This Bestiary is Advanced

Yes, you'll be able to get the PDF and print version upon release even if you don't back the Kickstarter. This isn't a Kickstarter exclusive; backers just get it first.

$4,000 in 5 hours. I had my doubts we'd get the full colour version, let alone an extra 16 pages.

Now I think we can get the new encounter pack

Yes, you'll be able to get the PDF and print version upon release even if you don't back the Kickstarter. This isn't a Kickstarter exclusive; backers just get it first.

Awesome! Thanks!

$54,916!
45 minutes!
One! Last! Stretch! Goal!

We hit $55k!
Which means EVERYONE who pledges gets an encounters pdf!

You have about half an hour!

Awesome Kickstarter campaign! Congratulations on hitting all your original goals, and the latest Encounters.pdf too!

Wooooo! Congrats!! Now to sit patiently until I can buy the incredibly awesome finished product :)

passes out cigars

I am really looking forward to how old favorites look this go round. :)

Takes one of those cigars

Way to go, folks! I can't wait to have this in my grubby hands.

Takes a cigar

I don't smoke, but I could pawn this off on someone I am sure.

So this is brilliant! Full colour, 32 more pages, all new art, AND an encounter book. Way to bring this into Pathfinder in style! :D

Woo cigars! Got to have some brandy with that too.

Grabs some glasses and a bottle to pass around

Takes a cigar

I don't smoke, but I could pawn this off on someone I am sure.

So this is brilliant! Full colour, 32 more pages, all new art, AND an encounter book. Way to bring this into Pathfinder in style! :D

Seconded on all three lines =)

Bah, wish I could have contributed so I could have a cigar :(

But...I am definitely planning to pick this up when I can. Great job everyone! :D

Here you can have mine, or Feros's, since we don't smoke.

Hey, have them both! :)

I wasn't able to see what it got to at the very end so I come back to see this did even better than I thought with only a short time left. I think I'm going to like the new color artwork.

Here you can have mine, or Feros's, since we don't smoke.

Hey, have them both! :)

Thanks guys! :D

*puts both of them in his mouth and lights them, the smoke curls into images that are suggestive of all the monsters soon to be enjoyed in the new Advanced Bestiary*

I've never ever been interested in doing a Kickstarter - especially after reading so many Tenkar's Tavern blogs about failed Kickstarters or Kickstarters that funded by didn't make good on their promises.

But when I saw this one I dived in headfirst without hesitation. Why? Because I've got the original and it's beyond awesome.

And because Chris Pramas is an exemplary game designer who I felt I could trust.

Way to go guys! Can't wait to get my stuff!

GREAT! I've hoped for this for the whole last years!

Congratulations guys ^_^

One question though:

These templates were already printed in the Bestiary 4:
- Broken Soul
- Fungal creature
- Devil-Bound
- Divine Guardian
- Nightmare creature

Are these gonna be taken out and replaced by new templates? Are you gonna reprint them in the book? What are you going to do with them?

Congratulations guys ^_^

One question though:

These templates were already printed in the Bestiary 4:
- Broken Soul
- Fungal creature
- Devil-Bound
- Divine Guardian
- Nightmare creature

Are these gonna be taken out and replaced by new templates? Are you gonna reprint them in the book? What are you going to do with them?

That's a GREAT question. We actually asked both Paizo forums and the KS backers during the KS what we should do, and the overwhelming answer was "Don't include them, replace them with things not in the Bestiaries!"

So that is what we shall do.

Have to wonder what will become of the new art assets for those removed templates though... :(

(I mean, if they did have new ones, just realized I really don't know!)

The art for the book isn't done yet, amongst other reasons because we were really hoping we'd get to do all-new color art. We just won't have anyone new new art for the very small number of templates we aren't duplicating from Bestiary 4, and will use the page count and art budget for other things!

JiCi wrote:

Congratulations guys ^_^

One question though:

These templates were already printed in the Bestiary 4:
- Broken Soul
- Fungal creature
- Devil-Bound
- Divine Guardian
- Nightmare creature

Are these gonna be taken out and replaced by new templates? Are you gonna reprint them in the book? What are you going to do with them?

That's a GREAT question. We actually asked both Paizo forums and the KS backers during the KS what we should do, and the overwhelming answer was "Don't include them, replace them with things not in the Bestiaries!"

So that is what we shall do.

Are we getting new material as replacements for those five IN ADDITION to the 32 new pages of material that were Stretch Goals in the Kickstarter? (Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes...)

That's a GREAT question. We actually asked both Paizo forums and the KS backers during the KS what we should do, and the overwhelming answer was "Don't include them, replace them with things not in the Bestiaries!"

So that is what we shall do.

Oh, that's good news ^_^... although please check the OTHER bestiaries to double-check if more templates got reprinted as well... just in case XD

The thing that excites me about this book is that I can stick a template on a Pit Fiend, Balor, or some other powerful outsider to give it a unique "identity" and possibly make it central campaign antagonist. Kind of like how I thought about putting the Shadow Creature template on a bunch of devils and making them be heretics who serve Zon-Kuthon. :)

Owen, what's the highest CR enhancement granted by a template in this book?

Owen, what's the highest CR enhancement granted by a template in this book?

First, I don't have a set answer to that perfectly reasonable question because the text isn't set in stone yet. I could go crazy and create a CR +20 Mythic Tarrasque Killer template. (I *doubt * it, but... )

Secondly, that's actually a surprisingly tricky question to answer. Some templates are a set +1 to +3. Some depend on things like HD and specific options taken. I think an angelic vessel based on a solar is +4, while I believe a gigantean great wyrm red dragon would technically run something like +14 CR.

But we also warn people to reality-check their CRs, because a system like this can produce odd results, especially when you start adding things like the amalgam template.

while I believe a gigantean great wyrm red dragon would technically run something like +14 CR.

Ah, interesting.

...Wait, what!?

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

while I believe a gigantean great wyrm red dragon would technically run something like +14 CR.

Ah, interesting.

...Wait, what!?

Yeah, that looks right. +29 HD to a Colossal Red Dragon would add +14 CR, by the template (in the original Advanced Bestiary anyway).

Be vewwy afwaid.

I got another question: Will we get entirely new sample creatures? If so, are you gonna stick with one per template or some are gonna get more?

Personally, I feel that some temples just might need more than just one sample creature, just to illustrate all the intended mecanics OR to make sure that people get the right idea on how to create new creatures using the template in question.

The Amalgalm template seems like a perfect example to have more than just one sample creature. Maybe 2 or 3 should be better to illustrate the possibilities and little details.

Oh, thanks to you, I want to create an amalgalm with a Lunar Dragon and a Solar Dragon to be renamed "Eclipse Dragon".

Oh, thanks to you, I want to create an amalgalm with a Lunar Dragon and a Solar Dragon to be renamed "Eclipse Dragon".

I am officially drooling at that thought.

JiCi wrote:

Oh, thanks to you, I want to create an amalgalm with a Lunar Dragon and a Solar Dragon to be renamed "Eclipse Dragon".

I am officially drooling at that thought.

me, u want to amalgalm a black pudding with a starspawn of ctulhu...gootulhu

Hi just had a random thought for a template suggestion if it's not to late to bring it up.

How about a template that turns regular low cr creatures into the troop subtype from Rasputin must die? (Or something similair if not allowed to use that type)

We're doing new art, so we have options on sample creatures. Some patrons paid to work with me to pick sample creatures, so they are wild cards right now. Beyond that, I think it's safe to say we'll pick the coolest combination of template + sample creature we can think of. If we think we got that right the first time, we won't change it just for the sake of change. If we think we have a cooler new idea, we'll do that.

When do you expect this to go up for preorders? I missed out on the kickstarter, and would love to preorder as a show of support.

In the meantime, I think I'm going to be buying at least a PDF copy of the 3.5 book, since I missed out on it before.

dot

And I would like to know if it's gonna take less time to work on it since it's essentially about converting, or are you gonna take as much time as you need for other books to revise and re-write every single template to make them optimal.

When do you expect this to go up for preorders? I missed out on the kickstarter, and would love to preorder as a show of support.

I'm not sure, but I'll certainly make an announcement here when we do.

In the meantime, I think I'm going to be buying at least a PDF copy of the 3.5 book, since I missed out on it before.

Obviously I am all in favor of this plan!

And I would like to know if it's gonna take less time to work on it since it's essentially about converting, or are you gonna take as much time as you need for other books to revise and re-write every single template to make them optimal.

We take the idea of producing solid products so seriously, the conversion work had begun long before we held the Kickstarter.

Now, it WILL go faster because we're updating an existing product. But we'll take all the time we need to make the version of AdvB we always wanted to see!

JiCi wrote:

And I would like to know if it's gonna take less time to work on it since it's essentially about converting, or are you gonna take as much time as you need for other books to revise and re-write every single template to make them optimal.

We take the idea of producing solid products so seriously, the conversion work had begun long before we held the Kickstarter.

Now, it WILL go faster because we're updating an existing product. But we'll take all the time we need to make the version of AdvB we always wanted to see!

Well, I kinda was expecting a certain delay, but I just wanted to know how long we could expect it to be.

I look forward to picking this up when it comes out, even if it's not coming out anytime soon.

Unruly wrote:

When do you expect this to go up for preorders? I missed out on the kickstarter, and would love to preorder as a show of support.

I'm not sure, but I'll certainly make an announcement here when we do.

I'm looking forward to shouting it from the digital rooftops. :)

As an owner of the original book, I'm very excited about this. Really bummed I missed out on the KS, but I'm most definitely going to pick this up once it prints. I plan on using the manimal on our cavalier's mount in my Kingmaker game, so seeing an updated version will be great.

Well, I kinda was expecting a certain delay, but I just wanted to know how long we could expect it to be.

I hope to have a print copy in my hands at PaizoCon... and be able to sign other folk's print copies.

Oh my!
How does it came to be that I totally missed this KS...?!
I own the 3.5 Version and I can't think of any other book I've used more as a GM.
Buying it, once it gets published is a no brainer!
Will we non-backers also be able to purchase the Hero lab stuff? That would be sooo awesome!!!

In hopes to catch a future conundrum before being released, two templates might need some clarifications: the Manimal and Verminoid templates.

The Manimal and Verminoid templates turn any creature of the Animal or the Vermin type into bipedal Monstrous Humanoids. However, in its 3.5 format, it stated something like this: "Of its other limbs, two become legs, and all others become arms."

For octopus manimals and squid manimals, they essentially end up with 6 or 8 arms, respectively, thus kinda unbalancing the template in those cases. Verminoids are worse, because most vermins end up with 4 arms, arachnids end up with 6 arms and centipedes end up with a number of arms right off the chart.

I have the old version with me... and yeah, that wasn't addressed at all. So, may I suggest that manimals with more than 4 limbs that 2 more become arms and THEN 2 more become legs (essentially becoming a tauric-like creature) and more become vestigial, capping at 4 functional arms and 4 functional legs? Same thing with the verminoids.

A spider verminoid may not have 6 arms, but having 4 legs does grant it stability and mobility.

Another template that might need some adjustments is the Negative-Energy-Charged Creature template.
1) Change the name, please. Void Death, Grim Undead, Negative Infused Undead, whatever.
2) CR +1 seems too low for its benefits, maybe +2, if not +3, is more accurate.
3) Searing Darkness needs a check-up, because it feels weak for powerful undead. Ray deals 1d6 points of damage per 2 HD against living creatures, heals 1d6 points of damage per HD against undead, deals half damage against constructs and objects. Sounds better IMO.

The Bipedal template might run into the same problem as the manimal and verminoid templates when it comes to limbs converted to arms.

The Bramble template could use a permanent prickle whip, with the stats of the scorpion whip instead of the regular whip.

The Dread Wraith Sovereign is way too powerful. However, a Sovereign version of each undead template could be useful.

The Dream Creature might need a higher CR adjustment.

The Genie-Bound template would need the Marid and Shaitan versions.

The ID Ooze could use the ability to speak in a bubbly voice. Its appearance always reminds me of The Abyss.

The Jotunblood Giant template would need any new giant variant added since B1.

The Metal-Clad template WILL need a better CR adjustment table, because they actually mixed up CR and LA.

That's all I could spot right now. Hope that helps ^_^

dot

Any idea when we will be able to order it?

Whoa...that Blood Knight looks nasty! A variation of the Grave Knight perhaps? If so, whatever party that takes that thing on had better have a healer ready! ^_~

The Bramble template could use a permanent prickle whip, with the stats of the scorpion whip instead of the regular whip.

Bramble template? As in a wood-elemental being or a being with affinity for the wood element (and thus not made totally out of wood)? I ask as I've been DYING to make a tribe of forest dwelling nature affiliated halflings or gnomes (aka like the Kokiri). ^_^

The Dread Wraith Sovereign is way too powerful.

Dread Wraith SOVEREIGN? Hooboy, I'm gonna pray my GM doesn't have this book in his cart already. LOL.