Books to Buy [Archive] - Wizards Community

Books to Buy [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Leibel
01-31-04, 11:39 PM I'm coming into some money soon and a small part of it will go for Dnd books. Currently I have the 3.5 MM and PHB but the old 2.0 DMG. So a 3.5 DMG is obviously on the list. I'm strongly considering the Feind Folio but can afford 2 or 3 books after that.

Are class or race accesories worth the buy?
What about non-WOTC books that are compatible with Dnd?
(The comic n'card store I'd buy from has plenty of Undead, Mercenaries, Monster, Magic, Sea adventure add-ons and more)
p0cky
01-31-04, 11:50 PM I love Oriental Adventures, so I would reccomened that to any one who had any desire to have any Oriental feeling in one of their games.
I like Book of Vile Darkness, Book of Exalted Deeds and Book of Erotic Fantasy alot too, but that might be out of your flavour.
If it is, check out some of the books, like "Complete Warrior" and "Sword and Fist".
Or wait for Ebberon to come out if you like that...
Fixxxer
01-31-04, 11:58 PM If you have a local gaming shop or if you don't mind shopping online, I SERIOUSLY recommend the Slayer's Guide series from Mongoose Publishing. The books are only about $9 each, so you could afford a good handful of them and they're VERY informative. They take a single monster and do a 32 page write-up on its tactics and abilites as well as its ecology, thought processes, any sub-races, goals, etc. For the most part, they're VERY worthwhile books.
Ack'noth Necrom
01-31-04, 11:59 PM These are the ones i recomend listed by best to worst IMO. Keep in mind that im a full time DM so i tend to value DMing tools higher than other stuff

Epic Level handbook
Fiend Folio
Monster Manual 2
Book of Exalted Deeds
3.0 Prestige class books (all of em)
Complete warrior
Psionics handbook

I would also recomend the Draconomicon if your really into dragons and use them a lot otherwise its not really worth the money IMO.

Third party stuff isnt that great from what ive seen but i do like the book Secret college of Necromancy, i recomend this one if your into necromancy. Theres no other 3rd party stuff that ild recomend
Teh Lurv
02-01-04, 12:11 AM Well I still have to say it, a 3.5 DMG should be #1 on your list. I shudder to think of a DM trying to integrate a 2e DMG with a 3.5 PHB & MM. :eek:

The best thing about the 3.5 DMG is that it includes information from both the Epic Level Handbook and the Manual of the Planes in the book. No where as near as much information as from those books, but enough to from a backbone for a game that uses that information.

As to suggestions, are you planning to be a player more often than a DM or vice versa? Certain books have more use to a player or DM. What about setting? Are you playing in a homebrewed campaign or a published setting like Forgotten Realms?

My suggestions:

Monster Manual II: More monsters with many 2e monsters updated.
Fiend Folio: More monsters with a focus towards extraplanar creatures.
Book of Exalted Deeds: THE book for the good guy player.
Complete Warrior: The combat oriented aspects of the 3e class splatbooks condensed into one. Lots of PrCs which are useful to both players and DMs, updated feats, spells, and new exotic weapons.
Wait a few months: There are quite a few 3.5e books in the works for the next 6 months. You might want to save your cash for 3.5 books like the Complete Divine, etc.

As for non-WotC books, any book created using the d20 rules should be compatible with D&D (these books usually include a "compatible with Dungeons and Dragons" somewhere on the back cover.)
Kaya Kenobi
02-01-04, 12:54 AM Go to Amazon, and you'll be able to get most of Wizards books for 1/4 to 1/2 of their price (Complete Warrior = 11 and Draconomicon =16)

Arcana Unearthed by Sword and Sorcery and Monte Cook is a great buy.

As far as monsters go:
MM2
Fiend Folio

DM Tools:
Draconomicon
Dragons by AEG
Slayer's Guide to Dragons by Mongoose
Forgotten Realms
Dragonlance
Book of Vile Darkness

Player friendly:
Complete Warrior
Arcana Unearthed
Unearthed Arcana

Kill Players:
Creature Collection I & II
Ravenloft

Waiting:
Psionics Handbook, revised
Complete Divine

Do not get:
Quintessential Books
Book of Exalted Deeds
Psionics Handbook (this is a very touchy issue)
arcady
02-01-04, 12:46 PM Every DnD gamer should own Magical Medieval Society:WE (http://www.exp.citymax.com/page/page/351668.htm).

Beyond that, one would need to know your tastes - what you plan to do with DnD.

There are different lists for players, DMs of City games, DMs of dungeon crawls, DMs of wilderness games, DMs who go for social interaction games, and so on.
Shadowslayer_Canada
02-01-04, 02:44 PM I bought a bunch of the Slayer's guides and loved them in that they give full treatment to critters traditionally used merely as cannon fodder, like orcs, hobgoblins, troglodytes etc (the only one I didn't care for was Trolls)

The only other recommendation I can make is the Tome of Horrors by Necromancer Games. Since yu have a 2nd ed DMG I'll assume you've been at this for a while. The Tome covers a lot of the classic monsters that didn't make the translation to 3rd ed, plus a boxload of Demons, Devils, and unique monsters. I love mine and use it all the time. IMO its better then MM2 or FF.

Hope this helps.
Loopy
02-01-04, 04:38 PM DMG, Fiend Folio, Book of Exalted Deeds and Complete Warrior. You won't regret it. Screw the 3rd party stuff... these are really good books. (Vow of Poverty isn't broken, I promise.)

What don't you like about the BoED, Kenya? We usually see eye-to-eye. The PrCs and feats are priceless.
Kaya Kenobi
02-01-04, 04:52 PM Originally posted by Loopy
DMG, Fiend Folio, Book of Exalted Deeds and Complete Warrior. You won't regret it. Screw the 3rd party stuff... these are really good books. (Vow of Poverty isn't broken, I promise.)

What don't you like about the BoED, Kenya? We usually see eye-to-eye. The PrCs and feats are priceless.

Because the idea of the BoED really urks me. Divine poisons? That's just one point. The only other thing is that I really don't like the book in theory or use. I don't care for the BoVD either for the same reasons:

Ethics and morals, grossness and stupidity, overpowered and just wrong?
krichaiushii
02-01-04, 05:46 PM Most 3d party stuff is still 3.0, so will need some tinkering to bring up to speed.

That said, if you are primarily a player, seek out books dealing with your character and/or racial preferences.

WotC has the assorted splatbooks covering all classes. The 3.5 title for fighter-types is already out.

Mongoose has its Quintessential line that covers everything (or tries too).

Green Ronin and Bad Axe Games have Races of Renown and Heroes of High Favor - books about specific races. The ones on Dwarves are excellent, btw.

There are scads of books regarding different aspects of arcane magic, with Malhavoc's Books of Eldritch Might 1-3 topping the list.
Followed closely Green Ronin's Arcana Series and Mongoose's Encyclopedia Arcane series right behind with quantity, if not quality.

Books for divine players are more scarce. Malhavoc's Book of Hallowed Might and Green Ronin's Book of the Righteous are all I can think of.

Now, if you are more of a DM, there are many more options available. I still recommend the Races of Renown and Heroes of High Favor series for races you want to flesh out - rules wise.

There are numerous monster titles aside from WotC's Monster Manual 2 and Fiend Folio. Many are for specific settings - like the Creature Collections for Scarred Lands and the Monsternomicon for the Iron Kingdoms campaign; while others are aimed at more generic settings, such as Necromancer Games' Tome of Horrors and Atlas Games' Fantasy Bestiary (Penumbra line of products).

Many posts have recommended Mongoose's Slayer series. I have only one title - Giants. I like it, and will be using parts of it. In fact, I recommend it if you plan to use lots of giants in your campaigns.

If there is a specific setting you want to play in, then get the sourcebook(s) and necessary monster books. If you are crafting your own world, then skip the setting books and go for more generic help.

Fantasy Flight Games has a series of Source books that covers many aspects of world-building/running. I recommend their Cityworks and Traps and Treachery. Their Monster's Handbook is worth considering, as well.

Malhavoc (and a few others, I suspect) have released Event Books - sourcebooks dealing with major campaign events. War, Meteor Strikes, the Death of a Diety, etc.

There are also numerous premade citybooks out there, most notably Sword and Sorcery's Hollowfaust: City of Necromancers and Green Ronin's Freeport: City of Adventure.

All that said, I would pick up the Complete Book of Eldritch Might (3.5 revision, and compilation of all 3 titles), followed up with the Monster's Handbook and/or Book of the Righteous if you are DMing, or appropriate racial/class books if you are playing. As I have a thing for dwarves, I must recommend Hammer and Helm from Green Ronin.

Regardless, try to find reviews on titles before blindly buying them. Enworld and Mortality.net and Rpgnet are good places to check, though some of the d20 companies run links from their products to reviews across the internet.

After you make your decision, do tell us what you settle on.

Happy spending!
king_of_evil007
02-01-04, 05:59 PM Definitely the new DMG. It's got some great DM'ing info in there, as well as stuff from the Epic Level Handbook and Manual of the Planes.

If you need monsters, go with the Monster Manual 2 first. Fiend Folio is still pretty cool, but it's a little more focused.

If you want your PCs to do everything, pick up the Epic Level Handbook and Manual of the Planes. Deities and Demigods is good too. Just be careful, right now, these three books are all 3.0 only.

If your game has lots of dragons (or if you like dragons in general) Draconomicon seems like a good buy. I don't have it myself, but I've only heard good things so far.

The Psionics Handbook is a real touchy issue. I like it myself, but it's all about whether you like the idea of psychic people in D&D. If you do, it has some cool character/opponent options in there. Should you plan on purchasing this, I'd wait until the 3.5 version comes out.

Races of Faerun provides races. If you don't play in FR, you can still use them.
Magic of Faerun, while it does have some FR-only stuff, has some cool feats, spells, PrCs, and magic items that you might be able to use.

What world do you play in?
If it's homebrew, then look at similar worlds and consider getting the appropriate books. (If there are a lot of trolls, then consider the Slayer's Guide to Trolls)
If you play (or like DL) The Dragonlance Campaign Setting (and it's accompanying book, Age of Mortals) are pretty good.
If you play in FR, there are tons of books that you can buy. the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (obviously), Magic of Faerun, Races of Faerun, Underdark, the Silver Marches,

While it's not exactly what you asked for, you might want to invest a bit in D&D Minis. Great for combat uses, the skirmish rules are fun too. If you do, you can also purchase the Miniatures Handbook.

Don't get any of the old class books (Sword & Fist, Tome & Blood, Masters of the Wild, and Defenders of the Faith). They were alright back then (IMO) and now that we have 3.5, they're not only out of date ruleswise, but a lot of the worthwhile stuff is being reprinted in books like Complete Warrior and Unearthed Arcana (UA isn't released yet, to my knowledge), not only with errata they needed back then, but also with 3.5 updating. The new books also apparently have less flavor and more PrCs, feats, etc.
arcady
02-01-04, 07:52 PM Here's some d20 suggestions for different themes:

City Gaming:

FFG's Cityworks (http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/dd42.html)
Magical Medieval Society - Free City Download (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1678&)
Website: Medieval Demographics (http://www.io.com/~sjohn/demog.htm)

Dungeon Gaming:
FFG Dungeoncraft (http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/dd37.html) - dungeon building.
Dungeons (http://www.alderac.com/d20/sourcebooks.html) - Dungeon Thinking

I don't recommend these two so much as recommend you check them out and see if they are for you.

For Wilderness gaming AEG has Wilds and FFG has Wildscape. Wildscape is 3.5, and only came out this last week.

Naval Gaming:
Salt and Sea Dogs (http://www.kenzerco.com/rpg/kalamar/products.php#saltsea)

You can also compare this to Seafarer's Handbook and Seas of Blood.

If you like maps, check out the Masterwork Maps (http://www.darkfuries.com/index.shtml) series.

If you like minutia about culture and daily living check out Gary Gygax's current works (http://www.trolllord.com/gygax.htm)
Adriayna
02-01-04, 09:04 PM If you are going to DM, there is a book by AEG called Toolbox. Its amazing.

Otherwise, I would go to your game store and figure out what sort of game you are wanting to run. Browse through the books and look at what you are interested in.

I personally love planescape, so the Manual of the Planes is a good choice. If you are into Psionics, I'd wait till the 3.5 psionics handbook comes out.
Kaya Kenobi
02-01-04, 09:30 PM Toolbox.. I will never forget that. Great item for someone on a mind block. It is truly remarkable.
Lance Dracon
02-02-04, 03:03 AM Originally posted by Kaya Kenobi

Kill Players:
Ravenloft

Why does everyone think that Ravenloft's all about killing the players? Hell, I'd recommend buying the books for that setting, they're the best books I've bought to date, especially the Gazetteers.
Kaya Kenobi
02-02-04, 03:20 AM Originally posted by Lance Dracon
Why does everyone think that Ravenloft's all about killing the players? Hell, I'd recommend buying the books for that setting, they're the best books I've bought to date, especially the Gazetteers.

I love ravenloft. But I found it's not a PC friendly world, unless they're playing evil.. And even then it still isn't.
Lance Dracon
02-02-04, 05:51 AM Well, I suppose it all depends on how you play it... as with all campaign settings. Currently, I'm running my players through Quist's adventure (from the great CotN: Demons netbook from www.kargatane.com) and I wouldn't call that very PC-killing... and certainly not player-killing :devil:
But this is a tad bit off topic, so I'll just stop here.
adiaven
02-02-04, 11:27 AM My top WotC books by value:

1) PHB
2) Forgotten Realms Campaign Settings
3) Draconomicon

That's of course if you like adventuring with dragons in the mix in FR.
Ithilorien
02-02-04, 11:39 AM Monsters of Faerun also updates a few creatures I remember from 2e that didn't seem to make the 3e cut at first.

Otherwise, I'd say you need:

1) DMG 3.5
2) Complete Warrior
3) Monstrous Manual 2
PSchirf
02-02-04, 12:22 PM A lot of people are recommending books of monsters. A great campaign can be run using the creatures in the Monster Manual. Do you really need additional monsters more than you need a setting or depth in some other area?

Would you benefit more from a few adventures?

http://www.openworldpress.com/images/thumblecov2.jpg

http://www.openworldpress.com/images/oestercov2.jpeg

http://www.openworldpress.com/

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Leibel 01-31-04, 11:39 PM	I'm coming into some money soon and a small part of it will go for Dnd books. Currently I have the 3.5 MM and PHB but the old 2.0 DMG. So a 3.5 DMG is obviously on the list. I'm strongly considering the Feind Folio but can afford 2 or 3 books after that. Are class or race accesories worth the buy? What about non-WOTC books that are compatible with Dnd? (The comic n'card store I'd buy from has plenty of Undead, Mercenaries, Monster, Magic, Sea adventure add-ons and more)
p0cky 01-31-04, 11:50 PM	I love Oriental Adventures, so I would reccomened that to any one who had any desire to have any Oriental feeling in one of their games. I like Book of Vile Darkness, Book of Exalted Deeds and Book of Erotic Fantasy alot too, but that might be out of your flavour. If it is, check out some of the books, like "Complete Warrior" and "Sword and Fist". Or wait for Ebberon to come out if you like that...
Fixxxer 01-31-04, 11:58 PM	If you have a local gaming shop or if you don't mind shopping online, I SERIOUSLY recommend the Slayer's Guide series from Mongoose Publishing. The books are only about $9 each, so you could afford a good handful of them and they're VERY informative. They take a single monster and do a 32 page write-up on its tactics and abilites as well as its ecology, thought processes, any sub-races, goals, etc. For the most part, they're VERY worthwhile books.
Ack'noth Necrom 01-31-04, 11:59 PM	These are the ones i recomend listed by best to worst IMO. Keep in mind that im a full time DM so i tend to value DMing tools higher than other stuff Epic Level handbook Fiend Folio Monster Manual 2 Book of Exalted Deeds 3.0 Prestige class books (all of em) Complete warrior Psionics handbook I would also recomend the Draconomicon if your really into dragons and use them a lot otherwise its not really worth the money IMO. Third party stuff isnt that great from what ive seen but i do like the book Secret college of Necromancy, i recomend this one if your into necromancy. Theres no other 3rd party stuff that ild recomend
Teh Lurv 02-01-04, 12:11 AM	Well I still have to say it, a 3.5 DMG should be #1 on your list. I shudder to think of a DM trying to integrate a 2e DMG with a 3.5 PHB & MM. :eek: The best thing about the 3.5 DMG is that it includes information from both the Epic Level Handbook and the Manual of the Planes in the book. No where as near as much information as from those books, but enough to from a backbone for a game that uses that information. As to suggestions, are you planning to be a player more often than a DM or vice versa? Certain books have more use to a player or DM. What about setting? Are you playing in a homebrewed campaign or a published setting like Forgotten Realms? My suggestions: Monster Manual II: More monsters with many 2e monsters updated. Fiend Folio: More monsters with a focus towards extraplanar creatures. Book of Exalted Deeds: THE book for the good guy player. Complete Warrior: The combat oriented aspects of the 3e class splatbooks condensed into one. Lots of PrCs which are useful to both players and DMs, updated feats, spells, and new exotic weapons. Wait a few months: There are quite a few 3.5e books in the works for the next 6 months. You might want to save your cash for 3.5 books like the Complete Divine, etc. As for non-WotC books, any book created using the d20 rules should be compatible with D&D (these books usually include a "compatible with Dungeons and Dragons" somewhere on the back cover.)
Kaya Kenobi 02-01-04, 12:54 AM	Go to Amazon, and you'll be able to get most of Wizards books for 1/4 to 1/2 of their price (Complete Warrior = 11 and Draconomicon =16) Arcana Unearthed by Sword and Sorcery and Monte Cook is a great buy. As far as monsters go: MM2 Fiend Folio DM Tools: Draconomicon Dragons by AEG Slayer's Guide to Dragons by Mongoose Forgotten Realms Dragonlance Book of Vile Darkness Player friendly: Complete Warrior Arcana Unearthed Unearthed Arcana Kill Players: Creature Collection I & II Ravenloft Waiting: Psionics Handbook, revised Complete Divine Do not get: Quintessential Books Book of Exalted Deeds Psionics Handbook (this is a very touchy issue)
arcady 02-01-04, 12:46 PM	Every DnD gamer should own Magical Medieval Society:WE (http://www.exp.citymax.com/page/page/351668.htm). Beyond that, one would need to know your tastes - what you plan to do with DnD. There are different lists for players, DMs of City games, DMs of dungeon crawls, DMs of wilderness games, DMs who go for social interaction games, and so on.
Shadowslayer_Canada 02-01-04, 02:44 PM	I bought a bunch of the Slayer's guides and loved them in that they give full treatment to critters traditionally used merely as cannon fodder, like orcs, hobgoblins, troglodytes etc (the only one I didn't care for was Trolls) The only other recommendation I can make is the Tome of Horrors by Necromancer Games. Since yu have a 2nd ed DMG I'll assume you've been at this for a while. The Tome covers a lot of the classic monsters that didn't make the translation to 3rd ed, plus a boxload of Demons, Devils, and unique monsters. I love mine and use it all the time. IMO its better then MM2 or FF. Hope this helps.
Loopy 02-01-04, 04:38 PM	DMG, Fiend Folio, Book of Exalted Deeds and Complete Warrior. You won't regret it. Screw the 3rd party stuff... these are really good books. (Vow of Poverty isn't broken, I promise.) What don't you like about the BoED, Kenya? We usually see eye-to-eye. The PrCs and feats are priceless.
Kaya Kenobi 02-01-04, 04:52 PM	Originally posted by Loopy DMG, Fiend Folio, Book of Exalted Deeds and Complete Warrior. You won't regret it. Screw the 3rd party stuff... these are really good books. (Vow of Poverty isn't broken, I promise.) What don't you like about the BoED, Kenya? We usually see eye-to-eye. The PrCs and feats are priceless. Because the idea of the BoED really urks me. Divine poisons? That's just one point. The only other thing is that I really don't like the book in theory or use. I don't care for the BoVD either for the same reasons: Ethics and morals, grossness and stupidity, overpowered and just wrong?
krichaiushii 02-01-04, 05:46 PM	Most 3d party stuff is still 3.0, so will need some tinkering to bring up to speed. That said, if you are primarily a player, seek out books dealing with your character and/or racial preferences. WotC has the assorted splatbooks covering all classes. The 3.5 title for fighter-types is already out. Mongoose has its Quintessential line that covers everything (or tries too). Green Ronin and Bad Axe Games have Races of Renown and Heroes of High Favor - books about specific races. The ones on Dwarves are excellent, btw. There are scads of books regarding different aspects of arcane magic, with Malhavoc's Books of Eldritch Might 1-3 topping the list. Followed closely Green Ronin's Arcana Series and Mongoose's Encyclopedia Arcane series right behind with quantity, if not quality. Books for divine players are more scarce. Malhavoc's Book of Hallowed Might and Green Ronin's Book of the Righteous are all I can think of. Now, if you are more of a DM, there are many more options available. I still recommend the Races of Renown and Heroes of High Favor series for races you want to flesh out - rules wise. There are numerous monster titles aside from WotC's Monster Manual 2 and Fiend Folio. Many are for specific settings - like the Creature Collections for Scarred Lands and the Monsternomicon for the Iron Kingdoms campaign; while others are aimed at more generic settings, such as Necromancer Games' Tome of Horrors and Atlas Games' Fantasy Bestiary (Penumbra line of products). Many posts have recommended Mongoose's Slayer series. I have only one title - Giants. I like it, and will be using parts of it. In fact, I recommend it if you plan to use lots of giants in your campaigns. If there is a specific setting you want to play in, then get the sourcebook(s) and necessary monster books. If you are crafting your own world, then skip the setting books and go for more generic help. Fantasy Flight Games has a series of Source books that covers many aspects of world-building/running. I recommend their Cityworks and Traps and Treachery. Their Monster's Handbook is worth considering, as well. Malhavoc (and a few others, I suspect) have released Event Books - sourcebooks dealing with major campaign events. War, Meteor Strikes, the Death of a Diety, etc. There are also numerous premade citybooks out there, most notably Sword and Sorcery's Hollowfaust: City of Necromancers and Green Ronin's Freeport: City of Adventure. All that said, I would pick up the Complete Book of Eldritch Might (3.5 revision, and compilation of all 3 titles), followed up with the Monster's Handbook and/or Book of the Righteous if you are DMing, or appropriate racial/class books if you are playing. As I have a thing for dwarves, I must recommend Hammer and Helm from Green Ronin. Regardless, try to find reviews on titles before blindly buying them. Enworld and Mortality.net and Rpgnet are good places to check, though some of the d20 companies run links from their products to reviews across the internet. After you make your decision, do tell us what you settle on. Happy spending!
king_of_evil007 02-01-04, 05:59 PM	Definitely the new DMG. It's got some great DM'ing info in there, as well as stuff from the Epic Level Handbook and Manual of the Planes. If you need monsters, go with the Monster Manual 2 first. Fiend Folio is still pretty cool, but it's a little more focused. If you want your PCs to do everything, pick up the Epic Level Handbook and Manual of the Planes. Deities and Demigods is good too. Just be careful, right now, these three books are all 3.0 only. If your game has lots of dragons (or if you like dragons in general) Draconomicon seems like a good buy. I don't have it myself, but I've only heard good things so far. The Psionics Handbook is a real touchy issue. I like it myself, but it's all about whether you like the idea of psychic people in D&D. If you do, it has some cool character/opponent options in there. Should you plan on purchasing this, I'd wait until the 3.5 version comes out. Races of Faerun provides races. If you don't play in FR, you can still use them. Magic of Faerun, while it does have some FR-only stuff, has some cool feats, spells, PrCs, and magic items that you might be able to use. What world do you play in? If it's homebrew, then look at similar worlds and consider getting the appropriate books. (If there are a lot of trolls, then consider the Slayer's Guide to Trolls) If you play (or like DL) The Dragonlance Campaign Setting (and it's accompanying book, Age of Mortals) are pretty good. If you play in FR, there are tons of books that you can buy. the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (obviously), Magic of Faerun, Races of Faerun, Underdark, the Silver Marches, While it's not exactly what you asked for, you might want to invest a bit in D&D Minis. Great for combat uses, the skirmish rules are fun too. If you do, you can also purchase the Miniatures Handbook. Don't get any of the old class books (Sword & Fist, Tome & Blood, Masters of the Wild, and Defenders of the Faith). They were alright back then (IMO) and now that we have 3.5, they're not only out of date ruleswise, but a lot of the worthwhile stuff is being reprinted in books like Complete Warrior and Unearthed Arcana (UA isn't released yet, to my knowledge), not only with errata they needed back then, but also with 3.5 updating. The new books also apparently have less flavor and more PrCs, feats, etc.
arcady 02-01-04, 07:52 PM	Here's some d20 suggestions for different themes: City Gaming: FFG's Cityworks (http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/dd42.html) Magical Medieval Society - Free City Download (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1678&) Website: Medieval Demographics (http://www.io.com/~sjohn/demog.htm) Dungeon Gaming: FFG Dungeoncraft (http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/dd37.html) - dungeon building. Dungeons (http://www.alderac.com/d20/sourcebooks.html) - Dungeon Thinking I don't recommend these two so much as recommend you check them out and see if they are for you. For Wilderness gaming AEG has Wilds and FFG has Wildscape. Wildscape is 3.5, and only came out this last week. Naval Gaming: Salt and Sea Dogs (http://www.kenzerco.com/rpg/kalamar/products.php#saltsea) You can also compare this to Seafarer's Handbook and Seas of Blood. If you like maps, check out the Masterwork Maps (http://www.darkfuries.com/index.shtml) series. If you like minutia about culture and daily living check out Gary Gygax's current works (http://www.trolllord.com/gygax.htm)
Adriayna 02-01-04, 09:04 PM	If you are going to DM, there is a book by AEG called Toolbox. Its amazing. Otherwise, I would go to your game store and figure out what sort of game you are wanting to run. Browse through the books and look at what you are interested in. I personally love planescape, so the Manual of the Planes is a good choice. If you are into Psionics, I'd wait till the 3.5 psionics handbook comes out.
Kaya Kenobi 02-01-04, 09:30 PM	Toolbox.. I will never forget that. Great item for someone on a mind block. It is truly remarkable.
Lance Dracon 02-02-04, 03:03 AM	Originally posted by Kaya Kenobi Kill Players: Ravenloft Why does everyone think that Ravenloft's all about killing the players? Hell, I'd recommend buying the books for that setting, they're the best books I've bought to date, especially the Gazetteers.
Kaya Kenobi 02-02-04, 03:20 AM	Originally posted by Lance Dracon Why does everyone think that Ravenloft's all about killing the players? Hell, I'd recommend buying the books for that setting, they're the best books I've bought to date, especially the Gazetteers. I love ravenloft. But I found it's not a PC friendly world, unless they're playing evil.. And even then it still isn't.
Lance Dracon 02-02-04, 05:51 AM	Well, I suppose it all depends on how you play it... as with all campaign settings. Currently, I'm running my players through Quist's adventure (from the great CotN: Demons netbook from www.kargatane.com) and I wouldn't call that very PC-killing... and certainly not player-killing :devil: But this is a tad bit off topic, so I'll just stop here.
adiaven 02-02-04, 11:27 AM	My top WotC books by value: 1) PHB 2) Forgotten Realms Campaign Settings 3) Draconomicon That's of course if you like adventuring with dragons in the mix in FR.
Ithilorien 02-02-04, 11:39 AM	Monsters of Faerun also updates a few creatures I remember from 2e that didn't seem to make the 3e cut at first. Otherwise, I'd say you need: 1) DMG 3.5 2) Complete Warrior 3) Monstrous Manual 2
PSchirf 02-02-04, 12:22 PM	A lot of people are recommending books of monsters. A great campaign can be run using the creatures in the Monster Manual. Do you really need additional monsters more than you need a setting or depth in some other area? Would you benefit more from a few adventures? http://www.openworldpress.com/images/thumblecov2.jpg http://www.openworldpress.com/images/oestercov2.jpeg http://www.openworldpress.com/