Towards the end of last year, my family decided to experiment with some of the top meal delivery services. We enjoyed the surprise of discovering new ingredients and flavors, but a few things didn’t sit quite right with us. Oddly enough, almost every meal called for numerous tiny packets of sour cream, and when everything was cooked on just one baking sheet, all the flavors seemed to blend into one. While the preparation was quicker and the meals more intriguing, the taste wasn’t always spot on.
This culinary experiment came to mind when I attended an exclusive press event hosted by Wizards of the Coast last week. The focus was on their new Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. This latest edition is larger than ever, filled with exciting content like expanded “monster sets” for creating impromptu encounters. The emphasis is on speed and convenience, but unlike HelloFresh, the flavor of these creatures relies heavily on the Dungeon Master’s creativity.
The brand-new Monster Manual, set for a 2025 release, is part of the 2024 refresh of the 5th edition rules. It stands alongside the updated Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide as a key element of the D&D experience. Where its predecessor from 2014 felt rather like a reference guide, this version bursts with prompts for on-the-fly creativity. It doesn’t just hand you a recipe and instructions; it inspires you to concoct a bespoke adventure for your players using any ingredients you prefer.
One of the most welcomed updates is the reorganization of the manuscript’s layout. Monsters are now arranged alphabetically rather than by type — meaning the gelatinous cube can be found under G rather than buried in the O section with “oozes.” For those who might prefer it, there’s still an appendix categorizing them by creature type, and another based on Challenge Rating, which ranks their strength relative to others. Plus, they’re now grouped by habitat, so if your adventure leads you into the woods, you’ll easily find a list of forest-dwelling creatures.
Moreover, the monster sets have seen a significant boost. Instead of just a couple of generic cultists, you’ve now got multiple variations all within the cultist theme. This way, you can effortlessly assemble a set of opponents that match your heroes with a comparable mix of skills and abilities. It’s a thematic consistency woven throughout the manual.
When a Dungeon Master lands on a particular monster or group, there’s more room to customize them than ever before. Alignments are merely suggestions this time around, as game director Jeremy Crawford mentioned during the event. So, if you envision the red dragon in your story as a potential ally rather than a foe, that’s entirely within your creative license. Each monster comes with its own set of unique traits to spark your imagination.
You can pre-order the Monster Manual (2025) now. It will first hit local game stores with a special collectible cover on February 4, followed by a broader release on February 18.
