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:

 

[dave2008]

I just prefer this style of skull-like face for the black dragon:
View attachment 391900

(And yes, I'm aware of the irony of me complaining previously about more spiky bits when it looks like the black dragon now has fewer spiky bits! C'est la vie!)

I really dislike the sunken skull look (and splayed teeth) of the 3e design. I prefer all the previous images in your post; however, not all of them are actually of the 2024 redesign. Some of those of the stealth design tweak you can see in the Drizzt art book (see below). Which, while very similar, is between the 3e design and the 5e24 design. A lot of the features of that redesign (like the wings and tail) didn't make to the 2024 designs

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I really dislike the sunken skull look (and splayed teeth) of the 3e design. I prefer all the previous; however, not all of them are actually of the 2024 redesign. Some of those of the stealth design tweak you can see in the Drizzt art book (see below). Which, while very similar, is between the 3e design and the 5e24 design. A lot of the features of that redesign (like the wings and tail) didn't make to the 2024 designs

View attachment 391907

Never mind the face, what I greatly dislike is that utterly bizarre wing design!

 

[pukunui]

Some of those of the stealth design tweak you can see in the Drizzt art book (see below). Which, while very similar, is between the 3e design and the 5e24 design. A lot of the features of that redesign (like the wings and tail) didn't make to the 2024 designs

Ah OK. I wasn't aware of that. I was mainly just going off what people had shared in this thread: D&D (2024) - What do people think of the new dragon designs?

 

[dave2008]

Never mind the face, what I greatly dislike is that utterly bizarre wing design!

That was almost a a one off. It wasn't part of the 3e-5e14 design and it didn't make it into the 5e24 design. Only made it into the Drizzt art book and one other image that I know of

 

[dave2008]

Ah OK. I wasn't aware of that. I was mainly just going off what people had shared in this thread: D&D (2024) - What do people think of the new dragon designs?

Yep that was when we were speculating before we had the final 2024 designs. We got some right and some wrong!

 

[Jensaarai]

Honestly, I was never all that enthused with the dragons in D&D before this. Like, they were fine, Fizban's has some amazing art, but the dragons in the previous Monster Manuals just never sparked much joy or interest. They all felt very samey in the pose and general shape, with a little variation here or there, like the Green's more serpentine neck, or the Copper with it's giant sail-wings, but it just never seemed like enough.

 

[dave2008]

Honestly, I was never all that enthused with the dragons in D&D before this. Like, they were fine, Fizban's has some amazing art, but the dragons in the previous Monster Manuals just never sparked much joy or interest. They all felt very samey in the pose and general shape, with a little variation here or there, like the Green's more serpentine neck, or the Copper with it's giant sail-wings, but it just never seemed like enough.

Yes. While all of the redesigns don't hit for me, I really appreciate that the took the effort to distinguish them and build a story with their design

 

[dave2008]

Never mind the face, what I greatly dislike is that utterly bizarre wing design!

Of course those wings are better than the original (still, the OG is one of my favorite dragon designs)

 

[BB Shockwave]

Wow, the opening article somehow got most of the Dragons wrong. Like, totally.

That's not a "Platinum Dragon" - that'd be Bahamut and he doesn't associate with Wraiths last I checked. That's a Red Shadow Dragon. See the shadowy breath?

This is the Brass Dragon (and the Ancient Brass Dragon), not a Bronze Dragon. The color and the shovel-like crest is a dead giveaway.

THIS is the Bronze Dragon, you can tell by the verdigris and the fin-horns on the sides of the head. Unlike most Metallics, the Brass and Bronze thankfully did not get such a huge redesign. Also, probably the first art I see of them using the Repulsion Breath!

This is an Efreeti lady, not a Fire Giant. D&D Fire Giants have coal-black skin and red hair - and look like large Dwarves, aka rough and blocky, not as pretty as her!

See, this is a Fire Giant pair.

This unnamed one is the Nycaloth. Instead of the human-like face this harkens back more to the 1E monstrous design.

Here is a pic of the Chimera not obscured by the two guys in the interview...

And here are full, combined pics of the Kobold & Urd, Displacer Beast, Satyrs and the Roper. You are welcome.

 

[mamba]

Look at the criticisms here - "too colorful", "not sharp or defined enough" and so on and so forth. All attempts to "prove" that the art is bad.

consider it an explanation / the reason for the poster, not something trying to convince you...