Draconomicon or Manual of the Planes???

[Phoenix8008]

So I've got enough Christmas money to buy a couple books on Amazon.com but I can't make up my mind on which books. Pretty sure I'll get Martial Power, but I can't decide which other book to get: Draconomicon or Manual of the Planes. Help me decide, please!

So which of these two books would you recommend and why? Thanks for any help!

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Well... Draconomicon is very focused, obviously. Manual is more broad in scope in that it covers in varying degrees of detail the whole planes. It also has some good player stuff.

So basically if you run Dragon heavy games get the first. If you play planar games then Manual.

 

[VictorC]

So basically if you run Dragon heavy games get the first. If you play planar games then Manual.

Really nothing more to consider than that.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Choosing MP first is a very good idea. As for the second book, Manuel of the Planes is a better choice, though YMMV. 4E seems far more interested in incorporating the planes into everyone's play, whereas in 3.5 it was easier to ignore. Plus, I like the planes much more in this setting, and I think it w=opens up a nice area of exploration. The Dragon book is more fluff, except for a series of lairs, most of which are far far far too high level for most games to ever challenge.

 

[Lizard]

Both are good books if viewed on their own; both are much sparser than their 3x counterparts. The MOTP gives a good overview of the new cosmology and has excellent chapters on the Feywild and the Shadowfell, clearly the designer's new favorites; the rest of the cosmos, meh, not so much. Draconomicon has three new dragon types and introduces wyrmling dragons, which were needed; it also has a lot of new draconic monsters, some of which are very original and interesting.

Really, it depends on your needs. If you want to know how the baseline D&D universe works (at least until 4.5), MOTP will provide it, but there's a paucity of serious crunch. Draconomicon is a lot meatier, especially if chromatic dragons are going to figure at all in your campaign.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Actually do you have DDI? Cause the Compendium would cover a ton of the Draconomnicon, since a ton of it is different kinds of creatures.

 

[Lord Xtheth]

Manual of the Planes is the best book I've read in a long while.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Screw Martial Power. Get the Manual of the Planes and the Draconomicon and maybe a DDI subscription instead.

The MotP is very good -- a lot of premade adventure locations ready for you to sprinkle in plots and ideas and direct adventures.

The Draconomicon isn't too shabby -- mainly I'd use it for some keen new monsters and some kickin' epic-level dragons to fight.

If you have the 3e Draconomicon, though, the 4e version won't add a whole lot of fluff to the mix. The 4e Manual of the Planes is more new stuff, but it's also more ideas and less mechanics, which is good if that's what you need. If you already have your adventure lined up, though, I might go with the Draconomicon simply for the ability to pepper new monsters in a little more easily.

 

[doctorhook]

I have all three books you've mentioned, and I second what others have said: You're right to get Martial Power, and Manual of the Planes is probably the best second choice.

Like others said, Draconomicon is very specific in its usefulness. It's interesting, but unless you plan on using a lot of dragons in your games, Manual of the Planes will probably be more useful to you. MotP presents a lot of very broad adventure hooks and ideas, facing all sorts of villains and monsters. (MotP can even be pretty useful in that regard even if your players never ever leave the world for another plane.)

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I agree with Kamikaze Midget: Get a D&DI subscription if you haven't already got one! You will get tons of value for that money.

 

[SlyFlourish]

I don't have the manual of the planes yet but every time I open the Draconomicon I become more impressed. It has nine adventures, three per tier, plus a pack of individual statted dragons of all tiers. A lot of it is playable right out of the book. In particular, I love the vampiric dragon (exsanguination breath weapon!).

I have the manual of the planes coming on the way, but I really do love the draconomicon and I'm hoping Open Grave and maybe a book like it on demons is coming out as well.