Rather than give us 6th edition, the 2024 Player’s Handbook, DM guide, and now Monster Manual are revised versions of the existing 5th Edition rules. This leaves many DMs and their players wondering about the incentive to make the switch from the 2014 rulebooks to the new set. Are they really so different, and if so, is the revised 5th edition worth the cost of a shiny new trio of books? When the Monster Manual releases on February 18th, it will complete the core set of new rules. That means many tables who’ve yet to switch will be revisiting the conversation.
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Given that the 2024 rules are still more-or-less 5e, just with some revisions, it’s easy to wonder why a new Monster Manual is necessary, even for the party that already has the new Player’s Handbook and DM Guide. A side-by-side look at the 2014 version of the Monster Manual and the new 2024 edition offers some insight into the key differences between them. To help DMs decide if an upgrade is in order before the they their next campaign, we’re breaking down the key differences that might make it worth the $50 price tag.
More Monsters to Choose From
A first look at the new Monster Manual immediately highlights one major change – the length. The new book is quite a bit longer, and for good reason. It includes an equivalent for every monster in the 2014 version, plus over 85 new ones. Some of the new introductions are variants on existing creatures, but either way, the 2024 Monster Manual will certainly offer DMs new options for incorporating creatures into their campaigns that players haven’t faced before.
Improved Skimmability
This might be a small thing to some, but I couldn’t help but notice how much easier is it to find the info you’re looking for at a glance in the 2024 Monster Manual. Different sections, like the habitat, related treasure, etc. are formatted in a way that pops out from the text.
This is a change from the lengthy paragraphs in the prior manual, making it easier to glance down and grab the info you need when improvising thanks to those pesky unexpected player questions or abilities. The stat blocks are similarly reformatted for ease of quickly grabbing stats for checks and saves. It’s easier on the eyes and makes things move a bit more quickly during combat and roleplay scenarios when the DM needs to reference their monster’s traits and abilities quickly.
Alphabetical By Monster Name
Organization is perhaps the biggest change between the 2014 and 2024 5e Monster Manuals. Monsters are no longer organized under their overarching categories, but broken out alphabetically by name. This may prove to be a controversial change, but for those who remember a specific monster’s name more than its sub-type, it will make it easier to flip through and locate a specific creature (or humanoid, etc).
For those dedicated to the 2014 way of doing things, one of the new appendixes lists out monsters by creature type so you can still find an Elemental, Dragon, or Aberration of your choosing if you’re not looking up a specific monster by name.
Tougher Combat with CR Balance
Who among us hasn’t gone into combat only to wind up underwhelmed by the baddies’ performance? DMs and players alike have less fun when a creature doesn’t match up to its intended Challenge Rating, and the new Monster Manual is aimed at decreasing the chances this will happen.
Not only can you search for Monsters by CR, each one has been rebalanced. Abilities, attacks, and stats have been revised in an attempt to make sure each stat block truly delivers the intended CR. While DMs will need to put this promise to the test, an initial look shows that it’s far easier to get a grasp on what each monster can do and avoid choosing a pattern that leaves that CR 3 feeling like 1/8.
In-Depth Appendixes
The 2014 Monster Manual has a Stat Block index at the end, and that’s about it. It gets the job done just fine, but I can’t help but feel the different organization options in the various Appendixes from the 2024 version are a big improvement when you need to find something quickly mid-session. The first Monster List in Appendix B offers a quick conversion for the DM looking for an old favorite monster, which may have had a slight name change from 2014 to 2024 5e rules. Useful, but not the primary reason this appendix gets a thumbs up.
Sometimes, a DM needs to find a monster to suit the situation, not necessarily a specific stat block. That’s where the Monsters by Habitat list comes in handy. It gives you a quick and easy reference for Arctic, Coastal, and other areas, listing out monsters that call these places home. They’re even grouped by CR, from the easiest CR 0 creatures your party might stumble upon up through your CR23 Ancient Blue Dragons. You can also look up monsters by group (devils, angels, etc) or by CR alone, if preferred.
Artwork Depicts Monsters in Action
With the 2024 Monster Manual, each creature is depicted in action, using its abilities or roaming its habitat. This is a change from the background-less images favored in the previous edition, and it’s a useful one for players. Seeing a Succubus in her lair or a Kraken rising from the sea makes it easier to see the battle or scene as it plays out, giving the creatures a bit more life in the mind’s eye.
Admittedly, the new artwork will be trickier for DMs who like to pull character image PNGs for Virtual Tabletops. However, it does do more for the imagination than the more static images in the 2014 Monster Manual, so I’m counting it as a positive change. Your mileage may vary.
More Legendary Possibilities
For the party that manages to defeat the ultimate boss of scheduling and keep their campaign going on into higher levels, the final battle needs to be worth it. The 2024 Monster Manual adds three new Legendary monsters to help DMs deliver a true challenge for that epic campaign-ending moment.
While every party loves to fight a dragon (it is Dungeons & Dragons after all), options are never a bad thing. New big bads like the Blob of Annihilation and Arch Hag offer new challenges for higher level parties to tackle. This gives DMs more options to test their players and lets players craft creative new combat strategies. If you do opt for a dragon, bear in mind that they’ve been tweaked as well, so surprises just might lurk in these combat scenarios as well.
