The A to Z Fantasy Bestiary

This bestiary is for storytellers and worldbuilders. If you have ever thought about running a Dungeons & Dragons game for your friends, either a single night’s adventure or a long-running campaign, this tome contains page after page of inspiration. It’s your one-stop shop for creatures both malevolent and benign.

The Monster Manual presents a horde of classic Dungeons & Dragons creatures, including dragons, giants, mind flayers, and beholders—a monstrous feast for Dungeon Masters ready to challenge their players and populate their adventures.

Meet the Menagerie

"The dungeon's floors were spotless. That should have been our first clue."—from the Journal of Jaster Hallowquill, on his first exploration of Undermountain

Populate your world with beasts both wondrous and sinister.

Horrifying mind flayers, shimmering unicorns, jiggly gelatinous cubes—this book contains over 150 ready-to-play, easy-to-run illustrated monsters of all levels to challenge heroes throughout their adventuring careers.

Common beasts mingle with the weird, the terrifying, and the ridiculous, inhabiting nearly every climate and terrain imaginable. Whether your adventure takes place in a swamp, a dungeon, or the outer planes of existence, there are creatures in this book to populate that environment.

Know Your Enemy

"The only good thing about owlbears is that the wizard who created them is probably dead."—Xarshel Ravenshadow, Gnome Professor of Transmutative Science at Morgrave University

Create thrilling encounters with iconic monsters.

When does an owlbear hunt its prey? Can fire hurt a pseudodragon? How fearsome is a hydra’s bite? Knowing the answers to questions like these is crucial to running a D&D adventure.

The Monster Manual gives you easy access to everything you need to know about creatures large and small. Hit points, damage resistances, legendary actions—stat blocks for each monster include all the information you need to craft encounters, while still being easily scannable when you need a quick reference.

Bring Your World to Life

"Slay me once, shame on you. Slay me twice, shame on me."—Rakshasa maxim

Feed your imagination with art and detailed descriptions.

The best thing about being a DM is that you get to invent your own fantasy world and bring it to life, and nothing brings a D&D world to life more than the creatures that inhabit it.

D&D games are narratives, and great narrators do more than just tell the story. They create a picture in the minds of their audience. From the colour of the vapour from a gorgon’s nose to a single, curious detail that marks a rakshasa in disguise —the Monster Manual's rich descriptions and beautiful illustrations will breathe life into your campaign.

Playing Dungeons & Dragons

Become an Adventurer

Adventurers come in all shapes and sizes. Find one that’s fun for you.

An elvish cleric, driven from society for trespassing on tradition. A dwarven paladin, atoning for an ignominious past. The Player’s Handbook provides the skeleton for your characters. Flesh them out however you choose.

Join the Party

D&D brings people together and forges new friendships. Silly moments spawn inside jokes; moving battles leave treasured memories—whether in the heat of battle, embroiled in social intrigue, or solving clever puzzles, your party has your back.

Choose Your Own Path

The woods are growing dark. Behind a mass of ivy, you see the stones of a crumbling castle. What do you do?

In D&D, your options are limitless. Because the Dungeon Master, as narrator of your tale, can improvise in reaction to any choice you make, what happens next is entirely flexible. Do you dare go on?