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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 4 (OGL)

4.60/5 (based on 15 ratings)
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 4 (OGL)
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Untold Horrors!

Confront the creatures that go bump in the night! Bestiary 4 presents hundreds of new monsters for use in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Within this tome of terrors you'll find pitiless psychopomps and blood-drinking nosferatu, insectile formians and faceless nightgaunts, and even unique mythological horrors like Spring- Heeled Jack and Grendel himself. Yet not every creature need be an enemy, as mighty empyreal lords, primeval outer dragons, and valorous swan maidens enlist you in their epic battles!

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 4 is the fourth indispensable volume of monsters for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and serves as a companion to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook and Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary. This imaginative tabletop game builds upon more than 10 years of system development and an Open Playtest featuring more than 50,000 gamers to create a cutting-edge RPG experience that brings the all-time best-selling set of fantasy rules into the new millennium.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 4 includes:

  • More than 300 different monsters
  • Creatures from classic horror literature and monster films, including the colour out of space, elder things, and kaiju
  • New player-friendly races like changelings, kitsune, and nagaji
  • Entities of mythic might, from despotic demon lords and alien elohim to terrifying Great Old Ones—including Cthulhu!
  • New creatures you can construct, like clockworks and juggernauts
  • New familiars, animal companions, and other allies
  • New templates to help you get more life out of classic monsters
  • Appendices to help you find the right monster, including lists by Challenge Rating, monster type, and habitat
  • Expanded universal monster rules to simplify combat
  • Challenges for every adventure and every level of play
  • ... and much, much more!

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-575-4

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Hero Lab Online
Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
Archives of Nethys

Note: This product is part of the Pathfinder Rulebook Subscription.

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The Horror Takes Center Stage....

5/5 —

This edition of the Bestiary series brings all the worst nightmares, not found in a traditional fantasy setting alive! Despite the horror feel, they work in any genre you might be playing. By far my favorite of the Bestiary series! The sheer creativity of the Paizo team explodes in this awesome collection of crazy!

An RPG Resource Review

5/5 —

Herein is a fine and fascinating array of monsters, most with supernatural aspects and worthy of songs and legends... indeed it is suggested that to make the most of them you should be also using the Mythic Adventures rules. Fitting adversaries for those who fancy themselves as such legendary heroes, perhaps...

The Introduction is mainly explanation of how each monster entry is presented, complete with handy icons used to enable you to tell at a glance the creature type and the terrain and climate that it favours. These are supplemented by appendices that list them by CR, terrain and so on thus enabling you to populate a chosen area with ease. Other appendices deal with special abilities and other details, including a fascinating section on monster creation, another on monster advancement and one on monsters as player-characters.

The main bulk of the book is composed of an alphabetical listing of the monsters. Each comes with a colour illustration and stat block, with plenty of detail and description to enable you to work out suitable uses for it and how it will behave when encountered by the party.

Beginning with the abaia, an eel with a strong regard for the environment which acts as guardian to a body of water... and turns quite nasty if you do not respect the lake it inhabits (it doesn't mind people who take only what they need, it is those who abuse nature that upsets them), there follows a fascinating array of creatures.

The almiraj, for example, looks like a cross between a rabbit and a unicorn, but it's no fluffy bunny! If nothing else, anything slain by its horn is turned to stone so if the poor almiraj wants to eat whatever it has attacked (it's apparently a carnivore), it has to eat its prey alive.

One of the weirdest is the colour out of space. This is an eerie radient incorporeal ooze that leaches life out of its surroundings until it reaches maturity, at which time it departs into the interstellar depths from which it came. If that's not enough for you, the Great Old Ones are here, so if you wish to combat Cthulhu or Hastur or the like, now you can... if you dare. Most have cults associated with them, details of which are also given.

If it's monsters out of legend that you want, there are beings such as Grendel, if you prefer more mundane ones there are gremlins or even giraffes! Undead too, and an alchemist's error called a hungry flesh, a giant ooze. To cap it all, how about an immortal ichor, which is an intelligent mass of blood from a dead evil deity...

This is indeed a collection of monsters rich and strange, ones whose very being deserve a song or story, never mind those that will be written when heroes defeat them in battle!

Lots of fun new monsters!

4/5 —

Read my full review on Of Dice and Pen.

Bestiary 4 contains over 300 new monsters. All the monster types are represented, although some more than others. There are many of the standards found in every Bestiary—new dinosaurs, devils, dragons—but also many unusual and bizarre creatures. It has provided me with lots of new options to throw at my players, and that’s always a good thing.

5/5 —

The Bestiary 4 for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game has been one of the more favorites of the Bestiary series for me and I'd like to take a moment to tell you why.

To start, the Bestiary 4 has added everything from new types of fey to additional golems as well as the more prominent and popular Kaiju, Great Old Ones, and Empyreal Lords. Paizo's inclusion of these creatures that've gone on to become pop culture legends in their own right is a direct result of the designer's dedication to getting their monsters right. The Bestiary 4 is an awesome sourcebook and stands right up there with the Bestiary 3 in terms of 'fantasy verisimilitude,' hardening gamers resolve against such villainous foes as Cthulhu himself.

Not every book is a perfect image of idolatry however and the Bestiary 4 is no exception. While it's true that this book is littered with new baddies for your players to chase and new races for their characters to face, it is also bogged down with what seems to be an over-saturation of multiple page monsters. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does seem as if several of these creatures could've used a proverbial trimming before being posted.

If you don't mind a bit of length though and you want more vile beasts for your players to square off against then the Bestiary 4 is yet another wonderful book to add to your collection and one that comes Five-Star recommended by your Severed Ronin.

Robert Beasley
"The Severed Ronin"

You probably know if you need this

5/5 —

This is a good Bestiary. I'd personally put it up with Bestiary 3, with both having a good mix of classic, mythological, and completely new monsters.

There's a bit of a horror them and a bit of a mythic theme, but neither is overwhelming. If you're looking for a whole book of mythic monsters, this isn't it. If you're worried the whole book is mythic monsters, there aren't that many in practice.

For me, the evocative flavor on the high CR creatures pushes it over the top. The demon lords, empyreals, and great old ones really feel like epic creatures.

If you're sure you don't need any more monsters... don't buy this book. That said, I wasn't sure if I needed any more monsters and was definitely impressed by this.

Short Version: These are sweet monsters, but only you know whether you want more monsters.

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Digital Products Assistant
4 people marked this as a favorite.

Announced! Illustration is final, but the cover layout may change prior to production.
Silver Crusade
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Oh myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy....
Dark Archive
6 people marked this as a favorite.

We're gonna need a bigger boat!
Dark Archive
2 people marked this as a favorite.

Looks to me like its gonna be the best Bestiary yet!
Liberty's Edge

sweet!!!
Liberty's Edge

Fantastic!

Taking full advantage of Mythic, I see...
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

Now this is more like it!
Silver Crusade

Can't wait to get my mitts on this sucker! More toys to play with!
Verdant Wheel
1 person marked this as a favorite.

*faints*
Grand Lodge
1 person marked this as a favorite.

OH MY GOD. SO MUCH WANT.
Lantern Lodge RPG Superstar 2014 Top 4
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Oh.

I--

Oh my word.

Cthulhu!? Mythic I see.

Will Kaiju also use mythic or have their own set of rules. I remember reading James saying that Kaijus need their own (long) subsystem.
Shadow Lodge
4 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Ia, ia
Silver Crusade

Completely shocked. NEVER saw this coming. #awesomecover
Editor-in-Chief
3 people marked this as a favorite.
goldomark wrote:

Cthulhu!? Mythic I see.

Will Kaiju also use mythic or have their own set of rules. I remember reading James saying that Kaijus need their own (long) subsystem.

It's a bit early to give away the whole farm.

Patience. You'll see. :)
1 person marked this as a favorite.

HUZZAH!!!!!
8 people marked this as a favorite.

You had me at Cthulhu...
Editor-in-Chief
1 person marked this as a favorite.
kikai13 wrote:

Looks to me like its gonna be the best Bestiary yet!

I was blown away by the response to Bestiary 3... you don't usually see people saying nice things about at THIRD monster collection. Taking that as kind of a challenge, I think there's some even cooler stuff in this one. Sean and Stephen have been churning through stat blocks for months here, so we're pretty far along on this and there's been plenty of awesome to see from the art side already. Can't wait to see what everyone thinks this Fall!

Editor-in-Chief
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Evil Midnight Lurker wrote:
Taking full advantage of Mythic, I see...

Oh my yes. But not as much as you might think. We're really conscious that, as with any system that steps away from the baseline experience, that some people might not dig it. So while there are dozens of mythic creatures in this, they probably don't account for more than 10% of the total monster list. And there's a wide, wide range of CRs with these creatures, despite being mythic--the lowest is below CR 5. But in any case, mythic creatures still work with all the Pathfinder core assumptions and can be used in non-mythic games.

So even if you're not the "go big or go home sort" we've gotcha covered!
Editor-in-Chief
Radiarch Eklesya wrote:
Completely shocked. NEVER saw this coming. #awesomecover

[Not sure if sarcastic...] >_>

Silver Crusade
15 people marked this as a favorite.

I'd be surprised if Cthulhu has anything more in his statblock then the following ability:
THE END: If Cthullu appears, proceed to reroll the party.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4
6 people marked this as a favorite.

Wes,

Not only am I excited (oh jeez wow, do I ever *love* new Bestiaries, because that opens up new monsters for scenarios, modules, and AP's)—I'm shocked!

Because this is not a surprise PaizoCon announcement!

Which makes me wonder what the hell is the surprise announcement gonna be now!?
Webstore Gninja Minion
25 people marked this as a favorite.
Radiarch Eklesya wrote:

I'd be surprised if Cthulhu has anything more in his statblock then the following ability:

THE END: If Cthullu appears, proceed to reroll the party.

Honestly, I'm going to be looking for the "Consumes 1dX investigators/adventurers per round" line in its statblock.

Rock on Paizo, rock on! I forsaw 4 coming, but not all this goodness.
Scarab Sages
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Edit: I was the wrong. [ignore me!]
Ulmaxes wrote:
The Cthulhu-esque creature everyone is talking about is (my guess) probably the Star-Spawn of Cthulhu, the CR 20 beast that was included in Wake of the Watcher [Carrion Crown]'s bestiary.

...but it says right there in the official description text that this bestiary includes stats for Great Cthulhu.

Why put a 'spawn on the cover when the real thing is going to be in there?
3 people marked this as a favorite.
Product Description wrote:
This collection of creatures shatters all past thresholds of danger and destructiveness with phenomenally powerful beings like demon lords, kaiju, juggernauts, and Great Old Ones—including invincible Cthulhu!

*faint*

Ulmaxes wrote:
The Cthulhu-esque creature everyone is talking about is (my guess) probably the Star-Spawn of Cthulhu, the CR 20 beast that was included in Wake of the Watcher [Carrion Crown]'s bestiary.

From the product description...

Product description wrote:
...and Great Old Ones—including invincible Cthulhu!

So yeah, sounds like it's Cthulhu himself. :)

EDIT: Ninja'd. Twice.
Webstore Gninja Minion
5 people marked this as a favorite.

Hold onto your SAN score, it's going to be an awesome ride. :D
Silver Crusade
1 person marked this as a favorite.
F. Wesley Schneider wrote:
Radiarch Eklesya wrote:
Completely shocked. NEVER saw this coming. #awesomecover
[Not sure if sarcastic...] >_>

It was sarcastic. Enthusastically sarcastic. Looking forward to it!

8 people marked this as a favorite.

The Stars have Come Right!!!
Scarab Sages
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Evil Midnight Lurker wrote:
Ulmaxes wrote:
The Cthulhu-esque creature everyone is talking about is (my guess) probably the Star-Spawn of Cthulhu, the CR 20 beast that was included in Wake of the Watcher [Carrion Crown]'s bestiary.

...but it says right there in the official description text that this bestiary includes stats for Great Cthulhu.

Why put a 'spawn on the cover when the real thing is going to be in there?

Yeah, that was my bad. Funny enough, I had actually only read the description on the Announcement over at the Blog. I even meant to post this in that discussion thread, but I guess I got my tabs mixed up. Still, mess up on my part.

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Squeeeeeeeeeeee!
3 people marked this as a favorite.

I am so happy about this one except for the demon lords(I thought these books were supposed to be world neutral). While I am not big on the mythic rules stuff I am still happy about getting Kaiju and Great Old Ones, especially Cthulhu. Finally a mummified template and nosferatu being in a hardcover bestiary. I know somebody who is going to be happy about the sadistic tooth fairies.

Juggernuats, so are these supposed to be the mythic robbots/constructs to battle the Kaiju with?
3 people marked this as a favorite.
Dragon78 wrote:
Juggernuats, so are these supposed to be the mythic robbots/constructs to battle the Kaiju with?

O_O

pleasebeyespleasebeyes

Kamaitachi! Batibat! Mahaha! Karkadann! Cherufe! Buggane! Fossegrim! Those I want in the most!

but the Sadistic Tooth Fairies and Al-Mi'Raj are a real suprise! Never thought they would be in! Maybe there is still hope for the Drop Bear afteral! :p
2 people marked this as a favorite.

Anymore Asuras?
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, PF Special Edition Subscriber

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

\o/
Dragon78 wrote:
I am so happy about this one except for the demon lords(I thought these books were supposed to be world neutral).

If Great Old Ones can be setting-neutral, demon lords can be setting-neutral. Somehow I doubt there's much room for flavor text in the demon lord entries anyway. Even if there is, though, it's entirely possible to write flavor without making it setting-specific. For instance, there's an entire page dedicated to each of the main outsider variants in the Bestiary, and that page is both flavorful and setting-neutral.

I do not hope those demon lords take up more than 2 pages...
8 people marked this as a favorite.
kikai13 wrote:

Looks to me like its gonna be the best Bestiary yet!

BESTESTiary.

Liberty's Edge
Dragon78 wrote:
I am so happy about this one except for the demon lords(I thought these books were supposed to be world neutral).

Most of the Outsiders entries have a side table in the past bestiaries that list off named "leaders" of their kind.

Looks nifty! Cannot wait!

HAH I KNEW IT...Knew that Bestiary 4 would be on it's way, and that it would have mythic!
Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Mahaha was a monster I proposed for the AP Bestiary when I was writing The Hungry Storm for Jade Regent but it got bounced in favor of other concepts. We will see if it shows up in B4.
Contributor
11 people marked this as a favorite.

Ah, just in time for the Dark of the Stars AP in which the PCs fight against the Great Old Ones themselves.

Wishful thinking.
13 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
donato wrote:

Ah, just in time for the Dark of the Stars AP in which the PCs fight against the Great Old Ones themselves.

Wishful thinking.

My name is Commander Shepard and this is my favorite post on the Citadel.

Oh my lanta.

Hooray!
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