what were the most unique 3.x supplements?

redwing

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What were the most unique 3.x supplements published?

The standard supplements provided PrC's, feats, and spells, but what books actually offered new, interesting concepts? I can't seem to recall the name, but I remember one that had to do with grafting items to your body. Or some books even presented wild, new spins on the magic system.
 

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I think the following are applicable:

Accordlands Master Codex
Nyambe
Dargonstar
Advanced Player's Manual (Green Ronin)
Lone Wolf (Mongoose)
Advanced Player's Guide (Sword Sorcery)
Ravenloft PHB
Ravenloft DMG
Arcana Evolved
Book of Experimental Might
Complete Book of Eldritch Might
Iron Heroes
Ptolus
 

Magic of Incarnum
Book of Nine Swords
Savage Species
Tome of Magic
Weapons of Legacy

Note that I'm not necessarily in love with each one of those books, but they did definitely stretch the game in new directions.
 

The most important for me have been:
- Dragonstar (used it as the basis for a campaign)
- Arcana Unearthed / Arcana Evolved (again, a campaign of mine)
- Iron Heroes (another campaign)
- D20 Modern (never managed to build a campaign, but always wanted.)

Other books often had just some minor elements that could be nice, some came to late to me to "count". I think Book of Nine Swords and the PHB II deserve a mention here.
 


The following is my list and it is limited strictly to 3e (anything in bold means I own it and the others I hope to find at con in February):

Airships (Bastion/Dragonwing): the title says it all.

Artificer's Handbook (Mystic Eye Games): An alternative system for creating magic items

Book of Iron Might (Malhavoc): A combat maneuver system that does not introduce new classes and also shows you how to build maneuvers. I also like the weapon styles

Elements of Magic: Revised (En Publishing), its companion EoM: Lyceian Arcana, and their sister, EOM: Mythic Earth which provide alternate skill based magic systems.

Experts/Experts 3.5 (Skirmisher Press): It re-examines the expert class, breaking it down into multiple NPC classes. It has new professions, and new alternate skill uses

Fewer Absolutes (Sean K Reynolds): two of three free planned web articles that re-examines immunities, specific spells, and trained only skills, their affect on the game and offers some suggested solutions.

Hot Pursuit: definitive guide to d20 chases (Adamant Entertainment) and it's companion, Hot Pursuit: On Foot . A system for handling chases

Libem Liboriam (12 to Midnight/Silven): a supplement on books and, iirc, libraries.

Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe (Expeditious Retreat)

Noble Steeds: A d20 Guide to horses (Avalanche): It's primarily about horses, but it does include other mounts. (There is also In the Saddle: Horses and Other Mounts (Dark Quest Games, but I haven't seen it).

Noble Wild (Skirmisher Press): Play awakened animals.

Poisoncraft (Blue Devil): A book taking a more indepth look at and expands upon poison (I know that Bastion/Dragonwing had Pale Designs: A Poisoner's Handbook, but I never saw it and Poisoncraft seemed to get more praise).

Psychic''s Handbook (Green Ronin): A skill and feat alternative system for mental powers

Redhurst Academy (Human Head): A wizard academy for DND. It is a beautiful book.

Torn Asunder (Bastion/Dragonwing): a new critical hit system for those wanting more detail. I have only seen it once and it reminds me a lot of the second critical hit system option from PO: Combat and Tactics.

Unearthed Arcana (WOTC)

Others include Alchemy and Herbalists (Bastion/Dragonwing), Ink and Quill (Bastion/Dragonwing), Guilds (AEG), Guildcraft (Bastion/Dragonwing), Toolbox (AEG)
 
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Expanded Psionics Handbook, in my case.

It made me want to run an "all psionics, all the time" campaign in a way that few other books have managed to grab my attention.

Wouldn't say it was "most" unique though; putting "most" in front of "unique" is one of my pet hates.
 

The following is my list and it is limited strictly to 3e (anything in bold means I own it and the others I hope to find at con in February):

Airships (Bastion/Dragonwing): the title says it all.

Poisoncraft (Blue Devil): A book taking a more indepth look at and expands upon poison (I know that Bastion/Dragonwing had Pale Designs: A Poisoner's Handbook, but I never saw it and Poisoncraft seemed to get more praise).

Torn Asunder (Bastion/Dragonwing): a new critical hit system for those wanting more detail. I have only seen it once and it reminds me a lot of the second critical hit system option from PO: Combat and Tactics.

Others include Alchemy and Herbalists (Bastion/Dragonwing), Ink and Quill (Bastion/Dragonwing), Guilds (AEG), Guildcraft (Bastion/Dragonwing), Toolbox (AEG)

Greg-

Did you know that you could most of these books for $5.00 or less at the Studio 2 online store?

Bastion Press - Studio 2 Publishing, Inc.
 

It's nice to see Bastion's name in there so many times. I absolutely loved about 90% of their books, just ask Steve. :) BTW steve I'll be picking up your new book shortly, cash issues, for some reason wife thinks that bills come before RPG books, sill women. :)

Two books that I thought had some truely unique concepts were Encylopaedia Arcane: Dragon Magic & Encylopaedia Arcane: Necromancy Dragon magic has the concept of actually altering the fundamental language of the spells to accomplish certain effects, my DM compared it to somebody that has simply memorized a speech and Jesse Jackson or Bill Clinton that understood how the language of the speech can be altered. Well he had a better sounding explanation than I just put. :)

And Necromancy I loved primarily for the Spectral Loremaster, which was similar to how the standard loremaster works, but was more focused on gaining knowledge from the ghosts and deceased (the ethereal ones, not living undead).
 

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