paizo.com Recent Reviews of Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)paizo.com Recent Reviews of Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)2014-07-02T04:53:49Z2014-07-02T04:53:49ZBook of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG): Something for everybody--if you like monsters, that is (5 stars)Demiurge 1138https://paizo.com/products/btpy8gcm?Book-of-Beasts-Monsters-of-the-River-Nations2011-05-21T18:20:48Z<p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>I like monster books. They're what got me into D&D in the first place. And since I'd heard very good things about "Monsters of the River Nations", I thought I'd give it a shot. </p>
<p>The Good: The monsters presented here are all flavorful and creative. Sure, some of them do fall into the "giant versions of ordinary critters", such as the piranhas and the giant flytraps. But the writing is suitably evocative. There's a nice blend of creature types and CRs; they do tend towards under 10, but so do most monster books and most games. My favorite creatures are the addanc (a hybrid beast pulled from Welsh lore), the autumn death (a skeleton surrounded by whirling leaves) and the silver bell (an animate plant with a very unusual metabolism).</p>
<p>The mechanics are well-done for the most part. The creatures seem properly balanced, and there's an interesting array of unique abilities on display here, particularly in flavorful curses and diseases. The icy disease of the frost mite swarm is nice and shuddersome, for example.</p>
<p>The art is very good, some of the best I've seen in a 3rd party product. It's B&W line-art and it reminds me of the better pieces of the Tome of Horrors line.</p>
<p>As others have pointed out, this product is rather wider in scope than other monster books, featuring two NPC encounters, two gambling games, a number of haunts and diseases, and some quick templates. Those quick templates are especially handy—I can see them getting some use in my campaigns.</p>
<p>The Bad: Editing could have been a little tighter. There are a few stat-block errors, generally to do with monsters applying their Strength score badly (notably the bog ooze, which only deals 1/2 its Str bonus to damage instead of the proper 1-and-a-1/2). There's also some typos and the wrong word being used a time or two, possibly due to spellcheck error (I noticed "desiccant" used to mean "one who desecrates", which surprisingly does not have an adjectival form).</p>
<p>The Nitpicky: I'm having a hard time understanding how the giant flytrap is supposed to work. It has slams with incredible reach, and a single bite attack. Real-world flytraps have multiple mouths, and the creature is illustrated as such, with no reaching tendrils or leaves or anything. Are the "slams" supposed to be extended mouth-leaves and the "bite" the ones in the center?</p>
<p>Final Thoughts: Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations is one of the best 3rd party monster books for PFRPG out there. Is it perfect? No. But it's very, very good.</p><p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>I like monster books. They're what got me into D&D in the first place. And since I'd heard very good things about "Monsters of the River Nations", I thought I'd give it a shot. </p>
<p>The Good: The monsters presented here are all flavorful and creative. Sure, some of them do fall into the "giant versions of ordinary critters", such as the piranhas and the giant flytraps. But the writing is suitably evocative. There's a nice blend of creature types and CRs; they do tend towards under 10, but so do most monster books and most games. My favorite creatures are the addanc (a hybrid beast pulled from Welsh lore), the autumn death (a skeleton surrounded by whirling leaves) and the silver bell (an animate plant with a very unusual metabolism).</p>
<p>The mechanics are well-done for the most part. The creatures seem properly balanced, and there's an interesting array of unique abilities on display here, particularly in flavorful curses and diseases. The icy disease of the frost mite swarm is nice and shuddersome, for example.</p>
<p>The art is very good, some of the best I've seen in a 3rd party product. It's B&W line-art and it reminds me of the better pieces of the Tome of Horrors line.</p>
<p>As others have pointed out, this product is rather wider in scope than other monster books, featuring two NPC encounters, two gambling games, a number of haunts and diseases, and some quick templates. Those quick templates are especially handy—I can see them getting some use in my campaigns.</p>
<p>The Bad: Editing could have been a little tighter. There are a few stat-block errors, generally to do with monsters applying their Strength score badly (notably the bog ooze, which only deals 1/2 its Str bonus to damage instead of the proper 1-and-a-1/2). There's also some typos and the wrong word being used a time or two, possibly due to spellcheck error (I noticed "desiccant" used to mean "one who desecrates", which surprisingly does not have an adjectival form).</p>
<p>The Nitpicky: I'm having a hard time understanding how the giant flytrap is supposed to work. It has slams with incredible reach, and a single bite attack. Real-world flytraps have multiple mouths, and the creature is illustrated as such, with no reaching tendrils or leaves or anything. Are the "slams" supposed to be extended mouth-leaves and the "bite" the ones in the center?</p>
<p>Final Thoughts: Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations is one of the best 3rd party monster books for PFRPG out there. Is it perfect? No. But it's very, very good.</p>Demiurge 11382011-05-21T18:20:48ZBook of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG): A good monster book. (5 stars)Dark_Mistresshttps://paizo.com/products/btpy8gcm?Book-of-Beasts-Monsters-of-the-River-Nations2010-12-27T03:04:01Z<p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>Book of Beats: Monsters of the River Nations by Jon Brazar Enterprises</p>
<p>This product is 36 pages long. It starts with a cover, credits, and ToC. (4 pages) </p>
<p>Monster Entries. (21 pages)
<br />
Some are obvious what they are like the snapping turtle and Piranha, below is a list of what new monsters are in the book.
<br />
Addanc – croc/beaver (neat monster but really odd mix)
<br />
Autumn Death – new undead, neat idea.
<br />
Avowed Reaver – fire elemental type
<br />
Bog Scum – new type of ooze, also nice.
<br />
Fly Trap, Giant – plant monster
<br />
Fly Trap, Dire – see above.
<br />
Forest Giant – defender of forest, cool idea, but I had one issue with the fluff.
<br />
Frost Mite Swarm – new swarm
<br />
Garmunchi – kinda non evil ogres
<br />
Hatethrall Demon – new little demon, meh.
<br />
Hydrus – weird lizard animal
<br />
Lemkin – new fey
<br />
Night Caller – small magical bird
<br />
Piranha, Mature
<br />
Piranha Swarm
<br />
River Dragon – legless, wingless, swimming snake dragon.
<br />
Riverswell Spirit – cool new undead.
<br />
Shrine Stone, Animated - construct
<br />
Silver Bell – plant monster
<br />
Skate Spider, Giant
<br />
Skate Spider, Swarm
<br />
Snapping Turtle
<br />
Snapping Turtle, Dire
<br />
Stumble Fish</p>
<p>Appendix Humanoids (4 pages)
<br />
Cursed Brethren - undead that during the day look human. Kinda reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean movie a little. I am guessing that is what they was inspired by, regardless it is a neat idea and well written. Two stat blocks for them, one of the rank and file and one of their bandit king.
<br />
Grammy Beshic – Gnome NPC that lives in the forest, has a new magic ring as well.</p>
<p>Appendix New Drugs and Gambling (1 page)
<br />
This has 2 new gambling games, well one game and a fight club. With rules on how to run them and how the odds work. It also has one new drug.</p>
<p>Appendix New Haunts (1 page)
<br />
This section has new haunts. 6 new haunts, four of them fit very well with the forest theme, two of them not as much but still good haunts.</p>
<p>Appendix New Templates and Diseases. (1 page)
<br />
There is five new templates one can apply to monsters and 8 new diseases all of which fit the theme pretty well.</p>
<p>It ends with one ad, OGL and back cover. (4 pages)</p>
<p>Closing Thoughts. All and all I liked the book, the art is nice black and white art. Most of the monsters I thought fit well in the theme as did most of the rest of the book. The stat blocks are easy to read and understand and the book is laid out well. Other than the cover it is a plain simple black and white book, very print friendly. I do have a few minor critics with the book. The fluff with the giants in one part, in that they sleep in branches of tree's I thought was odd. They are 15ft tall that would be some massive tree's. I think they could have left that part out. </p>
<p>My only other issue was some of the stuff just didn't really fit a forest/river theme. The Hatethrall Demon and Avowed Reaver being the two big ones. The hydrus just seemed weird, it seems like it does what it does just because. Now the rest was well done, I would have liked to have seen a few more fey, natural and planet monsters myself but that is personal preference. So whats my rating? Well it is a good book over all, I have a few minor issues with it. I am giving it a 4.5 star review.</p>
<p>Trust me, I'm a Succubus</p><p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>Book of Beats: Monsters of the River Nations by Jon Brazar Enterprises</p>
<p>This product is 36 pages long. It starts with a cover, credits, and ToC. (4 pages) </p>
<p>Monster Entries. (21 pages)
<br />
Some are obvious what they are like the snapping turtle and Piranha, below is a list of what new monsters are in the book.
<br />
Addanc – croc/beaver (neat monster but really odd mix)
<br />
Autumn Death – new undead, neat idea.
<br />
Avowed Reaver – fire elemental type
<br />
Bog Scum – new type of ooze, also nice.
<br />
Fly Trap, Giant – plant monster
<br />
Fly Trap, Dire – see above.
<br />
Forest Giant – defender of forest, cool idea, but I had one issue with the fluff.
<br />
Frost Mite Swarm – new swarm
<br />
Garmunchi – kinda non evil ogres
<br />
Hatethrall Demon – new little demon, meh.
<br />
Hydrus – weird lizard animal
<br />
Lemkin – new fey
<br />
Night Caller – small magical bird
<br />
Piranha, Mature
<br />
Piranha Swarm
<br />
River Dragon – legless, wingless, swimming snake dragon.
<br />
Riverswell Spirit – cool new undead.
<br />
Shrine Stone, Animated - construct
<br />
Silver Bell – plant monster
<br />
Skate Spider, Giant
<br />
Skate Spider, Swarm
<br />
Snapping Turtle
<br />
Snapping Turtle, Dire
<br />
Stumble Fish</p>
<p>Appendix Humanoids (4 pages)
<br />
Cursed Brethren - undead that during the day look human. Kinda reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean movie a little. I am guessing that is what they was inspired by, regardless it is a neat idea and well written. Two stat blocks for them, one of the rank and file and one of their bandit king.
<br />
Grammy Beshic – Gnome NPC that lives in the forest, has a new magic ring as well.</p>
<p>Appendix New Drugs and Gambling (1 page)
<br />
This has 2 new gambling games, well one game and a fight club. With rules on how to run them and how the odds work. It also has one new drug.</p>
<p>Appendix New Haunts (1 page)
<br />
This section has new haunts. 6 new haunts, four of them fit very well with the forest theme, two of them not as much but still good haunts.</p>
<p>Appendix New Templates and Diseases. (1 page)
<br />
There is five new templates one can apply to monsters and 8 new diseases all of which fit the theme pretty well.</p>
<p>It ends with one ad, OGL and back cover. (4 pages)</p>
<p>Closing Thoughts. All and all I liked the book, the art is nice black and white art. Most of the monsters I thought fit well in the theme as did most of the rest of the book. The stat blocks are easy to read and understand and the book is laid out well. Other than the cover it is a plain simple black and white book, very print friendly. I do have a few minor critics with the book. The fluff with the giants in one part, in that they sleep in branches of tree's I thought was odd. They are 15ft tall that would be some massive tree's. I think they could have left that part out. </p>
<p>My only other issue was some of the stuff just didn't really fit a forest/river theme. The Hatethrall Demon and Avowed Reaver being the two big ones. The hydrus just seemed weird, it seems like it does what it does just because. Now the rest was well done, I would have liked to have seen a few more fey, natural and planet monsters myself but that is personal preference. So whats my rating? Well it is a good book over all, I have a few minor issues with it. I am giving it a 4.5 star review.</p>
<p>Trust me, I'm a Succubus</p>Dark_Mistress2010-12-27T03:04:01ZBook of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG): An amazing little Bestiary! (5 stars)Endzeitgeisthttps://paizo.com/products/btpy8gcm?Book-of-Beasts-Monsters-of-the-River-Nations2010-12-23T18:33:10Z<p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>This pdf is 36 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 blank page inside of the front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC/Monsters by CR, 1 page back cover, 1 blank page inside the back cover, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisements.
<br />
That leaves 28 pages of monsters.</p>
<p>-Addanc (CR7): A cross between a crocodile and a beaver, this could be goofy, but actually works. Death Roll (Ex) is a cool ability.</p>
<p>-Autumn Death (CR 8): A deadly undead creature with autumnal abilities. Has two cool signature abilities.</p>
<p>-Avowed Reaver (CR 5):Touched by elemental powers, this is a set of 4 CR+2 templates in one.</p>
<p>-Bog Scum (CR13): Aquatic, climbing deadly ooze.</p>
<p>-Fly Trap, Giant + Dire (CR 2 and CR 6): Cool plants, but lack a way to enthrall their victims.</p>
<p>-Forest Giant (CR 12): A Giant with some spell-like abilities to escape and polymorph others.</p>
<p>-Frost Mite Swarm (CR 10): Terrible insects of icy cold, these critters are quite creepy.</p>
<p>-Garmunchi (CR 6): Ugly, strong, slug-eating Ogre-like Humanoids.</p>
<p>-Hatethrall Demon (CR 6): Flame-clad skull-demons that shoot fiery rays.</p>
<p>-Hydrus (CR ½): A poisonous aquatic lizard that invades others to eat them from the inside. Great critter!</p>
<p>-Lemkin (CR 9): Creepy blow-gun using fey.</p>
<p>-Nightcaller (CR 1): Deadly Raven-like birds that can mimic voices.</p>
<p>-Piranha, mature and Piranha Swarm (CR 1 + CR 2): Iconic fish. Lacking in lethality, though.</p>
<p>-River Dragon (2 pages, two sample dragons provided, CR 7 + CR16): Aquatic dragon with boiling-abilities – want your adventurers medium? </p>
<p>-Riverswell Spirit (CR 7): Drowned spirit with drowning touch.</p>
<p>-Shrine Stone, Animated (CR 7): Guardian golem of Druids and Fey.</p>
<p>-Silver Bell (CR 3): Supremely creepy and cool plant creature.</p>
<p>-Skate Spider, Giant (CR 5) and Skate Spider Swarm (CR 6): Spiders that can walk on water.</p>
<p>-Snapping Turtle (CR 2) + Snapping Turtle,Dire (CR 8): Cool, but I would have expected an expanded threat range.</p>
<p>-Stumble Fish (CR 1): Jumping fish. </p>
<p>The first Appendix features Humanoid Encounters:</p>
<p>-Cursed Brethren (CR 3)and their Bandit King (CR 6) (2 pages): Cursed bandits that share their pain and thus are deadly when acting in concert. Cool ideas!</p>
<p>-Grammy Beshic (CR 9) (2 pages): A Gnome Sorceress including her new “Rings of Rebellion” magic item.</p>
<p>Appendix 2 features 2 new gambling games and a new drug. (1 page)</p>
<p>Appendix 3 presents 6 new haunts (1 page):</p>
<p>Blinding Bushes (CR 6), Chamber of Screams (CR 3), Ensnaring Weeds (CR3), Ice Forge (CR 2), Pool of Betrayal (CR 9) and River Fog (CR 4). They are all cool and feature at least one interesting component to make them stand apart.</p>
<p>The final page contains the last two appendices, containing 5 new mini-templates and 8 new diseases.</p>
<p>Conclusion:</p>
<p>The b/w-artwork is mostly ok and has a nice old-school kind of flair, the editing and formatting are top-notch and wording as well as prose are concise and well-written. The monsters themselves presented herein are great additions to any campaign – most have a signature ability or two, an interesting hook or are just iconic animals and plants. While I personally didn’t care too much for e.g. the Garmunchi, that’s a personal preference. E.g. the Silver Bell is an idea dripping awesomeness and win and there are several of this caliber herein. The new gambling games, drug, haunts, NPCs etc. are great additions (the haunts e.g. singlehandedly surpass any haunts from a haunt-pdf I recently reviewed)to this great book and I can honestly say that this is a no-filler-book and worth every cent. If all monster-books were like that, I’d buy more. My final verdict is 5 stars.</p><p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>This pdf is 36 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 blank page inside of the front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC/Monsters by CR, 1 page back cover, 1 blank page inside the back cover, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisements.
<br />
That leaves 28 pages of monsters.</p>
<p>-Addanc (CR7): A cross between a crocodile and a beaver, this could be goofy, but actually works. Death Roll (Ex) is a cool ability.</p>
<p>-Autumn Death (CR 8): A deadly undead creature with autumnal abilities. Has two cool signature abilities.</p>
<p>-Avowed Reaver (CR 5):Touched by elemental powers, this is a set of 4 CR+2 templates in one.</p>
<p>-Bog Scum (CR13): Aquatic, climbing deadly ooze.</p>
<p>-Fly Trap, Giant + Dire (CR 2 and CR 6): Cool plants, but lack a way to enthrall their victims.</p>
<p>-Forest Giant (CR 12): A Giant with some spell-like abilities to escape and polymorph others.</p>
<p>-Frost Mite Swarm (CR 10): Terrible insects of icy cold, these critters are quite creepy.</p>
<p>-Garmunchi (CR 6): Ugly, strong, slug-eating Ogre-like Humanoids.</p>
<p>-Hatethrall Demon (CR 6): Flame-clad skull-demons that shoot fiery rays.</p>
<p>-Hydrus (CR ½): A poisonous aquatic lizard that invades others to eat them from the inside. Great critter!</p>
<p>-Lemkin (CR 9): Creepy blow-gun using fey.</p>
<p>-Nightcaller (CR 1): Deadly Raven-like birds that can mimic voices.</p>
<p>-Piranha, mature and Piranha Swarm (CR 1 + CR 2): Iconic fish. Lacking in lethality, though.</p>
<p>-River Dragon (2 pages, two sample dragons provided, CR 7 + CR16): Aquatic dragon with boiling-abilities – want your adventurers medium? </p>
<p>-Riverswell Spirit (CR 7): Drowned spirit with drowning touch.</p>
<p>-Shrine Stone, Animated (CR 7): Guardian golem of Druids and Fey.</p>
<p>-Silver Bell (CR 3): Supremely creepy and cool plant creature.</p>
<p>-Skate Spider, Giant (CR 5) and Skate Spider Swarm (CR 6): Spiders that can walk on water.</p>
<p>-Snapping Turtle (CR 2) + Snapping Turtle,Dire (CR 8): Cool, but I would have expected an expanded threat range.</p>
<p>-Stumble Fish (CR 1): Jumping fish. </p>
<p>The first Appendix features Humanoid Encounters:</p>
<p>-Cursed Brethren (CR 3)and their Bandit King (CR 6) (2 pages): Cursed bandits that share their pain and thus are deadly when acting in concert. Cool ideas!</p>
<p>-Grammy Beshic (CR 9) (2 pages): A Gnome Sorceress including her new “Rings of Rebellion” magic item.</p>
<p>Appendix 2 features 2 new gambling games and a new drug. (1 page)</p>
<p>Appendix 3 presents 6 new haunts (1 page):</p>
<p>Blinding Bushes (CR 6), Chamber of Screams (CR 3), Ensnaring Weeds (CR3), Ice Forge (CR 2), Pool of Betrayal (CR 9) and River Fog (CR 4). They are all cool and feature at least one interesting component to make them stand apart.</p>
<p>The final page contains the last two appendices, containing 5 new mini-templates and 8 new diseases.</p>
<p>Conclusion:</p>
<p>The b/w-artwork is mostly ok and has a nice old-school kind of flair, the editing and formatting are top-notch and wording as well as prose are concise and well-written. The monsters themselves presented herein are great additions to any campaign – most have a signature ability or two, an interesting hook or are just iconic animals and plants. While I personally didn’t care too much for e.g. the Garmunchi, that’s a personal preference. E.g. the Silver Bell is an idea dripping awesomeness and win and there are several of this caliber herein. The new gambling games, drug, haunts, NPCs etc. are great additions (the haunts e.g. singlehandedly surpass any haunts from a haunt-pdf I recently reviewed)to this great book and I can honestly say that this is a no-filler-book and worth every cent. If all monster-books were like that, I’d buy more. My final verdict is 5 stars.</p>Endzeitgeist2010-12-23T18:33:10ZBook of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG): Good deal at a good price (4 stars)The Shining Foolhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy8gcm?Book-of-Beasts-Monsters-of-the-River-Nations2010-12-15T21:42:24Z<p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>"Monsters of the River Nations" is a good book that has a nice spread of new antagonists, skewing slightly toward Animals (6) Magical Beasts (3) Plants (3) and Swarms (3). I'd have preferred a few more Fey, but it does provide a little for everybody.</p>
<p>As other commentators have mentioned, one of the best features of this book are the Humanoid Encounters, especially the Cursed Brethren and their Bandit King. It fits well with Pathfinder Adventure Path #31, and could easily serve as a modular replacement for the Stag Lord and his band for DMs who prefer a darker theme or greater challenge.</p>
<p>Other than the Humanoid Encounters, my favorite bit from this book is the "Frost Mite Swarm." These little beasties make swarms fearsome again, and the disease they carry is both frightening and flavorful. I know I would avoid the deep parts of the woods near the solstice if I had a chance of meeting these.</p>
<p>The art is decent - nothing to write home about, but doesn't detract from the book. The layout is standard for a monster manual. I'm taking away one star because I would have preferred to see a tighter ecological theme in a book covering a small geographical area - having Frost Mites and Piranhas in close proximity limits the viability of using all of the monsters and maintaining a sensible world. Altogether a good buy - well worth five dollars.</p><p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>"Monsters of the River Nations" is a good book that has a nice spread of new antagonists, skewing slightly toward Animals (6) Magical Beasts (3) Plants (3) and Swarms (3). I'd have preferred a few more Fey, but it does provide a little for everybody.</p>
<p>As other commentators have mentioned, one of the best features of this book are the Humanoid Encounters, especially the Cursed Brethren and their Bandit King. It fits well with Pathfinder Adventure Path #31, and could easily serve as a modular replacement for the Stag Lord and his band for DMs who prefer a darker theme or greater challenge.</p>
<p>Other than the Humanoid Encounters, my favorite bit from this book is the "Frost Mite Swarm." These little beasties make swarms fearsome again, and the disease they carry is both frightening and flavorful. I know I would avoid the deep parts of the woods near the solstice if I had a chance of meeting these.</p>
<p>The art is decent - nothing to write home about, but doesn't detract from the book. The layout is standard for a monster manual. I'm taking away one star because I would have preferred to see a tighter ecological theme in a book covering a small geographical area - having Frost Mites and Piranhas in close proximity limits the viability of using all of the monsters and maintaining a sensible world. Altogether a good buy - well worth five dollars.</p>The Shining Fool2010-12-15T21:42:24ZBook of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG): Excellent smoragasbord of monstery goodness! (5 stars)Patrick Curtinhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy8gcm?Book-of-Beasts-Monsters-of-the-River-Nations2010-09-16T21:53:33Z<p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>I have already used one of the monsters in this book in my PbP game, and I was very pleased to have my players scratching their heads and saying: Wut? I am itching to try out a few more, but I had a lot of fun with the Autumn Death, and I am looking forward to working more of into my game as I go along! A great suppliment for the price! Highly reccommended</p><p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>I have already used one of the monsters in this book in my PbP game, and I was very pleased to have my players scratching their heads and saying: Wut? I am itching to try out a few more, but I had a lot of fun with the Autumn Death, and I am looking forward to working more of into my game as I go along! A great suppliment for the price! Highly reccommended</p>Patrick Curtin2010-09-16T21:53:33ZBook of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG): Don't let your kids jump into that leaves pile! (4 stars)Urizenhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy8gcm?Book-of-Beasts-Monsters-of-the-River-Nations2010-09-09T19:28:26Z<p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>When I was made aware that the first printing provided to Paizo was sold out, I paid attention for the next round and when I saw that a print+PDF bundle was just under $9, the pricing for this was a clincher! </p>
<p>Of course it helps that the subtitle to this release is a wink and nod to a recently completed Paizo adventure path, but it does provide additional beasties to mix things up if you're the type of GM that wants to go off the beaten path and catch your PCs off guard - toss a little more sand into their faces in an AP that was advertised to be a sandbox in the first place!</p>
<p>Twenty new monsters (twenty four, if you're counting four more that are essentially templates) to choose from. Creatures that caught my attention were the Autumn Death (don't ever jump into that pile of raked leaves again!) & the Garmunchi, which gives you a monsterous tribal race that will confuse your PCs into thinking it may first be a troll or an ogre by appearances alone. </p>
<p>In addition to the new creatures, it's the appendix that really sells the product with the humanoid encounters (to assist in your sandboxing) and a new gambling game to introduce to your PCs!</p><p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>When I was made aware that the first printing provided to Paizo was sold out, I paid attention for the next round and when I saw that a print+PDF bundle was just under $9, the pricing for this was a clincher! </p>
<p>Of course it helps that the subtitle to this release is a wink and nod to a recently completed Paizo adventure path, but it does provide additional beasties to mix things up if you're the type of GM that wants to go off the beaten path and catch your PCs off guard - toss a little more sand into their faces in an AP that was advertised to be a sandbox in the first place!</p>
<p>Twenty new monsters (twenty four, if you're counting four more that are essentially templates) to choose from. Creatures that caught my attention were the Autumn Death (don't ever jump into that pile of raked leaves again!) & the Garmunchi, which gives you a monsterous tribal race that will confuse your PCs into thinking it may first be a troll or an ogre by appearances alone. </p>
<p>In addition to the new creatures, it's the appendix that really sells the product with the humanoid encounters (to assist in your sandboxing) and a new gambling game to introduce to your PCs!</p>Urizen2010-09-09T19:28:26ZBook of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG) PDF: Book of Beasts – Monsters of the River Nations (4 stars)Xaaon of Xen'Drikhttps://paizo.com/products/btpy8gcm?Book-of-Beasts-Monsters-of-the-River-Nations2010-08-31T04:11:32Z<p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG) PDF</b></p><p>Disclaimer: This is a review of material provided to me free of charge for the purpose of review. </p>
<p>First Glance:
<br />
From a quick perusal, it looks very promising. Nice artwork, bold trade dress, and 20 unique monsters and 7 additional pages of material.</p>
<p>In Depth:
<br />
Many low CR monsters, from the stumble fish to the Night Caller and Mature Piranha. Though my favorite of the new monsters is the Giant Fly Trap, I’ve always had a soft spot for nature fighting back. The Dire Fly Trap is even more vicious. Those are my favorites, there are a few of the monsters I’m not as convinced with. The Addanc has a strange name, which is an odd crocodile/beaver aberration. I’m not a fan of the Hatethrall Demon since it’s a disembodied head is strange for a demon, and the Hydrus has a new Combat maneuver, which doesn’t have an explanation, in addition it’s a bit of an undercon at ½ CR. The other monsters are all well-crafted creatures.</p>
<p>Extras:
<br />
In addition to being a monster book, it is a resource book for the River Nations campaign setting (not to be confused with the River Kingdoms of Golarion.) </p>
<p>To this end, the first appendix is Konrad the Bandit King and his Cursed Brethren, the second is Grammy Beshic, an ancient gnome with a dark secret. The Grammy Beshic entry includes three adventure hooks. </p>
<p>New gambling games and a new drug, Kobold Krack, though it’s primarily something particularly vicious GM might use with some kobold barbarians. </p>
<p>The best part of any Monster book is the templates. The Book of Beasts introduces 5 new templates; drunk, enraged, fey-touched, hungry and river-born. Though I would probably not use the drunk template, since it only emulates the sickness of being drunk, not the rage side.</p>
<p>8 new diseases grace the final appendix of the book, not only bringing such common maladies such as Influenza, Bird Flu, and the Common cold into Pathfinder; but also Faire Fever (fantasy version of Con Crud); Dryad Pox (my fave), Mountain Air Plague, Owlbear Filth, and River Sickness. The only problem is they’re only stat blocks, with no fluff.</p>
<p>In Conclusion:
<br />
A strong book, with something useful for almost any campaign, it’s not perfect, but I do recommend it.</p><p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG) PDF</b></p><p>Disclaimer: This is a review of material provided to me free of charge for the purpose of review. </p>
<p>First Glance:
<br />
From a quick perusal, it looks very promising. Nice artwork, bold trade dress, and 20 unique monsters and 7 additional pages of material.</p>
<p>In Depth:
<br />
Many low CR monsters, from the stumble fish to the Night Caller and Mature Piranha. Though my favorite of the new monsters is the Giant Fly Trap, I’ve always had a soft spot for nature fighting back. The Dire Fly Trap is even more vicious. Those are my favorites, there are a few of the monsters I’m not as convinced with. The Addanc has a strange name, which is an odd crocodile/beaver aberration. I’m not a fan of the Hatethrall Demon since it’s a disembodied head is strange for a demon, and the Hydrus has a new Combat maneuver, which doesn’t have an explanation, in addition it’s a bit of an undercon at ½ CR. The other monsters are all well-crafted creatures.</p>
<p>Extras:
<br />
In addition to being a monster book, it is a resource book for the River Nations campaign setting (not to be confused with the River Kingdoms of Golarion.) </p>
<p>To this end, the first appendix is Konrad the Bandit King and his Cursed Brethren, the second is Grammy Beshic, an ancient gnome with a dark secret. The Grammy Beshic entry includes three adventure hooks. </p>
<p>New gambling games and a new drug, Kobold Krack, though it’s primarily something particularly vicious GM might use with some kobold barbarians. </p>
<p>The best part of any Monster book is the templates. The Book of Beasts introduces 5 new templates; drunk, enraged, fey-touched, hungry and river-born. Though I would probably not use the drunk template, since it only emulates the sickness of being drunk, not the rage side.</p>
<p>8 new diseases grace the final appendix of the book, not only bringing such common maladies such as Influenza, Bird Flu, and the Common cold into Pathfinder; but also Faire Fever (fantasy version of Con Crud); Dryad Pox (my fave), Mountain Air Plague, Owlbear Filth, and River Sickness. The only problem is they’re only stat blocks, with no fluff.</p>
<p>In Conclusion:
<br />
A strong book, with something useful for almost any campaign, it’s not perfect, but I do recommend it.</p>Xaaon of Xen'Drik2010-08-31T04:11:32ZBook of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG): Much better than I expected (5 stars)Kromehttps://paizo.com/products/btpy8gcm?Book-of-Beasts-Monsters-of-the-River-Nations2010-08-18T18:36:19Z<p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>First let me say I love monsters.</p>
<p>I was extremely happy with the selection presented in Book of Beasts Monsters of the River Nations. Every entry was fun to read, and amazingly I could find a use for just about every entry in the book.</p>
<p>CRs range from 1/2 to 16 with oozes, plants, demons, dragons, fey, undead etc etc etc. There are new quick and easy templates that I thought were creative. Diseases that I can find immediate uses for. There are even new haunts!</p>
<p>But my FAVORITE part was the humanoid encounters. The Cursed Brethren made me laugh and wring my hands in sadistic glee. </p>
<p>There is something for everyone here. A MUST buy.</p><p><b>Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations (PFRPG)</b></p><p>First let me say I love monsters.</p>
<p>I was extremely happy with the selection presented in Book of Beasts Monsters of the River Nations. Every entry was fun to read, and amazingly I could find a use for just about every entry in the book.</p>
<p>CRs range from 1/2 to 16 with oozes, plants, demons, dragons, fey, undead etc etc etc. There are new quick and easy templates that I thought were creative. Diseases that I can find immediate uses for. There are even new haunts!</p>
<p>But my FAVORITE part was the humanoid encounters. The Cursed Brethren made me laugh and wring my hands in sadistic glee. </p>
<p>There is something for everyone here. A MUST buy.</p>Krome2010-08-18T18:36:19Z