I spent 12 years playing 3.x based games and I eventually burned out circa 2012 and retreated back to AD&D 2E and the retroclones along with 5E when it landed. I bought a few hardcovers including the Inner Sea World Guide, Ultimate Magic/Combat/Campaign and then I moved onto 5E when it landed.
Our current group is playing 5E and looking at 2E Darksun for our next game or a 1E Greyhawk game.
The Pathfinder: Kingmaker kickstarter however has turned up on some of the 5E boards and I kind of liked the AP so I might keep an eye on it and buy it after it releases. Due to Pathfinder Online more or less tanking I am not willing to support a kickstarter and are going to wait for some reviews.
I quite like Golarion a lot though and have been reading the Inner Sea World Guide again. Also going through an ancient world kick atm so I am planning on using the actual Rome/Greek/Egyptian gods again so the Osirion themed AP might be interesting to me.
So basically I tuned out when Paizo started to hype up Mythic adventures which had 0 interest for me. The last AP I read was part 1 of the Shards AP and the last one I paid much attention to was the Skull and Shackles one. Has Pathfinder more or less become its own thing or is it still "D&D 3.75" sort of thing.
What APs after Skull and Shackles would be easily convertible to 5E? By that I mean do any of the new ones mostly use monsters from the 1st Bestiary and the equivalents exist in 5E or are easily convertible such as a bestiary 1 monster with class levels? For example a Fire Giant in Pathfinder with 10 levels of wizard in 5E can just be a fire giant who casts spells as a 10th level caster.
I know PF covered a Giant Themed AP which I do not need as 5E has Storm Kings Thunder (which is meh by a lot of accounts). Being set on Golarion is a bonus as I like the world a lot and want to get away from the Sword Coast and the Golarion Pantheon is fairly easily converted to 5E as well in terms of domains.
So any recommendations? Things I am interested in.
1. Gritty AD&D vibes.
2. Classical and ancient world
3. Golarion
Things not interested in
1. Furys (Catfolk, dogmen etc).
2. Magitech (Eberron, that PF AP with techno stuff in it)
3. 3.x mechanics
"Gritty" Pathfinder generally is not.
Classic/ancient ... so far there's not much of that in the APs as I read what you're looking for. Mummy's Mask ends up seriously high-fantasy. Giantslayer I'm a player in, so far it's fun ... but I sense many messy deaths ahead of us.
Giantslayer you might want to peruse the reviews on before writing in off given the "meh" for Storm King's Thunder.
You could string together a series of the APs into a very long, very fun "archaeology adventures" campaign, especially if you're willing to shoehorn things to fit into the 5e rules set. Rise of the Runelords, Shattered Star and come August almost certainly Ruins of Azlant should fit that bill nicely. Several other APs are, as you are aware, attached at various points along the way: Curse of the Crimson Throne, Second Darkness and to a degree fringe elements of Giantslayer all fall under the auspices of fallen Thassilon and the Azlanti that preceded them.
Serpent's Skull is a prime contender in many ways for an old school 'vibe', although you will definitely want to pore over the GM threads before running it. Rather pulp-ish if you spin it right, complete with mysterious telepathic, venomous serpent-men that huck spells like no one's business. Lore-wise it ties in with the Azlanti AP along with Second Darkness in that they all have had dealings in one way or another with the wrath of the ancient aboleths.
Ruins of Azlant is going to be tough as it's clear the characters will be heavily involved in underwater adventuring for much of the campaign. Aboleths are nasty, nasty foes as well in general, so I wouldn't want a gang of weak-minded simpletons swimming into the darkened depths to become slime-coated peons.
