How the Monsters Have Changed in the 2025 Monster Manual: Air Elemental

Are you wondering how Wizards of the Coast has altered the monsters in the 2025 Monster Manual? Well, one way of showing this is to make side-by-side comparisons of the 2025 monsters to their 2014 equivalents. Today, we're looking at the Air Elemental.

Notably, the Air Elemental now appears in the "A" chapter of the Monster Manual instead of the "E" section. The description for the Air Elemental also includes a table of various compositions for the air elemental, with the air elemental possibly formed from a foul miasma or a cloud of shifting animal shapes.

In terms of base stats, the Air Elemental's AC, HP, and Ability Scores are all unchanged. However, the 2025 Air Elemental now has a 10 foot base speed in addition to its 90 foot hover speed. The Air Elemental now has resistance to all bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage (previously just non-magical bludgeoning/slashing/piercing) and has total damage immunity from lightning damage. Previously, it had resistance to lightning damage.

The Air Elemental's Slam attack was replaced by Thunderous Slam, with the new attack having a 10 foot reach instead of 5-feet and dealing Thunder damage instead of bludgeoning damage. The Air Elemental's Whirlwind attack only targets one creature in its space instead of each creature. The attack deals more damage than before (24/4d10+2 compared to 15/3d8+2) and still inflicts the prone condition on a failed save along with being pushed away from the Air Elemental. The 2025 Whirlwind's wording is more direct about the push effect than the 2014 Monster Manual, with the target no longer being "thrown" in a random direction.

Full statblocks are below:

2025 Monster Manual:

2014 Monster Manual:

 

[KoolMoDaddy-O]

I happened to have Kobold Press's Tales of the Valiant SRD -- which is completely free, BTW -- open so I compared KP's Air Elemental with the new version from the Monster Manual.

Both have the same ability modifiers, CR, Auran language, etc. The KP version has 94 hp vs MM's 90 hp. Notable differences between the two:

KP: Resistant to Thunder dmg, immune to Lightning dmg
MM: Resistant to Lightning dmg, immune to Thunder dmg

KP: Cloud Camouflage: Stealth is 20 while in clouds or fog
MM: N/A

KP: Wind Lash (melee attack): +8, 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning dmg
MM: Thunderous Slam (melee attack): +8, 14 (2d8+5) Thunder dmg

KP: Lightning Bolt (ranged attack): +8, 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning dmg
MM: N/A

KP: Whirlwind: 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning dmg but does additional dmg based on far the target was thrown (1d6 bludgeoning for every 10 feet), must Dex save DC 13 or be knocked prone
MM: Whirlwind: 24 (4d10+2) Thunder dmg

KP: Reaction: Thunderous Retreat: When elemental is hit, any creature within 5 ft must Con save DC 13 or take 7 (2d6) Thunder dmg; the elemental also retreats 15 ft (presumably without opportunity attacks).
MM: N/A

As usual, KP's monster design wins. I will be using the KP SRD for my games if I don't pick up the Monster Vault hardcover outright. Bonus: KP also offers blocks for orcs and duergar.

 

[R_J_K75]

What is thunder damage?

 

[payn]

View attachment 395438

 

[Zaukrie]

only one creature in its space? What an awful step backward. ugh. Just. Ugh.

 

[TwoSix]

I happened to have Kobold Press's Tales of the Valiant SRD -- which is completely free, BTW -- open so I compared KP's Air Elemental with the new version from the Monster Manual.

Both have the same ability modifiers, CR, Auran language, etc. The KP version has 94 hp vs MM's 90 hp. Notable differences between the two:

KP: Resistant to Thunder dmg, immune to Lightning dmg
MM: Resistant to Lightning dmg, immune to Thunder dmg

KP: Cloud Camouflage: Stealth is 20 while in clouds or fog
MM: N/A

KP: Wind Lash (melee attack): +8, 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning dmg
MM: Thunderous Slam (melee attack): +8, 14 (2d8+5) Thunder dmg

KP: Lightning Bolt (ranged attack): +8, 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning dmg
MM: N/A

KP: Whirlwind: 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning dmg but does additional dmg based on far the target was thrown (1d6 bludgeoning for every 10 feet), must Dex save DC 13 or be knocked prone
MM: Whirlwind: 24 (4d10+2) Thunder dmg

KP: Reaction: Thunderous Retreat: When elemental is hit, any creature within 5 ft must Con save DC 13 or take 7 (2d6) Thunder dmg; the elemental also retreats 15 ft (presumably without opportunity attacks).
MM: N/A

As usual, KP's monster design wins. I will be using the KP SRD for my games if I don't pick up the Monster Vault hardcover outright. Bonus: KP also offers blocks for orcs and duergar.

Wow. Yea, the KP version is way better. Going to go bookmark the TotV SRD now.

 

[Zaukrie]

only one creature in its space? What an awful step backward. ugh. Just. Ugh.

I feel this way about swarms and other things too. Look, if there's a massive swarm crawling all over all the PCs, they all get attacked, not one of them. I just don't get this at all. So boring the way WotC does it. ToV definitely wins here.

 

[R_J_K75]

I just don't get this at all. So boring the way WotC

It's definitely quite the shift from the design mindset of OD&D and AD&D that's for sure.

 

[doctorhook]

I'm guessing they are just removing that entire "fling" concept and changing it to a standard push.

“Yeet damage”. Not to be confused with the opposite, which is “yoink damage”.

 

[doctorhook]

I happened to have Kobold Press's Tales of the Valiant SRD -- which is completely free, BTW -- open so I compared KP's Air Elemental with the new version from the Monster Manual.

Both have the same ability modifiers, CR, Auran language, etc. The KP version has 94 hp vs MM's 90 hp. Notable differences between the two:

KP: Resistant to Thunder dmg, immune to Lightning dmg
MM: Resistant to Lightning dmg, immune to Thunder dmg

KP: Cloud Camouflage: Stealth is 20 while in clouds or fog
MM: N/A

KP: Wind Lash (melee attack): +8, 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning dmg
MM: Thunderous Slam (melee attack): +8, 14 (2d8+5) Thunder dmg

KP: Lightning Bolt (ranged attack): +8, 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning dmg
MM: N/A

KP: Whirlwind: 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning dmg but does additional dmg based on far the target was thrown (1d6 bludgeoning for every 10 feet), must Dex save DC 13 or be knocked prone
MM: Whirlwind: 24 (4d10+2) Thunder dmg

KP: Reaction: Thunderous Retreat: When elemental is hit, any creature within 5 ft must Con save DC 13 or take 7 (2d6) Thunder dmg; the elemental also retreats 15 ft (presumably without opportunity attacks).
MM: N/A

As usual, KP's monster design wins. I will be using the KP SRD for my games if I don't pick up the Monster Vault hardcover outright. Bonus: KP also offers blocks for orcs and duergar.

What, no Level Up: Advanced 5E?

 

[Reynard]

What, no Level Up: Advanced 5E?

Statblock here.

Resistance to thunder and lightning damage as well as nonmagical weapons.
No cloud camo
2 slams +7/3d6+4
Whirlwind is much weaker: 1d6 per 5 feet "carried" with a save to avoid entirely.
I would take the KPMV stats.