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​

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Nah. D&D is what it is, because it has history. To ignore or overwrite that, damages the brand more than anything.

Without the tradition, the inertia, the weight of decades? Well, best to not open up what happens when they diverge from those things too much.

Increasing amount of division & decay into collapse is what happens and we see that time & again in various settings, like Star Wars, to the TV shows like Wheel of Time.

 

[SkidAce]

3rd edition, Tome of Magic

 

[Echohawk]

So 5e retained the lore from 2e(possibly 1e) and 3e. I'm not sure what 5.5e says.

If we're looking at 2e for guidance on mariliths, Faces of Fiends is clear that demons (or at least tanar'ri, of which the marilith is one) can change gender.

Despite this assertion, I couldn't (quickly) find any examples of male marilith in 2e, so just because they can apparently doesn't mean many do.

I'm going to choose to think of that 2025 Monster Manual marilith as one of the (until now) rare examples of its kind that presents itself as less feminine. That's (apparently) been a possibility in D&D lore for 27 years now.

Are Vrocks male or female?

The vrocks in D&D lore that have had any gender, all seem to have identified as male. They do hatch from eggs, but lore has them created whole within eggs after evolving from weaker fiends, so we needn't worry about where those eggs come from.

 

[Maxperson]

If we're looking at 2e for guidance on mariliths, Faces of Fiends is clear that demons (or at least tanar'ri, of which the marilith is one) can change gender.
View attachment 398600
Despite this assertion, I couldn't (quickly) find any examples of male marilith in 2e, so just because they can apparently doesn't mean many do.

I'm going to choose to think of that 2025 Monster Manual marilith as one of the (until now) rare examples of its kind that presents itself as less feminine. That's (apparently) been a possibility in D&D lore for 27 years now.

The vrocks in D&D lore that have had any gender, all seem to have identified as male. They do hatch from eggs, but lore has them created whole within eggs after evolving from weaker fiends, so we needn't worry about where those eggs come from.

Wow. That lore contradicts itself from one paragraph to the next. First they take genders as they will, shifting day to day at their whim, and the next paragraph they can't do it easily and it takes a lot of effort, which is why they don't change much.

 

[Hussar]

Those three always struck me as male. Since demons can make cambions, they are all male or female. I'm sure the handmaidens are female and can make cambions as well.

Demon Lords might be the exception, so no idea about Juiblex.

I didn't ask how it "struck you". I asked for facts. Since you are insisting on following lore, how things "struck you" is largely unimportant.

 

[Hussar]

The vrocks in D&D lore that have had any gender, all seem to have identified as male. They do hatch from eggs, but lore has them created whole within eggs after evolving from weaker fiends, so we needn't worry about where those eggs come from.

((Bold mine))

As far as we can tell then, gender is largely superfluous. And the notion that demons "breed" is also somewhat apocryphal. I mean, as you say, where do the eggs come from and how do the weaker demons get in there? Inquiring minds most certainly DO NOT want to know.

It's fair to say, IMO, that as far as presenting any sort of gender in demons, it's largely decorative. Gender serves no function in demons. So, a less feminine marilith is no different than a more feminine balor. It's an artistic decision.

 

[Voadam]

3rd edition, Tome of Magic

View attachment 398601

Good find.

Still not a fan of the 3.5 change to full on monstrous faced big forehead marilith design. 3.5 Hordes of the Abyss pulled back on that a bit with their cover marilith and 4e and 14 5e with their designs.

 

[Incenjucar]

Give me a scene where three or four marlith designs are in the same frame and then they can use the behirilith all they want without further criticism from me. I would really enjoy demons being less about being super ogres and more about variety and unpredictability anyways.

 

[FrozenNorth]

Increasing amount of division & decay into collapse is what happens and we see that time & again in various settings, like Star Wars, to the TV shows like Wheel of Time.

Also, the Abyss and the Internet. Coincidence?

 

[Iry]

Pale Night is famous for her children, but as a Demon Lord and an Obyrith she is the furthest thing from any standard.