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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex (OGL)

4.80/5 (based on 16 ratings)
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex (OGL)
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Menagerie of Mayhem!

The fiercest surprises often come from the most familiar foes! Just as no single class description can define every fighter, rogue, or wizard, no single creature entry can truly cover every vicious champion, unholy priest, or savage sorcerer in a band of organized and intelligent monsters.

With Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex, fleshed-out hordes are at your fingertips! This volume presents a trove of entries for 20 classic monster races, giving you new ways to use your favorite monsters in a variety of encounters and challenge levels.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex is an indispensable companion to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook and Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary. This imaginative tabletop game builds upon more than 15 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 a new era.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex includes:

  • Pages upon pages of specialized entries for 20 classic monstrous races, from goblins and drow to kobolds and trolls. Face off against such formidable foes as gnoll packlords, ratfolk sages, and dinosaur-riding lizardfolk champions!
  • Detailed information on the ecologies and societies of these formidable creatures.
  • New feats, equipment, spells, and archetypes to help you customize all 20 monstrous races—and the adventurers who fight or trade with them.
  • A horrific new monster associated with each race—allies, thralls, and variants.
  • Sample encounters ready to challenge raw recruits and experienced adventurers alike.
  • ... and much, much more!

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-686-7

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

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Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
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Everyone GM Should Own One

5/5 —

Monster Codex is a fantastic 256-page hardcover collection of new rules, variants, and background on twenty classic monstrous races for Pathfinder. The full-colour artwork inside is excellent and the book is laid out quite well. I'm not a particularly big "monster guy", but I found this book quite interesting and readable, and enjoyed finishing an entry every night before bed, often drifting off to sleep with fun (and nefarious) new ideas.

Each entry is twelve pages long and includes a half-page picture and a half-page of in-universe flavour text, followed by a really well-written page of description and background that goes far beyond what's available in a Bestiary. Each monster then receives about two pages of new rules, the exact content of which varies--it could be new archetypes, magic items, spells, feats, favored class options, and more. Some of these options could be taken by anyone, but most are limited to members of the particular race. Next, each entry has six pages of full stat-blocks for variant or specialized members of the race, many of which span a range of Challenge Ratings (CRs) (often through the addition of class levels) so that particular monstrous races don't become obsolete once the PCs reach a certain level. GMs might be surprised how useful this is in expanding the options they have when designing storylines, and the entries include a good mix of martial and caster variants. After that, a new creature associated with the race is presented in a one-page stat block--these are often some sort of animal (or animal-like) companion or pet often present. Last, there's a one-page summary of a few different types of encounters (of varying CRs) in which the PCs might come into conflict with the race--note that these are not true encounters detailed in the sense of maps, terrain, etc., but more like common ways the monsters might be encountered and the number and types that they'll bring to the occasion.

Since there's twenty entries, I can't go into full detail on each, so what follows is more like a list with some very brief comments of things that caught my particular attention added in.

1. Boggards. It was interesting to learn that they have a much more complex society than they might seem to at first glance. [3 new alternate racial traits, 4 new favored class options, 5 new feats, one new spell, 2 new magic items.]

2. Bugbears. The flavour text for this is fantastic (and chilling!). I've always thought of Bugbears and just larger orcs before, but this really helps to distinguish them (and make them scary). There's a really clever spell introduced (Isolate) that renders a creature invisible and silent, but only to their own allies! The artwork for the Bugbear Tyrant (a CR 13 antipaladin) is simply fantastic! [1 new Antipaladin archetype, 7 new feats, 1 new spell, 2 new magic items]

3. Drow. [2 new alchemist discoveries, 3 new feats, 2 new pieces of equipment, 2 new magic items]

4. Duergar. The picture of the Duergar Monk makes me laugh because of that huge pot belly! [2 new alternate racial traits, 3 new feats, 2 new weapons, 3 new spells, 1 new magic item]

5. Fire Giants. There's a new Oracle Mystery introduced here (Apocalypse) that one of the PCs in my Rise of the Runelords game has taken. So you never know what will prove useful in a game. I also like the new creature, a Steam Hog--a huge, tusked boar; a mounted Fire Giant cavalier would be terrifying! [1 new Oracle mystery, 1 new feat, 2 new spells]

6. Frost Giants. [7 new feats, 2 new spells, 4 new magic items]

7. Ghouls. I've been reading Classic Horrors Revisited at the same time as this book, so I was mildly surprised to see the race again here. But I like ghouls, so that's okay. The artwork here is great, and I really like the variant ghoul--the Masked Marauder (a CR 8 ghoul bard), who would be a great mastermind villain for an urban campaign. [1 new sorcerer bloodline, 5 new feats, 2 new spells]

8. Gnolls. [1 new Witch archetype, 1 new Barbarian archetype, 5 new feats (4 of them Teamwork, which makes perfect sense for hyena-like Gnolls), 1 new weapon, and 3 new magic items]

9. Goblins. I *really* want to play a Goblin Winged Marauder! I also liked (and was mildly disgusted by) the explanation of what a Goblin Alchemist formula book looks like. [1 new Alchemist archetype, 1 new Oracle curse, 1 new Witch hex, 1 new piece of equipment, and 2 new spells]

10. Hobgoblins. Perfect for anyone planning to run the Ironfang Invasion adventure path. The Hobgoblin Commander (a CR 12 Samurai) is really cool. [1 new Alchemist archetype, 6 new feats, 4 new pieces of equipment]

11. Kobolds. I liked the Dragon Yapper archetype for bards--instead of inspiring your allies, you annoy and distract your enemies! [1 new Alchemist archetype, 1 new Bard archetype, 2 new animal companions, 7 new traps, 2 new feats]

12. Lizardfolk. I have a new appreciation for lizardfolk after reading this entry, which means the writers did their job well. [1 new Druid archetype, 1 new Oracle curse, 3 new feats, 3 new spells]

13. Ogres. The focus here is on the degenerations and mutations that plague the race. The artwork is a bit tame considering how much fun the artist could have had. [4 new templates; 8 new feats]

14. Orcs. This entry would be particularly useful to players since Half-Orc is a Core race. [4 new feats, 2 new pieces of equipment, 6 new magic items]

15. Ratfolk. They seem like a lot of fun, and I'll have to make time to play one. The Cheek Pouch alternate racial trait is a classic. [4 new alternate racial traits, 4 new feats, 1 new piece of equipment, 1 new animal companion, 2 new magic items]

16. Sahuagin. [6 new mutant variants, 3 new feats, 3 new spells]

17. Serpentfolk. Such a fascinating race and mysterious race! [5 new feats, 2 new spells, 3 new magic items]

18. Troglodytes. I still find the race rather bland and forgettable after reading this entry--one of the book's only failures in that department. [3 new variants, 3 new spells, 2 new magic items]

19. Trolls. The Troll Fury archetype (for druids) presents an interesting take on trolls. I love (and fear) the Cooperative Rend teamwork feat--if a troll and its ally have the feat and are threatening the same creature, only one claw attack has to land for rend to kick in! I'm not a big fan, however, of Paizo's artistic take on trolls. The new monster, a CR 2 Sewer Troll, is a great way to help low-level PCs get acquainted with the regeneration monster ability before they fight the real thing. [1 new Druid archetype, 6 new feats, 1 new piece of equipment, 2 new spells, 2 new magic items]

20. Vampires. A GM will appreciate the new templates for creatures that have been repeatedly drained or dominated by vampires. Alchemical Blood is a logical thing to introduce in the game as well. [3 new templates, 2 new simple templates for minions, 2 new feats, 1 new piece of equipment, 2 new magic items]

An appendix introduces the concept of "Simple Class Templates". The idea here is to allow a GM to quickly modify a monster by adding class levels without having to laboriously rebuild a stat block from the ground up. Thus, each of the Core Rulebook classes are given quick template rules and simplified spellcasting. I haven't tried this method out, so I don't know how well it works.

As I said, I'm not a monster guy, so the fact that I enjoyed this book so much is telling. It really does freshen up monsters with the options presented. Long-time players, even those that do their very best not to metagame, may not be able to avoid sighing when yet another orc or troll appears in a game--but with the material presented here, the GM can add a surprising twist to every encounter. In addition, the stat blocks for higher CR versions of every monster makes many of these monsters viable opponents throughout a campaign instead of the old "goblins at Level 1, trolls at Level 5, and neither ever seen again afterwards" problem. I also liked how the addition of class levels can help turn common PC strengths against themselves--an alchemist monster hurling touch-attack area of effect bombs definitely changes up the battlefield! Although this book isn't literally indispensable for GMs, it would be among the first recommendations I would make. And, perhaps surprisingly, there's enough race-neutral options here that players will surely find something useful for their PCs as well (if they're cheeky enough to buy a copy). And you gotta love that cover!

Go Go Pathfinder!

5/5 —

I had this exact idea and wrote it down but never sent it. Now I have owned your version for awhile and I just love it and how you executed this book. You can really tell how valuable this book is to GM's as every review is 5 out of 5 stars except 1 review dragging down the median.

I echo the sentiments of my fellow reviewers when I ask to see a second Monster Codex and here is a list that might be good candidates. Love to hear what others ideas might be.

18 in total; 4 playable races, 8 monster races, 6 undead creatures.

Aasimar
Catfolk
Tiefling
Tengu

Centaur
Cyclops
Dryad & Fey Creatures
Ettin
Gargoyle
Giants (Hill & Stone)
Girallon
Rakshasa

Skeleton
Mummy
Werewolf
Wight
Wraith
Zombie

Other possibilities are Cloud & Storm Giants, also Suli is a real cool playable race that could be added.

Finally I would also love to see a second Rival Guide but hopefully there would be more low level groups. It could be called Rival Codex and could also include a more extensive section for groups like primitive tribes, street gangs, crazed zealots, and evil monks than what is in the GMG.

One of the best

5/5 —

Read my full review on Of Dice and Pen.

I really cannot praise the Monster Codex enough. In the year since its release, it has become one of the most used resources at my game table. It's like a Bestiary, the NPC Codex, and the Advanced Race Guide all rolled into one! The Monster Codex covers 20 of the most common monster races and provides a selection of NPCs for each, as well as several new rules options, and still more. It gives GMs a chance to take these classic monsters and add huge variety to them.

Humanoid Monster Races Finally Get Development

5/5 —

This is really what the revisited products should be like: full of extra inspiration and details to make a GM's like easier. Why buy a product that just regurgitates what I already know about a monster race?

This focuses on many of the humanoid monster races and fleshes them out, something Paizo really needed to do. I'm hoping they do this with many of the other races that are sentient.

This book is well worth your money if you plan on using monsters as characters in your games and not just target practice.

One of my favorites

5/5 —

This is probably one of the best Pathfinder resources for DMs. I love the 'classic' monsters, but it can be hard to use them in other than their typical niches. This book takes care of that and lets orcs, kobolds, and the rest be diverse enough to keep the players guessing.

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Silver Crusade
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Axial wrote:

1) When I apply the simple class templates to a monster, does it still need to have a high enough ability score to cast certain spells?

2) Does armor spell failure apply as normal? What about natural armor?

Monster Codex page 116 wrote:
Even then,the inevitable weaknesses that come with old age eventually come to the notice of hobgoblins of lower standing, who take the opportunity to usurp their elders' roles. Such coups are generally not violent, but a hobgoblin removed entirely from the sphere of war generally falls ill within a few years and dies long before his body would otherwise give out.

3) No mention of kalech-mar, i.e how Hobgoblins do the whole klingon promotion thing by challenging their superior to a duel. Has that been retconned?

Monster Codex page 128 wrote:
The few metallic-colored kobolds are an exception to this rule. Though no more good-inclined than their fellows, these metallic kobolds are seen as special or marked by some higher power, and often go on to become great chiefs or shamans.
4) That seems to contradict this feat and this trait.

As far as 3) and 4), Monster Codex is setting-neutral, while the stuff you mention is Golarion-specific.

Between this and the Advanced Bestiary, and maybe a few levels of the Advanced Class Guide, I think I have bad guys stacked up waiting for players to torment...
Contributor
Axial wrote:
4) That seems to contradict this feat and this trait.

Note that those are both from a Campaign Setting product (Kobolds of Golarion). Monster Codex is setting neutral.

So from a setting-neutral stand point, the Monster Codex is correct. From a Golarion standpoint, if you have Metallic scales and you take that feat, representing a life of study and contemplation, then the feat is correct.

I gotta thank Paizo so much for this book.
The PDF is amazing to go through.
My only complaint is that, me being a faithful of the green horde, I would have liked a little bit more for the Waaaagh!, but I digress. And no, it's never enough.

I absolutely love the stuff written about the various giant races, something we were sorely missing, as well as bugbears (though I would have loved to see a Koblak in the print).

My big question is this: Was there ever any artwork done for the Trogdolyte Paragons (the original Xulgath race)?
I just need to see what they looked like. The difference between degenerate serpentfolk and the advanced, on a physical scale, is quite noticeable. I can only imagine what these guys looked like.

Edit: Also, what gives, no Urdefhan guys? That race alone is so evilly iconic, as one of James Jacobs' creations. I would have loved to see them broken down a bit further, as you guys did for Drow and Duergar, both races found in the depths.
But, I get the limited space thing. Did you guys plan on doing Urdefhan and they just didn't make the final cut?
Paizo Employee Publisher, Chief Creative Officer

No.

We wanted to focus on more popular, mainstream monsters with the widest possible base of people interested in using them in campaigns.

Urdefhans were never seriously considered.

My position is that we need to have a book like this prove itself with much, much more common monsters than that before we can dream of diluting the customer pool with creatures they don't recognize.

Monster Codex 4? Sure.

Some sort of Pathfinder Campaign Setting Monster Codex? Absolutely.

Not here.

Not when so many folks were skeptical of whether they would need this book, and not when we're trying something that has basically never been done before.
Liberty's Edge

Received and flipped through mine.

I'm sold. This looks like it will be *very* useful to do extensive campaigns against certain monster races, without getting bored of always the same statblock. This is perfect for someone like me who wants to milk more use out of a mainstay like, say, orcs, but doesn't have the time to do lots of statblocks themselves.

After five Monster Manuals, one Fiend Folio, four Bestiaries, Adventure Path bestiaries, and god knows what else, I think I have enough *breadth* in monsters for a while. Now I'm interested in *depth*, getting more milked out of those monsters we already have. And the Monster Codex delivers that in spades.

I would kill for WotC to have come up with the Monster Codex idea during 3.5, so I could have more variety in beholders, mind flayers and so on.

I'm definitely on board for a Monster Codex 2, and IMO, Monster Codexes can take the place of Bestiaries for a few years at least.

I wonder, after NPC Codex and Monster Codex, what else could possibly be done other than the obvious 2s of each. I would sort of kill for an Animal Companion/Familiar Codex, since I always have trouble statting those up. I wonder if there could be an Ally Codex that would be like a Monster Codex, but for player races like dwarves, elves and so on? Or would Paizo see that between NPC Codex and Advanced Race Guide that niche is mostly filled? What about a Settlement Codex, presenting like twenty 10-page gazetteers for settlements ranging from small village to big city? Emerald Spire is sort of like a Dungeon Level Codex.

Super interesting stuff. I'm really looking forward to future installments of this subset of the RPG line.
Liberty's Edge
Axial wrote:


Monster Codex page 128 wrote:
The few metallic-colored kobolds are an exception to this rule. Though no more good-inclined than their fellows, these metallic kobolds are seen as special or marked by some higher power, and often go on to become great chiefs or shamans.
4) That seems to contradict this feat and this trait.

Can you elaborate how? I don't see how there's a problem.

Redeemed Kobold is for those kobolds who are metallic-colored *and* Good. It doesn't mean that there aren't kobolds who are metallic-colored and non-Good. The quote from Monster Codex states that the ratio of alignments is similar to non-metallic kobolds, so for example if (say) 5% of kobolds were Good, then the same ratio would apply to metallic kobolds -- 95% non-Good and 5% Good -- and the latter would be eligible for the Redeemed Kobold feat.

Golden Scales gives you a slight Diplomacy penalty, but that doesn't prevent you from becoming a great chief or shaman. Furthermore, not all metallic kobolds are required to have that trait, and probably the majority indeed would not, and those would probably be the ones most likely to rise to those high positions.

I'd love to see a later monster and NPC Codex set of books with various archetypes more in use, as well as advanced classes.

I'd definitely restat someone like Krun Thuul as a Vanguard Slayer rather than straight up fighter, or maybe a polearm master.
Liberty's Edge

What would a Monster Codex 2 even contain if one were made? I'm having a tough time thinking of iconic monsters that would commonly have class levels. The remaining giants, then what? Skeletons and zombies?

Edit: Good list earlier in the thread

Looks like it's going to hit barrel-scraping flavor very quickly though...just MHO. I could possibly see a MC2, but a MC3 would be a tough sell for me, I think.

Dragons should probably get their own Dragon Codex...not sure if it has enough of a draw with the 3.5 Draconomicon out there already...
Erik Mona wrote:

No.

We wanted to focus on more popular, mainstream monsters with the widest possible base of people interested in using them in campaigns.

Urdefhans were never seriously considered.

My position is that we need to have a book like this prove itself with much, much more common monsters than that before we can dream of diluting the customer pool with creatures they don't recognize.

Monster Codex 4? Sure.

Some sort of Pathfinder Campaign Setting Monster Codex? Absolutely.

Not here.

Not when so many folks were skeptical of whether they would need this book, and not when we're trying something that has basically never been done before.

Emphasis mine, i.e. bold & italics added above.

So... Would this perhaps be a hint (spoiler?!) at one of the five "still unknown" monsters to be featured in the up-&-coming Inner Sea Monster Codex, hmm??

Spoiler:
Granted, the five monsters mentioned in the product description (strix, gillman, centaur, ogrekin & charau-ka) aren't necessarily confirmed... Or, at least, that seems to be the general feeling from the posts in its product discussion thread.

Of course, it could all be a hypothetical example on your part (& I'm just speculating ;p ), BUT...

:D :D :D

Carry on!

--C.

PS: You don't have to confirm or deny it, if it's a lil' too early to say, BUT...

<edit> Added post script & spoiler.
Liberty's Edge

Inner Sea NPC Codex was in the Campaign Setting line, which makes sense for a GM-oriented product...the same would likely hold true for an Inner Sea Monster Codex, unless they go crazy and do it as a hardcover.

If they go with the same 12 pages per race breakdown as the plain Monster Codex, a 64 page Campaign Setting book would be a pretty good fit for five races. (12*5=60 + 4 pages of intro matter).

I'd want to see centaurs, for example, in Monster Codex 2 since they are such a setting-neutral race drawn from way back mythology. A better fit for Inner Sea Monster Codex would be something like androids, unless they're seen as mostly a player race and not an enemy race.
Samy wrote:

Inner Sea NPC Codex was in the Campaign Setting line, which makes sense for a GM-oriented product...the same would likely hold true for an Inner Sea Monster Codex, unless they go crazy and do it as a hardcover.

If they go with the same 12 pages per race breakdown as the plain Monster Codex, a 64 page Campaign Setting book would be a pretty good fit for five races. (12*5=60 + 4 pages of intro matter).

I'd want to see centaurs, for example, in Monster Codex 2 since they are such a setting-neutral race drawn from way back mythology. A better fit for Inner Sea Monster Codex would be something like androids, unless they're seen as mostly a player race and not an enemy race.

Interesting, I'm starting to believe that Paizo and company (like many players) are starting to forget and/or mix up the setting neutral vs setting specific stuff.

and maybe having a bit of difficulties setting their own prefferences/bias aside.
The Exchange RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6, Contributor

I know setting vs. neutral is always on my mind when I work on core products, and commented as such in my turnover. With many items, I work them so they have an obvious pivot into the Golarion world, but don't call it out directly.

I don't know if this has already been answered, but can someone shed some light on what creature the Troglodyte Scale-Rider is riding on page 216 is? The caption for Troglodyte Cavalry says mounted troglodytes often ride giant monitor lizard or giant chameleons, but the creature does not look remotely like either of those. Enlightenment would be appreciated.
Alex G St-Amand wrote:
Samy wrote:

Inner Sea NPC Codex was in the Campaign Setting line, which makes sense for a GM-oriented product...the same would likely hold true for an Inner Sea Monster Codex, unless they go crazy and do it as a hardcover.

If they go with the same 12 pages per race breakdown as the plain Monster Codex, a 64 page Campaign Setting book would be a pretty good fit for five races. (12*5=60 + 4 pages of intro matter).

I'd want to see centaurs, for example, in Monster Codex 2 since they are such a setting-neutral race drawn from way back mythology. A better fit for Inner Sea Monster Codex would be something like androids, unless they're seen as mostly a player race and not an enemy race.

Interesting, I'm starting to believe that Paizo and company (like many players) are starting to forget and/or mix up the setting neutral vs setting specific stuff.

and maybe having a bit of difficulties setting their own prefferences/bias aside.

How so? The main difference between setting only versus setting neutral material is that the names of locations/gods/individuals are filed off. Reading through my copy of Monster Codex (yay christmas presents), just about all the material is Golarion friendly. The Drow are a great example...they have the same origin story as those in Golarion, but Earthfall and Rovagug are alluded to and not directly referenced.

MMCJawa wrote:
Alex G St-Amand wrote:

Interesting, I'm starting to believe that Paizo and company (like many players) are starting to forget and/or mix up the setting neutral vs setting specific stuff.

and maybe having a bit of difficulties setting their own prefferences/bias aside.

How so? The main difference between setting only versus setting neutral material is that the names of locations/gods/individuals are filed off. Reading through my copy of Monster Codex (yay christmas presents), just about all the material is Golarion friendly. The Drow are a great example...they have the same origin story as those in Golarion, but Earthfall and Rovagug are alluded to and not directly referenced.

Stuff that aren't used much in 'Golarion' are put in setting books, while stuff that isn't used much outside 'Golarion' are put in setting neutral books.

So Been going through the book, and ultimately I really like it. I do have one annoying pet peeve.

While I love the flavor of Hobgoblins, I am really not a huge fan of the artwork here, and it feels like we have a "catfolk" situation going on.

I much prefer how Hobgoblins were portrayed in the ARG and some of the older material, which made them into long armed muscular goblin folk

The Monster Codex (and the Hobgoblin NPC in volume 2 of Iron Gods) have a completely new design, pointed-ear gray humanoids.

Looking through the book...there just isn't anything distinct about the new design, and in fact the hobgoblins look just like the orcs in the orc section, only gray instead of green (and also look somewhat like some of the ghoul and even drow art).

I really hope this isn't the new direction for hobgoblin art design, and I really hope future art goes back to the ARG look. As is it's not obvious that the hobgoblins have any relation whatsoever to the other goblinoids.

I'd say it ultimately depends on the artist, but I've noticed the shift in Hobs for sometime in terms of appearance.
Contributor
2 people marked this as a favorite.

For what my opinion's worth, I like the non-goblin, more regal look of the hobgoblins. Sort of implies that goblins are, in fact, a mutation of hobgoblin. "Plus-size goblin" isn't exactly an interesting design for a race.

The look does actually mesh more with their culture of meritocracy and militarization.
Alexander Augunas wrote:
For what my opinion's worth, I like the non-goblin, more regal look of the hobgoblins. Sort of implies that goblins are, in fact, a mutation of hobgoblin. "Plus-size goblin" isn't exactly an interesting design for a race.

my issue more is that...their is absolutely nothing iconic about the newer depictions. They just look like color-swapped orcs, and on top of, some of the drow, vampire, and ghoul artwork looks pretty similar as well. Perhaps if the orcs looked more distinctive (prominent tusks, more porcine features, etc) this would not be a problem.

This is in contrast to say, goblins and bugbears, both of which have goblinoid characteristics, but have distinctive appearances.

The ARG artwork in contrast...left no doubt in the mind of the viewer that hobgoblins were related to goblins, but were distinct enough that a pawn or image would leave no doubt at what people were looking at.
Scarab Sages
1 person marked this as a favorite.

After flicking through this at my LFRS I parted with my hard earned cash.

As I sat reading the Boggard entry, my youngest son asked what it was...after explaining it's uses, without giving anything away and being given an hour to prep, my kids successfully cleared out an old ruined keep (the floor plan for which looks suspiciously like The Keep on The Borderlands)of the Bugbear/hobgoblin tribe.... sorted.

Yet another fine product that I wish I'd written myself. :D
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I also posted this question under the Product Discussion for Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-11, "The Slave Master's Mirror", which uses some stats from the Monster Codex.

Is the damage calculated wrong in this stat block?:

Stat block:
Page 96 of the Monster Codex includes the gnoll lieutenant (fighter 5).

The stat block says that the lieutenant's +1 scorpion whip deals 1d4+9 points of damage, but I count only 1d4+7:
+5 from Strength 20,
+1 from weapon training (flails +1),
+1 from the weapon's enhancement bonus.

Weapon Specialization (whip) would give +2 points of damage, but the lieutenant doesn't have this feat. Maybe an earlier version of the lieutenant did have the feat, but the designers changed the feat without remembering to change the damage.

Wielding most one-handed weapons in two hands would grant the lieutenant another 2 points of damage (half of +5, rounded down), but the scorpion whip is a "light weapon" (Ultimate Combat, page 145), not a "one-handed weapon", and light weapons don't deal any extra damage when wielded in two hands. (Side note: a normal whip, however, is a one-handed weapon, so wielding a whip in two hands would deal more damage.) Anyway, the lieutenant's calculated AC includes a +1 shield bonus from the masterwork light steel shield, so he doesn't have a free hand to use a weapon two-handed.

Am I missing another bonus to damage or should the whip attack actually deal 1d4+7 points of damage?
1 person marked this as a favorite.

So I really look forward to using it, it looks like it's going to be an invaluable help for GMing, but there is one thing that bothered me with this book.
The fluff gets incredibly repetitive, how almost every race in the book are slavers or have an inexplicable desire for humanoid flesh. Or both at the same time. That got a bit boring.

Other than that I thought it was nice to get some insight into culture and social structures of the various monster races.

I'd like to see some of the core races in a monster codex type book. Like "elven guard" or "dwarf miners" and such. I know these are fairly easy to stat up but unfortunately my time is limited as I'm sure a lot of gm's is. These stats aren't always needed but would be nice to be able to look up in case of the good guys not getting along all the time.
As for mc 2 I'd like to see the grindylow get a spot. Maybe get some stats for the whale and brinebrood queen. And since we got vampires and ghouls in the first how about a broad selection of liches to throw at my pc's. Maybe some different types of wights also.
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
OldSkul wrote:
I'd like to see some of the core races in a monster codex type book. Like "elven guard" or "dwarf miners" and such. I know these are fairly easy to stat up but unfortunately my time is limited as I'm sure a lot of gm's is. These stats aren't always needed but would be nice to be able to look up in case of the good guys not getting along all the time.

Isn't that what the GameMastery Guide and the NPC Codex did? As a matter of fact, I believe a dwarven miner is listed in the NPC Codex under commoner...the guard listed under warrior is human, but that shouldn't be difficult to tweak...

Liberty's Edge

Yeah, I have to second that niche as somewhat filled already.

Wow, I just saw the book and it looks totally fantastic. Incredible art, new magic items, feats, archetype, new monster, it seems to be an outstanding book.

What is the page count for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex (OGL)

So were there any clarification on the fearmongers abiities being unusable due to no possibility of cruelties without touch of corruption?

As for the page count the last page bears the number 253

So question to the people at Paizo:

What of Gnolls for Additional Resources? Gnolls seem to have been neglected on the Additional Resources page for Monster Codex. I don't mind if it simply read "Nothing from this section is legal for play" or even just a feat or something similar was legal.

However nothing is stated.

Is the Fearmonger ever going to be fixed?
Paizo Employee Developer
Sam Defoe wrote:

So question to the people at Paizo:

What of Gnolls for Additional Resources? Gnolls seem to have been neglected on the Additional Resources page for Monster Codex. I don't mind if it simply read "Nothing from this section is legal for play" or even just a feat or something similar was legal.

However nothing is stated.

Sometimes Mike and I leave a particular feat, archetype, or spell off of the Additional Resources so that we can provide players access to it via a Chronicle sheet. As you might gather from the first sentence, this was the case for gnolls in Monster Codex.

And no, it would be spoiling too much to say which Chronicle sheet grants this access.

Hmmm...are any Outsider races in this book? If not, will any Outsider races be featured in a sequel I wonder? I would certainly love to see some Celestial races get some class levels! :D
President, Jon Brazer Enterprises
Berselius wrote:
Hmmm...are any Outsider races in this book?

Nope. These are all the classic monsters: orcs, goblins, kobolds, bugbears, vampires, ghouls, etc.

Grand Lodge

I have a question about the simple class templates and how they work. Hoping someone can answer it. There are quite a few of us who are all wondering the same thing.
Grand Lodge

Got a question regarding the bard and sorcerer templates. Could someone please explain "Sorcerer Spells sorcerer creatures can cast a small number of sorcerer spells using its HD as its CL and gaining two spell slots for every spell level known"? I admit that I would have much rather preferred there be an example for each template.

the rules questions forum is where you'd likely get an answer for that

Is there any word on when this will make a pocket-edition debut? I have the Villain Codex Pocket Edition on pre-order, and it's the right size option for me.
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