I run modernish campaign settings these days, with monster hunting as a main focus. Always can use more of the bastards. I am particularly fond of the undead, fey, and evil outsider types, though I also like the cooler magical beasts and dragons. I am also fond of anything created by a curse. I already have:
All the Pathfinder beastiaries
The Monster Codex
The Green Ronin Advanced Beastiary
The Complete Tome of Horrors (1-3) and Tome of Horrors 4
Midgard Bestiary
The Kaiju Codex (A modernish setting with a major nation based off of Japan? Of course I have a ready supply of kaiju.)
A couple of the Super Genius Games mythic menagerie books. Undead, werecreatures, and constructs, to be precise.
As for non-bestiary books with monsters, I can't name them all off. In particular, I have:
Gothic Campaign Compendium
Heroes of the Jade Oath
Razor Coast
I also have some stuff from other D20 games that is at least somewhat compatible:
3.5 Monster Manual
Libris Mortis
Draconimicon
Legends and Lairs Necromantic Lore
Relics and Rituals Olympus
Oriental Adventures
3.0 Rokugan
Dragonlance setting and Bestiary of Krynn
Nyambe: African Adventures
Heroes of Horror
Deadlands D20 core, Way of the Brave, Gun, and Dead, Horrors of the Weird West, Way of the New Science, and Canada and Mexico setting books
Every Weird War II D20 book except Hell in the Hedgerows
D20 Modern Urban Arcana and Menace Manual
Monte Cook's World of Darkness
So, yea. Sitting on a lot of beasties. Still could use more, though. I'm looking for stuff in PDF format, not physical books. I want Pathfinder, but am willing to buy 3rd edition books or other material I can convert relatively easily. I would particularly like East Asian or South Asian monsters, monsters based off of Native American or Mesoamerican myths, monsters based on Mediterranean myths (I do include North Africa in that statement. I want Greco-Roman and Italian stuff, but Egyptian stuff that isn't mummies would be great.), sea monsters, anything with a heavy mad science, mysterious witchcraft, or occult vibe, and evil fey. I always want more undead and demons (I call devils, daemons, and the like demons in my setting.), and monsters based on spirits would come in handy. Also haunt books (I do own the Genius Guide to Horrific Haunts).
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I recommend the Psionic Bestiary by Dreamscarred Press. Weird, but interesting, and not just for psionic campaigns. I even have it reviewed...
In a more focused way, the revisited line of monster books (that is, classic monsters revisited, etc) that Paizo puts out are very neat for understanding monsters past their statistics blocks.
Take every monster you already have a book for. Multiply it by about 100. That's a lot of monsters.
This is what the world is like when you use template books like The Advanced Bestiary
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Beasts of the Boundless Blue from Alluria Publishing is a pretty kickbutt bestiary, although obviously mostly focused on aquatic critters
The Midgard Bestiary by Paizo's own Adam Daigle is pretty good. I haven't seen the Southland's Bestiary yet, but if it holds to similar standards its probably worth checking out.
The Book of Monster Templates from Rite Publishing. It's got 9 5-star reviews. Just sayin'.
And I'm a strong advocate for the Midgard Bestiaries, too.
-Ben.
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All very good suggestions I'd also wholeheartedly recommend - especially the Book of Monster Templates sees use all the time in my game! There is also no way past Beasts of the Boundless Blue regarding aquatic foes.
I'd add:
- 20 Variant Wordgs & 20 Variant Red Dragons by Rite Publishing
- Monsters of Porphyra by Purple Duck Games
- Any "Gruesome" book of monster templates by Rogue Genius Games
- The Construct Companion by Rogue Genius Games
- Beasts of Legend: Coldwood Codex & Boreal Bestiary by Legendary Games
- Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Kingdoms & Monsters of the Shadow Plane by Jon Brazer Enterprises
If you're going for a Japanese-inspired setting and want to add some horror, I also strongly suggest you check out Rite Publishing's Kaidan product line. It's pretty much glorious. The #30 Haunts...-series also pretty much still is my reference for haunts.
Creatures of Rokugan by AEG, the asian themed monster book for d20 Rokugan.
Book of Fiends by Green Ronin. 3.5 edition demons, devils, and daemons with lots of lore. Generally lower-powered and some mechanical wonkiness but very cool fiend flavor stuff.
The Dread Codex published by Adamant is a collection of OGL 3.5 undead.
Book of Templates Deluxe 3.5 by Silverthorne Press tons of cool templates.
Since you have the Deadlands d20 and Weird War d20 monster books, that leaves the d20 Hell on Earth's Horrors of the Wasted West .
I like Bastion Press' Complete Minions, Faeries, and Out for Blood monster Sourcebooks. Minons is full of weird alien looking creatures, all done in full color by the same artist which adds a lot to its feel.
Alluria Publishing has a couple pathfinder monster books. Fey folio is a short fey themed one, Creepy Creatures is general themed, and Beasts of the Boundless Blue is a massive undersea one.
I highly recommend the terrain themed monster collections:
The Monster Geographica series from Expeditious Retreat Press
Into the Green, Blue, and Black by Bastion Press.
E.N. Critters series from EN Publishing
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I'd definitely suggest taking a good look at the newly released
Southlands Bestiary from Kobold Press :)
On that Book of Fiends, is that the one that had the Apocalypse Dragon?
I've skimmed it now and didn't find apocalypse dragon, but found Abyssal Dragon template and Armageddon Beast (a hydralike outsider).
Yap. Pic here. The book of fiends is (i think) the first thing I bought online. The crunchy bits are not that good, but the flavor....oh the 5 pound bag of gummy bears extravaganza.
- Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Kingdoms & Monsters of the Shadow Plane by Jon Brazer Enterprises
Thank you for mentioning these. The Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Shadow Plane would be my recommendation to the OP. These are all monsters that are corrupted by darkness and and hide in the shadows of reality. I think these work well in your game.
Bane Ledger and Bane Ledger II have stuff from Polynesian and American myths along with African and Australian, so that's half coverage of different culture monsters you wanted.
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Yap. Pic here. The book of fiends is (i think) the first thing I bought online. The crunchy bits are not that good, but the flavor....oh the 5 pound bag of gummy bears extravaganza.
Excellent. I want just that one monster, really. But I could probably do a decent job at it myself from skill and memory...