage, I am probably giving up on the 2024 rule set. I haven't been real happy about the direction of the game in this revision, but this? Had this section of the DMG been called Reflavoring a Creature, hey, okay, it would be a decent section. But "Making a Creature" it is absolutely NOT.

If anyone sees any designer comments indicating that there is going to be a robust system for actually making a creature in the Monster Manual, please post here to assuage my disappointment.

If not, this is simply awful.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Seems likely that it will be in the MM. Who knows, though?

 

[the Jester]

Seems likely that it will be in the MM. Who knows, though?

God I hope so.

 

[Stormonu]

Yeah, I was a bit disappointed it wasn't in the DMG, but expect it will be in the new MM. However, I'm not buying another MM just for monster creation rules. Maybe they'll be in the updated SRD as well?

 

[Minigiant]

I think they got mocked so hard about the 2014 rules that in 2024 they're not even going to put detailed rules in because it would take 10 pages to explain and it would be so easy for them to mess it up again and waste those 10 pages.

 

[mamba]

I think they got mocked so hard about the 2014 rules that in 2024 they're not even going to put detailed rules in because it would take 10 pages to explain and it would be so easy for them to mess it up again and waste those 10 pages.

So their ‘solution’ to bad guidelines is not to improve them but to throw their hands in the air and give up?

Tracks with the UA at least where they dropped plenty of stuff instead of improving it… I hope they will be in the MM, if not that would be a major disappointment

 

[Minigiant]

So their ‘solution’ to bad guidelines is not to improve them but to throw their hands in the air and give up?

Yup.

Because. No matter what they didn't they'd fail.

Because 5e was designed on vibes, not math.

The math behind 5e doesn't match how fans want past level 5 as HP and damage balloons.

A balanced monster from a chart would look like the 2014 chart, Tons of HP, Moderate AC, few attacks, OHKOs on hit.

5e isn't like 4e or PF2. 5e is like 3e or PF1.

 

[dave2008]

I think they got mocked so hard about the 2014 rules that in 2024 they're not even going to put detailed rules in because it would take 10 pages to explain and it would be so easy for them to mess it up again and waste those 10 pages.

I really like the monster creation rules in the 2014 DMG. I do hope they updated to include their obviously revised math (for high CR monsters), but other than that I hope they don't change much. I think they work great. They are my favorite monster creation rules in any D&D edition.

However, I do think an improved simplified/quick monster creation rules would be good for some.

For @the Jester, I could be misremembering, but I do recall at some point when WotC was discussing the 2024 core books they mentioned that the DMG guidelines was not 100% accurate to their internal calculator and they planned to have an updated calculator in the new books. That, in conjunction with their repeated statements that they see all 3 books as an integrated whole, make me think monster creation rules will be in the 2025 MM.

 

[Minigiant]

I really like the monster creation rules in the 2014 DMG. I do hope they updated to include their obviously revised math (for high CR monsters), but other than that I hope they don't change much. I think they work great. They are my favorite monster creation rules in any D&D edition.

However, I do think an improved simplified/quick monster creation rules would be good for some.

For @the Jester, I could be misremembering, but I do recall at some point when WotC was discussing the 2024 core books they mentioned that the DMG guidelines was not 100% accurate to their internal calculator and they planned to have an updated calculator in the new books. That, in conjunction with their repeated statements that they see all 3 books as an integrated whole, make me think monster creation rules will be in the 2025 MM.

I think the issue is that due to the math being off, a quick monster guide would only produce boring blobby HP sponges.

And a comprehensive guide to create different styles of monsters would take up half a chapter to explain clearly.

 

[dave2008]

I think the issue is that due to the math being off, a quick monster guide would only produce boring blobby HP sponges.

A quick guide, IMO, just needs to give you a useful AC, HP, attack bonus, and damage. Special and interesting features will be siloed to a more robust monster builder IMO. They have that in the 2014 DMG, but the issue with the 2014 Monsters Stats by CR table is the balance of those 4 factors was skewed to produce poor results if you just used the table (and not all the modifiers of the complex monster creation rules), so it is not very useful as a quick reference. This could be mostly solved by rebalancing that table, while still keeping the detailed adjustments of the full monster creation rules.

And a comprehensive guide to create different styles of monsters would take up half a chapter to explain clearly.

I think the 2014 DMG monster creation rules work well. I like them a lot and have created hundreds of custom monsters with them. Though they could be simplified to make them more clear and straightforward. However, all I really want updated are:

1. Updated math for the Monster Stats by CR table (based on previews the high CR math has changed)
2. An updated "Monster Features" table with new features introduced after the 2014 DMG/MM