D&D 5E MM 5.24 or the MM 5e (w/ MM Expanded, Bloodied & Bruised, Home-Field Advantage) ?

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Greg K

Legend

• Mar 9, 2025

• #1

Which do you prefer, the Monster Manual 5.24 alone or the 2014 Monster Manual with the Monster Manual Expanded, Bloodied & Bruised, and Home-Field Advantage (or Legendary Bestiary: Lair Actions for Low Level Monsters)?

 

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Li Shenron

Legend

• Mar 9, 2025

• #2

I've always been allergic to the bloodied concept, but I definitely like lair actions.

I keep using my 2014 MM, and feel free to add lair actions to more monsters no matter their CR.

 

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MonsterEnvy

Legend

• Mar 9, 2025

• #3

2024 cause I don’t even know what a bunch of the other stuff is

 

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Demetrios1453

Legend

• Mar 9, 2025

• #4

Li Shenron said:

I've always been allergic to the bloodied concept, but I definitely like lair actions.

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Bloodied is used fairly sparingly in the 2025 MM, mostly for swarms, which makes sense as a swarm that's half gone shouldn't be doing as much damage as a full-strength swarm. Beyond that, it's used only in a few specific circumstances - a bloodied troll might have a limb chopped off (which then becomes a creature with its own stat block!), for example.

 

Chaltab

Legend

• Mar 9, 2025

• #5

I've not used home field advantage but Monster Manual Expanded series is just more monsters, it's not a replacement for the Monster Manual.

 

Stormonu

NeoGrognard

• Mar 10, 2025

• #6

Haven't heard of Home Field Advantage, but the 2014 MM + the three MM Expanded I'll take any day over the 2024 MM.

 

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Alby87

Adventurer

• Mar 10, 2025

• #7

If you want just to update your MM 2014 there are two books by Dragonix (the same of the Monster Manual Expanded) with "talents" for monster, to bump up their dangerousness: "DM Options: Monster Talents" (there are two: one for MM2014, other for Volo/Mordy (or MotM).

 

dave2008

Legend

• Mar 10, 2025

• #8

Greg K said:

Which do you prefer, the Monster Manual 5.24 alone or the 2014 Monster Manual with the Monster Manual Expanded, Bloodied & Bruised, and Home-Field Advantage (or Legendary Bestiary: Lair Actions for Low Level Monsters)?

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Is there any reason 5e24 with MM Expanded, Bloodied & Bruised, & Home-Field Advantage is not an option. That would seem to be the best. Otherwise, how could one book compare to four?

 

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Greg K

Legend

• Mar 11, 2025

• #9

dave2008 said:

Is there any reason 5e24 with MM Expanded, Bloodied & Bruised, & Home-Field Advantage is not an option. That would seem to be the best. Otherwise, how could one book compare to f

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I was inquiring as I did, because the new Monster Manual is supposed to have variants for various monsters and reintroduce the Bloodied Condition. Bloodied and Bruised introduces Bloodied for 2014 MM monsters and the Monster Manual Expanded includes variants for the MM 2014 monsters. I threw in Home-Field Advantage (or optionally, Legendary Bestiary: Lair Actions for Low-Level Monsters), because it expands on Lair Actions for 2014 MM monsters and I don't know exactly what the new MM is doing with Lair Actions.

 

Stormonu

NeoGrognard

• Mar 11, 2025

• #10

Monster Manual I Expanded is 99% "advanced" or variant monsters. The II and III have a few new creatures (more as the series goes along), but most of the entries are "expanded" variants of the MM, Mord & Volo monsters.