In Dungeons and Dragonsthe Dungeon Master’s Guide has always been an incredibly useful tool for beginner, intermediate, and professional dungeon masters. From creating a campaign and its non-player characters to setting up adventures and running an actual game, the Dungeon Master’s Guide is the ideal book for anything related to running a campaign. Despite its usefulness, however, the Dungeon Master’s Guide it has not always been a perfect resource, and selecting a focus for the book will always have certain drawbacks.
The 2014 edition of Dungeon Master’s Guide It struggled more with organization than anything else, but it included some very useful features. One resource that was easy to access and rewarding to consult was the Monster Lists appendixwhich classified monsters by challenge rating and terrain. The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guidehowever, it ditched this seemingly essential feature, a change that might seem odd among useful additions like the Glossary of Lore, new advice for all types of DMs, an updated system for magic items and potions, and more.
Monster lists are missing from D&D’s 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide
The Monster Lists appendix in the 2014 guide was separated into two categories: by environment and by challenge rating (CR). This allowed dungeon masters to look for enemies or monsters that would work well in certain terrains their maps were built around or in challenge ratings, which could be useful if said dungeon master needed a monster strong enough to a final battle. Monsters classified by challenge rating were especially useful, as dungeon masters could take creatures appropriate to a party of any level at any time.
The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guidehowever, it no longer features the Monster List appendixmeaning this will no longer be the DM’s choice to find appropriate monsters for the campaign setting. This was an extremely useful feature for DMs as they had everything they needed in one place to run a successful campaign. Obviously, the Monster Lists appendix was not comprehensive, not providing the necessary details or stat blocks, but it helped develop the campaign.
How Monster Lists Make Running a D&D Campaign Easier
Monster Lists are extremely useful and underrated at the same time. The selection of monsters in D&D is absolutely hugewith the year 2025 Monster Manual set to feature over 500. In an ever-expanding universe that has existed since 1970, Monster Lists have allowed for a condensed yet specific look at monsters, their terrains, and their challenge ratings. This simplified view was useful for both planners and those just improvising their campaigns.
Challenge ratings were useful for managing monsters and setting up combats that appropriately matched player levels. Even for those who ran one-off campaigns at the last minute to make up for a delayed campaign, the Monster List in the appendix of the Dungeon Master’s Guide made it easier to capture a given monster with a given CR. In the same way, Being able to quickly visualize which monsters existed or thrived in certain terrains or environments helped with planning for contextually appropriate threats in the desert or in a dungeon.
Monster lists are from the 2025 D&D Monster Manual
While it is incredibly useful in a single book, trying to contain everything a DM needs to know, Monster Lists did not necessarily belong to the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The appendix provided help in planning a campaign, but no additional information about the monsters was provided. This would force a DM to look for monsters in two separate books, which is not the most efficient or practical way to prepare a game.
This problem is worsened by the fact that the 2014 edition of Monster Manual does not have a Monster Lists appendix that sorts by terrain or challenge rating, although it does have appendices for stat blocks, NPCs, and miscellaneous creatures. The Monster Lists appendix belongs to the Monster Manual more than what happens in Dungeon Master’s Guideas it could allow for an easier and more simplified navigation system. Although there are still a few months left before the update Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual releases in 2025, the likely inclusion of the Monster Lists appendix should help make the wait worth it.