Huge Bestiaries

Alright, I'm waiting on the last couple of illustrations for two absolutely mammoth bestiaries.

For Otherverse America, you've got Closed: Monsters of the Army of God. This book tops 160 pages and includes dozens of new and reprinted threats for the setting, ranging from the utterly terrifying CR 29 Artemis, who is the setting's core villian, to CR 1/2 grunts suitable as first level pre-gens for a Lifer campaign or convention game.

I've added stats for major Lifer NPCS and characters I've alluded to in other books, but not previously detailed: Fairfax Dacoveney is actually built as a 17th level Chaplin from the excellent Pure Steam Campaign Setting. As soon as I saw this class I realized it would be perfect, both mechanically and thematically, for Otherverse America and included it. Dacoveney's chief bodyguard and confidant, the shapechanger Jelly, is also a CR 17 threat- she's an utterly lethal rogue. The King of Rest-in-Peace, mentioned in Neverborn Again as the creator of the Neverborn species, is statted out as a high level psionic juggernaut, a necromantic badass fully capable of wiping the floor with an entire Lifer OR Choicer squad.

The eighth and sixteenth versions of the Ghost of Babies Past are also statted out- they were major players in the campaign corebook's setting fiction, menacing the newborn Cassie Feneris and Julie Riddle respectively. Ghost VIII tops CR 20 and is a hellish fight with a variety of brute force weapons and a mind-breaking sonic scream; Ghost XVI is a weaker and less experienced threat at CR 10, with abilities focusing on speed and psychic manipulation. I'd previously had excellent art for the 16th Ghost, done by Vic Shane, but John Picot turned in this variant take on the character, and I'll be using both art pieces to illustrate this iconic villianess.

One of the last things I added to the text was a long list of different encounter groups, built using the NPCS and threats throughout Closed. They range across the challenge ratings. Some of these encounter groups are built tactically- this is what a Lifer military convoy looks like, this is what a standard recon platoon looks like, this is an altillery unit, ect. Others are built with story roles in mind- this is a unit of likable, heroic Lifers who fight in accordance with the Geneva Convention, these Lifers are sociopathic monsters, this unit is commanded by an idiot, this is a mostly Neverborn squad. It actually reminds me alot of the Codexes for Warhammer 40,000, the extensive army lists, and was a lot of fun to write.

Expect Closed in another week or two.

About simultaneously, I plan to release The Trans-Galactic Bestiary, for Heavy Future. This will be the first in a series of huge bestiaries (Volume 1 tops 100 pages, easily), that converts the older D20 Future-base Galaxy Command to the Pathfinder-based Heavy Future, consolidates critters from the Space Monsters series of monster books, and introduces lots of new threats. This has been fun to write, as it's been written mostly in-character, as a slightly disreputable galactic enclyopedia edited by morons and con-men.

Sooner or later I want to do a similar bestiary for Psi-Watch, because I've done too little with that setting, and I'm of a mind to make some monsters, these days.

Blessed Be,
CHRIS