Best Planar books?

[catsclaw227]

Hello All --

I never bought the Planar Handbook by WOTC because of the poor reviews I read about it, but now I need to step into that arena and was wondering what the best planar books, both for flavor/fluff and crunch out there.

Not necessarily books about about gods and their planar domains, but more about the denizens, environment, etc. Planes with demons/devils or celestial creatures, even demi-planes or similar too.

Shout out your opinions! What is your favorite?

Catsclaw

 

[Oryan77]

All of the 2e Planescape material of course!

There's the Planescape Boxset, Planes of Law Boxset, Planes of Chaos Boxset, Planes of Conflict Boxset, & Player's Primer to the Outlands Boxset. That covers the Outer Planes. Then there's Guide to The Astral Plane, Guide to The Ethereal Plane, & The Inner Planes book. If you find Sigil interesting, pick up In The Cage, A Guide to Sigil.

Another very nice book that player's can use (sorta like Planar Handbook only much better) is the Planewalkers Handbook. Keep in mind, all of these books require d20 adjustments, but if you get the 3.0 book Manual of the Planes, it helps with planar crunch rules. It's a pretty good book, but contradicts a lot of Planescape material. I only use it for the crunch conversions.

The PS books are expensive to buy now, but you can get pdf's online for pretty cheap.

The best thing about Planescape was that it focused 90% on fluff and 10% on numbers. Every book still comes in handy in my 3.5 games. So much good info to use. That's one thing I really dislike about d20 books...I don't need more feats/spells/prcs and rules to do more things with skills and templates. I really wish there was more info for things like monsters in the MM's...reading more about social habits and history about a creature would be nice. Planescape MM's had plenty of that info. If a new D&D version comes out 10 years down the road and I want to switch, none of my 3.5 books will really come in handy. But My 2e PS books can be used forever.

 

[Aus_Snow]

For D&D? Yep, Planescape, I agree.

 

[Breakdaddy]

If you are looking for something that is currently in print, I recommend Beyond Countless Doorways. It's got some really good stuff in there.

 

[Psion]

I am an old planescape fan, and planescape is pretty nifty.

But if you are ignoring the fine body of d20 planar products, you are missing some fine material.

FFG:
Portals and Planes (Link to PDF version, also in print): A fine planar product by Mike Mearls with rules for tweaking races that live on other planes, prestige classes, ideas and rules for portals, planar pathways, and planes, and some great creature ideas. The PDF is a steal at $5.

Mongoose:
Classic Play: Book of the Planes
(Link to PDF version, not as cheap as the above, look for the print version...) A nice book with planar organizations, rules for planar magic, shaping and creation, a more detailed plane description system.

Malhavoc Press:
Beyond Countless Doorways (Link to PDF; also in print) Mainly a miscellany of planes and alternate worlds and an alternate cosmology. Billed as a "Planescape Reunion", it boasts that all the authors were part of the old PS team.

Requiem for a God - Another malhavoc PDF and print; if you like the old PS material about dead gods, this expands on the concept.

RoninArts/Lions Den Press products-
Mostly PDF, though some did have PODs. Many are pretty small but a DM's Directory is pretty good size:
A DM's Directory of Demiplanes
A Dozen Planar Gates and Storms
A Dozen Planar Traits
Six Living Planar Gates
Six Planar Gates
Secrets of the Planes: Planar Factions
Secrets of the Planes: Planar Magic
Secrets of the Planes: Planar Treasures

Green Ronin:
Book of Fiends (Link, also pretty easy to find in print) A nice resource for fiendish creatures in your game.

If you do fish around for some old planescape stuff, I find the core set, the three "planes of" boxed sets, hellbound, and Dead Gods to be indispensible titles.

 

[catsclaw227]

I'm definately looking for d20. The planescape is good for the fluff aspect. I just haven't read that much.

... I find the core set, the three "planes of" boxed sets, hellbound, and Dead Gods to be indispensible titles.

I am concerned that.... saying I need 3 boxed sets and three other books is like saying I need a ferrari to drive a car. I understand that no one is really suggesting that, but I am looking for a book or two to cover me.

FFG:
Portals and Planes (Link to PDF version, also in print): A fine planar product by Mike Mearls with rules for tweaking races that live on other planes, prestige classes, ideas and rules for portals, planar pathways, and planes, and some great creature ideas. The PDF is a steal at $5.

Mongoose:
Classic Play: Book of the Planes
(Link to PDF version, not as cheap as the above, look for the print version...) A nice book with planar organizations, rules for planar magic, shaping and creation, a more detailed plane description system.

I just got Beyond Countless Doorways and I have the DM's Directory of Demiplanes, but of the above titles, which do you find better, and how does it compare to the Manual of Planes, Planar handbook. I also saw the Mongoose titles The Planes: Feuerring - Ring of Fire and The Planes: Zahhak - Ashen Waste of the Abyss. Oh and I remember the Scarred Lands planar book Edge of Infinity.

Any thoughts on any of these?

 

[jester47]

Um... I hear the 3e Manual of the Planes is pretty good. PLanar Handbook is not all that bad. It compliments MotP in an ok way. If you can get it at bargian all the better.

But if you have to go with one I would say Beyond Countless Doorways.

Aaron.

 

[Psion]

I am concerned that.... saying I need 3 boxed sets and three other books is like saying I need a ferrari to drive a car. I understand that no one is really suggesting that, but I am looking for a book or two to cover me.

I can understand that. Finding those in print will be a pricey proposition. But they are $5 a peice for the PDFs on RPGnow.

I just got Beyond Countless Doorways and I have the DM's Directory of Demiplanes, but of the above titles, which do you find better, and how does it compare to the Manual of Planes, Planar handbook.

Hmmm... They are both decent books, but I gotta say I get more use out of Portals & Planes.

Book of the Planes has a bit more of a Planescape style, and would probably be better for you if you want to make organizations important in a game. The planes it provides are more in line with the traditional D&D cosmology.

Portals and Planes is a bit more off-beat, and entertains more different options for how you might run a planar game. One even inspired me to start a campaign (see my River of Worlds thread.)

 

[Shemeska]

More 2e Planescape stuff:

'Faces of Evil: The Fiends' and 'Hellbound: The Blood War'.

The first is the seminal sourcebook regarding the fiends of DnD, and the latter is the primary source of information regarding the Blood War, its history, and its impact across all of the planes. If you like fiends, these two books are among the must haves.

I also liked the 2e 'Secrets of the Lamp' by Wolfgang Baur, for the level of detail it give to the genie-kin of the inner planes.

And I'll second Beyond Countless Doorways. The focus was different from the PS material, but it was chock full of ideas, and that alone made it worth it.

 

[Psion]

Jester, Shem,

Catsclaw already has BCD. (See above..)