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​

 

[Scribe]

 

[Queer Venger]

2025 marilith is yoked AF

 

[Reynard]

That's still a thing, minus the subordinate thing. There is Nalfeshnee, Marilith, and Balor greatest of their kind. They are the mightiest of those demon types and all the demons of that type share their name. If say Nalfeshnee were to be slain by Trantolox another nalfeshnee, then the type would become known as trantoloxs.

[Citation needed]

 

[Chaltab]

It's a marilith that's been taking draconic growth hormone.

 

[dave2008]

Does that me you basically agree? If not, where do you disagree? I have presented several points across my two responses to your your previous post. Anything constructive to add or disagreements with my points of comparison.

I see the similarities between the designs outweighing the differences, which they clearly do numerically, without impacting the design intent; however, you see the fewer dissimilarities substantially shifting the design intent of the monster. Is that fair?

 

[Indagare Nogitsune]

Oh joy. It's not bad enough the monster looks nothing like previous editions, but it's also AI generated. Try figuring out where all the claws in that upper hand are coming from. Why does the stabbed human have no glove on the right hand? Also, why no gold filigree for the helmet like everyone else has? That lowermost hand has the sword the wrong way. Also there are claws we really shouldn't be able to see. Why isn't there any neck for the decapitated one (not to mention blood for both that one and the one being stabbed). Also, why does the beheaded one have both a pike and a sword, and why is the sword on the wrong side of the body for someone with a shield in their right hand? Also the way that shield's being held is just wrong.

 

[dave2008]

Oh joy. It's not bad enough the monster looks nothing like previous editions, but it's also AI generated. Try figuring out where all the claws in that upper hand are coming from. Why does the stabbed human have no glove on the right hand? Also, why no gold filigree for the helmet like everyone else has? That lowermost hand has the sword the wrong way. Also there are claws we really shouldn't be able to see. Why isn't there any neck for the decapitated one (not to mention blood for both that one and the one being stabbed). Also, why does the beheaded one have both a pike and a sword, and why is the sword on the wrong side of the body for someone with a shield in their right hand? Also the way that shield's being held is just wrong.

Please try to verify things before you troll for AI art. This piece is by Justin Gerard, a well know and respected artist that has been in business long before AI was a thing. It would have taken you all of 5 min. to figure this out. Here is link to his artstation account if you want to know more: Justin Gerard. It is fine to not like this image, don't let your bias pull you into assumptions of AI art. I think you can do better than that.

PS - he does both traditional and digital 2d art. Here is an image of him working on a traditional piece (form his artstation account linked above) from 7+ years ago. He is a skilled artist.

PSS -I can refute all of your supposed AI triggers to if you like, but that just seems unnecessary to me.

 

[Charlaquin]

It is different, but I wouldn't say nothing like. Snake body, check; humanoid torso, check; six arms & weapons, check; one head, check; female human upper body, X. To my eye it is much more like it than distinct. If I put the original marilith, next a human woman, next to the 2024 marilith I would definitely group the mariliths together before I group either with a human woman.

Also, the OG 3e image is pretty monstrous too:
View attachment 397994

Other than having breast it is pretty similar to the 2024 version IMO

It’s also much more slender than the 2024 version.

 

[dave2008]

It’s also much more slender than the 2024 version.

Yes it reminds me of the 2e planescape marilith in that aspect.

 

[Voadam]

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

That Kali fight is amazing. The six arm sword fighting could have been terrible in many ways but I really like the execution here.

And Doctor Who Tom Baker as the evil sorcerer.

Less impressed with the claymation snake woman.