Pathfinder Monster Core

Announced for March 2024! Product image and description are NOT final and may be subject to change.

Blog: Announcing the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project

I'm super confused why the bestiary needs a new version. Is it because of legal matters, and to accommodate the Open RPG Creative (ORC)?

Will there be new art again? Or a mix of new art and existing PF2 art?

Honest question (and maybe it's too early in the marketing), what benefits would an existing PF2 player or GM get from these new core sets? Atm, we're still launching PF2 in my area thanks to the lockdowns.

I'm super confused why the bestiary needs a new version. Is it because of legal matters, and to accommodate the Open RPG Creative (ORC)?

Will there be new art again? Or a mix of new art and existing PF2 art?

Honest question (and maybe it's too early in the marketing), what benefits would an existing PF2 player or GM get from these new core sets? Atm, we're still launching PF2 in my area thanks to the lockdowns.

Removal/renaming of OGL monsters would probably be the major point of change. But also, Bestiary 1 has had no issued errata so far, and there's a couple big errors that need to be addressed (like the Clay Golem's Cursed Wound error).

Will there eventually be three of these?

I'm super confused why the bestiary needs a new version. Is it because of legal matters, and to accommodate the Open RPG Creative (ORC)?

Will there be new art again? Or a mix of new art and existing PF2 art?

Honest question (and maybe it's too early in the marketing), what benefits would an existing PF2 player or GM get from these new core sets? Atm, we're still launching PF2 in my area thanks to the lockdowns.

none, and you can still use the old ones. it's not a full revision, it's just a big book of errata and a rearrangement of three books into three different books.

Will there eventually be three of these?

From the FAQ:

"Will there be more Remastered Core books to come? What about Monster Core 2 or Player Core 3?

It’s very likely that we will continue to update and remaster the Bestiaries in the future, but for now we are focusing on the four announced books as well as Paizo’s regular schedule of Pathfinder releases."

I guess the new Monster books won’t work with the existing pawn sets. Curious if there will be new pawn sets ?

Edit: „work“ might be the wrong word.
Surely the existing pawns still be usable, they won’t turn to dust seconds after the new book release :D
But I assume page references won’t match anymore, new monsters will be added others will move to other books or will disappear completely.

I guess the new Monster books won’t work with the existing pawn sets.

Why wouldn't they?

Removal/renaming of OGL monsters would probably be the major point of change. But also, Bestiary 1 has had no issued errata so far, and there's a couple big errors that need to be addressed (like the Clay Golem's Cursed Wound error).

And the Ancient Red Dragon being listed as huge instead of gargantuan in Bestiary 1. James Jacobs confirmed that was a typo, but it was never corrected with any errata.

Can we please not call it the "Monster Core"

It feels like we're imitating D&D instead of maintaining our own identity.

Beastiary is fun. Alien Archive is better (but shouldn't be used for distinction purposes). I'll even posture "Creature Compilation" or "Entity Opus" or something else, but lets not do "Monster Core" especially when the in-game usage of the term is Creature, not monster.

especially when the in-game usage of the term is Creature, not monster.

Creature Core sounds so much better.

I'm very interested in these products, but I agree with Revien999 that the name Monster Core could be improved (and I'd argue the same for the other three too).

Whats difference between diabolic dragon and infernal dragon from 1e?

Also is this adamantine dragon same as adamantine dragon from starfinder?

Do the eight new dragons replace the old chromatic/metallic ones, or are those still in?

Do the eight new dragons replace the old chromatic/metallic ones, or are those still in?

The existing stat blocks for the old ones should work fine, but the metallic/chromatic array of ten specific dragons does seem like exactly the sort of thing that WotC could cause trouble over.

Ravien999 wrote:

especially when the in-game usage of the term is Creature, not monster.

Creature Core sounds so much better.

Creature Codex, Creature Compendium, there are many good options, but it seems to be too late at this point.

Will the new monster statblocks help address the issue of blanket immunity to Precision Damage for various creature categories? It's a little rough trying to run themed adventures around ghosts and oozes when they are just flat-out immune to primary class features.

If not, will classes reliant on precision damage gain ways to help bypass precision immunity? It seems thematically appropriate for a ghost-hunting Precision Ranger to be able to get their bonus damage against ghosts.

To Golurkcanfly, some class feats does that.

To Golurkcanfly, some class feats does that.

A cursory search on AoN for feats involving precision damage shows that there aren't any for precision immunity in particular.

Even then, it's a rather annoying feat tax in themed games when it comes to handling the 150 or so monsters with precision immunity. In my opinion, most of these creatures should just have precision resistance, and in the case of incorporeal creatures, a ghost touch weapon could reasonably negate this resistance.

A cursory search on AoN for feats involving precision damage shows that there aren't any for precision immunity in particular.

Rogue does by turning precision into non-precision.

...Wait, Investigator doesn't.

Golurkcanfly wrote:

A cursory search on AoN for feats involving precision damage shows that there aren't any for precision immunity in particular.

Rogue does by turning precision into non-precision.

...Wait, Investigator doesn't.

It looks like the Rogue feat in question is both 18th level and requires you to use STR for the attack roll, making it both too late to really matter and terrible if you're not keeping up STR.

Dancing Wind wrote:

Ravien999 wrote:

especially when the in-game usage of the term is Creature, not monster.

Creature Core sounds so much better.

Creature Codex, Creature Compendium, there are many good options, but it seems to be too late at this point.

+1 for Creature Codex, it pairs nicely with Alien Archive.

Monster Core sounds like an in-game item, not a book.

Creature Codex is already a line of products from Kobold Press for 5e.

Damn WoTC and their Pinkertons >_>

i would like to +1 wanting it to be called something other than monster core. I liked the term bestiary more because it implied that not all of the creatures in it were monsters to be slain

Here's hoping to a slight nerf to some overpowered monsters!

Pathfinder Beastcore would sound metal

Aye, Beastcore sounds great

Damn WoTC and their Pinkertons >_>

Evergreen comment. It somewhat astonishes me that Paizo had the Remasters cooking and Critical Role had their own game systems in the works before that whole mess went down. I imagine that both offices feel vindicated or extra vindicated by that decision.

ETA: when will we get a list of which monsters will be stepped away from? The focus on dragons strongly hints at the chromatics and metallics, which hurts me deeply even as I totally understand, but wouldn't most of the giants go the same route?

Frost and fire giants are part of nordic mythology. Good luck forcing Paizo to remove them.

Frost and fire giants are part of nordic mythology. Good luck forcing Paizo to remove them.

Good to know! Thank you!

"There were giants in the Earth in those days" -- Genesis 6:4.

Come to think about it...

...Wouldn't this be perfect chance to make Medusa, Stheno and Euryale part of Gorgon family of creatures now that OGL metal bull gorgon isn't an issue? ;D

Creature Core Codex for the best of both worlds? CCC for short in the future?

This question keeps getting asked, and I thought I saw/heard an answer earlier this week, but can't find it now.

Q: Will 'Monster Core' have all new art, some new art, or no new art?

If there is new art (of any amount) what can you tell us about VTT tokens, pawns, and other accessory uses of the images from this book?

Ezekieru wrote:

Removal/renaming of OGL monsters would probably be the major point of change. But also, Bestiary 1 has had no issued errata so far, and there's a couple big errors that need to be addressed (like the Clay Golem's Cursed Wound error).

And the Ancient Red Dragon being listed as huge instead of gargantuan in Bestiary 1. James Jacobs confirmed that was a typo, but it was never corrected with any errata.

Amusing. The Ancient Red Dragon is described as "The largest of the chromatic dragons" but RAW it's not as big as the Ancient Gold Dragon, which is listed as "gargantuan". :-)

FWIW I've always preferred the way the first edition bestiaries handled the dragons. I understand the desire to simplify, but in this case I didn't like it.

With the new planes of metal and wood I wonder if the adamantine dragon might be one of the new primal dragons, and paired up with another more plant themed one.

I'm just wondering if adamantine dragons are same as one of seven starmetal dragons from starfinder :D

Will there be new battle cards to go with the monster core books?

New, refreshed or updated products will be announced as a result of this product in time.

As pugwampis are not creations listed under the OGL, I an confident of our prime placement within the Monster Core book!

As pugwampis are not creations listed under the OGL, I an confident of our prime placement within the Monster Core book!

Pugwampis are in fact listed under the OGL, because Paizo placed them under that licence. What you mean is, and what is important here, is: they are not from the SRD.

It is easy to confuse OGL and SRD, but they are different things. The OGL is the licence that has allowed Paizo to use content from that SRD – the System Reference Document, which contains all the Open Game Content, the rules from D&D. Now that Paizo is moving away from using the OGL, they can no longer use SRD content. That is the reason that stuff such as certain creatures is now being phased out.

Master Pugwampi wrote:

As pugwampis are not creations listed under the OGL, I an confident of our prime placement within the Monster Core book!

Pugwampis are in fact listed under the OGL, because Paizo placed them under that licence. What you mean is, and what is important here, is: they are not from the SRD.

It is easy to confuse OGL and SRD, but they are different things. The OGL is the licence that has allowed Paizo to use content from that SRD – the System Reference Document, which contains all the Open Game Content, the rules from D&D. Now that Paizo is moving away from using the OGL, they can no longer use SRD content. That is the reason that stuff such as certain creatures is now being phased out.

Yeah, Yeah, details. The point is, we're good!

...and without alignment, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I really like the cover.

Will there be some kind of sidebar that details what monster stats we can use in place of the OGL monsters? I have the Kimgmaker AP but was wondering if I could replace the owlbear monster stat with something else.

Will these be getting the WAR sketch cover version as well?

I really like the cover.

Will there be some kind of sidebar that details what monster stats we can use in place of the OGL monsters? I have the Kimgmaker AP but was wondering if I could replace the owlbear monster stat with something else.

I believe you won't need to replace it.

Will there be some kind of sidebar that details what monster stats we can use in place of the OGL monsters? I have the Kimgmaker AP but was wondering if I could replace the owlbear monster stat with something else.

Any material you've already purchased can be used without changes. The main purpose of replacing WotC's Intellectual Property items going forward is to distinctly separate material published under the ORC license from anything resembling WotC IP.

But those changes aren't retroactive. Any previously published materials can still be used as-is. It's only that Paizo (and the rest of the ttrpg industry) can't publish anything new using the old OGL license.

Will these be getting the WAR sketch cover version as well?

I believe we are doing retailer exclusive sketch covers for all 4 Core books, yes. I've not heard one discussed for Howl of the Wild.

Terevalis Unctio of House Mysti wrote:

Will these be getting the WAR sketch cover version as well?

I believe we are doing retailer exclusive sketch covers for all 4 Core books, yes. I've not heard one discussed for Howl of the Wild.

Hooray and thank you! Do we know when Howl of the Wild will be released?