Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 6 (PFRPG)

Yeah, they both look kind of washed out, and they were the same in their original publication. It's more obvious with the Vavakia because the Brimorak's smoke cloud disguises the effect.

What are the "Expanded universal monster rules to simplify combat"? The Universal Monster Rules section in the appendix seem the same to me, and it doesn't have any special comments about simplifying combat.

What are the "Expanded universal monster rules to simplify combat"? The Universal Monster Rules section in the appendix seem the same to me, and it doesn't have any special comments about simplifying combat.

Troop rules?

Yeah, alas, the Vavakia art is still low res. Sorry about that! :(

I've been liking this book a lot, in particular the amount of narrative built into the rules for the blights. Though it seems a bit weird that they're all medium sized.

Question though. Is there appropriate place to put down typos and the like? There are a few page references that are a bit off and I was wondering if there was anywhere to tell someone.

I've been liking this book a lot, in particular the amount of narrative built into the rules for the blights. Though it seems a bit weird that they're all medium sized.

Question though. Is there appropriate place to put down typos and the like? There are a few page references that are a bit off and I was wondering if there was anywhere to tell someone.

Use this thread.

A friend shared with me that infernal dragons are able to summon Contract devils; is that right?

If yes, I see what was done there...;)

Never far from the Merchant of Souls’ hand is his adamantine quill, Visineir, said to have been scratched from the pit of Nessus by the dragon god Dahak himself.

- Does Visineir get an artifact block? How to destroy it?
- Is there any mention about Dahak on Mephistopheles entry?

I've been liking this book a lot, in particular the amount of narrative built into the rules for the blights. Though it seems a bit weird that they're all medium sized.

Among several other goals I had with this book was to get several high-CR Medium creatures into print. One of the things I've learned after years of developing and writing adventures is that the higher you get in CR, the rarer it is for your monster options to be small enough to fit into one square, which for populating dungeons and caverns and buildings and other areas where the bulk of adventures take place, is frustrating.

There's nothing intrinsic in the theme of an "environment-themed ooze that wants to destroy civilization" that means it HAS to be larger than Medium, so I made sure they were all Medium.

A friend shared with me that infernal dragons are able to summon Contract devils; is that right?

If yes, I see what was done there...;)

Never far from the Merchant of Souls’ hand is his adamantine quill, Visineir, said to have been scratched from the pit of Nessus by the dragon god Dahak himself.

- Does Visineir get an artifact block? How to destroy it?
- Is there any mention about Dahak on Mephistopheles entry?

Thanks skizzerz! (I had to copy and past your name... Sorry...)

Thanks also Skizzerz. :)

Also I think you can have HUGE blights. They just have to have the giant template on them...maybe.

My group was particularly amused at the statting of Tawil at Umr given he was a major personality in our Kingmaker game. Was he involved in Strange Aeons or was this just a happy coincidence?

Caius,

I have Strange Aeons. Tawil at Umr was not involved. Hastur most definitely was.

Did anyone notice that the Combusted on p. 63 is basically Ignus from Planescape: Torment? (Well, it would be if it had Intelligence and sorcerer levels.)

Did anyone notice that the Combusted on p. 63 is basically Ignus from Planescape: Torment? (Well, it would be if it had Intelligence and sorcerer levels.)

Ehhh. Ignus was created due to a potent ritual performed by various minor spellcasters that opened a portal to the plane of Fire through his body...which he survived...while combusted are sometimes created randomly when someone dies of spontanous human combustion. I guess they do have the fire blast, but as you said, they don't really have the actual spellcasting...so I'd say it's only a minor resemblance. Frankly, I'd go for Ignus having been transformed into an outsider by the ritual, perhaps even some variant fire elemental that gets some kineticist abilities to go with his sorcerer class levels...

Some of the high CR stuff in this are crazy strong.

The CR20 Quintessence Golem has a +45 to hit...the highest AC of anything in this book is the 49 on the CR30 demigods. It also inflicts 2 levels of energy drain every hit, which the demigods don't have to worry about, but lots of other things that are going to be autohit won't enjoy 4 negative levels per turn (or the 10d10+44 physical damage). 60' perfect flight? So much for pits. Fairly lame debuffs from unlikely spells to get past SR? Yikes. 15/epic DR, plus 20 fast healing, plus more HP than a Pit Fiend? Huge size and reach? Auto death on anything within 100' in negative HP (no save!), plus it heals the golem for 100 hp and gives it a round of haste for a third slam attack? Gross.

The similarly CR20 Euryale has a super dangerous poison (roll twice and take worse save, poison immune still has to save once, does dex AND con damage, plus vulnerability to sonic damage that she can spam forever) and that can be applied via 10 melee or 4 ranged attacks, sonic cluster bomb chain reaction death cloud that heals her if you fight it among its petrified statutes (DON'T DO THAT), and 18th level Oracle buff/healing spells. At least she doesn't have crazy immunities or resistances, an archer or spellcaster can burn her down at range and...oh, she has burrow and earth glide to retreat and heal/rebuff. Welp.

The CR24 Elder Wyrm has beat out the Thantotic Titan as the most dangerous thing you can theoretically use Dominate Monster on. Overcomes demigod regeneration and DR, 20th level Sorcerer spells (and 1/month Miracle SLA), bite/rend (it has two heads that can do a flanking double bite) does extra damage to things with mythic power and drains their uses, two independent timer breath weapons (acid and electricity) that once per minute it can combine to do double (40d10!) fire damage plus 6d10 burn for a few rounds, rolls for initiative twice and once per minute can take actions on both initiative counts, and a double tail attack that one hit can stun, on two inflicts a small AOE stun and sonic damage. Imagine a hasted, double full attack in one round one of these coming at you out of a Time Stop. For the rest of your brief life. Will save +24 and SR 35, perfect for the shopping list of your well optimized 20th level Dominate Monster specialist.

I haven't even looked at anything past G yet.

I was told there was no LN monster in this bestiary, is it true?
If so, why so little love for this alignment?

I was told there was no LN monster in this bestiary, is it true?

If so, why so little love for this alignment?

I did a pdf search, that is correct. The only NG in the book is an empyreal lord. The only two LG are an empyreal lord and a planar dragon. CG get three azata, an empyreal lord, a planar dragon, a magical beast.

Lots of the other alignments.

I was told there was no LN monster in this bestiary, is it true?

If so, why so little love for this alignment?

Technically, the rougarou is LN. Unless you don't count 0-HD creatures as monsters.

I suspect that at least in part, it's because - to my knowledge - James Jacobs is considerably more interested in chaotic creatures in general, unless they're evil.

Edit: Though - thanks partially I imagine to a strong showing from plants and vermin - true neutral is the most represented alignment, with neutral evil in second place, and chaotic evil in third. I listed the creatures by alignment here if people are interested in looking.

Say... the guidelines for converting monsters from 3e to 5e probably apply to Pathfinder as well, right? So I could probably use the monsters in this book in my 5e campaign. I was going to wait to get this, but I might get it sooner now.

They really need to give some of the more powerful monsters immunity to dominate and possession effects.

They really need to give some of the more powerful monsters immunity to dominate and possession effects.

There's no monster immunity to possession effects that I'm aware of, except alignment based ones from having something like Unholy Aura or Cloak of Chaos as a constant SLA. But lots of high level stuff do get either blanket mind affecting immunity or to charms and compulsions. The Elder Wyrm is odd that it has immunity to Charm but not Compulsion.

The other immunity/escape high CR stuff could use is a way to recover from a Plane Shift. Plane shifting most things to the Elemental Plane of Water kills or suppresses them (if they have regeneration) permanently because they can't breathe water.

It would suck, though, if every high level thing was immune to or could counter everything but damage.

Edit: On another topic, the most amazing thing about the Green Man is that he's a living anti aircraft gun.

Thorns (Su) A green man’s thorns are ranged touch attacks

with a range increment of 120 feet. A creature damaged by a green man’s thorn moves at half speed and can’t take 5-foot steps, fly, or use air walk, either naturally or magically, until the target or another creature pulls out the thorn as a full- round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

Ranged touch, 6 attacks per round, 120' increment, 2d6+15 is going to reliably make anything fall out of the sky that doesn't have 25 points or more of DR.

The Outlaw Troop is one of the most hilarious statblocks I've ever seen. It's described as over 2 dozen humanoids that aren't particularly threatening on their own, but when they get together, is when things start getting funny, to me. They have a high reflex save with evasion and a decent touch AC (15, 21 with total defense). So that means give some foot soldiers some machine guns and rocket launchers and watch the entire troop evade everything like they are straight from the matrix.

I have no problem with anything doing this, but after reading the description it didn't seem like this was in mind, lol.

They really need to give some of the more powerful monsters immunity to dominate and possession effects.

All demigods have those...unless they're up against Arshea, then they just get very generous saves. Ironically, Arshea doesn't have much in the way of offensive enchantment, due to copyfitting reasons (i.e., having to cut out powers, such as spell lists, to get the writeup to fit on a page).

Not that Arshea needs mind control, mind, with what they have to offer~

Thanks Plausible Pseudonym and Luthorne for your detailed answers.

I would hate to appear mono-maniac, but what struck me for LN is also true for NG,LG and CG then :-(

That's a shame, stories do not only need antagonists, but also side protagonists of various morality. I surely can understand that a bestiary needs more evil and chaotic creatures, but /that/ many?

I was told there was no LN monster in this bestiary, is it true?

If so, why so little love for this alignment?

Random chance, basically.

Yes. A bestiary is for supplying challenges for players. Obviosuly they don't only supply antagonists but their core design is "monsters to fight".

I was told there was no LN monster in this bestiary, is it true?

If so, why so little love for this alignment?

B3cAu3e 14w 1S dUmB!

Overall, I think there should be plenty of LN monsters (not necessarily in one bestiary) to provoke players into breaking the rules (for good or evil, it doesn't matter). Then again, you'd probably save that kind of scenario for LN governments with extremely strict laws (similar to the orderrealm for those of us who are familiar with the Mortal Kombat franchise).

Thanks James for your answer!

I'm sorry I will sound as a real mo(d)ron now, but it happens I do some statistics IRL.

• Assuming that it is indeed "random chance", it means that for each monster added to a bestiary each alignment is equally likely (1/9).
  From Luthorne's list I'm counting 214 monsters with known alignment.

• The simplified 95% prediction interval for the frequency is [p-1/sqrt(n); p+1/sqrt(n)] = [0,0427; 0,1794]

• The simplified 95% prediction interval for the relative frequency is then [9,1378; 38,3916] (multiplying by 214)

• Hence, if this is indeed pure luck, there is a 95% chance (at least) that the number of LN, LG, NG, or CG creatures (for instance) is between 9 and 39.

Thus my assumption is that it wasn't quite pure luck... - Nordom out! :-)

When we determine what mix of monsters to put into a book, we strive to have a good spread of a LOT of different things. Be it a good range of CRs, a good range of creature types, a nice mix of brand new vs. mythological stuff, and so on. Alignment could absolutely be one of those factors we track... but it's not one that factored into determining the monster mix for Bestiary 6. As a result, the alignments for monsters in this book were assigned on a case by case basis as made most sense for the monster's themes, and as that just more or less randomly worked out... not a lot of LN monsters.

But that said, each alignment is NOT equally likely in a Bestiary. Bestiaries are meant to be things filled with monsters heroes fight, and as such, all Bestiaries are weighted toward evil.

Thanks for this detailed answer James!
You certainly made your point clear.
There seem to be a lot a cool stuff in this bestiary anyway!

Edit: formatting

I hope the next bestiary has more LN creatures.

I hope the next bestiary has more LN creatures.

Can I ask why?

Dragon78 wrote:

I hope the next bestiary has more LN creatures.

Can I ask why?

I'd like inevitables to get even a fraction of the love demons or angels get, personally.

Adam Daigle wrote:

Dragon78 wrote:

I hope the next bestiary has more LN creatures.

Can I ask why?

I'd like inevitables to get even a fraction of the love demons or angels get, personally.

Me too, and I'm essentially indifferent to the cosmic clockwork robocops. Perhaps that'd change if they had more flavor.

I'd just like to see the LN/CN/N outsiders both more fleshed out and with more different types. Feels like N leaning should be the fate of most souls, yet they are the least diverse alignment of outsiders

Why do Lord Varklops and Vorgozen, with a reach of 60', have the Lunge feat!?

Why do Lord Varklops and Vorgozen, with a reach of 60', have the Lunge feat!?

For when enemies are 70 feet away?

More seriously, at a certain point, you start running out of good feats in the CRB. Especially since certain feats aren't recommended for default statblocks, either because they throw off the math or so that GMs can add them easier.

I'd like more types of axiomites and of course more proteans and some protean lords. That's my wish list right there. :D

Not just LN/CN/N outsiders but creatures in general. But I would like to see more axiomites, inevitables, aeons, and some protean lords.

I'd like more types of axiomites and of course more proteans and some protean lords. That's my wish list right there. :D

My summary of mutual desires begins with Concordance and ends with Rivals. Preferably in Hardcopy, but I wouldn't say no to a softcover each on Proteans, Axiomites, Inevitables, Aeons, Psychopomps, and Kami.

Some Inevitable Lords would also be welcomed

How do people picture Erodaemons getting their forms without people going "There is a blue person with horns and a hungry tail glowing at me"?

edit: also, why can't Herecites be oracles/druids/antipaladins/hunters/onimuji/etc. who don't rely on faith?

How do people picture Erodaemons getting their forms without people going "There is a blue person with horns and a hungry tail glowing at me"?

"There is a very sexy blue person with horns and a hungry tail glowing at me"!

More seriously detect thoughts has a range of 60ft so that's plenty of room to play with. Eros are clever and sneaky, they'll wait and find the right time to latch onto a target. Most obvious being to wait till the target is alone and not facing them, maybe asleep, maybe taking a walk in the woods, etc.

Sounds like they'd always have to be in the woods until they already have an alternate form. Hard to reach or findout someone is a good target if everyone who is looking at you will just see a monster to begin with meaning it'd be dumb to go into civilisation.

Well they do have Greater Teleport at will, and nothing in Object of Desire says they have to stay around the original person whose mind they read so they can get a new form then stroll into town looking for an actual target.

Seeing as how they don't have plane shift they are probably Called more often than not so they start out with a "friendly" person to engage with.

Also, hooded cloaks and a talent for fast-talking. ^_^

I'm happy that the mezlan was included (I realize that it's a reprint, but I wasn't aware of it until now). While its abilities are fairly generic, the background lends itself to great NPCs (a centuries-old shapechanger with memory loss and multiple personality disorder--what's not to like?).

Is it now? Where did it first appear?

Amanuensis wrote:

I'm happy that the mezlan was included (I realize that it's a reprint, but I wasn't aware of it until now). While its abilities are fairly generic, the background lends itself to great NPCs (a centuries-old shapechanger with memory loss and multiple personality disorder--what's not to like?).

Is it now? Where did it first appear?

Pathfinder Adventure Path #66: The Dead Heart of Xin, page 90. ^_^