Wizkids has announced a new line of Dungeons & Dragons miniatures. These miniatures aren’t based on a setting like Planescape or on a module like Vecna: Eve of Ruin, but are based on new monsters found in the upcoming Monster Manual 2024.
The Wizkids Monster Manual 2024 Miniatures Announcement
According to an official press release, the first wave of the Monster Manual 2024 miniatures being produced by Wizkids are two adult dragons. Those two dragons are Adult Black Dragon Corruptor and Adult Red Dragon Tyrant.
Monster Manual 2024 is the last of three updated rulebooks for Dungeons & Dragons. All three books include updated foundational rules for the fantasy TTRPG, essentially updating the game’s rules from 2014’s Fifth Edition to Dungeons & Dragons 2024.
Those changes have included glow-ups to player classes such as the Monk and making the game’s complex rules and charts easier to parse for Dungeon Masters. In that vein, Monster Manual 2024 will update classic monsters alongside new entries for players to face.
While this updated Monster Manual isn’t available yet, the press release did provide some screenshots of these new dragon miniatures. Screenshots that may provide some insight into how these dragons have changed.
First, the Adult Black Dragon Corruptor. At first glance, the visual design of the black dragon appears unchanged from Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. Black scales, bull-like horns, acid breath weapon.
But look a bit closer and this dragon has some new attachments. The first is its wings, which have a gnarled design. The tips look like boney claws or talans, which may imply a nastier wing attack in its repertoire. Second is the tail which is now pointed like a scorpion’s stinger.
This may hint at a more aggressive use of acid or debilitating tactics, it is called a Corruptor after all. This is a possibility considering disease and poison appears to be getting more focus in the new 2024 ruleset.
As for the Adult Red Dragon Tyrant miniature, there is less information to gleam. Red dragons in Dungeons & Dragons are characterised as vain, prideful, condescending, and covetous of treasure. In that context, Tyrant seems like redundant statement.
But the new design does have some new traits. There’s a secondary color of charcoal black running across the entire body, which adds some variety to the dragon’s look. It also invokes molten rock or burnt forests, which does make it more menacing at a glance.
The press release corroborates this. It states that Red Dragon Tyrants are drawn to volcanic mountaintops and burning wastelands. Places where they don’t just build up their treasure hoards, but their armies as well.
Both of the dragon miniatures in the Monster Manual 2024 product line will be available both painted and unpainted. Each dragon takes up a 75 mm base and the Red Dragon has an impressive 8-inch wingspan while the Black Dragon has a 10-inch wingspan. The Black Dragon will be available in stores March 2025 while the Red Dragon will have a July 2025 release date at an MSRP of $79.99 (Prepainted) and $59.99 (Unpainted) respectively.
