Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex

The Monster Codex for the  Pathfinder  roleplaying game is an incredible resource for Game Masters. With extensive, detailed profiles of twenty 'common' monster races, it's especially useful if one of these races features prominently in your campaign or setting-- but it also provides excellent examples of what a Game Master could do to personalize or customize just about any other "intelligent" monster race.Monsters covered in this book:BoggardsBugbearsDrowDuergarFire giantsFrost giantsGhoulsGnollsGoblinsHobgoblinsKoboldsLizardfolkOgresOrcsRatfolkSahuaginSerpentfolkTroglodytesTrollsVampiresEach chapter spotlights one of these monster races in pretty much the same format: an introductory page providing art/background/color, a page describing the society and ecology of the race, a page or two of new race-specific rules (e.g., class archetypes, unique racial spells or alchemical discoveries, magic items, etc), six pages containing an average of eight or nine specialized versions of that race (e.g., goblin commandos, duergar high priests, etc), a page dedicated to a new monster which is commonly associated with that particular race (think pets, riding mounts, or a mutated version of that monster, and you get the idea!), and finally, a page with suggested group compositions for that race (e.g., raiding parties, caravans, etc).The artwork and writing are up to Paizo's usual standards: quality all the way around.This is a great book which will be of use to any Game Master who wants to 'unflatten' the monster races in his or her campaign, offering tons of new variety to encounters featuring each race that it profiles.

I don't like monster manuals and other equivalent beast compendiums. The authors usually feel the urge to fill in pages with "stupid monsters" (google that up, there are a few hilarious pages on the topic) to provide a thick enough tome to justify the price.You typically end up with a few pages on the major monsters (dragons, demons, etc.) and just a page or two on others I would consider staples (goblins, orcs,...)Not so here.The point of the Monster Codex is to provide collections of predefined monster variants as well as their organization and notes about how they operate. While any creative GM has come up with similar material for at least one or two such "cultures" (goblins, orcs...) and this is certainly not to be considered as the rule of the land, it provides an excellent base on which to build without having to painstakingly define all the monsters variants stats or have to do the encounter's math.It contains full details about 20 groups of monsters and while I will most likely not use several of them, there are a few I will use, peruse, mix with my own notes etc.All in all a great time saver when slapping a game together, both as a source of base adventure ideas, for the predefined stats and encounters and to flesh up the culture behind NPCs / monsters.

PROS- Very insightful and in-depth guide on monster societies- Useful critters in campaigns- Suggested setups for how monsters would exist in a world setting- Easy to read- Fantastic artCONS- Most of the listed critters are evil or neutral- Not every society is listed so some pages might not interest youOVERALLWorth a buy! Even if you don't play Pathfinder, the general framework of creature society still exists and the critters can be shifted into other systems easily.

This book is excellent for DMs, helping to save a lot of time and to allow for a lot of improvised combat. The book does an excellent job of creating members of a number of races with varied CRs, and allowing you to use them however you wish. While there is no fluff to speak of, the crunch is excellent and will allow a time-starved DM to run combat without having to build combatants. It really helps to extend the usefulness of all of the monster races presented in the book.I would recommend this book for any DM, especially if you are running your own campaign rather than a premade adventure.

Never has there been a more wretched hive of scum and villany.Except maybe in that one bar.

Very useful addition to my pathfinder game library. As a DM it it always great to have NPCs and monsters ready to go at the drop of a hat when the players don't go the direction you are trying to lead them! I like that cuz it makes for the most fun for both you and your players but being able to just get the codex behind my screen and pull something out quick is the best!

Got for my husband. It has been super useful when he plans his campaigns.

This really deep dives into the monsters and has a chapter dedication to developing monsters of my own. I have used this book quite a bit since I was in charge with designing this month's adventures for our gaming group.

As a GM this sort of book really helps by fleshing out these species. Plus premade npc stat blocks are ever helpful.

charming as usual good

This is a Paizo publication book, which means the art is of course amazing.The paper seems thinner than has been typical for my other Paizo hard cover books, and several of the pages are stuck together; so far, they can be separated without tearing either page, but the process is a little bit of a process.The book presents an introduction to, some new rules for, some samples (stat blocks) usually with PC Class levels, and then some encounters (with CR).There are some monster feats and a scattering of magic items.I was expecting feats to be in one section, with a little more discussion on which classes are most appropriate for which monster types and why that was so.The introduction is essentially the product overview, and that is only two pages (including half a page of high quality artwork).Each creature type 11 pages, which is decent.It would have been nice for items or spells to have their own sections too.Overall, not a horrible purchase... and if you're looking for variations on Boggards, Bugbears, Drow, Duergar, Fire Giants, Frost Giants, Ghouls, Gnolls, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Kobolds, Lizardfolk, Ogres, Orcs, Ratfolk, Sahuagin, Serpentfolk, Troglodytes, Trolls, or Vampires... then you have several additional stat blocks to build variations of those types into your game... rather than just have three generic gnoll types, when the PCs come into conflict with their tribe.

This is a great book in my opinion. I originally saw this being done in the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Monster Manual and was expanded even more in the Pathfinder Codex. Monsters being given classes, class abilities, racial gear and artifacts and pre-constructed encounter parties is just fabulous. Makes put such things together that much easier and that much quicker. Again high quality published book with fantastic art and allowing for campaign makers to add a new dynamic of danger and threat to the players. Fantastic book overall, and one of the best they put out this year hands down.

Interessante e ricchi di schede di PNG per le principali razze Di umanoidi mostruosi e nemici classici del fantasy