Befuddled by Bestiaries [PF]

[Palanan]

So, Pathfinder calls to me, and I'm thinking about starting with a Bestiary.

I gather the first one essentially rewrote a lot of bog-standard 3.5 monsters, so that doesn't appeal so much. What I'd like to know is whether any of the subsequent three has an especially strong emphasis on wild creatures and lower-level monsters. I'm working on a city campaign right now, so interesting things with low CR would be helpful, and I really like wilderness encounters in general. And a little Far Realms action is always good.

Given that, is there a particular Bestiary that's right for me? And/or any other PF supplements along those lines?

[Novawurmson]

If I'm remembering correctly, I think Bestiary 3 would be the one you'd be interested in. Bestiary 2 has a lot of outsiders (very cool outsiders, but outsiders nonetheless), while Bestiary 4 has a lot of high-level monsters (CR 20+). Bestiary 3 I remember have a lot to do with more obscure mythologies, including a lot of "wild" creatures.

[Psyren]

Why don't you check the PFSRD's Monsters by CR (https://sites.google.com/site/pathfinderogc/bestiary/-bestiary-by-challenge-rating) section, find out which monsters interest you the most, and see which of the bestiaries has the highest concentration of those?

Unlike 3.5, PF is fully open - so all the statblocks from every bestiary are online for you to peruse in this manner.

[Dusk Eclipse]

But it doesn't have the best part of any MM, the art and PF generally has awesome art. Frankly if there is any Pathfinder book I would pay for (considering the PFSRD) is the bestiaries just for the art. But it is still a nice suggestion since you can look up which bestiary has the info you need.

[Psyren]

I'm not saying he shouldn't buy them - just that the SRD will help him decide which book is worth his gaming dollar. After all, nobody will know which monsters he likes better than he will.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Novawurmson
Bestiary 3 I remember have a lot to do with more obscure mythologies, including a lot of "wild" creatures.

Thanks for the recommendation, I appreciate it. I'd been thinking that was the most likely one, glad to know my hunch was accurate.


Originally Posted by Psyren
I'm not saying he shouldn't buy them - just that the SRD will help him decide which book is worth his gaming dollar.

True, and thanks for the suggestion. But the PFSRD is...overwhelmingly comprehensive, and you folks know it far better than I do.



So, I'm leaning strongly towards Bestiary 3. Are there any other PF products that I should look at, especially for the wilderness-monster side of things? There's something called the Inner Sea Bestiary which seems promising--anything else along these lines?

[Psyren]

Those are the big ones - Four bestiaries + ISB. The only others would be 3.5 conversions and Adventure Paths - the former are free and the latter wouldn't be worth it if all you want are the unique monsters (though there are plenty of other reasons to get those.)

I linked you to the monsters by CR page because you said you wanted to focus on the bottom levels. That should narrow your focus a bit from "entire SRD" to "3-5 levels worth of challenges."

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Psyren
The only others would be 3.5 conversions and Adventure Paths - the former are free....

I do like "free," but not sure what you mean here. Are there free 3.5 conversions of PF modules? :smallconfused:

*optimistic puzzlement*

.

[Psyren]

I do like "free," but not sure what you mean here. Are there free 3.5 conversions of PF modules? :smallconfused:

*optimistic puzzlement*

.

By "3.5 conversions" I mean "fans going through the monster manuals and converting the monsters that were product identity (e.g. Mind Flayers and Displacer Beasts) to PF because Paizo could not."

Google "Pathfinder Mind Flayer" or "Pathfinder Beholder" and you'll find some of these in no time.

[Palanan]

Whoo hoo!!

My Bestiary 3 came today. I'm very pleased. :smalltongue:



So, thanks to you guys for the advice on this. Just flipping through, it looks great, and I'm seeing plenty that I can use.

Also, the artwork is a definite plus. Might not be strictly necessary, but it sure makes it a lot more fun, and gives a great visceral sense of the creatures.

[Novawurmson]

Whoo hoo!!

My Bestiary 3 came today. I'm very pleased. :smalltongue:



So, thanks to you guys for the advice on this. Just flipping through, it looks great, and I'm seeing plenty that I can use.

Also, the artwork is a definite plus. Might not be strictly necessary, but it sure makes it a lot more fun, and gives a great visceral sense of the creatures.

Good art is what made Pathfinder, IMO. Almost every piece of art screams "You want this," "You want to be this," "You want to fight this," "You want to control this," or "You want to run and hide under the bed after looking at this."

[Psyren]

Good art is what made Pathfinder, IMO. Almost every piece of art screams "You want this," "You want to be this," "You want to fight this," "You want to control this," or "You want to run and hide under the bed after looking at this."

That, and open gaming. My first infraction on these boards was posting the text of a 3.5 spell I was trying to ask for help about. I couldn't jump ship fast enough.

But yeah, when I opened the CRB and Bestiary for the first time I smacked my gob, so that certainly helped. WR's art style really gels with me.

[Palanan]

Truth is, I'm feeling a bit of Wayne Reynolds overload these days, since he's on everything from the CRB to my favorite DM screen. (Cult of the Emerald Claw or whatever...gotta love those guys.) And, of course, the cover of Bestiary 3.

Fortunately there's a wide variety of artists and styles inside--some of which I could do without (urf, the humanoid anglerfish thingy) but most others are very nicely done. The desert giant is excellent, and the festrog is giving me a strong "hide under the bed" vibe. Like Nova says, the art really sells the creatures for you.