 | By Waerloga69 | @ | Tuesday, February 18th, 2025 at 5:03 pm |
Dungeons & Dragons: 2024 Monster Manual
Hardcover
D&D Accessory
Wizards Of The Coast
Release Date: February 18, 2025
Welcome, friends, to the third and final installment of the “Big 3” books for the 2024 refresh on your D&D books. The Dungeons & Dragons: 2024 Monster Manual is full of new and revitalized creatures. And, yes, I do think that it being referred to as a 2024 release is weird, but it will help to remind you that the original timeline had this and the other two books, the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide and the 2024 Player’s Handbook, slated for release last year, but unfortunately only two made it out in time. Side note: I linked my reviews for those two in that last sentence. All that said, I have a few things to mention about this release itself.
Ten years makes a huge difference when you have millions of people playing this game, gaps have been discovered and players and game-runners alike have found ways to improve our beloved tabletop role-playing game. And I will be the first to admit that much of what has changed or been added is amping up the danger factor. It’s like hating spiders and then visiting Australia only to find they have Land of the Lost-sized arachnids there. Everything seems deadlier or actively more fear-inducing, whichever you feel is a better description. Add to that the more than 80 new creatures and you have more than an abundant list to create a fun and dangerous adventure. Take the Haunting Revenant, for example. It is a haunted house in all the terror-inspiring ways, just take what you are thinking and give it steroids. You could literally be inside of it before you even realize what is happening. And while it is a one-trick pony, it is one dastardly and dangerous trick. My final take on something like this is one of gratitude. In a game where anything can be a Mimic, why not have a Super Mimic, right?
I will say that I feel the strongest part of this tome is the playability from either side of the DM screen. Budding Dungeon Masters will have a better feel for the creature and how to have it interact with the party. There are some confusing pieces, like creature types being drastically changed. I will only give one example that is sticking with me in a bad way: Kobolds were once humanoids, but are now classed as small dragons. Seriously? So now anyone who can swing a weapon is now a dragon-slayer technically? I get that it is built around the depth of lore changing a bit, but I cannot in good faith agree. But that is the great thing about personalizing your games, you do not have to follow the rules verbatim if you disagree. Overall, however, I am okay with most of the alterations; I will just leave it like that.
Stat blocks are simple and easy to read, as they always should be. The descriptions, as I stated earlier, are helpful and often enlightening. I will never stop laughing about the lead-in for the pseudodragon, describing them as “fickle, pint-sized dragons.” That one phrase is solid gold for me and I cannot agree more. Additionally, on that same page is the quote from one Jallarzi stating “If you want to keep a pseudodragon happy, get used to thinking of yourself as its familiar.” There is so much to take in here that I can do it no real justice. If you play, you will want this in your collection, if for no other reason than the new creatures and monsters herein. I am happy that some things only get better with age, as did my favorite creatures. Originally introduced to me in the 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Fiend Folio, the Gith are my go-to when playing in the planes. I prefer the more nuanced Githzerai to the brutish Githyanki, but they both create an entire adventure or side quest any time I can work them into a game. I mean, psionics are the way to totally disrupt everything in a pinch without adding mind flayers, you know what I mean?
General animals are in an appendix at the end of the book and can be used for any mundane encounters or anything else you need. Additionally, there is an included monster conversion list that enables you to seamlessly alter previous stat blocks to the more current one. Generalizations run rampant in this so do not be too surprised when you see it. I can see the need and use for the conversion but, overall, I do not think this is something that will see a lot of use for me personally. I saw a few challenge ratings that have changed, but I have not done an in-depth quest to list them, so sorry about that part.
To summarize, you should know what you are getting here, generally speaking. But the surprises you have in store are myriad. With two different covers available, I always go for the more rare game shop edition with the alternate cover. They both function the same, though. So if you have no hobby shop nearby, fret not. An added plus is the price did not increase like it seems everything else is doing these days. Grabbing this sooner rather than later is highly encouraged, friends. I may have a few complaints, but I am pleased that we have more. More fun, more thrills, more danger for the characters, more creatures to discover. Have a great day and be sure to check this out!
MONSTERS GALORE—Venture into the mightiest Monster Manual yet! In addition to iconic D&D favorites like dragons and mind flayers, this monstrous menagerie introduces over 75 brand-new monsters and contains over 500 unique creatures in total.
INTRIGUING NEW ENCOUNTERS—Inject more variety into your games with unique encounters! Raise the stakes with terrifying new monsters for higher level play, such as the arch-hag and blob of annihilation. Craft unusual and memorable NPC encounters by using over 40 humanoid stat blocks as inspiration.
STUNNING ARTWORK—Gaze upon the legendary D&D dragons in all their splendor. In this book of majestic beasts, we’ve created stunning redesigns of the chromatic and metallic dragons, and over 300 pieces of breathtaking new artwork for almost every monster.
DESIGNED JUST FOR YOU—Easily locate whatever monster you’re looking for and save prep time with revised, easy-to-use stat blocks. We’ve categorized all monsters by creature type and have redesigned their stat blocks to be easier to use and understand. Running encounters has never been easier!
PART OF THE 2024 CORE COLLECTION—1 of 3 revised Dungeons & Dragons core rulebooks, the 2024 Monster Manual is designed for use with the fifth edition 2024 Player’s Handbook and 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide
Cover Gallery
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English (US) · 