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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 3 (OGL)

4.90/5 (based on 15 ratings)
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 3 (OGL)
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Test your courage against the most infamous foes of myth and legend! Bestiary 3 presents hundreds of monsters for use in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Within this book you’ll find demiliches and demodands, grave knights and goblin snakes, norns and nephilim, imperial dragons and unfettered eidolons, and so much more! Yet not every creature needs to be an enemy, as winged garudas, crafty tanukis, and leonine lammasus all wait to join your party and answer the call of glory.

The Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 is the third indispensable volume of monsters for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and serves as a companion to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook and Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. 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 bestselling set of fantasy rules into the new millennium.

The Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 includes:

  • More than 300 different monsters
  • Classic terrors from myth and literature, from the frumious bandersnatch and the righteous valkyrie to the cunning dybbuk and elusive kappa
  • Hordes of new creatures you can construct, grow, or summon to aid your party in its adventures
  • New player-friendly races to let you adventure as canny ratfolk, genie-blooded sulis, and more
  • New familiars, animal companions, and other allies
  • Challenges for any adventure and every level of play
  • Some of the strangest and most beloved creatures from fantasy roleplaying history and the Pathfinder campaign setting
  • Hosts of new templates and variants
  • Appendices to aid in monster navigation, including lists by Challenge Rating, monster type, and habitat
  • Expanded universal monster rules to simplify special attacks, defenses, and qualities
  • ... and much, much more!

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-378-1

Errata
Last Updated - 11/10/2014

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Hero Lab Online
Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
Archives of Nethys

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4.90/5 (based on 15 ratings)

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A Major Contribution to the Game

5/5 —

The third bestiary of monsters for Pathfinder is chock-full of cool stuff. A few major themes for the book can be extracted: creatures from myth and literature (like sasquatches and valkyries), creatures with an Asian theme perfect for adventuring in Tian-Xia (such as kami and jiang-shi vampires), and the just plain really weird (like yithians and zoogs). As always with reviews of books like this, there's no way I can go through the hundreds of monsters individually, but I can say the writing and artwork is top-notch. Some particular things to note:

* The book has five new playable races: catfolk, ratfolk, suli, vanara, and vishkanya. There's always a demand for anthromorphic races like catfolk, and ratfolk later become prominent (under the name ysoki) in Starfinder. Suli don't do much for me and vishkanya are a race I've never seen played. But I do have to shout out to the monkey-like vanara, since a vanaran PC features prominently in my Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign!

* Several of the attempts from Misfit Monsters Redeemed to make goofy old monsters cool again are reprinted here, such as adherers and wolves-in-sheep's-clothing.

* Man, vulnudaemons are creepy.

* Love the artwork for animal lords--very Black Panther.

*The book introduces several new categories (sub-types) of monster: asuras (very cool concept I've never seen used), behemoths (creatures of divine vengeance on entire nations or worlds; a neat story idea), clockworks (a classic), demodands (titanspawn who hate the gods), divs (corrupted genies who strive for the ruin of all things made by mortals), imperial dragons (wingless, serpent-like dragons of Asian legend), kami (fixed-location nature spirits), kytons (creepy devils from the Plane of Shadows!), leshy (plant-like sentients), linnorms (cruel wingless dragons with a death curse), oni (evil spirits given form--the opposite of kami), rakshasa (drawn from Indian myth), sphinxes (with an interesting write-up), and thriaes (female bee-like seers). There's a real contribution to the richness of the game here, as all of these categories can then serve as the basis for rules-coherent variants introduced in later books.

All in all, Bestiary 3 is an excellent book and a smart purchase for a GM.

Another great addition to the Bestiary products

5/5 —

Reading through Bestiary 1 and 2, I was hoping that there will be even more eastern themed monsters. This Bestiary delivers just what I wanted! A must buy! Also, Flumph!!!

Best of the Bestiary

5/5 —

Bestiary 3 review is up on my blog.

This is probably my favorite of the Bestiaries so far, the content covers many iconic monsters from editions past, and stuff from the Adventure Paths. With great Asian flair for the Tian Xia world guide that is coming up, as well as many incredible monsters that have never graced the pages of a monster guide but are very welcome.

A great addition!

5/5 —

Although I'm generally opposed to the concept of core book "sequels," the content in 'Bestiary 3' is top notch. Whereas it took me some time to realize the usefulness of the monsters presented in 'Bestiary 2' (extraplanar/dimensional encounters rarely play a role in my campaigns), I immediately recognized many of the creatures in 'Bestiary 3' as either "iconic" or interesting variations on an established monster class.

As is to be expected, this book is well laid out and the illustrations are (mostly) top notch - Paizo rarely disappoints here! The Pathfinder Campaign Setting is still missing a few iconic monsters (mostly due to WotC's draconic licensing practices), but this volume (and the two which preceded it) gives GMs a huge variety of creatures to populate their encounters.

If I could make any suggestions for future 'Bestiary' volumes, the first would be to expand upon the lore provided - I realize it would likely halve the number of creatures included per book, but a two page spread (even for "simple" creatures like oozes) might help a GM find a place for a given creature within his campaign setting. Also, better illustrating a creature's size (perhaps even graphically) would be useful - general size classifications only go so far, and being able to see a silhouette of a given entry next to a human-sized creature would give both GMs and players a clear understanding of exactly how big a monster is (this was employed beautifully in an old FASA publication for Shadowrun: 'Paranormal Animals of North America' by Nigel Findley). Again, these are just suggestions on ways to improve an otherwise outstanding collection of Bestiaries. Keep up the good work!

Dodging the law of sequels

5/5 —

An excellent monster book, strong mythological presence (from various cultures). Probably even better than Bestiary 2. And it has the flumph! (this is a good thing, well its worth a page) If you're looking for a monster book for some critters outside of the real core you would well to pick this up.

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2 people marked this as a favorite.

CE turtles?
Liberty's Edge
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Kaiju!? I love you folks. Seriously, infinite high-fives.

I feel greedy even for asking, but will this have more oni? I realize there will probably be some in the Dragon-whatsit book, but it'd be nice to have some others in the Bestiary collection to hang out with the Ogre Mage.
Sovereign Court
1 person marked this as a favorite.

A THIRD Bestiary?! Impossible I say!

I shall have to purchase this book and peruse it's contents deeply to see how it's possible for yet even more fowl creatures to exist in a game such as the Pathfinder RPG.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8

Wow. That's... sooner than I was expecting. Good job keeping this under wraps until now. Or is development just going to be lightning-fast?
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Demiurge 1138 wrote:
Wow. That's... sooner than I was expecting. Good job keeping this under wraps until now. Or is development just going to be lightning-fast?

Rumours about this have been circling for months, and it was already confirmed in Undead Revisited

Shadow Lodge
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Sweet baby Cthulhu, YES!!!!!!!!!
Silver Crusade

:)

Those on-the-fly templates sound very helpful.

And the Harryhausen influence is definitely showing. ;)

ntin wrote:
CE turtles?

Hell yeah!

Shadow Lodge
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Kappa! Gods yeah!!!
Liberty's Edge

Ooooh, shiney.
Silver Crusade
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Ooooh shiny.

+1

Can't wait!

Wohooo.
Dark Archive

Yummy. Do want.

And great cover, BTW.
Liberty's Edge

Here's hoping for a Ghoulish template. I LOVE TEMPLATES!

More dragons, whoo!
The Exchange

Could we possibly hope for expanded Summon Monster and Summon Nature's Ally lists in this one? Or, at least, some rules / guidelines for creating custom lists?
Dark Archive

I hope that is not a mock up of the cover because it looks great!!!

I can't wait for this one, I love monster books, and that artwork looks official or is it a very good mock up?

Kaiju, I hpoe to god this is a template
Kappa, I love theese guys
Faerie dragon, I hope they use new art for this one
Nixie, I hope they keep the old art for this one
Imperial dragons, got my interest
Savage cyclopes, yes please
mores shynxes... check
Clockwork killers, I am interested
Vanaras, sweet
Sleipnir...wow really
Grave knights, I knew that
Dark Archive
bigkilla wrote:
I hope that is not a mock up of the cover because it looks great!!!

+1 for the cover art!

Sphinxes, imperial dragons, and clockwork... It's like you're reading my mind.
1 person marked this as FAQ candidate.

Faerie Dragons FTW..can we have them as familiars..or Cohorts at least.

The bonus beastairy said you could get them as familiars with the "improved familiar" feat and be 7th level.

Kaiju? I can see it now....

The water outside Sharn rises early one morning, revealing the scaled, green menace that the city had come to known as a routine destroyer of towers. Hauling its reptilian bulk out of the Dagger River, it proceeds to wreck docks, towers, warehouses, and other structures as the populace flee in terror screaming...

"AHHHHH!! ITS GODZILLA!!!!!"

Also hoping kaiju is a template. It makes more sense as a template.

I'm guessing that is actual cover art. It would be a very strange mix of creatures to appear anywhere together besides a bestiary cover.
Liberty's Edge
Wolf Munroe wrote:

Also hoping kaiju is a template. It makes more sense as a template.

I'm guessing that is actual cover art. It would be a very strange mix of creatures to appear anywhere together besides a bestiary cover.

It's the cover they shown an the banquet.

Which was hard to see from the back corner but is pretty sharp.
Liberty's Edge

So I'm assuming we'll be getting a savage cyclops mini shortly after release (similar to the troll from vol 1 and the jabberwok from vol 2)?
Liberty's Edge

Sooooo looking forward to this.
Contributor

Faerie Dragon!!!!!!!!!!1!!!! :D

Apple tarts for everyone! :D

Now I can have a 8 headed half green dragon hydra kaiju and call him Orochi.

Squeeeeeee!
Dark Archive

Bestiary 3, the big test.
Can Paizo keep up the quality from the first two or are we going to get wolf spiders, crabmen and lava children?

I'd say the quality will be as high but you can't let your guard down or the junk will slip in.
Silver Crusade
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
chopswil wrote:

Bestiary 3, the big test.

Can Paizo keep up the quality from the first two or are we going to get wolf spiders, crabmen and lava children?

I'd say the quality will be as high but you can't let your guard down or the junk will slip in.

I think you need to read Misfit Monsters Redeemed before making such backhanded comments about Lava Children :)

I am already looking forward to this book. Now if Borders online store could only get a little more on the ball with getting the new pathfinder material in..

Me Want!

bestiaries as so far the "specialization" of Paizo. Very curious.

I do wonder if there is some high CR fey creature, and other oriental themed monsters other than Kappas and the others above.

Very happy of an apparently massive comeback of tamplates.

And: +1 on the cover.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Wolf Munroe wrote:
Also hoping kaiju is a template. It makes more sense as a template.

What's a kaiju? Where's that from?

Liberty's Edge
Zaister wrote:
Wolf Munroe wrote:
Also hoping kaiju is a template. It makes more sense as a template.
What's a kaiju? Where's that from?

Kaiju is the generic term for giant monsters such as Godzilla, Gamera, Mothra, etc.

Is there also a film/anime explanation for why the humurous/menacing turtle dudes have holes in the top of their heads?
Shadow Lodge
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Quandary wrote:
Is there also a film/anime explanation for why the humurous/menacing turtle dudes have holes in the top of their heads?

Explanation

Silver Crusade
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Quandary wrote:
Is there also a film/anime explanation for why the humurous/menacing turtle dudes have holes in the top of their heads?

You don't need anime/film, the japanese folklore provides an explanation.

Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Quandary wrote:
Is there also a film/anime explanation for why the humurous/menacing turtle dudes have holes in the top of their heads?

No. However, the mythological explanation is that they cannot leave the water of their home body of water behind without dying. The "hole" on the top of their heads is actually a natural bowl-shaped indentation that allows them to carry their home water with them when they venture onto dry land. The mythology also depicts them as monkey-like in form with scales and a turtle shell and webbed appendages.

EDIT: Ninja'd
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Kaiyanwang wrote:

Me Want!

bestiaries as so far the "specialization" of Paizo. Very curious.

I do wonder if there is some high CR fey creature, and other oriental themed monsters other than Kappas and the others above.

Very happy of an apparently massive comeback of tamplates.

And: +1 on the cover.

The Imperial Dragons mentioned in the description are Asian themed, they are significant players in Tian Xia, as per the ap/modules seminar

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens Subscriber
Demiurge 1138 wrote:
Wow. That's... sooner than I was expecting. Good job keeping this under wraps until now. Or is development just going to be lightning-fast?

I expect one per year until Paizo runs out of steam. About a third of the entries will be reprints from AP bestiaries. I have faith they can keep coming up with creative and engaging monsters. I'm just voting for more CR 16-25 monsters.

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens Subscriber

Is that the final cover art? Looks very nice.

As this is clearly the "Asian" Bestiary, I'm guessing imperial dragons are "Asian"/lung dragons.
Owner - House of Books and Games LLC
Dragon78 wrote:

I can't wait for this one, I love monster books, and that artwork looks official or is it a very good mock up?

Kaiju, I hpoe to god this is a template
Kappa, I love theese guys
Faerie dragon, I hope they use new art for this one
Nixie, I hope they keep the old art for this one
Imperial dragons, got my interest
Savage cyclopes, yes please
mores shynxes... check
Clockwork killers, I am interested
Vanaras, sweet
Sleipnir...wow really
Grave knights, I knew that

Where is all this info from?

gbonehead wrote:


Where is all this info from?

Scroll up to the product description. ;-)

Lazaro wrote:
Quandary wrote:
Is there also a film/anime explanation for why the humurous/menacing turtle dudes have holes in the top of their heads?
Explanation

yep. Kappa WORKS that way. I tend to play spirits more related to folklore.

My players are SCARED by fey.

Sleipnir: it's nice to see this guy getting some love. Too often mythological horses get stuck in the Greek realm with Pegasus and Unicorn.

Although one can hope that the Paizo staff casts an even wider net as they go: there are some particularly interesting examples still out there like Uchchaihshravas.

Could we see the Lovecraft monsters from Wake of the Watcher?
That would seal the deal for me.
Owner - House of Books and Games LLC
Joseph Wilson wrote:
gbonehead wrote:


Where is all this info from?

Scroll up to the product description. ;-)

Jeez. You know, I read it twice just so I wouldn't feel like an idiot. Next time I'm doing a text search on the page :)

No complaints here on the presence of Asian-themed monsters, but I think that should've been more suited to its own, 128 page maybe, product rather than mixed with a Bestiary. Interested in the kaiju, I hope it's a template like it was in 3e D&D from that OA-themed issue of Dragon
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

As a short, somewhat cynical, sidenote, I recommend that people take the list of what is going to be in the book with a grain of salt, based on recent experience. It seems that a list stating what is going to be in the book is more meant to be a list of "here's what we think is going to be in the book, some of it will be, some most likely won't, and some will be partly in and partly out, depending on how our editing goes."

Just sayin.
Dark Archive
Nemo235 wrote:

Could we see the Lovecraft monsters from Wake of the Watcher?

That would seal the deal for me.

+1 billion!

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