Test your courage against the most infamous foes of myth and legend! Bestiary 3 presents hundreds of monsters for use in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Within this book you’ll find demiliches and demodands, grave knights and goblin snakes, norns and nephilim, imperial dragons and unfettered eidolons, and so much more! Yet not every creature needs to be an enemy, as winged garudas, crafty tanukis, and leonine lammasus all wait to join your party and answer the call of glory.
The Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 is the third indispensable volume of monsters for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and serves as a companion to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook and Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. This imaginative tabletop game builds upon more than 10 years of system development and an Open Playtest featuring more than 50,000 gamers to create a cutting-edge RPG experience that brings the all-time bestselling set of fantasy rules into the new millennium.
The Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 includes:
More than 300 different monsters
Classic terrors from myth and literature, from the frumious bandersnatch and the righteous valkyrie to the cunning dybbuk and elusive kappa
Hordes of new creatures you can construct, grow, or summon to aid your party in its adventures
New player-friendly races to let you adventure as canny ratfolk, genie-blooded sulis, and more
New familiars, animal companions, and other allies
Challenges for any adventure and every level of play
Some of the strangest and most beloved creatures from fantasy roleplaying history and the Pathfinder campaign setting
Hosts of new templates and variants
Appendices to aid in monster navigation, including lists by Challenge Rating, monster type, and habitat
Expanded universal monster rules to simplify special attacks, defenses, and qualities
The third bestiary of monsters for Pathfinder is chock-full of cool stuff. A few major themes for the book can be extracted: creatures from myth and literature (like sasquatches and valkyries), creatures with an Asian theme perfect for adventuring in Tian-Xia (such as kami and jiang-shi vampires), and the just plain really weird (like yithians and zoogs). As always with reviews of books like this, there's no way I can go through the hundreds of monsters individually, but I can say the writing and artwork is top-notch. Some particular things to note:
* The book has five new playable races: catfolk, ratfolk, suli, vanara, and vishkanya. There's always a demand for anthromorphic races like catfolk, and ratfolk later become prominent (under the name ysoki) in Starfinder. Suli don't do much for me and vishkanya are a race I've never seen played. But I do have to shout out to the monkey-like vanara, since a vanaran PC features prominently in my Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign!
* Several of the attempts from Misfit Monsters Redeemed to make goofy old monsters cool again are reprinted here, such as adherers and wolves-in-sheep's-clothing.
* Man, vulnudaemons are creepy.
* Love the artwork for animal lords--very Black Panther.
*The book introduces several new categories (sub-types) of monster: asuras (very cool concept I've never seen used), behemoths (creatures of divine vengeance on entire nations or worlds; a neat story idea), clockworks (a classic), demodands (titanspawn who hate the gods), divs (corrupted genies who strive for the ruin of all things made by mortals), imperial dragons (wingless, serpent-like dragons of Asian legend), kami (fixed-location nature spirits), kytons (creepy devils from the Plane of Shadows!), leshy (plant-like sentients), linnorms (cruel wingless dragons with a death curse), oni (evil spirits given form--the opposite of kami), rakshasa (drawn from Indian myth), sphinxes (with an interesting write-up), and thriaes (female bee-like seers). There's a real contribution to the richness of the game here, as all of these categories can then serve as the basis for rules-coherent variants introduced in later books.
All in all, Bestiary 3 is an excellent book and a smart purchase for a GM.
Reading through Bestiary 1 and 2, I was hoping that there will be even more eastern themed monsters. This Bestiary delivers just what I wanted! A must buy! Also, Flumph!!!
This is probably my favorite of the Bestiaries so far, the content covers many iconic monsters from editions past, and stuff from the Adventure Paths. With great Asian flair for the Tian Xia world guide that is coming up, as well as many incredible monsters that have never graced the pages of a monster guide but are very welcome.
Although I'm generally opposed to the concept of core book "sequels," the content in 'Bestiary 3' is top notch. Whereas it took me some time to realize the usefulness of the monsters presented in 'Bestiary 2' (extraplanar/dimensional encounters rarely play a role in my campaigns), I immediately recognized many of the creatures in 'Bestiary 3' as either "iconic" or interesting variations on an established monster class.
As is to be expected, this book is well laid out and the illustrations are (mostly) top notch - Paizo rarely disappoints here! The Pathfinder Campaign Setting is still missing a few iconic monsters (mostly due to WotC's draconic licensing practices), but this volume (and the two which preceded it) gives GMs a huge variety of creatures to populate their encounters.
If I could make any suggestions for future 'Bestiary' volumes, the first would be to expand upon the lore provided - I realize it would likely halve the number of creatures included per book, but a two page spread (even for "simple" creatures like oozes) might help a GM find a place for a given creature within his campaign setting. Also, better illustrating a creature's size (perhaps even graphically) would be useful - general size classifications only go so far, and being able to see a silhouette of a given entry next to a human-sized creature would give both GMs and players a clear understanding of exactly how big a monster is (this was employed beautifully in an old FASA publication for Shadowrun: 'Paranormal Animals of North America' by Nigel Findley). Again, these are just suggestions on ways to improve an otherwise outstanding collection of Bestiaries. Keep up the good work!
An excellent monster book, strong mythological presence (from various cultures). Probably even better than Bestiary 2. And it has the flumph! (this is a good thing, well its worth a page) If you're looking for a monster book for some critters outside of the real core you would well to pick this up.
What types and Cr devils did we get? My new campaign involves a group of militant Asmodeus worshipers that are conquering a number of different lands and I need to plan accordingling.
* What misfit monsters other then the Flumph, Flail snail, wolf in sheep's clothing make it in?
I saw the Adherer, Disenchanter, Dire Corby, and Tojanida.
* Did the Almiraj, Beatific one, Danse Macabre, Buraq, Giant Stympalides, Vouivre, Troll Hound, or Dweomer cat make it in?
The Beatific One is around with a new name, Vpasunda, with Beatific One being a common alternate name for them. The Trollhound and Stymphalidies are also present.
* Robots?
There's several types of clockworks. Nothing with the 'Robot' subtype out of Dungeons of Golarion, though.
The lunar, is mostly black with white star looking spots on it, it fades to white near the head with a completely human head with long white hair. CR 6, it has poison and spells it is a caster creature.
Yes it does.
There is a giant sea anemones, didn't see the other two. There is like four megafuana creatures though.
A misspelling of "stymphalides", the bronze birds Hercules fought for one of his labors. They're CR 8 and shoot razor-sharp feathers at their victims. Lots of bleed damage. They originally appeared in a Council of Thieves bestiary article, but not in any of the adventures proper.
Ok just looked at this thread and found the Stymphalidies which I think is what was meant by the post a couple above asking about a Stymphalide.
The Stymphalidies is a large magical brass bird thingy.
Hercules had to deal with them in Greek myth, they have a rather poor disposition and can shoot feathers something like Archangel. (X-Force member, not the actual angels. :)
Did the lamia-kin from RotRL get updated in this book (i.e. the kuchrima, harridan, etc.). If the kuchrima made it in, did its spell-like abilities get restored to it?
Did the lamia-kin from RotRL get updated in this book (i.e. the kuchrima, harridan, etc.). If the kuchrima made it in, did its spell-like abilities get restored to it?
Androsphinx? Hieracosphinx?
The three missing sphinxes are in, along with lots of lovely lovely descriptive text about their relationships with each other and non-sphinx races. :)
Did the lamia-kin from RotRL get updated in this book (i.e. the kuchrima, harridan, etc.). If the kuchrima made it in, did its spell-like abilities get restored to it?
Androsphinx? Hieracosphinx?
No lamia-kin in Bestiary 3, although I have it on good authority that they're pretty important to the Rise of the Runelords hardcover and thus might show up there...
That makes sense. So...about those kuchrima spell-like abilities...
That's something I'll be looking at in the weeks to come. I've got a giant printout of all the concerns folks have about all six parts, culled from the Runelords messageboards... but if you have any specific concerns, now is ABSOLUTELY the time to spell them out to me.
The kuchrima, in my mind, is the lowest ranking of the lamia pecking order (even if it's a higher CR monster than the baseline lamia) due to its relatively low mental ability scores, and one way that plays out is "no spell like abilities." If you have a compelling reason to give them spell like abilities, let me know!
What are the names, CR, appearances of the new Rakshasa?
Dandasuka CR5 and kinda a scary freaky gnome.
Maharaja CR20, human with 4 extra animal heads.
Marai CR8, freaky humanoid looking thing with 6 snakes in place of arms
Raktavarna CR2, sorta half snake, half sword looking thing, hard to explain.
Tataka CR15, blue skinned humanoid with some feral animal features.
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How many different types of Thriae are there?
3
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Do the three other types of spinxes have any abilities that are new to them?
Yes looks like they each have one.
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What is the fey template called and what creature types does it apply to?
Fey Creature, any living corporeal creature.
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The Greater Medusa is in there right? what is her CR, appearance, etc.?
The Greater Medusa is in there right? what is her CR, appearance, etc.?
None in Bestiary 3. You will have to look in Mythical Monsters Revisited for the Medusa variant that is similar to the Greater Medusa (CR +1, Large size, claws, damage resistance, a constrict attack).
That makes sense. So...about those kuchrima spell-like abilities...
That's something I'll be looking at in the weeks to come. I've got a giant printout of all the concerns folks have about all six parts, culled from the Runelords messageboards... but if you have any specific concerns, now is ABSOLUTELY the time to spell them out to me.
The kuchrima, in my mind, is the lowest ranking of the lamia pecking order (even if it's a higher CR monster than the baseline lamia) due to its relatively low mental ability scores, and one way that plays out is "no spell like abilities." If you have a compelling reason to give them spell like abilities, let me know!
By "compelling" I'm assuming you mean something more than "because that's the way the author originally designed them," or "they're lamias!" or "because it would be cool!"
Seriously, don't have my notes around here, can't find my copy of Spires of Xin-Shalast but the author did post a small suite of SLAs somewhere on the RotRL boards that included true strike, feather fall, and maybe a couple of others. Nothing major but enough to say "lamia" and enough to give them enough bling to justify their presence at the level they are tossed in at.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Can a hekatonkheires combine its hundred-handed whirlwind with cleave and great cleave? If so, that is absolutely terrifying. It moves up and activates cleave as a standard action. As per it hundred-handed whirlwind ability, it makes one attack roll and compares it to everyone within its substantial reach.
So if it hits Joe, it can great cleave into Bob, Billy, Gus, Jim, Jim's family, Humpty Dumptee, and all the king's men.
It then compares its initial attack roll against Bob's AC, which then great cleaves into Joe, Billy, Gus, Jim, Jim's family, Humpty Dumptee, and all the king's men.
It then checks its inital attack roll against Billy's AC, cleaving into Joe, Bob, Gus, Jim, Jim's family, Humpty Dumptee, and all the king's men.
...And so on...
Conceptually, it makes total sense, but d**n! That...that is going to make for a LOT of dice rolls...
Any Centipede creature, Mantis creature or Wasp creature in there?
Those get way too less attention as all three are a lot more interresting as spiders and all 3 creatures feed on spiders in the real world.
There is a Hellwasp Swarm
And some group of creatures called Thriae.
Highly spiritual creatures and keepers of the world’s greatest secrets, the thriae are a race of female, beelike seers coveted for their powers of divination and prophecy.
Can a hekatonkheires combine its hundred-handed whirlwind with cleave and great cleave? If so, that is absolutely terrifying. It moves up and activates cleave as a standard action. As per it hundred-handed whirlwind ability, it makes one attack roll and compares it to everyone within its substantial reach.
So if it hits Joe, it can great cleave into Bob, Billy, Gus, Jim, Jim's family, Humpty Dumptee, and all the king's men.
It then compares its initial attack roll against Bob's AC, which then great cleaves into Joe, Billy, Gus, Jim, Jim's family, Humpty Dumptee, and all the king's men.
It then checks its inital attack roll against Billy's AC, cleaving into Joe, Bob, Gus, Jim, Jim's family, Humpty Dumptee, and all the king's men.
...And so on...
Conceptually, it makes total sense, but d**n! That...that is going to make for a LOT of dice rolls...
As it Hundred hand Attack is a extraordinary ability which takes a standard action, and cleave is a standard action I would have to say no.
I must ask, Hags and Goblinoids, any new Stuff there? I run a homebrew setting that see these two as main antagonists, so I'm always looking for more.
Lets see there is the Annis Hag(CR9), and a Goblin Snake(CR1) Though the snake is a aberration which has goblin like traits not actually part of the goblinoid family.
I must ask, Hags and Goblinoids, any new Stuff there? I run a homebrew setting that see these two as main antagonists, so I'm always looking for more.
Lets see there is the Annis Hag(CR9), and a Goblin Snake(CR1) Though the snake is a aberration which has goblin like traits not actually part of the goblinoid family.
Dang, I was wishing for something new. Ah well, the book'll probobly give me plenty of ideas.