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

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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.

 

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Christian Hoffer

Christian Hoffer


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I'm saying appeals to original intent or history is a lost cause in D&D. Gnolls were an also-ran for most of their 1e and 2e existence, they only existed because of a typo. And 3e gave them "they're rangers!" as a gimmick, but that's barely much to distinguish them for the dozen or so other tribal, evil, low-level humanoids in the Monster Manual. To me personally, demonic gnolls are the first time gnolls have seemed interesting. The idea of hyena's mutating into demonic bipedal locusts isn't exactly Shakespeare, but it's something to differentiate them from every other warband of pillaging humanoids out there.
I'm pretty sure this was the motivation to take the 3E Chainmail gnolls and "graduate" them to represent all gnolls in 5E (and 4E?). There has long been a plethora of bestial, tribal antagonist races in D&D, the design team jumped at a chance to, 1) differentiate at least one of these species, and 2) have an always-evil species in the game, without the baggage.

It doesn't work for me. Works for some.

I'm actually a fan of the demonic gnolls from 3E Chainmail, just not as representing all gnolls in the game world, or being the standard gnolls. I'd rather they not go that route in the official material, but . . . easy enough to fix in my home game. In the world-building that I'm currently doing, I think I'll make the demonic gnolls the most common sort you might meet, although you probably will regret it! But these gnolls are a corruption of the original species, and there is a remote community of non-corrupted, non-demonic gnolls somewhere for the PCs to meet and challenge their expectations. These gnolls, descendants of the survivors of Yeenoghu's corruption of their species will not just be not-demonic, but also actively antagonistic to demons, demonic gnolls, and anything and everything to do with Yeenoghu.

Official D&D lore that you don't care for isn't a problem . . . it's an opportunity for world-building! :)
 

I'm the minority there, since I found them to just be orcs with hyena heads. Nothing unique or special that wasn't already happening with goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears, lizardfolk, etc.
I’m with you there. They never really stood out to me in any particular way and I’m not a furry or anything so I don’t find them particularly interesting as animal people either.

To each their own, of course. I should talk, I thought that Lae’zel and the Githyanki looked hella awesome and hot, soooo…

Edit: not the original Gith. Those elbow blobs are hella gross.
 

Look I'm a proud member of the LGBTQ+ and am pretty damn progressive by American standards. And I don't have strong feelings about Medusae or dryads.

But if you know what is good for you, you will keep your filthy paws off my hags' filthy claws!!

I think this section in Volo's about hags was some of the best flavor text 5e has coughed up. No need to fix what is far from broken

(Obviously I know that as a DM I can do whatever I want in my world and I will. Just felt like expressing some faux outrage.)
 

Odd thing that. What I really liked about D&D was it drew on "real world" mythology. Turning these myths into WotC stylized (visual & story) IP and getting away from the "real world" roots they came from bothers me. It bothered me when GW started doing it with the atrocious respelling of formerly mythological names, and it bothers me when WotC tries to turn monsters into something they can copyright. Leave the origins uncertain and the visuals based on the old tales and let DM's decide it on their own if they want to go a different route - if at all.
I love the reallife folkbeliefs from cultures around the world.

I also like the new creative "IP" fantasy speculative fiction mixing into it.

It is possible for D&D to do both. Balancing the reallife names between mythological accuracy and a best face forward for todays sensitivities and interests. Plus add the fresh new names for the creative inventions.
 



I'm actually a fan of the demonic gnolls from 3E Chainmail, just not as representing all gnolls in the game world, or being the standard gnolls. I'd rather they not go that route in the official material, but . . . easy enough to fix in my home game. In the world-building that I'm currently doing, I think I'll make the demonic gnolls the most common sort you might meet, although you probably will regret it!
They made some good looking miniatures for that game, gnolls included, and I wish I had bought some. Alas, I was in a painting lull during those years and only bought one or two.
 

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