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

In 4e male medusa were not maedar but also different from female medusae in powers and appearance. In 4e female medusae had a petrifying gaze and poisonous snake hair while male medusae had a poisonous blinding gaze and no snake hair.

From the 4e MM:

A MEDUSA IS A SCALY MONSTER WITH A HORRIFYING GAZE.
Females of the species use their gaze to turn other creatures to stone, and their lairs are filled with lifelike statues. Male medusas use their gaze to poison the minds and bodies of their victims before hacking them to pieces, and their lairs are painted with the blood of fallen prey.

View attachment 392025
The hatred for Regdar in 4e was real. 😂
 

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WotC doesn't need Baker to do new Eberron products, but they haven't made any announcements. And really, we don't need any updates for the existing 5E Eberron books to work with the 2024 rules. I'd be surprised if WotC put out a new book, or even an errata type document.
Dragonmarks, due to their dependence on replacing 2014's subraces, don't work with 2024's species as is. And they're already playtesting a new artificer. I think it's entirely probable we'll see a 2024-version update in the next few years.
 


Dragonmarks, due to their dependence on replacing 2014's subraces, don't work with 2024's species as is. And they're already playtesting a new artificer. I think it's entirely probable we'll see a 2024-version update in the next few years.
It is possible, but I don't think it is probable. I do wonder if the would do some type of multiverse book that updates little bits and bobs from each setting publish so far (except FR as it is getting the source book treatment).
 

Dragonmarks, due to their dependence on replacing 2014's subraces, don't work with 2024's species as is. And they're already playtesting a new artificer. I think it's entirely probable we'll see a 2024-version update in the next few years.
I would bet a VTT microtransaction that the 2024-era artificer will show up in a big book updating missing 2014-era subclasses.
 

It is possible, but I don't think it is probable. I do wonder if the would do some type of multiverse book that updates little bits and bobs from each setting publish so far (except FR as it is getting the source book treatment).
I found and modified homebrew dragonmarks for Level Up that look pretty solid. In that game, your heritage is divided into traits (the core physical attributes of your heritage that everyone gets) and gifts (represents different physical abilities possessed by some members of that heritage). So each creature gets their heritage trait and a choice of gift (there's always at least two to choose from for each heritage). In the homebrew, the dragon mark simply replaces your heritage gift.
 




I'm not into the arbitrary lore changes. I'd rather just keep the monsters as close to their mythology as possible.
It depends on whose mythology.

The Norwegian understanding of "hag" (heks) includes males and females. It means "witch" and often refers to "troll" that are witches.

(Etymologically, probably, the feminine gender drives from German and the masculine gender from Danish, while the concept of witch and troll relates to families, male and female. All troll know magic, and sometimes teach humans how to do it. The word "troll" literally means "mage", "enchanter". Ultimately, the term "hag" derives from the German concept of a forest being, analogous to a Norse hulder, which likewise can be male or female.)

I am happy to see male hags. I can use the D&D content in more encounters.
 

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