- Marilith (Dungeons & Dragons)
Infobox D&D creature
caption=A marilith on the cover of "Fiendish Codex I ".
name=Marilith
alignment=Always Chaotic Evil
type=Outsider
subtype=Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil
source=
first=Monster Manual , 1st Edition (1977)
mythical=
based=
wizards_image_URL=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/alumni_marilith_FC1.jpg
OGL_stats_URL=http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/demon.htm#marilithIn the "
Dungeons & Dragons " fantasy role-playing game, a marilith is a powerful type of demon. In first edition "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons", mariliths were known as type V demons. From second edition "AD&D", the name "type V demon" was revised to "marilith", taking the name of the greatest individual of their rank as the name for the entire breed. The original four type V demons were named Aishapra, Kevokulli, Marilith, and Rehnaremme.Publication history
Mariliths are based on
Hindu mythology , where gods and demons frequently have multiple heads and arms. [cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/rgfdfaq/sources.html |title=Literary Sources of D&D |accessdate=2007-02-23 |last=DeVarque |first=Aardy] The name appears to be aportmanteau of Mara andLilith .Fact|date=September 2008Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)
The type V demon appeared under the demon entry in the "
Eldritch Wizardry " supplement (1976). [Citation | last =Gygax | first =Gary | author-link =Gary Gygax | last2 =Blume | first2 =Brian | author2-link = | title =Eldritch Wizardry | place= | publisher =TSR | year =1976 | location =Lake Geneva, WI | edition =1]Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The type V demon (marilith) appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977). [Gygax, Gary. "
Monster Manual " (TSR,1977 )]Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the type V demon, which is known as the hissing demon, first appearing in the "Immortal Rules" set, in the DM's Guide to Immortals (1986). [Mentzer, Frank. "Dungeons & Dragons Set 5: Immortal Rules" (TSR, 1986)] The hissing lesser fiend appeared in the "Wrath of the Immortals" set, in "Book One: Codex of the Immortals" (1992). [Allston, Aaron. "Wrath of the Immortals" (TSR, 1992)]
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
In this edition, demons became known as tanar'ri, and this creature officially became known as the marilith, a "true tanar'ri", appearing first in the "Monstrous Compendium Volume Outer Planes Appendix" (1991), and then reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). [Stewart, Doug, ed. "Monstrous Manual" (TSR,
1993 )]The marilith true tanar'ri also appeared for the
Planescape campaign setting in the first "Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix" (1994). [Varney, Allen, ed. "Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix" (TSR,1994 )]Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
The marilith (tanar'ri) appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000); [Cook, Monte,
Jonathan Tweet , andSkip Williams . "Monster Manual " (Wizards of the Coast ,2000 )] in this edition, the name demon is resumed, and tanar'ri are now considered a sub-type of demon.Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
The marilith appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
The marilith appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), again under the demon entry. [Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. "
Monster Manual " (Wizards of the Coast , 2008)]Ecology
Environment
Mariliths are native to the Abyss.
Typical physical characteristics
Mariliths have humanoid female upper bodies with six arms. Depending on the particular edition and illustrator, their head and torso may look almost human or be covered in reptilian scales. Their lower bodies are those of giant snakes, typically green or brown.
Mariliths are typically barely clothed, with little if any torso covering, though they may wear jewellery. They are almost always shown with a variety of swords and other melee weapons held in their six arms.
ociety
Although they are strategists, mariliths eagerly join any melee combat given the chance. They attack with six weapons, a snapping tail which grabs, can cast illusionary and charm magics, and can gate in other
tanar'ri .Mariliths are the
general s and coordinators of theBlood War (though given the chaotic nature of tanar'ri, it is not usually possible to coordinate their activities, mariliths are charged with it, nonetheless). In the hierarchy of tanar'ri, mariliths rank only below balors.Known mariliths
*AlamandaHellbound: The Blood War Boxed Set AD&D TSR 2621 Planescape]
*Aishapra, the Marilith Dervish ["The Marilith Dervish" by Robert Wiese, http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fc/20050921a]
*Baltoi: The Sleeping Beast from "Van Richten's Guide to Fiends" [cite book
author = Teeuwynn Woodruff
title = Van Richten's Guide to Fiends (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons : Ravenloft, No 9477)
origyear = 1995
publisher = Wizards of the Coast
id = ISBN 0-7869-0122-5]*Byakala: an advanced marilith with the "Smoking Eye" template, found in The
Shackled City [cite book
author = Jesse Decker "et al."
title = The Shackled City Adventure Path
origyear = 1995
publisher = Wizards of the Coast
id = ISBN 0-9770071-0-3] .*The Cathezar:Half-Chain Devil/Half-Marilith, originally a servant of Demogorgon/Aameul; depending on events, she may be either dead or serve Ammet the balor now [cite book
author = Bruce R. Cordell
title = Bastion of Broken Souls
origyear = 2002
publisher = Wizards of the Coast
id = ISBN 0-7869-2656-2] .*Gorzaug: Minion of
Takhisis , treated "as a Type V demon for combat purposes", but without gating-in ability. [cite book
author = Douglas Niles
title = DL14 Dragons of Triumph (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons : Dragonlance, No 9180)
origyear = 1986
publisher = Wizards of the Coast
id = ISBN 0-88038-096-9]*Jaranda [cite book
author = Bruce R. Cordell
title = Module "Nemsis", Book of Chaos, guide for DMs from "Planes of Chaos boxset"
origyear = 2001
publisher = Wizards of the Coast
]*Kaliva: a vassal of the marilith demon lord Shaktari, born as a human and raised by an evil duke. She spurned the advances of a wizard, who shapechanged her into a
rutterkin and banished her to the Abyss. Eventually her intelligence and fighting skills enabled her to become a marilithAD&D Dungeon Magazine Issue 60, Wizard of the Coast.] .*Kalistes: One of Bane's underling in the computer game
Pools of Darkness . In the game she commands a large army consisting of drow and spiders, and possesses the "Ring of Reversal" which steals the sun. She hides in an infernal demiplane called "Kalistes's Palace". She does not cast spells, but attacks six times in a round with all hands, each wielding a +4 weapon.*Lillianthcite book
author = Carl Sargent
title = Night Below
origyear = 1995
publisher = TSR
id = ISBN 0-7869-0179-9]*Morag: A non-evil marilith who was bound to serve Lolth, she now travels with the Justicar and his friends.cite book
author = Paul Kidd
title = Queen of the Demonweb Pits
origyear = 2001
publisher = Wizards of the Coast
id = ISBN 0-7869-1903-1]*Riza [cite book
author = Colin McComb
title = Well of Worlds
origyear = 1995
publisher = TSR
id = ISBN 1-56076-893-2 ]*Shaktari: known as the Queen of Poison, Shaktari is a giant marilith who rules Vudra, the 531st layer of the Abyss. She has flaming eyes and black skin. She was once banished to the
Wells of Darkness , but escaped. As of third edition, Shaktari claims rulership of all mariliths.
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