As a tenth-level tiefling wizard, I am perhaps more excited than most about the new 2024 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual. The monsters have never been scarier, the art is out of this world, and the utility is off-the-charts good. With 85 new monsters in the manual, you won’t get bored any time soon.
Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Monster Manual (D&D Core Rulebook)
Immediately upon opening the 2024 Monster Manual (which has two available covers, by the way), you’ll notice that it looks slightly different. Apart from the gorgeous artwork, it has more information in the stat blocks, a lot more encounter-ready action, and more key information about the over 500 monsters in general.
One of the things I love best about the new MM is the fact that you get a better and more straightforward picture of where and when you might encounter these beasties. This makes it easier for the Dungeon Master to plan the campaign, and it helps you, as the player, understand what might be occurring. It’s also easy to see their abilities and their HP, et cetera, and place it in the context of the monster and the campaign.
As far as the monsters go, older monsters have leveled up, getting more powerful and ready to cause more problems. As someone who once rode the back of a bugbear like an Uber up a mountain, I worry I’ll need to be even more creative. Dragons, the stalwart danger of the skies (and seas) are now spellcasters, save for the younger ones. There are more ways for the undead and undying to absolutely demolish your character.
As someone who has played a game as a DM who is also a guiding lich, I am into this so hard. Yes, you may die in the campaign, but what will happen to you if you die while in the presence of a zombie hoard? With 40 new humanoid stat blocks? Who knows where you’ll end up—or what you’ll end up as? Just the dietary potential is wild.
This is all coming after a banner year for Dungeons and Dragons, as 2024 marked the 50th anniversary of the game. In 2024, D&D’s parent company, Wizards of the Coast, released a new Dungeon Master’s Guide, Player’s Handbook, a Compendium of the history of Dungeons and Dragons, multiple new campaign books, and tons of merch, which, yes, includes dice. If you’re a TTRPG nerd, this has been a heckuva year for you. You won’t want to miss this manual.
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Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook
Cat Bowen has been covering parenting and home for over a decade. At Best Products, she has tested hundreds of products for parents and for the home, often spending dozens of hours per product to ensure her reviews are accurate and informative. Prior to joining the team, she was at Romper where she covered everything from breastfeeding to child sleep habits to abortion rights access. You can find her work on Bustle, Romper, and more. Cat is a bit of an intellectual magpie and perpetual student, most recently receiving a graduate degree in gender studies where she examined a topic that vexes so many — pockets in women’s clothing.
