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

[ColonelHardisson]

Edit: and I would like to express surprise at the number of votes for DMGII. There is nothing of use in that book. You said you wanted mechanics, and DMGII is nothing more than a 'how-to' guide turning fledgling dMs into boring ones.

I like the DMG II a lot also. There's a lot of good, useful material in it. It's clear a lot of the advice-type material was written by Robin Laws, who's almost universally lauded as one fo the best writers when it comes to giving gaming advice. It's near the top of my "recommend" list, but given the original poster was looking more for crunch than fluff, I didn't mention DMG II.

 

[Aaron L]

I forgot to add, if you arent into psionics then PHB II is the way to go if you want only one book besides core. Its excellent, the extra classes are great (the Duskblade makes me giggle with glee)

 

[blargney the second]

XPH and PHB2, in that order.

 

[Psion]

Edit: and I would like to express surprise at the number of votes for DMGII. There is nothing of use in that book. You said you wanted mechanics, and DMGII is nothing more than a 'how-to' guide turning fledgling dMs into boring ones.

No, it really isn't. Do you even own the book? There are plenty of new mechanics and other non-advice sections, like mentors, businesses, and so forth.

I do prefer Green Ronin's Adanced GM's Guide, but there is some worthwhile stuff in the DMG rules. To illustrate useful bits IMO and to show how much of an advice book it isn't, I'll repost my old AGMG/DMGII comparison:

Between the AGMG and DMGII, I think I prefer the AGMG. If you are a modest to intermediate GM, the DMGII probably has more for you to "take it to the next level". The AGMG has a bit of the same style of advice, but if you have already read Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering (which overlaps a bit with the first chapter of DMGII), you might find the perspective of AGMG's advice fresher. The AGMG is a bit more about experimenting and expanding on your gaming experience and has more pure utility material and variants that will be of more use to more advanced GMs.

Here's a recounting of the content of both books and how useful I personally consider them to be (make your own judgements, natch.):

DMG II Useful

1. Play styles and player traits (though it will be old hat if you have Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering)
2. Other GM advice
3. Archetypal Locations (love this sort of stuff)
4. Political plot hooks & courts (though some of this is old hat)
5. City and town plot hooks
6. 100 instant NPC agendas
7. Magic events (but R&R's ritual system fills this niche for me pretty well)
8. Saltmarsh (well done and useful)
9. Contacts (sort of)
10. NPC unique abilities (sometimes the D&D system can make things a little too predictable.)
11. Business rules
12. Designing prestige classes (we've seen it before, but IMO it's essential)
13. Signature traits
14. Bonded magic items
15. Magic locations (iffy - not sure if I'd use it. Too dependant upon PC interest.)
16. Synergy abilities - just barely said to myself "I wish there was something like this." That's usually a good sign
17. Magic Item Templates (iffy, but used right can have interesting flavor)

DMG II Not so useful

1. Extra traps (sorry, dull and I already own Song & Silence and Traps & Treachery I&II. Book of Challenges is much better IMO.)
2. Miniatures & Battle Grid Notes
3. Encounter Tables
4. Campaign Building (unless you are really a basic GM)
5. Town minor NPCs & establishments
6. Modeling law and justice (at one time I would have dug this; I have no time for this level of emulation before, and I certainly don't keep the last 100 years worth of transitions for every city.)
7. Complex NPCs (one or two might be useful. They need the DMG 3.0 ready to run stock NPCs back; Ultimate NPCs also fills this niche much better.)
8. Mentor/apprentice rules - interesting idea, not compelling enough.
9. PC Organizations - don't think I needed rules or guideance here
10. Guilds - likewise.
11. Teamwork (blah)
12. Artifacts (again, old hat)

AGMG Useful

1. Sensitive Subjects - too many GMs are NOT sensitive to their player's, um, sensitivities.
2. Knowing your group / play style - similar to DMG II, but might be fresher perspective if you have read Robin's Laws before.
3. Combat rules variants - esp. class dodge bonus
4. Speeding play
5. Hex based movement - my preference for outdoors (iffy, though, cause it's old hat)
6. Magic rules - esp metamagic points and self limited spells.
7. Preparing adventures
8. 40 basic plots/40 fight scenses/100 urban details / 100 wilderness details
9. Simplified NPCs
10. 40 campaign themes
11. Cosmology choices
12. Tweaking campaign rules (feats/bonus points)
13. Designing feats & PRCs
14. PC power level variants
15. Ability score generation variants
16. Training variants
17. Innate abilities - AT LAST! Lots of great ways to reward players without magical bling.
18. Levin (power component rules done justice, and eschewing the permanent "butcher shop" mentality.)
19. Sovereign materials - appeal to the munchkin in me
20. New special qualities - farms out those nifty abilities formerly locked up in special weapons.
21. Inconveninces
22. Mystic Locales & Holy sites
23. Initiative cards (though I already use these)

AGMG Not so useful

1. World Design - old hat, for the most part
2. Play environment - old hat
3. Fortune points - sorry, AFAIAC, action points are the standard
4. Designing antagonists and allies (might be useful for newer GMs)
5. APM NPCs (which I don't use any of except eldritch weaver)
6. Character backgrounds (would never use these)
7. Calendars and events (too simple, wouldn't use)
8. Advancement options (none struck my fancy)
9. Item characteristics

 

[Hussar]

If you are interested in environment books, I would recommend Stormwrack. However, unlike some others here, I say stay away from both Frostburn and Sandstorm ( and buy either Wilds (AEG) or Wildcraft (Fantasy Flight Games) despite their being 3.0)

I'm the opposite. I thought Sandstorm was a great book. I use it frequently even now. The idea of wastes in a dungeon is just groovy and it fits in with my WOrld's Largest Dungeon sweetly.

Stormwrack I was less impressed by. Then again, there's already three or four (or more) naval books out there, so, the comparison is a little different.

 

[delericho]

No, it really isn't. Do you even own the book? There are plenty of new mechanics and other non-advice sections, like mentors, businesses, and so forth.

I own the book, and also the Advanced GM's Guide, and am likewise surprised at the number of recommendations of DMG2 here. Frankly, neither book gets a great deal of use at my game table, but I was especially disappointed with the DMG2. Apart from the new magic items (which I thought were especially well done) and Saltmarsh, I found the book sorely lacking in anything I'd want to use.

The DM advice would have been nice about fifteen years ago, before I read the "Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide" from 2nd Edition (which is definately not to say the advice shouldn't exist - I'll readily accept that not everything in every book needs to exist for my benefit).

By contrast, the AGMG struck me as being partly DM advice, and then partly rules variants much like UA. There were a few variants there that I liked, but most of the ones I thought I would actually use were also in UA (which I owned first). And, in both the AGMG and UA, where I saw a variant I liked, I felt that to actually use it the variant would need expanded (and perhaps revised) to stand up to 'real' use.

 

[delericho]

I'm the opposite. I thought Sandstorm was a great book. I use it frequently even now. The idea of wastes in a dungeon is just groovy and it fits in with my WOrld's Largest Dungeon sweetly.

Stormwrack I was less impressed by. Then again, there's already three or four (or more) naval books out there, so, the comparison is a little different.

I concur. Of the environment books, I rate Frostburn the highest (I expected nothing from it, but it really impressed me), then Sandstorm. Stormwrack was okay, but didn't particularly impress me.

Of the monster books, I rate "Lords of Madness" most highly, followed (closely) by "Fiendish Codex I" and the "Draconomicon", with "Libris Mortis" last. But, I was very impressed by all four of those books.

 

[JVisgaitis]

For DM useful, I really like Arcana Unearthed. There's a lot of great options in there. Especially if your a rules monger like myself and like to tinker with stuff. I'm also a huge fan of From Stone to Steel. Its the most comprehensive book on combat I've ever seen (no offense to Arms & Armor which I like as well). Lastly, if your into monsters, check out our Denizens of Avadnu. Its 224 pages and full color and filled with unique monsters you won't find anywhere else.

 

[diaglo]

The Complete Idiot's Guide to d02 Roleplaying -- TBA

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

The Complete Idiot's Guide to d02 Roleplaying -- TBA

My hat knows no limit.