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​

 

[the Jester]

While I liked maedar enough that I even named a pet snake after them, I don't mind male-dusas. However, they could also make maedar the full spectrum as well to maintain the relationship and simply up the complexity.

This would be better than the wholesale removal of maedar from the lore!

That said, given the prevalence of sexual dimorphism in the real world, I would love to see examples of it in monsters. But 5e is seemingly terrified of anything that might get the "sexist" label, so... no more androsphinx and gynosphinx, no more medusa and maedar, no hint that males and females of any species might be different. At least that I have seen.

 

[Mecheon]

This would be better than the wholesale removal of maedar from the lore!

Maeder have been gone for well over 20 years at this point. They weren't an iconic monster and "Yeah the curse medusa can affect men now" works a lot better than "There's this rare anti-medusa who shacks up with medusae and inverts the thing they do". Let's be honest, maeder weren't monsters, they were a pile of mechanics slapped together because someone wanted to try to vaguely worldbuild in a weird manner

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.

They've always been evocative of Kali and that whole "let's interpret Kali as a demon" thing that's been around, the original art (and the weapon choice) being very evocative of the Sinbad Kali fight

Like, they're not as blatant as Warcraft or Castlevania's expies, but that's always been the vibe marilith had

 

[TiQuinn]

Maeder have been gone for well over 20 years at this point. They weren't an iconic monster and "Yeah the curse medusa can affect men now" works a lot better than "There's this rare anti-medusa who shacks up with medusae and inverts the thing they do". Let's be honest, maeder weren't monsters, they were a pile of mechanics slapped together because someone wanted to try to vaguely worldbuild in a weird manner

It’s also not like one couldn’t recreate a traditional maedar in five minutes if they really wanted to. Maedar have been a thing for five editions of the game, but along with the Catoblepas, Xvart and the Flail Snail, I’ve never felt the need to use one. If I did, I wouldn’t suddenly be mad at the current edition of the game for not having it.

 

[Maxperson]

Also Male Medsuae already existed for all of 2014 a major villain in Princes of the Apocalypse was one.

They existed in 2e as well.

 

[Maxperson]

They've always been evocative of Kali and that whole "let's interpret Kali as a demon" thing that's been around, the original art (and the weapon choice) being very evocative of the Sinbad Kali fight

Like, they're not as blatant as Warcraft or Castlevania's expies, but that's always been the vibe marilith had

Go back and look at the snake woman from Sinbad. She also had an Indian vibe going on, so maybe they borrowed from Kali. The 1e Marilith looks like that snake woman with two extra arms so Gygax wouldn't be sued. I don't see why he would need to go borrow for Kali for anything past what the snake woman showed, especially since Kali was already in 1e in the Deities & Demigods.

It's possible Kali was an influence, but without something more solid than Kali also looks kinda like the snake woman, therefore Gygax must have used both, I'm not going to accept that theory as definitive or even strong.

 

[Echohawk]

Maeder have been gone for well over 20 years at this point.

They've been gone for a mere 18 years actually, last appearing in Dragon #355 in May 2007.

There was a poll attached to the December 2013 Wandering Monster article on the WotC website which solicited feedback on the proposed 5e medusa. Sadly the "Yes, you’re crazy, and I want to see the maedar too!" option got a mere 8.4% of the vote, so it seems that the maedar doesn't have the most fan support.

 

[dave2008]

There is also very little lore for the other monsters in the new Monster Manual. Each monster entry has a single piece of artwork and a very big stat block taking up most of the page.

Marilith | Level Up

This is what Level Up's Monstrous Menagerie 1 has on the Marilith. Lots of useful stuff for the Narrator to use in the run-up to an encounter with this particular demon.

Well that is not entirely true. Some monsters definitely have more than others, but a lot include several paragraphs and a useful table. Then there are some, like the tarrasque, that actually have more lore in the 2024 MM than in the 2014 MM. Also, I would actually be happy if some of the stat blocks actually were "very big." Many are to small IMO, as I need that more than lore.

While I like the lore and information in LevelUp or @Sacrosanct's monster book (the name escapes me at the moment), the fact is, for me, it is mostly wasted space that I never use. I create my own world and own lore for my setting, so the information can be inspiration and fun, I mostly ignore it. I have only recently realized that I am more in line with @Reynard in wanting minimal generic lore in my monster books. I do still miss the monster group lore though.

 

[dave2008]

I'll be the one to say it, I hate the new art. Previous design was not only iconic but peak.

Actually several people already beat you to the punch.

 

[TheSword]

Actually several people already beat you to the punch.

Don’t we know it.
A couple of them even saw a copy of the book.

 

[Corinnguard]

Actually several people already beat you to the punch.

They had better initiative rolls than others.