Disclaimer: I am fully aware that I can still use the Pre-Remaster monsters as-is (with some mechanical adjustments such as removing alignment) in my home game and that nobody is going to send the Pinkertons to my doorstep for daring to say Owlbear... {side-eye to Hasbro...}.
But just for fun, how would we rebrand or rename some of the OGL monsters that (probably) won't be making a return?
For instance, Paizo has already demonstrated rebranding the Green Dragon into the Horned Dragon, and I seem to recall they teased they were already doing something similar with some as-of-yet not yet disclosed dragons.
Or what could we rename the mimic? Hungry Object? Faker? Poser?
Or, of course, the Owlbear? Raptorbear? Birdbear if you're feeling alliterative?
I love the already proposed "Stalagbite" for the betentacled creature formerly known as the roper.
On an unrelated note: Beowlar
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Birdbear makes me think of Banjo-Kazooie. I approve.
Ursaraptor is kinda phonetically pleasing to my ears.
The Stirge should be the Mostsquito. I'll show myself out.
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Blindheims could be flash toads(like how there are flash beetles). Darkmantles could be cave squids. In another thread I liked the idea of combining Web Lurkers and Driders; Spider-like centaurs that live in communities in the darklands herding and breeding spiders.
Maybe you could combine mimics and doppelgangers under a new name; maybe the young/weak ones copy inanimate objects like chests, but as they get stronger/more experienced they start learning to copy people to hunt.
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So mimic: "Lurking Predator" change it's gooey teeth and tongue revelation, have the appearance reveal to be a bugs carapice so that there are pincers and claws or arm blades.
Mind flayers: "Cephalo-Phages" make them even more octopus like, remove the appearance of humanoid limbs.And instead of taking over the human body, chest bursting. always a good choice.
Stirges: No, Albatoonoe that's not a bad point. They are just giant mosquitoes.
Owlbear: "Amalgamations" These are the results of Lamashtu convincing Nethys to try and create some new creatures (though thanks to Lamashtu they all turn out to be predators). This also allows for other creatures Squidwolves, Ankyloscorpions, etc.
Ropers: "Cave Abalone". These shell fish look like rocks in cave (they have developed the ability to process oxygen from air) and can lash out with muscular tongues.
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Stirges are already renamed Bloodseekers.
Outside of RPG trade names, that is the broad use of the term 'chimera'. I.e. when not used as a proper noun referring to the specific Greek mythical critter, the word chimera can refer to any animal hybrid.
It would be nice if Paizo just used the term correctly. Former-owlbear is now referred to as a chimera because technically it always was a type of chimera. But if they just don't want to go there, I'll understand.
That's a good point, it's the same thing that always bugged the heck out of me about using Medusa as the name of a species rather than a person. Now granted, Gorgon wouldn't be technically correct for my example either since they were the "Gorgon sisters" but at least that'd be indicative of a group.
Lurking Predator isn't a bad suggestion for mimics, though I think I'd still like a shorter name for them in my games. Faux? Fake? ... Oh man the "Who's on First" level of nonsense we could have if we renamed Mimics to Fakes. {evil laugh}
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As Paizo mentioned re: Golarion's current named dragons, you can use the OGL monsters w/o referencing their species name at all. Which is to say all the ability sets are available, as long as you give them their own identity. Not that Paizo will lightly cross lines, but if the narrative would benefit (especially if based on previous individuals), that option's there.
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That's a good point, it's the same thing that always bugged the heck out of me about using Medusa as the name of a species rather than a person. Now granted, Gorgon wouldn't be technically correct for my example either since they were the "Gorgon sisters" but at least that'd be indicative of a group.Outside of RPG trade names, that is the broad use of the term 'chimera'. I.e. when not used as a proper noun referring to the specific Greek mythical critter, the word chimera can refer to any animal hybrid.
It would be nice if Paizo just used the term correctly. Former-owlbear is now referred to as a chimera because technically it always was a type of chimera. But if they just don't want to go there, I'll understand.
In a similar fashion to Medusa being used as a species name, Arachne has more or less become the generic name for "spider centaur" type creatures in a lot of circles, so I imagine it'd be pretty trivial to bring back "driders" without the OGL so long as you decouple them from whatever the setting's equivalent of "drow" happens to be.
Though I suspect the drider's Golarion-specific lore of being fleshwarps might make a different name more appropriate for Pathfinder.
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Or what could we rename the mimic? Hungry Object? Faker? Poser?
Or, of course, the Owlbear? Raptorbear? Birdbear if you're feeling alliterative?
Our group hasn't run into a mimic yet, but we have dealt with the legally distinct Bearowl, so there is that. It can even fly/glide some with its vestigial wings, whereas Owlbears just have beaks and bird eyes/head instead of jaws.
As for the Mimic, I will probably rename them as Imitators, adding to their already devious and deceptive/copying nature.
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Like the thing about the mimic, I think, is elucidating. It's not important to reproduce the actual monster, even if the image of "a chest with teeth" is iconic. It's more important to reproduce the niche that monster fills- specifically a predator that poses as a thing the PCs think is safe or interesting in order to ambush them.
Wall-hangings, furniture, or floor rugs that attack you is basically the same monster. You could make it different by not having it be the actual item be the monster transformed, but make it work like a magical sort of trap door spider that uses whatever it is as camouflage.
Like make it an extradimensional spider that hides in books, where when you open the book the spider emerges from the portal to attack you (as the monster assumes most people sit down to read a book when they are alone and *not* heavily armed.) Make it a monster with good saves so it's harder to fight off with magic.
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Reaper miniatures has an Oxidation Beast.
Like the thing about the mimic, I think, is elucidating. It's not important to reproduce the actual monster, even if the image of "a chest with teeth" is iconic. It's more important to reproduce the niche that monster fills- specifically a predator that poses as a thing the PCs think is safe or interesting in order to ambush them.
Wall-hangings, furniture, or floor rugs that attack you is basically the same monster. You could make it different by not having it be the actual item be the monster transformed, but make it work like a magical sort of trap door spider that uses whatever it is as camouflage.
Like make it an extradimensional spider that hides in books, where when you open the book the spider emerges from the portal to attack you (as the monster assumes most people sit down to read a book when they are alone and *not* heavily armed.) Make it a monster with good saves so it's harder to fight off with magic.
This is all very true.
Though I still can't get my brain away from the "Who's on First?" shenanigans that would come from calling them "Fakes." lol
Changing gears, a lot of demons that represent classic sins seem unlikely to return. Thoughts on renames/rebrands for those?
I really like the idea of a giant crab monster with a camo ability.
Something like
Illusory Disguise [Illusion][Occult] <three actions> the Hider can squeeze itself into a 5 by 5 square. It then uses illusory magic to disguise itself as an innocuous object in the location, like a stalagmite in a cave, a tree stump, or normal household object like chest of drawers. The Hider receives a +4 circumstance bonus to its deception checks to avoid detection. This otherwise functions as illusory object.
Hidden Strike <reaction> Requirement The Hider is in its illusory disguise Trigger A creature approaches in reach of the Hider's Pincher attack and has not disbelieved the illusion Effect The Hider makes a Pincher Strike against the triggering creature. The creature is also off guard to this attack. If the Strike hits, it deals an additional Xd6 damage and the Hider can attempt an Athletics check to Grab the creature as a free action.
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Like the thing about the mimic, I think, is elucidating. It's not important to reproduce the actual monster, even if the image of "a chest with teeth" is iconic. It's more important to reproduce the niche that monster fills- specifically a predator that poses as a thing the PCs think is safe or interesting in order to ambush them.
IIRC there's some earth elementals that could fill that role. Cobbleswarm? Some sort of predatory rock that could pretend to be a floor or wall of a dungeon, perhaps in a treasure room.
Maybe we could get a land-based Octopus or mollusk that transforms. Like those Octopus species that can chance the texture/color of their skin to pretend to be plants, rocks, or other creatures, hiding in coconut shells on the sea floor. The chandelier droops as the arms drop down to grab adventurers walking by, or sticky tentacles pop out of a cabinet to pull in prey.
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I'd build out what 'used' to be called 'mimics' as some sort of shapeshifters who spent too long shapeshifted into an inanimate form and lost much of their mental bandwidth, instead becoming barely sentient predators -- the original ancestry could then be introduced as an ultimate shapechanger that can assume the form of inorganic items at a cost of mobility.
Not sure what kind of name I'd put on them, but imagine a whole fallen civilization because of that.
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I'd build out what 'used' to be called 'mimics' as some sort of shapeshifters who spent too long shapeshifted into an inanimate form and lost much of their mental bandwidth, instead becoming barely sentient predators -- the original ancestry could then be introduced as an ultimate shapechanger that can assume the form of inorganic items at a cost of mobility.
Not sure what kind of name I'd put on them, but imagine a whole fallen civilization because of that.
I love this idea, but wanted to point out that they needn't even be 'barely sentient' - OG Mimics speak Common and are as sapient as any humanoid. It was a hilarious surprise to me to realize, which ultimately led to my Carrion Crown players sneaking around Caliphas at night with a group of bouncing lampposts indiscreetly muttering to one another to keep quiet.
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I love this idea, but wanted to point out that they needn't even be 'barely sentient' - OG Mimics speak Common and are as sapient as any humanoid. It was a hilarious surprise to me to realize, which ultimately led to my Carrion Crown players sneaking around Caliphas at night with a group of bouncing lampposts indiscreetly muttering to one another to keep quiet.I'd build out what 'used' to be called 'mimics' as some sort of shapeshifters who spent too long shapeshifted into an inanimate form and lost much of their mental bandwidth, instead becoming barely sentient predators -- the original ancestry could then be introduced as an ultimate shapechanger that can assume the form of inorganic items at a cost of mobility.
Not sure what kind of name I'd put on them, but imagine a whole fallen civilization because of that.
Indeed. Just saw this on the legacy description on AoN and it, as well as their unusual interest in humanoids and territorial/solitary nature, fits really well with my self-repurposed nanite swarms theory. Advanced smart home furniture gone mad and ravenous.
They might even have originated in Numeria a long long time ago and then disseminated throughout Golarion.
The uneducated call them Mimics, but their own name for their people is PHAFTD (Perfect Home Appliance For The Discerning). Calling them Perfect might help getting in their good graces.
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The -ito suffix on mosquito means tiny, so a big mosquito should be just a "Mosqos"
The -ito suffix on mosquito means tiny, so a big mosquito should be just a "Mosqos"
By jove, you're right.
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Like the thing about the mimic, I think, is elucidating. It's not important to reproduce the actual monster, even if the image of "a chest with teeth" is iconic. It's more important to reproduce the niche that monster fills- specifically a predator that poses as a thing the PCs think is safe or interesting in order to ambush them.
Wall-hangings, furniture, or floor rugs that attack you is basically the same monster. You could make it different by not having it be the actual item be the monster transformed, but make it work like a magical sort of trap door spider that uses whatever it is as camouflage.
Like make it an extradimensional spider that hides in books, where when you open the book the spider emerges from the portal to attack you (as the monster assumes most people sit down to read a book when they are alone and *not* heavily armed.) Make it a monster with good saves so it's harder to fight off with magic.
Can I offer you a nice egg in this trying time?
It warms my heart to see I'm not the only one who's going to sorely miss the Mimic, and that there are nearly as many ideas about how to refill its niche as there are people who miss them.