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]

In tiny, easily overlooked print. There goes my initial Perception check.

I haven't checked yet, but do any of the pictures in the 2024 DMG and the 2024 PHB mention the name of the artist who designed them?

 

[Demetrios1453]

I haven't checked yet, but do any of the pictures in the 2024 DMG and the 2024 PHB mention the name of the artist who designed them?

Yes. Always in the lower inner margin. That's been the standard for all D&D books for quite awhile now, and I just double checked and it's the same for the 2024 PHB and DMG

 

[Alzrius]

The big bad of 'Under the Dark Fist (SJA-4)' was a maedar though I'm pretty sure they originated before that.

Emperor Vulkaran the Dark, as I recall. His Vodoni Empire conquered a dozen crystal spheres, and was leading an invasion force to do the same to Realmspace, Greyspace, and Krynnspace; it was an epic premise that should have been its own boxed set rather than a sixty-four page module. (Likewise, I don't think that The Astromundi Cluster needed to be its own boxed set.)

 

[Clint_L]

I'm cool with Mariliths having male and female and non-binary versions, but I like my sexy marilith miniatures and will continue to use them. I don't like this new version - it's boring and generic. IMO. And the cheesecake is its own reward, as long as it doesn't go from "sexy" (in a freaky, multi-limbed, snake-bottomed demon kind of way) to "sexist" (in that these are depicted as qualities that are representative of a particular gender).

Sexy things are okay. Sexist things are not. I recognize that this can be a somewhat subjective line, but I don't think that depicting a sexy torso, of any gender, is automatically sexist. While recognizing that women have historically been objectified far more than men.

 

[SkidAce]

Succubi are not demons or devils. I didn't say fiends (which also include male and female night hags) intentionally.

 

[Parmandur]

View attachment 398079

In the new MM, they are neither Devils nor Demons.

 

[SkidAce]

In the new Mam, they are neither Devils nor Demons.

I know, just teasing @dave2008 .

Thanks!

 

[Maxperson]

We're dealing with the D&D Multiverse here. There was bound to be several worlds in this multiverse where such beings existed.

Those would be setting specific changes, though. You wouldn't see Athasian monsters in the MM.

 

[Corinnguard]

Those would be setting specific changes, though. You wouldn't see Athasian monsters in the MM.

True. Athasian monsters for 5e deserve their own book.

 

[Maxperson]

Make Medusae with Snakes have been around for a decade at this point. The Marilith is not from Myth.

Huh. The picture is female and I didn't need to read the lore, because I know it. I just looked and there is one small sentence that says men and women snuck in there. Glad I didn't see it before now or it would have annoyed me for longer.