D&D General Making consistent Monsters?

[Scurvy_Platypus]

I've had a...time limit... placed on me, due to health reasons. So I find myself wondering "What should I be using for monsters now?"

Like... should I fish out my 2014 DMG, should I go with Forge of Foes, or... something else entirely? Back in 3.5, I was heavily into monster creation and all that, 4E I didn't have to worry about it so much, but 5e... I've only recently gotten back into D&D (this year), so I've missed the whole early cycle of 5e and I'm now looking between 5e and 5.5 and not entirely sure what to do here. Just that I'd like to take monsters and rebuild them so they're coming from a consistent place; they don't necessarily have to match official 5e monsters, but I'd like 'em to be consistent so that I know exactly what base I'm starting from and can build whatever crazy monsters (or convert them from older editions) and have them act the way I expect.

For example, I just came across this thread looked at a few different versions of the Ankheg... Black Flag SRD, Level Up, 2024 SRD

D&D 5E (2014) Post in thread 'Building a Better Ankheg'

Nov 10, 2025

Check out the Black Flag version.

https://koboldpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Black-Flag-Roleplaying-v04_2025_07_01.pdf

Save for Later is interesting

• bedir than

• 

Now, Black Flag and the Level Up versions are both interesting but also a bit different. Yes, as a CR 2 critter, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter that much... but my monkey-mind still want to be able to use a tool to be able to build whichever version I want. And more importantly, build other critters and know that they're "equivalent" to whatever version of Ankheg I decided I preferred.

Ideas/suggestions? I'm not looking for a single Monster Manual to use... I wanna be able to cherry-pick my critters and make them all "work" on the same "level" playing field.

 

[Distracted DM]

You can also check out mcdm's Flee Mortals! if you want another monster manual to pull from. Its monsters are a bit more complex but interesting.

 

[J-H]

Good news, if they're built for 5e they are all cross-compatible. I've heard the 5.24 monsters tend to be less barbarian-friendly (bonus Force damage instead of weapon damage?) but unless you're at the bleeding edge of deadliness in a battle, you're probably fine.

5e monster manual on a business card provides the tool I use to analyze overall monster CRs, and assign them for creatures I have created.

 

[Reynard]

I find the guidance in the LevelUp MM to be the best for actually building my own monsters. In practice, when I am running 5E I generally pick between the LevelUp or ToV version of a monster that is present in both. I almost never use the D&D 2024 version of a monster unless it is the only option.

 

[dave2008]

@Scurvy_Platypus, I have a question: are you looking for a source to use for monsters or how to make your own monsters?

 

[Voadam]

I think it depends on your design goals as a DM for the levels of complexity and at the table experience you want.

2014 MM baseline had about three types of monsters, basic stat block variations (AC, hp, attack bonus(es), damage); stat blocks with a little something (flying, poison, grapple, special defenses), and stat blocks with spell casting. Legendary ones and lair actions for them add some mechanical complexity and combat dynamics.

Level Up and various other 3rd party sourcebooks (Kobold Press has a number I have used though not their Tales of the Valiant/Black Flag) are more mechanically complex to give more dynamic combat experiences than the 2014 core statblock based monsters.

2024 MM is like 2014 core stat blocks with something added, but also tuned to be quick resolution at the table so no save on a hit, just imposes the effect on a hit, and it turns most spellcasting monster stuff into simple something added instead of complex high level casters.

So 14 has varying levels of complexity you can use from simple to full PC caster types. 3rd party are generally more mechanically complex and interesting. 24 is quick resolution with some flavor in most.

If you want 4e style all interesting in depth combats go for the 3rd party.

If you want all quick resolution but with some flavor go with 24.

If you want variable types of statblocks and at the table combat experiences with a fairly stark caster noncaster divide go with 14.

 

[Scurvy_Platypus]

@Scurvy_Platypus, I have a question: are you looking for a source to use for monsters or how to make your own monsters?

Making my own.

A source to use for monsters... there's a horde of them. That number increases significantly, the more willing I am to look at a source that isn't strictly D&D. However, even within the D&D eco system, you've got 3rd parties which may or may not have figured their monsters "correctly". This was a problem back in 3.5. And now? I dunno, since I don't know how the 3rd parties are figuring their monsters to begin with. Everyone (including WotC it seems) is all secret squirrel about how they're making their monsters.

An...extreme?... response to the whole thing? Redoing all the basic monsters using whatever system (Forge of Foes? 2014 DMG? something else) so you know explicitly what you're getting and then knowing that whatever monsters you make/convert, they're lining up with the default monsters too.

At this point, I insert a bunch of caveats like understanding it's an art, not a science (although Upper Krust proved it could be both, back in 3.5), there's no way to know the exact "value" of every critter's ability, the CR system is "broken" by a chunk of people's estimation, I can do whatever I want because it's my game... sigh... I'm old and tired. I've been playing D&D off-and-on since 1983. I understand a lot of people want to argue the validity of an approach and I'm glad they're out there doing it. I just want a relatively consistent system to implement. I'm not afraid of having to do some work, but trying to sort through all the noise is tiring. Maybe I shouldn't have mainlined so many ENWorld monster threads the last day or so.

Sidenote: no other real place to say this, so I'll just use my thread to do so... I really appreciate how level you are. As I said, I've been through a lot of threads the last day or so, and you seem to really go out of your way to be thoughtful and considerate, even if the folks you're responding to seem to be less easy-going. Thanks for making ENWorld a bit better like that.

Also, since I've been through so many threads, I understand that monsters are a topic you're keenly interested in, so I'm keenly interested in any advice you've got. (Does that emoticon mark me as GenX and rapidly sliding into irrelevance? Whatever.)

 

[Scurvy_Platypus]

Good news, if they're built for 5e they are all cross-compatible. I've heard the 5.24 monsters tend to be less barbarian-friendly (bonus Force damage instead of weapon damage?) but unless you're at the bleeding edge of deadliness in a battle, you're probably fine.

5e monster manual on a business card provides the tool I use to analyze overall monster CRs, and assign them for creatures I have created.

You can also check out mcdm's Flee Mortals! if you want another monster manual to pull from. Its monsters are a bit more complex but interesting.

I find the guidance in the LevelUp MM to be the best for actually building my own monsters. In practice, when I am running 5E I generally pick between the LevelUp or ToV version of a monster that is present in both. I almost never use the D&D 2024 version of a monster unless it is the only option.

Thanks folks. I'm aware of Flee Mortals but haven't picked it up; there's so many monster books out there, it's hard to know exactly where to start collecting. Also, I'm not in a space of being able to collect more books now, even in electronic form. I kinda gotta use what I've already got or be inspired by the internet in all its... glory.

While I'll look at LevelUp and MM on a business card... if I wanna grab a critter from Palladium Fantasy and build it for 5e... which is gonna be "better" (more complete) for doing so? I need to be able to figure out how to "price" funky abilities, as well as creating the basic chassis that those abilities are gonna be attached to. Yes, I get that I can "look for a similar ability on a 5e critter" but part of getting inspiration and converting critters is grabbing something that's "unknown" in the 5e rules and surprising folks with it.

 

[Reynard]

Thanks folks. I'm aware of Flee Mortals but haven't picked it up; there's so many monster books out there, it's hard to know exactly where to start collecting. Also, I'm not in a space of being able to collect more books now, even in electronic form. I kinda gotta use what I've already got or be inspired by the internet in all its... glory.

While I'll look at LevelUp and MM on a business card... if I wanna grab a critter from Palladium Fantasy and build it for 5e... which is gonna be "better" (more complete) for doing so? I need to be able to figure out how to "price" funky abilities, as well as creating the basic chassis that those abilities are gonna be attached to. Yes, I get that I can "look for a similar ability on a 5e critter" but part of getting inspiration and converting critters is grabbing something that's "unknown" in the 5e rules and surprising folks with it.

I think LevelUp is going to be the most help here. That said, 5E is not a point buy system. You are going to have to wing it a lot.

 

[Scurvy_Platypus]

I think it depends on your design goals as a DM for the levels of complexity and at the table experience you want.

2024 MM is like 2014 core stat blocks with something added, but also tuned to be quick resolution at the table so no save on a hit, just imposes the effect on a hit, and it turns most spellcasting monster stuff into simple something added instead of complex high level casters.
<snip>
If you want all quick resolution but with some flavor go with 24.

Quick resolution and simple is my basic inclination.

I prefer to run games that are high-action/octane and over-the-top; I want my party kicking down the doors and going in wands blazing and kicking some villain from one room to another. To match that, I want monsters that are gonna be surprising and over-the-top but not "unfair". Snakes that puke mind-altering venom on someone. Monkeys that crap in their paw, set it on fire, and fling it at the party. Flying grizzly bears that shoot lasers from their eyes.

The problem isn't so much "what to use" but more "is this gonna kill my group outright or just singe their eyebrows and make 'em panic?" And that's what I need some sort of underlying base to build my critters from and hopefully have an idea of whether my grizzly needs a bear-hug attack or just flies around zotting everyone with its lasers.