Dungeons and Dragons has seen monsters change multiple times over many editions, but the 2025 Monster Manual has some of the most extensive reworks of classic creatures in the iconic TTRPG. Beholders, Mind Flayers, demons, devils, and dragons have changed, remaining similar but gaining plenty of new tricks and abilities. Some of these redone monsters have changed how they play completely, making them more interesting to use in your game.
All redone monsters in the 2025 Monster Manual still follow the existing rules for the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons. You can expect to see more Legendary Actions from monsters with a higher Challenge Rating (CR) but don’t expect completely new mechanics. Reworked monsters now tend to have more health, a wider variety of Actions, and additional Bonus Actions or Reactions to their arsenal.
10
Aboleths Can Now Drain Memories
Make These Aberration Masterminds Even More Dangerous
One of the more famous types of Aberration monsters, besides Mind Flayers, are Aboleths, who gain new tricks in the 2025 Monster Manual. Aboleths now have the ability to consume the memories of foes they encounter, making them terrifying opponents who lurk beneath dark waters. These creatures retain their psionic abilties, dominating minds to charm targets and set up its action to devour thoughts.
Most high CR creatures, like the Aboleth, gain more Legendary Actions per round when they are challenged in their lairs. This is a new ruling established in the 2025 Monster Manual.
Aboleths also gain new properties to their protective ability called Mucus Cloud, which curses any creatures that fails a Constitution saving throw within 5 feet of it. Before, this only used to disease creatures who fail the save. Now, it causes them to take continual Acid damage unless moisture is applied to their skin, creating an interesting condition that could force player characters into the waters where an Aboleth thrives.
9
All Dragons Gain New Magic And Legendary Actions
Each Ten Types Feel Unique
All the five types of Chromatic and Metallic Dragons in the 2025 Monster Manual have received changes, albeit slight ones. All Adult and Ancient versions of dragons gain new spellcasting and Legendary Action options to make them all feel unique from each other. This creates extra emphasis on a dragon’s personality, which is usually influenced by its type.
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With the release of the 2025 Monster Manual for Dungeons and Dragons, the groups of monster types have been redefined in alignment with other changes.
For example, Blue Dragons are now one of the only types with Frightful Presence, lending to their intimidating nature. Meanwhile, Copper Dragons have been given restorative spells, shapechanging abilities, and Giggling Magic to adhere more to their playful personalities. This 2025 change will help new dungeon masters run dragons differently, while keeping the awe-inspiring power of such iconic creatures.
8
More Cultists For Any Encounter
Give Dark Worshipers More Strength
Cultists are the backbone of lower-level Dungeons & Dragons games, but they have always been limited to two stat blocks. One minion and one leader stat block for Cultists has usually been everything you could use to form large organizations dedicated to the study of taboo magic or the worship of dark deities. Now, there are seven different Cultist types you can use with the way this enemy type has been changed.
The simplified spell lists of Cultists make them easier to use and implement into any game. For example, a Fiend Cultist is perfect if you want to have a cult dedicated to worshipping a powerful devil or demon, while a Death Cultist is simple to use for any Lich’s high-ranking apprentice.
7
The Oni Has More Ways To Stay Sinister
The Oni is not the most used type of Fiend monster, as their 2014 stat block only gave them basic spellcasting and shapechanging to be mildly tricky opponents. However, the 2025 Monster Manual revamps these creatures by giving them extra abilities to make them harder to fight. While Onis retain their regeneration and shape-shifting, they are only buffed by gaining new skills.
Before, the Oni had to spend an Action to cast the Invisibility spell to disappear, which it could only do once a day. Now, Onis can use a Bonus Action to cast Invisibility, requiring no spell components when they do so. This allows the Oni to turn invisible whenever it wants and on multiple turns if players try to use Counterspell or Dispel Magic to prevent an Oni from vanishing.
With the lack of Orc monsters in the 2025 Monster Manual, the Oni is a very similar creature that once had connections to Orcs in its origin. The connection to humanoid creatures makes Onis very useful monsters in roleplaying as well as combat.
These buffs increase the Oni’s effectiveness as a stalker – an enemy that lurks and harasses parties as a supernatural force of wickedness. With a new Nightmare Ray ranged attack that has a chance to frighten targets, the new Oni is great to use as a creature of sinister folklore, terrorizing a village or causing nightmares for wary travelers to initiate a call to action for a group of would-be heroes.
6
A Medusa’s Curse Is Easier To Understand
Petrify Your Players More Often
The Medusa is often mistaken for the chrome bull Gorgons in Dungeons & Dragons, with the petrification gaze known to the mythological Greek monster of the same name. The 2014 stat block for this creature implemented the Petrifying Gaze curse in a strange way, forcing players to engage with it all the time to prevent their characters from turning into stone.
Now, this ability has been reworked in the 2025 Monster Manual to be much easier to use. The Petrifying Gaze of the Medusa is now a Bonus Action rather than a continuous ability the monster is using at all times. As part of the standard 5e action economy, it will be simpler for dungeon masters to use this iconic ability as part of the normal combat flow with clearer rules for how it works.
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Furthermore, the Medusa gains new attack options that fit more into their themes, such as a Snake Hair attack option that inflicts piercing and poison damage. A Poison Ray ranged attack and the 30ft Cone of Petrifying Gaze gives the Medusa more options to fight well-equipped parties, giving you a horrific monster sure to turn someone to stone.
5
Death Knights Are Commanders, Not Minions
Utilize Less Magic For More Martial Leadership
One of the bigger complaints about Dungeons & Dragons in the 2014 Monster Manual was the amount of spells some creatures had. The extremely long spell list of monsters like the Death Knight made them overwhelming to run, as combat would never really see a Death Knight use all its magic. The 2025 Monster Manual fixes this by giving the Death Knight less magic, but more martial abilities.
The Death Knight still retains some of its most powerful spells from its 2014 stat block, such as Destructive Wave and Dispel Magic. New magic like Phantom Steed gives a Death Knight more defined, focused spells to play into its strengths.
For instance, Death Knights now have Legendary Actions that allow it to cast Command or Lunge forward and attack its enemies. On top of this, Death Knights can use the Legendary Action Fell Word to instantly impose a Constitution saving throw on a target, causing it to take Necrotic damage and reduce its max health.
Death Knights keep their Marshal Undead ability and gain Undead Restoration, a feature that gives them passive healing. Death Knights are far stronger creatures that differentiate themselves from Liches or other powerful Undead monsters in the game. With signature attacks like the Hellfire Orb now on a recharge instead of 1/Day, Death Knights have way stronger tools to be boss-level creatures for a party to face.
4
Arcanaloths Are Now Wielders Of Unique Magic Items
Banish Targets With Unique Magic
The Arcanaloth is a Yugoloth Fiend who used to have a huge list of spells to combat enemies, but the 2025 rework of this monster gives them a role that’s easier to control. While Arcanaloths are still masters of magic, these creatures now use a unique magic item called a Soul Tome to cast their spells. Almost like an inverted Wizard spellbook, a Soul Tome is a physical artifact precious to Arcanaloths that gives them extra abilities.
When holding a Soul Tome, Arcanaloths can now use Banishing Claw, an ability that traps enemies inside the Tome. This incapacitates and kidnaps a target, forcing them to make Charisma saving throws or be bound to the Soul Tome forever. Those who fail to resist the Soul Tome’s magic become trapped in it until it is destroyed, which will be hard to do since an Arcanaloth guards it so fiercly.
With Counterspell as a free reaction, teleportation, and powerful spells like Mind Blank in its arsenal, Arcanaloths are unlike any other creature in the Monster Manual. Tricky magic and damaging Fiendish Bursts allow Arcanaloths to be true menaces to a party, rather than the light nuisance they were in the past.
3
The Mummy Lord Has Less, But Stronger Undead Options
Use Pharaohs Of Sands Instead Of Liches
Oftentimes, the Mummy Lord was a much harder Undead boss-level monster to run than Liches, mainly due to their complex series of Legendary Actions in the 2014 Monster Manual. In 2025, Mummy Lords have been reworked to have less Legendary Actions, but keep ones that make sense. For example, a Mummy Lord can spend a Legendary Action to use a Dreadful Glare, dealing Psychic damage and possibly a Paralyzed condition.
Mummy Lords have less spellcasting as well, boiled down to essential spells rather than a full arsenal. Harm and Insect Plague are still in the stat block, alongside Animate Dead. To make up for this, Mummy Lords have a ranged attack called Channel Negative Energy, which gives them more options to attack enemies from afar without having to use specific magic.
The biggest buff to Mummy Lords, though, comes from a new Reaction named Whirlwind of Sand. By using this feature at the right time, a Mummy Lord can raise its AC by 2 to try and avoid an attack, then teleport if it does block that strike. When a Mummy Lord does this, it also blinds nearby creatures near its teleport until the end of its next turn, giving it more ways to disrupt parties of characters.
2
Four Types Of Sphinxes Create New Celestial Challenges
Different Flavors Of Knowledge And Secrets
Sphinxes in the 2025 Monster Manual come in four different shapes and sizes, as opposed to the two main types from the past. Androsphinxes and Gynosphinxes have been replaced with these kinds of monsters:
- Sphinx of Lore
- Sphinx of Secrets
- Sphinx of Wonder
- Sphinx of Valor
Each of these Sphinxes are incredibly unique, from the Sphinx of Wonder’s ability to add 2 to an ability check or saving throw to a Sphinx of Secret’s Curse of the Riddle, which curses a creature to solve a riddle or struggle to hit targets or cast magic. Gone are the long lists of spells for different sphinxes in exchange for more Legendary Actions and personalized Attacks that better reflect a Sphinx type’s personality.
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Similar to the Dragons in the 2025 Monster Manual, Sphinxes each have personalized spells and features that better reflect who they are. This rework makes Sphinxes more diverse than what is assumed about their folklore, making them far more interesting monsters to use in a campaign setting.
1
Rakshasa Are Much Stronger Fiends Than Before
Masterminds Resistant To Almost All Magic
While an infamous monster, veteran dungeon masters will tell you that Rakshasa are oftentimes better used as schemers rather than fighters. This changes drastically in the 2025 Monster Manual, with the Rakshasa receiving more abilities while retaining its spellcasting prowess that already made it a tricky opponent. These cunning and charming foes keep most of their magic, unlike many of the reworked monsters in the new Manual.
Disguising illusions already in the Rakshasa’s arsenal now combine with flight and invisibility to create a monster that relies on its wits rather than raw strength. The Baleful Command ability added to the Rakshasa’s stat block adds to this, giving the monster a way to deal huge amounts of Psychic damage, then Frighten and Incapacitate enemies at the same time if they fail a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw.
Rakshasas retain their ability to curse targets with their Cursed Touch attack, which causes someone to lose the ability to recover after a short or long rest until the Rakshasa’s curse is removed.
The greatest change to the Rakshasa though, is the reworked Greater Magic Resistance. This feature automatically allows a Rakshasa to succeed in saving throws against all spells, not just ones of a certain level. Spell attack rolls automatically miss a Rakshasa, while no spell can observe the monster remotely or detect its thoughts, alignment, or creature type without its permission.
This single ability makes the Rakshasa a master infiltrator, spy, criminal mastermind, crime lord, or whatever else you need them to do. The chances of this monster’s plans getting revealed by magic is impossible, forcing players to discover their nature through their actions. This perfectly aligns with how Rakshasa work best in a story, so their rework is easily the best in Dungeons and Dragons‘ new 2025 Monster Manual.
Dungeons and Dragons
- Original Release Date
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1974
- Publisher
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TSR Inc., Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
- Player Count
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2-7 Players
