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Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Beast (PFRPG)

4.20/5 (based on 13 ratings)
Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Beast (PFRPG)
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Embrace the Beast Within!

Anthropomorphic animal races have been a staple of fantasy gaming for decades, and Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Beast presents all the tools you need to play members of some the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game's most iconic bestial races. Packed full of character options for members of all classes, as well as some that members of other races can adopt, Blood of the Beast is sure to spice up any campaign!

Inside this book, you'll find:

  • New class archetypes including the tengu jinx witch, the catfolk serendipity shaman, the grippli war painter, and the vanaran fortune-finder.
  • Exciting new feats to accentuate beast-blooded races' inherent abilities, such as ratfolk's swarming ability and kitsune's shapechanging trickery.
  • Dozens of new spells, alternate racial traits, and favored class bonuses to customize characters of all stripes.

This Pathfinder Player Companion is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder campaign setting, but can easily be incorporated into any fantasy world.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-901-1

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

Hero Lab Online
Archives of Nethys

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4.20/5 (based on 13 ratings)

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Pretty Good (Needs More Lore, Less Filler)

4/5 —

When the Advanced Race Guide came out, the number of playable races in Pathfinder suddenly increased substantially. There’s an argument to be made that perhaps it was too much, too fast, with some of the new races competing (stats-wise) more than favourably with the classic Core Rulebook races. I frankly get tired of seeing nagaji bloodragers and kitsune swashbucklers, but I guess that’s neither here nor there. The value in Blood of the Beast is that it grounds these new races into the Golarion campaign setting, adding some information about where they come from and how they’re perceived. For GMs and players interested in a cohesive view of the setting, the promise is an important one. As with all of these Player Companions, of course, there’s plenty of crunchy new options for character building as well. The races covered here are catfolk, gripplis, kitsune, nagaji, ratfolk, tengus, and vanaras.

I really like the concept for the cover art, though the actual execution is a bit too cartoony for my tastes. The inside front cover is a zoomed-out map of the Inner Sea with coloured highlighting showing where the various races covered in the book originate. I think it’s too zoomed-out to be of a lot of real use though. The inside back cover is the cover art minus any text.

After a page for the table of contents, we then get a two-page introduction. There’s a new trait for each race covered in the book. Some of the traits are fine, but some are of the generic “+1 to a skill and it’s a class skill” type that are really just space-fillers and list-lengtheners.

Each of the seven races then get a four-page long entry with a brief overview, some favoured class options, an archetype or two, and often other options like new feats or spells. Although many of these new options are flavoured as tied to a particular race, most don’t actually have being a member of that race as a prerequisite to taking them. I’ll go through each of these entries briefly.

Catfolk get a few new archetypes, including the Prowler at World’s End for bloodragers (giving them medium spirits), the Ravenous Hunter for inquisitors (a specialist demon-fighter with an oracle revelation), and the Serendipity Shaman for shamans (gets some new hexes—one of them, Tweak the Odds, is really good!). There are some new, forgettable feats, and a new natural course for wildsoul vigilantes called “feline.” Of the new spells, bit of luck is really powerful since it can be used before or after the results of a die roll have been revealed (which is rather unusual).

The new favoured class bonuses for gripplis are interesting, and I really like a cool new archetype for mediums called the Fiend Keeper—it specializes in containing an evil spirit. The other archetypes are the Poison Darter for rangers and the odd War Painter for skalds. There are also some new feats and spells, but nothing that jumped out at me.

Kitsune get some alternate racial traits, new advanced versatile performances for bards and skalds, and a new archetype, the Nine-Tailed Heir for sorcerers (great artwork here!). There are some new feats for shapeshifters, a really clever new spell called contagious suggestion, and some new vigilante talents (I like the one called “obscurity”—-it’s basically the opposite of renown).

For Nagaji, there are new naga bloodlines for bloodragers and sorcerers. There’s a new cavalier archetype called First Mother’s Fang, which is a sort of governor/general concept; it’s pretty good in broadening the knowledge skills available to cavaliers, and who doesn’t want to ride around on a giant snake? There’s also some new mesmerist tricks and spells.

I love the new ratfolk archetypes, and might have to give one a try soon. There’s the Opportunist for fighters (a really cool, skills-focused alchemist mix), the Scavenger for investigators (a gadget type of alchemist with a great feel), and the Swarm Monger for druids (which is pretty much what it sounds like). There are several feats, all of which build off the Swarming special ability of ratfolk, and they’re quite good too. The only “meh” thing in the entry is a new psychic discipline, Warp.

Tengus receive several new feats (I like Lovable Scoundrel) and spells, as well as several new archetypes. Courser for swashbucklers makes for a super-mobile character, though they have to give up a lot. The Jinx Witch for witches provides for some interesting abilities to absorb and expend spells (and has some great art). The Red Tongue for skalds provides an odd mix of rogue talents. I think a lot of writers just don’t know what to do with skalds, but I can’t blame them—-I don’t know either.

I will always hold a special place in my heart for vanaras, since that’s the race of my favourite character (Goldcape) in the Curse of the Crimson Throne AP I’ve been running for a couple of years now. The race here gets some new alternate racial traits, including size changing, as well as the usual favored class options. There are then several new Meditation feats, but none of them are worth it. Fighters may be interested in the new advanced weapon training options. There’s one new archetype, the Fortune-Finder for rangers—-it’s frankly just kind of bland. Unchained monks get some new style strikes and ki powers (with freedom of movement particularly great). Last, there’s a new eidolon subtype for unchained summoners called Ancestor, but it’s not particularly interesting.

Pretty much every book in the Player Companion line is going to contain its share of filler mixed with some real gems of creativity. I thought Blood of the Beast is better than many in the proportion of wheat to chaff. I would have like more than just a couple of paragraphs on how each of the races fit into Golarion—-remember, that’s the value-add of the books (along with the art), as all the new rules options will be immediately stripped out and placed on the Archives of Nethys. But all in all, this is a worthwhile book to buy.

Aside from the Fan Boy/Girl factor, . . .

1/5 —

I really don't understand why this book got such good reviews. I was very hesitant to buy this one from the start. Both because past experiences with cramming in far too many things into one book have led to, well predictable results and the very, very thin theme of the focus here.

This is probably the first product I outright want my monies back. But probably worst of all is that this book probably kills any possibility that the few races involved here I actually do want a Player's Guide for are likely to never get a good one now.

It's pretty much as I feared, far, far, far too little on anything I'm interested in, except I'm struggling to actually find a single thing I find interesting, good, or something I'd use. Just too forced, and the actual goal seems to be to make sure a few snowflake things get in the game rather than focusing on each of the races, and it shows which of the race options where favored and which got options because they had to get something.

A lot of fun ideas to build around

5/5 —

Blood of the Beast does just what a Player Companion should, in my opinion, do: it provides a large number of options that would be interesting to incorporate into a character or build a character around.

Such beauty in being the beast

5/5 —

A great book that offers nice alternative new options for the animal-like races and even some that can be used by other races too.

While most of the options are restricted to the exclusive races for PFS play, you could probably go wild with a homebrew setting.

The art in the book is beautiful as well, having at least 2 pictures of each race to represent how they look like.

Better than I anticipated

5/5 —

I was ready for this book to be average. I was wrong. SO MANY OPTIONS! Feats, Traits, Archetypes, Spells. This book really delivers on the mechanical side.

The artwork, layout, and flavor text are all great too, especially the in the Nagaji and Kitsune sections.

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*is glad our resident Kitsune expert is here*
Contributor
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Quandary wrote:
BTW, since it's obvious that singular nation gazeteers are a really slow way to cover the world of Golarion (don't stop though!)), I should say I am interested in "cultural/regional group" products which cover a cohesive unit (even if the parts may be antagonistic etc), f.e. People of Shu, People of Obari, etc. Illuminating the history of how these nations/peoples/races developed (e.g. Lung Wa Empire) is interesting context for me, and adds another level of potentially intersecting identities and meanings... Stuff Paizo has done in that line has been...

If Paizo ever did a "Races of the Dragon Empires" Campaign Setting Guide, I REALLY hope I'd get to work with Mark and Amanda on that. I absolutely LOVE all of the Tian Xia races, largely in part because with the sole exception of the tengu, they borrow from real-world mythology.

And you're right; if you want to see something like that happen, the best thing you can do is to A) support Inner Sea Races and B) support "Blood of" Player Companions. I do not think it was a coincidence that Inner Sea Faiths, a book that almost perfectly mirrors the layout for Inner Sea Gods, came out roughly a year after that critically-acclaimed product was released.

If you want more information on races, vote with your wallet.

The tengu is from real myth they even have a way for them to look like humans with big noses like some versions in the stories have. They just need a racial feat to give them wings.

Actually Tengu are japanese but there´s similar creatures in different cultures. Garuda belong to that group too.

Another thing people can do besides voting with their wallet is writing Product Reviews here, on amazon and on other sites. Obviously, vote well for what you like to see more and it´s also possible to describe what you like or not and why in the reviews.

I´m also really pleased hearing Alex Augunas is working on this book, together with Owen they bring forth great stuff.
Just double check for things like ascetic style please, we want that Society legal! :D

Even only two pages of content could net us more alt favored class options,an archetype and a couple feats. I think it will be fine.
Contributor
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Hayato Ken wrote:
Just double check for things like ascetic style please, we want that Society legal! :D

My absolute favorite thing to do at the Philly Lodge is brag about the stuff I write that people in the room are playing with. :-)

As a result, I try REALLY hard to present Owen with cool ideas that A) present meaningful options for characters and B) help to improve class and build gameplay for concepts that are either difficult or flat-out impossible to pull off. That won't change for as long as Paizo keeps hiring me.

I can say you wrote some of my most favorite stuff. Keep that coming! :D

I just hope there isn't any archetypes because they take up too much room and there is very limited space to begin with.

Hey, I'd be very excited for a kitsune vigilante archetype. I'm pretty interested regardless of what the exact content is- it's stuff good enough to get in on limited space.
QuidEst wrote:
Hey, I'd be very excited for a kitsune vigilante archetype. I'm pretty interested regardless of what the exact content is- it's stuff good enough to get in on limited space.

My first reaction to this is a "please don´t!".

Most racial archetypes weren´t exactly the most shiny stuff so far.
I have to say i could see a very, very slim chance for this one though.
Leaving everything marvel/dc-superhero-cape-esque aside and focussing on being a trickster, leading a double life and enhancing their natural abilities.
That already works with a normal kitsune vigilante though.
Or even the oracle OA archetype.

I have someone at my gaming table playing a Vanara Monk who would be very interested in those Ki Powers. Though I doubt he would say no to more Vanara stuff in general.

I'm also concerned about the 7 races in a book issue, not because of concerns about the authors' passion for the topics but because it doesn't leave a lot of room for material. Four pages per race doesn't seem like a lot. Still given the people working on this book, I remain cautiously optimistic.
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I just hope to finally get some catfolk artwork that looks like B3's for once.
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Dragon78 wrote:
I just hope to finally get some catfolk artwork that looks like B3's for once.

B3 catfolk vs ARG catfolk in the same picture

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I hope to see a decent amount of alternate racial traits and favored class bonuses for classes not currently covered for these races. I would particularly like to see some alternate racial traits for kitsune that replace the bonus to enchantment to a bonus to illusion or necromancy, since both seem thematic for kitsune. Besides, it's wrong that a gnome (with fell magic) should be better at possessing people than a kitsune!

Some kitsune feats that interact with possession spells could be neat, though I'd probably prefer it if anyone could take them and were just particular thematic for kitsune. Why no, I have no idea why you're accusing me of having wanted to play a possession-focused kitsune sorcerer ever since Occult Adventures came out...!

...though a kitsune sorcerer bloodline focused on possession could be very neat. Though I wouldn't object if a certain bloodrager bloodline from a certain third party Kitsune-focused book found its way into these pages...but I imagine Alex would probably prefer not to reprint material.

Anyways. Definitely interested and looking forward to this book. I wonder if one of the vanara ki powers allows you to extend your reach when using a bo staff, hanbo, or quarterstaff? Or summon a golden cloud functionally similar to a phantom steed? Or use shrink item, but only on weapons or a specific weapon? Probably not going to allow creating a simulacrum of yourself or get into the polymorph effects, though maybe an illusion effect that can make you look like various objects or creatures could be possible...
Luthorne wrote:


Definitely interested and looking forward to this book. I wonder if one of the vanara ki powers allows you to extend your reach when using a bo staff, hanbo, quarterstaff or kakkhara?

Added the bolded.

luck magic and ki powers sounds interesting.
Hayato Ken wrote:
Luthorne wrote:


Definitely interested and looking forward to this book. I wonder if one of the vanara ki powers allows you to extend your reach when using a bo staff, hanbo, quarterstaff or kakkhara?
Added the bolded.

I was looking at already existing weapons, but a khakkhara could be an interesting new weapon...I imagine it would count as a holy symbol, at least.

Khakkhara (forgot an h up there) is already a new monk weapon from weapon masters handbook, 1d8x3 7gp.
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Blood of the Beast?!?!? I keep looking for reasons to cancel my PC subscription and you guys just won't give me any! ARGH!
Sure, we might like more room for whatever races may be our faves, but just be grateful this is getting published at all! Me, I am not a kitsune/vanara fan--at all, but grateful for what grippli and catfolk love will be printed in this...
Hayato Ken wrote:
Khakkhara (forgot an h up there) is already a new monk weapon from weapon masters handbook, 1d8x3 7gp.

Hmm...oh, right, one of the sample weapons created using the weapon creation system, I skimmed over that. Not sure if that's considered a proper weapon or just an example, though...but it could certainly be used as one.

It looks like a proper weapon and i don´t know why it shouldn´t be, but it also seems not to be Pathfinder Society legal, what is sad.
Rysky wrote:
They could be testing the waters, like Distant Shores, to see how much people might be interested in said unexplored places.

Pfft! Stay at home, cooperate, report!

djones wrote:
Rysky wrote:
They could be testing the waters, like Distant Shores, to see how much people might be interested in said unexplored places.
Pfft! Stay at home, cooperate, report!

Inner Sea basements, backyards and outbacks are so cleaned out they are sterile by now. Venture out, cooperate and report! Especially to TienXia and Casmaron!

I'm just glad changelings aren't a part of this one...
Isabelle Lee wrote:
I'm just glad changelings aren't a part of this one...

Why? Don´t wanna see your personal hobbyhorse in the mix with 6 other races or other reasons? :D

Something more for changelings would be cool too though.
What brings me to the question, why is there no male only thing like changelings? I think that would be very cool too. Naturaly, it would have to be a bit different, from cloning themselves like worms or something to being forced to mate with the females of other species, only being able to have sons. Probably being outcasts too, because we all know how humans, elves and others tend to be. Perhaps they are cursed or have other sinister reasons.
4 people marked this as a favorite.
Hayato Ken wrote:
Isabelle Lee wrote:
I'm just glad changelings aren't a part of this one...
Why? Don´t wanna see your personal hobbyhorse in the mix with 6 other races or other reasons? :D

Because I'm not one of the writers on the book. ^_^

I didn´t know you write for Paizo at all^^
Silver Crusade
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Isabelle Lee wrote:
Hayato Ken wrote:
Isabelle Lee wrote:
I'm just glad changelings aren't a part of this one...
Why? Don´t wanna see your personal hobbyhorse in the mix with 6 other races or other reasons? :D
Because I'm not one of the writers on the book. ^_^

Blood of the Coven, plz and Thankies.

Well it is not like they can't repeat races in different books. Maybe will get a races of Tian Xia, gerund, arcadia, etc.

Maybe we will get a horror themed races one that gives us dhampir, changling, skinwalker, etc.

Would love some more alien races themed ones and that actually focuses more on the races themselves.
Scarab Sages Developer
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Hayato Ken wrote:
I didn´t know you write for Paizo at all^^

She's done several things for us already, just none of it has come out yet. And I have every reason to think she'll be doing many more things for us in the months to come. :)

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Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
Hayato Ken wrote:
I didn´t know you write for Paizo at all^^
She's done several things for us already, just none of it has come out yet. And I have every reason to think she'll be doing many more things for us in the months to come. :)

Consider me interested!

While it's not what I first thought of when I clicked the link, this at least looks a little interesting. Hope it does well.
Liberty's Edge
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Considering the bad experience with Blood/Elements, and this being even more diluted (pages per race), I'm EXTREMELY skeptical. But I'll keep an ear out for reviews after the fact. Definitely not a blind preorder though.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I hope we get some info for doing a kitsune mesmerist. Because that is a match made in the outer spheres that must happen.
3 people marked this as a favorite.
zergtitan wrote:
I hope we get some info for doing a kitsune mesmerist. Because that is a match made in the outer spheres that must happen.

There is no such thing as a Kitsune Mesmerist. Forget you ever mentioned it.

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Kitsune Mesmerist wrote:
zergtitan wrote:
I hope we get some info for doing a kitsune mesmerist. Because that is a match made in the outer spheres that must happen.
There is no such thing as a Kitsune Mesmerist. Forget you ever mentioned it.

* There is no such thing as a Grippli Mesmerist either. *

1 person marked this as a favorite.
HypnoToad wrote:
Kitsune Mesmerist wrote:
zergtitan wrote:
I hope we get some info for doing a kitsune mesmerist. Because that is a match made in the outer spheres that must happen.
There is no such thing as a Kitsune Mesmerist. Forget you ever mentioned it.
* There is no such thing as a Grippli Mesmerist either. *

Gakhhh!

All hail the HypnoToad!
Kitsune Mesmerist wrote:
HypnoToad wrote:
Kitsune Mesmerist wrote:
zergtitan wrote:
I hope we get some info for doing a kitsune mesmerist. Because that is a match made in the outer spheres that must happen.
There is no such thing as a Kitsune Mesmerist. Forget you ever mentioned it.
* There is no such thing as a Grippli Mesmerist either. *

Gakhhh!

All hail the HypnoToad!

I refuse; he hasn't bribed me nearly enough

I am looking forward to the infomration that this book will have especially for the kitusne!

Just a quick question are these races to be the equivelent to the henjeokai?
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Dragon78 wrote:
I just hope to finally get some catfolk artwork that looks like B3's for once.

My own bias aside, thats unlikely considering that Catfolk are cursed with "Artists do them differently all every time" to the point they gave up and made it canon that they have really variable appearances.

I'm really looking forward to finally getting some real information on the kitsune from this book. Right now all we know is that they kind of exist and have an odd connection to both the spirits and humans. There are so many unanswered questions.

We know nothing about where they came from, why they can only turn very specifically into humans and nothing else, why Daikitsu is so different from her race, or how kitsune even find one another when so many of them are pretending to be human. Plus, the subject of half-kitsune has never been addressed even though they almost certainly exist. Kitsune are shapeshifters after all: in Tian Xia half-kitsune they should probably be more common than half-elves and half-orcs, lol.

I just hope that Alex finds some way to balance our need for information with the need for more character options. I'm still holding my breath for some of the non-enchantment kitsune themed powers from various legends such as foxfire, life drain, and possession ;)

Somehow I doubt possession wouldn't be enchantment. Foxfire would like be evocation based, and life drain necromancy. Maybe like the Dhampir ability(feat?).
Azten wrote:
Somehow I doubt possession wouldn't be enchantment. Foxfire would like be evocation based, and life drain necromancy. Maybe like the Dhampir ability(feat?).

I believe that the new possession spells from Occult Adventures are actually necromancy like magic jar. Kitsune are just currently no better at using those spells than anyone else ;)

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Would a half kitusne be ppossible?

Possession being necromancy instead of enchantment is hugely important because pretty much nothing is immune except constructs unless protected by the appropriate Protection from X spell. Great for plants, undead, and oozes.
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Caleb D'natin wrote:
Would a half kitusne be ppossible?

I don't see why not. It happened in at least one Japanese legend, and in Pathfinder terms shapeshifting makes it possible.

1 person marked this as a favorite.

A half-kitsune would be cool.
Matrix Dragon wrote:
Caleb D'natin wrote:
Would a half kitusne be ppossible?
I don't see why not. It happened in at least one Japanese legend, and in Pathfinder terms shapeshifting makes it possible.

Well... Heroes of the Wild introduced alternate fey racial traits for non-fey races, and Blood of Shadow similarly added Shadowborn & Darkborn alternate racial traits. If Mr. Stephens is gauging interest, I too would like something similar to add a little kitsune into the core races.

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Ambrosia Slaad wrote:
Matrix Dragon wrote:
Caleb D'natin wrote:
Would a half kitusne be ppossible?
I don't see why not. It happened in at least one Japanese legend, and in Pathfinder terms shapeshifting makes it possible.
Well... Heroes of the Wild introduced alternate fey racial traits for non-fey races, and Blood of Shadow similarly added Shadowborn & Darkborn alternate racial traits. If Mr. Stephens is gauging interest, I too would like something similar to add a little kitsune into the core races.

True thought at the same time something like this would work best because technically in the original legends the child of a human and a kitsune was just a normal human but with greater spiritual powers then a normal human. No shapeshifting, no fox form or appearance.

Dark Archive
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Wouldn't half kitsune just be humans? .-.
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