NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="eamon" data-source="post: 3716814" data-attributes="member: 51942">PHB2 - instant success, almost a must haveComplete XYZ series - not bad, but quite a few books (thus expensive) and not as good as PHB2, IMHO.  Complete Warrior is fine, Complete Adventurer is fine, Complete Divine OK - I don't know the rest as well, but I've gathered they're not much different.  Generally these books focus a great deal on prestige classes, which, if you trying to maximize some particular character aspect, is fine, but I'm not too enthralled by prestige classes otherwise.Races of Destiny - no good.  The flavor is boring, the power level odd.  Races of Stone, Races of the Wild - better than Races of Destiny, but not exactly brilliant either.DMG2 - no character options (essentially), but great book about DM-ing.  Contains actually useful tips on how to DM, not just rule mechanics.  If you're short on cash and want to focus on splatbooks for characters only, avoid - but otherwise this is an interesting DM-aid.Spell Compendium - much much better than Complete Divine or Complete Arcane or Complete Mage.   Contains far more material than those splatbooks.   However, as such, it greatly increases caster versatility, and thereby, power.  To balance this, I require that each player researching a SC spell spend 50XP per spell level (except wizards which can get a cheaper option), or encounter it ingame.  It's still a powerful choice, and people still make use of it, but only in a limited fashion to get access to a few signature spells, which increases PC personalization.Magic Item Compendium - Brilliant.  Bored of +2 strength items? Bored of +1 weapons?  The MIC has huge number of small cheap magic items (and quite a few expensive and powerful ones too) which enable a bunch of extra effects.  Rather than an increase in power, this just hugely increases the diversity, especially at low levels (quite a few cost less even than 1000 gp), which is simply great fun.  Even if the PC's can't choose themselves, as a DM, it's still a neat book just to liven up loot.  A must have.My recommendation, in order of value:PHB2, Magic Item Compendium, Spell Compendium, Complete Adventurer, Complete Warrior, Complete Divine.And consider the DMG2, and perhaps a campaign setting such as Eberron, which has a number of character options which help flesh out the link between PC and world (you can still change the "actual" world anyhow.  If you go for Eberron, then the Campaign Setting is a must have, and the Player's Guide is great great flavor (really!).  Races of Eberron is pretty crappy, the flavor in that book comes across as filler, and the crunch is... not so great.</blockquote>

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