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It is possible both are true and operate on alternating 6 year cycles so that each event only comes around once every 12 years. The first sounds like a much more somber tradition requiring sacrifice for a blessing upon the nation, and results in a new ruler. While the second event sounds like a fun festival! Or they could happen on the same 12 year cycle, with the opening ceremony seeing the departure of the soon to be new monarch, followed by the festival like Princess Processions.
As for the Intercessor, that could be a formal position, and the Intercessor might travel with the new Monarch up Iron Mountain. The Intercessor is probably responsible for performing the ritual that calls the celestial dragon.
This is all just interpretation of the text that allows all statements to be true. But maybe it will be helpful.
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Since it is very Casmaron related I wanted to call out Ginevers. For context in 1E Ginevers were listed as monstrous humanoids, opening the possibility for them to be a humanoid Ancestry in 2E. In 1E we learn that Ginevers originate from Casmaron and were created by/are the children of a Fermentation God. As a result they have a close association with alcohol and alcohol is an important part of their biology. Ginevers tend to live in urban areas and can generally blend in as humans if not given too much scrutiny.
I desperately need to know more about this Fermentation God. I desperately need to know more about the origin and history of Ginevers.
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I personally love Rare Ancestries and I especially enjoy getting to explore any Ancestry in terms of both mechanics and lore/history within the Golarion. So with that in mind, I decided to see if there were any potential Ancestries unique or mostly unique to the Shining Kingdoms. My results are below. While I suspect it is far too late to see these explored in the Shining Kingdoms book, maybe we will get a Shining Kingdoms Adventurer's Guide.
Ginever:
Sources: Taldor, the First Empire pg. 58
Feats, Traits & Abilities: Medium Size, Darkvision, Low-Light Vision, Immune Poison, Resist Acid, Resist Cold, Bite Attack, Drunken Defense, Fortifying Gaze, Inebriate, Vicious Sobriety
Note: In 1E Ginevers were listed as Monstrous Humanoids.
History & Society: Originating from Casmaron, Ginever’s claim to be the children of a God of fermentation. In Qadira, Ginever’s have a reputation for being vagabonds and bandits. Qadirans claim that Ginever’s are a people cursed for their gluttony. Ginever’s are fairly new to Avistan and are primarily found in large urban areas. Ginever’s have an appearance similar to humans and are generally able to blend in when living in primarily human cities. Ginever cuisine consists of all types of alcohol and they saturate their food in alcohol, letting it soak and absorb the alcohol. Food that has soaked for months in alcohol is considered the most delectable.
Ancestry Thoughts: Using alcohol as the starting point for an Ancestry is quite a fun idea. Ginevers already have a great set of abilities that can be worked into Ancestry Feats. Doubling down on Ginevers abilities to use their innate alcohol abilities for both social and combat encounters could be a lot of fun. I would greatly enjoy seeing Heritages based on beer, wine, liquor, and spirits. Also, there was a missed opportunity in the Ginever’s Stats. As presented the Ginever is resistant to Acid and Cold, but they should absolutely be resistant to Cold and vulnerable to Fire. I would definitely want that as part of the base Ancestry Stats. I am also intensely curious about their origin and the Fermentation God from which they originate. Since Ginevers originated in Casmaron, I could see Paizo waiting until we go to Casmaron before exploring Ginevers as an Ancestry. Also worth noting, while alcohol is a normal and intrinsic part of Ginever biology, any presentation of this Ancestry would need to steer away from tropes about alcoholism. There would likely need to be a sidebar discussion about playing this Ancestry responsibly. The sidebar should also detail the importance of discussing with players beforehand if they wish to explore sensitive topics such as addiction and alcoholism at the table. While Ginevers are absolutely not the “alcoholic ancestry” there will be some players that will want to take their characters in that direction. With Ginevers being fairly new to Avistan, I could see Cayden Cailean having an interest in this Ancestry, and in turn Ginevers being curious about Cayden Cailean.
Onyvolan:
Sources: Pathfinder #127: Crownfall pg. 86
Feats, Traits & Abilities: Medium Size, Darkvision, Speed 40 ft., Slam Attacks, Cowardly, Creepy Cackle, Easily Hampered, Nimble Charge
Note: In 1E Onyvolans were listed as Monstrous Humanoids.
History & Society: So far the Onyvolan have not been presented with any real background within the setting with regards to their origin or history. We know that they are almost exclusively found in large urban areas, and tend to live in small groups that do not appear to be particularly concerned about traditional family units. We did receive quite a bit of information on Onyvolans with regard to their culture. While not explicitly stated, Onyvolans appear to rarely engage in crafting or manufacturing. This is indicated by the preference of Onyvolans to avoid anything new or in regular use. Instead, Onyvolans seekout clothing and items that have been discarded or abandoned. They take pleasure in finding garments that are out of fashion or worn out and thrown away. Also, the more garish the garments the better. This behavior very likely extends to things like armor and items. Onyvolans are likely to prefer armor found in a dungeon over buying something newly crafted by a smith. The exception is hats and headwear. Onyvolans universally seek out the most fantastic and eye-catching headwear they can find or buy. In keeping with the Onyvolan desire for things worn out, discarded, or abandoned, their homes are typically found in the rundown parts of a city. Generally considered harmless but creepy, or at worst pests, Onyvolans appear to largely go ignored by most other Ancestries. There are known populations in the urban areas of Taldor, and presumably throughout the Shining Kingdoms. Additionally, the city of Absalom is known to have a population of Onyvolan. Although not explicitly stated (and this may just be a me thing), Onyvolan communities appear to have social behaviors that are reminiscent of feral cats, with a touch of the punk rock culture.
Ancestry Thoughts: I think Onyvolans are very interesting Ancestry, but I struggle mightily with understanding how to play them with them having wheels for hands. However, there are certainly several options available to overcome this limitation. Perhaps their hands shapeshift between wheel and hand, maybe they naturally have “Telekinetic Hand” as a spell-like ability, or maybe the hard keratin of their wheels are actually hiding hands that take an “Action” to unwind or reform as a wheel. While Onyvolans certainly have a lot of limitations with regard to holding items, wearing gloves, etc, they have two interesting advantages in the form of speed and weapon. Having wheels for hands and feet mean Onyvolans are fast, possibly one of the fastest Ancestries. However, their speed is offset by their weakness to difficult terrain. Additionally, the hands/forearms and feet/calves of Onyvolans are covered in hard keratin making them powerful natural weapons. I could easily see Onyvolans being able to grow this keratin so that the edges have sharp blades or spikes. And this keratin could likely be carved with weapon and armor ruins. I think with their speed and keratin there is likely a fair amount of design space to flesh out Onyvolan Heritages and Ancestry Feats. However, there is one other aspect of the Onyvolans that could be played up in interesting ways. Onyvolans make other humanoids feel creeped out. Onyvolans’ mouths are filled with pointed teeth and at rest their faces relax into overly wide grins. (I now need an Ancestry Feat called Grim Grin) Pairing this with the Onyvolans’ Creepy Cackle, we start to see an Ancestry that could lean into being super creepy. This should play differently from being scary, they don’t inspire a fear response, instead they make other Ancestries feel unsettled and wary. Perhaps this draws the attention and focus of other Ancestries when there are more dangerous threats around. If their creepiness does get played up, I would set an exposure limitation so that their fellow party members are not constantly in a creeped out/wary state of mind.
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I am personally kind of excited for the Five Kings Mountains. We haven't gotten much regarding the Five Kings Mountains as a Nation and it will be interesting to see it explored as a Nation.
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Andoran is also due for a slight refocus now that the slave trade has largely collapsed across the Inner Sea Region. A big part of Andoran's identity was as anti-slavers. I am curious to see where they place their focus now.
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Swarm that Walks and Hivemind Swarm
The Swarm that Walks Template showed up in 1E Bestiary 2 (see Worm that Walks) and the Hivemind Swarm Template showed up in 1E Bestiary 6. I am not entirely sure this is a Mythic Destiny, but a Hivemind Swarm Archetype would definitely set up a Mythic Swarm that Walks Archetype.
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Animal Lord
The Animal Lord Template showed up in 1E Bestiary 3. I recommend checking it out on Archives of Nethys. This Template is already set up perfectly to be a Mythic Destiny.
Also, the Awakened Animal, Beastkin, Werecreature Archetype,and Wild Mimic Archetype, do a great job of setting up a character to take on the Animal Lord Mythic Destiny. It's actually a little surprising this isn't a Mythic Destiny we got in War of Immortals.
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For those who might be looking for it, this is the first Quest Adventure published with the ORC License. I believe all Pathfinder lines are now under the ORC, Yay!!!
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CorvusMask wrote:
Isn't there minotaur warspawn going around in Isle of Kortos claiming to be Voradni Voon and recruiting harpies, minotaurs and etc?
Yes! I didn't mention it because I didn't want to spoiler to much.
My personal hope is that a new minotaur is claiming the mantle of Voradni Voon, but is an animist so it's legit. And that a remorseful Voon spirit is providing guidance to lead the minotaurs, centaurs, and harpies back through the Brazen Gate to establish their lost homeland on Casmaron.
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War of Immortals - Casmaron Recap
Keyword Searches: Casmaron
Divine beings supply their blood to Bloodragers in Casmaron for wars involving hidden threats. - War of Immortals page 60
Warriors of Legend have become more common across Golarion to include places like Casmaron. - War of Immortals pg. 66
Page 96-98 Casmaron subsection (So many goodies here!)
Outside of the Inner Sea, no place was as deeply affected by the Godsrain as Casmaron. - War of Immortals pg. 96
Without getting into much detail other major subsections include: Chaos in Kelesh, The Bride of Ydersius, Thunder on the Plains, Echoes of the Ancient Past, and Numbering the Anointed. - War of Immortals pg. 98-98. I will highlight one thing from each section.
Chaos in Kelesh - The rains of the Godsrain hit Kelesh on the eve of the Padishah Emperor’s centenary. (This gives us a pretty good idea of when the current Padishah Emperor took charge of the Empire).
The Bride of Ydersius - Hidden for 59 centuries, an ancient Aishmayar city was revealed when the Daszij Damworks broke causing devastation. But with the unusually preserved city revealed, the goddess Etaris, Bride of Ydersius was resurrected. (I need to know a lot more about Etaris and the city that was flooded).
Thunder on the Plains - The hilt of Gorum’s Sundered Sword fell on the Grass Sea and landed at the base of Conqueror’s Stand, an ancient crumbling statue of Voradni Voon. (Is a reborn Voradni Voon going to return to central Casmaron and establish a new minotaur kingdom? Yes please!)
Echoes of the Ancient Past - Lamentations is the name given to a phenomenon that occurs where thousands of spirits return to a site on the anniversary of the site's destruction. The astrologers of the city Na-Gursir see the increase and unpredictability of the Lamentations as a sign that the Pit of Gormuz will soon birth a new Spawn. (Wait, will we see another Spawn besides Verex That Was?)
Numbering the Anointed - Yaril, Prince of the Padishah Empire has been collecting individuals blessed with power by the Godsrain for “training”. (That doesn’t sound healthy.)
Namzaruum is prophesied to awaken and lead a new Azlanti Empire. - War of Immortals pg. 134
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I am hoping for a Vassal Archetype to replace the 1E Samurai. Basically a Vassal Archetype would start similarly to the Cavalier Archetype, where you can be dedicated to an organization. Unlike the Cavalier Archetype, a Vassal Archetype would assume a character is on foot instead of mounted. Additionally, a Vassal Archetype would have feats that replaced the 1E Samurai’s Resolve abilities, Challenge abilities, and Last Stand ability. A Vassal Archetype would have access to the Cavalier’s Banner Archetype Feat, and the Cavalier could select any feats that replaced the 1E Challenge abilities.
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Here is my list of every potential ancestry that I found in 1E sources. Please note that I pulled list together awhile ago and there are several things that have been updated in 2E. I have made annotations for some of them, but I have not kept up with it. I will inevitably give the list a deeper review at somepoint and make updates. Oh, and Giants are for the most part not on this list as I had assumed that large ancetries were mostly off the table, but that is not the case! If you want to learn about any of these, I recommend searching on Archives of Nethys in the 1E section. Some of these are really interesting peoples.
Deep One (Elder), Deep One Hybrid, Denizen of Leng, Derhii, Derro, Dhampir, Dire Corby, Doppeldrek (Awakened), Doppelganger, Dragonkin, Drow (Drow Noble), Duergar, Duskwalker, Dwarf
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Hmm... Thinking in terms of building blocks, this one is tricky. There are schools from 5 meta regions and the First World, so that doesn't seem to provide many clues.
Maybe the building block is the focus on different magical traditions.
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So, with the new standard that stand alone adventures will be larger hardback adventures, that bodes well for the eventual release of this adventure. Just food for thought.
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Veltharis wrote:
I read it more akin to Razmir taking an extraplanar spa day and, by sheer bad luck, not only missing the Godsrain itself, but missing out on his chance to grab a chunk of godflesh while one might have been easily accessible.
Sorry, yes this how I read it as well, but then my mind jumped to what happens next when Razmir learns he missed out. I could have made that clearer.
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Michael Sayre wrote:
Sanityfaerie wrote:
Brinebeast wrote:
Also, just putting out there, Razmir is going to definitely want to get his hands on the sweet, sweet, deity making, god stuff.
You know? That's fair. We don't really know what Razmir is going to do in response to this whole thing, but it isn't going to be "nothing".
Razmir: Hears loud sound of rain and battle from outside while brushing teeth.
Razmir: Refuses the indignity of being rushed and takes his time to don his robes and mask.
Still Razmir: Walks outside to see a group of newly formed exemplars reveling in their divine power. "Hey guys, what was that sound earlier? Are those rain puddles red?"
Now, I know you didn't just say that Razmir will be sending out his agents to kidnap exemplars so that he can run experiments on them to extract their God stuff and transfer it into him. But, it does kind of sound like that's what you said...
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This may be a bit odd, but if we get an Inner Sea war, my money is on the Broken Lands. Brevoy has been on the edge of a civil war for a while. Mendev and the Sarkoris Scar are still dealing with remnants of the forces from World Wound invasion, not to mention the death of impending eidolon deity. Razmiran and any number River Kingdoms always have an eye out to expand territory. That leaves Numeria, which doesn't seem to be very war focused, except there has been simmering conflict between those who reject tech and want it eradicated and those who embrace it. If the temperature was turned up on that conflict that could easily grow into a civil war.
Also, just putting out there, Razmir is going to definitely want to get his hands on the sweet, sweet, deity making, god stuff.
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So, Paizo has often mentioned that they see their books as building blocks, with each new book helping to build towards a future release.
So with that in mind, did I hear correctly during the stream that we will be following the two new iconics as they travel to Southern Garund in the War of Immortals book? Now, if I heard that correctly, I understand that is not an announcement of a Southern Garund book, but oh the implications…
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Aenigma wrote:
Not sure if I understood correctly. So qlippoth is purely the creation of Paizo, but shoggti, nyogoth, chernobue, and Shiggarreb cannot be used in Pathfinder Remaster? I didn't know they were created by Green Ronin because they appeared in First Edition Bestiary 2 and Book of the Damned. But if they were created for Pathfinder in the first place instead of D&D, perhaps they are still usable in Pathfinder Remaster?
Qlippoth is a real world term in the public domain and is therefore save to use by any publishing company.
The first appearance of shoggti, nyogoth, and chernobue was in a book produced by a gaming company called Green Ronin. Green Ronin published using the OGL License. Because Green Ronin used the OGL License, this allowed Paizo to use those 3 qlippoth in there books that were also published with the OGL License.
With Paizo moving to the ORC License, they are prohibited from using material from other companies that published using the OGL License. Which means Paizo is prohibited from using shoggti, nyogoth, and chernobue.
There is additional nuance, but hopefully this helps with understanding.
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I wonder if the term "Ulat-Kini" will be decoupled from the Alghollthus and instead become the ancestral name of the Deep Ones. Considering the Deep Ones lack an ancestral name, and that the Ulat-Kini and Deeps Ones are already extremely close in theme and presentation I could see that as a possibility.
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Kinger wrote:
We interrogated them and discovered that they were basically bandits and cannibals.
Why are they bandits and cannibals?
Are they acting within the norms of the culture and society in which they were raised?
Are they part of a larger society that has failed them to the point that banditry and cannibalism are appropriate means of survival?
If they had reasonable alternatives to banditry and cannibalism provided to them, would the have accepted those alternatives?
Did the player character have the authority in setting to perform justice in the field?
Are citizens of the society where the captives were taken legally empowered to perform field justice?
These are only a few possible questions.
But more importantly, there may need to be a discussion at the table regarding expectations and limitations about the kind of issues players are comfortable with.
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On a different note, the recently announced adventure Prey for Death serves double duty as a building block. On one hand it helps fill in information of the Red Mantis Assassins and by extension Mediogalti Island, which helps prepare us for a High Seas book. And on the other hand, information on the Red Mantis Assassins helps build towards an intrigue/spies/espionage book. Which, I would guess we need an intrigue/spies/espionage book before going to the Shining Kingdoms, the Golden Road, and a big chunk of Casmaron.
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Saga Lands
Irrisen, Lands of the Linnorm Kings, New Thassilon, Realm of the Mammoth Lords, Varisia
1. In 2E Shoanti Totemism changed to being called Shoanti Animism.
2. Animist is a soon to be released class.
3. The Path of Aganhei is a direct route between the Saga Land and Tian Xia.
4. The Saga Lands have a minority population of Tians. Having the Tian peoples better described allows the minority populations in the Saga Lands to have appropriate background information.
5. Quest of the Frozen Flame Adventure Path fills in information on the Realm of the Mammoth Lords
6. Seven Dooms for Sandpoint Adventure Path fills in current information for Sandpoint.
7. Mythic rules help to ensure accuracy for the mythic personalities in the region, such as Runelords and Baba Yaga.
8. Stasian Technology, Winter Touched Human Heritage, Viking Archetype, and the Linnorm dragons help prepare us for Irrisen and Lands of the Linnorm Kings.
9. The Stolen Fate Adventure Path and the Harrow Deck help prepare us for Varisia the nation and Varisians the people.
10. Many of the Fey elements are already available. And Howl of the Wild fills in the missing pieces for the Land of the Linnorm King’s Beastkin and Werecreature traditions.
11. The adventure Rusthenge gives us a 1st level adventure in the Sagalands that can serve as an introduction to the area.
12. The Saga Lands make for a great jumping off point into Arcadia since the two have direct ties.
I do hope we get a Character Guide though. I would have loved to have had a Character Guide of the Mwangi Expanse and the Impossible Lands.
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I couldn’t find if this is something that has been discussed or not, so if it has, please point me in the right direction. I am curious what will become of the six OGL Demon Lords. I could see some of them being killed off in the upcoming War of Immortals. This could also allow some Nascent Demon Lords to take over their realms and move up to full Demon Lord status. The six OGL Demon Lords include: Baphomet, Dagon, Jubilex, Kostchtchie, Orcus, and Pazuzu. My thoughts on potential outcomes are below.
Baphomet - As a Demon Lord it seems like Baphomet has already been on a different trajectory for a while. I could easily see that story progress with Baphomet abandoning the Outer Rifts altogether. Baphomet pulled the Ivory Labyrinth from Hell to the Outer Rifts, so I could easily see him packing up and moving his realm to the Maelstrom. Baphomet was never treated well by Lamashtu, and I am not sure he is particularly invested in the Outer Rifts. I could easily see Baphomet just being done with being a Demon Lord and being done with the Outer Rifts.
Now this is a little more out there, but I could see Baphomet joining the ranks of the Protean Lords. Labyrinths, mazes, and puzzles all seem like things proteans would be into. And as part of his apotheosis into a Protean Lord, I could see Baphomet’s star brand on his forehead turning into his Protean Crown.
Dagon - I could see Dagon easily going one of two directions. Golarion mythology indicates the Dagon was a Qlippoth Lord before turning into a Demon Lord. For me, Dagon never felt like his grasp on being a Demon Lord was particularly strong, so I could see him reverting to a Qlippoth Lord and using his Qlippoth name instead of his Demon name. Alternatively, the mythology could be incorrect and the extremely ancient Dagon was not a Qlippoth Lord at all, but instead was a Great Old One and has been playing Demon Lord for whatever reasons. The War of Immortals could be the impetus for Dagon to go back to proper Great Old One status.
Jubilex - For me, if Dagon felt like he didn’t have a firm grasp on being a Demon Lord, Jubilex’s Demon Lord status was hanging on by a thread. Jubilex also started off as a Qlippoth Lord and it would make so much sense for Jubilex to abandon the whole Demon Lord thing and revert to using their Qlippoth name and reinstating their Qlippoth Lord status.
Kostchtchie - I could absolutely see Kostchtchie getting taken out in the War of Immortals. Kostchtchie is pretty entrenched in the OGL so that is a problem. But, considering that Baba Yaga has been so over Kostchtchie for a while, the War of Immortals is the perfect opportunity for her to clean up that loose end. I am not suggesting that Baba Yaga would take Kostchtchie out herself, but I could see her arranging things so that he gets taken out.
Orcus - Orcus is an interesting case. Initially, Orcus was considered an obscure Demon Lord on Golarion, but as the editions progressed we saw Orcus utilized more. It could be that the War of Immortals sends Orcus back into obscurity. But, Orcus is also a good candidate to get knocked off. I can only imagine that Zura, Kabriri, and Urgathoa would all be delighted to grab a piece of his divine portfolio.
Pazuzu - Dead. He is sooooo dead. Lamashtu has had it out for Pazuzu ever since he betrayed her and left her for dead. Lamashtu has long been waiting for a convenient excuse to hunt down Pazuzu and eliminate him for good. The War of Immortals is the perfect opportunity, while the other powers of the Outer Rifts are distracted, Lamashtu can finally kill off Pazuzu without concern for consequences.
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While I don’t know that this is something we have been building towards, it occurs to me that with the development of Starfinder 2E, a Dark Tapestry and Dominion of the Black book for Pathfinder would be a great way to add some synergy between the two settings. The Dark Tapestry section would have all the cosmic horror/cthulhu mythos goodies. While the Dominion of the Black section would have alien space terror goodies. As a Pathfinder book it would be more closely themed towards the fantasy side of cosmic entities and alien visitations in the dark of night. But the book could point to Starfinder for those looking for stronger Science Fiction elements.
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Random speculation but… there was that one comment about a God being torn apart. Well, what if a god dies, but the constituent parts of that god survives. There are two gods in the Core 20 that have very strong constituent parts.
Gozreh - Torn apart but the Winds and the Waves survive as separate entities. Ioz’om/Hyjarth as a sky deity and Tourithia as a sea deity. But for whatever reason I don’t feel like this is likely.
Norgorber - Torn apart but Reaper of Reputation, Father Skinsaw, Gray Master, and Blackfingers survive as separate entities. For whatever reason, I feel it is more likely that Norgorber is killed but his four personas survive as minor deities. And honestly, I think that would be kind of awesome.
Now, I do recognize that those who have theorized that Norgorber is really four halflings in a trenchcoat would have too much fun with this…
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In one of the recent live streams there was a random comment about monsters graduating into Monster Core to help fill in some of the gaps from the removal of OGL monsters. So for fun, I decided to gather up those 3.5 Pathfinder monsters that never graduated to 1E or 2E and provide my elevator pitch as to why they are ready to graduate into Monster Core 2 or Monster Core 3, if or when those books start development.
Sometimes, updated monsters can be hard to spot. So if anyone is aware of any of these monsters appearing in 1E or 2E please let me know. Also, is there something I missed, please let me know.
Are there any monsters from 3.5 Pathfinder, 1E Pathfinder, or 2E Pathfinder that you hope to see "graduate" into a Monster Core book?
Divs, before Pathfinder had Divs (Get of Iblis, Black Jinni, Ghalshoaton)
Name: Get of Iblis - CR 13
Types: aberration, aquatic
Elevator Pitch:
So, this monster definitely needs a new name. But, WOW, this monster hunts and destroys all types of elementals. This would make a terrifying Div. Its abilities are spot on, but it needs a new appearance and new lore. Also, hide your Geniekin Characters!!!
This creature's lore is far more suggestive of this being a Div. And honestly, we need more Divs, so let’s pick this low hanging fruit! Also, to see the Black Jinni getting some tweaks and an update to fit better into the setting would be great.
Another great addition to the Divs, and the Ghalshoaton is basically already good to go. It needs a few minor lore tweaks, but that shouldn’t hold it back!
Aberrations, be afraid of the dark (Magga, Argorth, Snowdrifter, Emkrah, Black-Blooded Creatures).
Argorth are the spawn of Maggas. Maggas are also known as Mothers of Oblivion, and the Magga known as Black Magga is particularly infamous in Varisia. When a Magga spawns, one of its tentacles becomes independent and ravenous. The Magga must chew off this tentacle to release its spawn. Surprisingly, Mothers of Oblivion or Maggas, have never been released as their own monster. Instead we have only gotten Black Magga. We have a pretty interesting life cycle for the Magga and Argorth already developed, and it would be great to see them finally updated and presented together as a creature family.
Snowdrifters are terrifying and should also be called the Breath of Ithaqua. Cosmic horror snow monsters please!!!
Name: Spawn of Rovagug, Emkrah - CR 9
Types: aberration
Elevator Pitch:
To battle a Spawn of Rovagug is likely out of reach for most adventurers. However, these living eggs never hatch, but are still spawned from Rovagug. This allows Emkrah to be the perfect opportunity for adventurers to fight a Spawn of Rovagug. Also, the text indicates that there are also Emkrah that hatch but never develop into the mightiest Spawn of Rovagug, leaving the door open for Spawn of Rovagug in the level 10-19 range.
Okay, so these are pretty specific to Orv, so maybe not the best option for a more general monster book. But when we do get around to visiting the Darklands, this living infection that takes over mind and body would be a great monster.
Sikari Rage is a disease that can either affect swarms, affect multiple individuals causing them to swarm, or both. Sikari Rage seems more like something that would work well with the Swarm and Troops creature categories. I don't think we have seen a swarm disease/troop disease before!.
Name: Spider, Crag Spider - CR 8
Types: vermin
Elevator Pitch:
This is a species of Giant Spider, and happens to be the first species of Giant Spider that Paizo made for Pathfinder. It would be great to see this updated.
This species of Giant Beetle is way overdue for graduation into a monster book. Flying beetle mounts with an ancient legacy from Azlant. Why were we getting the OGL slicer beetle when this was an option!
Constructed nightmares, don’t trust your senses (Granule Construct Swarm, Granule Construct Host, Tongue of Rebuke, Wings of Protection).
Microscopic constructs that were potentially created on Azlant and that have a hive mind situation going on. That is already crazy awesome, but then some people also actively encourage a Granule Construct Swarm to inhabit their body so that they and the swarm can live in a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship!!! This isn’t just a cool monster, this is a Creature Construct Archetype similar to Creature Undead Archetypes. Do you want your humanoid character to also gain the construct trait? Just become a host to a Granule Construct Swarm.
Name: Tongue of Rebuke - CR 9
Types: construct
Name: Wings of Protection - CR 8
Types: construct
Elevator Pitch:
So, both the Tongue of Rebuke and the Wings of Protection are pretty odd in terms of what we might typically think of for constructs. However, I don't think we have ever seen much in terms of what a Fey construct might look like. Looking at these creatures as fey constructs makes them very interesting and opens all kinds of possibilities.
Dragons of the burning desert (Gandareva Azi, Sruvara Azi, Zahhhak Azi).
Paizo has been hinting for a while that they plan to get back to the Azi. Lets pull that trigger already!!! I am looking forward to when that finally happens.
Once upon a time in the land of the First World (Frosty Chiseler, Miengu, Roseblood Sprite, Shadowy Lurker).
Name: Frosty Chiseler - CR 4
Types: fey, cold
Elevator Pitch:
This creature needs a new name. Otherwise, a fey creature that leaves frozen sculptures of flesh and viscera in boreal forests and on frozen tundras... this is a horror story and I need to know more!!!
Name: Miengu - CR 11
Types: fey, aquatic
Elevator Pitch:
This is an awesome creature, but if we are getting back to mythology, I am not certain this is a Fey Creature. I am surprised we didn’t see Miengu show up when we were visiting the Mwangi Expanse. But hopefully they will show up when we visit central/southern Garund, if not before.
Name: Sprite, Roseblood Sprite - CR 3
Types: fey
Elevator Pitch:
The lore for these sprites could use some updating, but otherwise these are a great addition to sprites. Why don’t we have sprites that turn into rose bushes yet?!?! And they work really, really well when connected with the Eldest, The Green Mother.
Why are these Undead and not Fey? Long ago, a group of hubristic elven artists were tricked into going to the First World where they were corrupted into beings that can only appear in the Universe through fine art objects and are bound to an art object while manifested in the Universe. That's crazy awesome, and these should absolutely be fey and not undead!!!
A beast on the trail, a beast on your tail (Coeurl, Deep Crow, Buraq, Cinder Wolf, Darklands Sentinel, Ercinee, Hoary Muntjac).
These are both used by permission only and cannot be updated without receiving permission.
Name: Buraq - CR 5
Types: magical beast
Elevator Pitch:
The Buraq, Shedu, and Lamassu are a ready made creature family, and with Paizo taking a closer look at mythology now is the perfect time to bring these three together.
Name: Cinder Wolf - CR 2
Types: magical beast
Elevator Pitch:
These fiery wolves add a nice twist to a standard wolf encounter. The only thing holding Cinder Wolves back is that, as far as we know, they are only found in and around the Cinderlands of the Storval Plateau.
Whose an adorable replacement for the blindheim, you're an adorable replacement for the blindheim!!! But you need a new name because Darklands Sentinel is not the best name for my cute darklands buddy.
Name: Ercinee - CR 4
Types: magical beast
Elevator Pitch:
Giant, glowing, magical, night bird. This bird is literally dripping alchemy and it's awesome! Also, its description mentions that it is also called an Alicanto, which I think was a typo, and that it meant to say the bigger, even more alchemical species is called an Alicanto.
Name: Hoary Muntjac - CR 3
Types: magical beast
Elevator Pitch:
This one is an interesting case. The Hoary Muntjac is essentially a magical arctic wolfdeer. The creature feels like it should be in a Peryton creature family. Even if the Peryton and Hoary Muntjac have different abilities, their goals and appearance are very similar. It probably should get a new name, something like Peryjac or Hoaryton would be a simple way to tie the two creatures together and to harken back to the original name of hoary muntjac.
Within the depths of the fiendish realms (Xenarth, Chatterer Swarm, Crepitus, Nightmare Bats, Son of Perdition).
The Xenarth demons have previously been overlooked, but it would be great to see them get additional consideration. While initially designed off the Bulette, they are true demons. It would be great to see them distanced from the Bulette so they stand on their own as gluttonous demons.
That the Chatterer Swarm has not yet been added to the Vescavor creature family is a missed opportunity. Whereas the weaker Vescavor Swarm attempts to devour objects, the more deadly Chatterer Swarm attempts to devour flesh. And of course both swarms are directed by a Vescavor Queen.
Similar to the Divs, this is an Asura before Pathfinder had Asuras. We don’t have an Asura that represents the first Divine spell failure, and these could easily fill that role. Spells that fail against them are turned back against the caster. These make for great low level bosses and as support for more powerful Asura.
These are almost an interesting creature and could easily be made awesome. They desperately need to be renamed Hellbats. Also, they would make great hell mounts. Why don’t we have the option to ride vulture-bats from Hell!
Name: Son of Perdition - CR 13
Types: outsider, chaotic, evil, extraplanar, incorporeal
Elevator Pitch:
Demons are not usually the fiends people think of when possession is involved. However, these would make for perfect possession demons. And their lore already fits this perfectly. But, oh buddy, do they need a name update.
On distant planes they wander (Shadowgarm, Zhyen Genie, Hadhayosh, Achaekek the Mantis God).
These are great low level shadow monsters from the Netherworld. Not sure they are aberrations though. Also, it is already baked into their lore that they "leak" into the Universe. This makes them really versatile, allowing them to show up almost anywhere.
Name: Genie, Zhyen - CR ½
Types: elemental, air, earth, fire, or water
Elevator Pitch:
Surprise! I think this has been updated as the Gennayn Genie. My only hesitation is that the Jocta was not mentioned, but maybe that will be explored later. Can anyone confirm if the Gennayn Genie is an updated Zhyen Genie?
Name: Hadhayosh - CR 18
Types: magical beast, fire
Elevator Pitch:
Giant fire/beast/elemental that roams the Plane of Fire... Yes Please!!! Also, add a large size version that is slightly less fiery that is a domestic breed found on Golarion. Are you thinking The Last Unicorn elemental fire bull, cause I am!
Name: Achaekek, the Mantis God - CR 30
Types: outsider, lawful, evil, extraplanar
Elevator Pitch:
Not sure this is appropriate for an update, unless as a very powerful Avatar.
Be you friend or be you foe (Wooden Protector, Unchosen Gnoll).[/b]
Name: Wooden Protector - CR 3
Types: plant
Elevator Pitch:
This would be a perfect lower level Arboreal. If you are looking for Arboreal Knights, look no further. Alternatively, if you stuck closer to their original lore, these are a very minor form of Greenman Leshy.
The Unchosen brings some exciting options to the Kholo that can easily be supported by Ancestry Feats. Kholos who undergo the Ritual; Growing of the Third Eye, open their minds and bodies to experiences that are unique to Kholo. Kholo who undergo this Ritual could gain access to Ancestry Feats like: Foresighted, Deathwatch, Large Size. While followers of Lamashtu consider this ritual as a gift from their goddess and perform it on both willing and unwilling Kholo, the ritual is not unique to Lamashtu. In Katapesh an alchemical method of reproducing the effects of the ritual has been developed. However, unlike the ritual, which slowly transforms a Kholo over time, the alchemical method is instantaneous, shattering the mind of the recipient. This turns the Kholo into a vicious predator that can avoid danger and smell the life force of its prey. Not surprisingly, the servants of Lamashtu are distinctly interested in this alchemical transformation.
The dead have died, the dead will rise, the dead will come again (Bloodless Vessel, Bonestorm, Croaker, Edimmu, Fell Flotsam, Gutdragging Lurcher, Hungry Mist, Necropyre, Smoke Haunt, Sea-Sworn).
Name: Bloodless Vessel - CR 12
Types: undead
Elevator Pitch:
Bloodless are incredibly interesting and powerful undead. I am actually surprised Paizo hasn't done more with these. They do need their lore freshened up a bit, but that shouldn't hold them back. Also, they are a perfect fit for the new Spirit mechanics.
Name: Bonestorm - CR 8
Types: undead, swarm
Elevator Pitch:
On battlefields where mass casualties have occurred, the marrow and bones of the restless dead can stitch and fuse together. The lingering spirits, massing together in their shared trauma to animate the undead bone and marrow monstrosity. Often we see corpses fusing together to form collective undead, and this makes for a nice twist, focusing on the bones instead of flesh.
Name: Croaker - CR 5
Types: undead, incorporeal
Elevator Pitch:
Croakers are really interesting for undead. Croakers were pushing the boundaries of not so evil undead very early in Pathfinder. Croakers are undead that arise because in life they were individuals that were intentionally targeted by a corrupt justice system. Hung from the gallows for crimes that their persecutors knew they didn’t commit, Croakers arise to take vengeance on those who murdered them out of convenience rather than justice. Croakers are a great example of undead that should not have the Unholy Trait. And they are a perfect option for murder mysteries or crime solving adventures.
While we did get the Ghul in 2E we did not get the Great Ghul yet. While a Ghul is a basic undead genie, Great Ghuls retain more of their elemental nature. This allows the Ghul to be expanded into a creature family with each Great Ghul matching closer to the genie it spawned from.
The Edimmu gives us an incorporeal undead genie option. And we definitely need more undead genie options! The Edimmu could also easily be expanded into a creature family based on the different genie types. Because the Edimmu and Ghul are so different in form and abilities, between the two, we could easily have a robust group of undead genies.
Name: Fell Flotsam - CR 6
Types: undead
Elevator Pitch:
I kind of have a soft spot for these ooze-like undead. The Fell Flotsam is just waiting to be combined into a creature family with the Flotsam Terror, both of which are water based ooze like undead, but with very different abilities.
Name: Gutdragging Lurcher - CR 3
Types: undead
Elevator Pitch:
The name for these undead could be updated, but otherwise gut puppets! Why don't we see more gut puppet undead!!!
I don't know if Paizo even realizes they already have a replacement for the Caller in Darkness. Hungry mists are a perfectly terrifying medium to high level undead. And as a bonus, it already covers similar themes to the Caller in Darkness.
Necropyre are very cool undead, but they are pretty specific in their origin and would be very rare outside of the adventure in which they appear.
Name: Smoke Haunt - CR 4
Types: undead, fire
Elevator Pitch:
Undead formed from those that died from exposure in the wilderness. These undead will hide in your campfire and pretend to warm you up while draining your life away. These undead are deceptively terrifying, and also the perfect random encounter for adventurers camping in the wilderness!
Okay, so this one is a bit specific to the Chelish Navy. But, cursed aquatic undead, created through a ritual, and bound in service to the Chelsh Navy! I need a High Seas adventure where a Chelish warship is deploying these undead with gruesome effectiveness.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
Back Matter Hopes
In addition to getting the Remastered Red Mantis Assassin Archetype, I hope we will seen the return of some of the other Red Mantis options we had from 1E. I have collected many, if not all, of those game elements from 1E that explicitly have a Red Mantis Assassin association below. A few of the things listed below had already appeared in 2E such as the Red Mantis Archetype and the Sawtooth Sabre.
1E Red Mantis Prestige Classes and Archetypes Red Mantis Prestige Class - Abilities/Feats: Sneak Attack, Sabre Fighting, Prayer Attack, Red Shroud, Summon Mantis, Resurrection Sense, Mantis Form, Blood Mantis Form, Fading, Mantis Doom, Death Mantis Form, Mantis Spellcasting
Notes: With the exception of “Mantis Doom”, which could possibly be a Focus Spell for Red Mantis Assassins, everything here is in the 2E Archetype.
Red Mantis Death Slayer Prestige Class - Abilities/Feats: Channel Energy, Channel Smite, Bonus Feat, Gravegaze, Favored Enemy, Swift Smite, Infuse Sabre, Deadly Conviction, Undead Bane, Aura of Life, Mantis Spellcasting
Notes: I would love to see this updated as a branch of the 2E Archetype. With Gravegaze, Infuse Sabre, Deadly Conviction, Undead Bane, and Aura of Life being feats specific to Red Mantis Death Slayers.
Red Mantis Zealot - Abilities/Feats: Mantis Sworn, Weapon & Armor Proficiency, Sneak Attack, Sacred Reflexes, Aspect of the Mantis
Notes: The feats Mantis Sworn, Sacred Reflexes, and Aspect of the Mantis would be great additions to the Red Mantis Archetype, especially more religion inclined characters.
Red Mantis Crimson Chymist - Abilities/Feats: Crimson Discoveries, Arms of Achaekek, Blood Sight, Improved Arms of Achaekek, Ingest Venom, Mantis Mutagen
Note: This would also make a great branch off of the main Red Mantis Archetype. All of the abilities make for fun feat options.
1E Red Mantis Feats and Traits
Red Mantis Collaborator, Cultist Lineage, Ilizmagorti Native, Red Mantis Bleeding, Object of Legend (Red Mantis Hit List), Shrewd Liaison
Magic Items and Weapons
Mantis Blade (Artifact), Serithtial (Artifact), Eye of the Mantis (Wondrous Item), Mask of the Mantis (Wondrous Item), Mantis Embrace (Wondrous Item), Red Stalker Armor (Magic Armor), Crimson Bluff (Magic Weapon), Sawtooth Sabre (Weapon)
Spells and Poisons
Mirror Mantis (Spell), Scarlet Vigi (Spell)l, Bone Flense (Spell), Breath of the Mantis God (Poison), Fool’s Leprosy (Poison), Dust of Eox (Poison), Tetrodotoxin (Poison)
Notes: Hopefully the spells will return as Focus Spells or spells that are eligible for the Red Mantis Spellbook.
Deity, NPCs, and Monsters
Achaekek (Deity), Red Mantis Assassin (NPC), Red Mantis Initiate (NPC), Tetrolimulus (Creature), Kaicharek (Creature), Ioun Golem (Creature)
