So Much Art From the 2025 Monster Manual

Here's some preview art from the 2025 Monster Manual, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast's "Everything You Need to Know Video" on the new book.

A classic Faceless Stalker:

A demon of some kind:

Arch-Hags:

Some kobolds:

A Nalfeshnee, perhaps?

A revenant:

Blue dracolich:

Death Knight:

Death tyrant:

Chimera:

Githyanki (with the central warrior recreating a classic pose):

A mummy lord:

A marrow:

A balrog balor:

Mimics:

While I'm tempted to say a tressym, this actually might be a new sphinx design:

Bone fiend:

Sladd:

Rust monster:

Platinum(?) dragon:

Bronze dragon:

Hezrou, perhaps?

Fire giant, not Karlach:

Cloud giants:

Zombies:

Red dragon:

Hags (including a male hag):

Dryads (including a male dryad):

Horned devil:

Incubus and succubus:

Vampires:

Vampire:

Colossus:

Spirit naga:

Copper dragon:

White dragon:

Blue dragon:

Gold dragon:

Black dragon:

 

[wicked cool]

Just curious on what they are polymorphism as? Thank you

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Just curious on what they are polymorphism as? Thank you

A behir and a Beholder. Not new art was from the PHB

 

[MonsterEnvy]

On Lamia. They are depicted with snake traits in old art and myth, was not an invention of Japan.

 

[Azzy]

Does anyone know when Wemic started being called Lamia? I know Wemic in DnD date to 1982 Monster Cards.
(Lamia in my head still have serpent tails from the waist down)

The lionesque lamia in D&D dates back to at least 1977, with the original Monster Manual and predate the wemic altogether.

I could be misremembering, but I think the lion-lamia is derived from a medieval bestiary (like the bull gorgon). Apparently, somebody also got annoyed by the lion-lamia, too, because in 1981, the serpentine-lamia made its appearance in the original Fiend Folio as the "lamia noble".

 

[MonsterEnvy]

This is probably the source for the Lion Lamia from an ancient bestiary. It was said to have the back legs of a goat rather than being entirely lion. If you look at the 1e Lamia it has the goat legs at the back too.

 

[JEB]

Personally, I'd love a Monster Manual drawn entirely by Mike Mignola, Moebius, Johan Egerkrans, Brom and Tony DiTerlizzi).

A fair portion of the 2e Monstrous Manual is drawn by DiTerlizzi, FWIW. (And the entirety of the first Monstrous Compendium Annual.)

 

[Bae'zel]

A fair portion of the 2e Monstrous Manual is drawn by DiTerlizzi, FWIW. (And the entirety of the first Monstrous Compendium Annual.)

Yes I know! I wish he was back for 5e, is all.

 

[MGibster]

This is probably the source for the Lion Lamia from an ancient bestiary. It was said to have the back legs of a goat rather than being entirely lion. If you look at the 1e Lamia it has the goat legs at the back too.

Look, buddy, if you're going to post such sexy pictures you're going to have to warn the rest of us.

 

[Hussar]

Heh. It's kinda funny. People got very bent out of shape by the 4e version of the Lamia because it was like a swarm of scarabs. Totally new monster with the Lamia name. At the time, I actually had to be reminded that the Lamia existed since, in like all the time I've played or DM'd D&D, I'd never seen one used or even mentioned. It was one of those monsters that just completely passed me by.

Looking at a lot of these images, I realize that there are LOT of D&D monsters that have mostly passed me by.

 

[Echohawk]

I could be misremembering, but I think the lion-lamia is derived from a medieval bestiary (like the bull gorgon). Apparently, somebody also got annoyed by the lion-lamia, too, because in 1981, the serpentine-lamia made its appearance in the original Fiend Folio as the "lamia noble".

If you'll forgive the self-promotion, I covered the lamia in some detail in the Monster ENCyclopedia series on this very site.