Summary
One D&Dhas been promised to be the new and improved version ofDungeons and Dragons 5e. While the game mechanics have remained the same, classes, spells and monsters are now tweaked, and a slew of new monsters have been released in the 2025 Monster Manual, providing even more enemies for the DM to throw against their players.
Whether they are looking to thrill, chill, or kill their players, there is a brand-new monster to fit into anycampaign and every setting. From low level gross creatures to gargantuan monstrosities that could level entire cities, whatever a DM could need, they can find.
13Swarm of Lemures
A Truly Horrific Looking Enemy
Lemures are nothing new toD&D, and act as little more than pests rather than an actual threat. 2025 decided to change that by introducing the lemure swarm, as there is strength in numbers. Though they won’t do much to higher-level parties, a smaller group starting at the lowly rung of level 1 might find themselves actually threatened.
But beyond the danger posed torookie adventurers, the lemures can also act as a particularly grotesque dressing for the set, as these low-level demons are little more than blobs of flesh with just a few features enough to identify they were probably a humanoid at some point. These are a particularly gross reminder that the afterlife won’t be pleasant for all who shuffle off the mortal coil.
Though Weak, the Ability to Incapacitate is Threatening
Enemies that can inflict a status effect on the players are the most dangerous, as it could leave them more vulnerable to attacks, and strip them of the means to defend themselves, which the manes vaporspawns are very capable of.
Creatures that are subjected to endless torture, they seek to spread their misfortune to others, which are the vapors they unleash upon others, and should those in the area of effect fail their saving throw, they become incapacitated, and in more danger.
11Swarm of Larvae
What they Lack in Strength They Make Up for in Ick Factor
D&D has a veritable cornucopia of creatures from the wonderful to the weird to downright disturbing. The Swarm of Larvae, introduced in the 2025 Monster Manual, are definitely the latter, giving even the strongest-stomached adventurer a serious case of nausea.
And worse to the worst, these creatures can group together to swarm over one creature and utterly overpower them. Even if the person in question is strong enough to overcome the swarm, this doesn’t make up for the gross factor, perfect fora creepy campaign.
10Brazen Gorgon
The Brazen Bull Fights Back
Drastically different from the gorgons most people would think about upon reading that word, these automatons resemble the brazen bull that was once used as a torture device, and now victims do not need to be stuffed inside to suffer its wrath.
The Brazen Gorgon is created from the skeleton of a bull, a medusa’s blood, and the brain of a basilisk, resulting in a dangerous creature that can gore, burn and restrain its targets, making this a deadly foe to come up against.
9Cyclops Oracle
A New Take on a Classic Monster
A new variant on a classic monster from myth and earlier versions ofDungeons and Dragons, the cyclops oracle boastsfar greater intelligencethan its ilk, with magic and knowledge at its fingertips. Unlike most other monsters, they aren’t outright evil, and may even be convinced to share their wisdom with others.
Those who don’t find themselves on the good side of this oracle can expect some nasty radiant damage to be wielded against them, with this cyclops able to make three attacks on its turn. Potentially, this creature could down a party member in just one round.
8Performer Legend
Scrap with a Fantasy Celebrity
Even the fantasy worlds ofDungeons and Dragonshave their celebrities, performers who excel so greatly at their art that their names become known far and wide, whether it is song, dance, poetry, or even acting. These performers are bound to spice up any campaign, and could even make a fun rival for one or more players,as any bardsmight just get a little jealous.
With the ability to bludgeon or beguile, these performers can make for an interesting encounter far different from the usual mobs of monsters they face on the road, as they could earn the ire of a group of fans or entire town if they are caught engaging in fisticuffs with a beloved household name.
7The Haunting Revenant
A Haunted Building Lying in Wait
Revenants are normally vengeful spirits who refuse rest until they have righted the wrongs done to them. And now in the new Monster Manual, revenants now haunt dilapidated buildings such as abandoned houses or ghost ships, taking their hauntings to new levels.
The locations they haunt become forced to be reckoned with, able to slam creatures into their space, make spell-casting a hell of a lot harder, and even charm its victims into stepping aside the haunted abode, effectively swallowing them with their only means of escape magical. Creepy yet cool, these are the perfect creatures to throw into ahorror campaign with enough whimsy.
6Violet Fungus Necrohulk
Players Could Meet a Gruesome End as Part of Its Colony
One of the new and most terrifying looking creatures is the Violet Fungus Necrohulk, a sentient shambling collection of all things rotten and decayed, and it seeks to grow its colony, absorbing more creatures into its body.
While it has other powers in its arsenal, this is the one players will mot be afraid of, as they can do nothing but fight against the creature in an attempt to free themselves, as no one wants to be one with all the fungus and rot.
5Vampire Umbral Lord
One can never have too many vampires, and the minds at WotC clearly agree, as the 2025 Monster Manual introduced the Vampire Umbral Lord, a new variant on the same fanged monsters D&D players know and love, or perhaps loathe.
Though they aren’t as charismatic as their vanilla brethren, their ties to dark powers for access to forbidden magic. They can attack their prey with brute strength, spells, or by sapping their vitality without even having to touch them. These new vampires are certainly interesting and powerful threats to contend with.
4Salamander Inferno Master
These Pyromaniacs Would See Every World Burn
One of the harder hitters in the new collection of monsters if the salamander inferno master, serpentine creatures that hail from the Elemental Plane of Fire, and whom practically worship flames. They believe there is beauty in the purity fire expose, and delight in pyrotechnical feats of amazing heights, such as causing volcanoes to erupt, opening up fiery portals, or burning entire planes of existence to ash.
As such, things might get a little hot to handle when an inferno master enters the frey, as all of their attacks involve fire in one way or another. Though anyone with powers over cold can maybe smother their destructive flames.
