D&D (2024) Why No Monster Creation Rules in D&D 2024?

[SpellObjectEnthusiast]

The old rules haven't disappeared.

For a new player who will be buying the new edition, you cannot expect them to look at a previous edition for how to play the game. 2024 should have been feature complete and standalone, not relying on prior edition material or blog posts for basic information like "what stats should a monster have".

 

[Echohawk]

2024 should have been feature complete and standalone

What is "feature complete" when it comes to a game system for simulating fantasy worlds?
Why does the lack of monster creation rules stop D&D from being feature complete? Would it be feature complete with monster creation rules but with spell creation rules still being left out?
When evaluating "feature complete" is it more important to decide on the list of features based on the history of included features or how often they were used?

 

[payn]

it took 10 pages in 2014. They could not find 10 pages? ::cough:lanes::cough::

 

[dave2008]

For a new player who will be buying the new edition, you cannot expect them to look at a previous edition for how to play the game. 2024 should have been feature complete and standalone, not relying on prior edition material or blog posts for basic information like "what stats should a monster have".

While I don't agree that we have a new edition (having been through 4 such changes I can confirm this is very different), I would have preferred there be monster creation rules as I like them. Instead, I will be reverse engineering them myself.

However, monster creation rules are not required to play the game. The didn't exist in 1e or 2e, which until 5e were the most popular editions of the game, so they are by no means a requirement for the game to be "feature complete."

 

[Oofta]

For a new player who will be buying the new edition, you cannot expect them to look at a previous edition for how to play the game. 2024 should have been feature complete and standalone, not relying on prior edition material or blog posts for basic information like "what stats should a monster have".

New DMs likely shouldn't be building monsters from scratch in the first place. Meanwhile I doubt anyone new to DMing in 2025 will have an issue with looking for tools online.

My ideal solution would include something like a tutorial/step-by-step tool in DndBeyond but if wishes were horses beggars would ride.

 

[Reynard]

it took 10 pages in 2014. They could not find 10 pages? ::cough:lanes::cough::

The irony of my inadvertent emoji is not lost on me...

 

[Reynard]

For a new player who will be buying the new edition, you cannot expect them to look at a previous edition for how to play the game. 2024 should have been feature complete and standalone, not relying on prior edition material or blog posts for basic information like "what stats should a monster have".

Well, as much as I want those rules there, their absence doesn't make the game unplayable.

 

[SlyFlourish]

I'm very late to this thread but I have opinions!

I think the D&D 2024 books took away a lot of the "here's how to fish" sort of advice we saw in the 2014 books including the monster stats by CR table they had in there (and that was well used by many people I know and talked to). They also omitted a lot of house rules that worked well as examples different DMs and groups could use to build their own.

Luckily, we have these rules from other publishers in books and in open-licensed formats. A5e's monster builder probably works well compared to D&D 2024 monsters. The Tales of the Valiant Monster Vault includes a monster stats by CR table as well. My own quick analysis shows that Forge of Foes monsters stack up well with D&D 2024 monsters for the most part. We give away thee Forge of Foe table for free under very permissive licenses so other publishers can use it.

I have a feeling we'll see some nice breakdowns of the monster stats by CR soon but yeah, it's a real miss that WOTC didn't include it in the DMG.

 

[delericho]

This is my opinion too. I don't remember how good any of the other rules for creating monsters in other editions worked.

The systems in 4e worked well. I wasn't a fan of that edition as a whole, but that bit of it (and especially the encounter building systems) were highlights.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Greyhawk and Bastions was 50% of the 2025 DMG's marketing

Because they were trying to get people to buy their books again.