Spending gift money: What are some good D&D buys? (Publishers, pimp here!)

[Guilt Puppy]

Okay, so I have a small pile of checks from a variety of relatives left over this year... I could put it toward rent or food or something, but it's gift money, so I figure I might as well spend it on gift-style things: Namely, D&D supplements!

I'm looking for any of the following:

- Good, adaptable modules of any non-epic level. If anyone knows of a really good series that takes characters from 1 to 20, I'd be open to that. (Although I'm mainly interested in cheaper modules -- as "one-use" items, they're not usually a strong investment.)

- Some nice DM support-books... Stronghold Builders' Guide, Enemies and Allies, that sort of thing.

- Campaign settings are A-OK too. (So long as they are not the Forgotten Realms.)

- Any other choice material (even just "these are neat-looking dice!") I'd love to hear about.

 

[maddman75]

I'll give some props to ENWorld's Wulf Ratbane and his Bad Axe Games. I got a signed copy of Heros of High Honor: Dwarves as a member of the 'Wulf's drooling fanboy Army' and just used my gift money to send off for Half-orcs.

The books look at each race and have PRCs and rules based on the favored class of each race. So in dwarves you have Artificers (ftr/wiz), Paragons (ftr/pal), Battleragers (ftr/barb), etc. Along with some good feats and other rules.

The books are $10, 64 pages. Very very crunchy. Get them at http://www.badaxegames.com

 

[Nightfall]

I think you'll find both Oathbound and Scarred Lands Campaign setting to your liking. (Though I will admit Oathbound has a pretty high level magic ratio. But what do you expect from a place where a god is imprisioned?! Whoops! I gave away a secret! Bad Sage! Bad Sage! )

If you want some really great DM support material, definately pick up the Monster's Handbook by Fantasy Flight Games and Book of Vile Darkness.

 

[Reprisal]

Privateer Press' Iron Kingdoms

I've heard some good things about Privateer Press' triad of steampunk adventures called "The Witchfire Trilogy." It introduces a new setting called Iron Kingdoms, of which I am very interested. I'm just waiting for their setting book to finally come out!

Privateer Press

- Rep.

 

[Buttercup]

Well, puppy, I can recommend a few things that are a big help to me in my games:

Under the Penumbra label:
Seven Cities
En Route
Backdrops
Occult Lote

Legends & Lairs titles (by Fantasy Flight Games):
Traps & Treachery I
Traps & Treachery II

If you need another monster book, or even if you're not sure, take a look at:
Monsternomicon

If you want a city setting:
Bluffside

If you want a lower magic campaign setting, with excellent production values, invest in Kingdoms of Kalamar:
Campaign Setting
Player's Guide
Atlas (this is so gorgeous I don't have the words to describe it!)

 

[thegreatbuddha]

Kalamar

I'm gonna have to pimp Kalamar here. The setting is great, as it is written with just enough vagueness to allow the DM to flesh out what he wants to without being so vague that it would be easier to homebrew.

The setting also enjoys support from its publisher, Kenzer & Co. Buttercup mentioned the Atlas, which is one of the most beautiful books I have ever seen. It's $30. It cost Kenzer somewhere in the neighborhood of $35 to make each copy. They went in knowing they were going to lose money. They did it for the fans.

As for the "essentials" of gaming in Kalamar, you really only need the Campaign Setting itself, although if you want all the new rules and whatnot, they're in the Player's Guide. They have a beautifully done DM Shield. It has 24 panels and every chart & table you will ever need.

Adventure-wise, you'll probably want to start with The Root of All Evil, which starts out the Coin Trilogy. That will take your characters to 7th level or so, at which point the other Kalamar adventures will get them all the way to 18th level (Lost Tomb of Kruk Ma Kali, IIRC).

To sweeten the deal a bit, you can go to kenzerco.com and order a grab bag through their online store. They come in $25 or $50 varieties, and are guaranteed to have a MINIMUM of double the value of the price tag. Some bags also have "random swag," like signed pieces of original artwork or solid gold figures of the Knights of the Dinner Table.

i know I'll sound like a crazed fanboy, so I'll end my post now.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

A nice (and cheap) suppliment is the Book of Eldritch Might by Malhavoc Press. It's only $5 as a PDF, though you an also buy it in print. I'd also recommend BOEM II. I hear BOEM III is good as well, though I don't own that one personally....yet.

 

[Nightfall]

From what Psion tells me BoEM III is better than II, which I have to admit was pretty weak.

Also recommend you check out Book of Hallowed Might as well.

 

[mearls]

Well, I'm a game designer so I have a vested interest in this, but I'll try to keep from pushing my material too hard...

Modules:
The two WotC megamodules, Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil and City of the Spider Queen are both good buys with tons of material you can use and enough adventure to last a long while, as is the Banewarrens. Dungeon magazine is also a great buy. For less than the cost of a 32 page module you get 4 adventures per issue.

DM support-books:
Nightfall has already mentioned The Monsters Handbook, so I don't feel bad mentioning it. I wrote, I love it, and I think every DM should buy one not only because Fantasy Flight would undoubtedly hire me to write a billion or so more books, but because I honestly believe that every DM on earth can get a ton of use out of it. The book allows you to modify and tailor monsters to your heart's content while keeping their CRs reasonable. For example, you could create an ice goblin by granting the standard goblin the ability to breath ice and resist cold attacks. The system in the book computes the CR modifier and keeps your newly modified monster balanced.

There's a sample chapter of the book available as a free download at:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/pdf/llmhpreview.pdf

Other good books are Book of Eldritch Might I and II, Masters of Arms from Second World Simulations, the Book of Vile Darkness, and the Manual of the Planes. Also, Fiery Dragon makes some cool counter collections.

A subscription to Dragon is perhaps the best bargain you'll find. Lots of new stuff every month for about the same price as a hardcover RPG book.

Campaign Settings
Freeport is a cool city that can be dropped into almost any campaign world. The Scarred Lands have a nice, distinct flavor and lots of support material. You might also want to check out Arcanis if you want something a bit different from the norm. Oriental Adventures is a very nicely done book with lots of new options and a refreshing background if FR is old hat for you.

d20 Games
You might also want to check out d20 games and settings that stray from traditional fantasy. Dragonstar is a cool blend of sci-fi and fantasy, while Mutants and Masterminds is the best superhero game of the year. d20 Call of Cthulhu is a great change of pace from D&D and presents a ton of cool material in one book.

There, that's it, and I only tried to sell one of my books!

 

[Nightfall]

Re: Re: Spending gift money: What are some good D&D buys? (Publishers, pimp here!)

There, that's it, and I only tried to sell one of my books!

Yep and just like you I only promoted ONE Scarred Lands book. Think we did pretty well there Mike. (Btw I think you did an excellent job on the Monster's Handbook. Great stuff.)