So Much Art From the 2025 Monster Manual

Here's some preview art from the 2025 Monster Manual, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast's "Everything You Need to Know Video" on the new book.

A classic Faceless Stalker:

A demon of some kind:

Arch-Hags:

Some kobolds:

A Nalfeshnee, perhaps?

A revenant:

Blue dracolich:

Death Knight:

Death tyrant:

Chimera:

Githyanki (with the central warrior recreating a classic pose):

A mummy lord:

A marrow:

A balrog balor:

Mimics:

While I'm tempted to say a tressym, this actually might be a new sphinx design:

Bone fiend:

Sladd:

Rust monster:

Platinum(?) dragon:

Bronze dragon:

Hezrou, perhaps?

Fire giant, not Karlach:

Cloud giants:

Zombies:

Red dragon:

Hags (including a male hag):

Dryads (including a male dryad):

Horned devil:

Incubus and succubus:

Vampires:

Vampire:

Colossus:

Spirit naga:

Copper dragon:

White dragon:

Blue dragon:

Gold dragon:

Black dragon:

 

[Henadic Theologian]

While many of these are good, the gold dragon makes it so painfully clear how stumpy and underwhelming the new wings look. I get what they were trying to do with it. It just doesn't look good. It looks silly and weak, not like the literal most impressive subspecies of dragon.

I hate the new look for the dragons, hate it.

 

[Reynard]

That has been discussed for the past 24 hours or so, how did you only find out now!

Believe it or not, I do not generally jump into D&D 2024 threads because they tend to involve a lot of people arguing over things I do not care about.

 

[Reynard]

Yes, here it is:
View attachment 391759

What's their CR?

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

What's their CR?

23. Same as in 2014. There’s also a CR 1 “Empyrean Iota,” which are those floating eyeball things. They’re not really a new type of Empyrean, more like living divine thoughts and memories.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Yes, here it is:
View attachment 391759

It looks like its set in the Astral Sea, a Fiend Empyrean & a Celestial Empyrean surrounded by Iota Empryeans.

Instead of fighting the Fiendish & Celestial Empyreans seem to be on the same side, perhaps defending against a planar invasion from demons or Aberration getting them to set aside their differences.

 

[pukunui]

What's their CR?

From one of the other threads:

New Empyrean

 

[Reynard]

23. Same as in 2014. There’s also a CR 1 “Empyrean Iota,” which are those floating eyeball things. They’re not really a new type of Empyrean, more like living divine thoughts and memories.

From one of the other threads:

Aww. Now I'm sad. That image made me think of the high end celestials of the Marvel Universe, and that stablock is... not that.

Oh well.

 

[dave2008]

I hate the new look for the dragons, hate it.

I think most of them are the best or close to the best D&D dragons we have ever had.

I am curious though, some of these are very similar to previous designs (red, black, silver, gold). Are the minor changes really so much to you that they boil into hate? What could drive you to hate a piece of art that much.

I mean I love dragons and am passionate about them (just look at me avatar), but even when I don't like a particular dragon design I can't imagine developing a hate. I am not particularly fond of most of the dragons in How to Train Your Dragons, but I don't hate them and they are much more an affront to dragon design then anything in the 2024 redesign IMO.

It is also odd you say hate it. What is it? The dragon designs are not monolithic, or does hating one design make you hate them all?

 

[dave2008]

What's their CR?

None of the CRs change, 23 just like the original.

 

[dave2008]

Believe it or not, I do not generally jump into D&D 2024 threads because they tend to involve a lot of people arguing over things I do not care about.

Well I have seen you around the past 24 hours or so, so it seemed odd to me that you had missed it. But, life happens fast!