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.

mariliths.png

Left 2025 Marilith / Right 2014 Marilith​
 
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Maxperson said:
I think you're reading too much into "appears." "Appear" doesn't indicate that it's really not the thing. It just means that you aren't sure. A wall an appear solid. Maybe it's solid. Maybe it's hollow. The marilith appears female, but that doesn't mean that it's not female. Only that you don't know for sure. The same with the snake portion. The overwhelming majority of humans can't tell a snake's gender just by looking, so it's just going to appear like it has the lower half of a snake, even if it's a female lower half.

You can certainly decide that it's just an appearance and not a gender, but the 2e language used doesn't show that for certain.
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Wasn't trying to claim otherwise. It appears that you misunderstood me! ;)
 


Maxperson said:
The fan art?
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I meant the 2024 Monster Manual. Sorry, thought that was clear.

Since mariliths can have their appearance changed then this image in the 2024 Monster Manual should be no problem. Since 3e, Mariliths by canon have never had a gender - one does not refer to something with gender as "it", then, there should be no problems. Since demons can choose to present any gender they wish, then there should be no problems with the 2024 Monster Manual image.

Are we good now?
 


Maxperson said:
I think you're reading too much into "appears." "Appear" doesn't indicate that it's really not the thing. It just means that you aren't sure. A wall an appear solid. Maybe it's solid. Maybe it's hollow. The marilith appears female, but that doesn't mean that it's not female. Only that you don't know for sure.
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But you are saying that you do know for sure!

Another way to put my point: an instruction manual would be more likely to say that something is X, rather than it appears X, if it wanted to convey that the thing actually is X. Using the term "appear" generally implies that the appearance is merely that. In this case, the logic of it would seem to be that the torso appears as half-snake, half-humanoid but is not in fact half-snake, half-humanoid (and so is not like a yuan-ti) but rather is 100% demon!
 

Marilith had a clear description that she was a female-looking demon. Just like Erinyes are female-looking Devils. Such a change because it seems forced. The fact that demons look different from each other is not a problem, but they have some common features that define them as a species. Balor's face may be more monkey, reptilian or have a gnoll face, but he will still be a large demon with wings fighting with a whip and a sword
Especially since there is no loristic explanation for their changed appearance that has been established in the fandom for 30 years.
Couldn't they add a variant for Marilith? For example, Vizier Marilith and add the description: THIS is a rare variety of this race, being ... something something. Unlike Mariliths, these have the appearance of male demons.
 

Thorot said:
The fact that demons look different from each other is not a problem, but they have some common features that define them as a species.
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I disagree with this. I don't see demon types as species at all. Species has biological and mortal connotations that I don't think most, if any, Outsiders (demons and devils included) adhere to.
 


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