2024 Monster Manual Leaves DMs in the Dark

Written by Luke Hart

If you love homebrewing monsters for your D&D games, you might have noticed something glaringly absent from the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual: the math behind Challenge Ratings (CR). Unlike in previous editions, Wizards of the Coast has provided no official guidelines for how to calculate CR, leaving dungeon masters to guess at the balance of their own creations. While some argue that the 2014 CR math still applies, our analysis suggests otherwise—monsters in D&D 2024 are generally stronger than their 2014 counterparts, making old CR calculations unreliable.

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Watch or listen to this article by clicking the video below.

No CR Math? That’s a Big Problem

The lack of CR guidelines is a huge disappointment for dungeon masters who enjoy creating balanced homebrew monsters. Without a clear system, anyone designing creatures for their games—or even for publication—has to reverse-engineer CR from existing stat blocks, hoping they get it right. And given that high-level monsters in 2014 were notoriously underpowered, it makes sense that WotC adjusted the numbers. But without publishing their formulas, they’ve left the entire homebrewing community in the dark.

How the Math Has Changed

After crunching the numbers, we found that while CR values appear the same on paper, their actual power level has increased. If you apply the old 2014 CR math to a 2024 monster, the calculated CR is often higher than what’s printed in the new Monster Manual. This suggests that many monsters have been boosted in strength while keeping the same CR label. That’s great for game balance—but frustrating if you’re trying to create your own creatures without updated guidelines.

Homebrewers and Publishers Are Flying Blind

For those of us creating third-party D&D content, this shift is a serious issue. My team is currently developing Escape from the Fey, a level 5-12 adventure module, and we now have to reverse-engineer the CR system to ensure our monsters match the 2024 design. And if you backed a Kickstarter that promised “D&D 2024-compatible monsters,” well… good luck. Unless those designers had inside knowledge, their CR ratings are likely to be inaccurate.

A Simple Rule of Thumb for Adjusting CR

While we’re still testing our theories, here’s a rough guideline for converting 2014 CR to 2024:

• Tier 1 (Levels 1-4): No significant changes. CR remains the same.
• Tiers 2 & 3 (Levels 5-16): Subtract 1 from the 2014 CR to approximate the 2024 CR. A CR 9 monster in 2014 would be CR 8 in 2024.
• Tier 4 (Levels 17+): Subtract 4 from the 2014 CR. High-level monsters have seen the biggest adjustments. However, the changes range from 3 to 5 CR points, so this is more of a ballpark estimate.

While this rule isn’t perfect, it should help GMs adapt older monsters to 2024 campaigns. But take it with a grain of salt—nothing replaces actual playtesting.

The Bigger Question: Why Didn’t WotC Publish This?

The real mystery is why Wizards of the Coast didn’t include CR formulas at all. Did they not finalize the math in time? Are they planning to release a separate book with monster creation rules (and cash in later)? Or did they intentionally remove the math to prevent homebrew monsters from competing with official releases?

Whatever the reason, dungeon masters who enjoy homebrewing now have extra work on their plates. And while some argue that the old CR system is still functional, our testing suggests otherwise. If you’re running D&D 2024 and want balanced monsters, you’ll have to adjust—and we’ll be here to help with future guides.

Until then, happy game mastering!

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• Player handouts
• Hag potion system
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