I'm a little confused by this. It looks like there are three kinds of serpentfolk, regular, advanced, and degenerate.
I'm checking with the monster codex and am just incredibly confused. It mentions racial modifiers but when I try to calculate it myself something is amiss
What am I missing?
The "regular" serpentfolk (actually an advanced version) listed in the Bestiary 2 has no class levels. The racial modifiers listed are correct for ability scores of (10 -2) Str, (11 +10) Dex, (11 +6) Con, (10 +8) Int, (11 +4) Wis, (10 +6) Cha.
When adding class levels, the universal Monster Advancement rules specify that: "Creatures with class levels receive +4, +4, +2, +2, +0, and –2 adjustments to their ability scores, assigned in a manner that enhances their class abilities. Creatures with NPC class levels do not receive adjustments to their ability scores." This is in addition to any racial modifiers, plus any advancements from gaining levels.
I'm going to bump this, I know it's old, but I'm coming back to this and I'm still confused.
How do you get from the base serpentfolk to one of the blocks in monster codex?
Third time's the charm?
The info in Bestiary 2 that lists a Serpentfolk's "racial ability score modifiers" is largely redundant. Let's start with ability score's of 10.
A serpentfolk's racial ability score modifiers are as follows: Str –2, Dex +10, Con +6, Int +8, Wis +4, Cha +6.
Str [10-2=8], Dex [10+10=20], Con [10+6=16], Int [10+8=18], Wis [10+4=14], Cha [10+6=16]. These are almost identical to the ability scores of a default Serpentfolk in Bestiary 2. I'm not sure why Paizo felt the need to include these numbers, because they've confused many, many people (including me), especially when the information is tied to a set of rules for modifications made when taking class levels. The fact is, you still use the standard rules for ability score modifications as for any other monster (+4, +4, +2, +2, +0, -2).
Let's look at the first Serpentfolk statblock presented in the Monster Codex (Advanced Serpentfolk Rogue 1; remember that "Advanced just means it's a regular Serpentfolk with Class levels, and Advanced denotes the inclusion of the rules for adding said levels - increased SR, Poison DC increase, and new SLA's) - I'll list the Serpentfolk Rogue's ability scores, and in parenthases, list the numerical change from the Bestiary 2 Serpentfolk.
Str 12 (+4), Dex 23 (+2), Con 19 (+2), Int 18 (+0), Wis 13 (-2), Cha 20 (+4)
Look familiar? the [-2 Str, +10 Dex, +6 Con, +8 Int, +4 Wis, +6 Cha] from the Advanced Serpentfolk rules isn't a factor here, because those numbers were simply a redundancy from the default Serpentfolk's ability scores. Instead, we can clearly see [+4, +4, +2, +2, +0, -2] from the standard Monster advancement rules for gaining class levels.
EDIT: One thing I just noticed that I find very interesting is that the normal rules for adjusting CR don't seem to apply for Serpentfolk with Class levels. This rule typically has you adjust a monster's CR by 1 per class level, or 1/2 per class level, based on how synergistic the class is with the monster's default abilities. The Monster Codex has Serpentfolk statblocks with class levels in Rogue, Ranger, Wizard, Oracle, Magus, and Cleric, and each one sees the CR increase by 1 per class level, regardless of the Class' niche.
Thanks that really clears it up.
I guess on the spot they decided they fit all roles and if they didn't or would be overpowered.
Serpentfolk are in the "any role" category, so you always* add 1 to CR.