The 3 Core Books plus THIS ONE BOOK are all you can use to game--What's the one book?

mlund · May 18, 2009

I'd have to say that I'd take the Player's Handbook 2 for my 4th Edition games. That book really does just round out the player options in a vital way.

I'd miss the Adventurer's Vault, though.

- Marty Lund

Stormtalon · May 18, 2009

"Robert's Rules of Order"

Well, not really.... 4E PHB2's gotta be it, it just does.

AllisterH · May 18, 2009

For me, secondly it's all about the expanded options for both players and DMs. FIRST, that would be fixing anything I consider unbalanced/broken in the core.

1e: UA - while not exactly a balanced book and thus not fixing anything in core, no other book in 1e did fix the core and at least this expanded options for everyone (fills my second condition)

2e: Tome of Magic - Just edging out the PO:Sp&M since even though this didn't have the reorganized spheres, it does have the spells for the spheres and I'm going to cheat and use the DRAGON issue that was the inspiration for the reorganized spheres.

3e: I'm tempted to say PHB2, but I'm going to have to go with Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords as this one book fixed everything I thought was wrong with melee combat.

4e: No question about it, PHB2 is as core as you can get without being "core".

NOTE: If computer products were available, for 1e/2e, I'd change my vote to my DRAGON cd archive compilation and for 4e, my DDI subscription.

Tilenas · May 18, 2009

wingsandsword said:
That would either be Unearthed Arcana, or the FRCS.

Exactly my choice. That or the ExPsHb. Coming to think of it, my favourite books are the ones covered in the SRD...

Olaf the Stout · May 19, 2009

For my 3.5e game it would be a toss up between a few books.

Shackled City Adventure Path - With this book and the core 3 I could easily game for several years without needing to worry about creating my own adventures.

PHBII - Some new base classes, variant class abilities for the other base classes and a number of nice feats make this a good add-on book. It has something for just about every class.

Ptolus - The size of this sucker allows it to cover a lot more ground than just about any other single book. Campaign setting, adventures and rules all in one.

Magic Item Compendium - I really like magic items and this book give you a whole lot of them.

Olaf the Stout

Aberzanzorax · May 19, 2009

For 2nd edition:

Faiths and Avatars. Made priests "specialty"...and really gave gods flavor and direction.

Voadam · May 19, 2009

Supplements and settings are nice but I use modules so its all about the big multigame adventures. I could run setting stuff without the books, I can remember some key supplement rules, but adventures I would not want to do without the adventure book itself to reference again and again.

So of stuff I've got:

BD&D B1-9 In Search of Adventure
1e Temple of Elemental Evil
2e Dragonlance anniversary adventure
3e Castle White Rock (Not sure it counts, it is a boxed set and not a single book, might have to go with Adventure 1 or Warlords of the Accordlands Campaign, or Freeport Trilogy, or War of the Burning Sky Complete PDF)

DaveMage · May 20, 2009

Wilderlands of High Fantasy Box set is #1

Ptolus would be choice #1A.

The Ghost · May 20, 2009

Scribe Ineti said:
My three 4e core books are all I'd need for gaming; I could design anything I wanted based off the examples in those three books.

And then I'd have my copy of The Lord of the Rings to use as inspiration for creating my own fantasy worlds.

Replace 4e with 3.5e and this sums it up for me.

Olli · May 24, 2009

well, i have to cheat a little, i don´t take a book, but my dragon magazine rom...

if i had to pick a book, it would be a great encyclopedia (rules for my homegames i can do alright on my own).

oh and i would take the 1st Ed. DM guide for every edition rather than the original (eg 3rd, 4th whatever)