D&D 2024 Monster Manual: If you chop a troll in two, you could very soon have two trolls
Already given their own 192-page sourcebook with Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, and the 256-page Storm King's Thunder adventure, Giants nevertheless get a section all themselves in the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Monster Manual. Not a section, perhaps, since every grouping of monsters has been scattered and disseminated throughout the book. Instead of turning to G for Giants in the Monster Manual, you have to find them alphabetically by their adjective. Cloud Giant under C. Hill Giant under H. Fire, Frost, Hill, Stone, and Storm Giants under their respective alphabetization.
Just don't forget that Cyclopes (pronounced sy-cloh-peez), Ettins, Titans, Trolls, are in the Giant family, too, even if Giant isn't in their name.
Not sure I'm digging the raw alphabetized table of contents in this new Monster Manual.
As with every creature found in the D&D 2024 Core Rulebooks, the designers revisited every Giant. The primary focus was to make sure they nailed their Challenge Rating much closer this time around. Especially when making a ranged attack—doing something awesome like throwing a cow or a boulder at you—that they would "fall off" their Challenge Rating.
Or so they say. Let's look at Storm Giants.
| ACTIONS | OLD 2014 STORM GIANT | NEW 2024 STORM GIANT |
| Melee Attack | Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 30 (6d6+9) slashing damage | Storm Sword. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 23 (4d6+9) Slashing damage plus 13 (3d8) Lightning damage |
| Ranged Attack | Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 35 (4d12 + 9) bludgeoning damage. | Thunderbolt. Ranged Attack Roll: +14, range 500 ft. Hit: 22 (2d12 + 9) Lightning damage, and the target has the Blinded and Deafened conditions until the start of the giant’s next turn. |
| Magical Attack | Lightning Strike (Recharge 5–6). The giant hurls a magical lightning bolt at a point it can see within 500 feet of it. Each creature within 10 feet of that point must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 54 (12d8) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. | Lightning Storm (Recharge 5–6). Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 18, each creature in a 10-foot-radius, 40-foot-high Cylinder originating from a point the giant can see within 500 feet. Failure: 55 (10d10) Lightning damage. Success: Half damage. |
It appears to be true. The new Storm Giant will, on average, pick off more hit points from your players. Should they find themselves unfortunate enough to be facing a Storm Giant in combat. And all of this was accomplished by still hitting the same CR 13 Challenge Rating the Storm Giant had back in D&D 2014.
They've also flavored that ranged attack to no longer just be throwing a "Rock." As you can see, the Storm Giant now hurls Thunderbolts. Hill Giants throw poisoned trash. Cloud Giants' ranged attacks are Thunderclouds. But the Stone Giant still knows how to chuck a Boulder—since that's the right flavor for that type of Giant, of course.
My favorite evolution of the Giants is in the artwork. Now each one show male and female variants on the species. It's baffling that every Giant depicted in the old 2014 Monster Manual had only male giants. Like, how were they making Giant babies? Who was smashing through those Giant glass ceilings in the workplace, and fighting for equal Giant pay? Finally we know.
And watch out for Trolls. The old Troll used to be able to reattached severed limbs. But new Trolls have an entirely new stat block for a chopped-off Troll Limb. If you don't destroy that limb with acid or fire within 24 hours, there's a 1 -in-12 chance that Troll Limb turns into an entirely new Troll. For the love of everything, this has to be the most horrifying feature of any monster in the entire Monster Manual.
Our review of the D&D 2024 Monster Manual is forthcoming. Until then, read our reviews of the new Player's Handbook and new Dungeon Master's Guide.
