Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mystery Monsters Revisited

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Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mystery Monsters Revisited
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Every culture tells stories of strange beasts that haunt the edges of civilization. Seldom corroborated, the accounts of those who have encountered such creatures are brushed aside, or at best turned into colorful local legends. But always lurking beneath such myths are more than a few shreds of doubt—for what if the stories were true?

Mystery Monsters Revisited presents 10 elusive creatures inspired by real-world folklore. Each monster entry investigates the types of evidence the cryptid leaves in its wake, the creature’s bizarre and secretive ecology, eyewitness accounts of the beast and its strange powers, advice on how to integrate it into your game, how the monster fits into the world of Golarion, and more.

Inside this book, you’ll find:

  • Bunyips, ravenous seal-like beasts whose hunger threatens coastal communities.
  • Death worms, acid-spitting desert dwellers whose fatal poison and beams of electricity spell the end for unwary travelers.
  • Mokele-mbembe, long-necked saurians forgotten by time.
  • Mothmen, unfathomable agents of destiny that presage catastrophic events.
  • The Sandpoint Devil, a fire-breathing equine terror that ravages the hinterlands of its namesake community.
  • Water orms, whose myriad forms have spawned countless legends near the lakes they inhabit.
  • Yetis, misunderstood natives of mountain peaks whose violent urges can be traced back to fell, otherworldly energies.
  • Other enigmatic creatures like the towering sasquatch, destructive sea serpent, and of course, the notorious, blood-sucking chupacabra!

Mystery Monsters Revisited is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and Pathfinder campaign setting, but can easily be used in any fantasy game setting.

By Richard Pett, Anthony Pryor, Amber E. Scott, Ray Vallese

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-473-3

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Mostly "Meh"

3/5

Mystery Monsters Revisited is an unusual entry in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting line. The goal of the book is to transform ten different monsters from real-world folklore and modern legend (so-called "cryptids") into creatures usable in Pathfinder and in the game's official setting, Golarion. The book is a 64-page softcover with full colour interior art that is adequate but not Paizo's best (and I think the cover needed a better inker to add definition to what looks like a coloured pencil drawing). Each of the ten monsters is covered in a six-page section that includes the following topics: Evidence (why the creature is thought to exist), Ecology, Habitat & Society, Campaign Role (how to use the creature in a game), Treasure, Golarion lore, and a full stat block and picture of a unique version of the creature. Each section also includes a brief sidebar about the creature's real-world inspiration. The ten monsters covered are:

* Bunyips (from Australian aboriginal lore), an aquatic mammal that combines features of a shark and a seal. Two new feats just for bunyips are introduced, which is a bit strange. The idea is a bit bland.

* Chupacabras (a modern Puerto Rican legend), bloodsucking creatures that walk on two legs and sneak around at night to feast on livestock and pets. The stealthy nature of the creatures and the fact that they could easily be confused by PCs with vampires or other dangers would make them a good story element for a low-level campaign set in rural areas. A magical weapon, the Chupar Pick, is introduced.

* Death Worms (the Mongolian "Olgoi-Khorkhoi"), which, as the name implies, are gargantuan subterranean worms that live in desert areas and can spit acid and electricity. Despite the added attack styles, Pathfinder has enough giant worms and I don't think much is added here. This section includes a new magic item to see creatures moving underground, Vitreous Goggles.

* Mokele-Mbembe (a Congo legend), a massive saurian that is basically a swamp dinosaur with long spines down its back. Again, a bit bland. A new magic weapon, the Mokele-Mbembe Tail Whip, is introduced.

* Mothman (a West Virginia legend), a strange, unearthly winged humanoid that appears just before terrible disasters for an inexplicable reason. This was the first entry in the book that really caught my eye as something that would be fascinating to add into a campaign. The new magic item introduced here, a Mothman Memento, is also well done.

* Sandpoint Devil (based on the Jersey Devil), a winged-horse that stands on two legs and has demonic teeth and horns. I'm running Rise of the Runelords right now which of course has Sandpoint as its setting, so I'm partial to this entry.

* Sasquatch (Bigfoot), a forest-dwelling apelike creature. A cursed item called a Sasquatch Skull is introduced here.

* Sea Serpents (from many cultures), enormous snakes large enough to sink entire ships. Could be interesting as a major storyline in an aquatic-themed campaign. A new magic weapon, the Serpentseeker Bow, is introduced.

* Water Orms (the Loch Ness Monster), lake-dwelling saurials that are enormously reclusive.

* Yeti (the Abominable Snowman), alpine beasts with sharp claws and teeth. I really liked the lore added by the book here, as they portray Yeti as the nobel guardians of portals to dangerous extra-dimensional lands like the Lovecraftian Leng. A magic item called Leng Tea is introduced.

The book does a good job emphasizing that these legendary creatures really need to be built up over a period of time in a campaign. If you just drop a random Sea Serpent attack in while the PCs are on a boat, then Sea Serpents are just another monster. But if you depict sailors and dock-workers growing increasingly frightened over the course of several sessions by the legendary Ashen Worm, then it means something when/if a fight actually takes place. In other words, these creatures aren't meant for random encounters but are instead best used as driving forces for story-lines that can include investigation, tracking, red herrings, scam artists, and more. That being said, only a couple of the creatures listed in the book really struck me as elements I'd love to bring into a campaign. Many left me feeling "meh." So in sum, I'd say that Mystery Monsters Revisited isn't a *bad* book, but it shouldn't be a high-priority for readers.


Love it, Few problems though

4/5

I have always loved cryptozoology, so i picked this book up the week it came out. The monsters for the most part are great, I especially love the bunyip entry and the mothman. Some monsters are completely uninspired, The Mokele-Mbembe is just a dinosaur, nothing special. The Sandpoint devil is just a horse that walks on two legs.
The quips about the real life myths make the book feel really fun.
If you love monsters, pick up the book.


Comprehensive and Useful Book

4/5

Read my full review on my blog.

Mystery Monsters Revisited provides an excellent insight into its ten subject creatures and how they fit into the world of Golarion. It allows gamemasters to enrich their games by including creatures that are more than just nameless things to kill, giving each creature a reason and purpose for being there. And even if some of these creatures never actually show up in a game, the book still provides a compelling read that adds just a little more awe to the game world.


A quite decent approach to Cyrptozoology.

3/5

Since the apparition of Classic Horrors Revisited, Paizo Publishing made clear Pathfinder wasn't just about the usual tropes concerning Sword and sorcery in pen and paper RPGs as elements from other genres belonging to fantasy like Planetary Romance and Gothic Horror appeared in the main setting. This book is the first to dare enter into a terrain which doesn't belong to literature but to oral tradition and speculation, in this case what in contemporary culture is known as urban legends as well as cryptozoology.
The readers can enjoy quite detailed entries concerning the habits and behavior of beasts which belong to pop culture collective imaginary and how introduce them into a world of high adventure and magic: the chupacabra, the yeti, the sasquatch...
A well done job, but somehow lacks of the same detail displayed in other Revisited series handbooks, perhaps because this was the first attempt into creatures which didn't had a true or solid mythological or literary background (or in some cases, decades of game tradition), depending on very speculative and not very academic sources for it's development.


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All of this excitement leads me to tear at my hair, wear sack cloth, eat ashes, and beg those who wield the powers of Paizotic Creation to come out with a complete supplement for the game featuring ONLY Lovecraftian creatures and gods.

Owner - House of Books and Games LLC

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You know they're going to come out with Eldritch Horrors Revisited sooner or later. Hopefully followed some time after by it's mythic follow-on, Cyclopean Horrors Revisited :)

Liberty's Edge

gbonehead wrote:
You know they're going to come out with Eldritch Horrors Revisited sooner or later. Hopefully followed some time after by it's mythic follow-on, Cyclopean Horrors Revisited :)

Dear sweet baby Iomedae, I am so looking forward to that.

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

Kevida wrote:
Kevida wrote:
Charlie Brooks wrote:

Well, my Christmas present is set. I run a non-Golarion campaign setting, but I'm sure I can still find room for things like the Sandpoint Devil there.

Add me to the list of folks calling for a Fey Revisited book, too.

In case you didn't know (and if you do then please accept my most humble apology) the Sand Point Devil is based on "The Jersey Devil" which is a legend here on the East Coast.
Charlie Brooks, I misread your post. disregard my response.

I'd rather not, since I hadn't known to origin of the Sandpoint Devil. So even if you misread my post, you still gave me some useful new information.

Liberty's Edge

Charlie Brooks wrote:
Kevida wrote:
Kevida wrote:
Charlie Brooks wrote:

Well, my Christmas present is set. I run a non-Golarion campaign setting, but I'm sure I can still find room for things like the Sandpoint Devil there.

Add me to the list of folks calling for a Fey Revisited book, too.

In case you didn't know (and if you do then please accept my most humble apology) the Sand Point Devil is based on "The Jersey Devil" which is a legend here on the East Coast.
Charlie Brooks, I misread your post. disregard my response.
I'd rather not, since I hadn't known to origin of the Sandpoint Devil. So even if you misread my post, you still gave me some useful new information.

Well then no harm done. I am glad that I could give you some info. Maybe THAT will give you inspiration of how to incorporate the Sandpoint Devil in your homebrew! Good luck!

[thread hijack] There was an episode of Cake Boss (which takes place in Hoboken, NJ by the way) where Buddy (the head of Carlo's bakery) made a cake replica of The Jersey Devil for a customer who is with a group trying to prove The Jersey Devil's existance (like the Sasqatch hunters). The lengend goes that if you make fun of the Jersey Devil in its territory that something bad happens. Essentially Buddy said that the legend was all B.S. and at that moment the wings fell off of the cake prior to putting it in place. Well, I thought it was funny to bring up! [/thread hijack]


I really, really, really want the illustrations to more closely resemble the descriptions and drawings made by witnesses who claim to have seen the cryptid type creatures. The Chupacabra illo is just an embarrassment.


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I am kind of hoping we get variants that reflect different versions of the cryptids.

In some areas Chupacabras are described more as canine creatures, while in other areas they have more monkey like attributes. Not to mention the classic alien appearance. All of these would make interesting variants


Current List:
>Chupacabra
>Mothman
>Sandpoint Devil
>Sasquatch
>Yeti

The speculation on the remaining 5 monsters? My opinions.

Water Orm + Sea Serpent are both very likely to appear, but due to thematic similarity and similar CR: I find it unlikely they'll both be in this book. Water Orm is the more likely, as it's currently estabilished lore screams cryptid.

I find the Deathworm to be unlikely as we've already had the thematically similar purple worm in another book. I can't see much variance in Bunyip, chickcharney, Chemosit or Tatzelwurm lore. Of previous suggestions the Globster is the one you could do the most with. But with other aquatic oozes out there, I don't see this one being used.

Kongamata is covered quite well in serpents skull, as is the Grootslang. Of the African Cryptids: Molele-Mbembe is perhaps the most recognisable and the first into print. Personally I'd vote for Grootslang, it's got a catchy name and cool lore.

I think the Carbuncle would fit well into this book as a novel low CR creature. It's a good example about misleading myths. Similarly, the Unicorn is one of those archetypal medieval myths that pop culture loves. I'd really like to read about some less sparkly variants (a la jim butcher summer knight/ ffX Ixion). Given the recent uprise of certain tv shows, I can easily see this one or pegasi being popular choices.

I haven't got mythical beasts Revisited. So I don't don't know if Hydra, basilisk, nemean lion, gorgan, cockatrice, stymphalides etc are covered there. But as these as more 'classical' legends I doubt they'll be in this book. One from native American and mess American myth I'd love to see tho is the Thunderbird. Or it's counterpart, the Roc from the classics. I think a nice big bird cryptid will fill out the set quite nicely.

My List:
>Grootslang
>Globster
>Thunderbird
>Unicorn
>Water Orm


Cryptids are animals that are believed to represent undiscovered species, and specifically refer to creatures that some people believe live today.

I don't believe Carbuncle or Unicorn were ever really considered cryptids, at least in the century where the term "cryptid" was coined.

Thunderbird and Globster are strong possibilities. Water Orm I would think would HAVE to be in it, since that is the creature that covers the Loch Ness monster


I wouldn't bet against the Jackalope making its Pathfinder debut.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Kajehase wrote:
I wouldn't bet against the Jackalope making its Pathfinder debut.

I would.

The revisited line is not where we generally debut brand new monsters. Variants, sure... but not new ones we've never statted up.


Aww!


I hope we get some hints on how to include alien weirdness and the Men In Black (the 'real' ones from modern paranoia/flying saucer lore, not the guys from the movie series) in the entry on Mothman. Anyone who ever read Keel's Mothman Prophecies knows it's just not Mothman without all sorts of paranormal weirdness going on while he's scaring people.

And the grootslang is an actual for-real cryptid? Wow. I would have sworn that one was original to the game. Live and learn!


It's Afrikaans for "big snake" - you'd hope the designers could think of a better name than that for a monster if they'd invented it from scratch. ;)


Kajehase wrote:
It's Afrikaans for "big snake" - you'd hope the designers could think of a better name than that for a monster if they'd invented it from scratch. ;)

Thanks for the link.

And for more ideas with cryptids -- what about the Tano Giant, or the Fear Liath More (Big Grey Man, who might be best done as a fey), or any of the 'True Giants' (basically 15-20 foot tall 'Bigfoots')? Or would they be best handled as a yeti or sasquatch with the Giant simple template?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Eric Hinkle wrote:

I hope we get some hints on how to include alien weirdness and the Men In Black (the 'real' ones from modern paranoia/flying saucer lore, not the guys from the movie series) in the entry on Mothman. Anyone who ever read Keel's Mothman Prophecies knows it's just not Mothman without all sorts of paranormal weirdness going on while he's scaring people.

And the grootslang is an actual for-real cryptid? Wow. I would have sworn that one was original to the game. Live and learn!

I've read Keel's book twice. Once when I was a kid staying at Grandma's House... as with Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, F. Paul Wilson, House of Mystery, Tales of the Unexpected, Vault of Horror, and several others, I first learned of this particularly compelling brand of horror there. Grandma and Grandpa were all about the spookies!

In any event... Mothman is in other words in Pathfinder pretty much because of Keel's book. Some of the more sci-fi elements in that book (ufos, men in black) don't really translate all that well to a fantasy setting... but we'll see what we can do!


Men in Black (government agents working to keep strange and alien encounters from becoming public knowledge) could work in Cheliax, although I guess in they'd be Inquisitors in Red instead. ;)


James Jacobs wrote:
In any event... Mothman is in other words in Pathfinder pretty much because of Keel's book. Some of the more sci-fi elements in that book (ufos, men in black) don't really translate all that well to a fantasy setting... but we'll see what we can do!

The... what was it, "keepers?" from 3.5 were fantasy Men in Black of the old school, and pretty well done, so it's certainly possible. :)


Kajehase wrote:
It's Afrikaans for "big snake" - you'd hope the designers could think of a better name than that for a monster if they'd invented it from scratch. ;)

Its actually DUTCH for big snake, that's why I dispise the creature, the name is bad for dutch people... between all those cool english names a dutch word is just horrible...


And what about Bunyip? Leucrotta? Peryton? or aren't they cryptids?


I am hoping for Water Orm, Sea Serpent, Hodag, and Deathworm(or maybe Bunyip or Peluda).

Nether Leucrotta or Peryton are cryptids but Bunyip is a cryptid.


Aye. Shame tho. Have used Leucrotta and Perytons to add alot of colour to my own campaigns. They deserve some love.

Grand Lodge

I have had dreams of this book for years. I hope it lives up to my expectations.


James Jacobs wrote:
Eric Hinkle wrote:

I hope we get some hints on how to include alien weirdness and the Men In Black (the 'real' ones from modern paranoia/flying saucer lore, not the guys from the movie series) in the entry on Mothman. Anyone who ever read Keel's Mothman Prophecies knows it's just not Mothman without all sorts of paranormal weirdness going on while he's scaring people.

And the grootslang is an actual for-real cryptid? Wow. I would have sworn that one was original to the game. Live and learn!

I've read Keel's book twice. Once when I was a kid staying at Grandma's House... as with Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, F. Paul Wilson, House of Mystery, Tales of the Unexpected, Vault of Horror, and several others, I first learned of this particularly compelling brand of horror there. Grandma and Grandpa were all about the spookies!

In any event... Mothman is in other words in Pathfinder pretty much because of Keel's book. Some of the more sci-fi elements in that book (ufos, men in black) don't really translate all that well to a fantasy setting... but we'll see what we can do!

You had very cool grandparents, Mister Jacobs. For whatever role they played in getting you into writing for RPGs, I thank them!

And we kind of already have UFOs in Golarion, don't we? It's been implied in some of the fluff for the derro, and there's that fallen starship in Numeria -- there's the way you can use the Men in Black, they're alien abominations under the control of the Technic League, trying to stop outsiders from heeding Mothman's warnings to stop the Numerian sorcerers from using their alien technology to free the Great Old Ones.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Dragon78 wrote:
Nether Leucrotta or Peryton are cryptids

Why not?


Zaister wrote:
Dragon78 wrote:
Nether Leucrotta or Peryton are cryptids
Why not?

Because no one in modern times believes that they really exist.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Evil Midnight Lurker wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
In any event... Mothman is in other words in Pathfinder pretty much because of Keel's book. Some of the more sci-fi elements in that book (ufos, men in black) don't really translate all that well to a fantasy setting... but we'll see what we can do!
The... what was it, "keepers?" from 3.5 were fantasy Men in Black of the old school, and pretty well done, so it's certainly possible. :)

They didn't wear black modern suits or modern sunglasses. That's my point—that's what the men in black are.

I was never a huge fan of the keepers anyway, though.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Corathon wrote:
Zaister wrote:
Dragon78 wrote:
Nether Leucrotta or Peryton are cryptids
Why not?
Because no one in modern times believes that they really exist.

Correct. They're both ancient cryptids, but not modern ones, and in my book... it has to be contemporary to be a cryptid. If it's not, then it's just a mythological creature.

Especially in a book where we have room for 10 creatures and more than 10 good choices of modern cryptozoological creatures to feature.

Shadow Lodge

Kajehase wrote:
I wouldn't bet against the Jackalope making its Pathfinder debut.

Can't give you a jakalope but you do get the wolpertinger in shattered star 1

As for other creatures I would love to see the water orm get an entry as well as some from outside the states like the mokele kimbe think it's too easy to just hit the well known ones and I know Paizo would do these little known monsters justice.

As for fey which someone mentioned earlier that is inbound with a fey revisited book coming up in March.

Dark Archive

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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

They need to make chocolate wolpertinger's.


I can't wait to find out what the rest of the critters that will be in this book are.


doc the grey wrote:
As for fey which someone mentioned earlier that is inbound with a fey revisited book coming up in March.

This is good news! I do so hope that Paizo covers some of the more oddball fey like the nuckelavee along with classics like the nymph and satyr.


Does Pathfinder have an analogue to the Beast of Gevaudan? Although I suppose any large wolf-like monster would work for that, like a Worg.

The Devil in Gray, from the Ustalav book, I think. No stats, though, as far as I've seen.


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scrmwrtr42 wrote:
Does Pathfinder have an analogue to the Beast of Gevaudan? Although I suppose any large wolf-like monster would work for that, like a Worg.
The Devil in Gray, from the Ustalav book, I think. No stats, though, as far as I've seen.

Yeah, I'd like to see one such myself, though it should be easy enough to do by giving a normal worg or winter wolf the Advanced and Giant templates and/or a few character levels (that, or have some evil druids or clerics of Lamashtu following it around to cast buffing and healing spells on it).

They made one such other reference briefly in Cities of Golarion, when they mentioned how in Lastwall they once had such a harsh winter that the river froze over. Then a pack of werewolves lead by 'a bob-tailed brute named Courtaud' entered the city to feast on the citizenry before getting killed. It's made even better by the fact that they took it from real history.


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Corathon wrote:
Because no one in modern times believes that they really exist.

Have you seen the Sci-Fi - sorry, I mean Syfy - show Destination Truth? I guarantee you, with all the stupid things people believe, there's someone somewhere who thinks perytons and leucrottas are real. They had a show where they looked for leprachauns... I felt dirty after that episode.


This is a fantastic idea! Paizo, you just figured out a new way to take my money in November...

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

nevermind


I'll have to keep waiting for the jackalope. :(


darth_borehd wrote:

I'll have to keep waiting for the jackalope. :(

They will never do the Jackalope and dropbear... they kinda hate those creatures :*(

They did the Flumph, normal horses and foxes, stupid Rasts (really the most pathetic creature in the entire MM1) and even Undead Gunmans, but a Jackalope and Drop Bear (many people crave for) are too funny and hilaric to do...

I can't understand that however, hope they change their minds in the future!

But see it on the bright side! The new AP has two very cool new Rabbit monsters in it!


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Leo_Negri wrote:

now why couldn't I remember the Bunyip? I remembered the African cryptids, why not the Australian one.

What about drop bears?

Contributor

There is the wolpertinger in Pathfinder #61...kindasorta similar to the jackalope.

Silver Crusade

Hopefully we'll get the full list soon? Or did I miss it?


Kvantum wrote:
We get a cryptids book before Fey? Seriously? I mean, it makes sense to have a cryptids book with as many as have been statted up for use in Pathfinder, but still... And this before a Monsters of the Dark Tapestry/Lovecraftian Nightmares book as well?

Yes, but only if their the creepy, eldritch fey like from Terry Prachett's books


Hopefully they will reveal the final list of cryptids in this book soon.


Final product image and description are up!


Oooh, stats for the Sandpoint Devil! Any chance one of the authors could tell us the CR?


There are stats for the Sandpoint Devil in the Innersea World Guide.

So we get:
1)Bunyip
2)Water Orm
3)Sea Serpant
4)Yeti
5)Bigfoot
6)Sandpoint Devil
7)Chupacabra
8)Deathworm
9)Mothmen
10)Mokele-mbembe

Interesting artwork, it looks like it was painted with water colors, at least the background and the monster anyway.

Silver Crusade

NIEC

Really curious about the Mokele-mbembe. I figure its presence in the book means that it won't just be a regular dinosaur, so something special must be up with that one. Eager to see what it is.

Eager to see what spin is put on a lot of these really. Death worm, Chupacabra, Sandpoint/Jersey Devil...

Can't help but wonder if there's going to be any connections or conflict between Sasquatches and Yetis...

Love that Vinod Rams seems to be getting tapped to do the covers for the "weird" monster book covers. Got to meet him and Emily Fiegenschuh* last GenCon. Really nice folks and some very fun and fantastic art from both of them.

*Y'know, if you're still looking for artists for Fey Revisited...


Dragon78 wrote:
There are stats for the Sandpoint Devil in the Innersea World Guide.

D'oh! No idea how I missed that, thanks.

Silver Crusade

Always LOVE an Ezren cover!

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