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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gailbraithe" data-source="post: 4410388" data-attributes="member: 39048">I really enjoyed Classic Monsters Revisted, and I hope that paizo does many more books like this.  Over on the paizo boards some of us have been agitating for a overhaul for the undead creation rules (we'd like it to be like the construct and magic item creation processes, with minimum caster levels and spell requirements, and not spell (Create Undead, etc.) based) for Pathfinder, and we'd like to see a Classic Undead Revisited that patched the crunch and gave us some of that lovely paizo flavor for the monsters.But that's a different topic.  This thread is about Classic Monster Revisted, so I'll actually talk about that.  The book is full of great art that quickly establishes the nature of these creatures, and provides rich details into the culture and behavior of the most common foes in D&D that few other books can match.  While there are a few low points, the book manages to successfully re-invent and re-invigorate many of these classic (and time-worn) creatures and breathes new life into them -- the sort of life that a dozen modified statblocks can't hope to achieve.  Specific high-points include:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A dash of Brian Froud's humorous take on goblins (seen in the movie Labyrinth) brings much needed humor to the tired old tiny stalwart, without sacrificing any of the menace or terror the word "goblins" should evoke.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The bugbear has finally been distinguished from the rest of the humanoids as the lone stalker, the serial killer, a nice chilling take on the creature.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A new origin for the minotaur reconnects them to their mythic roots while justifying them as a race.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The gnoll is finally fleshed out and given a niche of their own, which conveniently gives DM's an excuse to have them pop most anywhere another humanoid tribe lives to give some variety.</li> </ul>Some of the low points:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Trolls get the short-shaft, suffering from both a boring take, and worse, bad art that makes them look too much like shambling mounds.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The hobgoblins lack something, and remain as they always have, weak sisters amongst the humanoids.</li> </ul>Overall I give the book an 4/5, and think it deserves a place on every DM's bookshelf.</blockquote>

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