D&D 5E What old books work best with 5e?

[halfling rogue]

I'm often coming across lots of books from older editions at used bookstores. Just the other day I came across three full shelves of stuff from 1e to 4e. Some are crazy overpriced, but some are actually pretty good deals, if only I'd use them.

That said, as I've only played 3.5 as a player before 5e, I don't know what books are crap and what books keep on giving. I was interested to know what some folks here think which of the older edition books might work best with 5e. And by that I mean from inspiration to adaptation, etc. Essentially what could I use from book X in a 5e game.

Now I know 5e is flexible so modules are more or less a given. Unfortunately I don't run across many modules or adventure books. Most are source books, core books and a few setting books.

In your opinion what are some of the books I should keep an eye out for? What would be worth my while?

 

[Agamon]

Setting books and adventures are the best value. There isn't usually much crunch in setting books (although 3.x did it's best to change that) and adventures are pretty easy to convert, no just from other D&D editions, but other games, too.

Books full of monsters, spells, magic items, etc, have some value. Conversion may or may not be easy, but taking the fluff from the items and just stating it up for 5e wouldn't be too hard.

3.x's Complete X series and 2e's Complete Book of X series and Y Handbook series of splat books are probably the least value. These are full of crunch for classes built for those editions of games.

Core books aren't all that useful to a 5e game, though there is good GMing advice in some of the DMGs, 1e DMG, 3.5 DMG2 and PF's Gamemaster Guide, in particular, all have some good advice.

 

[Sacrosanct]

All the 1e modules work, and are super easy to convert. Most of my 5e game playing (and almost all of the playtest period) was using AD&D 1e modules. The 2e settings would also work great because they are not tied to mechanics, but focus on campaign settings. Who really needs a Ravenloft reboot for 5e when the 2e setting works perfectly fine.

 

[Jester David]

A lot are mostly crunch, which is interesting from a nostalgia viewpoint but less useful as a reference source. Most 1e hardcovers fall into that category.

Adventures are always good. They're often easy to convert.
Setting books are also useful... for that setting. But you can always read them for stealable locations and NPCs for homebrew worlds and adventures.

Either the 1e or 3e Manual of the Planes would be good. There's a lot of fun descriptions in those. Deities and Demigods is less useful, but still interesting.

Monster books can provide a lot of inspiration, especially the ones focusing on a single creature (Open Grave or Draconomicon).

2nd Edition released a lot of interesting softcover books. There were some Historical Resources series that might be an interesting read and some other DM resources. Heck, pretty much anything aimed at DMs is probably a pretty good purchase.

 

[GX.Sigma]

The "type" of book doesn't matter as much as the quality/usefulness of the book itself. If it's good, it's worth converting. If it's not, it's not.

 

[nomotog]

Stronghold builders guide is always useful. I think most 3ed books could be converted to 5ed without too much trouble.

 

[Paraxis]

Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue, it is like a department store catalogue of items and very few game mechanics.

http://www.dndclassics.com/product/16834/Auroras-Whole-Realms-Catalogue-2e?term=aur&it=1

Encyclopedia Magica Volume 1 - 4, from 2e a wonderful collection of every magic item published from any source and every edition up to it's printing. Just a massive collection of wonderful ideas.

http://www.dndclassics.com/product/17450/Encyclopedia-Magica-Vol-1-AD-2e?term=magic+item&it=1

That and setting books if you are into that sort of thing, I prefer to just use homebrew worlds so ignore most of those myself.

 

[Remathilis]

3.x's Complete X series and 2e's Complete Book of X series and Y Handbook series of splat books are probably the least value. These are full of crunch for classes built for those editions of games.

As far as the 2e Complete Book of X or Y Handbooks; depends on the book. While they are remembered for kits and such, there is a LOT of good role-playing info. Fighter gives some good info for warrior campaigns, thieves has thief-guild creation rules, priests talks about creating a pantheon (though ignore the specialty priest rules), wizards has lots of good info on magical substances, guilds, and training, bards has a HUGE part on role-playing a musician, druids on sacred groves and the druidic order, paladins on creating oaths, and rangers on wilderness survival. The race books are likewise good on mundane life, biology, and culture of those races (although not all of it jives with 5e's versions in some areas).

I wouldn't necessarily recommend going out and buying them, but if you have them, they are a lot less useless than say Sword and Fist or Complete Warrior are...

 

[Erik42]

For me the 1E DMG is the most useful early edition book I own. It is rife with detailed lists and awesome tables and reference information about just about anything one may want. Off the top of my head I still get use out of the Secondary Skill table, Starting Age table, Age Categories by Race, Hireling tables, Hiring and Creating Henchmen, Follower Tables, Ships, Naval Combat, Gem Types, Value of Gems and Jewelry, Random Encounters (Especially the Urban Tables), Fabricating Magic Items, Herbs and their Uses, Trap and Tricks, Random Noises, Items in a Lab, Contents of Containers, Artifact Creation, Sentient Weapons, Random Dungeon Creator, Hierarchy of Nobility...just to name the first things to come to mind.

 

[Ezequielramone]

1e, 2e adventures, Tome of magic (2e), any sPell book from 2nd and 3rd ed. Most 2e sourcebooks have optional systems that fits 5e. I could use cities of mystery (forgotten realms). I believe 2e books are better than 3rd ones.
campaign settings from any ed. There are many fan created races in this page to play in eberron or dragonlance.
3rd era adventures in general.
I could check my library at night. ...