Dungeoneer
First Post
Hello everyone, long time no post. I've been out of it for a while but I recently heard that Pelgrane had released Lions & Tigers & Owlbears: 13th Age Bestiary 2. The first 13A Bestiary was one of my all-time favorite monster books so I had to get my hands on this one. I've gone through it and wanted to share my thoughts. Here we go:
. . .
The original 13th Age Bestiary remains, in my opinion, one of the best monster books ever written. If you play fantasy roleplaying games, you owe it to yourself - whether or not you play 13th Age - to check it out (the monsters should convert to other D20 systems easily enough). The Bestiary was a masterful combination of monster mechanics and classic monster lore brilliantly re-imagined. Virtually every monster came with a grab bag of extras, whether that was a list of random items that might be found in a naga lair or tables of environmental effects to roll on. The 13th Age Bestiary managed to make Kobolds interesting. KOBOLDS!
So when I say that Lions, Tigers & Owlbears: 13th Age Bestiary 2 isn't quite up to the standards of the first one, I'm not saying it is in any way a bad book. It's a very good book, an essential addition for any 13th Age game-master. The fact that it doesn't quite reach the dizzying heights of brilliance as its predecessor is hardly a knock on it.
Bestiary 2 is all about variety. The book is chock full of monsters for every occasion.
Some of the monsters fill gaps in the existing 13th Age monster menagerie (dinosuars, derro, ghosts, fey, fomori, xorn, among many others). Some of the monsters are Dragon Empire-specific (Hell Marsh Cult, hellstone gargoyles, koruku, kohwa). Some of the monsters are perhaps best used to startle jaded adventurers (coin zombies, hellcats, shadow mongooses, spell golems). Some come with such a substantial amount of lore you could build an entire campaign around them (briar elves, the Ebon Gauntlet, frog folk, Malatyne the Purple Dragon, the Silver Hand Cult, to name a few). Some are included just because they are badass (chaos hydras, hellwarped beasts, laughing demons, sunder wraiths, and waking stones).
Bestiary 2 includes a handful of extra dangerous, extra special Big Bads. These are the kind of Ancient Evils(tm) that can constitute the grand finale of a campaign. They come in the form of Fallen Icons. Fallen Icons are 13th Age-style icons from previous ages. They're still around, though - albeit usually in debased, twisted, and evil forms. They can make great BBGs for a campaign as they attempt to reclaim their former glory and power. The Fallen Icons presented are The Forest That Walks, The Gold King, and The Great Ghoul.
Fallen Icons are intended to be serious threats that the PCs can't just fight once and kill - certain tasks must be undertaken to weaken them before they are dispatched. Each Fallen Icon's entry lists some possibilities for this. Of the three Fallen Icons presented, I found the Gold King to be a little too niche (unless your campaign revolves heavily around treasure or dwarves), but the Forest That Walks is ridiculously cool, and the Great Ghoul has an interesting cult vibe and could also present a counterbalance to the Lich King.
I have not listed all the monster entries here by any means. You are probably wondering if the titular lions, tigers, and owlbears made it into the book. Yes, of course! 13th Age already had rakshasas and owlbears, but here we get new variants fleshed out in greater detail. If you ever wanted to run a campaign where insidious were-tigers are the puppetmasters pulling the strings from behind the curtain, this book absolutely gives you the material to do that. Also if you've ever wanted a snowy owlbear or an owlbear cub it has that too. Lions turn up in the form of hallowed gargoyles in service to the Priestess, one of 13th Age's icons. I think good-aligned gargoyles make for an interesting twist on the classic.
As the name 'lions & tigers & owlbears' implies, Bestiary 2 is a real grab bag, with an emphasis on GM choice and customization. Which is very much in line with 13th Age's ethos.
The default setting for 13th Age, the 'Dragon Empire', prides itself on being a grab bag of a setting. It is a setting that is very insistently without 'canon', so that it can always be customized to the needs of the individual campaign. The gamemaster is encouraged to shape the setting to their taste, or to simply pillage it for ideas to use in other settings. Bestiary 2 was written very much in that same spirit.
Virtually every monster presented in this book gives the reader two or more back stories to choose from. The Bone Imp, for instance, has no less than six possible origins to select from. In many cases, different options for monster lore amount to more than just window dressing. Depending on the GM's preference the mysterious Briar Elves can either be humanoid or actual plants. In the case of the minotaur, the monster even gets two entire entries - one for GMs who prefer their bull-men tribal and savage; and another for those who like them refined and city-dwelling! And yes, the city is included.
Mechanically, many of the monsters are very customizable as well. In some cases monsters aren't so much stat-blocks for discrete opponents as templates which can be combined with existing monsters on an ad hoc basis. One example of this are elemental beasts, where the GM can pick an elemental type and then attach it to an existing beast stat-block (different abilities are available for each elemental type and can be rolled on randomly). Star-mask hosts are similar. Since star-masks are parasites which can infect a wide range of creatures, there is a star-mask template which can be attached to any 'host' the GM chooses.
This panoply of monsters don't just spring from the minds of Rob Heinsoo, Jonathan Tweet and ASH LAW - it features many contributors from the 13th Age community. The book credits them collectively as "The Monstrous Legion." This means that we meet some very off-the-wall creations that doubtless originated in somebody's home campaign. Not all these monsters will be useful to every GM, but probably every one will be useful to somebody.
A warning for hardcore 13th Age faithful: several of these monsters are reprints or updates of monsters that have previously appeared in 13th Age Monthly and some of the Tales of the 13th Age organized play adventures. This includes monsters such as eidolons, frogfolk, flux elementals, nymphs, reavers, star masks, and others. It's possible that you might find this disappointing. Or maybe you'll just be pleased to have all these monsters finally collected in one hardcover book. They're all excellent! They just might not be brand new to every reader.
This book isn't all monsters, either. As I mentioned above, several of the monster entries focus on detailed lore and background much more than stat blocks. The entry on tribal minotaurs includes lots of options for creating your own tribes. The city minotaurs live in a maze-like city called Claster which was once a prison. PCs might fight Malatyne, the Purple Dragon - but they could just as easily wind up working for her.
Of special note is the entry on Kroma Dragonics. Dragonics are 13th Age's dragonborn race. Since this playable race has proved so popular, this entry includes player options to make dragonic player characters more... chromatic. It's only fair that I point out that it is slightly awkward to have a bunch of cool player options sandwiched in the middle of what is otherwise very much a GM-only book, but the options themselves are cool. There are new breath weapons, a limited flight ability, new maneuvers for dragonic fighters, new talents for dragonic sorcerers, and new feats for everyone. Oh, and if the GM needs some chromatic dragonics for the player to fight, there are of course stat blocks. There are also possible back-stories presented for each color of Kroma Dragonic - all of them optional, of course.
Just like in the first Bestiary, there are lots of other extras. Virtually every entry includes possible adventure hooks as well as suggestions on how the monster might relate to various Icons. There are tables to roll on too, and of course, the dreaded *nastier specials* for when the GM wants to take a monster up a notch.
. . .
So, how is it overall?
For starters, there is just a ton of content in Bestiary 2. Some of it, to be sure, I would personally not use. Shadow mongooses that steal icon relationship points seem rather game-y to me. The bonded, which are former mortals which have been fused with their favorite magic items, feel a bit silly to me. Coin zombies are the kind of 'gotcha!' monster I'm just not drawn to. I'm honestly not sure what to make of the horned azinth, which are basically herds of invisible cows!??
On the other hand, there were a lot of entries in this book I just loved. The briar elves - a forgotten (and very vengeful) fourth race of elves - are mysterious and terrifying. The hubris devil, a soul-stealing being with the ability to impersonate *an entire village* sounds like a wonderful way to mess with my players. I will definitely be consulting the entry on The Silver Hand next time I need an evil cult to infiltrate a town or village. Personally, I'm a sucker for monsters that have elaborate lifecycles. There are several monsters in this book to entertain budding cryptobiologists, including as the phoenix, the koruku, and the star-masks. Any of these monsters can evolve from adventurer tier to epic tier threats, which is cool.
So sure, the second 13th Age Bestiary is a grab bag, but it's a very big grab bag which is stuffed to the brim with a huge variety of goodies. When I say there is something here for everyone, I mean it.
So, four stars. Not quite as life-changing as the first Bestiary, but well-worth checking out for anyone who is running 13th Age or who is just really into monster lore.
Oh yes - I should mention that if you are interested in the forthcoming "13th Age In Glorantha" book, a short appendix at the back of this book contains suggestions for reflavoring some of these monsters for play in the Glorantha setting. It isn't comprehensive but it will give "13G" fans a few more monstrous options.
If anyone has questions over the next few days I'll be happy to dig through the book and try and answer them.
. . .
The original 13th Age Bestiary remains, in my opinion, one of the best monster books ever written. If you play fantasy roleplaying games, you owe it to yourself - whether or not you play 13th Age - to check it out (the monsters should convert to other D20 systems easily enough). The Bestiary was a masterful combination of monster mechanics and classic monster lore brilliantly re-imagined. Virtually every monster came with a grab bag of extras, whether that was a list of random items that might be found in a naga lair or tables of environmental effects to roll on. The 13th Age Bestiary managed to make Kobolds interesting. KOBOLDS!
So when I say that Lions, Tigers & Owlbears: 13th Age Bestiary 2 isn't quite up to the standards of the first one, I'm not saying it is in any way a bad book. It's a very good book, an essential addition for any 13th Age game-master. The fact that it doesn't quite reach the dizzying heights of brilliance as its predecessor is hardly a knock on it.
Bestiary 2 is all about variety. The book is chock full of monsters for every occasion.
Some of the monsters fill gaps in the existing 13th Age monster menagerie (dinosuars, derro, ghosts, fey, fomori, xorn, among many others). Some of the monsters are Dragon Empire-specific (Hell Marsh Cult, hellstone gargoyles, koruku, kohwa). Some of the monsters are perhaps best used to startle jaded adventurers (coin zombies, hellcats, shadow mongooses, spell golems). Some come with such a substantial amount of lore you could build an entire campaign around them (briar elves, the Ebon Gauntlet, frog folk, Malatyne the Purple Dragon, the Silver Hand Cult, to name a few). Some are included just because they are badass (chaos hydras, hellwarped beasts, laughing demons, sunder wraiths, and waking stones).
Bestiary 2 includes a handful of extra dangerous, extra special Big Bads. These are the kind of Ancient Evils(tm) that can constitute the grand finale of a campaign. They come in the form of Fallen Icons. Fallen Icons are 13th Age-style icons from previous ages. They're still around, though - albeit usually in debased, twisted, and evil forms. They can make great BBGs for a campaign as they attempt to reclaim their former glory and power. The Fallen Icons presented are The Forest That Walks, The Gold King, and The Great Ghoul.
Fallen Icons are intended to be serious threats that the PCs can't just fight once and kill - certain tasks must be undertaken to weaken them before they are dispatched. Each Fallen Icon's entry lists some possibilities for this. Of the three Fallen Icons presented, I found the Gold King to be a little too niche (unless your campaign revolves heavily around treasure or dwarves), but the Forest That Walks is ridiculously cool, and the Great Ghoul has an interesting cult vibe and could also present a counterbalance to the Lich King.
I have not listed all the monster entries here by any means. You are probably wondering if the titular lions, tigers, and owlbears made it into the book. Yes, of course! 13th Age already had rakshasas and owlbears, but here we get new variants fleshed out in greater detail. If you ever wanted to run a campaign where insidious were-tigers are the puppetmasters pulling the strings from behind the curtain, this book absolutely gives you the material to do that. Also if you've ever wanted a snowy owlbear or an owlbear cub it has that too. Lions turn up in the form of hallowed gargoyles in service to the Priestess, one of 13th Age's icons. I think good-aligned gargoyles make for an interesting twist on the classic.
As the name 'lions & tigers & owlbears' implies, Bestiary 2 is a real grab bag, with an emphasis on GM choice and customization. Which is very much in line with 13th Age's ethos.
The default setting for 13th Age, the 'Dragon Empire', prides itself on being a grab bag of a setting. It is a setting that is very insistently without 'canon', so that it can always be customized to the needs of the individual campaign. The gamemaster is encouraged to shape the setting to their taste, or to simply pillage it for ideas to use in other settings. Bestiary 2 was written very much in that same spirit.
Virtually every monster presented in this book gives the reader two or more back stories to choose from. The Bone Imp, for instance, has no less than six possible origins to select from. In many cases, different options for monster lore amount to more than just window dressing. Depending on the GM's preference the mysterious Briar Elves can either be humanoid or actual plants. In the case of the minotaur, the monster even gets two entire entries - one for GMs who prefer their bull-men tribal and savage; and another for those who like them refined and city-dwelling! And yes, the city is included.
Mechanically, many of the monsters are very customizable as well. In some cases monsters aren't so much stat-blocks for discrete opponents as templates which can be combined with existing monsters on an ad hoc basis. One example of this are elemental beasts, where the GM can pick an elemental type and then attach it to an existing beast stat-block (different abilities are available for each elemental type and can be rolled on randomly). Star-mask hosts are similar. Since star-masks are parasites which can infect a wide range of creatures, there is a star-mask template which can be attached to any 'host' the GM chooses.
This panoply of monsters don't just spring from the minds of Rob Heinsoo, Jonathan Tweet and ASH LAW - it features many contributors from the 13th Age community. The book credits them collectively as "The Monstrous Legion." This means that we meet some very off-the-wall creations that doubtless originated in somebody's home campaign. Not all these monsters will be useful to every GM, but probably every one will be useful to somebody.
A warning for hardcore 13th Age faithful: several of these monsters are reprints or updates of monsters that have previously appeared in 13th Age Monthly and some of the Tales of the 13th Age organized play adventures. This includes monsters such as eidolons, frogfolk, flux elementals, nymphs, reavers, star masks, and others. It's possible that you might find this disappointing. Or maybe you'll just be pleased to have all these monsters finally collected in one hardcover book. They're all excellent! They just might not be brand new to every reader.
This book isn't all monsters, either. As I mentioned above, several of the monster entries focus on detailed lore and background much more than stat blocks. The entry on tribal minotaurs includes lots of options for creating your own tribes. The city minotaurs live in a maze-like city called Claster which was once a prison. PCs might fight Malatyne, the Purple Dragon - but they could just as easily wind up working for her.
Of special note is the entry on Kroma Dragonics. Dragonics are 13th Age's dragonborn race. Since this playable race has proved so popular, this entry includes player options to make dragonic player characters more... chromatic. It's only fair that I point out that it is slightly awkward to have a bunch of cool player options sandwiched in the middle of what is otherwise very much a GM-only book, but the options themselves are cool. There are new breath weapons, a limited flight ability, new maneuvers for dragonic fighters, new talents for dragonic sorcerers, and new feats for everyone. Oh, and if the GM needs some chromatic dragonics for the player to fight, there are of course stat blocks. There are also possible back-stories presented for each color of Kroma Dragonic - all of them optional, of course.
Just like in the first Bestiary, there are lots of other extras. Virtually every entry includes possible adventure hooks as well as suggestions on how the monster might relate to various Icons. There are tables to roll on too, and of course, the dreaded *nastier specials* for when the GM wants to take a monster up a notch.
. . .
So, how is it overall?
For starters, there is just a ton of content in Bestiary 2. Some of it, to be sure, I would personally not use. Shadow mongooses that steal icon relationship points seem rather game-y to me. The bonded, which are former mortals which have been fused with their favorite magic items, feel a bit silly to me. Coin zombies are the kind of 'gotcha!' monster I'm just not drawn to. I'm honestly not sure what to make of the horned azinth, which are basically herds of invisible cows!??
On the other hand, there were a lot of entries in this book I just loved. The briar elves - a forgotten (and very vengeful) fourth race of elves - are mysterious and terrifying. The hubris devil, a soul-stealing being with the ability to impersonate *an entire village* sounds like a wonderful way to mess with my players. I will definitely be consulting the entry on The Silver Hand next time I need an evil cult to infiltrate a town or village. Personally, I'm a sucker for monsters that have elaborate lifecycles. There are several monsters in this book to entertain budding cryptobiologists, including as the phoenix, the koruku, and the star-masks. Any of these monsters can evolve from adventurer tier to epic tier threats, which is cool.
So sure, the second 13th Age Bestiary is a grab bag, but it's a very big grab bag which is stuffed to the brim with a huge variety of goodies. When I say there is something here for everyone, I mean it.
So, four stars. Not quite as life-changing as the first Bestiary, but well-worth checking out for anyone who is running 13th Age or who is just really into monster lore.
Oh yes - I should mention that if you are interested in the forthcoming "13th Age In Glorantha" book, a short appendix at the back of this book contains suggestions for reflavoring some of these monsters for play in the Glorantha setting. It isn't comprehensive but it will give "13G" fans a few more monstrous options.
If anyone has questions over the next few days I'll be happy to dig through the book and try and answer them.
