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​

 

[Reynard]

Yes. You chould show a "traditional" marilith pic to your party while they're negotiating with her, but when they cross her and a fight breaks out, she comes at them looking like the new one.

This is an excellent idea well worth stealing.

 

[GreatestHonor]

Heck my Tiamat entry is 64 pages!

(Off Topic)

64 pages of the dragon queen you say? Sign me up!

 

[Micah Sweet]

So, that pic of the Marilith could be its' true form when it's not to trying to be beautifully sinister.

Does it say that in the lore?

 

[Micah Sweet]

I do want to clarify that it is a fun read and great information. My designer side loves it. I want every monster entry to be several pages. Heck my Tiamat entry is 64 pages! However, the functioning DM side of me has determined that it is mostly information I generally ignore and don't use! It is a me issue - not a you issue! Though I do think there is something to be said about a monster book that is to be read vs on that is used at the table. I have stated before I would like 2 types of monster books, one by group with lots of lore, and another with basically just wall to wall stat blocks.

The lore is mostly why I buy monster books nowadays. I have tons of mechanical expressions for just about everything.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

The new Marilith looks absolutely awful, when I first saw the art, I had no clue it was a Marilith. I which WotC would stop doing stuff like this.

My post above has 21 likes, so clearly this is not a popular piece of art and folks are getting tired of WotC making radical changes to iconic monsters appearances.

I really hope WotC gets the message finally that folks are getting tired of the retcons, whether the Purple Dragon Knight or the appearance of Marilith, just stop doing it, period, I don't care why your doing, just stop.

 

[TiQuinn]

Does it say that in the lore?

What does it say in your lore?

 

[Kobold Avenger]

My post above has 21 likes, so clearly this is not a popular piece of art and folks are getting tired of WotC making radical changes to iconic monsters appearances.

I really hope WotC gets the message finally that folks are getting tired of the retcons, whether the Purple Dragon Knight or the appearance of Marilith, just stop doing it, period, I don't care why your doing, just stop.

I don't care about the Purple Dragon Knight, as I don't really care about FR lore even though it's quite fluid to begin with, it was a horrible subclass to begin with it needed some sort of change.

I do care more about the Marilith, as that's something along the lines of Scarab Lamias that I'm mostly against.

 

[DarkCrisis]

They Don’t want to possibly upset anyone.

So, are their male Mariliths now as well?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

My post above has 21 likes, so clearly this is not a popular piece of art and folks are getting tired of WotC making radical changes to iconic monsters appearances.

I really hope WotC gets the message finally that folks are getting tired of the retcons, whether the Purple Dragon Knight or the appearance of Marilith, just stop doing it, period, I don't care why your doing, just stop.

No. There are just people who agree with you that they are not fans of the art. It doesn’t mean anything more than that.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

They Don’t want to possibly upset anyone.

So, are their male Mariliths now as well?

Probably as much as demons have genders. The Marilith image looks fairly masculine.