D&D (2024) 2025 Monster Manual All You Need to Know video link is up.


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So less lore, more variants, more emphasis on novel game mechanics. Sounds very familiar.

The return of habitat and treasure information is a pleasant surprise, though.
So regarding less deep lore and lore in general. The Empyrean preview clearly has more lore than the 2014 version:
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That is interesting. The green dragon preview they showed a few months ago didn't have them (just like the monsters in Bigby's and Planescape). They were replaced with multiple reactions. I was just getting used to multiple reaction design space! I think LA are easier to use then remembering specific triggers; however, the triggers did tell a story.
Yes. But maybe it proved to be too much work. And too limiting.

Note that legendary actions can still be used at the end of an ally's turn.
 


I know it'll be easier to find certain types of Devils as most won't be under "D" anymore, but as a PS fan I tend to think of them under their more formal names like "Gelugon", "Barbazu" or "Hamatula" instead of "Ice Devil", "Bearded Devil" or "Barbed Devil".
 

Unfortunately, I missed that one, but wow they needed a whole video to say its once again garbage. When will I learn to stop wasting my money on WotC DM screens? There hasn't been an official DM screen worth buying in well over 25 years IMO, and I always end up compiling my own.
Garbage? Okay, don't hold back . . .

My D&D 2014 and brand new 2024 screens work well for me. Shrug.
 

So regarding less deep lore and lore in general. The Empyrean preview clearly has more lore than the 2014 version:
View attachment 391425
Well, yes and no. The empyrean from the 2014 MM has slightly more lore than the version here. But they expanded the empyrean into a general category (with overview text) and added the iota as a brand new variant. The 2024 empyrean (category) also has an evocative quote, which the 2014 version did not.

The lore itself is also slightly differently focused - probably what @Bae'zel would call more "practical" (sorry if I'm putting words in your mouth, though!).
 


So less lore, more variants, more emphasis on novel game mechanics. Sounds very familiar.

The return of habitat and treasure information is a pleasant surprise, though.
They said there is actually more text on how they fit in a setting, how they exist in the worlds of D&D, and they streamlined the mechanical portion which now takes up less space on the page. Every monster begins with the environment you're most likely to meet the monster.

They said they wanted to back off on some of the "deep lore" and instead draw more attention to interesting things to focus on for that monster as options, and how it fits in an environment, and types of scenarios that monster might suggest.

They give an example of animated weapons. They didn't want to pigeon hole the DM into lore about what causes animated weapons. Instead the encounter could be a spellcaster behind the scenes manipulating them from afar, or a mischievous sprite animating them, or the weapons are possessed by a spirit. Each of those is a different type of encounter, and they didn't want "deep lore" to get in the way of a DM trying to use MM entries. Instead, the stat block can suggest all three and others, without fixed lore on "this is what this thing is."
 

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