Some new spells were added to the Player's Handbook just to make dragons more dangerous in the D&D 2024 Monster Manual

According to developer Wizards of the Coast, "Every monster is a springboard to adventure." But just as we reported back July of last year, D&D is redesigning the Dragons part of Dungeons & Dragons. When it came time to approach the new D&D 2024 Monster Manual—and dragons in particular:

• The art had to be thrilling
• The stories had to be on point
• Their legacy had to be respected
• The gameplay had to be ferocious, majestic, terrifying

Wizards of the Coast wanted to ensure that dragons were "really bringing the hurt." But on the flip side of that coin, to ensure that dragons allied with the players brought pain and destruction to the players' enemies.

Because there are two types of dragons, broadly speaking. Chromatic dragons are generally evil: villainous, greedy, and out to destroy the world. Metallic dragons are generally good: encouraging and bolstering heroic folks.

They want dragons that, as they go up in Challenge Rating, they became harder and harder to combat. That tougher Armor Class and more Hit Points. But also: mechanically, what are they doing.

In adult and ancient dragons, spellcasting is incorporated into their stat blocks. This is to make it easier for a Dungeon Master to whip spells out, and to make spellcasting less of an "optional" activity for dragons and more of a The Monsters Know What They're Doing part of combat. 

They don't want to limit dragons to claws and breath weapons. Those are all well and good. But how about you let the players chew on a Fireball spell for once? Or did the Black Dragon just cast Vitriolic Sphere—one of the new spells in the D&D 2024 Player's Handbook. Some of those news spells were specifically introduced in the Player's Handbook in order to enhance dragon stat blocks in the Monster Manual. Devious!

One benefit to building all three of the new Core Rulebooks together—the Player's Manual, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual—was to create nasty little synergies, just like the one proposed above.

They even took the "spiciest" Lair Actions from previous scattered writings and slotted them right into the dragons' stat blocks. You may now find:

• Black Dragons summoning a swarm of insects. 
• Blue Dragons causing a sonic boom that casts the Shatter spell on players.
• Every single dragon type has some new schtick like that.

I can understand after looking at all the buffs given to players in the Player's Handbook that you might now think D&D is the players' friend. But no. That was to trick players into thinking they were in a safe space. The D&D 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide, however, chipped away at that facade. And now the upcoming Monster Manual all but shatters that misconception entirely.

Dungeon Masters rejoice. Wizards of the Coast didn't forget about you. D&D didn't abandon you. They are equipping you, O masterful DMs, with the tools you need to shake your players' confidence, yet leave them begging for more.