PZO9241 Mythical Monsters Revisited.pdf

MYTHICAL MONSTERS

REVISITED

Jonathan H. Keith, Jason Nelson, and Anthony Pryor

FACES OF MYTH AND LEGEND

CHIMERA

KRAKEN

Fearsome, lion-bodied

creature with huge

wings and the heads of a

hunting cat, a giant ram,

and a savage dragon.

Intelligent and utterly

evil squid-bodied sea

monster that rules the

deep ocean trenches with

its foul magic.

Source : Greek mythology

Source : Norse mythology

COUATL

MEDUSA

Feathered serpent that

acts as a messenger

of benevolent gods,

protecting and teaching

ledgling cultures.

Snake-haired woman

with the ability to turn

heroes to stone with

nothing but a glance at

her terrible visage.

Source : Aztec mythology

Source : Greek mythology

GRIFFON

PHOENIX

Powerful and intelligent

aerial predator with the

body of a lion and the

head, wings, and talons of

a majestic eagle.

Massive, intelligent bird

with mastery over ire and

the ability to resurrect

itself from its own ashes.

Source : Greek, Egyptian,

Persian, and other myths

Source : Greek mythology

HARPY

SPHINX

Feral humanoid woman

with wings and a

beguiling song capable

of luring adventurers to

their shrieking dooms.

Intelligent creature with

the body of a lion, the

wings of a falcon, and the

head of another creature.

Source : Greek and

Egyptian mythology

Source : Greek mythology

HYDRA

WENDIGO

Many-headed serpent

that regrows two new

heads for each one it

loses, unless certain

precautions are taken.

Ravenous and predatory

cannibal spirit of the

frozen north, ever seeking

new victims.

Source : Algonquian

mythology

Source : Greek mythology

MYTHICAL MONSTERS REVISITED

A Pathfinder Campaign Setting Supplement

This book works best with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook .

Although suitable for play in any fantasy world, it is optimized for use in

the Pathfinder campaign setting.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Kraken

Chimera

Medusa

Couatl

Phoenix

Griffon

Sphinx

Harpy

Wendigo

Hydra

OpenGameLicense

CREDITS

Authors • Jesse Benner, Jonathan H. Keith, Michael Kenway,

Jason Nelson, Anthony Pryor, and Greg A. Vaughan

Cover Artist • Michal Ivan

Interior Artists • Dmitry Burmak, Raven Mimura,

Dmitry Prosvirnin, Scott Purdy, J. P. Targete,

and Ben Wooten

Publisher • Erik Mona

Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens

Vice President of Operations • Jefrey Alvarez

Director of Sales • Pierce Watters

Sales Assistant • Dylan Green

Finance Manager • Christopher Self

Staf Accountant • Kunji Sedo

Technical Director • Vic Wertz

Campaign Coordinator • Michael Brock

Creative Director • James Jacobs

Senior Art Director • Sarah E. Robinson

Managing Editor • F. Wesley Schneider

Development Leads • Patrick Renie and James L. Sutter

Editing • Judy Bauer and Christopher Carey

Editorial Assistance • Jason Bulmahn, Rob McCreary,

Mark Moreland, Stephen Radney-MacFarland,

and Sean K Reynolds

Graphic Designer • Andrew Vallas

Production Specialist • Crystal Frasier

Special Thanks • The Paizo Customer Service,

Warehouse, and Website Teams

Paizo Publishing, LLC

7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120

Redmond, WA 98052-0577

paizo.com

This product makes use of the Pathf inder RPG Core Rulebook, Pathf inder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide, Pathf inder RPG Bestiary, Pathf inder RPG Bestiary 2 , and Pathf inder RPG Bestiary 3 .

These rules can be found online as part of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document at paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd .

Product Identity : The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks,

registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated

as Open Game Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.)

Open Content : Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Paizo Publishing game product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open

Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission.

Coast, Inc. Paizo Publishing, LLC, the Paizo golem logo, Pathfinder, and GameMastery are registered trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC; Pathfinder Adventure Path,

Pathfinder Campaign Setting, Pathfinder Module, Pathfinder Player Companion, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Society, and Pathfinder Tales are trademarks of

Printed in China.

PATHFINDER CAMPAIGN SETTING: MYTHICAL MONSTERS REVISITED

INTRODUCTION

R eal-world myths and legends have always been the

as far as the sands of Egypt (sphinxes), the Aztec Empire

(couatls), and the ancestral lands of the Algonquians of

North America (wendigos). Presented below is a brief

overview of the creatures that made the cut, and the

authors who undertook the intimidating task of adding

their own unique spins to the most classic of monsters.

Chimera : A chthonic creature of Greek origins, the

chimera of Pathf inder retains its trademark multiple

heads while taking on the role of a fearsome and crude

beast. Jason Nelson details the proud and ignoble

qualities of the chimera, as well as its monstrous origins,

powerful ancestors, and base kin, the orthrus.

Couatl : Drawn from the myths of Quetzalcoatl, the

feathered serpent god of ancient Mesoamerica, the couatl

of the Pathf inder universe is a warrior and guardian

of peace and justice, a servant of the gods and guide to

young or developing cultures. Anthony Pryor takes us

inside the century-spanning lives of the Feathered Ones,

exploring their solitary natures and passionate faith in

the potential of humanoids.

Griffon : The legend of the honorable griffon stems

from Greek mythology and European heraldry. Michael

Kenway gives us a vivid account of the creatures, including

how the winged beings choose their riders and protect

their valuable eggs from greedy thieves.

Harpy : Jonathan H. Keith brings to life the squawking,

f ierce culture of the Greek harpies, feral winged women

whose beguiling songs lead heroes to their doom.

Hydra : The Greek terror known as the hydra regenerates

its heads as soon as they’re sundered, giving adventurers

a run for their money when they expect to swiftly slay the

serpentine beast. Jason Nelson details the inner workings

of these forked-tongued monsters and tells of numerous

variants, including the powerful venom-spewing miasma

hydras and the treasure-guarding warden hydras.

Kraken : Dwelling at the bottom of the darkest oceans

trenches, the enormous squid known as the kraken saw

its roots in Norse mythology, but its myth still permeates

popular culture to this day. Anthony Pryor goes over

the Pathf inder rendition of this mythological being, a

creature whose incredible intelligence is exemplif ied

by its mysterious machination from the f loor of the

perilous seas.

Medusa : One of the three gorgon sisters of Greek myth,

Medusa was cursed with snakes for hair and turned

anyone she looked at to stone. Jason Nelson tells of

these avaricious and twisted beguilers of the Pathf inder

universe and how they control both swampy lairs and vast

best places to draw monsters from—or at least,

that’s how we at Paizo feel. While it can be fun

to make up brand-new monsters, to guide a heretofore

unseen creation through its growing pains and tailor it

specif ically to its environment or role, there’s an entirely

different sort of fun that comes from playing with

monsters established by hundreds or thousands of years

of tradition.

Sometimes the fun is in the familiarity. Your players

already know mummies and vampires, and have been

enjoying them for years in f ilms, literature, and campf ire

ghost stories. When players conquer these adversaries,

they’re connecting with a tradition they already love, and

half the fun is in joining your own story with that vast

tapestry of storytelling.

At the same time, there are a million historical

monsters that you’ve probably never heard of before, and

researching and running these less iconic enemies can

be as much fun for the GM as the players. (Certainly we

at Paizo spend plenty of hours scouring the internet and

books of mythology for new and unusual beasts to add

to our arsenal.) In addition to sometimes being stranger

than your own creations—a lot of those old legends are

weird — these borrowed monsters can add unique cultural

f lavor to your setting. And learning about a culture’s

monsters—what people fear, what they tell stories about—

is one of the most fun ways to better understand a real-

world culture different from your own.

Whether they’re old hat or hidden treasures, all of

the monsters discussed here have been around for

generations, and have left an indelible mark on our

collective imaginations—which is what made it so hard

to put this book together.

IN THIS BOOK

After much debate, the crew here at Paizo was f inally able

to narrow the list of iconic mythological monsters down

to a manageable 10—but it wasn’t easy. Some monsters

got a bye on account of having been covered elsewhere

(such as the minotaur, trolls, and other creatures covered

in Classic Monsters Revisited, and the vampires and

werewolves of Classic Horrors Revisited ). Others were edged

out because, as famous as the Greek monsters tend to be

(on account of the ancient Greeks being fond of writing

down and publishing their legends), we wanted some

cultural variety. In the end, though the Greek monsters

still have a powerful presence, this book also ventures

INTRODUCTION

networks of illicit

activities in urban

centers.

Phoenix : An enormous

hawk hailing from various

Mediterranean mythologies, the

phoenix is given its proper tribute

by Jesse Benner, who writes about the

amazing f irebird’s ability to rebirth itself

from its own ashes.

Sphinx : From the sands of ancient Egypt, the

dangerously intelligent sphinxes spring forth on powerful

leonine legs, ready to rend and tear those who can’t meet

their esoteric demands. Guardians of the highest caliber,

sphinxes come in several varieties, from the high-minded

and riddle-obsessed androsphinx and gynosphinx to the

lusty criosphinx and vengeful hieracosphinx. Jonathan H.

Keith explores the ins and outs of these ancient beasts and

their strangely interconnected biology and cultures, and

offers tips to those who seek their aid and advice.

Wendigo : Greg A. Vaughan describes the terrifying

wendigo, a creature of Algonquian folklore that plagues

northern travelers’ dreams until they succumb and

cannibalize their friends and families.

Hobgoblin

Scottish

Kobold

German

MORE MYTHIC MONSTERS

In addition to the creatures presented in this book, the

f irst Pathfinder RPG Bestiary has a whole host of friends

and foes from the pages of myth and legend. Presented

below is just a sampling.

Lamia

Greek

Linnorm

Scandinavian

Lycanthrope

Greek/European/Native American

Manticore

Persian

Minotaur

Greek

Mummy

Egyptian

Monster

Source

Naga

Indian/Tibetan

Barghest

English

Nymph

Greek

Basilisk

Greek

Ogre

French

Bugbear

English/Irish

Oni

Japanese

Centaur

Greek

Pegasus

Greek

Cockatrice

English

Pixie

British

Cyclops

Greek

Rakshasa

Indian/Cambodian

Doppelganger

German

Roc

Arabian/Persian

Dragon turtle

Chinese

Satyr

Greek

Dryad

Greek

Tengu

Japanese

Duergar

Norse/German

Troll

Scandinavian

Gargoyle

French/Various

Unicorn

Greek

Genie

Arabian

Vampire

European/Various

Goblin

European/Various

Wraith

Scottish

Golem

Jewish

Wyvern

British

Gorgon

Greek

Yeti

Tibetan

Hell hound

Greek/European/Central American

Zombie

West African/Haitian

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: