Drop bears: far more terrifying than piercers!
Everybody knows of the Cloud Bears and the Ewoks, but fewer know of their savage cousins: the ferocious, feral koalas!
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Wes, I want to see these in PF Bestiary II:
I'd like to add my voice to having these additions to every Bestiary:
The Peluda or Lavelue:Depending on the account, it had either a porcupine-like body or a mess of hair-like projections hanging from its body that were actually stinger-tipped tentacles which could erect into quills. Its name is derived from this shaggy appearance. Consistently, it was said to have possessed poisonous stingers that it could shoot off its body, a snake's neck, head, and tail, large, tortoise-like feet, and a green color.
I gotta agree, Callous Jack. I was actually planning on doing this one after seeing the Peluda Artwork on monstropedia.
Finally, any kind of really interesting template is useful. As far as templates, I think instead of "half fiendish" templates, a "half-specific demon/devil" might be cool. Would a half-fiend whose daddy was a gelugon have wings? Why? Daddy doesn't....
Although I did make my own "kongamato bat people" out of half-fiend templated gnomes. They're useful when every p.c. is 7th or 8th level and gets a Legion flight ring.
Heathansson, this is a really good idea and one I endorse black heartedly.
All you need to do is convert the d20 Modern stats to Pathfinder.
Great idea... d20 Modern SRD
I'll have to peruse that.. there are some great monsters in the the menaces section.
I had thought the Crawling Claws of FR were closed content, but they released them as part of the d20 Modern SRD. interesting.
There are some good fiends as well: A harriken (headsnatcher fiend) can detach its head from its body and replace it with the decapitated head of any humanoid creature. In so doing, it can assume the dead creature’s form. To kill a harriken, one must destroy its head. While wearing the head and assuming the form of another creature, a harriken will usually entrust its detached head to loyal underlings or hide it somewhere safe.
A whistling fiend and tumor fiend are also in there.
The fire wisp is a diminutive fire elemental (CR 3), and there's a ghoul template, too.
EDIT
The litter brute: "O mighty and all-powerful trash heap!"
Mothfolk, sasquatches, hoop snakes, aha.
The zap is a fine air elemental of electricity.I love the diminutive elementals. We need some swarms of them.
The Peluda or Lavelue:Depending on the account, it had either a porcupine-like body or a mess of hair-like projections hanging from its body that were actually stinger-tipped tentacles which could erect into quills. Its name is derived from this shaggy appearance. Consistently, it was said to have possessed poisonous stingers that it could shoot off its body, a snake's neck, head, and tail, large, tortoise-like feet, and a green color.I gotta agree, Callous Jack. I was actually planning on doing this one after seeing the Peluda Artwork on monstropedia.
Hey! That peluda artwork is from the mageripper swarm from Monster Manual IV!
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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I had thought the Crawling Claws of FR were closed content, but they released them as part of the d20 Modern SRD. interesting.
Indeed it is. Although, I'm slightly annoyed. I would've had a different (and possibly) better villian submission in the RPG Superstar Contest '09 if I had known that Crawling Claws were open content.
Thanks for making me aware of this, Goblin.
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Hah, that's pretty funny. Both Sutter and I wrote up takes on the Dullahan separately. So there's little doubt you'll see him charging down the road in the next year or so.
The Dullahan (also Durahan, Gan Ceann) is a type of unseelie faerie. It is headless, usually seen riding a headless black horse and carrying his head under one arm. The head's eyes are massive and constantly dart about like flies, while the mouth is constantly in a hideous grin that touches both sides of the head. The flesh of the head is said to have...
Cool, I look forward to seeing that and the Knucklavee!
That Monstropedia is pretty cool. The Akkiyyini is potentially a great undead.
I've always been a fan of the draug and penanggalan/rokurokubi.
I'm a fan of the whole "evil floating head" genre, especially if they steal identities.
Japan has some really interesting yokai.
Cool, I look forward to seeing that and the Knucklavee!
Knucklavee, oh Knucklavee, you're big and evil and heinous!
What I'd like to see,
Wyurms(at least I think that's how it's spelled), aka ground based serpentine dragons from Celtic and Norse mythology.
Unseelie, the darker more sinister fey.
Also something on the Seelie and Unseelie courts.
House Horrors. Okay, I know this one's be nearly impossible, but I thought they were a cool concept. As far as I know they only appeared in 1 Dungeon Adventure.
Wes, I want to see these in PF Bestiary II:
Bandersnatches!
Sea serpents
Racing snails!
All seconded (that last from Neverending Story).
MUDMEN!
Yes! Must have!
Also, the Grippli.
EDIT: and the Chwidencha (FF)
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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So I just got a print copy of Zorcerer of Zo in my hands this morning and while reading through it I realized I have forgotten one of my favorite monsters.
I WANT WHEELERS!
This was such an interesting creature from the Lands of Oz books by L. Frank Baum. Checkout the Disney movie, Return to Oz (1985) if you don't know what I'm talking about.
I think Mudman first appeared in AD&D module UK1 Beyond the Crystal Cave.
Although I haven't seen examples in any published material, I really like the idea of creatures that are hard or impossible to hurt even with magic or magic weapons, but are vulnerable to things that (like themselves) are not completely real, for example illusions, fairy items, dreamstuff, weapons with the unreal special quality (doing reduced or no damage to real creatures and requiring a feat to use properly), things purely imagined by children, things recently created with Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments, you get the idea. This is a chance for the somewhat neglected school of illusion magic to shine, since illusions are all too real to creatures that are themselves less than real. An unreal creature could use an illusionary bridge. A phantasmal killer would not scare such a creature to death; it would instead initiate actual combat. An unreal creature might not be able to do much direct harm to a real creature, but it would nevertheless provide an entirely new category of challenge to an adventuring group, which would need tools to cope with unreal threats. I hope there's some food for thought at least. It would be so cool to see something along these lines in a Pathfinder Bestiary!
I liked the Berbalang from the AD&D Fiend Folio. Any creature that projects a copy of itself while its true self is hidden somewhere in a trance might work with some of the ideas for unreal creatures above (and earlier in this thread).
Director of Brand Strategy
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We have tons and tons of different kinds of demons and devils, and more and more appear in every AP. What about some new types of angels? I have been reading Dictionary of Angels, including fallen angels and there are some great inspirations in here. While I understand that it's cooler to include monsters PCs can fight, it's also important to maintain balance. I only purchase equal opportunity monster books.
And with a "fallen angel template" there might even be a reason to fight them...
And there is no reason that a "good" angel might have an agenda that borders on the inhuman. or with a mind towards the ends, rather than the means.
As Rilke put it, "All Angels are terrible."
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I liked the Berbalang from the AD&D Fiend Folio. Any creature that projects a copy of itself while its true self is hidden somewhere in a trance might work with some of the ideas for unreal creatures above (and earlier in this thread).
Berbalang are one of those rare critters that play off of a D&D element, in this case, astral projection.
I made a variant version that appeared as a tree-like creature with ruddy leaves and sharp thorny branches, that created hunting projections that appeared as bloodhawks. The bloodhawks were connected to their tree by invisible astral cords (which could be attacked with a readied action when the bloodhawk was within melee range, dispelling the hawk), and brought prey back (if small enough), or simply fed on the site of the kill (for larger prey), feeding the 'tree' through the astral cord. Same sort of mechanic as the Berbalang, but a very different visual.
A boulder-sized hunting spider that sends out a quasi-real duplicate to poison and paralyze prey, and then shuffles over to consume them with it's slower physical body, could also be neat. Or a rat (roach, whatever) swarm that creates a mass psychic gestalt entity that manifests as an enormous version of one of the swarm critters, overpowers prey, and then dissappears, with the swarm showing up to consume the remains of what their combined psychic might took down. An angry fey might sit plotting in a dark place, while expressions of her malice flit out to wreak havoc in her name.
It's a fun encounter mechanic, and one I'd love to see explored.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Well, I was at my local B&N looking for things to inspire me for running a Zorcerer of ZO game I'm thinking of getting off the ground with my niece & my nephew with help from their dad. I ended up in the mythology section to look up American Tall Tales when I spied this book, The Mythical Creatures Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Beings by Brenda Rosen. For $14.95 this book is hand-sized, full color, with an image on every other page. From the quick glance I took, I decided to make you aware of it, Wes.
I did a search and I can not believe no one has asked for a Pathfinder treatment of the Grue.
Old Man Woodlock
Grues are great, as long as they share the traits of man, ocular bat, and the unusual hoon.
And eat adventurers who don't pack torches.
Hordelings!!
Man, I loved those malevolent buggers, spent hours just rolling up random ones ... then I littered a dungeon with them. ^_^
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Campestri... one of my favourite "monsters" ever! :D
Derhii! I love these guys so much I included them as one of the major races in my Homebrew, even going so far as to create two companion races for them. The Utarhii are a basically a flying Orang Utan, while the Jilarhii are flying chimpanzees.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Grues are great, they eat adventurers who don't pack torches.
You forgot to Likify that one... why do people always make that mistake?
I'm on the Mudmen team as well... ;-)
And why not go a bit elemental? Explore the realm of earth, air, fire, and water. Something to create a 'buffer' between heaven and hell, good and evil and all that...
Can't wait for all them nice beasties to arrive :-)
Likify?
Oh yeah! And a second on Gibberlings. They're mean! :-)
OK. I'll bite. Who is Old Man Woodlock?You can't stat what no one has come up against and survived.I did a search and I can not believe no one has asked for a Pathfinder treatment of the Grue.
Old Man Woodlock
Just me, making reference to myself being old for playing the text game Zork, from which the Grue originated.
The grue was one of Jack Vance's monsters, originally, for the Dying Earth.
Tho the deodand isn't usually presented as a mix of wolverine, basilisk, and man.
I'm on the Mudmen team as well... ;-)
And why not go a bit elemental? Explore the realm of earth, air, fire, and water. Something to create a 'buffer' between heaven and hell, good and evil and all that...
Welcome to the team! Mudmen FTW!
As for elementals, I see that Mephits (from the AD&D Fiend Folio) are listed in the Bonus Bestiary, so you're getting your wish :)
The grue was one of Jack Vance's monsters, originally, for the Dying Earth.
Tho the deodand isn't usually presented as a mix of wolverine, basilisk, and man.
Thanks for that! Some Vance monsters would be cool, if it's legal to use them.
I remember when I first saw the Chwidencha, it reminded me of a creature from Vance's "Eyes of the Overworld":
He departed the chamber and after a moment returned with a covered class bowl containing a small white creature, all claws, prongs, barbs and hooks, squirming angrily.
I love the concept. Chwidencha is not a bad name, but I'm not attached to it if something else along these lines comes to mind.
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(...) What monsters do you want to see in Pathfinder? Either in Pathfinder's Bestiary, or in a pseudo-hypothetical Bestiary II book?
According to what I gleaned from the monster list included in the Bonus Bestiary, Bestiary it will unfortunately not cover all of the iconic OGL monsters of the 3.5 MHB.
With regards to all the great modules and adventure path books you published so far using 3.5 rules, I'd want the Bestiary II to include those monsters which were often referred to in those 3.5 adventures, but which are not part of the Bestiary I any more. One example coming to my mind are Gricks (e.g. in module D1).
I am totally in favour of anything new and unique for the game, but considering the claimed backwards compatibility, I'd want these monsters to be included.
As an afterhought: I know abotu the restrictions of the OGL (namely the off limits status of beholders, mind flayers and other IP). With regards to discussions about upcoming/ existing "replacements" for their role in the game: Please ensure that not only the role, but also the relative encounter strength (-> CR) of any replacement is up to its older "brethren".
That would make conversion of old modules - and also creation of the "converting content from other systems"-part of the upcoming GameMastery book - so much easier, wouldn't it? ;-)
Cheers,
Günther
I was digging the C'thulhu creature rehashes, and would look forward to more of that sort of thing.
I think moonbeasts have a lot of potential as a "villain race" if they got a power boost along the lines of the Denizens of Leng.....
No worries, there will be more of these on and off throughout all the Pathfinder lines. Take Carrion Hill for example.
I also like the Divs, and the additional daemons that have been showing up hither and thither.
While we're done with divs for a while, expect plenty more fiends showing up, especially denizens of Hell and the Plane of Shadow with Council of Thieves and Book of the Damned coming up.
That new "armadillo crocodile/real life bulette" fossil they found in Argentina a few ago begs for a statblock. Hmmmm.....
Link it or it's not real!
Finally, any kind of really interesting template is useful.
I've had a lot of fun combining the ogrekin template with....things....
I don't consider the result necessarily a form of ogrekin, I merely use it to come up with my own deal.
As far as templates, I think instead of "half fiendish" templates, a "half-specific demon/devil" might be cool. Would a half-fiend whose daddy was a gelugon have wings? Why? Daddy doesn't....
Although I did make my own "kongamato bat people" out of half-fiend templated gnomes. They're useful when every p.c. is 7th or 8th level and gets a Legion flight ring.
The biggest problem with templates is just that they're so long and don't fit nicely into the formats we have for the Bestiary and Pathfinder. Even ones I really like, like the ogrekin and nosferatu, feel like their missing a good dose of the ecology, habit, etc, etc, stuff all other monsters get. Sure, we'll keep doing them as they're needed, but until we figure out a more succinct way to do them or do an all templates book or something (wouldn't hold my breath) they're going to take a back seat to just more cool monsters.
"Two words. Variant otyughs." :-D
Ha! Nice. Variants really are more the realm of the "Revisited" books, so don't expect to see many "Like This! But Different" style monsters in Pathfinder. Now, creatures in the same family, like new proteans, new divs, *cough-snotykwen-cough*, or even the much maligned "Red Reaver" we have a tradition of doing and I have some very cool new ones planed.
I'll second the calls for:
More daemons
More evil fey
More Lovecraftian beasties
Triffids
More cryptids
The peluda
Check on all of those. This thread has sold me on the peluda. He's on the fast track.
More, more interesting than the SRD, dinosaurs (I feel heartened by the lengthy dino-thread started by James Jacobs)
We have plans for both new animals and new dinos in Pathfinder. All next year in fact.
... yales? ...tripodero? ...snoligoster... squank...
Links or they're not real! :P
More daevas, like the one in Curse of the Crimson Throne. A tantalizing taste, to be sure.
Expect another taste during Council of Thieves.
Monsters from other planets. Pathfinder 14 gave us some good ones, but I want the four-armed Akitian warriors and the philosopher liches of the asteroid belt.
Yeah, I'd like to do these too but am not sure where to work them in quite yet. We'll see.
Dire corbies! DOOM! DOOM!
On "A" list...
More monsters that I stumbled across while searching on Wikipedia... Umdhlebi, Isnashi
Awesome! Keep 'em coming C.J.!