D&D 5E New Monster Manual Cover

From IGN, the cover of the 2025 Monster Manual!

@Morrus

 

[Charlaquin]

Alternate cover dropped:
View attachment 366403
source: Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual alt cover features Baldur’s Gate 3 star - Dexerto

So, MM has the best standard art and the worst alt art. Naturally.

Still going to go with the alt arts so I don’t have to look at those ugly all-red spines.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Seen side by side, I'm sold:

View attachment 366423

Source of combined picture: x.com

I like the DMG cover the best, and the PHB cover the least.

One thing the MM cover has for it is that it reminds me of this old DC Comics house ad for Sandman:

 

[Meech17]

So, MM has the best standard art and the worst alt art. Naturally.

Still going to go with the alt arts so I don’t have to look at those ugly all-red spines.

We are on the exact same wavelength.

 

[Charlaquin]

Seen side by side, I'm sold:

View attachment 366423

Source of combined picture: x.com

Oh, ok. With only the PHB and DMG revealed, I thought they were going for warm tones to match the gold leaf, so the MM looked jarring in comparison. But side-by-side it’s clear they were going for a primary colors thing. I can dig that.

 

[Stormonu]

I bet you could make a bunch of money with grocery store paper book covers with old school inspired art on them.

Oh hell yeah.

Of course, my old school books used to look pretty snazzy themselves ...

View attachment 1717695867542.jpeg

(not bad for 10th grade, I think)

I do have some old vinyl D&D book covers back from my 2E days that had had transparent pockets so you could put your own artwork into them. May just have to dig them out of storage to gussy up my current 5E books.

...Or maybe get someone to customize the cover directly, like those folks who do custom (re)paints of Magic cards.

 

[Azzy]

Thanks for the lineup pic @rules.mechanic ! That just sold me on the 3 alt covers. Absolutely stunning together.

The real choice I'll have to make is if I'm gonna also buy all 3 standard covers for day to day use, so I can keep these in pristine condition.

Yeah, I might end up doing that and buying both sets.

 

[Azzy]

Oh absolutely. I have no needs with that.

But then you have folks who feel the need to tell you something is bad over and over and over again.

That’s the one I don’t get.

Yeah, it's the ones that use it as a bludgeon that are the most frustrating.

 

[KYRON45]

Then we'd just have people arguing that the colors they chose were terrible and worst color ever!

That would depend on how you define "blank".

 

[KYRON45]

With just bold black text: PHB, DMG and MM. That's it.

Just like the smokes and beer I used to buy at the PX...

But which font? WHICH FONT?!?!?!

 

[Chaosmancer]

Seen side by side, I'm sold:

View attachment 366423

Source of combined picture: x.com

I was torn about it, the Mindflayer isn't the biggest draw for me and the style didn't seem the same.

But you are correct, seen side-by-side, this is very good.

Still getting a second PHB because that's just useful, but I'll go alternates on the others.