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Humans, humans, humaaans!!!
And the Gargantua! I've been waiting for it since 3rd edition came out.
Kaiju/Gargantua are certainly monsters.
But are humans? Are dwarves and elves? Duergar and drow are, sure... but do people really want pages of human soldiers and elven scouts in their monster book? Wouldn't they rather have stats for these guys in another product?
They certainly don't rectify full page monster entries.
But they make very useful appendices on quick to use sample NPCs (compare the Advanced PHB and DMG by Green Ronin). If you don't include this information in the PFRPG book, the monster book appendix would be a very good alternative...
On a second thought: PLEASE provide good appendices to the monster book. One of the best examples of how to make a DM's life easier is btw. Fantasy Bestiary , currently on clearance sale by yours.
Kr,
Günther
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I think I can agree with removing PC races from the book.
On the other hand, a "Classic Monsters Revisited" treatment of the core races sounds like a pretty interesting book to me.
It certainly does, and considering the role human nations play in Golarion, there is plenty of room for rule-wise treatment, too (-> e.g. more regional feats, some specific PrC of races/ nations).
Kr,
Günther
On that note - what about the potential of a "Classic Dinosaurs Revisited" treatment of the various dinos of Golarion?
I for one would be fascinated to see the "Paizo spin" on those classic saurus...
Creative Director
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Well there is some evidence emerging that tyrannosaurs were also pack hunters so that might not be enough to separate them but ultimately there will probably be more discussion of this topic in the future so that we may be able to look over some of the work or ideas before it reaches final printing form. Here's hoping anyway.From what I've been reading there's more evidence for large theropods hunting in packs than the scythe-claws doing so (trackways of multiple Allosaurus, Albertosaurus and Giganotosaurus remains of different ages found in association).
Besides which, should the Monster Manual be aiming for "scientifically accurate" dinosaurs over "fantasy fiction" dinosaurs?
I prefer to be more "scientifically accurate," both for dinosaurs AND for modern creatures. Because when you get right down to it... science is already pretty fantastic in places! Looking at the T-Rex, for example; there's evidence that it's senses (particularly sight and scent) were VERY well developed. And its bite was one of the most powerful in the fossil recored, rivaled today for power only by the alligator. Taking this info into account, it'd be cool to give the new T-rex some sort of draconic Keen Senses ability and some sort of devastating critical effect attached to its bite.
Same goes for normal animals. EXAMPLE: Some species of tarantula can shed and flick hairs from their bodies at enemies; these hairs are toxic and/or irritating enough to dissuade prey from messing with them. EXAMPLE: Some types of fungus can "re-write" the behavior of insects, causing them to abandon self-control and transform into things that exist only to spread the growth of the fungus. EXAMPLE: Octopi are smart enough to open jars to get food and have been seen to "play" with water currents for entertainment purposes (meaning they're one of the smartest creatures in the world and may even be, to an extent, self-aware), and can slither through VERY tiny cracks.
All of these are great examples of science that translate quite well into unique and unusual animal abilities. Science, just like fantasy fiction, should be treated as a source of inspiration for statting up monsters, is all I'm saying.
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Creative Director
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On the other hand I don't understand your product naming conventions:
If the core PFRPG rules are to stay as separate as possible from the Golarion setting, why not give it a separate name or mark it more clearly as something separate?
While the PF RPG rules are intended to be separate from Golarion... it'd be foolish for us to make them SO separate that someone who buys one doesn't realize they're connected to the other. We can't survive as a company on PF RPG sales alone, so the rules DO need to point new customers to the rest of what we have to offer.
Best Case Scenario: A new customer buys the PF RPG to keep playing Greyhawk or Eberron or homebrew or Ravenloft or whatever, but in so doing discovers that we also produce a LARGE number of other products. He might transition over to adopting Golarion as his new campaign of choice, or he might just pick and choose adventures and products to support his ongoing game... but the point is that the PF RPG sent him that way.
So yeah; the PF rules and the PF Golarion products absolutely have to be closely tied, in that regard at least.
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Creative Director
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On that note - what about the potential of a "Classic Dinosaurs Revisited" treatment of the various dinos of Golarion?
I for one would be fascinated to see the "Paizo spin" on those classic saurus...
I will be pushing to have this product put on the schedule from now on. Just so you know. :)
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On that note - what about the potential of a "Classic Dinosaurs Revisited" treatment of the various dinos of Golarion?
I for one would be fascinated to see the "Paizo spin" on those classic saurus...
This would be the first time I would have any interest in them...
I know - blasphemy on these boards... ;)
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Creative Director
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The more I think on it... the more I'd love to see this book. Might just be me, of course... but it'd probably break down like this:
PREHISTORIC BEASTS REVISITED
Each chapter would split into several parts:
- Description
- Habitat
- Ecology
- Campaign Role (how to use the monster in your game)
- Variants
- In Golarion (where they live and how other creatures interact with them)
- Sidebars (including bestial feats, related equipment, and real-world trivia)
- Stat Block
And then, there'd be ten six-page chapters in the book that cover the following iconic prehistoric monsters:
- 1: Megalodon
- 2: Velociraptor
- 3: Tyrannosaurus
- 4: Triceratops
- 5: Mammoth
- 6: Pteranodon
- 7: Plesiosaurus
- 8: Smilodon
- 9: Dire Wolf
- 10: Brachiosaurus
The more I think on it... the more I'd love to see this book. Might just be me, of course... but it'd probably break down like this:
PREHISTORIC BEASTS REVISITED
Each chapter would split into several parts:
- Description
- Habitat
- Ecology
- Campaign Role (how to use the monster in your game)
- Variants
- In Golarion (where they live and how other creatures interact with them)
- Sidebars (including bestial feats, related equipment, and real-world trivia)
- Stat Block
And then, there'd be ten six-page chapters in the book that cover the following iconic prehistoric monsters:
- 1: Megalodon
- 2: Velociraptor
- 3: Tyrannosaurus
- 4: Triceratops
- 5: Mammoth
- 6: Pteranodon
- 7: Plesiosaurus
- 8: Smilodon
- 9: Dire Wolf
- 10: Brachiosaurus
Nope its not just you James :) - I'm sure this was something you guys were mulling over anyway, but thought I'd suggest it - am kinda glad I did!
Have to say that I thought Classic Monsters: Revisited was awesome and would be tough to top, but Prehistoric Beasts: Revisited sounds even better...
The regional variants, ecology and the actual Prehistoric Beasts picked will be particularly interesting! No love for the Megatherium though lol
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I've always wondered about the origin of the name. In my experience (which may be completely odd) this is one of those creatures that everybody made up a new spelling and pronunciation for anytime they referred to it.
I think they were invented by Dave Arneson. They first appeared in the Blackmoor supplement -- where rules for aquatic adventuring first appeared. They are true OG D&D. And they aren't in 4E.
I've always pronounced it "low'CAT'haw," but I pronounce most of the names wrong.
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No love for the Megatherium though lol
Every time someone mentions Megatherium, I remember that episode of The Tick where Aurthur and Tick go back in time.
Mega! M m m m m mmmega! Megatherium!
Always makes me chuckle. :)
Serioulsy, an rpg suppliment full of dinosaurs would be the bee's knees! Well, not actually bees. As I understand it, bees they didn't exist for much of the time that dinosaurs were around. It would definitely be the knees of some sort of proto dire bee, though.
I guess that wasn't too serious either. Must be time for sleep.
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The more I think on it... the more I'd love to see this book. Might just be me, of course... but it'd probably break down like this:
PREHISTORIC BEASTS REVISITED
I think I would actually RATHER this be a separate book so that there were little or no dinosaurs in the main book. Maybe it's just me, but I've never liked the idea of dinosaurs in D&D ... not sure why. I'm not that into dinosaurs in real life, so maybe that's it.
The only monsters that are really under scrutiny for chopping are, really, the newer ones added in to the game during 3rd edition (such as the tojinada and the delver), and monsters that may have been around for a long time but haven't been used much at all (say, the grig or the locathah).Ah! No! Please do not cut the locathah!!! Locathah are AWESOME. They are the lizardmen of aquatic adventuring: not good, not evil, just alien and weird. Plus they are a match for low level PCs.
I have used locathah many, many times, as bad guys, as NPCs, and as a PC race. I know that people think of them as weak sisters to the Saughin, but they fill a unique role in D&D.
I will champion the locath as well. They are a great alternative sea race that doesn't get much love. I honestly would love to see them get a bit more of a spotlight as a race.
The more I think on it... the more I'd love to see this book. Might just be me, of course... but it'd probably break down like this:
PREHISTORIC BEASTS REVISITED
Each chapter would split into several parts:
- Description
- Habitat
- Ecology
- Campaign Role (how to use the monster in your game)
- Variants
- In Golarion (where they live and how other creatures interact with them)
- Sidebars (including bestial feats, related equipment, and real-world trivia)
- Stat Block
And then, there'd be ten six-page chapters in the book that cover the following iconic prehistoric monsters:
- 1: Megalodon
- 2: Velociraptor
- 3: Tyrannosaurus
- 4: Triceratops
- 5: Mammoth
- 6: Pteranodon
- 7: Plesiosaurus
- 8: Smilodon
- 9: Dire Wolf
- 10: Brachiosaurus
No love for the giant short faced bear. A true monster if there ever was one.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Would anybody be against putting the monster in class together. Like all humanoids together, all undead, etc.
I prefer my monster books alphabetical. But quick reference Tables would be useful.
Knowledges be listed about each creature be listed example: knowledge 15 a player knows this or that.
Brent, personally, I like the basic idea. It would be easy to add Knowledge DCs to each power/special ability for the creatures. BUT It might be a better idea to have a Knowledge Check Modifier Table included in the book so GMs can adjust Knowledges Checks by rarity, by world, and by efforts to find out more.
I was disappointed when I couldn't find Giant Frog in the 3e Monster Manual. The encounter with the giant frog in Village of Hommlet was very memorable. I also liked the killer frogs of 1e MM, and loved the frogs in the Wormy comic by Dave Trampier. Giant Toad is no substitute (you could leave it out as far as I'm concerned). Please don't forget the frogs! Ribbit! Ribbit! Grippli or some other frogman would also be nice.
Don't disrespect the toad. If it wasn't for Bucky O'Hare, the Toads would be ruling the galaxy. BUT for the Frog Lovers out there, Pathfinder #2 ROTRL: The Skinsaw Murders gives us BOGGARDS. Boggards come in both Toad & Frog variants depending where they hail from.
All of these are great examples of science that translate quite well into unique and unusual animal abilities. Science, just like fantasy fiction, should be treated as a source of inspiration for statting up monsters, is all I'm saying.
Couldn't agree with you more, Jimmy J. :D
I will be pushing to have this product put on the schedule from now on. Just so you know. :)On that note - what about the potential of a "Classic Dinosaurs Revisited" treatment of the various dinos of Golarion?
I for one would be fascinated to see the "Paizo spin" on those classic saurus...
I'll buy THAT for $17.99!
For monsters to be included, has anyone mentioned the wolfwere and its cousins (I remmeber the foxwere) from, I think, the original ToH?
I would love to see an updated version of the crocotta/leucrotta and the Peryton.
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Here's a complete list of all the monsters that appeared in the Original Dungeons & Dragons game:
Aquatic Elves, Basilisks, Beholders, Black Pudding, Blink Dogs, Brain Moles, Bugbears, Carrion Crawlers, Centaurs, Cerebral Parasites, Chimeras, Cockatrices, Couatl, Demons (Type I-VI, Orcus, Demogorgon), Displacer Beasts, Djinn, Dolphins, Dopplegangers, Dragons (Black, Blue, Brass, Bronze, Copper, Golden, Green, Red, Silver, White), Dryads, Dwarves, Efreet, Elasmosaurus, Elementals (Air, Earth, Fire, Water), Elves, Fire Lizard, Floating Eyes, Gargoyles, Gelatinous Cubes, Ghouls, Giant Beaver, Giant Beetle (Bombardier, Boring, Fire, Rhinoceros, Stag), Giant Crabs, Giant Crocodile, Giant Eels, Giant Frog, Giant Leech, Giant Octopi, Giant Otter, Giant Sea Spider, Giant Shark, Giant Slugs, Giant Squid, Giant Tick, Giant Toads, Giant Wasps, Giants (Cloud, Fire, Frost, Hill, Stone, Storm), Gnolls, Gnomes, Goblins, Golems (Flesh, Stone, and Iron), Gorgons, Gray Ooze, Green Slime, Griffons, Harpies, Hell Hounds, Hippogriffs, Hobgoblins, Hydras, Intellect Devourers, Invisible Stalkers, Ixitxachith, Ki-Rin, Kobold, Lammasu, Lamprey, Liches, Lizard Men, Locathah, Lycanthropes (Werebear, Wereboar, Wererat, Weretiger, Werewolf), Manta Ray, Manticoras, Masher, Medusae, Mermen, Mind Flayers, Minotaur Lizard, Minotaurs, Morkoth, Mososaurus, Mummies, Nixies, Ochre Jelly, Ogre Magi, Ogres, Orcs, Owl Bears, Pegasi, Phase Spiders, Pixies, Plesiosaurus, Portugese Man-Of-War, Pungi Ray, Purple Worms, Rocs, Rust Monsters, Sahuagin, Salamanders, Sea Horse, Shadows, Shedu, Skeletons, Spectres, Stirges, Strangle Weed, Su-Monsters, Thought Eaters, Titans, Treants, Tritons, Trolls, Umber Hulks, Unicorns, Vampires, Weed Eels, Whale, Wights, Will O'Wisp, Wraiths, Wyverns, Yellow Mold, and Zombies
I've always wondered about the origin of the name. In my experience (which may be completely odd) this is one of those creatures that everybody made up a new spelling and pronunciation for anytime they referred to it.I think they were invented by Dave Arneson. They first appeared in the Blackmoor supplement -- where rules for aquatic adventuring first appeared. They are true OG D&D. And they aren't in 4E.
I've always pronounced it "low'CAT'haw," but I pronounce most of the names wrong.
Thanks, Gailbraithe. I like the look of the Locathah. At least as I've usually see them illustrated, they look 'pulpier' and more "Creature from the Black Lagoon" than do the Sauhuagin, who seem to have become progessively more shark-like as the years have gone by. As a matter of fact, all of this kicking them around has made me wish to see them in a "More Classic Monsters Revisted".
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List of all monsters from the Basic Edition (BECMI, Creature Catalog, Rules Cyclopedia):
Actaeon (elk centaur), adaptor, aerial servant (haoou), agarat, amber lotus flower, amoeba, giant, animal herd, ape (snow, white), aquatic beholder, aquatic elf, aranea, archer bush, archon, ash crawler, athach, baldandar, bandit, banshee, bargda, basilisk, bat, bear, beetle (earthquake, giant), beholder, bhut, black pudding, blackball (deadly sphere), blast spore, blink dog, boar, brain collector, bugbear, caecilia, camel, carrion crawler, cay-man, centaur, chameleon man, chevall, chimera, cockatrice, crocodile, crone of chaos, cryion, cyclops, dark wing, dark-hood (rorphyr), death demon, death leech, decapus (land and marine), desert ghost, devilfish, dinosaur, displacer beast, djinni, dog, dolphin, doppleganger, dragon (amber, black, blue, brass, crystal, gold, green, jade, onyx, red, ruby, sapphire, sea, undead, white), dragon turtle, dragonfly, dragonne, drake (mandrake, wooddrake, colddrake, elemental), drolem, dryad, dusanu, dwarf, eagle, eel, efreeti (lesser, greater), elemental ruler, elemental, elephant, elf, faedorne, faerie, flitterling, fundamental (air, earth, fire, water), fungoid, fyrsnaca, gakarak, gargantua, gargoyle, garl, gator man, gelatinous cube, geonid, ghostly horde, ghoul (ghoul, elder, vapour), giant (cloud, fire, frost, hill, stone, storm), giant animal (ant, bee, centipede, crab, elk, ferret, fish, jellyfish, leech, lizard, locust, octopus, owl, oyster, poisonous frog, porcupine, scorpion, serpentweed, shrew, slug, spider, squid, tick, weasel), gnoll, gnome, goblin, golem (amber, bone, bronze, mud, obsidian, wood), gorgon, grab grass, grangeri, gray ooze, great cat (bekkah, cheetah, jaguar, lynx, spotted lion, wildcat), green slime, gremlin, grey philosopher, griffon, guardian warrior & horse, gyerian, hag (black, sea), halfling, harpy, haunt (banshee, ghost, lesser, poltergeist), hawk, helion, hell hound, hephaeston, herex, hippogriff, hobgoblin, homunculus, hook beast, horde, horse, hsiao (guardian owl), huptzeen, hutaakan, hydra, hydrax, hypnosnake, ice wolf, insect swarm, invisible stalker (sshai), iron gargoyle, juggernaut, kal-muru (ship bane), kara-kara, killer tree, kna, kobold, kopru, kraken, krystv, lamara, lava lizard, lava ooze, leveller (bodendruker), leviathan, lich, living statue (jade, rock/ooze, silver, steel), lizard man, lupin, lycanthrope (werebear, wereboar, wererat, weretiger, werewolf), magen (demos, caldron, galvan, hypnos), magpie, malfera, manscorpion, manta ray, manticore, masher, medusa, megatherium, mek, merman, mesmer, metamorph, minotaur, mujina, mule, mummy, nagpa, neanderthal (caveman), nekrozon, nightmare, nightshade, nixie, nuckalavee, oard, ochre jelly, ogre, orc, owl bear, pachydermion, pegasi, pegataur, phanaton, phantom, phoenix, phororhacos ("sword beak"), phygorax, piranha (cold-water), piranha bird (greater, lesser), pixie, planar spider, plasm, plesiosaurus, pocket dragon, polymar, possession, pterosaur, purple worm, rakasta, randara, rat, raven, red worm, reflecter, revener, rhagodessa, rhinoceros, robber fly, roc, rock baboon, rock man, roper, rust monster, sabreclaw, sacrol, salamander, sasquatch, scamille, scorpion, sea horse, sea serpent, shadow, shargugh, shark-kin, shark, shrieker, silver warrior, sirenflower, sis'thik (desert scourge), skeleton, skunk, slime worm, snake, snapper, sollux (sun brother), soul eater, spectral hound, spectre, sphinx, spirit, sporacle, sprite, stalwart, steam weevil, stirge, strangle vine, strangleweed, surtaki, tabi, the hivebrood, thoul, thunderhead, toad, topi, tortle, treant, triton, troglodyte, troll, undine, unicorn, vampire rose, vampire, vapour ghoul, velya, water termite, water weird, whales, whipweed, white-fang, wight, winged warrior, wolf, wood imp, wraith, wychglow, wyrd, wyvern, xytar, yellow mold, yowler, and zombie
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Thanks, Gailbraithe. I like the look of the Locathah. At least as I've usually see them illustrated, they look 'pulpier' and more "Creature from the Black Lagoon" than do the Sauhuagin, who seem to have become progessively more shark-like as the years have gone by. As a matter of fact, all of this kicking them around has made me wish to see them in a "More Classic Monsters Revisted".
I'm going to start a new thread on that idea.
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magenWOO! I loved those Jello-mold humanoid helpers in the Mystara Appendix! Didn't know they were that old.
Magen and Living Statues are two of the creatures I'd most like to see revisited.
Both make great stock creatures for evil wizard laboratories, at levels where using golems is just not feasible. Animated objects get boring eventually.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Locathah need some serious work done. The pulp/Black Lagoon is the way to go, and I think they need to be thought of as "river folk" who travel deep into the landscape of the campaign. They might live in a remote mountain lake and patrol the waterways between it and the sea. Taught to avoid human contact, a few brave or foolish locathah might instead choose to befriend a stranger from the "land country," and so on.
Maybe they can breathe fresh and salt water.
They might be kind of fun PC characters, though the aquatic subtype presents a problem there, since they can't breathe air.
Would anyone be bothered if we gave them the amphibious quality?
I think I would actually RATHER this be a separate book so that there were little or no dinosaurs in the main book. Maybe it's just me, but I've never liked the idea of dinosaurs in D&D ... not sure why. I'm not that into dinosaurs in real life, so maybe that's it.The more I think on it... the more I'd love to see this book. Might just be me, of course... but it'd probably break down like this:
PREHISTORIC BEASTS REVISITED
I agree, I love monsters but am not keen on dinosaurs.
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I would love to see an updated version of the crocotta/leucrotta and the Peryton.
I fully agree with this idea. In fact, I tried to slip a mention of perytons into the Taldor write-up in the Campaign Setting, but they seem to have become a victim of editing. :(
So bring back leucrotta and perytons, I say!
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Locathah need some serious work done. The pulp/Black Lagoon is the way to go, and I think they need to be thought of as "river folk" who travel deep into the landscape of the campaign. They might live in a remote mountain lake and patrol the waterways between it and the sea. Taught to avoid human contact, a few brave or foolish locathah might instead choose to befriend a stranger from the "land country," and so on.
Maybe they can breathe fresh and salt water.
They might be kind of fun PC characters, though the aquatic subtype presents a problem there, since they can't breathe air.
Would anyone be bothered if we gave them the amphibious quality?
Go for it!
I would love to see an updated version of the crocotta/leucrotta and the Peryton.I fully agree with this idea. In fact, I tried to slip a mention of perytons into the Taldor write-up in the Campaign Setting, but they seem to have become a victim of editing. :(
So bring back leucrotta and perytons, I say!
I concur! - As a big fan of the TSR UK scenarios "The Sentinel" and "The Gauntlet" I'd love to see the perytons make a comeback :)
Rob I'd love to know how they were going to be featured in Taldor... [hint-hint?]
Also bring back the Living Statues too - great old school low level constructs
BTW - this is my 100th post - kinda feel all proud [although I know it pales in comparison to most folks!]
BD
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I would love to see an updated version of the crocotta/leucrotta and the Peryton.I fully agree with this idea. In fact, I tried to slip a mention of perytons into the Taldor write-up in the Campaign Setting, but they seem to have become a victim of editing. :(Rob I'd love to know how they were going to be featured in Taldor... [hint-hint?]
BD
It wasn't anything big, just a mention that they inhabited the World's Edge Mountains, along with the griffon-like homa (basically a Persian griffon), which did make the cut. So one out of two ain't bad!
It wasn't anything big, just a mention that they inhabited the World's Edge Mountains, along with the griffon-like homa (basically a Persian griffon), which did make the cut. So one out of two ain't bad!
What's the chance that you can convince Mr Frost to pop them back in Pathfinder Companion: Taldor—Echoes of Glory?
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I'd prefer to include Scientifically Accurate and Fictional prehistoric beasts myself,
The Carnosaurs from Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World - monsters that hop around like kangaroos with luminescent slimy skins, slobbering lips and toad-like heads whose biology is so 'primitive' that mortal wounds may take minutes or even hours to kill them. They resemble the "too stupid to realize they're dead" theropods in a lot of later pulp fiction, such as Burrough's The Land That Time Forgot series.
You raise some very good points. I love Lost Worlds, and it's a grand pulp tradition to have dinosaur survivals.
But, why would evolution stop entirely for 200 million years? If there are dinosaurs in more than one place on Golarion, I'd like to see at least one area where we have "new" dinosaurs! The Babbler and the Bonesnapper from Tome of Horrors, the Bonechewer (?) from Atlas' Fantasy Bestiary, or the Carnosaurs you mention above are great examples of "modern" dinosaurs, adapted to the more magical world of D&D. I won't go so far as to suggest a [Dinosaur] subtype, but the idea is there.
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I'm also firmly in favor of updating the classic dinosaur stat blocks- giving rexes augmented critical, Ankylosaurs Light Fortification, make velociraptors either 12-int magical beasts or 0-HD, LA +0 humanoids (avian), and so forth.
In general, I think its quite reasonable to use a slightly more scientific view for statting out monsters. the key is to also keep your sense of fun, and know where to stop. make Gricks cephalopods that developed convergent notochords, but dont worry about the fact that squid have crappy filtration and osmotic systems that would prevent them from living on land, or even in fresh water. Hyena should have a d8 bite rather than d6. the 12-int raptor idea is an example of this. Yes, real velociraptors werent nearly that smart, but making them sentient is way friggin cool.
Loot at Piercers, darkmantles, and darklands sentinels. A trio of related creatures that make about as much sense as you could ask for from D&D: Terrestrial Cephalopods who live in caves. Piercers keep their bodies sheilded in a stone-like shell, and represent a more unchanged lineage, while darkmantles and Sentries are both offshoots of a now-extinct Piercer that figured out how to utilize magic.
One thing I'd like to see in a future Pathfinder MM is a size silhouette. A few companies monster manuals use this, such as Privateer Press' Monsternomicon. You have a small silhouette of a man next to a silhouette of the monster.This gives a much better idea of a monsters size than just saying tiny/large/colossal.
Please, seriously consider doing this. It's just a little thing, it doesn't take up much space (because it fits into the header design or something similar), but it does so much to improve a monster book ... I loved Privateer Press and Red Spire Press books for this little detail alone.
But, why would evolution stop entirely for 200 million years? If there are dinosaurs in more than one place on Golarion, I'd like to see at least one area where we have "new" dinosaurs! The Babbler and the Bonesnapper from Tome of Horrors, the Bonechewer (?) from Atlas' Fantasy Bestiary, or the Carnosaurs you mention above are great examples of "modern" dinosaurs, adapted to the more magical world of D&D. I won't go so far as to suggest a [Dinosaur] subtype, but the idea is there.
I totally agree on the evolution aspect and hope we see how Golarion dinosaurs have evolved slightly differently to their "real world" counterparts... I always thought that one of the more interesting things about Peter Jackson's King Kong remake was the ecology information and rationale of Skull Island: the V-Rex etc... not saying that we should rename or rebuild these brutes, but "re-imagined" versions would be great.
Locathah need some serious work done. The pulp/Black Lagoon is the way to go, and I think they need to be thought of as "river folk" who travel deep into the landscape of the campaign. They might live in a remote mountain lake and patrol the waterways between it and the sea. Taught to avoid human contact, a few brave or foolish locathah might instead choose to befriend a stranger from the "land country," and so on.
Maybe they can breathe fresh and salt water.
They might be kind of fun PC characters, though the aquatic subtype presents a problem there, since they can't breathe air.
Would anyone be bothered if we gave them the amphibious quality?
I would support that. I have toyed with trying to run both an underwater-based campaign and a coastal campaign in the past, and would love the idea of a playable amphibious race that did not require a lot of work. I would even support making them one Hit Die creatures.
I'd be VERY bothered if you made them Fresh and Marine water-breathers, though.
I have to agree here. Only a few sea creatures are capable of surviving in both environments for long periods of time. The bull shark being one that comes to mind.
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On the other hand I don't understand your product naming conventions:
If the core PFRPG rules are to stay as separate as possible from the Golarion setting, why not give it a separate name or mark it more clearly as something separate?While the PF RPG rules are intended to be separate from Golarion... it'd be foolish for us to make them SO separate that someone who buys one doesn't realize they're connected to the other. We can't survive as a company on PF RPG sales alone, so the rules DO need to point new customers to the rest of what we have to offer.
Best Case Scenario: A new customer buys the PF RPG to keep playing Greyhawk or Eberron or homebrew or Ravenloft or whatever, but in so doing discovers that we also produce a LARGE number of other products. He might transition over to adopting Golarion as his new campaign of choice, or he might just pick and choose adventures and products to support his ongoing game... but the point is that the PF RPG sent him that way.
So yeah; the PF rules and the PF Golarion products absolutely have to be closely tied, in that regard at least.
I understand your point completely. And I didn't suggest a complete separation of the product lines. But what about e.g. sub-brands like "Pathfinder RPG" and "Pathfinder Setting". In the same line of thinking "Chronicles" and "Companion" already are something like sub-brands of Pathfinder.
I just fear that at some point after some more products down the road, customers new to your products might be unable to distinguish the product lines. As mentioned, I'd be hard pressed to give a clear definition even now when it comes to all the campaign product lines...
Btw. similar to other companies there is always the possibility to promote the campaign setting tailour made for the rpg in your rpg products. ;-)
Cheers,
Günther
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Locathah need some serious work done. The pulp/Black Lagoon is the way to go, and I think they need to be thought of as "river folk" who travel deep into the landscape of the campaign. They might live in a remote mountain lake and patrol the waterways between it and the sea. Taught to avoid human contact, a few brave or foolish locathah might instead choose to befriend a stranger from the "land country," and so on.
I definitely think "lizardman of the sea" is the way to go with Locathah. They should b very primitive, threatening in their alieness, but ultimately peaceful and easy to get along with (just leave them to their own designs).
Maybe they can breathe fresh and salt water.
They might be kind of fun PC characters, though the aquatic subtype presents a problem there, since they can't breathe air.
Would anyone be bothered if we gave them the amphibious quality?
I'd be okay with that.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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A little bit. If you gave them something like the Sahuagin 'Water Dependent', I'd be less bothered. I'd be VERY bothered if you made them Fresh and Marine water-breathers, though.
Why? Doesn't it increase their utility in a campaign? Don't we have enough salt-water breathers? The oceans of fantasy RPGs are loaded, but the rivers are almost empty.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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I'd be VERY bothered if you made them Fresh and Marine water-breathers, though.I have to agree here. Only a few sea creatures are capable of surviving in both environments for long periods of time. The bull shark being one that comes to mind.
Salmon can pull it off for a little while, at least.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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Why? Doesn't it increase their utility in a campaign? Don't we have enough salt-water breathers? The oceans of fantasy RPGs are loaded, but the rivers are almost empty.
Ain't that the truth. I'm prepping for a Rise of the Runelords game and needed some river encounters. Natch. The best I came up with was a water mephit with a magic items that allows him to cast major image and two very young black dragon sidekicks. He casts a major image of the "River God" and uses the submerged dragons to rock the boat to simulate his "wrath" in order to get hapless merchants to throw payment into the water.
Seriously. Nothing else came to mind. We need more fresh water monster options.