D&D 4E Deciding Between PFTPG and D&D4e/E. Also, Four Simple Questions

[baconcow]

I thought I would give my thought process for any of those interested with my decision between Pathfinder and D&D 4e (which included looking up the differences between Pathfinder and D&D 3.5) to fully understand. I have been comparing Pathfinder with D&D 4e. I have never played an RPG, but I have a friend who has years and years of 2nd Edition and 3/3.5th Edition. He completely stands by 3.5, and recommends Pathfinder. However, if I go with D&D 4th Edition, I have a more difficult time choosing which path to go:

1) Non-Essentials

D&D 4e appears to be outdated with the new Essentials (4E) lineup. I don't want to buy errata-filled books which are not even the current rulesets. There are a LOT of D&D 4e books which, while not bad, DOES intimidate me because I cannot read fast and do not have a lot of money (only a lot of Amazon.ca gift cards).

2) Essentials
Now, the problem with this option is that the game has recently gone through several changes with the new Essentials lineup. The players Handbook 1 has 22 pages of Errata. There is a new Essentials rulebook (Rules Compendium). New players handbooks (Heroes of the Fallen Lands and Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms). I looked at the Rules Compendium today and it looked well done. However, the Heroes of the Fallen Lands book looked so elementary. Characters had some fluff followed by what seemed to be a limited amount of pre-determined builds. Everything seemed to have limited customization. Now, while players don't consider Essentials 4.5, I cannot see how such rule changes to the game and character development is still 4.0e. Now, I get a "n00b" start to what appears to be a rather complicated game. But if I was intimidated by rules, I would just play World of Warcraft or Guild Wars again. I can then buy some of the pre-Essentials items to round it out or rely on the Character Builder which, while interesting (the demo), seems to limit the immersion I want to get out of the books (I enjoy fluff).

3) Pathfinder
Lastly, I can take the Pathfinder route. I've seen the book in-store and it looks incredible (layout, art, and content). The 3.5 game sounds in-depth and highly customizable. The only issue I have about it being highly unbalanced at high levels.

___________________________________________________________________

So in the end, it comes down to a factor of money, opinions of others, accessibility, and ease of play. Since I like getting a complete experience from a game, I wouldn't want to leave out any core books, even if I don't pick them up until later after gaining legitimate interest).

IMPORTANT BOOKS (from what I found in my research). I thought including these and their cost (at Amazon Canada) might help others like myself looking for a direct comparison. I included what I would consider a CORE package, including the rules, characters, DM book, monsters, and at least one campaign setting.

1) Pathfinder
- Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook ($33)
- Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Pathfinder Bestiary ($26)
- Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: GameMastery Guide ($26)
- Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Player's Guide ($26)
- Campaign Setting: World Guide—The Inner Sea ($39 unreleased)
TOTAL: $150

2) D&D 4 Essentials
- Rules Compendium ($17)
- Heroes of the Fallen Lands ($17)
- Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms ($17)
- Dungeon Master's Kit ($30)
- Monster Vault ($22)
- Campaign Setting ($31 + $23 for Campaign and Player's Guides)
TOTAL: $157

3) D&D 4e
- Rules Compendium (since it includes all the errata and updated D&D 4e rules, $17)
- Players Handbook 1, 2, and 3 ($27 each)
- Dungeon Master's Guide 1 and 2 ($25 and $27)
- Monster Manual 1 and 2 ($25, $27, and $26)
- Campaign Setting ($31 + $23 for Campaign and Player's Guides)
TOTAL: $282

As can be seen, getting the CORE books for 4e is just expensive. Not only that, but they are heavily outdated and with the new Essentials characters, may end up being "Essentialized" anytime soon. So many people (on EnWorld) just say to drop the old 4e stuff and just use the Character Builder and Rules Compendium. That's nice, except I enjoy learning from reading a book. That is a large part of my interest in getting a D&D game. The Essentials is a more inexpensive path, especially since I don't need the Dungeon Master's Kit right away. However, I only end up with 2 Essentials Players Books and a whole set up (complex, yet) high uncustomizable options for characters (from the limited and pre-determined builds I saw looking at it earlier. Pathfinder gives a 576-page manual that is just, literally, impressive. The GameMastery guide, like the Essentials Dungeon Master's Kit, is not necessary until you plan on DM'ing a game. In the end, the $60 I will pay to "try" Pathfinder is the cost of a video game. If I don't like the game, I get nearly 1000 pages of interesting fantasy fluff which may be very enjoyable on it's own. If you don't like a video or board game, you're left with a box on the shelf collecting dust.


So here are my questions for players of either D&D 4e and/or Pathfinder:

1) Concerning character unbalance in Pathfinder (not 3.5e), does it make the game unfun? My friend claims that it is not that bad for 3.5 when you use a couple house rules. Also, I enjoy spellcasters more than fighters. I see fighters are being tanks and hitters, not spellcaster and ability-laden classes (which it seems 4e does, given the characters roles).

2) What makes D&D 4e feel like World of Warcraft? While having played that game for 1 month, I didn't find it that amazing (it was a good game, just not life-changing). Baldur's Gate II, on the other hand, introduced me to a world of endless opportunities and such (D&D 2 rules). I like customization. I want my character, weak or strong, to be and do the things I want them to. I don't like the long drawn out combat that I hear 4e has. I want tactical combat (I like wargames).

3) I have a BattleMat and some Lego (yeah, lego) for mini's (for now...). Does Pathfinder/D&D 3.5 play well with a map or is it better pen and paper? I would like to visualize what is going on and dungeon crawl like I would in Baldur's Gate II.

4) Can you play as more than one character in Pathfinder? Since the game focuses on spellcasters (it seems), it would be nice to make a fighter or monk along with one spellcaster. That way, you will HAVE a powerful character to complement the weak one. With only 1-3 other players, this might be a good way to make a larger team.

5) I hate errata (something keeping more away from D&D 4e). I see that there is a second printing of the Pathfinder core rules. The 2nd Edition seems to have very little (2 pages) errata (which I can handle). The first printing of the Bestiary has like 7 pages or errata. Is there a second printing? If so, it is reasonable to believe that Amazon Canada would be selling the second printings (as opposed to the first)? Also, is the Advanced Players Guide and GameMasters Guide full of errors?

Hope this helps others with the same decisions as me. I am pretty set on Pathfinders due to it being so well taken. The Amazon USA reviews are stellar. It won ENworld's RPG award. I don't expect the game to be perfect. I just want something that is enjoyable. I don't mind some imbalance, as long as it doesn't completely destroy the enjoyment of the player who has the character getting shafted.

Thanks,
baconcow

 

[Aus_Snow]

The GameMastery guide, like the Essentials Dungeon Master's Kit, is not necessary until you plan on DM'ing a game.

It's not even necessary then. Neither is the APG. There was a period of time there, where GMs of Pathfinder were getting along just fine without either. Quite a few still are, I suspect.

1) Concerning character unbalance in Pathfinder (not 3.5e), does it make the game unfun?

Everyone sees game balance in a different light. As far as I'm concerned, the classes in Pathfinder are actually reasonably balanced. That's our experience (so far), anyway. YMMV, along with however many others'.

2) What makes D&D 4e feel like World of Warcraft?

There are numerous ways of looking at this one, too. Probably not a particularly fruitful topic to invite discussion upon, on these forums. Or any forums, perhaps. There's the old "you know it when you see it" take, I suppose. Or, well, the somewhat "MMO-speak" roles. And whatever else. Not a thing that concerns me personally, but sure, there are a number of people who might've been turned off the game, because of said perceived resemblance. The only way to be certain is to decide for yourself, as always.

3) I have a BattleMat and some Lego (yeah, lego) for mini's (for now...). Does Pathfinder/D&D 3.5 play well with a map or is it better pen and paper? I would like to visualize what is going on and dungeon crawl like I would in Baldur's Gate II.

Pathfinder and 4e are both minis-and-grid games, by default. Some say one more than the other, but I'm not sure about that. Either way, you'll have chosen a good game for such purposes.

4) Can you play as more than one character in Pathfinder? Since the game focuses on spellcasters (it seems), it would be nice to make a fighter or monk along with one spellcaster. That way, you will HAVE a powerful character to complement the weak one. With only 1-3 other players, this might be a good way to make a larger team.

You could, yes. In many a RPG in fact, including 4e as well. And, for a small group of players, that might work. It would require more concentration and time to sort through abilities and so on, but hey, you can but try. Another option (for few players) using 3e - and therefore Pathfinder) is Gestalt.

5) I hate errata (something keeping more away from D&D 4e). I see that there is a second printing of the Pathfinder core rules. The 2nd Edition seems to have very little (2 pages) errata (which I can handle). The first printing of the Bestiary has like 7 pages or errata. Is there a second printing? If so, it is reasonable to believe that Amazon Canada would be selling the second printings (as opposed to the first)? Also, is the Advanced Players Guide and GameMasters Guide full of errors?

As far as I'm aware, Pathfinder is pretty low on the error count. Relatively, that is. Amazon would probably have the latest printing of whatever, but you never know. Not a thing I would worry about.

I don't expect the game to be perfect. I just want something that is enjoyable. I don't mind some imbalance, as long as it doesn't completely destroy the enjoyment of the player who has the character getting shafted.

With that in mind, you should be OK with nearly any RPG. Just pick one that appeals, and have fun.


Welcome, and good gaming!

 

[Zulithe]

The Pathfinder Core Rulebook is actually on its third printing (which includes the second, and currently, most recent, round of errata). The Bestiary is on its second printing and also includes all current errata. If you order from amazon you should get these latest printings, since amazon goes through them like hotcakes, and these printings are over 2 months old. NO guarantees though.

If you order direct from Paizo, you always get the latest printings, guaranteed. But you also don't get the nice amazon discount.

I hate errata too, but it is an unavoidable evil in this hobby lest you'd rather live with broken rules--however, most of the errata fixes minor problems that barely affect most campaigns.

If you do go with Pathfinder, I personally would recommend temporarily skipping the Advanced Player's Guide until it reaches its second printing. Keep an eye on the Paizo forum for details on when this will occur... but It should be before the end of the year, I suspect. It looks like there will be a fair bit of errata for it, but the Pathfinder Core is more than enough to keep you entertained until it is out.

I'm sure the GameMastery Guide will have its share too, but since it is mostly fluff and advice (most of the crunch is in the form of an entire chapter of NPCs at the back), I think most of the errata will not be that big of a deal.

 

[Cor_Malek]

Aus Snow covered it very well, so I won't be repeating this points, just a couple of side notes:

Pathfinder core is PHB + DMG. The book called game Mastery Guide is what you'd expect from DMG II. It doesn't mean you shouldn't include it in startup set, but rather that it'd just as much fit startup set for most (DnD-legacy or not) other RPGs. If you're a very experienced DM or have the 2nd ADnD DMG (I believe it was this one? It's owners will know what I mean), I recommend browsing it somewhere to see if it's not redundant for you (on the other hand, there really is nothing in it that would require erratas).

Cost - note that all Pathfinder books are available as pdf's - and they are already with erratas built in (in some cases erratas weren't needed for pdf's, as they were printers screw-ups). Core is so damn pretty, and GMG is so cool as browse-through, that they're a lot better as prints, but with some stuff - especially with pre-set budget - you can really go with pdf versions, and thanks to it - just have more stuff, for less.

On erratas - before each release, Paizo has extensive playtests (one, for Ultimate Magic just started), so erratas are caused rather by mishaps on the publisher - printer phase, as opposed to 4e where they are considered a tool for adjusting synergies between different books (so one thing like entire skill can be changed numerous times).

As to WoW feel - I don't think it has to. But this argument was developed and there's just constant stream of ammunition for it's users (constant erratas, cooldowns on spells, PA podcasts*). Additionally, with huge amount of WoW users, and perceived threat to traditional gaming that MMO pose (according to some) - there's not much incentive for Wizards to go out of their way and disprove it.
So one side throws this argument out as if it was ultimate disgrace, while the other hopes that this idea will bring MMO fans to RPG's. Whether it's true or not, doesn't really enter the equation on neither side.

Ah - as to balance - it's good. As a player who likes customization, you'll like APG's archetypes as well.

Prep time - constructing encounters is absurdly easy. There are also digital character builders out there - both commercial and free.

*important to note - the player who actually was most vivid WoW-fan in the group, Mike/Gabe - had least gamey attitude in game (improvising weapons, deciding to do stuff and worry about rule-explanation later, taking time to roleplay character). It was "old-school" players who played it like WoW raid. There's a correlation for sure - but it's a false one.

 

[Jhaelen]

Hope this helps others with the same decisions as me. I am pretty set on Pathfinders due to it being so well taken.

Well, it shows
Judging from your threads title I would have thought you wanted to ask for advice.*
But apparently you just want to tell everyone how you've decided. Have fun!

*: If that had been the case, I'd have suggested to repost in the General forum or dual post in the 4e forum, since it's unlikely you'll find someoen in this forum advising against Pathfinder

 

[IronWolf]

So here are my questions for players of either D&D 4e and/or Pathfinder:

You've already received a lot of great responses...

1) Concerning character unbalance in Pathfinder (not 3.5e), does it make the game unfun? My friend claims that it is not that bad for 3.5 when you use a couple house rules. Also, I enjoy spellcasters more than fighters. I see fighters are being tanks and hitters, not spellcaster and ability-laden classes (which it seems 4e does, given the characters roles).

I really think character unbalance, even in 3.5, was mainly only a real problem when you had an optimizer in a group that took advantage of every feat or power that they could. In my groups we had people playing what would likely be considered non-optimal characters and it still worked out pretty well where we each had something to contribute to the party.

I do think even with an optimizer that Pathfinder brings some of the power into balance better than 3.5, but not necessarily completely removing the problem in that situation.

2) What makes D&D 4e feel like World of Warcraft? While having played that game for 1 month, I didn't find it that amazing (it was a good game, just not life-changing). Baldur's Gate II, on the other hand, introduced me to a world of endless opportunities and such (D&D 2 rules). I like customization. I want my character, weak or strong, to be and do the things I want them to. I don't like the long drawn out combat that I hear 4e has. I want tactical combat (I like wargames).

To me it is all the healing surges and powers that start to make 4e "seem" like a video game.

3) I have a BattleMat and some Lego (yeah, lego) for mini's (for now...). Does Pathfinder/D&D 3.5 play well with a map or is it better pen and paper? I would like to visualize what is going on and dungeon crawl like I would in Baldur's Gate II.

You can easily play Pathfinder with minis. Our group has played 3.5 mini-less and we are playing Pathfinder with minis for some situations and mini-less for others. It really depends on the group's preferences and the comfort level of the DM. For most groups it is probably easier to use minis and a battlemat.

4) Can you play as more than one character in Pathfinder? Since the game focuses on spellcasters (it seems), it would be nice to make a fighter or monk along with one spellcaster. That way, you will HAVE a powerful character to complement the weak one. With only 1-3 other players, this might be a good way to make a larger team.

You can play more than one character, but I would encourage one not to. The game has always seemed more fun to me when you focus on one character, even if it means your party might be less than the standard 4 characters or so.

Someone else has suggested gestalt if you truly only have one or two players. I would consider that option before playing two characters.

5) I hate errata (something keeping more away from D&D 4e). I see that there is a second printing of the Pathfinder core rules. The 2nd Edition seems to have very little (2 pages) errata (which I can handle). The first printing of the Bestiary has like 7 pages or errata. Is there a second printing? If so, it is reasonable to believe that Amazon Canada would be selling the second printings (as opposed to the first)? Also, is the Advanced Players Guide and GameMasters Guide full of errors?

Errata is something you will have to deal with in the RPG world unfortunately. A necessary evil I guess due to the niche market. The cool thing with Paizo is that their additional printings of books include the errata and they update their PDFs which you can get if you bought it off their site.

Not sure about the errata on the GameMasters Guide, I must have missed the uproar if there was a lot in it. The APG has been seeing a fair number of complaints, so it might be worth waiting for the second printing, though I have a first printing (and the PDF) and am really not that bothered by it. But if errata bothers you, catch the second printing of the APG.

Hope this helps others with the same decisions as me. I am pretty set on Pathfinders due to it being so well taken. The Amazon USA reviews are stellar. It won ENworld's RPG award. I don't expect the game to be perfect. I just want something that is enjoyable. I don't mind some imbalance, as long as it doesn't completely destroy the enjoyment of the player who has the character getting shafted.

Pathfinder is a great system. It has really brought some new energy and enthusiasm to me. The writing it good, the art is awesome for inspiration and the rules work. It *feels* like the D&D I want to play.

 

[StrangeFate]

2) What makes D&D 4e feel like World of Warcraft? While having played that game for 1 month, I didn't find it that amazing (it was a good game, just not life-changing). Baldur's Gate II, on the other hand, introduced me to a world of endless opportunities and such (D&D 2 rules). I like customization. I want my character, weak or strong, to be and do the things I want them to. I don't like the long drawn out combat that I hear 4e has. I want tactical combat (I like wargames).

First a little background. I played D&D 3E from it's inception and quickly hopped on the 3.5 bandwagon once it was released. Having played both sides of the screen, the system has it's flaws, but it absolutely works. I've dabbled in Pathfinder, but it wasn't a cleaned up enough system for me. Plus it didn't have the depth of digital support I was looking for.

Once 4E came out I'd checked it out and quickly fell in love it. The thing I love about 4E is the digital support via DDI. You have fantastic on line tools available which are up to date with the latest rules, classes, monsters, etc. As a DM I use something called Masterplan to help me build encounters, plot, etc. As a 4E DM and player, it feels a lot like playing with Lego blocks. You can piece a PC, a monster, a plot hook, skill challenge, etc. all together seamlessly.

Now to your question #2: I feel that 4E is an incredibly tactical game depending on how much your players and DMs think outside the box. I've seen some amazingly creative use of skills and powers. As an avid WoW player, once you get beyond the sheer terminology such as powers, healing surges, etc. I think they are fundamentally different games. You have humans involved vs. the AI of the computer. Lord Marrowgar in ICC is 100% of the time going to spawn bone storm. It's a fact. If you've done the raid any length of time, your muscle memory kicks in and you react accordingly. However something like 4E you could have any number of encounters from tactical "kill the boss" type encounters to social encounters haggling with a merchant or spy to just trying to cross from one part of Sharn or the Athasian desert to the next. The rules and material from WoTC all support that. The limit is your own creativity (as cheesy as that sounds).

As to your specific comment about length of combat, I've found that to be highly system agnostic. If DMs and players are on their toes, it shouldn't be an issue. Realize though whichever system you go with there is a learning curve. Same deal if players try out a new class.

Fundamentally whether you choose 3.5/Pathfinder or 4E is really all about what seems to fit for you AND your group. I've had some amazing experiences with both. For me and my group of gamers 4E fits like a glove.

 

[pawsplay]

1) Concerning character unbalance in Pathfinder (not 3.5e), does it make the game unfun? My friend claims that it is not that bad for 3.5 when you use a couple house rules. Also, I enjoy spellcasters more than fighters. I see fighters are being tanks and hitters, not spellcaster and ability-laden classes (which it seems 4e does, given the characters roles).

I ran a 3-5 player game from level 1 (starting in 3.5) to level 20 (ending with Pathfinder) and in my experience, it was all fun, all the time. My players played a wide variety of classes, from a basic Cleric/Contemplative to a Scout (Complete Adventuring) to a straight up Wizard. Pathfinder changes wildshape and Shapechange from 3.5 in ways that I find much more workable.

2) What makes D&D 4e feel like World of Warcraft? While having played that game for 1 month, I didn't find it that amazing (it was a good game, just not life-changing). Baldur's Gate II, on the other hand, introduced me to a world of endless opportunities and such (D&D 2 rules). I like customization. I want my character, weak or strong, to be and do the things I want them to. I don't like the long drawn out combat that I hear 4e has. I want tactical combat (I like wargames).

Pathfinder is great for customization.

3) I have a BattleMat and some Lego (yeah, lego) for mini's (for now...). Does Pathfinder/D&D 3.5 play well with a map or is it better pen and paper? I would like to visualize what is going on and dungeon crawl like I would in Baldur's Gate II.

I use a battlemat and some tiles for Pathfinder. For high mobility combats, I go a bit abstract but even then, having some kind of visual markers is useful.

4) Can you play as more than one character in Pathfinder? Since the game focuses on spellcasters (it seems), it would be nice to make a fighter or monk along with one spellcaster. That way, you will HAVE a powerful character to complement the weak one. With only 1-3 other players, this might be a good way to make a larger team.

Yes, you can play more than one character. You can also use the Leadership feat liberally if you want to just fill gabs rather than add a whole new powerhouse to the group. I don't think the idea of "complementing" characters is strictly necessary; players should focus on the character they find interesting, not one that fits some arbitrary criteria of being optimal. I don't think there is such a thing as a useless Pathfinder character unless you tried deliberately or just didn't understand the rules at some basic level.

5) I hate errata (something keeping more away from D&D 4e). I see that there is a second printing of the Pathfinder core rules. The 2nd Edition seems to have very little (2 pages) errata (which I can handle). The first printing of the Bestiary has like 7 pages or errata. Is there a second printing? If so, it is reasonable to believe that Amazon Canada would be selling the second printings (as opposed to the first)? Also, is the Advanced Players Guide and GameMasters Guide full of errors?

I can't complain. I am aware of the errata, but usually don't notice it. I refer to it when necessary.

 

[baconcow]

Thank you everyone for your quick, helpful, and in-depth posts. I am not as afraid of the imbalance as I was. I guess my mind thinks 3.5-clone so old. Also, I had worries of not findings many opponents. However, I am sure if can play this online with others, if needed (despite wanting to get away from the computer). The Character Builder is useful in D&D 4e, but I wanted to sit down and construct my character manually (even if onto a fillable PDF on the computer). About Pazio PDF's, I think they're a great idea to invest in (and I probably would, one day, if I have mobile device that can read them properly (frowns at the Kindle's lack of reading anything with tables in free-flow properly). I like the Hardbound books to be with me. I can read it when I'm not busy, even if it takes me months to get through it. D&D 4e just has too much stuff to get and they make it seem all Core (or necessary). Unless I become a DM, I probably will just be able to get the Core Rules and Bestiary (this interests me to know about what I'll be up against, and for fluff reasons) and then the APG later (post-reprint). If I don't end up sticking to Pathfinder, I am $60 down. No major loss really. However, to get into the Essentials and further into D&D 4e (pre-essentials), I am going to require a bigger investment or go digitally. Once again, thanks for all the responses. I reposted this topic in the D&D 4e forum, to see if/how their bias tears apart my ideas.

 

[Steel_Wind]

1) Concerning character unbalance in Pathfinder (not 3.5e), does it make the game unfun?

Is there a problem with high level play in Pathfinder? Yes, I think there is. At about 13th-14th level, the game becomes increasingly unplayable. This is not so much a reflection of so called play-balance in the game in and of itself. Instead, this is a reflection of EVERY VERSION of D&D ever released prior to Pathfinder, whereby by the time the PCs get to cast 6th level spells (and definitely by the time they can cast 7th level spells), the power curve renders the whole game into an unplayable state.

Pathfinder, like 3.5, is designed for play from levels 1st through 12th. You can carry on past that for a few levels but at 15th, the game turns into full out Four Color Superheroes that no longer bears any resemblance to the fantasy literature which gave rise to D&D in the first place. It has ever been thus; it is not unique to Pathfinder.

While 4E is more balanced between characters inter-se at high-levels, I still find the overall power curve suffers from the same inherent defect.

At high levels, D&D is no longer simulating fantasy literature and it does not pretend to. The game becomes a genre unto itself. I have always hated this aspect of high level pay and I always will, no matter the version of the game under discussion. Pathfinder is no different in this regard than any other version of the game.

2) What makes D&D 4e feel like World of Warcraft?

Healing surges, roles, tabletop movement control, encounter powers and significantly powerful "magical abilities" of non-spell using classes. Put this all together, it has a play style which is more evocative of WoW and CRPGs than previous incarnations of D&D are. To be fair, it's a relative thing, more than an absolutist assessment. People use this analogy in the pejorative more than as a real assessment of the actual game play, imo.

The odd player races in the game also are evocative of something other than Tolkien. That does not make the races "like Wow" -- it simply serves to emphasize that the fluff in 4E had the effect of diverging the game from its roots.

3) I have a BattleMat and some Lego (yeah, lego) for mini's (for now...). Does Pathfinder/D&D 3.5 play well with a map or is it better pen and paper?

Both Pathfinder and 4E require the use of a Battlemat and minis. They are no different from 3.xx in this regard, which also assumes the use of a Battlemat and minis. *shrug*

4) Can you play as more than one character in Pathfinder?

Could you? Sure. Like you could in 1E, 2E, 3.xx and 4E, too. As in the case with Pathfinder and ALL of the above examples -- it's a plainly bad idea and is to be avoided.

5) I hate errata (something keeping more away from D&D 4e). I see that there is a second printing of the Pathfinder core rules.

Third printing now, actually. And yes, the errata is cumulative and in the third edition as well. There isn't much of it though and if you want -- ignore it. Your game won't break as a result.

The APG has a few issues, but nothing huge at this point. Please appreciate that errata isn't so much a matter of an "error" in the text as much as it is a clarification of language and -- in a few cases -- a reconsideration of the effect of a rule and a deliberate choice made to change it.

I would say that your focus seems to be paying too much attention to high level play. There is no reason at all why your Pathfinder campaign cannot be played at the medium experience point track progression for 1 to 1.5 years of weekly gaming before the power curve hits 15th level and it's time to bring the campaign to an end.