D&D 5E New Monster Manual Cover

From IGN, the cover of the 2025 Monster Manual!

@Morrus

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I like the back cover:

Edit: I see that @Oofta posted it, so I took mine down.

 

[Stormonu]

Not bad, though like the other covers there's a (smudged/blurred) quality to them like they are incomplete, as if this is the pre-production/work-in-progress version of the art.

Will be curious what the alt cover will be, and curious what monsters have been dropped/added (betting mostly NPCs added and several beasts being shortened/dropped).

 

[GarrettKP]

Not bad, though like the other covers there's a (smudged/blurred) quality to them like they are incomplete, as if this is the pre-production/work-in-progress version of the art.

Will be curious what the alt cover will be, and curious what monsters have been dropped/added (betting mostly NPCs added and several beasts being shortened/dropped).

I'm pretty sure they said no monsters are being dropped to make sure it is backward compatible with older adventures.

 

[Stormonu]

So I think that's Jahera and Minsc being surrounded?

Gotta be Regdar in the Gelatinous cube. Maybe Marilee the 3E elf in the tentacle?

 

[Oofta]

Gotta be Regdar in the Gelatinous cube. Maybe Marilee the 3E elf in the tentacle?

According to the artist, the PC in the tentacle can be anyone including your PC.

 

[bedir than]

According to the artist, the PC in the tentacle can be anyone including your PC.

Excellent

 

[Oofta]

Based on what the artist said, I think Boo is also in the picture. No answer on who the caster is. Which makes sense, Boo always goes for the eye!

 

[Parmandur]

and whatever the toothy guy in the lower right is.

Most definitely an Ogre in the lower right:

Art looks a lot better this edition than last. 5E's art got better across the edition and now it seems SERIOUS.

They got a major art budget upgrade, apparently.

Not bad, though like the other covers there's a (smudged/blurred) quality to them like they are incomplete, as if this is the pre-production/work-in-progress version of the art.

That's because they are painted. I think k a real, physical painterly quality seems like a direct response tot he clean and crisp AI generated image fad, which might have killed slick polished digital art as the in style.

Will be curious what the alt cover will be, and curious what monsters have been dropped/added (betting mostly NPCs added and several beasts being shortened/dropped).

Nope, only additions: they have committed to all Monster star blocks from 2014 being repeated, at the same CR, though revised. Otherwise older Adventures wouldn't work.

According to the artist, the PC in the tentacle can be anyone including your PC.

Perfection.

 

[Ibrandul]

No answer on who the caster is.

It's Vajra Safahr of Waterdeep.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm pretty sure they said no monsters are being dropped to make sure it is backward compatible with older adventures.

Yup, they 100% did. Revised stat blocks,as with Monsters of the Multiverse, but nothing is being dropped and the CR will remain the same so no 5E Encounters ever built get invalidated.