Over the course of its decades-long history, fantasy gaming has produced countless monsters both terrifying and alien, some pulled from mythology and others sprung full-formed from the twisted imaginations of their creators. Yet as with any idea, not every monster can be a winner. Or can it?
With Misfit Monsters Redeemed, Paizo Publishing has taken 10 of the most notoriously bad monsters in RPG history—the lamest, most hated, and flat-out silliest creatures in the genre—and attempted to make them fun allies and adversaries for players and Game Masters alike. Each monster comes complete with updated statistics for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, lengthy ecologies explaining how the monsters behave and why they are the way they are, tips on how Game Masters can use them in a campaign, notes on how to fit the monsters into the world of the Pathfinder campaign setting or your own home game, and more.
Inside this 64-page book, you'll find monsters such as:
Flumphs, everyone's favorite flying jellyfish monster, come from the stars to warn innocent civilizations of the cosmic horrors lurking in the darkness.
Disenchanters, the blue-furred camels who live to prey on adventurers' magical gear.
Flail snails, the magic-warping gastropods who weave slowly through the subterranean Darklands, writing epic poetry with their slime trails.
Doom-screeching dire corbies, the bird-headed terrors of the darkest caverns.
Lurking rays, the stealthy ambush predators that are really three manta-like monsters in one: the executioner's hood, the trapper, and the lurker above.
Adherers, those sticky, mummy-like monstrosities whose wrappings of flayed skin are the scarred relics of a horrible experiment by phase spiders from the Ethereal Plane.
Other loveable losers like the delver, the lava child, the tojanida, and of course, the infamous wolf-in-sheep's-clothing!
Misfit Monsters Redeemed is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and Pathfinder campaign setting, but can easily be used in any fantasy game setting.
ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-270-8
Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:
"Everyone deserves a second chance" is the tagline on the back cover of Misfit Monsters Redeemed. D&D has decades of Monster Manuals and the like, filled with hundreds of creatures. It's inevitable that some would land with a thud, and others would be unintentionally, hilariously bad. The goal of this book is to provide a new take on some old duds and salvage them for use. As the introduction explains, Paizo had had good luck with its ". . . Revisited" series of books that added fresh flavour to classic monsters, but this book arose from a dare on the forums to see if the company could take the worst creatures in fantasy RPG history and breathe new life into them. Redemption is attempted for ten monsters, each receiving six pages of coverage divided into the following sections: ecology, campaign role, variants, role on Golarion, stat block, and new artwork. I'll give my verdict on each attempt at redemption below, but the short conclusion is that . . . some of these creatures really didn't deserve a second chance, and just couldn't be redeemed. However, there are a few nice surprises.
Before getting into the content, I'll just mention the cover artwork (fairly poor, in my opinion) is reproduced in the inside back-cover sans logo, while the inside front cover is a funny "Hall of Shame" listing the monsters covered with a "before" and "after" to show what the book has tried to achieve.
*Adherers: Before, they were essentially sticky mummies that could trap weapons used against them; now they have damn creepy origin as essentially living livestock for phase spiders on the ethereal plane. I think their CR is too low given the awesome build-up for them in the text. Nonetheless, my verdict: Redeemed.
*Delvers: Before, they were subterranean cave slugs that feast on ores, and filled a pretty bland role alongside things like xorns and earth elementals. Now, they're intelligent, spiritual beings that could serve as guides for spelunkers. My verdict: Redeemed.
*Dire Corbies: Before: evil crow-men. Now: Xenophobic bipedal birdmen of the Darklands. There's a lost opportunity to tie them into tengu somehow. They're okay, but essentially just disposable random encounters for subterranean explorers. My verdict: Guilty as Charged!
*Disenchanter: Before, blue camel-like creatures that can destroy magic items. Now: Pretty much the same, with a bit of a better backstory. I don't get their weird headband fetish, and they're truly goofy looking. My verdict: Guilty as Charged!
*Flail Snail: Before, they were giant snails with maces on their faces. I have to admit I was surprised they could be improved, but now they're long-lived, intelligent zen monks with magic reflecting shells. My verdict: Redeemed.
*Flumphs: Before, they were weird floating jellyfish-like creatures. Now, these lawful good creatures warn of horrors from other worlds, and good make for really good adventure hook vehicles. My verdict: Redeemed.
*Lava Children: Before, they were a forgettable race of feral subterranean humanoids. Now, they're the creations of shaitans meant to survive in the Elemental Planes of Fire and Earth. I still don't get why metal passes through them, and despite the admittedly creepy artwork, I still don't see much of a role for them in a campaign. My verdict: Guilty as Charged!
*Lurking Ray: Before, they were underground ambush predators. Now, they have a really interesting, well-defined ecology with different niches for three variations. Still, each variation is a subterranean ambush predator and they're nothing more than random encounter fodder. In addition, Pathfinder's suffocation rules are such that they're not really dangerous. My (reluctant) verdict: Guilty as Charged!
*Tojanida: Before, they were aquatic crustacean-like monsters. Now, they're aquatic outsiders trapped ages ago in a bizarre shell form, and they can't remember why. I just can't really get a read on these creatures and what role they're supposed to fill in a campaign. My verdict: Guilty as Charged!
*Wolf-in-Sheep's Clothing: The only creature in the book I'd ever actually used, this forest predator (pictured on the cover) with a dumb name disguises itself as a tree stump with a small rabbit or squirrel on it before pouncing on any PC who gets too close. Its ability to manipulate corpses is creepy, and the book provides some admittedly interesting ideas on how to use a surprise monster that will only ever work on players once. It's a good try, but my verdict is still: Guilty as Charged!
By my count, the book successfully redeems four of the ten monsters it covers. That's not bad considering what the writers had to work with. That being said, I don't really see this book as being useful for anyone but real old-school gamers who would get a little kick out of seeing a modern updating on an old loser of a monster. Everyone else could happily stick to the six Pathfinder bestiaries for all their monster needs. To me, that makes Misfit Monsters Redeemed among the least essential books in the Campaign Setting line.
I bought this book because it featured an old relic: Wolfs in Sheep's clothing. While the original concept of them was just a living log with a bunny, Paizo has managed to give me NIGHT TERRORS about these things. They now insert their vines into corpses, and animate them like puppets. Sure, this sounds like something not TOO bad, but that's just the beginning. I flipped through the pages, and noticed an image of the Druid Iconic, 'Lini', sitting on the WOSC. This was slightly scary, but there was something different about her. I couldn't figure out what it was. So I kept looking through the book, until I came to the last chapter, talking about these monsters. But what was truly terrifying was the image of the beast, dragging the Druid towards it, preparing to kill her. I flipped back to the first picture, and figured out what is was. Her skin was cracked and decayed, and a root attached to her back...
This book re-presents some of the weirdest monsters to come out of dnd over the years. I eagerly read this book and wanted to use everything inside. In the Sargava game I’ve been running prior to all the new material to aid games set there, I wanted to populate the southern continent with new and unusual monsters. I trawled through manuals grabbing monsters from other systems, other d20 products and fringe material. I actually added in a region well-populated by the flail snails, which the party travelled to, so it is amusing to see them added to golarion. What made me chuckle was the point that they can be found on all levels of the darklands (more encounters ahead delvers) and that they are actually intelligent and Zen Buddhist like in their philosophy. When the party of my game ran into them, spells re-bounded, hit allies, someone got set on fire, causing quite the fuss. It was really very funny. They are a counter to warlocks or invokers. Note: do not use the base reflection rules, use the d100 table provided, it adds a lot more possibilities. Moar flail snails!
The other monsters can be quite the added treat. I’ll throw in the adherer although I already did something similar by taking your average Osirion mummy, give him some fighter levels and the weapon locking feat. The various lurking rays are perfect to turn a bit of spelunking into a horror game, cornbys could be added as fringe tribes in unexplored regions, disenchanters could follow wizards around who have all their body slots filled (although I prefer nishruus), and the wolf-in-sheep’s clothing could get quite a chuckle, but a savvy adventurer will know to stay back from what is cute and fuzzy in nature.
Okay heres the deal I've played this game for more years than i care to think about and yeah there are some real stinkers out there. I was initially unsure about this title until I read that the wolf in sheeps clothing was getting reworked. A fan of the old expedition to the barrier peaks I had to see if the rework would make an old favorite of mine usable again. Much to my surprise it is as are most of the others in this book. There are a couple that although strictly speaking more playable than they used to be are still just a bit too odd to see much long term use. Everything in misfits could be used once or twice with ease and some of the creatures many times. Kudos to Paizo for bringing out the weird and making if fun. I personally would like to see a book 2 of fan voted stinkers reworked. How about it Paizo 10 more ?
Part of the redemption process will be getting these monsters good art. AKA: The lava children are VERY unlikely to look like Alfred E. Neuman.
:O
LOVE IS OVER
That lava children vs. lizard king fight scene in the Fiend Folio was way cool. The blank look on the children's faces makes them look totally creepy!
Jason Nelson
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
hogarth wrote:
Mikaze wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Part of the redemption process will be getting these monsters good art. AKA: The lava children are VERY unlikely to look like Alfred E. Neuman.
:O
LOVE IS OVER
That lava children vs. lizard king fight scene in the Fiend Folio was way cool. The blank look on the children's faces makes them look totally creepy!
Indeed. My daughter showed the picture to some of her friends and declared it as "nightmare fuel" for their deranged, soulless eyes and frozen smiles even as they're getting stabbed.
Neil Spicer
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut
taig wrote:
But you could dress up as a flumph for PaizoCon 2010! :)
Still not happening. :-]
But someone check with Boomer. I'm sure his girl, Emily, could set him up.
Part of the redemption process will be getting these monsters good art. AKA: The lava children are VERY unlikely to look like Alfred E. Neuman.
:O
LOVE IS OVER
That lava children vs. lizard king fight scene in the Fiend Folio was way cool. The blank look on the children's faces makes them look totally creepy!
Indeed. My daughter showed the picture to some of her friends and declared it as "nightmare fuel" for their deranged, soulless eyes and frozen smiles even as they're getting stabbed.
Oh yeah..that picture was creepy on so many levels.
Jason Nelson
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
Blackerose wrote:
Jason Nelson wrote:
hogarth wrote:
Mikaze wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Part of the redemption process will be getting these monsters good art. AKA: The lava children are VERY unlikely to look like Alfred E. Neuman.
:O
LOVE IS OVER
That lava children vs. lizard king fight scene in the Fiend Folio was way cool. The blank look on the children's faces makes them look totally creepy!
Indeed. My daughter showed the picture to some of her friends and declared it as "nightmare fuel" for their deranged, soulless eyes and frozen smiles even as they're getting stabbed.
Oh yeah..that picture was creepy on so many levels.
But honestly, the full-page art piece on the facing page, with a human warrior with a helmet and a huge sword slicing a lizard guy in this ancient ruin - that was flat-out one of the BEST pieces of fantasy art anywhere in 1st Ed IMO.
Indeed. My daughter showed the picture to some of her friends and declared it as "nightmare fuel" for their deranged, soulless eyes and frozen smiles even as they're getting stabbed.
Well, they're not really getting stabbed, because they're immune to metal. But I agree 100%.
Indeed. My daughter showed the picture to some of her friends and declared it as "nightmare fuel" for their deranged, soulless eyes and frozen smiles even as they're getting stabbed.
hogarth wrote:
Well, they're not really getting stabbed, because they're immune to metal. But I agree 100%.
I got a near-TPK with those things, back in 84-85. (Imagine Magazine, 'Tir-na-Nog')
Round after round, bash, bash, bash. I showed them that pic, and they still didn't get a clue (shakes head). I think the survivor jumped in a lake.
The tirapheg was one of many creatures served badly by the 1st edition Fiend Folio's art. When the tirapheg was first presented in White Dwarf magazine's regular "Fiend Factory" feature, it looked like a pallid, bloated horror, a potential servitor race for the great old one Y'golonac.
If you haven't already finalized these critters, please feel free to use any or all of the stats I've posted on these boards (reproduced below) as Paizo property -- including the re-imagined "schtick" I assigned them: a leaping charge over broken terrain (like boulder-strewn cave floors). I hereby relinquish all claims upon said material, and waive all request for acknowledgement or compensation of any kind.
Spoiler:
Dire Corby (CR 2)
Usually NE Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +5
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 natural, +2 Dex)
hp 11 (2 HD); ferocity
Immune fear
Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +3
Spd 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +5 (1d6+3)
Special Atks leap attack
Abilities Str 16, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 8
Base Atk +2; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Blind-Fight, Run (B)
Skills Acrobatics +6, Climb +7, Perception +5; Racial Bonuses +4 to Climb (due to clawed limbs). A dire corby can always take 10 on Balance, Climb, and Jump checks, even when conditions would normally prevent it.
Languages Aklo
Leap Attack (Ex): A dire corby begins combat by combining a jump with a charge against an opponent. If it covers at least 10 feet of horizontal distance with its jump, and ends its jump in a square from which it threatens a target, it can attack with both claws at a +5 bonus for 1d6+5 points of damage each.
This attack follows all the normal rules for using the Acrobatics skill and for making a charge, except that the dire corby ignores rough terrain in any square it jumps over.
Ferocity (Ex): A dire corby is such a tenacious combatant that it continues to fight without penalty even while disabled or dying.
Immunity to Fear (Ex): Dire corbies are immune to all fear effects, and to any spells, powers, or effects involving a morale penalty.
Grells were partially ruined for me 15 years ago when a fellow player, who had never encountered one of them, shouted out after the GM's description, "Holy crap! We're fighting a parakeet brainsquid!?"
Call me crazy, but I think this book could go to the full extent of awesome, or it can fall on its face. I'm curious about the Flumph, especially after the jokes in OoTS early on. I'll be watching for this one.
Grells were partially ruined for me 15 years ago when a fellow player, who had never encountered one of them, shouted out after the GM's description, "Holy crap! We're fighting a parakeet brainsquid!?"
I guess sometimes, it's just better to show a good illustration than give a description. :S
I used it as an encounter on the road and my elven ranger player nearly got devoured by the monstrousity while the rest of the party were too afraid to approach it and watched him struggle and get eaten from afar... He was rescued at -6 hp halfway in the creature's maw.
When the druid's giant ape fumbled at pulling the beast from the ground they just left it alone... How's that for a 'misfit' monster?
That bunny is way too effective when you got hunters in the party! :-)
Alas. They were one of my fave original FF monsters.
The original Russ Nicholson artwork was awesome, especially for UK audiences who'd just experienced his work in the recent Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks (Warlock of Firetop Mountain and Citadel of Chaos especially). The twisted, emaciated evilness of his critters was a breath of fresh air; he was like the Brom of his day, for us grognards.
Several of the 'classics' seem to have been blessed with his art (Githyanki, especially). I wonder how much of our judgment of what makes a monster win or fail is out of the writer's (and monsters')control? If the gith, and say, the gorbel, had swapped artist, would we now be poking fun at those bandy-legged freaks, and praising the awesomeness of the grappling gasbags?
Alas. They were one of my fave original FF monsters.
The original Russ Nicholson artwork was awesome, especially for UK audiences who'd just experienced his work in the recent Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks (Warlock of Firetop Mountain and Citadel of Chaos especially). The twisted, emaciated evilness of his critters was a breath of fresh air; he was like the Brom of his day, for us grognards.
Several of the 'classics' seem to have been blessed with his art (Githyanki, especially). I wonder how much of our judgment of what makes a monster win or fail is out of the writer's (and monsters')control? If the gith, and say, the gorbel, had swapped artist, would we now be poking fun at those bandy-legged freaks, and praising the awesomeness of the grappling gasbags?
Wait, wait, WAIT! The Lurker Above is considered a "loser" monster? When did this happen? Soon people will start talking trash about the "the Trapper" - the Lurker Above’s distant cousin. When will this negative retcon end?
BTW, I really did like the Wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing in its original environment - a Gamma World refugee from a Starship Warden style ship crashed in the Barrier peaks. Back then the cute bunnyoid with the two horns made sense - since the bunnyoids on the ship had two horns. Of course to save on money TSR just reprinted the image from the illo book which came with S3 in the MMII - which made no sense, since again it depicted a rabbit with two horns growing out of its forehead. I mean if the WISC could adapt to any environment and grow a fake rabbit, shouldn't the rabbit on the stump of the WISC in the MMII look like a normal oerth, Greyhawk - like rabbit, without the two horns?
WHAT GIVES? This has confused me for many, many (27) years. Couldn't they have just redrawn or white’d out the rabbit horns in the MMII? Any player who saw the rabbit on the stump in the pic from the MMII would say "Hey, that doesn't look like a normal rabbit! That looks like a rabbit with two horns!" So much for the element of surprise.
I hope that Paizo at least includes an optional write up of the legendary "Wolf-in-sheep's-clothing", maybe with a variant rabbit on the stump without horns?
Does that sound like a reasonable request or did you guys already send out for the art?
WHAT GIVES? This has confused me for many, many (27) years. Couldn't they have just redrawn or white’d out the rabbit horns in the MMII? Any player who saw the rabbit on the stump in the pic from the MMII would say "Hey, that doesn't look like a normal rabbit! That looks like a rabbit with two horns!" So much for the element of surprise.
Wouldn't that have still caused PCs to go after it, though?
After all, if they had amended the pic, the players would ask "Why are you showing us that picture? I know what a rabbit looks like.", and suspect a trick.
If the bunny has two horn-stumps, I bet there's somebody out there decides to catch themselves a 'baby jackalope'. LOL