Monster Reviews

What is a Chimera in Pathfinder 2e? The chimera is the archetypal example of an unnatural monster made up of a monstrous mix of wildly different component creatures: in this case, a lion, a dragon, and a goat. Wild, hateful, and hungry, it tries to eat any creature it sees, but sometimes a strong-willed master is able to compel a chimera to serve as a guardian or even a mount. Some kobold groups are fond of chimera guardians or pets, but few kobolds have the bravery or resources to keep a chimera happy for long. While chimeras are often pressed into service by more intelligent creatures, it’s also not unheard of for a chimera to keep a herd of unintelligent animals—lions, goats, or even serpents—as both companions and food supply.

What is a Changeling Exile in Pathfinder 2e? Children of hags, destined to become hags themselves, changelings face a life of conflict. Born of supernatural creatures who kill and consume the child’s father, changelings are deposited into their father’s society to be raised. These offspring appear to be members of their paternal ancestry, and changelings have been found among dwarves, gnomes, orcs, goblins, and numerous others, but human-ancestry changelings are by far the most common. Within the normal range for their ancestry, changelings tend toward slighter builds, darker hair, and pale complexions, though their most common feature is a nearly universal heterochromia, leading to widespread superstition about individuals with differently colored eyes.

What is a Brine Shark in Pathfinder 2e? Brine sharks are deadly elementals that roam the endless oceans of the Plane of Water. Water elementals can be very destructive, but often not intentionally so; just as water can bring life to those in need on the Material Plane, its waves can pound shores and rains can flood cities. Water elementals are similarly difficult to predict.

What is a Black Pudding in Pathfinder 2e? Most often found below ground, these oozes scour caves for objects to dissolve with their corrosive secretions. This caustic acid is particularly dangerous to creatures that attack a pudding, as it can quickly damage and destroy gear. Many oozes have acidic attacks that can quickly degrade flesh, wood, and even stronger materials. Some believe that oozes are the result of alchemical or magical experimentation run amok, while others postulate that they simply emerged from the natural processes of evolution.

What is a Arbiter in Pathfinder 2e? These spherical inevitables are scouts and diplomats. Found throughout the multiverse, they have traditionally kept watch over on chaos and its agents. With the announcement of the Convergence, many arbiters now serve as go-betweens among the aeon alliance and its mortal associates.

What is a Hydra in Pathfinder 2e? Hydras are multiheaded, foul-tempered serpentine beasts with voracious appetites, widely feared for their regeneration abilities. Scholars of bestial lore can describe several hydra variations. Though rare, hydras with more than five heads live in very isolated areas, sometimes guarding incredibly powerful artifacts. Explorers who have visited colder swamps and frozen glaciers tell tales of hydras with blue-tinged scales that are immune to the cold and can exhale clouds of icy death. Similar stories describe fiery hydras that breathe gouts of flame and swim in the molten lava of active volcanoes.

What is a Harpy in Pathfinder 2e? Harpies are filthy amalgamations of human and bird, resembling feral humans with wings, talons, and mouths full of sharp teeth. They use captivating songs to lure creatures in, then murder them while they stand transfixed. They enjoy causing confusion and fear in their prey before they strike, believing it creates a savory flavor in the flesh. Harpies can eat most creatures but strongly prefer sapient prey—humans and elves are their favorite. Although harpies will eat goblins if sufficiently hungry, they dislike their flavor and avoid eating them if possible. This doesn’t comfort goblins, of course, who have a particularly strong fear of harpies. Because their aeries often reek with the gore of their kills and careless spatters of guano, harpies carry a distinctly vile scent that canny travelers associate with danger. Harpies who roost close to civilization make better efforts to keep clean, though these efforts have mixed results.

What is a Veiled Master in Pathfinder 2e? The powerful vidileths are the insidious veiled masters of the alghollthus. These manipulators of mind and body alike lead their species in the open, using their ability to change form to walk among and deceive humans and other sapient species. Many veiled masters are even more powerful than the typical specimen presented here and can use a wide range of arcane or occult spells and rituals.

What is a Faceless Stalker in Pathfinder 2e? Among the subtler of the alghollthu creations were the ugothols—also known as faceless stalkers. These twisted beings used shapeshifting to infiltrate settlements and assassinate key targets. They sowed discord and replaced leaders, causing unwanted organizations to implode and bothersome people to lose face and eventually disappear.