D&D Just Released Tons of Monster Manual Content for Free

1 month ago 14

Dungeons and Dragons

A Gnoll and a Mimic in front of the new Monster Manual cover

Dungeons & Dragons just made over 25% of the statblocks in the new Monster Manual available for free. Later this month, Dungeons & Dragons will release a new version of its Monster Manual core rulebook. While the rulebook contains all the same monsters as its 2014 predecessor, the D&D design team updated the statblocks with an eye towards rebalancing the monsters and making them easier to run during combat. The result is monsters that are more in line with their intended threat level with new or greatly changed abilities.

Over the weekend, Dungeons & Dragons updated its Free Rules set to include 157 creature statblocks from the new Monster Manual. The majority of these monsters are generic monster types, including various kinds of beast statblocks that druids can use for their Wild Shape form. Also included are NPC statblocks like mages, warriors, toughs, and a handful of dragon wyrmlings. Notably, the most dangerous creature is the CR 10 Stone Golem. These can be accessed for free on D&D Beyond's website.

Monster Manual: Everything D&D Just Released For Free

Over 150 Classic Monsters Are Included In The Free Release

The Free Rules are intended to be a starting point for new D&D players and contain both basic character creation rules and some basic DM tips and guidance. Notably, the Free Rules were released last year and include all the rules changes and revisions made to D&D as part of the revised 5th edition rules. While these aren't intended to be a comprehensive rule set for D&D, they do contain all the character class rules (with one subclass for each character class) as well as many spells and feats from the 2024 Player's Handbook.

Dungeons & Dragons 2025 Monster Manual Review: Classic Monsters Get A Big Tune-Up

Dungeons & Dragons' new Monster Manual provides revamped statblocks that increase the threat and excitement for many classic monsters.

Here is every creature statblock now available for free via D&D's Free Rules set:

Allosaurus
Animated Flying Sword
Ankylosaurus
Ape
Archelon
Baboon
Badger
Bandit
Bat
Berserker
Black Bear
Black Dragon Wyrmling
Blink Dog
Blood Hawk
Boar
Brown Bear
Bugbears
Bugbear Stalker
Bugbear Warrior
Bullywugs
Bullywug Bog Sage
Bullywug Warrior
Camel
Carrion Crawler
Cat
Commoner
Constrictor Snake
Copper Dragon Wyrmling
Crab
Swarm of Crawling Claws
Crocodile
Cultists
Cultist
Cultist Fanatic
Darkmantle
Deer
Dire Wolf
Doppelganger
Draft Horse
Eagle
Elephant
Elk
Fire Elemental
Flying Snake
Frog
Gelatinous Cube
Giant Badger
Giant Centipede
Giant Crab
Giant Fire Beetle
Giant Goat
Giant Seahorse
Giant Spider
Giant Weasel
Gnoll Warrior
Goat
Goblins
Goblin Minion
Goblin Warrior
Goblin Boss
Gray Ooze
Guards
Guard
Guard Captain
Hawk
Hippopotamus
Hobgoblins
Hobgoblin Warrior
Hobgoblin Captain
Hunter Shark
Hyena
Imp
Incubus
Jackal
Killer Whale
Knight
Kobold Warrior
Lion
Lizard
Mage
Mammoth
Mastiff
Mephit (Steam)
Mimic
Minotaur of Baphomet
Mule
Noble
Nothic
Octopus
Ogre
Owl
Owlbear
Panther
Piranha
Pirates
Pirate
Pirate Captain
Plesiosaurus
Polar Bear
Pony
Pseudodragon
Pteranodon
Quasit
Rat
Raven
Red Dragon Wyrmling
Reef Shark
Rhinoceros
Riding Horse
Saber-Toothed Tiger
Scorpion
Scout
Seahorse
Shadow
Silver Dragon Wyrmling
Skeleton
Slaad Tadpole
Sphinx of Wonder
Spider
Sprite
Stirge
Stone Golem
Succubus
Swarm of Bats
Swarm of Insects
Swarm of Piranhas
Swarm of Rats
Swarm of Ravens
Swarm of Venomous Snakes
Tiger
Triceratops
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Toughs
Tough
Tough Boss
Vampire Familiar
Venomous Snake
Vulture
Warhorse
Warrior Infantry
Weasel
Wolf
Worg
Wraith
Zombies
Zombie
Ogre Zombie

Our Take: Free Material Is Great, But Weirdly A Step Back For D&D

The Previous Set Of Free-To-Use Basic Rules Contained More Monsters

Dungeons and Dragons skeleton monsters from 2025 Monster Manual

It's admirable that Wizards of the Coast continues to make some portion of its D&D ruleset free to help new players jump into the game. Wizards previously released the Basic Rules for D&D players, which contained limited rules for the original version of the 5th Edition. However, the Basic Rules (at least those on D&D Beyond) contain more creature statblocks than the Free Rules, including several high CR monsters for players to face. In this context, the new Free Rules are a step back for Dungeons & Dragons, although they could get updated again after the Monster Manual's official release.

Source: D&D Beyond