Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Monster Manual (D&D Core Rulebook)

The Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Monster Manual is everything a Dungeon Master could hope for—comprehensive, well-organized, and absolutely gorgeous. With over 500 creatures, including 75 brand-new monsters, this book is an invaluable tool for crafting thrilling encounters and breathing life (or unholy terror) into any campaign.One of its greatest strengths is its organization. The revised stat blocks and categorization make it incredibly easy to find exactly what you need, whether you’re looking for a terrifying high-level foe like the arch-hag or a unique humanoid NPC to enrich your storytelling. The layout feels intuitive, cutting down on prep time and letting you focus on the adventure itself.But let’s talk about the artwork—because wow. This Monster Manual doesn’t just give you stats; it immerses you in the world with over 300 new illustrations, from awe-inspiring dragon redesigns to eerie, unforgettable creatures that leap off the page. Each piece enhances the lore and personality of these monsters, making encounters feel even more vivid and engaging.Whether you're a veteran DM or just starting your journey, the 2024 Monster Manual is a masterpiece of design and utility. With its easy-to-use format, fresh new creatures, and breathtaking art, this is a book you’ll reach for time and time again—because what’s D&D without a few unforgettable monsters?

First thing, overall, I really enjoyed just flipping through and looking at the artwork, some of the dragons have some great full-page images.The stat blocks are much more easy to read with a slightly larger font and a better layout. They actually include initiative and both ability mods AND saves. I also like how, at the beginning of each entry, there is a concise description of the monster, like the Aboleth is an "Ageless Alien Mastermind." They still include the size, type, and alignment but it's in the stat block. I also like how each one has a list of habitats and treasure types (described in the new DMG).Another appreciated difference is the inclusion of more developed NPCs, like Assassins, Bandits, Commoners, Cultists, Gladiator, Guards, Knights, Mages, Nobles, Performers, Pirates, Priests, Scouts, Spies, Toughs, and Warriors. Most of them have two or more varieties with different challenge ratings. It makes things easy when you need stats for whichever level your party might be at. For example, the warrior has Warrior Infantry CR 1/8, Warrior Veteran CR 3, and Warrior Commander CR 10. The Mage has the Mage Apprentice CR 2, Mage CR 6, and Archmage CR12 (and their abilities are kept fairly simple with a limited but versatile range of spells and abilities without getting too complex. (Of course, you can always make an NPC with a character class, but that takes time, and these are meant to be easy to turn to when you need stats for an NPC without a lot of prep.)THe other big difference is many of the entries include helpful and interesting tables to give more detail or variety to the creatures. For example, Kuo-Toa has a table for different community features; the Litch has a table for spirit jars; and the Rober has a table of possible hazards it can drag its prey through.Overall, I'm very pleased with this new edition and look forward to using some of the new monsters in my campaigns, like the Blob of Annihilation, the Arch-Hag, and the Swarm of Larvae.

After reading this twice I can say that this is a great tome. Great for DMs and the artwork is very inspiring.Things I likedFantastic artworkUpdated stats to make monster challenging for D&D5.5eVery well organisedNew average Initiative makes combat encounters fasterGreat quality of print.Things I did not likeThe treasure attached to mosters feels like an after thought and does not add much to the gameLess lore than the previous 2014 DMGOverall great value for money, lots of monsters and inspiring art (the dragons look amazing). An essential book for DMs

So far this book has been amazing. For one, the art in this book is phenomenal and really captures the personality of each monster perfectly. The stat blocks in this book are easy to read and clear cut, omitting unnecessary details from the 2014 book. While the lack of extensive lore for some monsters might be upsetting for some, the lore and info that is there is encourages the reader to fill in the gaps with their own interpretations. My only gripe with this book is that it came slightly bent, but it is an easy fix.Overall my favorite out of the 3 2024e (or 5.5e) books by far.

Excellent update of core material incorporating the popular additions of previous campaigns allowing the old 3rd Ed campaigns to convert to the updated rules. Entries such as "Commoner" give guidance on how former monsters, now playable, should be handled in a world setting.The only negative I found was errata being hard to find on the D&D portal.Others have complained about the organization. Dragon types are scattered through the pages by color (Golden Dragon under G) while other monsters are grouped together such as Tyrannosaurus Rex under Animals - at the end of the book. This may have been done because monsters such as Fomorian (a type of Giant) were hard to find in the older versions. Organization charts at the very end of the book do help with creature types and where they are found. The organization is workable and does not hinder games where the DMs use the best practice and bookmark all monsters before the session.