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​

 

[Corinnguard]

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

There is also the curiosity about what kind of monsters a party might encounter one day during one of their adventures. What will the narrator throw at us next?

 

[Charlaquin]

You can assume someone is agreeing with 100% because of a like. I didn't like your comment, but I have liked comments in the past that I disagree with, but respect the opinion or otherwise support some part of the comment. I to don't particularly like this art, but I didn't click like because I support WotC looking at monster designs and taking a new crack at them, even if I don't agree with the final result.

Also, “my post has a lot of likes” is a weird appeal to popularity that has the effect of warping likes into a rhetorical weapon instead of their intended use as a means of expressing appreciation for a post.

 

[Alzrius]

Mandarin, which are the male medusae.

Wait, so one of these guys is a male medusa?!

 

[TiQuinn]

This thread reinforces my belief that every demon, devil, angel, etc should be completely unique. there should be A Marilith, and A Pit Fiend. These things in the MM are just examples, and GMs should build or steal other ones at their whim.

THE Marilith might be a naked busty 6 armed snake lady who likes to stab mortals who don't look her in the eye. Or, it might be a monstrousy multi-limbed hairy scaly brute with as much gender identity as a hurricane. Problem solved.

I was kind of thinking that today after listening to Mike Shea’s latest podcast. He was talking about legendary actions and resistances, and issues with them, and it occurred to me - why do these monsters al have the exact same legendary actions? Why not make them unique? Same concept applies here. At a certain point, these can all be unique monsters and encounters.

 

[Charlaquin]

Wait, so one of these guys is a male medusa?!

Two of these are explicitly not the actual Mandarin in their own films’ canon.

 

[Scribe]

They have changed with every edition, where each of those retcons too?!

You know the absurdity of this statement. The 5.5 version is nothing like what came before. You know this.

 

[DarkCrisis]

They were never male nor female IMO, they are demons.

"Present as"

 

[Alzrius]

Two of these are explicitly not the actual Mandarin in their own films’ canon.

 

[Corinnguard]

Wait, so one of these guys is a male medusa?!

No idea, but I liked the second pic for its' depiction of the Dragon Breath spell.

 

[DarkCrisis]

This thread reinforces my belief that every demon, devil, angel, etc should be completely unique. there should be A Marilith, and A Pit Fiend. These things in the MM are just examples, and GMs should build or steal other ones at their whim.

THE Marilith might be a naked busty 6 armed snake lady who likes to stab mortals who don't look her in the eye. Or, it might be a monstrousy multi-limbed hairy scaly brute with as much gender identity as a hurricane. Problem solved.

I don't recall where I read it but at one point in D&D there was THE MARILITH all the others where subordinate to her and looked like her more or less.