2025 Monster Manual Will Contain Over 85 New Monsters

Next year's new Monster Manual will include over 85 new monsters, a sizable increase over what was previously believed. In a D&D Beyond post made to celebrate the year end, Wizards of the Coast confirmed that the 2025 Monster Manual would contain 85 "brand new monsters." Considering that the new Monster Manual includes approximately 500 monsters, it's not a surprise that there are a significant amount of new monster statblocks, but this is further confirmation that nearly 20% of the statblocks will be brand new. A description of the Monster Manual also confirms that there will be over 300 new images in the book.

Many of these new statblocks will be to add either high CR or low CR variants of existing popular monsters, so that they can be used in a wider variety of scenarios. For instance, vampires will have several low CR variants (representing freshly turned vampires) along with a high CR vampire nightbringer. Also present in the game are arch-hags and a blob of annihilation, which are classified as titan-level creatures representing different kinds of monster types.

The new Monster Manual will be released on February 18th, 2025.

 

[dave2008]

(I personally preferred the hybrid approach they tested in books like Descent into Avernus, where spellcasters still had spell slots but the spells that contributed to their CR were written out in full in their stat blocks,...

I still prefer this approach with true spellcasters. I am fine with innate spellcasting monsters using the new approach.

 

[R_J_K75]

On the other hand, I found it irritating as heck, that with each new edition, the Realms suffered some earth shattering cataclysmic event that changed everything... My upcoming game will use the 3e version- prior to the spell plague, the dissolution of the Silver Marches, King Azoun's death, and all that.

I came into the Realms at 2E so the Times of Troubles already happened. I read the novel trilogy and a few others in the series after, so I didn't mind it. Other than that, the world-shattering events with every edition was annoying. I never used any of the lore after 2E either.

 

[dave2008]

I never used any of the lore after 2E either.

I basically stopped at 1e and then pick and choose what I like after that, but never overarching setting metaplots. Not my thing.

 

[mamba]

that's probably not going to be the end of them, since we've only just heard that Goodman Games is working on their own set of 5E rulebooks.

I don't think this will be a full set of books any more, at this point I am not even sure it is a full replacement for the PHB.

The one paragraph on their upcoming KS got me excited

"And we're proud to announce the first playtest package for Advanced Advantage 5E. This is our in-house evolution of the 5E rules set. Follow the project to learn more as it's announced!"

but the video I stumbled across today is dampening that quite a bit. This makes it sound more like a set of optional 'houserules' than a full TTRPG. I am not even liking their proposal for the advantage replacement mentioned in it (instead of rolling 2d20, you get successively bigger dice the more advantages you accumulate, starting with 1d24, they really stick to their weird dice....)


Was hoping for more based on that one paragraph, will have to see what this actually turns into I guess

 

[dave2008]

Alternatively, check out the Black Flag / Tales of the Valiant monsters – they hit plenty hard.

@SlyFlourish, I asked this earlier, but if you responded I missed it. I am truly curious what you mean be this. I only did a quick look, but I did spend some time with the TotV dragons and they don't hit any harder than the 2014 dragons that I can see. So can you point me into the direction the TotV monters that hit harder? Just interested to see what they are doing. Thank you in advance!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Hmm. Yeah, we'll see. I get that they love their Zocchi dice, so no surprise that they want to incorporate them into 5E.

 

[R_J_K75]

I basically stopped at 1e and then pick and choose what I like after that, but never overarching setting metaplots. Not my thing.

Considering most players dont know or care about the metaplots IME, I never used them as anything more than a backdrop, things going on adjacent to our campaigns, but never intersecting. Furthest I can remember we played the Sword of the Dales adventure trilogy. After that we ended up with our own metaplot, or more of a running joke, Randal Morn was continuously captured by the Zhentarim. No one even cared or tried saving him anymore afterwhile. We usually just created our own adventures and campaigns with the odd pre-made adventure thrown in from time to time.

 

[pukunui]

I still prefer this approach with true spellcasters. I am fine with innate spellcasting monsters using the new approach.

Yeah, same.

 

[Chaltab]

@SlyFlourish, I asked this earlier, but if you responded I missed it. I am truly curious what you mean be this. I only did a quick look, but I did spend some time with the TotV dragons and they don't hit any harder than the 2014 dragons that I can see. So can you point me into the direction the TotV monters that hit harder? Just interested to see what they are doing. Thank you in advance!

Not Sly Flourish but just look at the Hydra. The melee damage is the same (10 per head) but it gets an average 40 damage poison breath weapon that gets more likely to recharge the fewer heads it has, and it has a bonus action that can incapacitate and poison creatures.

Dragons don't hit harder but have an Elemental Roar ability that makes targets vulnerable to their damage type.

 

[Corinnguard]

Maybe with an eye toward balance, but not with an eye toward making them actually interesting to run. I ended up with the impression that they were aiming for something closer to, say, A5E's monster book

A5e's Monstrous Menageries do offer up a lot of material even before you get to see the monster's stat blocks. Legends and Lore, Encounters, Wilderness Signs, and Behavior. Stuff the DM can use in a run-up between a particular monster and a party of adventurers.