2025 Monster Manual to Introduce Male Versions of Hags, Medusas, and Dryads

The upcoming Monster Manual will feature artwork depicting some creatures like hags and medusas in both genders, a first for Dungeons & Dragons. In the "Everything You Need to Know" video for the upcoming Monster Manual, designers Jeremy Crawford and Wesley Schneider revealed that the new book would feature artwork portraying both male and female versions of creatures like hags, dryads, satyrs, and medusas. While there was a male medusa named Marlos Urnrayle in Princes of the Apocalypse (who had a portrait in the book) and players could make satyr PCs of either gender, this marks the first time that D&D has explicitly shown off several of these creatures as being of both male and female within a rulebook. There is no mechanical difference between male creatures and female creatures, so this is solely a change in how some monsters are presented.

In other news that actually does impact D&D mechanics, goblins are now classified as fey creatures (similar to how hobgoblins were portrayed as fey creatures in Monsters of the Multiverse) and gnolls are now classified as fiends.

Additionally, monster statblocks include potential treasure and gear options, so that DMs can reward loot when a player character inevitably searches the dead body of a creature.

The new Monster Manual will be released on February 18th, 2025.

 

[Charlaquin]

In other news that actually does impact D&D mechanics, goblins are now classified as fey creatures (similar to how hobgoblins were portrayed as fey creatures in Monsters of the Multiverse) and gnolls are now classified as fiends.

I will never understand why the current D&D team is so opposed to sympathetic gnolls. Like, fiendish gnolls are fine as an option, but give us playable humanoid versions too, you cowards!

 

[Charlaquin]

One new thing is that Legendary Actions are back after disappearing from legendary monster's from Bigby's forward. Heck, even the 2024 ancient green dragon preview removed legendary actions. So this was a surprise to me.

Not to mention the new high CR monsters, variant monsters, changes to monsters types, and stat block format changes (all also previously discussed though).

I thought it was pretty clear that the intent was never to get rid of legendary actions but to make them more, well, legendary. With 2014 monster designs, it was very difficult to create solo monsters without legendary actions because they were the only tool the rules offered to enhance their action economy. So for low level adventures, you either had to give legendary actions to monsters that were not the stuff of legends, or to homebrew some other way to give them more than one off-turn ability.

The lack of legendary actions on the previewed ancient green dragon stat block did throw me off a bit. But I still figured legendary actions were on the table, just being used very sparingly.

 

[dave2008]

I thought it was pretty clear that the intent was never to get rid of legendary actions but to make them more, well, legendary. With 2014 monster designs, it was very difficult to create solo monsters without legendary actions because they were the only tool the rules offered to enhance their action economy. So for low level adventures, you either had to give legendary actions to monsters that were not the stuff of legends, or to homebrew some other way to give them more than one off-turn ability.

The lack of legendary actions on the previewed ancient green dragon stat block did throw me off a bit. But I still figured legendary actions were on the table, just being used very sparingly.

We will see. I hope it is not just a dragon thing. Legendary Actions stopped appearing in Legendary monsters in both Bigby's and Planescape. So when the green dragon preview came out it seemed like it was confirming a trend. I like the reactions in green preview and would be happy if they simply moved over to being Legendary Actions.

 

[Alzrius]

In the "Everything You Need to Know" video for the upcoming Monster Manual, designers Jeremy Crawford and Wesley Schneider revealed that the new book would feature artwork portraying both male and female versions of creatures like hags, medusas, dryads, satyrs, and medusas.

Wow, I didn't think they'd have male and female versions of both.

 

[The Glen]

A male hag is, of course, a "hog".

I thought it was a haggis

 

[Dire Bare]

I will never understand why the current D&D team is so opposed to sympathetic gnolls. Like, fiendish gnolls are fine as an option, but give us playable humanoid versions too, you cowards!

I think I get it, but I'm not a fan of all-demonic gnolls.

With presenting most traditional "humanoid" antagonists like orcs and goblins in a more nuanced way . . . not inherently evil but still opposed to the less hairy "demihuman" races . . . I think the design team decided they needed a monster to fill that roll of always-evil humanoid antagonist, and they picked gnolls. And the only way to do that was to shift gnolls from being "people" to being "demons".

I don't like it either.

And I loved the origin of the demonic gnoll Yeenoghu cult . . . the short-lived Chainmail miniatures game from the 3E era, but expanding that very cool concept to represent all gnolls . . . no thanks. I think it's the wrong direction for the game to take. But progress is always 2 steps forward, one step back . . .

 

[The Glen]

Demonic gnolls in a multiverse setting don't make a lot of sense, as several of them gave them completely different origin stories. Mystara they were magical creations that went a bit loopy when their creators got snapped out of existence due to some major naughtiness.

 

[dave2008]

I will never understand why the current D&D team is so opposed to sympathetic gnolls. Like, fiendish gnolls are fine as an option, but give us playable humanoid versions too, you cowards!

It seems to me they want a humanoid species that is just evil without the baggage some have (like orcs). I can understand that.

To be clear, gnolls are my favorite D&D humanoid monsters. I have no issue with them being fiends now (or not) and I have no issue with them as PCs too (whether they are fiends or not)

 

[Zaukrie]

It seems to me they want a humanoid species that is just evil without the baggage some have (like orcs). I can understand that.

To be clear, gnolls are move favorite D&D humanoid monsters. I have no issue with them being fiends now (or not) and I have no issue with them PCs as well (whether they are fiends or not)

This.

 

[mamba]

One new thing is that Legendary Actions are back after disappearing from legendary monster's from Bigby's forward. Heck, even the 2024 ancient green dragon preview removed legendary actions. So this was a surprise to me.

they seem to have taken a step back in general, seeing a lot of spells rather than having the text in the ability description, not liking that one (legendary actions are fine though…)