D&D (2024) I have a Monster Manual. AMA!

[Yaarel]

I want to point out the Primeval Owlbear has a Screech attack that deals Thunder damage, and would be an example of a Monstrosity characterized by a magical effect. It is altered by Fey magic, but is a Material creature.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Are there actually 85 "new" monsters, or are most of those variants of existing monsters?

Yep, what a massive misleading scam.

 

[mamba]

Yep, what a massive misleading scam.

I never understood that as something other than 85 additional statblocks. To me the scam is that they also got rid of some in the ‘we map orcs to NPCs’ approach, so it is not actually 85 more

 

[MonsterEnvy]

If the griffon evolved naturally somewhere in prehistoric Earth, and we discover its fossil tomorrow, it is a Beast. 100% natural. Likewise if it evolved on Mars.

You can decide that in your game, but it's not the game definition. Monstrosities don't have to do magic. Owlbears, Ankegs Bulletes and various others are mundane if dangerous creatures.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Yep, what a massive misleading scam.

That’s not a scam. I understood what they meant and they never pretended they were including Archons or Steel Dragons or whatever you were expecting. They absolutely advertised and previewed that there were a ton of new stat blocks to older monsters.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

That’s not a scam. I understood what they meant and they never pretended they were including Archons or Steel Dragons or whatever you were expecting. They absolutely advertised and previewed that there were a ton of new stat blocks to older monsters.

They said 85 NEW monsters for along time without any kind of mention of the vast majority being variants, variants aren't NEW monsters, they are variants, so yeah it was misleading.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Yep, what a massive misleading scam.

It's not a misleading scam. It's new statblocks. They said what they were in advance.

Here let me give all the new Statblocks. I am defining new as was not in the 2014 book and is not the same thing but renamed (So Kobold becoming Kobold Warrior does not count). There are also a few that are iffy in that they were variants rather than actual stat blocks so I am not including those, I am also not looking through the beasts for new ones.

• 1 Aarakocra Aeromancer CR 4
• 2 Animal Lord CR 20
• 3 Arch-hag CR 21
• 4 Giant Axe Beak CR 5
• 5 Azer Pyromancer CR 6
• 6 Bandit Deceiver CR 7
• 7 Bandit Crime Lord CR 11
• 8 Berserker Commander CR 8
• 9 Tree Blight CR 7
• 10 Gulthias Blight CR 16
• 11 Blob of Annihilation CR 23
• 12 Bulette Pup CR 2
• 13 Bullywug Bog Sage CR 4
• 14 Centaur Warden CR 7
• 15 Cockatrice Regent CR 8
• 16 Colossus CR 25
• 17 Swarm of Crawling Claws CR 3
• 18 Cultist Hierophant CR 10
• 19 Aberrant Cultist CR 8
• 20 Death Cultist CR 8
• 21 Elemental Cultist CR 8
• 22 Fiend Cultist CR 8
• 23 Cyclops Oracle CR 10
• 24 Death Knight Aspirant CR 11
• 25 Swarm of Dretches CR 4
• 26 Elemental Cataclysm CR 22
• 27 Empyrean Iota CR 1
• 28 Faerie Dragon Adult CR 2
• 29 Violet Fungus Necrohulk CR 7
• 30 Ghast Gravecaller CR 6
• 31 Lacedon Ghoul CR 1
• 32 Githyanki Dracomancer CR 16
• 33 Githzerai Psion CR 12
• 34 Gnoll Demoniac CR 8
• 35 Goblin Minion CR 1/8
• 36 Goblin Hexer CR 3
• 37 Brazen Gorgon CR 9
• 38 Guard Captain CR 4
• 39 Questing Knight CR 12
• 40 Larva CR 0
• 41 Swarm of Larvae CR 1
• 42 Swarm of Lemures CR 3
• 43 Mage Apprentice CR 2
• 44 Manes Vaporspawn CR 1
• 45 Merfolk Wavebender CR 6
• 46 Mind Flayer Arcanist CR 11
• 47 Noble Prodigy CR 10
• 48 Primeval Owlbear CR 7
• 49 Performer CR 1/2
• 50 Performer Maestro CR 6
• 51 Performer Legend CR 10
• 52 Pirate CR 1
• 53 Pirate Captain CR 6
• 54 Pirate Admiral CR 12
• 55 Pixie Wonderbringer CR 5
• 56 Archpriest CR 12
• 57 Quaggoth Thonot CR 3
• 58 Graveyard Revenant CR 7
• 50 Haunting Revenant CR 10
• 51 Salamander Inferno Master CR 15
• 52 Satyr Revelmaster CR 6
• 53 Scout Captain CR 3
• 54 Juvenile Shadow Dragon CR 4
• 55 Flaming Skeleton CR 3
• 56 Sphinx of Wonder CR 1
• 57 Sphinx of Secrets CR 8
• 58 Spy Master CR 10
• 59 Swarm of Stirges CR 2
• 60 Thri-kreen Psion CR 8
• 61 Troll Limb CR 1/2
• 62 Vampire Familiar CR 3
• 63 Vampire Nightbringer CR 8
• 64 Vampire Umbral Lord CR 15
• 65 Warrior Commander CR 10
• 66 Dire Worg CR 10

 

[Scribe]

I don't know why WotC latched on to orcs specifically and not other species.

It just gets more and more funny honestly.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

They said 85 NEW monsters for along time without any kind of mention of the vast majority being variants, variants aren't NEW monsters, they are variants, so yeah it was misleading.

They were always clear that it was 85 new statblocks.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

It's not a misleading scam. It's new statblocks. They said what they were in advance.

Here let me give all the new Statblocks. I am defining new as was not in the 2014 book and is not the same thing but renamed (So Kobold becoming Kobold Warrior does not count). There are also a few that are iffy in that they were variants rather than actual stat blocks so I am not including those, I am also not looking through the beasts for new ones.

• 1 Aarakocra Aeromancer CR 4
• 2 Animal Lord CR 20
• 3 Arch-hag CR 21
• 4 Giant Axe Beak CR 5
• 5 Azer Pyromancer CR 6
• 6 Bandit Deceiver CR 7
• 7 Bandit Crime Lord CR 11
• 8 Berserker Commander CR 8
• 9 Tree Blight CR 7
• 10 Gulthias Blight CR 16
• 11 Blob of Annihilation CR 23
• 12 Bulette Pup CR 2
• 13 Bullywug Bog Sage CR 4
• 14 Centaur Warden CR 7
• 15 Cockatrice Regent CR 8
• 16 Colossus CR 25
• 17 Swarm of Crawling Claws CR 3
• 18 Cultist Hierophant CR 10
• 19 Aberrant Cultist CR 8
• 20 Death Cultist CR 8
• 21 Elemental Cultist CR 8
• 22 Fiend Cultist CR 8
• 23 Cyclops Oracle CR 10
• 24 Death Knight Aspirant CR 11
• 25 Swarm of Dretches CR 4
• 26 Elemental Cataclysm CR 22
• 27 Empyrean Iota CR 1
• 28 Faerie Dragon Adult CR 2
• 29 Violet Fungus Necrohulk CR 7
• 30 Ghast Gravecaller CR 6
• 31 Lacedon Ghoul CR 1
• 32 Githyanki Dracomancer CR 16
• 33 Githzerai Psion CR 12
• 34 Gnoll Demoniac CR 8
• 35 Goblin Minion CR 1/8
• 36 Goblin Hexer CR 3
• 37 Brazen Gorgon CR 9
• 38 Guard Captain CR 4
• 39 Questing Knight CR 12
• 40 Larva CR 0
• 41 Swarm of Larvae CR 1
• 42 Swarm of Lemures CR 3
• 43 Mage Apprentice CR 2
• 44 Manes Vaporspawn CR 1
• 45 Merfolk Wavebender CR 6
• 46 Mind Flayer Arcanist CR 11
• 47 Noble Prodigy CR 10
• 48 Primeval Owlbear CR 7
• 49 Performer CR 1/2
• 50 Performer Maestro CR 6
• 51 Performer Legend CR 10
• 52 Pirate CR 1
• 53 Pirate Captain CR 6
• 54 Pirate Admiral CR 12
• 55 Pixie Wonderbringer CR 5
• 56 Archpriest CR 12
• 57 Quaggoth Thonot CR 3
• 58 Graveyard Revenant CR 7
• 50 Haunting Revenant CR 10
• 51 Salamander Inferno Master CR 15
• 52 Satyr Revelmaster CR 6
• 53 Scout Captain CR 3
• 54 Juvenile Shadow Dragon CR 4
• 55 Flaming Skeleton CR 3
• 56 Sphinx of Wonder CR 1
• 57 Sphinx of Secrets CR 8
• 58 Spy Master CR 10
• 59 Swarm of Stirges CR 2
• 60 Thri-kreen Psion CR 8
• 61 Troll Limb CR 1/2
• 62 Vampire Familiar CR 3
• 63 Vampire Nightbringer CR 8
• 64 Vampire Umbral Lord CR 15
• 65 Warrior Commander CR 10
• 66 Dire Worg CR 10