The 2024 Player’s Handbook forDungeons & Dragonsisn’t filled to the brim with new creatures and monsters, and that’s to be expected; it is a sourcebook for players, after all. However, there are a few to be found in Appendix B of the book, which mostly details a lot of low-level beasts.
Yet these creatures show a clear change in design moving forward for D&D, with stat blocks that are clearer to read and a lot of redundant abilities being removed. Here we have the creatures with the most changes and what that can mean for you as a player or DM.
7Pseudodragon
No More Keen Senses
The most noticeable change across all creatures in the 2024 Player’s Handbook is theremoval of keen senses, an ability that gave certain creatures advantage on Perception checks thanks to their heightened abilities to hear, see, or smell. To compensate, several of these creatures have better Perception overall, like the Pseudodragon, who now has a +5 to Perception from the old +3.
This isn’t the only change the Pseudodragon went through, however, since it has been buffed overall to match all the other Pact Familiar options (more on them later). It can now bite twice on the same turn, and its sting’s ability to poison has had its DC raised to 12, with it no longer needing an attack to prompt the save.
6Giant Seahorse
Written As “Sea Horse” In Older Editions
Most mounts inthe “horse” categoryhave been slightly nerfed, having a tiny bit fewer hit points, AC, and dealing less damage. This isn’t the case for the Giant Seahorse, however, since instead, it was heavily buffed, specifically the damage while doing the ram attack when moving more than 20 ft.
Nearly all creatures that could ram or charge can still do so, but the description of the 20 extra ft of movement required is now part of the basic attack’s description.
The Seahorse is also one of the few creatures to gain a new ability, namely the bonus action bubble dash. It lets the Seahorse move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks, making it the ideal mount for when you want to avoid the fight rather than stay in it.
5Boar
No Saving Throws When Lading Attacks
Another change present in a lot of attacks is thelack of a saving throw when landing the hit. In the case of the Boar, its charge ability no longer has a Strength saving throw attached; if the Boar moves more than 20 ft and hits a large or smaller creature with it, the creature is now prone.
Boars also had the relentless ability in older editions, making them possibly ignore lethal damage if it was low enough. That was always an odd ability for a normal animal to have, so now they instead have bloodied fury, giving them advantage on attack rolls when at half health or lower.
4Tiger
No More Running Start
A lot of animals felt like they did the same thing, trying to run around to get their 20 ft distance so they could knock their enemies prone. The felines in the 2024 Player’s Handbook have all had some sort of change from this, and now theprone condition depends on advantage rather than distance.
The Panther works just like the Tiger, but it is of a lower CR and can’t knock targets prone.
The Tiger now functions very differently from the other animals, being capable of attacking and hiding on the same turn. Then, if it attacks with advantage, it deals more damage and knocks the target prone without a save, making it a lethal opponent when given a place to hide.
3Elephant
It Now Multiattacks
Elephants in the 2024 Player’s Handbook can now multiattack, and if they move more than 20 ft before taking the attack action, this means that they have double the chances of knocking their target prone. And remember that it no longer involves a save, the Elephant just has to land one of the two hits.
And Elephants want to knock people prone so they can trample them, an attack they also had in older editions as a bonus action. This attack, however, has also changed, becoming a Dexterity saving throw where the target still takes half damage on a successful save, so all in all, Elephants just gota lot more deadly.
2Lion
Hear Me Roar
Lions used to work just like Panthers and Tigers, except that Lions had the pack tactics ability. Well, they still have pack tactics but no longer knock enemies prone in any way, instead gaining the multiattack option; as a CR 1 beast, low-level adventurers now have a lot to fear from just two lions fighting side by side.
That fear is both mental and mechanical since the Lions can now roar, being able to replace one of their multiattacks with it. Said roar applies the Frightened condition on one creature, and while the DC (11) is fairly low, they can keep trying to apply it every turn until it lands.
1Imp And The Other Pact Familiars
Buffed Overall
Warlocks now have several more options when it comes to their Pact of the Chain eldritch invocation, such as choosing a well-armed skeleton as one of the options. This is why the older familiars, like the Imp and the Quasit, have had their health, AC, and overall damage buffed to match.
This also comes with a slight nerf, at least forthe Imp and Quasit; they no longer resist damage from nonmagical weapons. But the added health should more than makeup for that, as well as the fact that their special effects, like extra poison damage from the Imp, are no longer locked behind a Constitution saving throw.
