Kelsey Arwen MacAilbert |
Complete Monster List:
CR 1/4: fox, otter, porcupine, skunk
CR 1/3: flying squirrel, goat, pig, ratfolk, sprite
CR 1/2: antelope, catfolk, clockwork spy, ghost scorpion, giant crab
spider, great horned owl, kangaroo, leaf leshy, raccoon, sagari,
suli, thylacine, vanara, vishkanya, vultureCR 1: atomie, carbuncle, death’s head jellyfish, dire corby, elk,
faun, festrog, flumph, fuath, giant gecko, goblin snake,
gourd leshy, nixie, zoogCR 2: augur, axe beak, clockwork servant, disenchanter, doru,
faerie dragon, foo dog, fungus leshy, garden ooze, giant
porcupine, giant sea anemone, harbinger archon, huecuva,
jackalwere, kappa, raktavarna, sasquatch, shikigami, snake
swarm, spirit oni, tatzlwyrm, venomous snake swarmCR 3: adaro, adherer, allip, caryatid column, ceratioidi, cerebric
fungus, dimetrodon, giant chameleon, giant rot grub, kech,
magmin, moss troll, phantom fungus, river drake, seaweed
leshy, tripurasura, trollhoundCR 4: aghash, flail snail, foo lion, giant skunk, giant vulture,
kamadan, kuwa, myceloid, pachycephalosaurus, schir, shae,
tanuki, thriae soldier, venomous snake swarm, voonith,
vulnudaemon, zuvembieCR 5: archelon, ascomoid, cecaelia, dandasuka, derhii, ghul, giant
ant lion, giant owl, globster, graven guardian, grodair,
hieracosphinx, kodama, ogre spider, penanggalen, sabosan,
shadow mastiff, spider eater, tojanida, vodyanoiCR 6: ahuizotl, annis hag, berbalang, cave giant cerberi, clockwork
soldier, deathweb, giant adult ant lion, hodag, hungry fog,
iguanodon, incubus, jiang-shi vampire, lunar naga, maftet,
terra-cotta soldierCR 7: adhukait, brain ooze, caulborn, criosphinx, dragonne,
kirin, legion archon, manananggal, megalania, pairaka,
pukwudgie, shark-eating crab, tupilaq, young underworld
dragon, water nagaCR 8: baku, baluchitherium, bone golem, cold rider, deadfall
scorpion, deathtrap ooze, desert drake, girtablilu, guecubu,
hellwasp swarm, iku-turso, lammasu, marai, nephilim, rot
grub swarm, stymphalidies, unfettered...
After reading this list, it is decided that you have made a sale, Paizo. More undead, including Chinese vampires? Yes, please. Terrain based dragons? Yes please. Catfolk? Yes, please. Animal lord (don't have any idea what it is but definitely want it) and a fey template? Yes, please. Terra cotta soldier? Yes, please. Graveknight? Yes, please. More clockwork creatures? Yes, please. Kangaroo? If that is an available choice for an animal companion, I will die from happiness. Sasquatch? Yes, please. Shark eating crab? Sounds badass. Foo lion? Don't know what that is, but I want one.
Congrats, Paizo. You have convinced me to fork over the 40 bucks after Christmas.
mdt |
Animal lord (don't have any idea what it is but definitely want it) and a fey template?
I'm almost certain that whoever wrote it up was inspired by Cats have No Lord by Will Shetterly. Especially since the example in the manual is a Cat Lord. If not, it's an amazing coincidence.
Basically, an animal lord is a humanoid who can take the shape of the animal in question.
Joe Wells RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32 |
Barong |
Complete Monster List:
CR 1/4: fox, otter, porcupine, skunk
CR 1/3: flying squirrel, goat, pig, ratfolk, sprite
CR 1/2: antelope, catfolk, clockwork spy, ghost scorpion, giant crab
spider, great horned owl, kangaroo, leaf leshy, raccoon, sagari,
suli, thylacine, vanara, vishkanya, vultureCR 1: atomie, carbuncle, death’s head jellyfish, dire corby, elk,
faun, festrog, flumph, fuath, giant gecko, goblin snake,
gourd leshy, nixie, zoogCR 2: augur, axe beak, clockwork servant, disenchanter, doru,
faerie dragon, foo dog, fungus leshy, garden ooze, giant
porcupine, giant sea anemone, harbinger archon, huecuva,
jackalwere, kappa, raktavarna, sasquatch, shikigami, snake
swarm, spirit oni, tatzlwyrm, venomous snake swarmCR 3: adaro, adherer, allip, caryatid column, ceratioidi, cerebric
fungus, dimetrodon, giant chameleon, giant rot grub, kech,
magmin, moss troll, phantom fungus, river drake, seaweed
leshy, tripurasura, trollhoundCR 4: aghash, flail snail, foo lion, giant skunk, giant vulture,
kamadan, kuwa, myceloid, pachycephalosaurus, schir, shae,
tanuki, thriae soldier, venomous snake swarm, voonith,
vulnudaemon, zuvembieCR 5: archelon, ascomoid, cecaelia, dandasuka, derhii, ghul, giant
ant lion, giant owl, globster, graven guardian, grodair,
hieracosphinx, kodama, ogre spider, penanggalen, sabosan,
shadow mastiff, spider eater, tojanida, vodyanoiCR 6: ahuizotl, annis hag, berbalang, cave giant cerberi, clockwork
soldier, deathweb, giant adult ant lion, hodag, hungry fog,
iguanodon, incubus, jiang-shi vampire, lunar naga, maftet,
terra-cotta soldierCR 7: adhukait, brain ooze, caulborn, criosphinx, dragonne,
kirin, legion archon, manananggal, megalania, pairaka,
pukwudgie, shark-eating crab, tupilaq, young underworld
dragon, water nagaCR 8: baku, baluchitherium, bone golem, cold rider, deadfall
scorpion, deathtrap ooze, desert drake, girtablilu, guecubu,
hellwasp swarm, iku-turso, lammasu, marai, nephilim, rot
grub swarm, stymphalidies, unfettered...
Noooooo, no new agathions or azata :(. I guess I'll have to pass this one up, at least for a while(well, it was either get this or have my computer fixed).
Lord Gadigan |
Animal Companions:
Antelope
Archelon
Axe beak
Baluchitherium
Basilosaurus
Dimetrodon
Elk
Giant chameleon
Giant gecko
Giant vulture
Iguanodon
Kangaroo
Megalania
Pachycephalosaurus
Spinosaurus
Thylacine
Familiars:
Harbinger Archon
Tripurasura Asura
Carbuncle
Doru Div
Faerie Dragon
Flying Squirrel
Fox
Goat
Otter
Pig
Raccoon
Shikigami Kami
Augur Kyton
Spirit Oni
Sprite
Zoog
doc the grey |
i think usually since most people
A.) love to have new animal companions and familiars that aren't feat related
B.) Druids at least can theoretically have any creature as an animal companion due to their unique connection to the forces of nature and the world around them
Now onto more a more important question. I noticed that that list doesn't contain a Kaiju template did the cut it out? 0.0
J-Spee Lovecraft |
They're just animals. Does every single regular animal have to fall into one of those two categories?
Yes. It doesn't make sense. I don't understand why Paizo would decide to exclude these two when every single other animal they've statted can be either taken as a familiar or an animal companion. Does it maybe say something in their description about benefits they could grant a caster? I know the snapping turtle from Bestiary 2 didn't get lumped into a familiar section, but they still mentioned that it grants its master a +2 to Fort at the bottom of the description.
Kthulhu |
Well, for the skunk, I really can't imagine any self-respecting sentient life form WANTING a skunk to spend a lot of time around them. Maybe a troglodyte. :P
And porcupines, while better suited for such a role than the skunk, have the unfortunate tendancy to really hurt like a b*$#+ when you try to pet them.
J-Spee Lovecraft |
Well, for the skunk, I really can't imagine any self-respecting sentient life form WANTING a skunk to spend a lot of time around them. Maybe a troglodyte. :P
And porcupines, while better suited for such a role than the skunk, have the unfortunate tendancy to really hurt like a b+*~~ when you try to pet them.
They're both way cooler than the antelope, but somehow it still managed to make it as an animal companion for some reason. And both would definitely make excellent familiars. A wizard could benefit from having a skunk familiar spray his enemies as a distraction as he casts a spell, and I could see either one granting a +3 to Intimidate.
Sincubus |
Creaturs I really am happy with and look forward too:
CR 1/4:
CR 1/3:
CR 1/2: catfolk, giant crab spider, great horned ow, leaf leshy
CR 1: carbuncle, death’s head jellyfish, dire corby,
faun, gourd leshy, nixie
CR 2: axe beak, disenchanter, faerie dragon, fungus leshy, giant porcupine, giant sea anemone, huecuva, jackalwere, kappa, sasquatch
CR 3: adaro, adherer, allip, caryatid column, cerebric fungus, dimetrodon, giant chameleon, giant rot grub, kech,
magmin, phantom fungus, seaweed leshy
CR 4: flail snail, giant skunk, giant vulture, kamadan, myceloid, pachycephalosaurus, thriae soldier
CR 5: archelon, ascomoid, cecaelia, ghul, giant ant lion
hieracosphinx, ogre spider, penanggalen, shadow mastiff, spider eater, tojanida, vodyanoi
CR 6: ahuizotl, annis hag, berbalang, cave giant cerberi, deathweb, giant adult ant lion, hungry fog, incubus, lunar naga, maftet,
terra-cotta soldier
CR 7: brain ooze, criosphinx, dragonne, kirin, megalania, shark-eating crab, water naga
CR 8: baluchitherium, bone golem, deadfall scorpion, deathtrap ooze,
hellwasp swarm, rot grub swarm, stymphalidies, unfettered eidolon, wolf-insheep’s-clothing, yuki-onna
CR 9: androsphinx, garuda, nuckelavee, rift drake, shedu
CR 10: bogeyman
CR 11: ash giant, carnivorous crystal, moonbeast, royal naga, sapphire jellyfish, sleipnir, spinosaurus, thriae seer
CR 12: baregara, basilosaurus, fossil golem, great cyclops, rusalka, valkyrie
CR 13: alraune (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), shipwrecker crab
CR 14: brass golem, demilich
CR 15: cannon golem,
CR 16: slimy demodand
CR 17: bandersnatch
CR 18: shaggy demodand, simurgh, thriae queen,
CR 19: deep sea serpent,
CR 20:
CR 21:
CR 22:
CR 23: hekatonkheires
All the others are (1 Unknown to me in name they can become my favorites for all I know but I need the book first, or (2 don't like them, such as the real-life animals and mostly archons and good-based things and dragons.
Matthew Morris RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8 |
Well, for the skunk, I really can't imagine any self-respecting sentient life form WANTING a skunk to spend a lot of time around them. Maybe a troglodyte. :P
Hmm, in 2e we had a bard with a skunk famaliar. He made the mistake of naming him 'Stinky'
There was silence around the table then someone* started singing.
"It's Stinky and the bard,
It's Stinky and the bard.
One is a mustalid, the other's... a bard."
*
Mikaze |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ratfolk are nice. I can see some folks wanting to swipe some of their abilities for player-race kobolds, particularly their Swarming ability. Dependent on having multiple ratfolk in the party, true, but very nice thematically.
Kind of a flipside of Bestiary 2's Dullahan, I was a little thrown by the Rusalka being fey rather than undead, though I have to admit that's solely because my first exposure to the creature was Quest for Glory 4. Nice shout-out to that perception in the flavor though. Much tougher than expected too!
Sagari are one of those creatures that you have a hard time believing has actual roots in real-world folklore, then you look it up, turns out it does, and you're left wondering what on earth inspired them. I'd like to set the right tone, have livestock panic outside/in the barn near whereever the party is bedding for the night, and have these things hanging from the rafters or branches.
(or have these things spawned from horses attacked by the Sandpoint Devil...)
Sasquatch, really glad to have him in the game. Love the flavor and the description of their language. Also appreciate the note on their smell. I actually bought a pack of Jack Link's jerky once during the trip to this year's GenCon, and everyone in the car agreed it smelled like a war atrocity.
Love that sickle vs. stinger art in the Scorpion entry.
It may sound strange considering what's going on in the picture, but the colors going on in the Sea Anemone art are beautiful. Really love this picture.
Sea Bonze is going to @#$% some people up. It's set up well as a threat that doesn't need to be, and probably shouldn't, be directly confronted in a stand-up fight. Pirates of Dark Water fans are going to love this one.
Absolutely love the Shae. They really feel like a race that would be perfectly at home in Planescape. The details on why they wear masks and form-fitting clothing are neat as well. These guys easily generate some really cool imagery. Heck, they've made fetchlings cooler to me now. Think I'm going to let some of the shae's flavor and aesthetics bleed on over to that race in my games.
Next page over, have to wonder. How does the Shedu, not to mention the Lamassu and all the Sphinxes, accessorize?
Shinigami. Very cool imagery, and I love that right out of the box they're mentioned as having range on the moral alignment axis. It's not a scythe-weilding "for-reals" dark angel of goodness, but it can get close. Though the Destroy Soul ability does raise some eyebrows, even for standard LN Shinigami. Wonder how Pharasma feels about these guys...
Simurgh. Okay, might as well get it out of the way. We all saw the art for this guy's 3.x counterpart. We've all heard the jokes. This version is quite a bit more understated. It's still a bit of a fight stopper, not just for its banishing ability but because players will want to see the art or hear the description again to make sure they're really seeing this thing right. Again, it bears noting that the art for this version is a lot easier to take seriously than the 3.x version.
Siyokoy. Love the cultural flavor these guys are given. Usually equate eel faces, particularly any popping out of holes in reefs, with "OH GOD GET IT AWAY". But on these guys it's actually cute and a bit playful when combined with their flavor. Probably shifts a bit with the "deep" Siyokoys though.
Sleipnir are going to be highly desired as mounts the same way people lust after muscle cars. Players are going to want them for the image alone. These horses have got some crazy motor control capability is all I have to say. That's a lot of moving parts down there.
Can't believe we haven't had a Snake Swarm before this. Lots of previously empty pits are going to be filled now.
See, this is what I was talking about. Androsphinx is rocking a banded beard, headdress, and bracelets. How?! Okay, humanoid servants probably, but what's the Hieracosphinx's excuse? That unimportant tangent aside, dig the further exploration done with Sphinxes here. Really love that note on what happens when they pass from "old age".
Ogre Spider isn't doing my arachnophobia any favors.
Spider-Eater is though! Leaving aside the horrible, painful death they would deliver to humanoids just as soon as spiders, I love these guys for the same reason I like wasps.
Celtic warrior Sprite is the most badass fairy in the book. Like he could be from some sort of Slaine/David the Gnome crossover. People that want to play sprites may be faced with some issues when it comes to getting raised back from the dead, but I'd say keeping the remains in a vial is just as good as having a body on hand.
Thing that gets me about the Stymphalides is imagining what they sound like in flight. Like hundreds of knives being sharpened against each other...
Suli are here again. They make for a good "generic" genie-kin to go with the four specific ones from Bestiary 2.
I like how the Tanuki entry completely avoids the elephant in the living room and gives them a slam attack hidden in their stats. ;) These guys and kappa are guaranteed to be a hoot together.
Love the look of the Taotieh, and their trademark ability certainly makes for some potentially horrifying imagery, especially if it keeps taking in more than it looks like it should hold within itself.
It's been said before, but the Tatzylwyrm is great for providing dragons players can reasonably stand a chance against in early levels.
Terra-Cotta Soldiers are neat what with them being made for army tactics.
The Thriae are really nice, what with the unsettling approach they have towards their mates and the different effects their honey has on their different ranks and other humanoids. I kind of wish their upper bodies in the art were more inhuman, a bit more chitiny maybe, but the lack of eyebrows on the queen makes her look "off" enough. The larva details should probably be used carefully by GMs, depending on the group.
Hekatonkheires are a nightmare. Imagine all of those voices screaming warcries at once. The notes on how they literally bust through planes like The Hulk are especially awesome. Makes for an incredible image whether it's coming or going.
Tojanida really benefited from the art in Misfit Monsters because now you can where it's facing. It actually looks like a proper creature now, mashed together as it is. One bit I hope gets explored someday is their racial memory and how they bear it. Could make for a very interesting contrast and possible conflict with the aboleths.
Tophets are great. Hilarious to imagine in motion, but they make for an excellent non-lethal encounter to weave into plots where they're needed, especially where larceny minded PCs may be involved.
Jotund Troll's artwork is frightening in that good old "hey look at this nightmarish imagery we snuck into a children's fairy-tale book" way. At least some of the ones that haunted my youth.
Kind of like the Tatzylwyrm, Moss Trolls make for a good example of an iconic monster lower level parties can run into, though this one actually has some advantages over vanilla trolls.
Trollhounds helped make for one particularly rough in-game experience. Like Moss Trolls, they're a good way of getting that troll flavor into low-level-appropriate doses.
Tupilaqs are just bad news waiting to happen for anyone that makes them. Real classic horror movie feel coming from these guys.
Tzitzimitl certainly makes for a good civilization ender.
Valkyries came across cool. And hey, they ride Sleipnirs sometimes! My one complain is that giant wolves weren't on their list of favored mounts.
Glad to see the Jiang-Shi present. Like that their weaknesses and destruction rules are at least as complicated as a western vampire's. I still have trouble visualizing these guys in motion in a way that's fear-inducing though. Or dignified. Maybe I just haven't seen the right Hong Kong horror flicks yet. (no videogame I've seen them featured in is of much help there, admittedly)
Vanara are cool. I predict player requests for some sort of magically extending staff to increase tenfold soon.
Vishkanya are also cool. I wish the serpent/reptile bits were played up a bit more in their appearance, but the art is plenty cool as is and their toxic nature leads to some interesting possibilities concerning how they fit into society. Also, her neck must be a strong as Alahazra's.
Like the Vodyanoi. Familiar name I've seen a good range of creatures attributed with, but this take is nice too. Bit of irony, but the one boggard I've run into as a player behaved pretty much like what's presented here. Go fig.
Vooniths, like their design coupled with their personalities. These could make for great guides to present to players in an alien environment.
Said this before, but the new take on how Wolf-In-Sheep's-Clothing works is a lot creepier than what came before.
I was a little sad that the Yuki-Onna entry didn't have any sort of reference to the familiar story involving them, save for what happens to their bodies when they die. Still, using their snowstorm ability to keep a low-level party stuck in a house for a night of mystery and/or terror has me really interested.
Zuvembies look like they could make for some great swamp-based horror adventures. Especially if you consider everything that lives in a swamp that a zuvembie could lure victims towards.
Still finding new stuff to be thankful for flipping back through the book again, slowly this time. For example, the Gorynych seems to have been made to make every classic evil-dragon theme possible in one three-headed package. They also make for some interesting "enemy of my enemy" possibilities considering who some of their frequent victims are.
Solid book is solid. gg Paizo. :)
Dark_Mistress |
Depends on how close you live and if you have any extra stuff in your shipment. I believe it was mentioned they was done today with all the subscriptions beyond those with special orders. So you might want to mention it to customer service if you don't get emails for PDF's by tonight.
Eric Hinkle |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I almost peed when I saw giant skunk, giant porcupine, and giant vulture.
Shouldn't that be "The Giant Skunk pees when it sees you?"
And this book looks absolutely amazing. Really, the only thing it lacks is Earth Ponies to go along with the Unicorns and Pegasi we got in the first Bestiary (I'm kidding, mostly).
James Jacobs Creative Director |
I agree its appearance is boring, ugly and pathetic, but its special ability to animate objects and create living objects is unique and awesome.
That's exactly the reason we HAVEN'T updated this monster yet, frankly. If we did, it would need to have its ability to animate objects significantly nerfed. A CR 5 or thereabounts monster should not have the ability to create a CR 9 encounter at will once per round.
Russ Taylor Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6 |
I'm assuming the Behemoth's are the kaiju that they were going to have in the bestiary? If so, then I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the book.
They aren't, but happily they can fill some of the same roles in the game. The behemoths are instruments of divine retribution loosely modeled on the biblical beasts Behemoth, Leviathan, and Ziz.