D&D 5E 3rd party publishers and 5E

[TwoSix]

I have a ton of 3rd party material I've gathered from DMsGuild, r/UnearthedArcana, and various Patreons I support that I allow and encourage in my games. The diversity available outside of WotC material is amazing.

 

[Storyteller Hero]

People seem to like the deity lore pamphlets that I've been posting on DMsGuild (mix of researched canon and non-canon gap fillers). The SCAG is pretty light on details for the gods of FR individually, so my pamphlets fill in a lot of missing information, especially for people playing in post-Sundering continuity.

With the staggered release schedule for WotC products, I think that there's going to be a hunger in general for lore-based projects as more and more campaigns get underway in the Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, or whichever setting the overlords of WotC choose to open up next (probably Eberron). Most people aren't professional writers so it's going to be nice to find a project that helps enhance their campaign's immersion.

A good thing (from the perspective of an artist) about fluff-focused creations is that they can at least provide inspiration for driving campaign stories forward, so they're always useful to somebody. Most probably won't sell well unless they're larger broad-spectrum projects, but there is always somebody who will want it.

 

[FrogReaver]

One of the most common complaints that I see about 5E is the lack of options. So I wanted to start a thread that had two main purposes, one if you feel that 5E doesn't have enough options for you, do you buy and allow 3 party materials? If not, why not? And for anyone (both those who feel that there are enough options and those that feel that aren't enough) that does buy 3rd party publishers, which ones do you own, which do you use the most and which do you feel are the best?

I don't typically buy 3rd party player option supplements. Because anyone can publish crappy 3rd party material. Because I care about game balance. Because there's usually just not a good way to review any bit of the material before I buy it.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

I do not have the time to buy stuff unproven and then try to figure out if it will fit in with my group's play style, so I stick to stuff that others have already tested and proven that it meshes with official WotC stuff and is not broken or overpowered. There are some 3PP that have been doing this stuff long enough and have a solid reputation, that I would buy it without worrying though.

 

[NakedFury]

Spells and items.

The two things that feel lacking in 5e to the group I play in.

My DM has a couple of extra books and pdfs that add more regular items and spells like The book of lost spells and Greyghast book of items. He also has the beast tome for extra mobs.

Races would be useful if they are other classics not added or monster races like full orc instead of half, etc.

Classes are enough for our group.


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[silentbob1]

I don't typically buy 3rd party player option supplements. Because anyone can publish crappy 3rd party material. Because I care about game balance. Because there's usually just not a good way to review any bit of the material before I buy it.

Good point. Bloatware is a huge problem with Pathfinder and I am glad WOTC is limiting and carefully play testing player option material before it releases it.

 

[darjr]

Don't forget the PHB+1 rule of AL and guideline for general play. It's a great one imho.

 

[thekindgm]

First of all, I'd like to say that I don't believe 5th edition lacks options. Before Xanathar it had a lot of options and now it has even more.
Now, as for 3rd party material I am open to discussion with my players. If they want something I'm willing to review it and see if it can be used in the game.
I prefer sources like the DMs Guild because there's a chance I'll get some information through the comments and ratings and I won't have to blindly review the content by myself.

 

[CapnZapp]

One of the most common complaints that I see about 5E is the lack of options. So I wanted to start a thread that had two main purposes, one if you feel that 5E doesn't have enough options for you, do you buy and allow 3 party materials? If not, why not? And for anyone (both those who feel that there are enough options and those that feel that aren't enough) that does buy 3rd party publishers, which ones do you own, which do you use the most and which do you feel are the best?

I feel there isn't enough options, and I generally don't use 3PP because few 3PP designers truly grok the edition's mindset and I've been burned by bad balance over and over again.

So more official crunch from WotC FTW!

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[CapnZapp]

There is no such thing as lack of options in 5th Ed. There is over 60 subclasses available!

Yes, but there's more to the concept of "options" than merely being able to create lots of different archetypes.

From the viewpoint of an existing character a new subclass within your chosen class is entirely useless. And if you don't use multi-classing, so is every other new subclass.

Options in D&D mean more feats, more spells, but also more intricate ways to build your character. In 3rd edition we had prestige classes.

A new layer of complexity that benefits old characters just as much as new ones would be greatly appreciated by every crunch-starved D&D gamer!


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