Pathfinder BESTIARY 5 Is Coming!

The fifth hardcover monster book for the Pathfinder RPG is set to hit shelves in next month. 300 new monsters, a bunch of player races, psychic critters, templates, and more. The new races include caligni dark folk, deep one hybrids, plant-bodied ghorans, and simian orang-pendaks. Paizo are holding an elimination contest to reveal previews of a bunch of monsters.

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The elimination contest involves simply voting for the critter you want to see via a series of poll questions.

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[Echohawk]

Considering there's a five-digit number of monsters that have been designed for D&D in previous editions, 1500 monsters doesn't strike me as 'too many'.

I'm not so sure about the first part of that. Obviously, it depends a lot on how you count them, but my best estimate is that there are about 9000 different D&D creatures. So not quite five digits, but getting close. That is assuming that you treat 4th Edition's Goblin Warrior, Goblin Archer, Goblin Telephone Sanitizer as just "goblins". If those are all different monsters, then 4e probably does push the total up into the 10,000s.

I agree completely with the last part of what you wrote though. 1500 monsters is nowhere near "too many"

 

[Jhaelen]

If those are all different monsters, then 4e probably does push the total up into the 10,000s.

Yes, I assumed that each of these counts as an individual monster.

I kind of expected you'd give us the exact number, considering you created the most comprehensive list of monsters across all editions of D&D I have ever seen

 

[carmachu]

Also to be fair at this point it might seem like "bloat" but pathfinder only releases like... 4 actual rule books a year. Yeah, they do adventure paths and supplements for their campaign world, but if we are taking about core rules they release them at a good pace. It's just that the game has been around so long that it literally can not be avoided when we start getting into year 7-8-9 etc. Let's compare that with 3.5 and 4.0 model where a core book was released every single month for years on end.

Except thay EVERY payhfind er product save AP have rules in them. Companions, campaign settings and so on. So ignoring how much rules and monsters get released (heck AP's have monsters in them) you're cherry picking rules books release

 

[Minicol]

I'm not so sure about the first part of that. Obviously, it depends a lot on how you count them, but my best estimate is that there are about 9000 different D&D creatures. So not quite five digits, but getting close. That is assuming that you treat 4th Edition's Goblin Warrior, Goblin Archer, Goblin Telephone Sanitizer as just "goblins". If those are all different monsters, then 4e probably does push the total up into the 10,000s.

I agree completely with the last part of what you wrote though. 1500 monsters is nowhere near "too many"

I keep a monster database for my own fun, and it currently totals at 13573, yet I am very late in reading my collection

 

[megamania]

The people at Pathfinder enjoy using "modern myths" but to see a Grey on the cover..... either I will love it or burn the book.

 

[Dire Bare]

The people at Pathfinder enjoy using "modern myths" but to see a Grey on the cover..... either I will love it or burn the book.

Hah! WotC adapted the greys as "fraal" for Alternity, and they later got ported into a D&D monster manual. For the most part, it was done really well IMO, except for later art in 3E that was god awful. Bad art can kill a good monster, unfortunately!

 

[megamania]

I remember the Fraal but to a D&D book? Where?

 

[Dire Bare]

I remember the Fraal but to a D&D book? Where?

Ahhhh . . . it was a monster manual entry for 3E . . . or was it 2E . . . .

I summon Echohawk to answer your cryptic questions . . .

 

[JeffB]

At some point it will be put up on the PRD so there will be no need to spend big bucks for only a handful of monsters you will actually use, but if you love monster books, purchase away. Everybody wins. Ive actually purchased several PF books in the past because of what I saw in the PRD.

 

[Echohawk]

I remember the Fraal but to a D&D book? Where?

Ahhhh . . . it was a monster manual entry for 3E . . . or was it 2E . . . . I summon Echohawk to answer your cryptic questions . . .

The fraal was reprinted in the 2nd Edition Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Four (November 1998). Megamania, you might also be remembering them from the Alternity Player's Handbook or the Star*Drive Alien Compendium.

<insert popping sound as the summoning spell expires>