Monster Manual Suggests Changes Are Coming to Some Playable Species

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More non-humanoid playable species are coming to the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons. In videos released over the last two weeks to promote the 2025 Monster Manual, Wizards of the Coast has revealed they have reclassified several creatures that doubled as playable races in the previous version of 5th Edition as non-humanoid species. The goblin is now a fey creature, the kobold is now a dragon, and the kenku is now a monstrosity. It's likely that the hobgoblin and bugbear (both of which are goblinoid creatures in D&D) will also be reclassified in the Monster Manual. The 2024 adventure Vecna: Eve of Ruin reclassified the Warforged as a construct rather than as a humanoid, a change from the 2018 Eberron sourcebook. Lycanthropes are also reclassified as monstrosities in the 2025 Monster Manual, which could also have an impact on playable species.

There are 14 different creature types in D&D 5E, although it took D&D years to include non-humanoid creature types as an option. Centaurs (from Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica) was the first non-humanoid creature type, followed by satyrs in Mythic Odysseys of Theros. Both of those books were Magic: The Gathering crossovers and classified those races as fey creatures. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight added Fairies and Haregon as playable fey creatures. Spelljammer added playable construct, monstrosities, and oozes via the Autognome, Thri-kreen, and Plasmoid. Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse also changed the Changeling from Eberron into a fey creature.

D&D hasn't stated their plans for the goblin, kobold, kenku, and warforged playable species rules, but these classifications should be reflected if/when the D&D team updates those species for the 2024 rule set.

Creature classifications matter in 5E D&D because certain spells only impact humanoids. Hold Person, Charm Person, Dominate Person, Finger of Death's zombification effect, Reincarnate, Calm Emotion, Friends, Crown of Madness, Magic Jar, and Simulacrum are all spells that only impact humanoids, for instance. Some of these spells have equivalents that can be used on any creature type but often require a higher level spell slot to be used.

On the flip side, one immediate impact is that, once the 2025 Monster Manual comes out, a bard PC will no longer be able to Charm Person their way out of tense encounter with a goblin or a kobold. Mind manipulation is no longer in vogue (or mechanically possible) when interacting with the game's beloved trash dragons.
 

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Christian Hoffer

Christian Hoffer


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Why were subtypes dropped after 3e? And why do types seem more like a ribbon feature? In 3e, both types and subtypes contained info on things like resistance and immunities that were commonly held by a group of related creatures.
Giving types and subtypes mechanical weight that isn't included in the stat block means it's easy to miss that weight. For example, in 3e vermin (insects, spiders, scorpions, worms, etc) had Darkvision and were immune to mind-affecting things. And sure, the stat blocks called out "Vermin traits" but didn't list what those traits were. So when the wizard casts color spray on a giant ant, it's easy to miss that they're immune. In addition, it means that if you want something like She-Lob, who is a giant spider-like monster that definitely does have a mind of her own, you have to make her something other than a Vermin.

It's much easier to just put all that info in the stat block of the monsters where it belongs, and use creature types and sub-types as a hook on which you can hang other effects.
Case in point, the 5.5 PHB. However, it's dwarfed by the PHB for PF1 and the Adventurers' Guide for Level Up.
It should be noted that the PF1 core rule book has a lot of material that's in the DMG in 3.5e (like magic items and encounter building). The PF1 Game-Master's Guide is more of an advice book. Same thing really in PF2.0.
 

There are 14 different creature types in D&D 5E, although it took D&D years to include non-humanoid creature types as an option. Centaurs (from Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica) was the first non-humanoid creature type, followed by satyrs in Mythic Odysseys of Theros. Both of those books were Magic: The Gathering crossovers and classified those races as fey creatures. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight added Fairies and Haregon as playable fey creatures. Spelljammer added playable construct, monstrosities, and oozes via the Autognome, Thri-kreen, and Plasmoid. Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse also changed the Changeling from Eberron into a fey creature.

Aw no love for the Owlin
 


It should be noted that the PF1 core rule book has a lot of material that's in the DMG in 3.5e (like magic items and encounter building). The PF1 Game-Master's Guide is more of an advice book.
Ditto for Level Up's own version of the DMG, Trials and Treasures. This book covers world building, exploration and magic items. Most of what the Narrator needs to run a game is in the Adventurers' Guide.
 


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