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​

 

[dave2008]

How can you tell it’s a male? It could be a very butch female. The banshee does not look masculine at all.

You can't be sure, but it is as much male as the other is female. It seems obvious to me how they are coded, but if you don't see - then you don't see it. Of course, WotC specifically said they were doing this in their MM videos. So there is that too.

Of course in truth, they are neither male nor female, they are undead.

 

[Azzy]

The weird thing about Banshees is that somehow I associate them with some guy named Sean Cassidy...

I always associate them with some lady named Siouxsie Sioux.

 

[Azzy]

While I find the new artwork for the marilith to be disappointing, I can say the same about several creatures' art in every edition.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

As a D&D scholar, I'd go with the text. Text is written by the designer, so should be truer to the intent than an artist who is trying to draw the intent of another.

Animal Lords in the new Monster Manual says they have "subtle animal-like feature" when they appear Humanoid. But the artist definitely didn't get that memo, and made them appear as full-on furries.

An example of an Animal Lord in 5e with more subtle animal-like features, is the Cat Lord that appears on the DM's Screen in the 5e Planescape Campaign set.

 

[Charlaquin]

I guess I am one of those people (less up in arms, more nonplussed). I want them to take bigger creative risks, and they have in a lot of places. There are a lot of redesigns in the new monster manual that look really cool. The nalfeshnee in particular got a major glow up.

For me, the new marilith design is one of the few flops in the book. It lacks what made the old marilith interesting, and doesn't replace it with anything. I don't care about gender or "hotness", I would just prefer an evocative design. If they are going to change an iconic monster so drastically, I would prefer a better finished product than what we got.

But it isn't really a big deal for me. Most of the art is amazing, I can just pretend I do not see the Very Angry Caterpillar.

Edit: Trying to get my point across without using a certain word, I would prefer to see a marilith design that serves Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent.

Evocative is a very nebulous term. What specifically is the art not evoking that you wish it did evoke?

 

[Corinnguard]

As a D&D scholar, I'd go with the text. Text is written by the designer, so should be truer to the intent than an artist who is trying to draw the intent of another.

It's the same story for someone who puts out a commission for an artist to work. The designer can go all out on the written description of the art piece, but it's the artist who has to take those words and tie them to the image forming in their heads. Sometimes they get the designer's intent just right and sometimes they don't.

Animal Lords in the new Monster Manual says they have "subtle animal-like feature" when they appear Humanoid. But the artist definitely didn't get that memo, and made them appear as full-on furries.

Or they did because they have done commissioned work for furries in the past. Besides, weren't the Tabaxi created in the Cat Lord's image? A number of anthropomorphic races in D&D could have been created by a particular Animal Lord.

 

[Charlaquin]

Hadn't really noticed the Planetar before, but you are correct:
View attachment 398182

The design is certainly androgynous, but those pectorals absolutely have breast tissue on them, and fully developed breast tissue at that.

 

[dave2008]

It's frankly a shame we don't have much art of them nerding it up over a bunch of grid maps -

That would be awesome!

 

[npick03]

Evocative is a very nebulous term. What specifically is the art not evoking that you wish it did evoke?

Horror, disgust, revulsion, awe, a sense of the otherwordly, a sense of danger. Sensuality, if we wanted to follow the marilith blueprint. Regality or imperiousness, to reflect their role as commanders of demons.

The art kind of evokes a sense of violence, which I like, but that's undercut by some of the strange choices they made, like the chunky crystal weapons, the bloodless wounds, and faceless soldiers. The facial expression is good, though. I do like that.

 

[Charlaquin]

Horror, disgust, revulsion, awe, a sense of the otherwordly, a sense of danger.

This is of course subjective, but the 2024 art definitely conveys those things to me much more strongly than the 2014 art does. Indeed, that’s what I like about it, it looks far more monstrous.

Sensuality, if we wanted to follow the marilith blueprint.

That’s definitely something the 2024 design lacks, and I would guess that’s an intentional choice. The game is marketed for all ages.

The art kind of evokes a sense of violence, which I like, but that's undercut by some of the strange choices they made, like the chunky crystal weapons, the bloodless wounds, and faceless soldiers. The facial expression is good, though. I do like that.

The bloodlessness and facelessness is also likely related to the all ages marketing. The weapons, yeah, I agree look pretty silly. But I thought we were discussing the new design of the creature, not the specific art piece.