Pathfinder and the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path famously reimagined goblins, detailing their culture, mannerisms, and tactics in a way that made a boring old monster one of the most hotly discussed foes in fantasy roleplaying. Now, the minds that bring you Pathfinder have applied the same method to ten "classic" monsters, providing complete ecological discussions and adventure ideas involving orcs, ogres, goblins, hobgoblins, trolls, bugbears, and more in this lavishly illustrated, full-color 64-page overview that is both fun to read and fun to use at the gaming table.
Designed for use with the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting but easily portable to any fantasy campaign, Classic Monsters Revisited is a resource gamers can turn to again and again.
At some point I browsed the MM and tried really, really hard to see some meaningful difference between a Bugbear, an Orc, a Hobgoblin and an Ogre. Couldn't find any. Brutish low CR cannon fodder...
And then I got this book.
And now my life makes sense ! ;) Seriously, this book is pure gold, it makes these insofar generic monsters come to life. After an evening with CMR I have a clear vision about what makes an Ogre such feared opponent in Golarion. I believe any fantasy GM can profit from this volume, it contains plethora of plot hooks and cool trivia. One of the best Chronicles products so far !
This book has completely changed my weekly game. I had somewhat grown jaded in regards to the "simple monsters" of D&D, but the elements of "monster roleplay" advice given in this book is nearly enough to qualify for credits in acting classes! It's fun to see my players scratch their chins trying to wonder why this goblin talked back, and why he ignores the 30+ STR fighter's intimidating pose, just to recoil in utter, abject terror when the chihuahua pocket dog familiar rears it's head out of fold in the wizard's robes... LOL!
With Classic Monsters Revisited, the good folks at Paizo have breathed new life into a lot of monsters that are generally considered cannon fodder in D&D games across the globe. Bugbears, gnolls, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, lizardfolk, minotaurs, ogres, orcs, and trolls are now so much more than cannon fodder. They're scary monsters, Funny at times (particularly the goblins), but scary.
What Paizo has done is define each race's role in the game, transforming the monsters from numbers in a Monster Manual into very good storytelling tools for DMs. Want to create a "The Hills Have Eyes" adventure for your players? Use the ogres. Have an idea for a catch-the-serial-killer adventure? Read the bugbear entry. Each monster in Classic Monsters Revisited has a clearly defined role in Pathfinder and the fluff is incredibly detailed.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The creative way in which they breathed new life into old monsters was nothing short of astounding. I look forward to a sequel (hint, hint).
I was very impressed with this. Use this book and your players will never say "it's just a bugbear" again. I actually liked the interpretation of the ogres best; I can see lots of "The Hills Have Eyes"-like scenarios ...
This book is spectacular. I have a stack of monster books a foot high next to my gaming table and this one always seems to be on top of the pile these days. A must have for any GM's library.
This is a fantastic book that is a must for anyone who wants to have monsters with the feel of Golarion, Paizo's new world for their Pathfinder milieu.
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