D&D 3E/3.5 Help me Build a D&D3.5 Library!

[Gary N. Mengle]

When D&D3.0 was released I bought the heck out of it, and amassed a big shelf full of stuff, a lot of which never got much looked at since I wasn't playing it at the time. Around the release of 3.5 I sold the lot of it off.

Now I'm looking at running a weekly D&D campaign, so the time has come to rebuild a D&D library, and I intend to be fairly selective. I already picked up the 3.5 PH and DMG, and plan to get a Monster Manual next. But looking at the D&D shelves at the FLGS, there is a ton of other stuff that I'm totally unfamiliar with.

What, specifically, should I buy? I'm looking at some kind of epic-type campaign (though starting at 1st level,) probably using Greyhawk, which I don't really need much setting material for. It seems right now like this will be Age of Worms, or maybe Savage Tide once I get the chance to look at it.

So I'm looking for sourcebooks, monster books, rules expansions and the like. Or maybe a different epic campaign than AoW, ST or Shackled City. Probably sticking with baseline WotC/Paizo stuff, but more out of a desire to have a manageable selection of books to choose from than out of any disdain for third-party product. If there is third-party stuff that's really great and meshes seamlessly with the core, tell me about it.

Also, if anyone recommends 3.0 material, is there a source online that summarizes the differences and/or has conversion notes?

 

[Dykstrav]

Spell Compendium. Absolutely one of the most awesome supplements out there. I get as much use out of it as a DM as the players do.

I'd recommend you check out the Player's Handbook II and the Dungeon Master's Guide II. They have enough general interest bits that are genuinely useful that I end up using them quite a bit.

I personally dig Book of Exalted Deeds and Book of Vile Darkness. BoED makes the characters feel truly heroic (if that's the type of game you're going for). BoVD usually makes my player's squirm- they've seen some of the stuff in it, and in this case, makes them more afraid of what they'll run into.

Anything else is dependent on what type of game you're going to run. You might want to check out Sandstorm, for example, if you're going into the desert. I personally dig the monster books, particularly Draconomicon and Fiendish Codex I. Libris Mortis and Lords of Madness also have some good material. But if you're not using those monsters, they won't do you much good.

 

[Thanee]

I would get the following books, I guess...

PHB, DMG, MM 3.5
Complete Warrior
Complete Divine
Complete Arcane
Complete Adventurer
Races of Stone
Races of Destiny
Races of the Wild
Spell Compendium (note: makes the spell sections of the Complete books obsolete)
Player's Handbook II
maybe Dungeon Master's Guide II
maybe Unearthed Arcana (if you like to have some rules variants and options)
maybe Monster Manual III or IV or one of the great 3rd party monster books
maybe Living Greyhawk Gazetteer [3.0] (unless you have everything you need about Greyhawk)

Bye
Thanee

 

[JustKim]

You may have trouble finding the full Age of Worms path. It isn't collected in a book yet and if you believe the alarmists it may never be.

A lot of the 3.5 library depends on what you want to do. I would recommend some of the Compendium books, like WotC's Spell Compendium and the upcoming Magic Item Compendium, or Paizo's Dragon Compendium, for collections of material that's otherwise spread across many products.

Skip the Races series, they are largely forgettable except for Races of Eberron. Skip Monster Manual 2 and 4 unless you're a monster completist like me. There are four monster ecology books out (Draconomicon, Libris Mortis, Lords of Madness, Fiendish Codex I) and another Fiendish Codex on the way; I would only recommend Draconomicon unless you plan to run a very themed game.

There are a number of variant magic systems out now. Expanded Psionics Handbook is the new psionics system, and I would recommend it. Skip Complete Psionic. Magic of Incarnum may be a little much to wrap your head around when you first start a game, and the whole concept rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but I like it. Tome of Magic presents three new magic systems (It's not also a book of spells like in 2E), and at least two of them don't really hold up under scrutiny. Tome of Battle is a combat magic system some people liken to wuxia, which lets fighter types put some sorcery behind their sword. It's another one that rubs some people the wrong way.

The environment series (Frostburn, Sandstorm, Stormwrack, Cityscape) is great if you want to run a regional game, though the new one, Cityscape, is nowhere near as beloved. A number of people prefer FFG's Cityworks.

PHB2 and DMG2 are both good buys. The Completes (Warrior, Divine, Arcane, Adventurer, Mage, Psionic) represent a big investment at this point and may not have much return unless you're buying books for all the players to use.

Heroes of Battle can be skipped. Heroes of Horror is a good resource if you want to run a horror game, but it is not groundbreaking. If you do want to run a horror game, check out Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, it's received high praise.

I think that's more or less all the WotC 3.5 generics.

 

[Wik]

I highly recommend Savage Tide. You'll have a ball.

PHB 2 is a book I get a *lot* of use out of. Not only does it expand the classes of the game (in many cases either "toughening up" weaker classes, or "streamlining" classes like the druid that are highly complex in play) but it includes some of the best new base classes in the game (the Dragon Shaman is the reason my current Savage Tide group is alive; the Beguiler is an excellent class that one of my players is running in a different campaign; the duskblade hasn't been tried out, yet, but it's just a matter of time...)

The *Complete* books are also nice - particularly Complete Adventurer (Spellthief is my favourite class of all time, even if everyone else thinks it sucks), and Complete Warrior. Complete Arcane is pretty good, too (most people love the warmage and warlock found in that book - I'm not big on either of 'em, personally).

I would skip the "races" books for now - they're an interesting read, but it terms of "Crunch", they don't offer a whole lot (that being said, the other reason my group is alive is because he took a race from Races of Stone, and our rogue is a catfolk from Races of The Wild). The "environmnt" books (Frostburn, Sandstorm,Stormwrack, Cityscape) are all excellent, although I wouldn't pick them up right away. Stormwrack would be helpful if you decide to run Savage Tide.

I'd also pick up one variant monster manual - MM 3 or Fiend Folio seem to be the best bets, here. It's just good to be able to throw some "non-core" critters at your players every now and then.

 

[Crothian]

I find that the complete books get a lot of use. Other then that base it on what you feel you want in your game. There are plenty of good books out there but you want books that are both good and you will use for your game. Too many good books sit on shelves because they don't match what a person wants to do.

 

[Tharian]

I have to agree with much of what has already been mentioned in this thread.

In my current campaign, the PHBII and the DMGII are both getting lots of use. The complete books are great for reference and customizing feats, but I think I as the DM am getting more use out of those than my players. The Spell Compendium is getting some use by the Beguiler of the group and I think I'll be snagging info from that for my NPCs.

In the RL campaign in which I play, a more esoteric set of books has been used, but the Completes and the Spell Compendium are used frequently. I'm not sure what others see much use and would have to let my GM (the DM for that campaign) fill in the blanks there.

-HTH-

 

[RichGreen]

Hi,

From Wizards, Spell Compendium, Player's Handbook II and DMG II are good, plus I like the variant rules in Magic of Incarnum and Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords. Monster Manual III has a lot of cool monsters, and I also like the Fiend Folio. Others will disagree but I think you can live without the Complete books and the Races of books.

My favourite third party book is the Complete Book of Eldritch Might by Monte Cook (Malhavoc Press) which is full of interesting spells, magic items and other stuff.

Cheers


Richard

 

[Yair]

Depending on your preferences, there are a number of excellent 3rd party offerings out there too. Some that come to mind (mostly from hearsay):

Green Ronin's Advanced Bestiary can vastly expand on your selection of monsters by offering a vast amount of high quality templates. (Silverthron Games' Book of Templates - Deluxe Edition 3.5 also seems highly appreciated.) The Book of Fiends presents excellent, far more malevolent, demons and devils (and whatever the neutral evil ones are called) for a darker twist.

Atlas Game's Dynasties & Demagogues is a sourcebook for inserting politics and political intrigue into your game.

Expeditious Retreat Press's A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe is a sourcebook about medieval style economics and society, putting a little sense into the background.

The Inner Circle's Denziens of Avandu is probably the best monster book to get if you're after truly strange, innovative creatures - and with great graphics and quality too.

Mongoose Publishing's The Drow War trilogy is what I was contemplating instead of Shackled City. It looks like an excellent campaign (spread over 3 books, starting at level 1 with The Gathering Storm and ending in level 30!).

All these are just examples of books I bought, browsed, or read on that I think would add to any D&D librarry. There are of course others. Many are very niche. For example, if you want a better, more interesting paladin class I'm pretty certain Green Ronin's The Holy Warrior Handbook will be very useful.

 

[Greg K]

WOTC
-Core books.
-Unearthed Arcana
-Monster Manual 2
-Fiend Folio
-Dragonomicon
-Fiendish Codex
-Libris Mortis
-Lords of Madness
-Arms and Equipment Guide
-Spell Compendium
-Stormwrack

Expeditous Retreat
-Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe

Fantasy Flight Games
-Cityworks
-Traps and Treachery
-Wildscape

Green Ronin
-Advanced Bestiary
-Holy Warrior's Handbook
-Psychic's Handbook
-Shaman's Handbook
-Witch's Handbook

Malhavoc
-Book of Roguish Luck

Mongoose
-Quintessential Rogue
-Quintessential Wizard

Monkey God
-From Stone to Steel

Skirmisher
-Experts 3.5

Possible Others:
-Book of Vile Darkness (WOTC)
-DMG 2
-Dragon Magic (WOTC)
-Complete Warrior (WOTC)
-Complete Arcane (WOTC) for the Warlock and some of the spells
-PHB2 (WOTC) for Cleric variant ability, Druid Shapechange variant, New Fighter variant abilities, New Feats, New Polymorph Spells, Affilliations
-Complete Book of Eldritch Might (Malhavoc)



I'd skip the following books from WOTC (others might disagree):
-Book of Exalted Deeds
-Weapons of Legacy
-Complete Adventurer

-Complete Divine ( I think the Spirit Shaman is the only decent thing in the book, but the Shaman's Handbook from Green Ronin is a much better treatment)

-Frostburn: get wildscape instead
-Sandstorm: get Wildscape instead
-any of the "Races of" books.

- Magic of Incarnum (any interesting system buried in terrible fluff)

-Expanded Psionics Handbook (only because I think the Psychic's Handbook is a better treatment for mental powers )