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

[Henry]

Based on past conversations, Flexor is a long-time gamer who got burned out on 3E, in part because of rules bloat, went to other game systems, and is now wanting to give 3.5 another try. My previous suggestions were with that in mind.

EDIT: What he said.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone.

 

[johnnype]

I'm assuming that by "must have" you actually mean to say "like to own". If so here is my short list, somewhat in order:

XPH
Advanced Bestiary (Green Ronin)
Book of Fiends (Green Ronin)
Unearthed Arcana
The Book of the Righteous (Green Ronin)


Then a bunch of setting books which are completely optional of course. They would include (but not be limited to):
Rokugan
The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer
The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
Iron Kingdoms Character Guide
Iron Kingdoms World Guide
Ptolus

Keep in mind aI'm a bit of a setting fanatic.

 

[00Machado]

Dm orientated...
I'm not doing all the splats right off the bat...
Advice books are probably less vital than books with must have mechanics or monsters.

First, given the appraoch you set forth above, I'd say that there are no must have books that fit into that framework.

That being said, there are plenty of good books out there to help your games. As to what I'd suggest, I'd say it depends on what you want to run. Do you have an idea?

Without a specific direction, I'll float the following suggestions, based on your stated intention of acquiring a DM focused book, and not getting the splat books, and having your DM focused book lean toward mechanics instead of GM skills advice.

Monster books:
A Magical Society Beast Builder by Expeditious Retreat Press, or Monsters Handbook from Fantasy Flight

Planar:
Manual of the Planes - DM type crunch

Running a certain style of game
Heroes of Battle to run a war type game
Power of Faerun and/or Magical Medieval Society can really help flesh out the backdrop. Power of Faerun specifically is packed, and I mean packed with ideas and adventure themes that are hinted at and left for you to flesh in so far as they interest you.

DMG2
Has a mix of some things, but none of it really essential. For variety though, I think it tops the list. GM skill advice, a premade city and info on developing cities, more magic items, etc.

A campaign setting (if you like to make your own adventures) or campaign module (if you like something pre-made to get the ball rolling). For my money, I'd say Ptolus or Red Hand of Doom, respectively. If you want a setting that costs less money, I'd say just find one with the theme you want to run.

You also can't go wrong spending the money on a subscription to Dungeon magazine. Stand alone adventures, adventure path linked adventures, GM toolkit, maps, pre generated NPCs and stats (even if you don't use the adventures). You'll probably get the best combination of GM resources here as opposed to anywhere else.

 

[Drowbane]

after Core 3...

edit: originally I posted several books that I just like... however I think the best non-core book a rusty DM could invest in is the DMG II. It is full of advice that is useful whether you are a crusty old veteran or a bright-eyed-Noob-behind-the-screen.

 

[buzz]

I Dm'ed 3.0 for 2 years. I sold my stuff and went back to 1e and C&C for a couple years. Now I'm giving 3.5 a shot.

Based on past conversations, Flexor is a long-time gamer who got burned out on 3E, in part because of rules bloat, went to other game systems, and is now wanting to give 3.5 another try. My previous suggestions were with that in mind.

I stand by my suggestions, then. If you don't like rules bloat, don't start tinkering with UA. If you're curious about what UA has to offer, most of the content can be found here: http://www.d20srd.org/ (under "Variant Rules").

Stick to the core three, FAQ, and Errata. Run adventures from WotC's site or from Dungeon. If you add anything, add monster books. Monster book give you new, fun things to kill, and generally don't add new rules.

 

[comrade raoul]

Here's another vote for the PHB2, and another vote against the Spell Compendium and Unearthed Arcana, basically for the reasons Henry gave. I think the PHB2 is unique in that it really addresses shortcomings in the core rules rather than expanding them in ways that are nice but not really necessary. That is, the new classes do a good job modelling classic fantasy archetypes (the guardian, the resourceful and thiefly wizard, the warrior-mage) that the core rules don't capture well, and the new feats make previously important but underpowered character options much more viable. It's the only book that, I think, that can unqualifiedly improve almost any game that uses it.

The Spell Compendium, on the other hand, is a mixed bag--some of the spells provide valuable and appealing options, others are overpowered (or otherwise badly balanced) or make play more complex without really making it more fun. It's a great resource for experienced DMs who are ready to pick and choose the spells they want to add to their games, though.

Unearthed Arcana would be a great book if the variant rules were better. Most of them don't add very much to the game or aren't especially balanced; in general, they're mostly interesting for people who are very familiar with the game, and want to mix it up a bit.

 

[Remathilis]

I could run a perfectly usable 1-20 game with the following:

Core 3
XPH
Spell Compendium
PHB 2
Eberron Campaign Setting

For extra kick, add any Eberron sourcebook, DMG2, MM3

 

[Aaron L]

XPH, so you can have psionics.

Of course, I love psionics, so if you dont, then youll proably not want it.

 

[Valesin]

Non WOTC:
Advanced Beastiary (Green Ronin)
Psychic's Handbook (Green Ronin): If you are looking to introduce mental powers, I say get this instead of the Expanded Psionics Handbook from WOTC.

I would like to second both of these suggestions. And I would add Tome of Magic, the best book showcasing the fact that WotC can think outside the box and isn't afraid to introduce real change into the game.

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.