D&D 3E/3.5 Best 3E books for DMs?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm in the middle of purging my collection of cruft (most of the "Complete" books, for instance) and looking to refocus my collection on stuff that will have continuing utility, whether I'm running 3E, C&C or Pathfinder.

So, that said, what are the best 3E books for DMs? I run games set in Ptolus and Freeport and hope to one day do a Harry Potter-style Redhurst game. Monster books are good assuming the monsters themselves are engaging. I tend to prefer old school flavor, rather than some of the wahoo! stuff in later WotC books.

Many thanks for your help.

 

[Croesus]

I did something similar last year and I kept only the following three books, in addition to the core books:
-Rules Compendium
-Spell Compendium
-Magic Item Compendium

I was tempted to keep the environment books, but decided it's easier to simply handwave a lot of the details. If I was planning a campaign set in a desert or arctic area, I might change my mind, but otherwise they just seemed to be more than I need.

I was also tempted to keep the monster books, but I have a few third party books, such as Book of Templates, that meet my needs.

I got rid of all the splat books, as my group can always come up with our own feats, if desired.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yeah, I discovered that I really didn't see anything in Frostburn or Stormwrack that really clicked with me, as much as I wanted them to. And Advanced Bestiary is a better monster book than any WotC ever put out, IMO, especially when combined with Tome of Horrors. (I did keep the Fiend Folio, though, since there were enough good monsters in it.)

 

[Ahnehnois]

The monster series (LoM, Libris Mortis, Draconomocon, Fiendish Codices) are all good and all widely applucable. I'd say Heroes of Horror also has a lot of readily portable stuff and interesting ideas.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The monster series (LoM, Libris Mortis, Draconomocon, Fiendish Codices) are all good and all widely applucable. I'd say Heroes of Horror also has a lot of readily portable stuff and interesting ideas.

Yeah, I'm keeping Libris Mortis and Draconomicon and I'll be picking up Lords of Madness. I'll take a look at Heroes of Horror and the Magic Item Compendium as well. (I already have Spell Compendium.) Does Cityscape have enough to merit picking it up?

 

[Ahnehnois]

Does Cityscape have enough to merit picking it up?

In a word? No.

I found Frostburn, Sandstorm, and Stormwrack to be respectable takes on their respective environments, but Cityscape was weak. Not so much unbalanced as there just wasn't a lot of information in there. Very limited crunch, generic fluff, a lot of recycled material from other books. Definitely not at the top of my recommendations.

MIC, FWIW is one of my most frequently used books. Having definitive tables of what you can wear in each item slot saves an inestimable amount of time. The book is hard to come by because it's so useful. I actually bought one I found online for one of my players because I didn't trust it to stay available at the price it was being offered for long enough for him to buy it.

 

[Mark CMG]

UA puts a lot of options on the table and I also like the 3.5 DMG II. If you are going beyond WotC, GR's Advanced stuff is fun, particularly the Bestiary if you like templates. I'll be sending the Ice Mephit of Pestilence (straight from the book) against my 10th-level PF group in the next couple weeks along with swarms of giant Frost Flies (my own add). GR's Medieval Players Guide is useful if you play a more traditional Medieval Fantasy game (along with XRP's Magical Medieval Society, of course). I also love the flavor and crunch of the Atlas Games Campaign styles ("&") series, Love & War, Crime & Punishment, Dynasties & Demagogues, if you can find them. From Stone to Steel has plenty of utility from MonkeyGod/Highmoon. There are others I cannot think of off the top of my head, I am sure.

 

[Tovec]

To OP:
It clearly depends on the types of games you will be running. As far as what I have, and I'm very happy with it, Core (in both 3.5 and PF), APG(PF), GMG(PF), Deities and Demigods (in case I want to make a god), Bestiary (PF monsters), Manual of the Planes (no better guide really), and I wish I had epic level handbook.

Don't have:
I wouldn't throw away (sell, discard, trade, w/e) my Completes... well I wouldn't do it to the first 4 completes (Warrior, Adventurer, Arcane, Divine) but most the other fluff books I could part with. I would also keep PHB2(3.5) as it gave many options. That is about all I would really seek in my collection from PF and 3.5.

-Rules Compendium
-Spell Compendium
-Magic Item Compendium

I hate all three of these.
Rules Compendium maybe less so. I just feel the clarification in this should have been in the PHB.
Spell Compendium came up with too many oddball spells, Orbs came from that book IIRC. It is just too much. I'm quite happy with the PHB (or Core) as far as spells go.
Magic Item Compendium broke a lot of magic items that I wanted un-broken. It added opens that (as a DM) I didn't really feel like saying NO to my players about, but had to. I really detest MIC, Spell Compendium I can live with, MIC just annoys me.

 

[AeroDm]

The DMG 2 was always one of my favorite 3e books. It had some great ideas that always jump started something fun and summarized a lot of the early lessons of 3e into some decent rules.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

The 1E DMG.