Too often in fantasy role-playing games, be they Dungeons & Dragons or another system, the most popular monsters end up being little more than clones or parodies of one another. Orcs end up being slightly tougher versions of goblins, and ogres are just bigger orcs. Classic Creatures Revisited seeks to put this problem to rest, and does so admirably.

Technically, this book uses the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons rules. However, outside of a few sidebars, the book is almost entirely role-playing information and adventure ideas, meaning it can be used in any edition of D&D -- or, really, in any fantasy role-playing system. What this book offers is a chance to look at the old standards differently. Bugbears go from being big goblins to the bogeymen that hide under children's beds. Kobolds are sneaky, devious creatures that strike from the shadows using traps and stealth. Goblins are psychotic and dangerous, but somehow cute in their own gremlin-esque way. Each entry has details on a monster's culture, ecology, and how they can be fit into the campaign. While the book is intended to be used in the Pathfinder setting of Golarion, it is almost entirely generic, and can be ported over to any game.

This book offers the most valuable resources of all: the chance for Game Masters to get a fresh look on creatures and new ideas for all manner of terrific adventures. From a player's perspective, it's a wonderful read and a chance to get some insight on some classic fantasy monsters. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This is a great piece of work. It's a fabulous look at some of the most iconic D&D creatures. My favorite is the Goblins. My only small gripe is I like to see a little more crunch.

I bought Classic Monsters Revisited on the high recommendations it had been getting here. I wasn't disappointed.

Anybody looking for a game book which details rules, feats, powers, equipment, and "crunch" regarding classics such as Bugbears, Orcs, Gnolls, Goblins, and others turn away, because this book contains little to none. What the book does have is flavor dripping from its pages in what can only be described as one of the best "fluff" books on monster ecologies ever written.

I can't say much beyond what's already been said other than this:

If you're looking for a unique way to present older creatures which may have worn out some of their appeal other than that of canon fodder, look no further. You'll look at everything in slightly new light (and will never look at Goblins the same way again) and I can guarantee you'll WANT your group to meet up with your goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins just for the role-playing opportunities.

This is perhaps the best product I have seen in many a moons! Pathfinder is starting to lay a ground work for an outstanding RPG, with their flavor for description of their world, the nuances they interweave into things, and the products they create. This particular book revisits 10 classic monsters that many havbe glossed over. The Goblin, Kobold, Orc, Ogre, Troll, Hobgoblin, Bugbear, etc, are the classic monsters that we started out against when we played those low level campaigns. But, after a while, they lost their crunch. But no more!

Pathfinder revisions 10 classic monsters and has created truly interesting new versions of these creatures. No more do the Kobolds seems like fodder. No more do the Orcs seem just another monster to hack and slash. They have been revisioned with new sight. As a player, I would now be excited and scared to see theese new versions of past creatures.

Kudos, Paizo, for taking this project on. I highly recommend this product to all. Whether you choose to use the Pathfinder world, one of the numerous settings out there, or in your own home-brewed world, this is an essential product you should pick up and use.

I hope Paize chooses to do more with this line in the future.

Over at rpg.net:

CLASSIC MONSTERS REVISITED

I thoroughly enjoyed Classic Monsters Revisited. The monsters feel both familiar and different, and players who enjoy exploring the psychology of their foes before taking them down are in for a monstrous (pun intended) surprise. ("What do you mean the ogre's not attacking the rest of the party? Wait, why's he parting my PC's legs? He's doing what?!?") DMs who find their 4th edition Monster Manual sparse with fluff will especially appreciate Revisited.

This so far has been one of the few Paizo Pathfinder products which didn’t pack a punch. The premise, that lured me in, seemed very promising: take ten played-out monsters and administer a panacea of Paizo pizzazz. I was expecting a plethora of crunch for my peso: examples of monsters reworked, maybe some new templates, racial/monster feats, and monster stat-blocks. Instead I got fluff. Sure there was some interesting twists (bugbears spring to mind), but nothing that really justifies a $13+ price tag.

I guess after purchasing other Pathfinder products my expectations were set too high. This certainly didn’t approach the quality and quantity of exemplary products like Burnt Offerings or Skinsaw Murders.

There is one thing that does somewhat fall short, but only in a couple of entries: the orc and goblin have no real crunch entries. Aside from that, the rest of the entries are all very satisfying. They got me pondering, and now I want to use bugbears and ogres like they're going out of style. Very creepy, sick, brutal, nasty stuff, and I love every bit of it. That Nick Logue is one twisted pup, and God bless him for that. The hobgoblin combat-geared alchemy sounds intriguing as well. Arsonist goblins do appear logically driven, and trolls that disembowel themselves to divine the future...just freaking awesome. Pathfinder is the true way for the future, and I love reading its work.

Whats old is fresh and new once again thanx to this little gem. The way each critter in the book is envisioned for pathfinder is top notch. I'll be making the appropriate tweaks to my campaign ASAP!!!
Excellent Work!

Take some tired old monsters, add a dash of Paizo quality, and you get Classic Monsters Revisited. This is a fantastic book that can really be used in any campaign. No foreknowledge of Golarion is required.

Generally excellent but I'm knocking one star for the gnoll article. Gnolls, they're like Hyenas. Yeah, got it. As my favorite classic monster I had hoped for more.