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:

 

[dave2008]

I wonder how much of the issue is just that the death knight image is a low-res screenshot from a video. It might look better in the actual book / on D&D Beyond.

I bet that is some of it. However, looking at it more it does look more like a digital render vs a digital painting. Whether that is true or not, I generally prefer the aesthetic of digital paint to renders.

 

[MNblockhead]

Those are Incubi


Those are just Incubi both of them, they split Incubi and Succubi into two separate stats, each with both Male & Female in the art. The Incubi are dream sex fiends (I'm guessing they are aren't solid creatures), and Succubi are the physical titillating sex fiends, either can be any sex and apparently there is a way for one type to switch to the other.

I suspect the actual succubi will still be titillating, both of them.

I think @Henadic Theologian has the answer here: post #22

I still like that succubi were the female sexual-sin demons and incubi were the male counterparts, as they are in medieval folklore. The new 2024 MM take may grow on me. I like the concept, just can't get over the names being the same. This old grognard is going to have trouble not confusing things.

As for gorgons, I was peer editing a law review article in law school and changed "medusas" to Gorgons and had that edit rejected by a professor. Using "medusa" as a common (instead of proper) noun, has been the norm in (at least American) English for some time. Outside of certain fields of study, I don't think anyone would refer to a group of gorgons as gorgons, they would say medusas (or maybe "medusi" or "medusae" if the writer wanted to sound fancy). Also, reading up on this a bit and I find that using medusa as a category has been common since the 1700s. So, might as well use gorgon for something else.

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

The 1E Sphinx certainly knew how to distract many of those attempting to solve her riddles.

I've always thought of Sphinxes as female, as that is how they were typically depicted in Greek mythology. See, for example, Oedipus Rex.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art did a reconstruction of what this would have originally looked like when it still had paint, and the result makes the new MM art seem like a nod to history in terms of coloration:

Reconstructing the Archaic Greek Sphinx - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

See how the sphinx of a Greek funerary monument was reconstructed in its original form and color.

www.metmuseum.org

While Egyptian sphinxes were dominated by male imagery (even those for Egyptian queens, like the Sphinx of Hatshepsut, while showing a feminine face were still given a ceremonial beard, as another poster mentioned above), there are some example of sphinxes with a clearly female head, such as this one, which was originally attached to sphinx's reclining body, displayed at the Brooklyn Museum:

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I still like that succubi were the female sexual-sin demons and incubi were the male counterparts, as they are in medieval folklore. The new 2024 MM take may grow on me. I like the concept, just can't get over the names being the same. This old grognard is going to have trouble not confusing things.

As for gorgons, I was peer editing a law review article in law school and changed "medusas" to Gorgons and had that edit rejected by a professor. Using "medusa" as a common (instead of proper) noun, has been the norm in (at least American) English for some time. Outside of certain fields of study, I don't think anyone would refer to a group of gorgons as gorgons, they would say medusas (or maybe "medusi" or "medusae" if the writer wanted to sound fancy). Also, reading up on this a bit and I find that using medusa as a category has been common since the 1700s. So, might as well use gorgon for something else.


The 1E Sphinx certainly knew how to distract many of those attempting to solve her riddles.

I've always thought of Sphinxes as female, as that is how they were typically depicted in Greek mythology. See, for example, Oedipus Rex.

View attachment 391613
View attachment 391614
The Metropolitan Museum of Art did a reconstruction of what this would have originally looked like when it still had paint, and the result makes the new MM art seem like a nod to history in terms of coloration:

View attachment 391615

Reconstructing the Archaic Greek Sphinx - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

See how the sphinx of a Greek funerary monument was reconstructed in its original form and color.

www.metmuseum.org

While Egyptian sphinxes were dominated by male imagery (even those for Egyptian queens, like the Sphinx of Hatshepsut, while showing a feminine face were still given a ceremonial beard, as another poster mentioned above), there are some example of sphinxes with a clearly female head, such as this one, which was originally attached to sphinx's reclining body, displayed at the Brooklyn Museum:

View attachment 391616

I like this split between Incubi and Succubi better then past attempts, where Succubi were the sexy seductionists and Incubi aka Rapubi were brutal sadistic, violent rape demons (not kidding that was the lore for Incubi in I think 3.5e and I think Maybe a previous edition of Pathfinder) and soldiers in Demon Lord armies. They didn't even change forms or want to. To make matters worse the Rapubi as I call them, the lore was that Incubi were the embodiments of male sexuality, very sexist. This appeared in Dragon Magazine.

Dream sex demons is a huge improvement of demonic rapists IMHO. Major Step up. I mean who ever wanted to use 3.5e Incubi at their table?

 

[Jensaarai]

This is absolutely awful. It reminds me of rotoscope or early CG animation.

There definitely is almost like a vibe with the Bakshi 'Lord of the Rings'... which I absolutely love lol.

Lord Soth is also very specifically set in the Dragonlance setting IIRC, so I think having a more agnostic Death Knight works out. And it's some sick art to boot. I like the sense of the artist's unique individual styles in a lot of these monsters.

 

[pukunui]

Lord Soth is also very specifically set in the Dragonlance setting IIRC, so I think having a more agnostic Death Knight works out.

This. I'm guessing they've removed all the setting specific images (Soth, Strahd, etc) from the MM to make it more generic.

 

[Dragonhelm]

Lord Soth is also very specifically set in the Dragonlance setting IIRC, so I think having a more agnostic Death Knight works out.

Soth is also infamous in Ravenloft. See the Terror of Lord Soth novels for some great reading.

When I think of death knights, Lord Soth is the first to come to mind. He is the iconic death knight.

I see where you're coming from, though. You make a good point.

 

[Tonguez]

As for gorgons, I was peer editing a law review article in law school and changed "medusas" to Gorgons and had that edit rejected by a professor. Using "medusa" as a common (instead of proper) noun, has been the norm in (at least American) English for some time. Outside of certain fields of study, I don't think anyone would refer to a group of gorgons as gorgons, they would say medusas (or maybe "medusi" or "medusae" if the writer wanted to sound fancy). Also, reading up on this a bit and I find that using medusa as a category has been common since the 1700s. So, might as well use gorgon for something else.

Gorgons is still the term used for the sisters of Medusa - who did not look like Medusa - with Medusas being used for humanoid monsters with snake hair and petrifying gazes. Who is a very specific monster who spun off her own popular franchise.

Greeks had a whole range of forms for Gorgons, some with wings and tusks and huge eyes, some with centaur legs and a couple with beards bringing speculation they were based on Mesopatamia deities like Humbaba the bullish beast-man.

I raise that as it links to the Medieval use of the name for the Gorgon Bull (beast) which also harkens back to the bullish beast and seems to be a medieval form of Catelopus (sp?)

I like this split between Incubi and Succubi better then past attempts, where Succubi were the sexy seductionists and Incubi aka Rapubi were brutal sadistic, violent rape demons (not kidding that was the lore for Incubi in I think 3.5e and I think Maybe a previous edition of Pathfinder) and soldiers in Demon Lord armies. They didn't even change forms or want to. To make matters worse the Rapubi as I call them, the lore was that Incubi were the embodiments of male sexuality, very sexist. This appeared in Dragon Magazine.

Dream sex demons is a huge improvement of demonic rapists IMHO. Major Step up. I mean who ever wanted to use 3.5e Incubi at their table?

That rapey bit was Paizo incubus take what they want by force, but even that wasnt a full commitment since they still had Disguise self and a Suggestion ability like Sububi, so presumambly did do a bit of seduction too.

5e In/Sucubi were Corrupters and charmers but not necessarily sex-demons (well except the kiss)- any obsession could work

 

[Azzy]

That Death Knight art is zoomed in and LQ. Like here is more of the bottom of the image more zoomed out.

Tried to get the head and it looks less blurry here too.

I dig the armor on this guy and his followers. It's very atmospheric.

 

[Horwath]

I'm glad that MM2024 art follows PHB2024, as in, it sucks completely.

Should those undead/demons/devils be scary of just be laughed at?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I'm glad that MM2024 art follows PHB2024, as in, it sucks completely.

Should those undead/demons/devils be scary of just be laughed at?

You sure, or did you hate the art for all previous editions as well?