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​

 

[TheSword]

The opinion isn't the trend, the style/quality of the art is.

That’s your viewpoint.

 

[TiQuinn]

Not a fan of the art or the change but whatever.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That’s your viewpoint.

It is indeed.

 

[Retreater]

I started playing in AD&D 2nd edition, when demons and devils weren't what they used to be - and before they were brought back in 3rd edition. I didn't know what a marilith was. My first encounter with one was a horrifying moment in

Spoiler: So you can't see the name of the 2E adventure.

Ravenloft Module: Adam's Wrath

.

There was a handcrank-operated lift that descended a massive pit into the cavernous dungeon. As we loaded our treasure onto the lift, we had to go back up hundreds of feet. That's when the creature of the pit awoke: a ferocious beast. We could only see parts of it as it slithered up the tunnel, drawing ever closer to the lift to devour us: a writhing serpentine body, numerous arms scratching at the tunnel walls bringing it ever closer. An inhuman wail came from a woman's face that seemed incongruous with the monstrous body.

There was nothing "hawt" about it and it's still one of the most horrifying moments I've had in a game, that marilith chasing us - our attacks powerless to do anything but inch the demon farther away from us. Somehow, we survived.

 

[dave2008]

No, but trends are still a thing.

What is the trend here? The vampires, succubae, and medusae are still sexy humanoids in the 2024 MM. If there is a trend it may be to make demons more monstrous, which to me seems spot on. That is not an art style trend though, it is a theme clarification.

 

[Chaltab]

Just for comparison's sake, here's the Mariliths from TOTV and A5E.

 

[dave2008]

Sorry intended to quote this earlier

The opinion isn't the trend, the style/quality of the art is.

What is the trend here? The vampires, succubae, and medusae are still sexy humanoids in the 2024 MM. If there is a trend it may be to make demons more monstrous, which to me seems spot on. That is not an art style trend though, it is a theme clarification.

 

[Scribe]

It’s ok not to like a piece of art.

I know, and the trend that its part of.

 

[TiQuinn]

Every time I see a Marilith pic, I think of Spiral from X-Men.

Spiral

"Ricochet Rita" Wayword was once a professional stuntwoman. She befriended Longshot, an interdimensional traveler from the Mojoverse, when he first appeared on Earth-616. The story of how Rita became Spiral, however, was a temporal paradox. Rita was attacked by a mutated version of herself...

x-men.fandom.com

 

[dave2008]

Not at all, they could just stop making changes like this instead of adding more fuel to the fire.

This stance makes me sad, I am glad WotC doesn't share it. I want as much new and different art and ideas as possible.

Look, I hated 2e planescape art, it actively turned me away from the game. So I get it, but some people loved it. It is planescape to them. So I would never want to stop WotC from taking risks and looking at things in a new way. I mean what would Darksun and Planescape be if TSR thought that way?