PATHFINDER Reference Document (PRD) Now Includes MONSTER CODEX!

Paizo's official online reference document for the Pathfinder RPG has been updated to include material from the Monster Codex (released last October). The Monster Codex deals with 20 popular monsters, and the variations, upgrades, specializations and more that you can use to make them more interesting. The monsters included are boggards, bugbears, drow, duergar, fire giants, frost giants, ghouls, gnolls, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, lizardfolk, ogres, orcs, ratfolk, sahuagin, serpentfolk, troglodytes, trolls, and vampires.
The Pathfinder Reference Document (PRD) contains all of the Pathfinder RPG's rules, and is available for free. Here are the new entries:

• Boggards
• Bugbears
• Drow
• Duergar
• Fire Giants
• Frost Giants
• Ghouls
• Gnolls
• Goblins
• Hobgoblins
• Kobolds
• Lizardfolk
• Ogres
• Orcs
• Ratfolk
• Sahuagin
• Serpentfolk
• Troglodytes
• Trolls
• Vampires
• Modifying Monsters

 

[smiteworks]

These are really nice. It encouraged me to use them as a test to import the statblocks into Fantasy Grounds using the new statblock importer.

[video=youtube;5a3y04pZyG8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a3y04pZyG8[/video]

(shameless plug)

[Edited HTML out of the post - Morrus]

 

[MartyW]

I have to say, Paizo has been very bold with their support of open gaming, and it appears to be paying off. I don't really play Pathfinder anymore as its play style doesn't suit me, but I am a big fan of the company.

Bravo, Paizo!

__________________________________________
Raging Owlbear -- http://ragingowlbear.blogspot.com

 

[smiteworks]

Even though the stuff is provided for free, I'm sure they'd much rather have people going out and buying it. I've seen numerous posts on Pathfinder communities that say things like, "you don't have to buy anything". While that is true, how do they then get people to "want" to buy stuff? How effective is it at turning free users into paying supporters?

I don't think it's possible to know how well would they have done without that strategy. It could very well be a major factor in their success. I've personally bought a bunch of their books, minis and other products and I can honestly say that I never decided to buy anything because they also chose to give part of it away to me for free. I buy a lot of RPG stuff from a bunch of different companies, though, so I may not be a normal gaming consumer.

 

[MartyW]

How effective is it at turning free users into paying supporters?

I think there are a few factors that work in Paizo's favor that other companies don't have (including WotC).

Paizo sells accessories. Even if you don't buy core books, many are bound to pick up minis, adventure paths, flip-mats, item cards, etc... If Pathfinder is doing well as an ecosystem, their other accessories are going to do well, and there is actually a *lot* more profit margin in those items than in hardback book printing.

Many other gaming companies don't have that kind of cross-sales capability because they only sell books and not accessories. By putting a lot of things out there for free, they are keeping their community happy, and I do believe a lot of people still buy even though most of the content is available online.

Additionally -- I was thinking about this the other day -- it's a lot easier to "search" for a rule or specific text using the online tools (such as d20pfsrd), but as far as reading the rules (in the browse sense), books are a way more friendly medium.

If there's a book that I want enough that I would read it, the web [hypertext] version is not easy to sit and read. To browse content, hard copy and PDFs are way better, so as a consumer, I'm likely to spend money on a book I find useful.

I think these factors help keep their sales at a level that they can continue to support open gaming.

 

[smiteworks]

Paizo sells accessories. (clip) and there is actually a *lot* more profit margin in those items than in hardback book printing.

That's a really good point. Every dollar spent on the higher profit margin items means more profit than if that same money was spent only on the hardback books.

 

[Ezequielramone]

Sweet