Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary (OGL) Pocket Edition

5.00/5 (based on 4 ratings)
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary (OGL)
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Here there be monsters!

What is a hero without monsters to vanquish? This 328-page book presents hundreds of different creatures for use in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Within this tome you'll find fire-breathing dragons and blood-drinking vampires, vile demons and shapechanging werewolves, sadistic goblins and lumbering giants, and so much more! Yet not all the creatures in this book are enemies, for some can serve lucky heroes as allies or advisors, be they summoned angels or capricious nymphs. And it doesn't stop there—with full rules for advancing monsters, adapting monsters to different roles, and designing your own unique creations, you'll never be without a band of hideous minions again!

The Pathfinder RPG Bestiary is the must-have companion volume to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. 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 best-selling set of fantasy rules into the new millennium.

The Pathfinder RPG Bestiary includes:

  • More than 350 different monsters
  • Dozens of monstrous variants to modify creatures and keep players on their toes
  • Numerous lists of monsters to aid in navigation, including lists by Challenge Rating, monster type, and habitat
  • Extensive rules for creating effective and balanced monsters
  • Rules for advancing monsters by hit dice, template, or class level
  • Universal monster rules to simplify special attacks, defenses, and qualities like breath weapons, damage reduction, and regeneration
  • More than a dozen feats tailored especially for monsters
  • Suggestions for monstrous cohorts
  • Two dozen additional animal companions
  • More than a dozen different wandering monster encounter tables
  • ... and much, much more!

Available Formats

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary is also available as:

  • A 328-page hardcover
  • A 328-page PDF (includes a "Lite" version optimized for mobile devices)

Pocket Edition ISBN: 978-1-60125-888-5
Estimated Dimensions/Weight: 8.4" x 6.5" x 0.6"; 1.6 pounds

Note: The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary Pocket Edition is not included in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game subscription.

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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary (OGL) Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook (OGL)

Product Availability

Pocket Edition:

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Non-Mint:

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This product is non-mint. Refunds are not available for non-mint products. The standard version of this product can be found here.

Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at store@paizo.com.

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5.00/5 (based on 4 ratings)

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A (More Compact!) Way to Challenge Your Players

5/5

The rest of this review is the same as my review of the hardcover Bestiary, but I wanted to add a note here that this pocket edition is great. It's stood up well to lots of use but remains in great shape. It's lighter by far than a hardcover book, but still quite readable.

Bestiaries are Pathfinder's version of the D&D Monster Manuals: reference books containing descriptions and stat-blocks for hundreds of new creatures for PCs to battle, bother, or befriend. They're not designed to be read cover to cover, and that's exactly what I did for this review. The Bestiary weighs in at 327 pages and contains (according to the back-cover) over 350 different monsters arranged in alphabetical order.

The book starts with a two-page Introduction, and it's actually worth reading because it explains what the (28!) different categories of information in a creature's stat block mean. It also introduces the the "Monster Icons" scheme, wherein each monster receives three different icons to visually denote its creature type, terrain, and climate. I like the idea of the icons, but I find them too small and similar to be useful, and I'm not interested in flipping back to page 5 too figure out what they mean. I'm happy just reading the corresponding entries in the stat block.

For monsters, we start with Aasimar on page 7 and run through until Zombie on page 289. This is what the book is all about, but it's a challenging thing to review as my notes are full of bits of scattered remarks about dozens of different monsters. As I can't figure out a coherent way to synthesize them, I'm going to take the unusual tack of just including them as a sort of impressionistic picture of what's in the book. Skim to the bottom for more of the review.

"A"

--aboleths are a lot tougher than CR might indicate!

--Not officially Golarion, but flavour in entries generally compatible

--backdoor cosmology with angels stuff

--really good write-up of Solar Angels

--Army Ant Swarms are pretty nasty!

--like archons--I've never really seen them used outside of summoning, when no RP is involved

--azatas: CG celestials

Bs

--cool how barghests become greater!

--bebiliths: wow, awesome art for an awesome creature!

--bugbear artwork is weird, but fascinating bit on "The Nature of Goblinoid Evil"

Cs

--creepy Choker

--good mixture of animals and various types of monsters

--a lot of classic ones, but some new ones (like chuul) as well

--like history of cyclops and flash of insight power

Ds

--dark folk and dark stalkers?!?! humanoid subtype with language--never heard of them...

--demons! Good, engaging, clear explanation

--don't argue with a balor demon!

--great stories for demons--quasit familiars taking master's souls!

--devils! emphasis on hierarchy

--a good variety of tough foes, with lots of HP and resistances

--great writeup of lemure devils

--fantastic artwork all the way through!

--Devourers are pretty nasty for their CR!

--too many dinosaurs!

--dragons! stat blocks are so long, there's very little description

--driders and drow: underused

E

--elementals

F

--familiar (no idea that was here!)

--froghemoth--really?

G

--gelatinous cubes are really dangerous!

--genies

--love Shaitan genie art

--ghosts: emphasis on story-based customization, 2 page spread

--Giants!

--fun gibbering mouthers artwork

--goblins

--golems

Hs

--half- templates

--occasionally the titles aren't the most intuitive: "Herd animal, bison" for example

--need full stats for combat-trained horses

Is

--intellect devourer--WTF!

Ks

--kytons are cool/creepy

Ls

--lamia artwork is regrettable

--lich: gotta have 'em!

--linnorms are nasty, especially curses and poison!

--lycanthrope template

Ms

--medusas, minotaurs, mimics--all the classics!

--mummy rot sure is nasty!

Ns

-- nagas look dumb

--neothelids are intriguing! need more

--nymphs have cool boons

Os

--Oni need better explanation

Ps

--good amount of player detail for pegasi

Rs

--rakhasa: a lot of potential in the right campaign

--retrievers are scary

--rust monsters!

Ss

--sea hag artwork is great! (and evil eye comatose ability!)

--shadows can be quite more lethal than CR

--touch ACs are so low because of artificial natural armor bonuses, making Alchemists and Gunslingers especially powerful

--shoggoths arent very scary for CR19

--skum have surprisingly interesting write-up

--giant slugs too goofy

Ts

--tarrasque: bad pic, underwhelming

--troglodyte pic is great!

Us

Vs

--vampires: elaborate template

--vargouille's kiss is nasty

Ws

Xs

--xills are awesome!

Zs

--zombie pic is hilarious

Hm, that was embarrassing. Sorry!

After the monster entries are a series of appendices, and these definitely add value to the book.

Appendix 1 is Monster Creation, and it offers a very thorough and clear guide to monster creation. There are a *lot* of moving parts to creating balanced monsters in Pathfinder, so this will take some time until you get the hang of it. Appendix 2 is Monster Advancement, and this is another important part of the book because it shows GMs how to adjust creatures in the book to make them more or less powerful by adding simple templates (like "Giant" or "Young") and by adding racial hit dice or class levels. Appendix 3 is the section of the book I use more than any other, and it's indispensable: Universal Monster Rules. In order to save space and avoid repetition in stat blocks, common monster abilities are fleshed out here: everything from Darkvision to Damage Reduction to Incorporeal and more. Only very, very experienced GMs should try to run creatures just from the stat blocks without remembering to double-check what their monster abilities do, precisely, in the Universal Monster Rules. The same appendix also contains creature Types and Subtypes, which are like packages of basic information that all creatures of a particular category, such as demons or animals, share. Again, this is to save space in stat blocks. Appendix 4 is very short, and provides some advice on Monsters as PCs. I've never used it. Appendix 5 is Monster Feats, though some PCs may actually legitimately use some of them like Craft Construct. If you notice that a monster has a feat you can't find in the Core Rulebook, that's probably because it's listed here. Appendices 6 and 7 list Monster Cohorts (for the Leadership feat) and Animal Companions (for druids and rangers), respectively. Appendices 8-12 are indexes that help a GM who is looking for monsters of a particular type, CR, terrain, etc. Really useful information that most people who just use online databases probably never realized was available. Finally, Appendix 14 contains Encounter Tables broken up by terrain. These include average CRs for an each table, but I still think it'd be foolish to actually roll on them: in a Hill/Mountain, region, for example, your PCs could run into CR 3 orcs or CR 12 fire giants. A party that is challenged by the former would be curb-stomped by the latter. Good random encounter table design needs to have a narrow range of CRs before they become feasible.

I'm not a huge monster guy like some people, but I definitely enjoyed reading the Bestiary and I learned a lot about the core monsters of the setting. I know there are five later books that expand the selection far more, but much of what I see in APs and PFS still draws from this book. Along with the Core Rulebook, it's safe to say that the Bestiary was one of the releases that helped to solidify Paizo's reputation as a company that publishes the highest calibre of RPG books in terms of writing quality, artwork, design, and layout. It's not indispensable since there are multiple websites that present the same information, but for ease of use (and the joy of skimming), the Bestiary is one of those books that every GM should have.


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Dark Archive

The hardcover Bestiary is 1.2 kilos/2.4 pounds - this pocket edition is 0.8 kilos/1.6 pounds.

That's 0.4 kg/0.8 lbs lighter.

Sold!

Silver Crusade

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

*picks up his tablet*

Still lighter.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Pathfinder Accessories, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Looking forward to seeing this on store shelves. Not my shelves, at least until my current copies fall apart.


Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

I might get this only to lighten the load of my gaming bag. Lugging around 3 Bestiaries takes up a lot of space that could be used for other books.

I hear you Gorbacz, but I really prefer the book in hand vs a phone or tablet.

RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

I don't really understand what this is or why I would want it.

Silver Crusade

It's a smaller (and I'm assuming softcover?) bestiary that's easier to port around. Also cheaper.

Dark Archive

This is NOT a softcover!
It is modeled after the german "Das Schwarze Auge/The Dark Eye" RPG pocket edition, which is hard-bound but small.

A softcover wouldn't do as an alternative for me as it would be ruined really fast.

Dark Archive

Is this black and white interior or color?

Sovereign Court

Does this bestiary have the abbreviated "unchained" stat blocks??


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

No, it has the exact same content as the standard Bestiary.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

1 person marked this as a favorite.

It uses the same exact layout file as the regular hardcover, with the output scaled to 78%. Full-color, softcover.

Grand Lodge

Marco Massoudi wrote:
This is NOT a softcover!

If you follow the link back to the original HC version and look at the same location on the page for the link back to this page, it is listed as "pocket edition softcover" which matches the link names for the CRB as well. That would indicate to me the pocket edition series is all soft covers. If that is not correct, the link names should be changed.

Liberty's Edge

Vic just says in the post *just* above yours that it is indeed softcover.


Vic Wertz wrote:
It uses the same exact layout file as the regular hardcover, with the output scaled to 78%. Full-color, softcover.

Do you sell a magnifying glass with it? :)

I'll pass on this. Nice idea, as all these books are very heavy, but being reduced 78% is too hard for me to read. It still doesn't beat a tablet or laptop in terms of portability.

Dark Archive

2 people marked this as a favorite.
darth_borehd wrote:
Vic Wertz wrote:
It uses the same exact layout file as the regular hardcover, with the output scaled to 78%. Full-color, softcover.

Do you sell a magnifying glass with it? :)

I'll pass on this. Nice idea, as all these books are very heavy, but being reduced 78% is too hard for me to read. It still doesn't beat a tablet or laptop in terms of portability.

It's not reduced 78%, but TO 78%.

That is a reduction of 22%.

Dont you kids learn anything at school today? ;-)

Scarab Sages

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I really think an opportunity was missed here for all pocket editions.

If the book had all art removed, as well as fluff text, and was repaginated in a book 78% the size it would probably be smaller with the same font size as the original.

Silver Crusade

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Then absolutely no one would buy it.

The art is specifically why people buy the books.


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Speak for yourself. For the Core Rulebook, I just want a reference to take to games.

But I would agree that the Bestiary needs to keep its artwork.

Silver Crusade

5 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Horselord wrote:

I really think an opportunity was missed here for all pocket editions.

If the book had all art removed, as well as fluff text, and was repaginated in a book 78% the size it would probably be smaller with the same font size as the original.

Tablet/phone, Internet, d20pfsrd/Archives of Nethys/PRD. There, exactly what you are after.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Horselord wrote:

I really think an opportunity was missed here for all pocket editions.

If the book had all art removed, as well as fluff text, and was repaginated in a book 78% the size it would probably be smaller with the same font size as the original.

And suddenly you have a book, where pagenumber-referencing doesn't work, regardless of version and printing.

If you just need to look up rules, there are (free) apps for that (that don't require an internet connection), making this task possibly faster than going through the book, thanks to a search-function.

Technology can help games.

Dark Archive

This seems to havn't been shipped to Germany.
My store had the CRB pocket edition in english and german language, but this here only in german language...

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Do you know which distributor your store buys from?


How were these received at GenCon, Vic? Good response?

Dark Archive

Vic Wertz wrote:
Do you know which distributor your store buys from?

I'll ask tomorrow and inform you then

Thx, Vic. :-)

Dark Archive

Vic Wertz wrote:
Do you know which distributor your store buys from?

It was a shipping delay, some crates were missing.

The Bestiary PE should come in the next weeks.
Thank you for asking. :-)

Dark Archive

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Any chance of seeing the other bestiarys in the same format? It would be more useful to have all five in smaller size than one and then four regular.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Steve Geddes wrote:
How were these received at GenCon, Vic? Good response?

Sorry, Steve—I missed that question before. Yeah, we're quite happy with how they've been received. Looks like we need to print more already!


I'm glad. I'll be preordering the other bestiaries for sure if they make it onto the schedule.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

6 people marked this as a favorite.
Mine all mine...don't touch wrote:
Any chance of seeing the other bestiarys in the same format? It would be more useful to have all five in smaller size than one and then four regular.

Now that the first one has done well enough, we'll start discussing the possibility.

Sovereign Court

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I'm another +1 in seeing the bestiaries in a smaller format. At would make it so much easier for pulling out monsters to improvise with as a GM

Dark Archive

1 person marked this as a favorite.

+1 also for Bestiary 2-5 Pocket Edition.

Also Advanced Players Guide, Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat!


I'll just settle for Bestiary in pocket format. Makes it easier for me to carry around.


Yeah, my preference is for the "DM-ey" books. Bestiaries, Codices and maybe Ultimate Campaign. I'd probably get the others too, but they're not so useful to me.


Marco Massoudi wrote:

+1 also for Bestiary 2-5 Pocket Edition.

Also Advanced Players Guide, Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat!

/same

I showed the Pocket Core around this weekend, and at least one of the guys wants to get Bestiary 2-5 in Pocket Edition.

So, yes, if possible, do Pocket Editions of all the books.

I'd preorder a Pocket Ultimate Equipment right now.

Dark Archive

I think pocket editions of everything is very unlikely as it runs the risk of pulling sales away from new product. If everything comes out in a smaller cheaper format sales on hardbacks would surely drop. That said I would jump all over bestiaries 2-5.

Dark Archive

Why no ratings yet?

I would do it, but my shop's shipment had some crates missing and i only got to see the german version (which's translations i don't like).

Please rate if you got one! :-)


I only have the Core Rulebook Pocket Edition.

Dark Archive

Still nobody seems to have a copy of this - strange.
I hope to get one next month, otherwise i have to buy the badly translated german version.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Marco Massoudi wrote:

Still nobody seems to have a copy of this - strange.

I hope to get one next month, otherwise i have to buy the badly translated german version.

Why do you think it is badly translated? I admit there were some gaffes in the first printings of the Grundregelwerk and Monsterhandbuch, but there have been numerous reprints where mistakes were eliminated.

Dark Archive

Zaister wrote:
Marco Massoudi wrote:

Still nobody seems to have a copy of this - strange.

I hope to get one next month, otherwise i have to buy the badly translated german version.
Why do you think it is badly translated? I admit there were some gaffes in the first printings of the Grundregelwerk and Monsterhandbuch, but there have been numerous reprints where mistakes were eliminated.

"Ulisses Spiele" translates everything in the style of "Das Schwarze Auge", which is written very flowery like Lord of the Rings, no matter how it is in the original text. I don´t want this "classic" fantasy terming if it is not also there in the original - which it isn´t with Pathfinder.

Believe me, when you compare "The Inner Sea World Guide" to the "Almanach der Inneren See" there are multiple bad translations that change the original wording to something that is not recognizable anymore.


Marco Massoudi wrote:

Still nobody seems to have a copy of this - strange.

I hope to get one next month, otherwise i have to buy the badly translated german version.

I have a copy. Do you have a question about it?

Dark Archive

Steve Geddes wrote:
Marco Massoudi wrote:

Still nobody seems to have a copy of this - strange.

I hope to get one next month, otherwise i have to buy the badly translated german version.
I have a copy. Do you have a question about it?

It's the 3rd printing, isn't it?

How is the art size/stat block size holding up?
Does it have the same problem as the CRB pocket lying flat open on the first/last pages (cause it isn't as thick)?

Maybe you want to be the first one to write a review? ;-)

Thank you, Steve - much appreciated! :-)


1 person marked this as a favorite.

It does match the third printing of the hardcover.

I think the art size is excellent - no loss of impact there and the book is easier to hold up for the players, so I think that's good.

The font size is smallish - my 46 year old eyes can't read it if I'm tired or if I don't have my glasses. I think it's usable though.

It doesn't sit flat without something weighing it down (I could read everything from elemental to otyugh without a weight, but it wouldn't stay open beyond those).

I suspect there'll be a lot of reports of the binding falling apart. I'd definitely recommend heavily working the 'prefolded' crease on each cover. It creates a kind of brace for when you do leave the book open (presuming it works the same as the 64 page books).

Liberty's Edge

I love the size of these books.
I wouldn't buy all the hardcovers in this format, but I would definitely buy the monster books if they would be printed in this format and maybe the Ultimate Equipment book.


Oh yeah, UE-Pocket!

Dark Archive

Bestiaries are probably the most needed books to be converted into the pocket format.
I found they loose nothing from the size decrease and are still clearly readable.

The CRB lost a tiny little bit in my eyes, i don't know how the Ultimate Equipment would do with it's even more text and less pictures ratio.
Probably no problem for good eyes.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Previously I had all RPG-line books as nice PDF's on a tablet, as well as pure text versions in an app on said tablet, if I'm to GM not at home (most of the time).

Since the Pocket Editions of the Core rulebook and Bestiary 1, I do have those two books with me as well. I don't know if I'm to get all the other Bestiaries, if they were being produced in the same format.
(2 probably, 3 maybe, 4 and beyond likely not.)
The ARG, ACG, UM, UC and others aren't that necessary in day-to-day gaming, but UE would be a really nice addition for me.

Any time loot is handed out, we are grabbing a tablet or phone to look up what exactly that item does, if it isn't a simple +2 flaming longsword.
UE could eliminate that for the most part.

(And yes, we are a group of younger gamers, with me being the oldest at 33, still 5 of us 7 need seeing aids (contact-lenses or glasses/spectacles) but we don't have a problem with the smaller printing)

Dark Archive

Franz Lunzer wrote:

Previously I had all RPG-line books as nice PDF's on a tablet, as well as pure text versions in an app on said tablet, if I'm to GM not at home (most of the time).

Since the Pocket Editions of the Core rulebook and Bestiary 1, I do have those two books with me as well. I don't know if I'm to get all the other Bestiaries, if they were being produced in the same format.
(2 probably, 3 maybe, 4 and beyond likely not.)
The ARG, ACG, UM, UC and others aren't that necessary in day-to-day gaming, but UE would be a really nice addition for me.

Any time loot is handed out, we are grabbing a tablet or phone to look up what exactly that item does, if it isn't a simple +2 flaming longsword.
UE could eliminate that for the most part.

(And yes, we are a group of younger gamers, with me being the oldest at 33, still 5 of us 7 need seeing aids (contact-lenses or glasses/spectacles) but we don't have a problem with the smaller printing)

I also find it much easier to open a book and flip to the page where i know to find something, than using an electronic device and having to type in something - i know the Core Rulebook so well, that i can find almost everything in a few seconds.

The Advanced Players Guide is something that i would like to have as a pocket Edition, but you are probably right about the UE book being very handy for obvious reasons.

I´m now going to post in the product page of these two that i want them as a pocket edition.
I encourage you to do the same, Franz. ;-)


Will follow your lead.

Scarab Sages Webstore Coordinator

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