Pathfinder 1E Bestiary 4 or do we really need another monster book?

[brvheart]

Paizo has just released Bestiary 4 and I have to ask the question, do we really need another monster book? Between Bestiaries 1-3, Tome of Horrors Complete and ToH4 I am not sure I feel like plopping down another $40 for more of the same. I am sure some will say, sure the more the merrier, but I feel about the same way I did about Monster Manuals 4 and 5 which I did not get. Seems to me Paizo with this and Mythic are more and more playing to nitch marketing rather than to the core.

 

[DaveMage]

I'd say we do want this one because since they introduced the Mythic rules, they will now go higher on the monster CRs. Plus, there's Cthulhu.

 

[paradox42]

If you don't want to buy it, you don't have to buy it. Paizo aren't holding a gun to your head or anything. If they hold to pattern, the monsters will be available in the PRD soon enough, anyway (and at d20pfsrd as well).

Those of us who play high-level games and like the idea of Mythic can definitely use the new beasts, though- and as an added bonus, they're adding some cool things to the mix this time like Kaiju, and Platypus familiars!

 

[Morrus]

Well, we don't need one, for sure. Plenty of folks want one, though, and this one has some pretty cool stuff in it. Obviously you're right in noticing that Pathfinder - like any other RPG - is going to have to eventually address an issue of increasingly specialized books and decreasing sales on each (I doubt the Bestiary 10 hardcover will be a must-buy) but they have some way to go yet to catch up to the breadth that, say, D&D typically reaches fairly quickly. They still have room for another campaign setting, maybe two, planar stuff, epic rules (though they might avoid that one), all sorts of things.

It's quite an achievement, I think, to sell so well for - what, 5 years? - and not yet have exhausted the traditional list of subject matter. They'll get there eventually, but they aren't there yet IMO.

 

[Alzrius]

It's quite an achievement, I think, to sell so well for - what, 5 years? - and not yet have exhausted the traditional list of subject matter.

Four years. The final (as opposed to the alpha or beta playtests) form of the Pathfinder RPG debuted August, 2009.

 

[Morrus]

Four years. The final (as opposed to the alpha or beta playtests) form of the Pathfinder RPG debuted August, 2009.

Ah, even so. There's still plenty of stuff left to do!

 

[Kinak]

It obviously isn't needed, no. I mean, you can run entire campaigns without referencing a Bestiary, let alone all the ones you can run with just the books you mentioned.

But I'm looking forward to getting Bestiary 4, mostly for the Mythic beasties. Cthulhu? Colossi? Demon lords? Grendel?

And if you don't want to buy it, as [MENTION=29746]paradox42[/MENTION] mentioned, it'll be up on the PRD. So even the people who don't want to drop $40 get a bunch of sweet new monsters, funded by the people who are willing to drop the cash.

I find it's pretty hard to argue with that, personally.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Zaukrie]

More monster opportunity is always good. I have never understood why this is an issue. Use it or not.

 

[gamerprinter]

How about 10 more Bestiaries? You can never have enough monsters, and especially if you're going for a theme - fey, Cthulhlu inspired, Asian, no single bestiary has everything you need. I can always use more monster books. Regarding the price of $40 per book, get the PDF it's only $9.95. While having the book in hand is handy, for the difference in price, I just print out B/W laser prints of the specific monsters needed for an adventure. I can live without the hard cover.

 

[frankthedm]

IMHO the real question is are these monster compatible with the Pathfinder Core book characters? Have player power levels remain consistent over the years even when making efficient use of supplements or has power creep gotten so bad that Today's CR8 was 2010's CR12 as it happened in 3.5's later monster manuals?

And considering that Paizo GIVES their material away for free in the PRD, I won't begrudge them a new bestiary every year. Game material in HTML $0, Electronic Art (PDF) $10, Fancy Hardcover $40.