D&D (2024) D&D Marilith Is Far More Bestial In 2025

The new 2025 Monster Manual has all-new art, and one major change is the depiction of the marilith. Up until now, the marilith has been depicted as a six-armed humanish female from the waist up; while in the 2025 book, the picture is far more bestial in nature.

Not only is the imagery more demonic, it also features the creature in action, simultaneously beheading, stabbing, and entwining its foes with its six arms and snake-like tail.

Left 2025 Marilith / Right 2014 Marilith​

 

[dave2008]

How can you tell? For example, Slaadi seem to only have one gender - Red.

That is kind of my point, or a least part of it.

 

[dave2008]

They added male and female versions to creatures that were all one or the other, though.

Right, my point of emphasis was that they chose not to provide male/female versions of some monsters. Perhaps the answer to why they did or did not can be determined by looking at what monsters were added to compared to those that were not.

 

[Charlaquin]

Please provide proof of male hag and banshee art. The current and prior monster manuals do not represent this art.

Here.

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All of this is from the 2024 Monster Manual.

The why not approach to art is not really valid.

It absolutely is. That’s literally how art works.

You can make a death knight in robes and say it’s a death knight but that does not mean it is a necessary or desired change.

A change need not be necessary to be made, and people don’t always know they desire something before it’s been offered. I never would have thought to ask for male hags and banshees, but now that we have them I’m glad we do. More diversity in how our monsters can look is a good thing in my view.

 

[Maxperson]

Right, my point of emphasis was that the chose not to provide male/female versions of some monsters. Perhaps the answer to why they did or did not can be determined by looking at what monsters were added to compared to those that were not.

For demons and devils, though, there were no decidedly male demons/devils in the MM(outside of demon lords and archdevils), and of the female ones, Marilith lost its sex and succubus gained a male counterpart. Succubus being the only addition of the other sex that makes sense, since Incubus is something that has existed in mythology.

 

[dave2008]

For demons and devils, though, there were no decidedly male demons/devils in the MM(outside of demon lords and archdevils), and of the female ones, Marilith lost its sex and succubus gained a male counterpart. Succubus being the only addition of the other sex that makes sense, since Incubus is something that has existed in mythology.

Succubi are not demons or devils. I didn't say fiends (which also include male and female night hags) intentionally.

So what does this distinction (categories of monsters that changed vs ones that didn't) tell us about why the changes were made? It seems intentional to me. I am not prepared to speculate / analyze this yet, but I thought you might be.

 

[cranberry]

My 12 year old self really appreciated the 1E illustration, but this one is good too.

 

[dave2008]

My 12 year old self really appreciated the 1E illustration, but this one is good too.

My young self appreciated the 1e succubus more!

 

[Parmandur]

Succubi are not demons or devils. I didn't say fiends (which also include male and female night hags) intentionally.

So what does this distinction (categories of monsters that changed vs ones that didn't) tell us about why the changes were made? It seems intentional to me. I am not prepared to speculate / analyze this yet, but I thought you might be.

It is interesting how many Fiends are I'm the MM outside of the Demon, Devil, or Yugoloth families.

 

[Maxperson]

Succubi are not demons or devils. I didn't say fiends (which also include male and female night hags) intentionally.

So what does this distinction (categories of monsters that changed vs ones that didn't) tell us about why the changes were made? It seems intentional to me. I am not prepared to speculate / analyze this yet, but I thought you might be.

It is intentional, but adding male night hags, male medusas with snakes, and male dryads is nonsense. Unlike Incubi, those things do not exist in mythology. Same with removing the sex from Mariliths. They're tilting at windmills here.

 

[TiQuinn]

It is intentional, but adding male night hags, male medusas with snakes, and male dryads is nonsense.

No, it's not.