(Ok, that might have been discussed a few times before, but might as well post it here for future purposes.)
I'd like to get a Compendium composed of monsters that appeared in Adventure Paths and Adventure Modules. Just so you know, some of the monsters ALREADY made it into Bestiaries 2, 3 and 4, but, considering the HUGE number of exclusive monsters, that might take forever to make them accessible to everyone via the Core Books.
Why is it posted in "Paizo Products", and not in "Pathfinder Campaign Setting Products"? As I said, several monsters were reprinted in previous Bestiaries. Also, I... don't really see the AP/M monsters as solely exclusive to Golarion, as many can be adapted to any setting. If it was the case... then why would Paizo have added some of them in Bestiaries in the first place?
So yeah, I would like to suggest one or more monster compendiums, composed exclusively of creatures that were published in Adventure Paths and Modules. Seeing that each 6-booklet series presents 30 monsters on average, they could take 9 or 10 APs, take all the monsters, remove the ones already reprinted in Bestiaries (:P), add monsters from Modules to fill the blanks... and they'll have a 300-monsters Bestiary in no time. To put you in perspective, they could take EVERY monster from Rise of the Runelords to Skull & Shackles (maybe Shattered Star since I'm sure that at least 30 monsters were already reprinted) and make a compendium with it. That tells you how huge they could make it.
Now, before saying that it would bust the idea to purchase APs and Modules, let me remind you that you're buying for the setting, the locations, the NPCs and such, NOT just for the monsters.
At best, Paizo could make an exclusive Pathfinder Campaign Setting book named "Monsters of Golarion" or "Golarion Bestiary", like WotC did with "Monsters of Faerun". My point is that Paizo could make such a book using their monthly publications.
So, what do you say?
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There's already an Inner Sea Bestiary book in the campaign setting line, but IIRC it contains new monsters only.
Considering that each and every monster* is open content, I'm not really seeing profit in a book of reprints stripped of Golarion lore.
* apart from Deep Crow, that displacer-beast-like-thing from SD and a couple Lovecraftian monsters.
I think the reason such an approach hasn't been done is a combination of multiple factors:
Not every monster that makes it into a AP/module/CS book is necessarily well loved by everyone at Paizo.
Concern that people would be unlikely to buy a book composed solely of monsters that already exist. At least with the current bestiaries, their is a good mix of new creatures in with the old
Difficulty in making future bestiaries: If Paizo wants to do a "normal" bestiary book, say Bestiary 5, their are less existing monsters to draw from. Which means the devs have to spend more time developing the book, and also commission a lot more new art. Which at this point, might result in not getting another Bestiary, since the profit to work margin will decline.
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Paizo's go to model for big book production has been to recycle existing AP content into later hardbacks (Bestiaries or Player splats).
This goes for creatures appeared in older APs that need a revision (3.5 days), monsters that were very popular from an AP (Mythos monsters) or monsters from the earlier PF APs (the older they get in the cycle, the more likely monsters from that AP will appear in a newer Bestiary).
Same goes with pretty much all the subsystems that appear in AP - those sometimes go through an expansion/revision since the AP where they appeared was first produced to the time it ends up in a player splat.
It just wouldn't make sense for them to break that model (which seems to be working for them). Making a smaller AP related bestiary book would really hurt the larger Bestiary releases (less content, more delays) and their bottom line. This way they can recycle creative content that maybe some people missed and they can also sometimes recycle the art (cost save). I just don't see an upside to creating a Golarion Annual that is not regional or thematic - which when they do btw is done to promote an upcoming AP.
@ all 3 of you, I'll answer this all at once.
1) I'm having trouble figuring out how many AP monsters so far would be reserved for a Golarion-exclusive setting, when every one of them can be adapted to any setting the DM can think of based on the native environment alone.
2) If they are revising monsters, then I don't see why reprinting them on a compendium would be problematic.
3) If the later Bestiaries were more about new monsters than reprinted ones, then I also don't see why having a 5th Bestiary with on AP monster, only new ones would be a problem either. Budget? Huh... yeah... I don't see a big difference between having to get 90% of the artworks compared to 100%. Again, B4 had like, what, 10 monsters from AP... on 300 or so?
4) I have absolute faith in Paizo to come up with even more new creations... or else we would have never gotten monsters in APs in the first place.
5) How many monsters have been suggested in the "Bestiary 5 wish list" topic again? Believe me, they HARDLY will ever run out of ideas.
3) If the later Bestiaries were more about new monsters than reprinted ones, then I also don't see why having a 5th Bestiary with on AP monster, only new ones would be a problem either. Budget? Huh... yeah... I don't see a big difference between having to get 90% of the artworks compared to 100%. Again, B4 had like, what, 10 monsters from AP... on 300 or so?
10? I count about 70 pieces or so, give or take, of reused artwork. Some of those are for creatures which previously didn't have stats but were illustrated (Korada, I think all the demon lords). there are some other creatures that were previously statted that have new artwork, for instance the Shobhad and many of the ARG/Tian races.
So probably something like 80 creatures or so, or somewhere between 1/3-1/4 of the book, are reprints.
70 pieces of art you don't have to specifically buy, and 80+ statblocks you don't have to build, saves a lot of work and cost
