Jeffrey Hersh's page

Well said.

That is an error. It should be DR 5/evil for the holy creature.

Add the eldritch template to the swarm and you have a Mi-Go that bleeds WTF spiders!

Owen KC Stephens wrote:

It's an Instrument of the Gods (among other things)

Oh, so it's that thanatotic titan. I stand corrected.

(There are no less than three different instances of thanatotic titans in this book, and the one on the cover is actually a CR 29. O_o)

That is because they make great high CR foes though I also love the Protean Plague (gigantiean chaos beast [CR 29]) and the crawling rot (shaggoth ghast [CR 20])

After all the effort put into this from the design perspective, I am so glad to see it come to life.

I would like to apologize now to all the players who character's are killed, maimed, spindled, folded or otherwise mutilated by any and all foes created with this tome.

*evil grin*

Hey folks,

Just got the word from Lone Wolf. The initial release of the Hero Lab files are out!

Jeff

Jeffrey Hersh wrote:

FYI, for those who have been asking. The 1.0 version of the Hero Lab files has been submitted to Lone Wolf for their approval process. I do not know how long it will take to get the files in the store since there is a great deal of custom work with these files beyond data entry to make the templates work like they are supposed to.

This first version will not have the Augmented and Eldritch templates which require some very difficult and specialized coding which I am still working on. However, every other template and its variants are in the HL files as well as all the sample creatures.

Thank you for your hard work.

I'm really looking forward to using this and HL makes it far easier for me :)

You are very welcome. This project has been a blast for me.

Shem wrote:

I got mine today and when through it. I do not think Paizo should be allowed to use this book...

Too late. Several copies were hand-delivered to staff throughout the building.

To those PCs that are about to die, we salute you.

I am really looking forward to see what the designers at Paizo will make from these. Personally, I am looking forward to an implementation of the Dread Blood Knight. Its slithering blood form is full of WTF.

FYI, for those who have been asking. The 1.0 version of the Hero Lab files has been submitted to Lone Wolf for their approval process. I do not know how long it will take to get the files in the store since there is a great deal of custom work with these files beyond data entry to make the templates work like they are supposed to.

This first version will not have the Augmented and Eldritch templates which require some very difficult and specialized coding which I am still working on. However, every other template and its variants are in the HL files as well as all the sample creatures.

Jeffrey Hersh wrote:

Yeah adjusting CRs with templates is more art than science. I usually compare a templated creature with one of the same CR so see how they compare. Also, there are electronic tools (like Hero Lab), that have modes which dynamically tell you what the various average stats should be for a specific CR. I find those very helpful as well.

Well... let's try it out with what I said:

- At-will prickle whip: +0 CR, doesn't sound OP if you can use it all the time.

- Mental boost to Jotunblood: +1 CR, more skills, better Will save, better tactics... provided the GM knows what he or she's doing :P

- Limbjack limbs: that... sounds like missing rules than actual adjustments here.

- At-will searing darkness: +1 CR, you're giving an undead creature a laser cannon, hurtful to your PCs, which are 100% living.

- Pyrokenitic's Fire Bolt: +0 CR, if it's to replace produce flame, I don't see much of a balance issue here.

- Shadow-traced: like the Limbjack, that sounds more like an errata.

- Construct/Undead Swarmblood: +0 CR, the ability itself doesn't change, only the vessel.

- Various changes for Teratocephalos: +0 CR, so many possibilities, so little space to list them all... no change to that.

Looks good. I am working on a rules errata right now. So if folks see anything they think is broken or needs further explanation, let me know and why.

I got mine today and when through it. I do not think Paizo should be allowed to use this book...

Oh you know you love it. :)

Yeah adjusting CRs with templates is more art than science. I usually compare a templated creature with one of the same CR so see how they compare. Also, there are electronic tools (like Hero Lab), that have modes which dynamically tell you what the various average stats should be for a specific CR. I find those very helpful as well.

My short review:

+ Awesome convertion there guys, great work ^_^
+ Love the new templates
+ Great fluff for the creatures too
+ Thank you for the Monstrous Lycanthrope's ability to use both the speed and special abilities to the transformed creature

- Still not fond of having the Bramble's prickle whip a temporary weapon; yeah, I would have prefered if the whip was simply a natural weapon that can be use with iterative attacks at will without being screwed after an hour.

- I'm surprised that the Jotunblood Giant doesn't grant mental ability scores increases... One would think that a Jotunblood Hill Giant wouldn't be as dumb as a regular one, for instance.

- The Limbjack template... seems to lack some rules, especially concerning the Upgradable Limbs ability. For instance, while an adamantine arm gives the same weapon properties, what about the armor properties? Does having an adamantine arm grants you DR 1/- like a regular adamantine shield? Does having an alchemical silver arm bestow you with a -1 penalty to damage rolls?

- I would have made the Negative Energy-Charged's Searing Darkness an at-will ability to be honest. If it's overflowing with it, I don't see why it couldn't dish it out more often.

- For the Pyrokenitic, I would have given it the Fire Creature's Fire Bolt ability instead of produce flame as a SLA.

- The Shadow-Traced kobold... seems to have a lower CR than expected. Shouldn't it be CR 4? I'm calculating 0 (Kobold) + 2 (magus 2) + 2 (template)

- I feel like the Swarmblooded template could have been applied to Construct and Undead as well, using the idea that a swarm has nested inside them. On a sidenote, a Treant hosting a swarm isn't too "wrong" come to think of it.

- I would have added vermins to the Teratocephalos's options. Also, I would have given a fish-headed creature the amphibious quality instead of replacing air with water breathing.

Aside from that, great work people ^_^

JiCi,

Thanks for the feedback. Feel free to modify the templates as you want them for your game. :)

As Owen said, the Hero Lab files were in review. I submitted them for final approval from Lone Wolf this past week. I expect they will be available ver soon (crossing fingers).

Some of the art is really amazing.

I wrote the new Consuming Creating Template (a thank you to Owen for the opportunity).

My personal favorite pieces of art are. The consuming purple worm adult red dragon, Dread Lacedon Great White Whale, manimal triceretops, Savant Psuedo Dragon, seasonal storm giant (in summer), Galleon of Land and Sea, Giant Bombardier Verminoid.

Steve Russell

Steve,

I can see combining that one with ravenous to make a low-level windigo. So many possibilities.

Jeff

Oooh.. Peremalfait.. I see Darren McGavin running through the sewers of Chicago with a stick of bayou gum.

I am glad I am not the only one to remember the original Kolchak. The mythology behind it is interesting as well. (My favorite is the one with the rakshasha. Scared me as a kid, and still creeps me out.

I don't expect to have the time to properly run over this before release and I'm not going to have the time to create an account on the Ronin forum, so if someone could relay this please...

Page 23, Luck (Sp), the text in the left column pours over the shaded background.

Thanks I will add it to the list.

At first skim it's looking fantastic. Good artwork, loads of great templates, and no errors that are leaping out to me after a fast skim through of the material. I can't seem to find the Devil-Bound template, however, is it renamed and I just missed it or not included? It was one of he templates I most wanted to see (along with demon possessed, both templates whose 3.5e versions I got lots of mileage out of), and all the other outsider related temates are looking excellent.

Edit: I am also a big fan of the linked table of contents!

A few of the templates were converted by Paizo and are Bestiary 4. Instead of reprinting these, the decision was made to include new templates.

What does the eldritch template do? WHAT DOES IT DO!? :D

I would tell you, but then you would have to go insane.

I think you missed out by not making a transforming clockwork thanatotic titan.

Ha! Now that would have been something. There are a bunch of templates where, after the fact, I thought of new monsters. However, once the art order it out, you are committed.

How many total templates are there? Page Count?

Does each template have at least one piece of art?

Do some templates have more than one Piece of art?

What is the Name of your favorite Template?

Why are you so awesome?

Will you guys finally be able to make a profit off the Advanced Bestiary?

Approximately whats the breakdown of +CR for the templates?

I found out about this book too late and missed the kickstarter, but I will support by buying the book. Where is the most optimal place for me to purchase the book if I want Green Ronin to get the highest profit?

1) There are nearly 150 templates. 30 of them are new.

Hey folks,

I am the designer on this project (I did the conversion of the old templates and all but a few of the new templates) and the developer for the Hero Lab files. I have been given clearance by the powers that be at Green Ronin to talk about the book (keeping spoilers to a minimum :)).

Hope folks enjoy this book as much as I did writing it.

@Drejk - Yep the Moss Lich is in there. Personally, I think the pic is quite cool. Then again I am loving the artwork throughout the book. :)

Hey folks,

I am the designer on this project (I did the conversion of the old templates and all but a few of the new templates) and the developer for the Hero Lab files. I have been given clearance by the powers that be at Green Ronin to talk about the book (keeping spoilers to a minimum :)).

Hope folks enjoy this book as much as I did writing it.