D&D 3E/3.5 Help me Build a D&D3.5 Library!

[Olaf the Stout]

If you want to stick with WotC I would recommend:

Spell Compendium
PHB II
DMG II
Complete Series
Draconomicon
Lords of Madness
Libris Mortis

This should give you a good expansion of options. A lot of the choices may depend on what sort of game you want to run. If you want an desert-based campaign then Sandstorm will be a good option for example. Libris Mortis is good for giving you more details on undead, etc.

Olaf the Stout

 

[MerricB]

If you are *just* running an Adventure Path campaign, you need the following:

Player's Handbook
Dungeon Master's Guide
Monster Manual

All other material is assumed.

However, as a DM I'd like to have these with me:

Monster Manual 2 (3E)
Monsters of Faerun (3e)
Fiend Folio (3E, just)
Monster Manual 3 (3.5e)
Monster Manual 4 (3.5e)

When you start looking at player options, I pretty much assume the following:

Player's Handbook II
Complete Warrior
Complete Arcane
Complete Divine
Complete Adventurer
Complete Mage
Races of Stone
Races of the Wild
(Races of Destiny - not recommended)

After that, it's up to you.

Cheers!

 

[Olaf the Stout]

If you are *just* running an Adventure Path campaign, you need the following:

Player's Handbook
Dungeon Master's Guide
Monster Manual

All other material is assumed.

Of course, if the adventure path (like SCAP for instance) has a Dragon or two and you have the Draconomicon it lets you customise things a bit more to your liking and gives you a lot of the dragon-related rules in more detail. There are enough rules there to run the encounter as is but having related books can help to enhance the experience.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Gary N. Mengle]

You may have trouble finding the full Age of Worms path. It isn't collected in a book yet and if you believe the alarmists it may never be.

I have the issue with the first installment (#124). Beyond that, I have faith in my ability to trawl eBay and various local stores for the rest of the issues. If I can't run down at least a couple of these in the 2 weeks or so before we start playing, I may go with Savage Tide instead (but AoW looks really exceptionally cool to me.)

Expeditious Retreat Press's A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe is a sourcebook about medieval style economics and society, putting a little sense into the background.

Ah. I've actually got that - I kept it along with Fields of Blood because it's such a useful sourcebook on medieval societies, useful in lots and lots of different games.

So, I think I will definitely pick up first the 3.5 Monster Manual and the
Spell Compendium, and the Magic Item Compendium whenever that comes out.

I glanced briefly at the PHBII and DMGII at the local store the other day. Neither seemed to have anything jump out at me that would be immediately useful, but given the reccommendations in this thread, I think I'll pick those up next. After that I will probably go for a couple of variant monster books, probably MMIII and IV, as well as this Fiendish Codex I.

I should also have a look at the Drow War series - is the whole thing released?

Also, I'm especially interested in variant magic systems. So I should probably have a look at the Tome of Magic and Magic of Incarnum, as well as maybe the Expanded Psionics Handbook. Can anyone give me specifics on these?

Beyond that, thanks loads, everybody. There's a lot of great reccommendations here.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Beyond the Core, IMHO, you need:

The entire Complete series.
Expanded Psionics Handbook
Dragon Compendium volume 1
Spell Compendium
Hyperconscious (If you're running psionics, this is a must have)
FFE's Book of All Spells
Any Monster Sourcebook you can afford to buy

While not technically 3.5, I'd also add:

Green Ronin's Book of the Righteous
Oriental Adventures (especially if you have the Dragon magazine that updates it to 3.5...issue #317, I believe)

While not technically D&D, I'd also add:

Arcana Unearthed/Evolved
Midnight 2.0
Iron Kingdoms
Iron Heroes
Rokugan
Nyambe
Northern Crown
Swashbuckling Adventures

While not strictly FRPG material, I'd also add:

Second World Sourcebook
Ultramodern Firearms
Mutants & Masterminds 2.0
Spycraft 2.0
Modern Magic
Arsenal
Factory

 

[JustKim]

Also, I'm especially interested in variant magic systems. So I should probably have a look at the Tome of Magic and Magic of Incarnum, as well as maybe the Expanded Psionics Handbook. Can anyone give me specifics on these?

Tome of Magic has three new systems. One is for binders, demonologists who summon and bind vestiges (forgotten entities) daily and gain a few unique powers from each. They get to be very versatile and have a host of powers later on that can be changed from day to day.
The second ToM system is for shadowcasters, which are just slightly tweaked wizards who cast new shadow/illusion based spells called mysteries. There are more options for customization, like learning more low-level mysteries in order to gain bonus feats, but mechanically the class is pretty weak.
The last system is for truenamers. Truenaming is a skill-based magic system, but it stays pretty close to home. Skill checks only really determine whether or not you can use an utterance, and the way the DCs scale is pretty ridiculous. I think the system is unusable, others disagree.

Magic of Incarnum combines two concepts, chakra and a flow of spiritual energy. Incarnum users tap into the spiritual flow to enhance powers bound to their chakra, and can eventually physically manifest those bound chakra for better effects, in exchange for not being able to wear a magic item in its slot.

Expanded Psionics Handbook changes psionics for the better. MAD is no longer an issue for psions, psionic attack and defense modes are now simply powers, and powers work much like spells. Instead of by level, powers scale by the number of power points you spend manifesting them, so even low-level powers can be competitive. It does have problems, namely that being able to scale every power with an expendable resource means psions are more powerful than wizards if there are few encounters in a day.

 

[Dykstrav]

If you're looking for alternate magic systems, there's a plethora of them out there. I personally dig the pact magic from Tome of Magic. It has a very eldritch, Lovecraftian feel to it. I'd love to play a binder in a future game. I'm certainly planning on using one as a villain some time. Magic of Incarnum is... Interesting. The chakra and soulbind system is a real departure from the classic D&D magic system, and I can see how it'd be alot of fun to play an incarnum-using character. At the same time, it's alot of material to digest. I may be willing to play an incarnum-user, but it'd be a bit much to chew as a DM when you have so many other tasks to juggle.

As a DM, I tend to view my own source material as stuff that either helps me design the setting or the adventures. I pick up tons of monster books. Unbalanced monsters are easier to deal with than unbalanced character stuff (such as new classes or spells), and besides, new monsters are just fun.

I'm really digging some of the Green Ronin products. My own games have always had an ancient world flavor to them. I found Testament and the Trojan War to be incredibly well designed and executed. The material for Rokugan and Nyambe is also fresh and evocative for D&D.

Have you got ideas for a campaign yet?

 

[TarionzCousin]

My favourite third party book is the Complete Book of Eldritch Might by Monte Cook (Malhavoc Press) which is full of interesting spells, magic items and other stuff.

Great book.



Spell Compendium is fantastic. PHBII also adds to the game.

I would say make your players buy the "Complete" book if they want to use any of the material therein.

AEG's Toolbox is nice, too.

 

[MerricB]

Magic of Incarnum is... Interesting. The chakra and soulbind system is a real departure from the classic D&D magic system, and I can see how it'd be alot of fun to play an incarnum-using character. At the same time, it's alot of material to digest. I may be willing to play an incarnum-user, but it'd be a bit much to chew as a DM when you have so many other tasks to juggle.

Speaking as a DM of Incarnum: it's a lot less work than any other magic system. My players and I love it.

Cheers!

 

[GeorgeFields]

Download the SRD. It's all you'll ever need.