{"id":1094903,"date":"2026-01-25T16:24:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T16:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yotwKQLoJfhSWUnVjssGFH"},"modified":"2026-01-25T16:24:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T16:24:16","slug":"dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters\/","title":{"rendered":"D&amp;D&#8217;s revised Monster Manual is aiming to provide oodles of plot hooks along with its stat blocks, and I&#8217;m already quietly stealing some for my own encounters"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p>Dungeons &#038; Dragons will be completing its trio of 2024 rules revisions\u2014a little confusingly\u2014on Feburary 18, 2025. Its third source book, the Monster Manual, comes on the heels of both the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/games\/d-d-2024-s-player-handbook-first-impressions-a-great-upgrade-but-a-mere-echo-of-the-brave-step-forward-it-could-ve-been\/\">Player&#8217;s Handbook<\/a> and the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/games\/gosh-i-think-d-and-ds-finally-done-it-the-2024-dungeon-masters-guide-actually-does-a-decent-job-of-teaching-you-how-to-run-a-game\/\">Dungeon Master&#8217;s Guide<\/a>. I recently got to sit down last week, with a bestiary of other outlets, for a preview of what would be inside\u2014and, honestly? As far as a tome of stat blocks goes, it ain&#8217;t half-bad.<\/p>\n<p>Obviously, as revealed by game director Jeremy Crawford and principal game designer Wesley Schneider earlier this month, the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/games\/d-and-ds-revised-monster-manual-is-tackling-one-of-the-games-biggest-hangups-and-adding-a-new-menu-of-bbegs-we-wanted-the-tarrasque-to-have-some-fighting-buddies\/\">Tarrasque is getting some &#8220;fighting buddies&#8221;<\/a>. The amount of high-CR BBEGs here is, in truth, honestly kind of impressive\u2014with promises to add a bunch of &#8220;apex threats&#8221; like the Elemental Cataclysm, a multi-headed beast with varyingly-flavoured maws of doom doing their best Tiamat impression.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inlinegallery inline-layout\">\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-wrap\" style=\"display:flex; flex-flow:row nowrap;\">\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-item\" style=\"flex: 0 0 auto;\"><span class=\"slidecount\">Image 1 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:1200px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:175.00%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"HWHjhPgqRYLUtRj8tx9BZk\" name=\"DND apex creatures\" alt=\"The animal Lords in D&#038;D's Monster Manual 2024 stand intimidatingly amongst a verdant jungle.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters.jpg\" mos=\"\" link=\"\" align=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"2100\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\"\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast &#8211; Art by Valera Lutfullina)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-item\" style=\"flex: 0 0 auto;\"><span class=\"slidecount\">Image 2 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:5000px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:70.72%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"Y8TKCbMr2LqWhBqhp8PEKn\" name=\"DND apex creatures\" alt=\"An elemental cataclysm rages against an army of flying assailants in D&#038;D's Monster Manual 2024.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters-1.jpg\" mos=\"\" link=\"\" align=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"5000\" height=\"3536\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\"\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast &#8211; Art by Johan Grenier)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-item\" style=\"flex: 0 0 auto;\"><span class=\"slidecount\">Image 3 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:2400px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:175.00%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"jG42PUuDSJuRxBPwaKFqYn\" name=\"DND apex creatures\" alt=\"A haunted house opens it jagged maw in the D&#038;D Monster Manual 2024.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters-2.jpg\" mos=\"\" link=\"\" align=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"2400\" height=\"4200\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\"\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast &#8211; Art by Cristi Balanescu)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-item\" style=\"flex: 0 0 auto;\"><span class=\"slidecount\">Image 4 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:2571px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:175.03%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"BydMwiE2qBnC32Ui52GuWn\" name=\"DND apex creatures\" alt=\"A blob of annihilation drowns a townstead in D&#038;D's 2024 Monster Manual.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters-3.jpg\" mos=\"\" link=\"\" align=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"2571\" height=\"4500\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\"\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast &#8211; Art by Mathias Kollros)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Other big bads included the Animal Lords, CR20 demigods with different abilities based on your flavour of furry, as well as a Haunted House Revenant. My favourite by far is the Blob of Annihilation, a cataclysmic ooze with the skull of a dead god inside it. One which hosts its own demiplane that can draw you and your compatriots inside, which presents a problem\u2014since killing it would collapse the demiplane and eject its inhabitants into the Astral Sea (that&#8217;s &#8216;outer space&#8217; in nerdspeak).<\/p>\n<p>My immediate thought upon regarding this thing wasn&#8217;t to use it as a CR20 battle, but instead as a plot hook for a Spelljammer campaign\u2014why start in a tavern when you can be a gaggle of unassuming nobodies sucked into a giant ooze and shot into space after a group of high-level murderhobos kill it without regard for your safety?<\/p>\n<p>And that, really, seems to be the major draw of this book. More impressive than the 80+ new creatures and the Tarrasque being able to blow up <em>buildings <\/em>now is the renewed emphasis on providing stories for fledgling DMs. For instance, there&#8217;s more NPC-style blocks, like an entire crew of pirates to throw into your campaign, as well as a set of cultists for different types of worship. Not all cults sacrifice with the same brush, as they say.<\/p>\n<p>But the real draw is how almost every type of monster\u2014not all of them, but damn near close\u2014comes with its own set of random tables to help gestate ideas within your mind. As Schneider describes, there&#8217;s been a deliberate move away from didactic loredumps and into suggestions: &#8220;For us, these monsters are not about &#8216;here&#8217;s the lore, here&#8217;s the only way to play a gargoyle&#8217; \u2026 every monster is a whole host of adventures.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a couple page examples shared with me by Wizards of the Coast\u2014the Gargoyle and the Gelatinous Cube:<\/p>\n<div class=\"inlinegallery inline-layout\">\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-wrap\" style=\"display:flex; flex-flow:row nowrap;\">\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-item\" style=\"flex: 0 0 auto;\"><span class=\"slidecount\">Image 1 of 2<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:867px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:133.45%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"YyHoPwXVZvVvd7zXqg2sNT\" name=\"mm gargoyle\" alt=\"Two pages from the Monster Manual 2024, including a Gargoyle and a Gelatinous cube, showcasing their stat blocks and the suggested adventure hooks related to them.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters.png\" mos=\"\" link=\"\" align=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"867\" height=\"1157\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\"\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-item\" style=\"flex: 0 0 auto;\"><span class=\"slidecount\">Image 2 of 2<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:867px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:133.45%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"vLMvtj5jCC3cNGGACsrHNT\" name=\"mm cube\" alt=\"Two pages from the Monster Manual 2024, including a Gargoyle and a Gelatinous cube, showcasing their stat blocks and the suggested adventure hooks related to them.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters-1.png\" mos=\"\" link=\"\" align=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"867\" height=\"1157\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\"\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gargoyles, an otherwise throwaway construct, get two tables. One with suggestions for what kind of sculptures they can be, and another for where they&#8217;re hiding. While some of these are your bog-standard gargoyle activities, others\u2014such as the suggestion to place them amongst a graveyard of Medusa victims\u2014are super good encounter ideas.<\/p>\n<p>The Gelatinous Cube also has some winners, with its random table being dedicated to the debris you might find inside\u2014such as the sadistic choice to put a mimic inside one like some kind of monster turducken, or an indestructible tablet in an ancient language.<\/p>\n<p>These little touches are small, but if the Monster Manual is full of them, it means that Wizard&#8217;s transformed it into something more than its predecessor\u2014it&#8217;s not just a book of numbers, it&#8217;s a book of <em>plot hooks.<\/em> Coupled with some of the stuff that the 2024 Dungeon Master&#8217;s Guide is doing, any new DM to these revised rulesets is going to have a bounty of ideas to help them put together their first homebrew campaign.<\/p>\n<p>The art helps sell this visually, too. They really kinda pulled out all the stops here\u2014if the Monster Manual keeps hucking high-quality scenes into its pages, this will be one of the prettier books that Wizards of the Coast has made.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inlinegallery inline-layout\">\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-wrap\" style=\"display:flex; flex-flow:row nowrap;\">\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-item\" style=\"flex: 0 0 auto;\"><span class=\"slidecount\">Image 1 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:1200px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:125.00%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"wJBuzn8kyhr6smnnDdT9NG\" name=\"D&#038;D Monster Manual 2024 images\" alt=\"A flumph floats merrily through the Underdark in the 2024 Monster Manual.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters-4.jpg\" mos=\"\" link=\"\" align=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1500\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\"\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast &#8211; Art by Axel Defois.)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-item\" style=\"flex: 0 0 auto;\"><span class=\"slidecount\">Image 2 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:1600px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:175.00%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"eXKg8XDybhPbnjt3WUz37H\" name=\"D&#038;D Monster Manual 2024 images\" alt=\"Two merfolk twist around each other in a vibrant blue ocean in the 2024 Monster Manual.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters-5.jpg\" mos=\"\" link=\"\" align=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2800\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\"\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast &#8211; Art by Andrea Piparo.)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-item\" style=\"flex: 0 0 auto;\"><span class=\"slidecount\">Image 3 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:4504px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.61%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"BdL2Y7hQi73mgqdMLJ5UqH\" name=\"D&#038;D Monster Manual 2024 images\" alt=\"Two Empyreans stand triumphant amidst the swirling cosmos in the D&#038;D 2024 Monster Manual.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters-6.jpg\" mos=\"\" link=\"\" align=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"4504\" height=\"3000\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\"\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast &#8211; Art by Nestor Ossandon Leal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inlinegallery-item\" style=\"flex: 0 0 auto;\"><span class=\"slidecount\">Image 4 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:4000px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:64.70%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"V7Zn7L4xRnftaYszDBipAJ\" name=\"D&#038;D Monster Manual 2024 images\" alt=\"A horde of skeletons swarm a group of unassuming adventurers in the D&#038;D 2024 Monster Manual.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters-7.jpg\" mos=\"\" link=\"\" align=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"4000\" height=\"2588\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\"\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast &#8211; Art by Andrey Kuzinskiy.)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Mind, lofty promises are one thing, proof is another. These high praises I&#8217;m singing will only stick if those tables are constantly applied throughout the book with the same generosity, and not once every five pages. That&#8217;s to say nothing of the larger mechanical implications of this book, like whether the CR system will actually work now\u2014and that&#8217;ll have to come out in the wash after hours of actual play. What I can say is that this effort to douse every critter in flavour is an extremely welcome one.<\/p>\n<p>The revised Monster Manual will arrive February 18 for most people, though D&#038;D Beyond&#8217;s doing some early access on February 4 for &#8220;Master Tier&#8221; subscribers and February 11 for Hero Tier subscribers\u2014which I&#8217;m only sharing here for informational purposes, <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/games\/oh-for-goodness-sake-d-d-has-early-access-periods-and-pre-order-bonuses-now-like-a-3d-model-of-a-dragon-for-a-virtual-tabletop-that-doesn-t-exist-yet\/\">not because I think early access periods for D&#038;D is a good thing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/games\/rpg\/d-and-ds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dungeons &#038; Dragons will be completing its trio of 2024 rules revisions\u2014a little confusingly\u2014on Feburary 18, 2025. Its third source book, the Monster Manual, comes on the heels of both the Player&#8217;s Handbook and the Dungeon Master&#8217;s Guide. I recently got to sit down last week, with a bestiary of other outlets, for a preview of what would be inside\u2014and, honestly? As far as a tome of stat blocks goes, it ain&#8217;t half-bad. Obviously, as revealed by game director Jeremy Crawford and principal game designer Wesley Schneider earlier this month, the Tarrasque is getting some &#8220;fighting buddies&#8221;. The amount of high-CR BBEGs here is, in truth, honestly kind of impressive\u2014with promises to add a bunch of &#8220;apex threats&#8221; like the Elemental Cataclysm, a multi-headed beast&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"excerpt-more\"><a class=\"blog-excerpt button\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/dds-revised-monster-manual-is-aiming-to-provide-oodles-of-plot-hooks-along-with-its-stat-blocks-and-im-already-quietly-stealing-some-for-my-own-encounters\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1094904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[336],"tags":[748,34],"class_list":["post-1094903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pc-gamer","tag-games","tag-rpg"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>D&amp;D&#039;s revised Monster Manual is aiming to provide oodles of plot hooks along with its stat blocks, and I&#039;m already quietly stealing some for my own encounters | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dungeons &amp; Dragons will be completing its trio of 2024 rules revisions\u2014a little confusingly\u2014on Feburary 18, 2025. 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