Fursona—The Definitive Guide to Creating Anthropomorphic Characters (PFRPG) PDF

Okay lets get this out of the way, the books sidebars and acknowledgement of furrydom makes it a bit of a creepy read, but to be honest, it's easily ignored if you're mature and there is a good system in the book. If you've built an eidelon, then using this books system will feel very familiar, so for experienced players this is a very user friendly system, and for DMs who want to throw in an anthropomorphic beasty or two it's simple enough to go quickly. I was however hoping for a more points based building system from the ground up rather than a choose a base form and then add extras with the point system, still for the price I think this is a solid system. However I want to stress that I think this book was clearly written for 3.5 rules and then updated to Pathfinder rules later, and the update missed some minor things Like updating the poison rules in the book which adds some extra work for the purchaser. There are also little editing errors that bring down the overall quality. All that said, this is a good product that can add something to your game, just be careful about the gamer who focuses a little too much on some of the more reproductive aspects of this book.

As a furry gamer, I've always looked for some method of creating anthropomorphic characters for my games. And this supplement now offers such an option for Pathfinder Fantasy. But it does much more as well.

The basic system is designed for custom-creating races using a wide variety of Creature Orders, from Felines and Canines to Draconids and even Lovecraftian creatures. This system can be stretched enough for different uses, such as creating a Pathfinder equivalent to the Illithid as a playable race, or creating unique monstrous NPCs.

Some of the Templates, while offering strange and interesting options for Furry characters, also offer ideas for non-furry characters. The Earthborn template could easily be adapted to a Human from our Earth, brought over to a Fantasy world by a magical portal like in the Chronicles of Narnia.

All in all, if you're interested in Furries, this book is a must. But if not, it can still give you some interesting options to try out.

Fursona is very much a "What you see is what you get" addition to the Pathfinder Roleplaying System. If your group is filled with people who are hankering to play as a group of "Furries", then this is certainly the book you need to pick up. But I would not suggest this book to anyone who doesn't already have a need for it.

The writing is fairly clear, but the repeat sexual references (the book even uses the words "Yiff" and "Futanari" in a side bar! eep!) could have been left out altogether and would not have impacted the system at all. There are also many Group Traits that seem to add nothing to the character but show different styles of copulation while still costing points. I don't think that being sterile should have the same cost as a +8 in Skill Bonuses or a Bite Attack!

The base rulebuilding is rather alright, though some options seem overpowered (full attack after a charge with no penalty for a single point? Damage Reduction 2/Adamant for a single point?) and some options seem completely useless (Who would PAY to be sterile!?) There are also some interesting options for making Lovecraftian Abominations that should help create a few unnerving encounters, but calling the order "Lovecraftia" may have been a little blunt.

There are some options for replacing the standard races of the Pathfinder World with furry creatures of various types, but these are only helpful if your entire group simply HAS to play a game where nobody has fleshy pink skin and everyone has fur. The options for integrating them into the regular pathfinder world are the most likely used, since most groups will only have 'That one player' who wants to play an anthropomorphic character.

Finally there are the templates. Ranging from such logical things as a 'Queen Insect' or 'Feral Anthro' to mind-boggling choices like 'VG Sprite' and 'Earthborn.' That's right, you can play as yourself forced into a furry body, and one of the defining features is that you have 21st century knowledge in Pathfinder times. What was the author thinking!? That's something to be avoided, not encouraged! There's some cool options like being able to play as Redwall styled miniature animals, but it is far overshadowed by the weirder templates.

In summary, Fursona is a game that is very much 'By Furries, For Furries.' The very writing style and content of the book help perpetuate the sexual stereotypes of the furry fandom, but it also has enough rules to help a Dungeon Master out if they have a character that absolutely must play a bipedal nine-tail fox. Get it if you need it, avoid it if you don't. But if you do pick it up, be warned that you'll have to sift through the less desirable options built for the less desirable crowd in order to get the best out of your purchase.

Unless you're someone who must play as yourself in the pathfinder world 'tragically' stuck in the body of a nine-tailed fox who gains sexual-based diplomacy bonuses. In that case have at it; just please don't ever play at my table.