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]

Nah. D&D is what it is, because it has history. To ignore or overwrite that, damages the brand more than anything.

I mean D&D has been doing that for decades, so I am not buying it.

Also, a variety of demon designs is much more on brand than all demons looking the same, IMO

 

[Weiley31]

Somebody out there is still gonna say "WOULD" even tho the 2025 Marilith isn't a hottie anymore.

Granted, you can always depeict this as one kind of Marilith. IIRC, one of the more recent Keith Baker Eberron 3PP books depicted a Marilith that was showcasing some Raksasha traits in its appearance.

 

[TheSword]

Yeah....no.

This is a Marilith.

It is a Marilith, it isn’t the Marilith. I would imagine they are lots of different appearances depending on their creation, layer of origin, role etc.

I’m happy that there is no one singular look for any demon and luckily we have decades worth of great artwork to represent them.

 

[Weiley31]

Case in point, here is example of said Raksasha Marilith from Chronicles of Eberron as posted by Keith Baker on Twitter.

 

[dave2008]

I could move the marilith to the devilish side of the fiend family.

I actually wish they had pushed the themes a bit harder. For example I think making the bone & ice devils (and possibly pit fiends) more "alluring" would have been very interesting. Though I admit it would be hard to pull off.

Personally, I think it is better to think that this design is one of many variants of marilith. Like how they had demons under a particular demon lord take on aspects of their lord in Descent into Avernus:

Balor of Yeenoghu

Hezrou, Dretch, Quasit and Balgura of Yeenoghu

 

[Scribe]

I’m happy that there is no one singular look for any demon and luckily we have decades worth of great artwork to represent them.

Thats great for you.

 

[wicked cool]

Well that stinks. What’s next the succubus will look like a scaled horror 2. But it was offensive and the masses demanded it .

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

It is a Marilith, it isn’t the Marilith. I would imagine they are lots of different appearances depending on their creation, layer of origin, role etc.

I’m happy that there is no one singular look for any demon and luckily we have decades worth of great artwork to represent them.

Of all fiends, demons should have the most diversity in appearance, given that they’re the embodiment of chaos.

Also, I had no idea people cared about Mariliths. I don’t think I’ve ever used them.

 

[dave2008]

Well that stinks. What’s next the succubus will look like a scaled horror 2. But it was offensive and the masses demanded it .

No, they are pretty much the same:

 

[Bae'zel]

Also, a variety of demon designs is much more on brand than all demons looking the same, IMO

There is an illustration in Mordenkeinen's Tome of Foes that really annoyed me as utterly unimaginative and dull. Two line ups of Dretches and Bearded devils facing off and... they are all carbon copies of each other.

This one:

So yeah, I'm all in favor of devils and demons having some variety, otherwise... well you get crap like the above.