So Much Art From the 2025 Monster Manual

Here's some preview art from the 2025 Monster Manual, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast's "Everything You Need to Know Video" on the new book.

A classic Faceless Stalker:

A demon of some kind:

Arch-Hags:

Some kobolds:

A Nalfeshnee, perhaps?

A revenant:

Blue dracolich:

Death Knight:

Death tyrant:

Chimera:

Githyanki (with the central warrior recreating a classic pose):

A mummy lord:

A marrow:

A balrog balor:

Mimics:

While I'm tempted to say a tressym, this actually might be a new sphinx design:

Bone fiend:

Sladd:

Rust monster:

Platinum(?) dragon:

Bronze dragon:

Hezrou, perhaps?

Fire giant, not Karlach:

Cloud giants:

Zombies:

Red dragon:

Hags (including a male hag):

Dryads (including a male dryad):

Horned devil:

Incubus and succubus:

Vampires:

Vampire:

Colossus:

Spirit naga:

Copper dragon:

White dragon:

Blue dragon:

Gold dragon:

Black dragon:

 

[Tonguez]

I know D&D has a long history of being goofy with mythological beings, but sphinxes are so clearly defined in the public's imagination -- there's a wonder of the world that's a giant statue of a lion with a woman's face -- that this feels like a particularly dumb choice, comparable to deciding that angels are actually just celestial birds. Sure, it's close, but clearly wrong.

Unfortunately DnD Sphinx has had leonid features since 3e, its gotten progressively worse.
These new ones look like Disney versions (although the first one looks like its coming home after a rough night out drinking)

 

[dave2008]

I know D&D has a long history of being goofy with mythological beings, but sphinxes are so clearly defined in the public's imagination -- there's a wonder of the world that's a giant statue of a lion with a woman's face -- that this feels like a particularly dumb choice, comparable to deciding that angels are actually just celestial birds. Sure, it's close, but clearly wrong.

D&D has a history of different types of sphinxes, this is just a new type (and it is already in the PHB). Also, IIRC, the sphinx head is of a pharaoh, which I believe were mostly (always?) men?

 

[dave2008]

Unfortunately DnD Sphinx has had leonod features since 3e, its gotten progressively worse.
These new ones look like Disney versions (although the first one looks like its coming home after a rough night out drinking)
View attachment 391578

FYI, there is a common thought that sphinx in Giza originally had a lion head and was later remade to look like a pharaoh

 

[Chaltab]

There were at least two female pharoahs I can think of.

Also man sometimes I forget that 1E art often just had monsters with their boobs out.

 

[Azzy]

I'm really digging a lot of the new art.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Unfortunately DnD Sphinx has had leonod features since 3e, its gotten progressively worse.
These new ones look like Disney versions (although the first one looks like its coming home after a rough night out drinking)
View attachment 391578

I like the 3e version most, and by quite significant margin. It has a nice mix of human and feline features which makes it look interestingly weird, yet oddly enough also most "real." More like a creature in its own right rather than just parts of different creatures glued together.

 

[Tonguez]

D&D has a history of different types of sphinxes, this is just a new type (and it is already in the PHB). Also, IIRC, the sphinx head is of a pharaoh, which I believe were mostly (always?) men?

mostly men, but not always. There are 7 confirmed Female Pharoahs but some estimate there were 12 - most notably Nefrititi, Hatshepsut, Cleopatra and Twosret. The difficulty comes in that Pharoahs are always depicted as male - so Hatshepsut wore a false beard and later depictions of Nefrititi have masculine features

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Ancient Egypt was surprisingly gender equal, especially for its time. It shocked Greeks and Romans, who were much more patriarchal. In Egypt women took active part in running the society. They could be skilled professionals such as doctors or scribes, high ranking officials, even viziers ("prime ministers") and of course regents and pharaohs.

 

[Superchunk77]

Also, the more of them I see, the less I like the new dragon designs. I am not sure exactly what it is, but they are putting me off.

Same here. They seem a bit too generic. My favorites remain the Todd Lockwood dragons from 3.5e

 

[DarkCrisis]

Hate the new Incubus/succubus. But I get why