So Much Art From the 2025 Monster Manual

Here's some preview art from the 2025 Monster Manual, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast's "Everything You Need to Know Video" on the new book.

A classic Faceless Stalker:

A demon of some kind:

Arch-Hags:

Some kobolds:

A Nalfeshnee, perhaps?

A revenant:

Blue dracolich:

Death Knight:

Death tyrant:

Chimera:

Githyanki (with the central warrior recreating a classic pose):

A mummy lord:

A marrow:

A balrog balor:

Mimics:

While I'm tempted to say a tressym, this actually might be a new sphinx design:

Bone fiend:

Sladd:

Rust monster:

Platinum(?) dragon:

Bronze dragon:

Hezrou, perhaps?

Fire giant, not Karlach:

Cloud giants:

Zombies:

Red dragon:

Hags (including a male hag):

Dryads (including a male dryad):

Horned devil:

Incubus and succubus:

Vampires:

Vampire:

Colossus:

Spirit naga:

Copper dragon:

White dragon:

Blue dragon:

Gold dragon:

Black dragon:

 

[Dragonhelm]

Here's some preview art from the 2025 Monster Manual, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast's "Everything You Need to Know Video" on the new book.

Death Knight:
View attachment 391460

This is absolutely awful. It reminds me of rotoscope or early CG animation.

The death knight of the 2014 Monster Manual was Lord Soth, the most iconic death knight in all of D&D. The art was gorgeous. They didn't need to re-do the art because the existing art was gorgeous.

 

[Sacrosanct]

This is absolutely awful. It reminds me of rotoscope or early CG animation.

The death knight of the 2014 Monster Manual was Lord Soth, the most iconic death knight in all of D&D. The art was gorgeous. They didn't need to re-do the art because the existing art was gorgeous.

View attachment 391610

I was really looking forward to the art in this book because IMO the art in the PHB and DMG were great. But I was a bit disappointed. Like the Death Knight you're talking about. I don't mind digital art (it's what people do nowadays), but does it have to so blatantly show the smudge tool use? That picture looks like they took a photo or movie still and just slapped a couple layers on top, and then smudged the heck out of it.

 

[Corinnguard]

While this I'm sure is the Bronze dragon, the head spikes and under jaw fins are similar to the previously shown art for the new Bronze Dragon.

It's a bronze dragon using its' Repulsion Breath. I think it was redesigned this way so that no one would mistake a bronze dragon for a brass dragon and vice versa. That said, why was WoTC being so Koi with their looks?

 

[Chaltab]

This is absolutely awful. It reminds me of rotoscope or early CG animation.

The death knight of the 2014 Monster Manual was Lord Soth, the most iconic death knight in all of D&D. The art was gorgeous. They didn't need to re-do the art because the existing art was gorgeous.

View attachment 391610

While I don't think the new art is awful by any means, I definitely like the Lord Soth art better.

I'm sure both pieces are digital but the difference is that the Soth piece is going for a straightforward illustrative style while the new piece is deliberately leaning into the ethereal, horror nightmare vibe.

 

[dave2008]

Art is subjective. I personally don't like the 2014 death knight art (not personally fond of Soth's look). I also actually prefer the 2024 death knight art - from a distance. Up close it does look bad in some areas. I think it look good in the book (printed page).

That being said, I lot of the preview art is pretty awesome. You can't when them all!

 

[MNblockhead]

Dog kobolds forever! Dragon kobolds were a mistake!

 

[pukunui]

Art is subjective. I personally don't like the 2014 death knight art (not personally fond of Soth's look). I also actually prefer the 2024 death knight art - from a distance. Up close it does look bad in some areas. I think it look good in the book (printed page).

I wonder how much of the issue is just that the death knight image is a low-res screenshot from a video. It might look better in the actual book / on D&D Beyond.

 

[Autumnal]

I’m continue to like these dragons, and pretty much everything else, too.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

That Death Knight art is zoomed in and LQ. Like here is more of the bottom of the image more zoomed out.

Tried to get the head and it looks less blurry here too.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Also Full Art of the Minotaur