2025 Monster Manual to Introduce Male Versions of Hags, Medusas, and Dryads

The upcoming Monster Manual will feature artwork depicting some creatures like hags and medusas in both genders, a first for Dungeons & Dragons. In the "Everything You Need to Know" video for the upcoming Monster Manual, designers Jeremy Crawford and Wesley Schneider revealed that the new book would feature artwork portraying both male and female versions of creatures like hags, dryads, satyrs, and medusas. While there was a male medusa named Marlos Urnrayle in Princes of the Apocalypse (who had a portrait in the book) and players could make satyr PCs of either gender, this marks the first time that D&D has explicitly shown off several of these creatures as being of both male and female within a rulebook. There is no mechanical difference between male creatures and female creatures, so this is solely a change in how some monsters are presented.

In other news that actually does impact D&D mechanics, goblins are now classified as fey creatures (similar to how hobgoblins were portrayed as fey creatures in Monsters of the Multiverse) and gnolls are now classified as fiends.

Additionally, monster statblocks include potential treasure and gear options, so that DMs can reward loot when a player character inevitably searches the dead body of a creature.

The new Monster Manual will be released on February 18th, 2025.

 

[MGibster]

I can't say I really care one way or the other about introducing male versions of various monsters. Is the gnyosphinx still going to be a thing? Has anyone ever used a gnyosphinx in their campaign? While D&D has certainly borrowed concepts of monsters from a wide variety of sources, their interpretation has oftentimes been, well, let's say novel. One of the many D&Disms that makes D&D so charming I guess. I'm probably never going to use a male hag, but the fact that it's an option isn't going to hurt my feelings.

 

[Chaltab]

I know Mercer used a Gynosphinx as a questgiver in the first Critical Role campaign.

...granted I don't think they fought her in the campaign but it's been nearly a decade so my memory is foggy.

 

[Voadam]

There was an attempt with the 4E world-building design to better differentiate demons from devils, which resulted in succubi changing sides and other changes . . . but the sheer scope of the 4E changes to classic lore and the pushback it got meant this wasn't lasting . . .

I'm excited to see how they attempt it this time around.

1e -3.5 succubi were CE demons. OE succubi were demons before evil was an alignment option.

4e Succubi were evil (LE did not exist in 4e) devils, (although with Grazzt being a former devil turned demon lord in 4e he has accompanying succubi). This was the biggest actual thing of 4e's plan for demons to be monstrous in appearance and devils to be humanoid looking with horns and wings and tails added.

5e decided succubi were another new thing, no longer demons nor devils, they were NE independent fiends who live in all the lower planes and associate with demons, devils, night hags, and others.

 

[Chaltab]

Always thought devils made more sense than demons for succubi; temptation has always been a devil's wheelhouse. Though NE fiends works too.

 

[dave2008]

So that's where you're getting 209! While that's certainly possible it requires using every LA on an attack each round which seems like a waste when there's two others that may be situationally more useful--especially if there's a creature in melee giving the Empyrean disadvantage to ranged attacks.

Sure, but that is actually not the highest damage option. The shocking glory action actual causes 54 damage (you assume 2 people are hit per the 2014 guidelines). So the max damage would be 35+35+54=124+104=228 DPR. Also, per the video all Legendary Actions should be roughly equally effective.

 

[Voadam]

Has anyone ever used a gnyosphinx in their campaign?

I have used them.

Literal first encounter you face in White Plume Mountain before things branch off into options.

 

[kigmatzomat]

I still can't see how goblins can be fey but elves are humanoids. I mean, I'm okay with the goblin-fey connection, I really am. I just think they shouldn't be more fey than elves. So if you want them to be fey, make elves fey too.

I think everyone should agree with me or you're just wrong. I mean...we can argue about some things, but this is just the way it is.

IMC elves are the fey equivalent of tieflings; they were humans who mated with true fey and became a stable lineage.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

IMC elves are the fey equivalent of tieflings; they were humans who mated with true fey and became a stable lineage.

The problem with that, though, is that in the base mythology of the game, there aren't anything like "true fey," although there definitely should be, IMO.

 

[dave2008]

The problem with that, though, is that in the base mythology of the game, there aren't anything like "true fey," although there definitely should be, IMO.

What do you mean by the base mythology of the game?

 

[Chaosmancer]

I can't say I really care one way or the other about introducing male versions of various monsters. Is the gnyosphinx still going to be a thing? Has anyone ever used a gnyosphinx in their campaign? While D&D has certainly borrowed concepts of monsters from a wide variety of sources, their interpretation has oftentimes been, well, let's say novel. One of the many D&Disms that makes D&D so charming I guess. I'm probably never going to use a male hag, but the fact that it's an option isn't going to hurt my feelings.

They likely will have a monster called a Gynosphinx, but when they talked about Sphinxes in the video, the artwork showed things much closer to the Sphinx of Wonder (multi-colored cat with wings) than the man or woman headed cat with wings. So they may be facing a significant redesign.

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For me on the monsters of various genders... mostly it doesn't bother me. Neither does the medusa thing. The only one that trips me up is Male Hags. I don't hate it, but it feels like when the toe of your shoe catches on part of the sidewalk.

In the end, I think this will open up a lot more interesting story-building and lore opportunities for me, but I'll need to acclimate to the idea.

Also, speaking about video art, when discussing the Succubi and Incubi (which is an INSPIRED design I think) the artwork they showed was very... cosmic. Night skies given humanoid form. I'm guessing those were the incubi, but I'm really curious to see where they went with it.