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<blockquote data-quote="Shade" data-source="post: 3660743" data-attributes="member: 287">My Top Five:Fiend Folio - The best monster book for Third Edition.&nbsp; I've used nearly all the monsters within.&nbsp; Among the update classics are some new classics, like the kaorti, nerra, and chronotyryn.&nbsp; It has a good mix of types, CR, and included the most innovations of any of the 3E monster books from WotC (swarms, grafts, symbionts, sidebars mentioning using non-core material, etc.)Fiendish Codex 1: Hordes of the Abyss - Possibly the best marriage of author and material of any product I've seen, this is the definitive word on demons, marrying information from every edition of the game.&nbsp;&nbsp; Simply flawless.Lords of Madness - The one that most surprised me.&nbsp; I always liked mind flayers and aboleths, but didn't expect the sheer quality and inspiration of this book.&nbsp;&nbsp; All killer, no filler.Manual of the Planes - It's not perfect, but it's like having the Planescape campaign setting condensed into a single book.&nbsp;&nbsp; As a huge fan of the Great Wheel, this is a must-have for me.Dragon CD-ROM Archives - Chock full o' inspiration in those 250 issues.&nbsp; I only wish it were possible to release a sequel gathering up the remaining print run, and one for the entire Dungeon print run.Honorable Mention:Monster Manual V - Redeems the flagging series after the error-riddled MMIII and uninspiring MMIV.&nbsp;&nbsp; Many of the monsters are inspirational and groundbreaking, yet still true to the game's rich history.&nbsp;&nbsp; And even the &quot;monsters with class levels&quot; don't totally suck this time.Epic Level Handbook - Sure, the system is flawed, the epic spellcasting terrible, and Union is laughable, but the monster chapter alone makes this one worth the price of admission.&nbsp; Just the fact that epic level gaming is recognized at all, and the game doesn't have to end at 20th level, makes this one OK in my book.Expanded Psionics Handbook - This should have been the de facto spellcasting system for 3E.Spell Compendium - Damn handy.&nbsp; This one takes about 10 pounds off the ol' backpack.Tome of Horrors - The only place you're ever going to see some of the classic monsters of past editions in print in 3E.&nbsp;&nbsp; Also, some very cool new critters can be found within.Denizens of Avadnu - A book of fun, odd critters to confuse even the most veteran gamers.&nbsp;&nbsp; Great artwork, too.&nbsp; And nice psionic support as well.Legends of Avadnu - See points on Denizens of Avandu and Epic Level Handbook.Creature Collection I-III, Strange Lands - Imagine if the 1E Fiend Folio went on for four volumes.&nbsp; &nbsp; <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f60e.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":cool:" title="Cool&nbsp; &nbsp; :cool:"&nbsp; data-smilie="6"data-shortname=":cool:" /></blockquote>

[QUOTE="Shade, post: 3660743, member: 287"] My Top Five: Fiend Folio - The best monster book for Third Edition. I've used nearly all the monsters within. Among the update classics are some new classics, like the kaorti, nerra, and chronotyryn. It has a good mix of types, CR, and included the most innovations of any of the 3E monster books from WotC (swarms, grafts, symbionts, sidebars mentioning using non-core material, etc.) Fiendish Codex 1: Hordes of the Abyss - Possibly the best marriage of author and material of any product I've seen, this is the definitive word on demons, marrying information from every edition of the game. Simply flawless. Lords of Madness - The one that most surprised me. I always liked mind flayers and aboleths, but didn't expect the sheer quality and inspiration of this book. All killer, no filler. Manual of the Planes - It's not perfect, but it's like having the Planescape campaign setting condensed into a single book. As a huge fan of the Great Wheel, this is a must-have for me. Dragon CD-ROM Archives - Chock full o' inspiration in those 250 issues. I only wish it were possible to release a sequel gathering up the remaining print run, and one for the entire Dungeon print run. Honorable Mention: Monster Manual V - Redeems the flagging series after the error-riddled MMIII and uninspiring MMIV. Many of the monsters are inspirational and groundbreaking, yet still true to the game's rich history. And even the "monsters with class levels" don't totally suck this time. Epic Level Handbook - Sure, the system is flawed, the epic spellcasting terrible, and Union is laughable, but the monster chapter alone makes this one worth the price of admission. Just the fact that epic level gaming is recognized at all, and the game doesn't have to end at 20th level, makes this one OK in my book. Expanded Psionics Handbook - This should have been the de facto spellcasting system for 3E. Spell Compendium - Damn handy. This one takes about 10 pounds off the ol' backpack. Tome of Horrors - The only place you're ever going to see some of the classic monsters of past editions in print in 3E. Also, some very cool new critters can be found within. Denizens of Avadnu - A book of fun, odd critters to confuse even the most veteran gamers. Great artwork, too. And nice psionic support as well. Legends of Avadnu - See points on Denizens of Avandu and Epic Level Handbook. Creature Collection I-III, Strange Lands - Imagine if the 1E Fiend Folio went on for four volumes. :cool: [/QUOTE]

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