The upcoming DnD Monster Manual aims to inject new life into encounters with the game’s titular monster, adding a ton of variety and loads of new abilities to ensure high level dragons are “really bringing the hurt”.
“Even people who’ve been playing 5th edition for the last 10 years, when they go up against dragons, are going to be encountering one new thing after the other,” said game designer Jeremy Crawford in a YouTube livestream which aired January 9, 2025.
According to the Dungeons and Dragons designers, DnD dragons have been souped up in the new book. This was achieved not just with tweaks to HP and damage stats, but by granting adult and ancient dragons powerful abilities which give them more tactical options in battle and also reflect the personalities of the different dragon types.
One instance of this is spellcasting. It’s already been established in lore that DnD’s dragons can cast spells, but now it’s officially part of the statblock, with each dragon assigned a certain number of thematic spells.
Examples include the acid-breathing black dragon getting to cast Vitriolic Sphere and Melf’s Acid Arrow, while the green dragon – known for its schemes – can cast spells like Mind Spike and Modify Memory.
Another thing that will apparently make it “much easier for a DM to terrify their player characters” are dragon’s legendary actions. No longer are the fire-breathing fiends limited to attacking with their breath weapon, teeth, and claws. Now each also has at least one signature move, legendary actions they can take in between turns.
While Wizards of the Coast hasn’t shared any new dragon statblocks, Crawford did give many examples of these legendary actions, some of which have been pinched from the “spiciest” dragon ‘lair actions’ (though it sounds like lair actions are still their own thing, and that dragons still have them).
For instance, black dragons can summon a swarm of insects; blue dragons can cause a sonic boom that casts the shatter spell, or go invisible and fly away; traditionally lawful gold dragons can banish you, a less destructive way to end a fight; and playful copper dragons can incapacitate foes with giggling fits.
Another way in which dragons have more variety is a change to the Frightful Presence ability. Previously this was an action that any adult or ancient dragon could take to inflict the frightened condition on a foe, but now Wizards has created more tailored versions. While some dragons still inflict fear, the red dragon, for instance, most tyrannical of the chromatic dragons, has an action which can control people, called Commanding Presence.
Crawford explains that in general metallic dragons don’t do as much damage as chromatic dragons, but they have more tricks up their sleeves. “It was quite a feat to get the metallic dragons to be balanced because their combination of abilities is much more complex than the chromatic dragons,” he says.
One example of a buff specific to metallic dragons is that their two breath weapons (one dealing damage, one with a more controlling effect) are no longer on the same recharge, allowing them to breathe twice as often as their less shiny counterparts.
Chromatic dragons may have the larger damage numbers, but they’re not just mindless killing machines. “All have some way to control the battlefield beyond just dealing damage to things,” the designer assured.
All of these changes should make dragon encounters more interesting, and also more deadly. If a party of 5e veterans goes up against one without preparation, they could be in for a nasty shock.
It speaks to the 2025 Monster Manual’s wider aim of making high Challenge Rating monsters more difficult to take on. Another stream on Tuesday also revealed that DnD is looking to upgrade the concept of CR itself, making it a more useful tool for DMs.
Coming out on February 18, the long-awaited Monster Manual is the first thing on the DnD release schedule for 2025. It’s the third and final new rulebook to be released in the revamped version of 5e. To find out more about what’s changed, check out guides to all the DnD classes and DnD races.
Source: Wargamer
