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​

 

[Chaltab]

The Lamia is another monster in DND that has different versions. Lamia with lion legs, snake lower half, and one with deer legs. What I'm trying to say is: use the version ya want!

...Also the 4E version which was a swarm of scarab beetles for some reason.

Yeah I have no idea WTF was up with that.

 

[Maxperson]

Honestly, the Marilith is most likely a combination of two famous Ray Harryhausen monsters:

Or just the snake woman and add two arms. I don't see how Kali is likely to have been part of that. That snake woman seems like a likely inspiration for Gygax, though.

 

[wicked cool]

No, no one is - that is the part you are making up

Well someone wanted it changed as it was changed!

 

[Incenjucar]

...Also the 4E version which was a swarm of scarab beetles for some reason.

Yeah I have no idea WTF was up with that.

One of the best examples of a really cool swapped-out monster that could be its own monster.

 

[Seramus]

Or just the snake woman and add two arms. I don't see how Kali is likely to have been part of that. That snake woman seems like a likely inspiration for Gygax, though.

I would bet actual money that the snake woman stuck with Gygax through the years, then he saw the Kali statue battle around the time it came out (1974) and got excited. He slaps the cool new thing (Kali portion) onto the snake woman he liked from before, and BOOM - we get the Marilith a couple years later.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Faces of Evil says that Demons (well specifically the Tanar'ri but probably the same applies to Obyriths and other types of Demons) can change their sex according to their will. Mostly left out in the details in later editions, except for bringing it up with Succubi (and now Incubi) even though they've unofficially become more like Yugoloths now in 5e with the alignment change.

 

[the Jester]

I'm not a big fan of the new marilith look. But I don't think WotC is afraid of depicting sexy women monsters.

What I do think they're afraid of is any hint of sexual dimorphism. If any monster gave them the opportunity for an interesting "males are one way and females are another way" take, it's the medusa and maedar, which are absolutely sticking around as depicted in older editions in my game. Heck, I've already used such a pair in 5e a couple of years ago. It's a super cool bit of lore and removing it doesn't improve the game; it takes away something awesome.

For those of you who don't know, in early editions, male medusae- maedar- didn't turn you to stone, but instead pulverized your petrified body and turned the chunks back into flesh. That's how medusae eat their prey!

 

[Seramus]

Faces of Evil says that Demons (well specifically the Tanar'ri but probably the same applies to Obyriths and other types of Demons) can change their sex according to their will. Mostly left out in the details in later editions, except for bringing it up with Succubi (and now Incubi) even though they've unofficially become more like Yugoloths now in 5e with the alignment change.

It gets even weirder since outsiders don't have organs, unless they need them for some symbolic reason, except in 3.5 when they need to breathe, but you have no idea what they breathe because the atmosphere of various planes can be radically different and/or symbolic as well!

 

[Charlaquin]

On a closer look, I can’t tell if the Nalfeshnee looks blue because that’s its skin color, or if that’s just the blue lighting from its flaming hands.

Ah, the Spider-Man problem

 

[Distracted DM]

In one of Michael Moorcock's books (from the 70s or 80s) the protagonists ended up in a Plane of Law and it was a barren, featureless, lifeless grey field.

I actually never read this one- do you remember which book it was?