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It would also be neat to create new summoning feats that alter summon monster spells, possibly by applying templates to them, like Skeletal Summoning. Imagine Zombie Summoning, Aberrant Summoning, Elemental Summoning, Golem Summoning, Oozy Summoning, Fiery Summoning, Petrified Summoning, Serpentine Summoning, Shocking Summoning, Vampiric Summoning, Vitrolic Summoning, etc. etc.
The number of beasties in the PF SRD is now more than adequate that I noticed that I can make a 'themed' summoning list of all 'avian creatures' or all 'snakes' or all 'vermin.'
Having that as both an option a PC or a monster could take (a master of vermin monster that summons only vermin, for instance, or a Garuda that summons only bird-like creatures) could be neat.
One of the greatest strengths of 3.5e is that both players, NPCs and monsters are all built from the same set of Lego bricks. Stats, feats, skills, mechanics - you name it, you got it.
Word. Sentence, paragraph and novella, even.
One thing that bugs the crap out of me is when monsters are designed in a vacuum, by someone who has apparently forgotten that this is D&D (PF, whatever), in which people can charm things, command things, dominate things, diplomancy things, get things as cohorts, get things as companions, wild shape/shapechange into things, etc., etc. all of which cause seemingly non-controversial monster-powers like 'grant three wishes a day' or 'create infinite wraiths by touching people' or 'gain infinite Con by hitting myself with shocking grasp' or 'gain infinite HD by Feeding on people' into enormous flaming pains in the butt.
A sure, the shambling mound infinite Con thing was funny when it was just a monster, but now there's the Plant Domain, and rebuke plants. Or the command plant spell. Or whatever. Suddenly this 'funny' thing is in the hands of the PCs, and that's just flat-out not funny anymore.
Thanks to a character with a diplomacy score of +30, that Efreeti's ability to grant wishes 3/day every day for the rest of eternity at no cost at all, is a crazy bad idea. (And we won't even mention the candle of invocation thing.)
Thanks to Rebuke/Command Undead, and / or the Master of Shrouds, the create spawn ability of a shadow, wraith, specter, etc. was the begining of the 'wight-o-capalypse.'
And so 3.0/3.5 changed how polymorph worked *six times* to try and get around this, and changed what spells could be cast by summoned creatures, and yet still they didn't account for enchantment spells, diplomacy, PCs playing monsters, PCs having monsters as cohorts, PCs just flat out paying a monster whatever it bloody well wanted to help them break the game with their broken-as-hell monster power, etc, etc.
IMO, the game is 10x stronger if monster powers and PC powers are the same thing, and have the same built in balancing mechanisms. No more bedwetting terror over how polymorph / shapechange is going to work, because the shapechanger won't be able to turn into a monster with a broken ability *because there won't be any monsters with broken abilities.* No more fretting over what abilities a summoned creature can use, because it won't have any abilities not appropriate for it's level. No more worries about what happens when the powergamer gets his grubby little hands on a candle of invocation, because he won't be able to call up anything that wasn't built balanced from the start, and doesn't have any world-ending apocalyptic wish-at-will crap to exploit.
Magic gets to be magic again. The conjurer doesn't call up a genie that has some of a genies powers, and the druid doesn't wild shape into an animal and only have a strange subset of the abilities a normal animal of that type would have (and other oddness, like gaining the ability to breathe underwater when wild shaping into a rat, since rats have a swim speed!).
And if the enchanter lands a dominate monster on an efreeti, or the necromancer gets control of a specter, or the druid commands a shambling mound, it doesn't effectively end of the game. No worries about monsters as cohorts, or 'Undead Leadership,' or monsters as PCs, or some create spawn-having undead with an Int score higher than 10 just flat out realizing that they have the power to utterly ravage the world by flitting about touching commoners in the farming village down the way.
The less stuff in the game is 'balanced for monsters only,' (translation: unbalanced as all hell, please, please, please don't let a player get his hands on this!) the better it is.
I'll take your word for it. I can't make a PF character in less than half an hour.
Irrespective, whatever your speed is - the earlier games are faster. Extra options necessarily slows things down. (I was just being contrarian, of course - I don't really care, I just like a challenge)..
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The thing about extra options is, you don't have to use them. :) But yeah, I would agree that earlier editions have an easier learning curve than Pathfinder due to fewer options. But not by much since both systems are just as arcane and opaque without someone to explain all the quirks. A new player isn't going to be building his first Pathfinder character in two minutes, it is true.
If this book was made I'd see it like this.
Intro:
It would be about monster s and how they react with Golarion and speak about how they deal with their environment and society.
First chapter:
This would have a list of archetypes that would be dealing with monsters.
1.Monster Hunter (Fighter or possibly a Ranger)
2. Beast Rider (Barbarian)
3. Serpent Caller (Summoner)
4. Kaiju Shaman (Druid)
5. Wyrm Skin Scholar (Alchemist)
6. Para Elemental Jhakri (Oracle)
7. Tundra Traversing Slayer (Ranger)
Second Chapter:
This would have a list of monster races and be much like the Advanced Race Guide. It's give fluff on where they are from, their culture, various equipment they have access to, spells, and archetypes. These can be used for NPC's, enemies, or actual PC's.
1. Ogrekin
Archetype A: Thick-headed Thug (Rogue)
2. Gnolls
Archetype A: Fellagha (Rogue)
Archetype B: Lamashtu's Fangs (Inquisitor)
3. Lizardfolk
Archetype A: Tar Shaper (Druid)
Archetype B: Skirmisher (Fighter)
Archetype C: Nature Seer (Oracle)
4. Sahuagin
Archetype A: Sekolah's Offspring (Cleric)
Archetype B: Slaughterfin (Fighter)
5. Kasatha
Archetype A: Sandrunner (Ranger)
Archetype B: Speaker of the Dunes (Druid)
Archetype C: Desert Shadow (Rogue)
6. Trox
Archetype A: Spine Crusher Gladiator (Fighter)
Archetype B: Chitinous Charger (Barbarian)
7. Wyvarens
Archetype A: Tiamat's Blades (Paladin)
Archetype B: Bladewing Caster (Magus)
8. Kech
Archetype A: Jungle Sniper (Ranger)
9. Tanuki
Archetype A: Kami-charmed Muse (Bard)
Archetype B: Cedarwood Ronin (Samurai)
10. Draconian (I have these to be like 4th editions Dragonborn or Bahamut from 3.5. I'd have them be an ancient, devout, lawful good culture that looks like humanoid copper and brass dragons that are regarded as heros because of their heroic exploits in Kellish and Vudrai. I'd have them very much Persian-influenced)
Archetype A: Chosen of Apsu's Glory (Paladin)
Archetype B: Stormscale Adept (Wizard)
11. Bugbear
Archetype A: Manhunter (Ranger)
Archetype B: Outland Scrapper (Barbarian)
12. Locanth
Archetype A: Water Speaker (Sorcerer)
Archetype B: Wave Rider (Cavalier)
Third Chapter :
This chapter would have various weapons and armors made from various creatures.
Like for example:
Ankheg Plate
Mugger Crocodile Leggings
Drakebone Scythes
Direboar Skull Club
Fourth Chapter:
Creature creation! How to customize various monsters. Rules for "normal monster" customization like the Adv Race Guide, but with ways of making Bestiary creatures and adding on to them. Also their should be dire creature, undead, and possibly kaiju making tables.
Fifth Chapter: Monster Feats
Sixth: Spells used to influence, summon, restrain, or transform monsters.
Seventh: 22 new monsters!
Such as:
4 kaiju
Pterrax
Sandhowler
Jhakar
Rasclinn
Biloko
Shan
Being of Xiclotl
Hyaenodon
Aniwye
Calopi
Foawr
Migas
Gumberoo
Samebito
Whowhie
Dobhar-chu
Jubokko
Cuegle
Hyaenodon already exists under Dire Hyena in the Bestiary 1. I know, my players charmed it in a game.
Always can get another one....
I don't really agree with the Teapots; I'd like to see less of the fait accomplit (a.k.a. Monster Manual V) and more tools (feats, templates, etc.). Things like the monster prestige classes and the stackable templates from Libris Mortis would also be very welcome.
I'd rather new monsters be introduced in a separate bestiary 4, and monster archetypes/feats/templates be in their own book.
Draconians are WOTC IP, and on top of that the designers are not fond of them. So yeah, I don't foresee them or clones showing up anytime soon.
I am also rather suspicious we will ever see Kasathan, Trox, or Wyvarans ever mentioned. I got the impression they were just examples built using the rules, not a serious attempt to introduce new races. I like them, so I wouldn't mind being proven wrong
Well can we call them something else or find some other way to do dragonmen?
You should ask the Paizo staff, since they are the only people who can approve that for an official product :)
