2025 Monster Manual Will Contain Over 85 New Monsters

Next year's new Monster Manual will include over 85 new monsters, a sizable increase over what was previously believed. In a D&D Beyond post made to celebrate the year end, Wizards of the Coast confirmed that the 2025 Monster Manual would contain 85 "brand new monsters." Considering that the new Monster Manual includes approximately 500 monsters, it's not a surprise that there are a significant amount of new monster statblocks, but this is further confirmation that nearly 20% of the statblocks will be brand new. A description of the Monster Manual also confirms that there will be over 300 new images in the book.

Many of these new statblocks will be to add either high CR or low CR variants of existing popular monsters, so that they can be used in a wider variety of scenarios. For instance, vampires will have several low CR variants (representing freshly turned vampires) along with a high CR vampire nightbringer. Also present in the game are arch-hags and a blob of annihilation, which are classified as titan-level creatures representing different kinds of monster types.

The new Monster Manual will be released on February 18th, 2025.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Are they “new” new, or are they old monsters from splat books from earlier editions that they’re re-hashing for the occasion? I love D&D, but they sure have a way to recycle things.

I'm guessing a little from column A and a little from column B. We know that there are brand new monsters, like the Blob of Annhilation that they've mentioned, but I would also guess we'll see some updated monsters too.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

This is why I wished 5e had brought monster templates back in 2014. This probably why the first 5e adventures stick with Dragons and Elementals , as you have variety and a theme, mostly. Dragon cultists? They really hadn't been on my radar since Dragonlance and my hazy memory doesn't seem to remember them sticking out that much in that setting either.

Yeah. I liked the few templates we got in the original 5e Monster Manual. It would have been nice to get rules for monsters that have been corrupted by necromancy, fiends, or ceremorphosis.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Also running Vecna, and I generally agree. They seem to be using the alternate encounter creation guidelines from Xanthars set to a 5 player party. However, most monsters hit below their CR, and higher level monsters are even worse in this regard. I've had to bump up the number of enemies significantly, and most solo monsters have about +75% HP just to make a challenge.

I've thought of, but haven't actually tested, adding 2% per CR to average monster hit points. So a CR 10 creature would have 20% more hit points than the normal/average listed in the MM. This hit point gain is non-existent or negligible with low CR creatures, but definitely scales up with party level. And it really gives a bump for very high CR creatures - the CR 30 tarrasque has a maximum hit point total of 990 by the book, but giving it average + 60% more hit points gives it 1082 hp!

 

[Micah Sweet]

well 5e had those, to some extent, in the 2014 MM & DMG, copied from my post in the other thread on this topic:

The 2014 MM has a large section of NPCs (the roles you speak of). Then the 2014 DMG has a table of "NPC Features" that modify the NPC stat blocks in the MM to give NPC roles of a specific monster type.

So if you want an orc berserker, you take the NPC berserker stat block from the MM...

...and then modify it as follows (from the DMG):

• +2 Str
• -2 Int
• add "Aggressive" trait
• add Darkvision 60 ft.
• speaks Common and Orc.

Level Up has some excellent takes on templates in both Monster Menagerie books.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

Level Up has some excellent takes on templates in both Monster Menagerie books.

squad and horde templates my beloved

 

[R_J_K75]

Then you should really dig 5e, lots of changes and new lore!

We're playing 5E2024 so were using those mechanics, but we haven't played enough to know if we like it enough to keep playing it. I wasn't a huge fan of 5E2014. We'll see what the new MM looks like. Since 3E I usually default to the 2E Monstrous Compendiums for lore, habitat, and ecology. The 5E2014 MM threw me for a loop when I was looking for Titans only to find out they were renamed to Empyreans.

 

[dave2008]

We're playing 5E2024 so were using those mechanics, but we haven't played enough to know if we like it enough to keep playing it. I wasn't a huge fan of 5E2014. We'll see what the new MM looks like. Since 3E I usually default to the 2E Monstrous Compendiums for lore, habitat, and ecology. The 5E2014 MM threw me for a loop when I was looking for Titans only to find out they were renamed to Empyreans.

I was talking about more of the lore in later books like Volo's, Fizban's, Bigby's, and Planescape.

 

[R_J_K75]

I was talking about more of the lore in later books like Volo's, Fizban's, Bigby's, and Planescape.

I have Volos and Fizbans but not the other two. I've used a few creatures out of both but definitely haven't read them cover to cover. Maybe I'll give them another look.

 

[Vincent55]

Forever DM here. I hope they made all the monsters 50% tougher. I'm currently running the Vecna adventure, and I swear no one at Wizards has any idea how to challenge a high-level party. All the fights are much too easy for high-level characters. Obviously, I can do things on my own to make them harder, but it would be great if the monsters as written were tougher.

Well if that were the case then it wouldn't be as fun for the normie muppets who play the game because it's now cool., lol

 

[DEFCON 1]

Also always remember that one does not need to rely on the Wizards of the Coast Monster Manual for their monster needs.

Monster books with new monsters or leveled-up or leveled-down existing monsters or monsters with new types of mechanics are all over the place. Monster Manual Expanded, Monstrous Menagerie, Tome of Beasts, Flee Mortals!, plus countless others are all out there to be bought right now and probably have a better chance of being what you are looking for than whatever WotC will publish. Because WotC is making products that are usable by the complete neophyte player and thus will not be the best option for experienced players trying to enjoy a curated experience using their mechanically well-crafted characters.

WotC's book has to work out of the box for a table of four completely new players each using the Core Four basic rules characters and subclasses. But a table of six experienced players who have the knowledge of how to min-max their character designs to really boost their synergy will most likely not be able to remain within the bounds of any "encounter builder" that attempts to satisfy the design needs of the former group and the latter. There's just too much stuff within the game to try and balance for those extremes in power.

So don't waste your time hoping WotC will give it to you. Use any of the products specifically designed to work with the more powerful character builds and group combos. You'll be much happier if you do and you won't spend all your time here on the boards bemoaning the fact that WotC didn't give you what you wanted.