3.0 must have books

[diaglo]

I am curious as to why you suggest the Kingdoms of Kalamar books. I tend to run my own campaign worlds, so I would be interested in hearing why you think those are essential.

As a side note, as an old curmudgeon I applaude your steadfast loyalty to OD&D. I am playing in n OD&D game that has been going continuously for over 20 years and is working on its third generation of players. Not characters, PLAYERS.

yeah, i know you... well sorta.. i've read stuff you have done and seen your posts around..

so i built my answer around what i thought you would like. as to the Kalamar stuff. it isn't so much the actual campaign that must be adhered to. it is that the flavor is about right for someone not wanting to have to start from scratch and build whole cloth. you will have to do some work.. but not so much as say the Forgotten Realms... and since you aren't converting definitely avoid Eberron ( although, i do like the concepts just not the mechanics of that setting).

it has a good mix of things.

adding the Tome of Horrors for the monsters is just perfect.

and for the basic rules you kinda do have to use the core stuff. but i'd say use the SRD over buying the books.

 

[Voadam]

Since you are not looking for settings I would recommend the following

MMII, _WotC_ high CR critters.
Tome of Horrors, _Necromancer games_, classic critters
Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary, _Atlas Games_, well fleshed out critters with built in story hooks
Book of Templates _Silverthorne Games_ Monster templates galore

3.0 settings I am partial to:

Ravenloft CS _Arthaus_ (excellent campaign book, players can read everything and it be appropriate except the excellent monster template expansions in the back).
Oathbound Domains of the Forge _bastion Press_ (High powered high magic D&D)
Scarred Lands _Sword Sorcery Studios_ (Lots of adversary D&D with deific apocalypse war recovery setting)
Nyambe _Atlas Games_ (neat classes and African world).

 

[radferth]

I'd add Green Ronin's Shaman Handbook. It's a much better core class than the druid, not that anything in particular is wrong with 3.0 druid, but the shaman is a much more general concept, rather than very specifically Celtic. Plus good spells, good PrCs, and a good way to do spirit monsters.

 

[Sleepy Voiced]

I would say Oriental Adventures - a whole pile of new directions to take things in.

Manual of the Planes

Monster Manual II

Shaman's Handbook from Green Ronin is pretty solid.

The Book of the Righteous from Green Ronin

The various Books of Might from Malhavoc Press

Seafarer's Hanbook from Fantasy Flight Games

Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary from Atlas Games

I have a pretty staunch 3E group, and I have gotten good use out of all of these. I'm sure there are others I just can't think of right now.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

WOTC
Savage Species
D20 Modern
Urban Arcana
Kingdoms of Kalamar setting
Oriental Adventures setting
Dragonlance setting
Forgotten Realms Setting
Magic of Faerun
Star Wars
Lords of Madness

Green Ronin
Book of the Righteous (1 appendix features DIY Holy Knights, allegedly going to be updated)
Ultramodern Firearms
Modern Magic

AEG
Mercenaries
Feats (multi-publisher feat compendium + new feats)
Swashbuckling Adventures setting

Sword & Sorcery
Ravenloft setting

Malhavoc
Arcana Unearthed setting
Book of Eldritch Might
Mindscapes (the updated as Hyperconscious, if you care)
If thoughts could Kill

Atlas
Nyambe setting
Northern Crown setting (its already 3.5, but it rocks, and ties into Nyambe!)

Fast Forward Entertainment
Book of All Spells (Mutli-publisher spell compendium)
Encyclopedia Vanguard: Modern D20 (Modern Weapons)

Privateer Press
Arsenal (techno-magical weapons)
Iron Kingdoms setting (esp. Player's guide)

Magazines & other
Dungeon 92 Spelljammer D20
Dark Sun

Some explanations: Many of the settings contain races, classes, PrCls, Feats etc. that are simply incredibly well done or fill a niche that simply isn't addressed elsewhere. If nothing else, they provide resources that you can adapt to your own games.

Examples: WOTC's KoK and OA both have Shamen: one is based in Native American themes, the other in Asian themes. KoK also has a charisma based spontaneous caster with a wizard's spell progression...definitely Mystic Theurge bait!

Nyambe and Northern Crown are extremely well done and cover vistas that are virtually untouched anywhere else in RPGs.

Arsenal's selection of technomagical weapons is perfect for running an Atlantean campaign, or any D20 setting where magic and tech mix.

AEG's Feats and FFE's BoAS are excellent "database" resources.

 

[Dinkeldog]

Please don't threadcrap here. Yes, that means you.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

OK, I'll bite...

What is meant by the term "threadcrap?"

 

[Aus_Snow]

I don't know what you're into really, other than worldbuilding, 'not psionics' and 'not FR', but I'll just list some 3.0 (or non-specific) stuff I have found to be indispensible, and hopefully that'll be useful in some way.


A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe (Expeditious Retreat)
Dynasties & Demagogues (Atlas)
Tome of Horrors (Necromancer)
Book of the RIghteous (Green Ronin)
Legions of Hell (Green Ronin)
Armies of the Abyss (Green Ronin)
Arcana Unearthed (Malhavoc) - though Arcana Evolved is much prettier, and it's not fully 3.5.


I'm sure there are others, but that's what comes to mind now. Remember that quite a lot of books are only marginally one way or the other (3.0 vs. 3.5), if at all. There are a lot of excellent books that are nominally 3.5. I'd not overlook the whole lot, if I were you. But that's your call, of course. *shrug*

 

[Li Shenron]

You forgot to mention if you're a DM or a player, but I'll assume you're both

"Must have":

- Manual of the Planes
- Tome & Blood + Masters of the Wild *
- Unearthed Arcana **
- Traps & Treachery [Fantasy Flight]
- Armies of the Abyss + Legions of Hell [Green Ronin]
- Encyclopaedia Arcane: Necromancy [Mongoose]

*the other 3 are fine, but these 2 are superior therefore more useful
**published after 3.5, but quite version-free

"Must avoid":

- Deities & Demigods
- Epic Level Handbook
- Hero Builder's Guidebook
- any book that merely collected same-type stuff from different publishers (such as the "complete" feats/prcl books)

"Must investigate" (books I've heard they were very good, but never had a chance to read):

- Heroes of High Favor (at least some books of the series)
- Encyclopaedia Arcane: Divination

 

[Old Fezziwig]

As I understand it, threadcrapping is basically coming into a thread and pointedly causing a problem, usually because you don't have any interest in it or disagree with a poster or his posts.

As for must-have 3.0 books, Manual of the Planes is the only one that I feel is indispensable. It's a brilliant book.

Nick