In Dungeons & Dragons, monsters have long been defined by each new edition of the Monster Manual grouping certain beasts that share core traits. While the 2014 Monster Manual kept certain Monster Groups together, the 2025 edition sticks to straight alphabetical order. The solution is the Monster Group group list, which displays the different categories, separate from Monster Types, that can be used to organize certain D&D creatures. These often provide insight into the traits of a monster; for instance, any seasoned D&D player will know that Devils originate in the Nine Hells, while Demons come from the Abyssal Plane.

In the 2025 edition of the Monster Manual, quite a few changes have been made that reorganize the way monsters work. One notable example is the removal of Orcs from the category of "monster," with them instead being moved to the "species" categorization. Consequently, they're no longer featured among the groups in the book, but humanoid stat blocks are meant to be applicable to Orcs, Drow, and anyone to whom they would have traditionally applied.

12 Angels

Celestials With Lawful Good Alignment

Angles are, as one would expect, powerful Lawful Good monsters with Radiant-damage-dealing abilties and stats that lean towards Charisma, Wisdom, and Intelligence. There are three types of Angels as defined by the new 2025 Monster Manual: Devas, Planetars, and Solars.

Anyone who's played Baldur's Gate 3 will recognize Devas for their iconic mace that can be cheesed right into player inventories, while Planetars and Solars are a bit less common in popular D&D media. All these beings wield the power of their Deity's might, and can take out swathes of unaware or unprepared monsters and PCs alike.

11 Beholders

These One-Eyed (Many-Eyed) Monstrosities Are No Joke

The Beholder Monster Group includes the standard Beholder, the Death Tyrant, the Spectator, and the Zombie Beholder, which is just as horrible as it sounds. Beholders and their ilk are petrifying one-eyed beasts that inhabit the Underdark and use their many-eyed tentacles to bespell and defeat their prey.

Spectators are like a Beholder's little brother, and are generally more neutral than their larger counterparts, but can still pose a huge threat to any party that does something they don't like. Overall, the Beholder group of monsters is a great lesson in what types of creatures to run away from, unless the party is feeling really confident in themselves.

10 Demons

Hailing From The Abyssal Plane, Demons Are Chaotic Evil & Clever

Demons, including Balor, Dretches, Manes, Quasit, and more, are Fiend-type monsters that serve chaos first and foremost, aiming to strike destruction and terror wherever they go. Often confused with Devils, Demons are less organized, fueled typically by impulsivity rather than cold logic and planning.

The Monster Manual is just one of the many new D&D books being released in 2025.

Their id-driven behavior makes demons particularly threatening, as they often cannot be persuaded by any sort of earthly means. Consequently, demons must be taken down by powerful enough warriors before they cause too much havoc, the perfect task for parties looking for a combative challenge.

9 Devils

These Fiends Hail From The Nine Hells

Unlike Demons, Devils are much more intelligent than most of their Fiendish brethren. They include Devils of various types — Barbed, Bearded, Horned, Ice, Bone, and Chain — as well as Imps, Lemures, Pit Fiends, and Erinyes in their number.

Devils are characterized by their ambition and their desire, and care more about achieving their goals than anything else, leaving them unconvinced by most bargaining. However, devils aren't above their deals, meaning that players willing to pay the price might find one on their side.

8 Dinosaurs

Real-Life Monsters With Fantastical Flavor

Despite their existence in the real world, Monster Manual Dinosaurs are an offshoot of Dragons, albeit without many of Dragons more magical properties. However, that's not to say Dinosaurs don't belong in D&D; on the contrary, these reptilian beasts fit right in as followers of the god Ubtao, who created the city of Mezro in Chult.

While the more European-fantasy-minded players might cry out against the inclusion of Dinosaurs in a campaign, the 2025 Monster Manual dictates that these scaly beasts are right at home in the Forgotten Realms. It also brings back the Archelon, a prehistoric marine turtle grouped among the Dinosaurs that didn't make the 2014 cut.

7 Chromatic Dragons

Dragons Of All Colors Are Included Here

The Chromatic Dragon Monster Group in the 2025 Monster Manual includes dragon races that are differentiated by color; specifically Black, Blue, Green, Red, and White dragons, plus their numerous variations. These types of dragons don't have the shininess of Metallic Dragons, but are still considered apex predators across the Forgotten Realms and should be approached with caution, if at all.

This type of monster is hyperintelligent and worships the goddess Tiamat, who is the mother of all dragons and is regarded as one of the most evil in the D&D universe. D&D plans to double down on dragons in 2025 with the release of Dragon Delves, an anthology centered on each Chromatic and Metallic dragon.

6 Metallic Dragons

Like Chromatic Dragons, But Nicer

Unlike their Chromatic counterparts, Metallic Dragons are considered neutral at worst, and are paragons of justice and morality in the Forgotten Realms universe. They include Brass, Bronze, Copper, Gold, and Silver Dragons.

Metallic Dragons serve Bahamut, brother to Tiamat, and oppose Tiamat's quest for chaos and power over the Realms. Metallic Dragons are generally altruistic but can become dangerous if threatened or challenged.

5 Genies

Made Of Energy And Natives Of The Elemental Planes

Like some other creatures, Genies are native to the various Elemental Planes of the Realms. The genie group in the 2025 Monster Manual includes Dao, Djinni, Efreeti, and Marid. These are closer to what one would imagine when thinking of an Elemental rather than the Robin-Williams-voiced Disney genie with which many people are familiar.

Instead of being formed simply of the magic of their elemental plane of birth, Genies are created when the soul of a living being merges with the power of an Elemental Plane, creating an entirely new creature. Genies were recently highlighted in Quests from the Infinite Staircase, which features a genie named Nafas who watches over the titular staircase.

4 Goblinoids

Goblins & Their Ilk

There are only a few creatures included in the Goblinoid category, which is close to, but not the same as, the humanoid category that most NPC-style creatures find themselves in. Goblinoids are Hobgoblins, Bugbears, and Goblins themselves, and they tend to be the typical low-level type of monster that most parties face early on.

Goblinoids are stereotypically unintelligent, unsophisticated creatures that don't have much going for them, and the Monster Manual traditionally describes them as such. Standard-issue Goblins move awful from the Evil designation to be denoted as Chaotic Neutral in the new book, however, and the real execution of any monster encounter is up to the DM, so players shouldn't be surprised to run into Goblinoids of all kinds at their tables.

3 Lycanthropes

All Sorts of Weres

D&D are humanoids who have been cursed or diseased, causing them to take a hybrid animal form, often transforming outside of their own control. The 2025 Monster Manual includes Werebears, Wereboars, Wererats, Weretigers, and Werewolves in its list, though technically any kind of animal can be a "were" form.

While any animal can contract the contagion that causes Lycanthropy in humanoids, prey animals typically don't survive long enough to it on, meaning that predator animals like wolves, bears, and tigers are more likely to infect humanoids and give them the condition. Consensus on whether or not Lycanthropes retain their personhood through the disease or curse is pretty varied, and most tables will have their own agreements as to the exact effects of the condition.