After the core, what is the "must have" 3.5 book?

[Starglim]

I would say the Expanded Psionics Handbook, though I don't expect everyone to agree.

edit: From a DM's perspective, I don't see anything else as really vital, but will agree with Unearthed Arcana. If you can find, or buy in PDF, the 2e World Builder's Guidebook, I'd rate it the best world-building resource and idea generator I've seen anywhere.

 

[Cedric]

Cheesy answer alert...

The most important book you need next, is a notebook to start writing down those adventure ideas, npcs and plans.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

In order of prefrence? Here is the list:

• Arms & Equipment Guide (it may be 3.0 but it is still a great refrence)
• Unearthed Arcana
• Races of Stone
• Complete Adventurer
• Stormwrack
• PHB II or Arcana Evolved
• Expanded Psionics Handbook or Transcendence
• Gary Gygax's World Builder (ok, not WotC, but is definetely a must have!)
• SRD 3.5 Revised (Full) Bundle (not something you can hold in tour hands, but is a very hand tool for players and DMs)
• Ptolus (this is last because it is the most expensive, otherwise it would be at the top)

 

[Thanee]

- Core (PHB, DM, MM)
- Complete Series (CW, CD, CA, CV)
- Races Series (RoS, RotW, RoD, maybe RotD)
- PHB II
- MM III
- Unearthed Arcana (available as part of the SRD)
- Spell Compendium

Bye
Thanee

 

[Particle_Man]

I would recommend Unearthed Arcana for buckets of options, and could get behind PHB II for more options. DMG II is ok too (Hey, it has mob rules! How can you not love that?).

But to take another tack: Maybe just get a decent setting book (one that has its own tweaks on the standard stuff, perhaps) and run with it. This would depend if you have a homebrew or not, but I had a lot of fun going with, for instance, Legends of Excalibur, PHB, DMG, MM, for some King Arthur-style goodness.

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

For me its the Book of Vile Darkness. I think i get more mileage out of that thing than just about any other non-core book I own. But, as one poster said, its all about taste.

BD

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

For me:

PHBII
Spell Compendium
Complete Warrior

Then the other Completes, then the Races of. I get the most use out of, and actually use rules/feats from, those three.

--fje

 

[BadMojo]

PHB II or Spell Compendium. The former for various class options, the latter if you just want lots of spells without having to flip through a bunch of books.

Those are two of my choices also. Spell Compendium + the PHB gives you as many spells and cleric domains as you'll probably ever want.

PHB II, as mentioned, has a ton of nice variant class features (many good for DM's who hate familiars and animal companions) and also has feats that make high level fighters more interesting and varied.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Unearthed Arcana

 

[pawsplay]

PhBII or Fiend Folio.