D&D 5E What 5E Books Should I Buy First

[Retreater]

But are they perhaps your teaspoon? Hmmmmmmmm?


(Don't ask, I have no idea what I mean with this comment, I just found it funny in my head, LOL.)

I have gotten stuck on this expression after a friend of mine (a nonnative English speaker) mixed up the idiom. Ever since it is "not my teacup" instead of "not my cup of tea."

 

[overgeeked]

Tasha’s. Multiverse. Wildemount.

For the character options, extra monsters, and awesome setting. Even if you don’t use Wildemount straight, there’s a lot of locations, factions, plot hooks, adventure seeds, NPCs, etc you can slightly reskin, or just rename, and drop in anywhere.

 

[DND_Reborn]

By the way -- use whatever criteria you think and explain in the comments if you desire.

Theros, just because I like the Greek-like setting.

Otherwise, I would save my money and not buy the others.

 

[Stormonu]

I went with Monsters of the Multiverse - but only if you don't already have Volo's or the older Mords.

The others are really a case of "what are you in the mood for?" and would be based on what sort of campaign you want to run - always a personal choice.

I left out Tasha's. I was really disappointed with the book, and didn't find anything useful in it for my game. I wish I hadn't bought it, actually.

 

[MichaelSomething]

5E is not a game about rules but a game about rulings. Therefore, you're better off getting a book that increases the dynamic of your table. Hence...

Your Best Game Ever - Monte Cook Games

Unlock the secrets of consistently awesome RPG experiences—for players and GMs! We’ve all had them: games where the party clicked … Your Best Game Ever

www.montecookgames.com

 

[Parmandur]

Tashais the real must-have here, with a solid selection or Subclasses thst get a bit weirder than Xanathar's, and tons of DM tools.

Monsters of the Multiverse is just about worth it for the new art, but having a consolidated update of most of the Raves in 5E to OneD&D format in one place us quite handy.

As a Wildcard, I'll suggest Ravnica. It has a huge bestiary, that is full of some wild and out there for D&D ideas. The dungeon maps and adventure generation tables.are up there with eberron (both by Wyat, following a similar format). More of a "Urban Fantasy" construction kit than a "Setting" as one might normally consider it.

 

[GreyLord]

The attached poll is a list of the books for 5E that I do not own. I feel like bolstering by library, so I figure I would crowd source the order in which to get them. Note that I limited folks to 3 answers just to avoid folks voting for all of them. If it isn't on the list I either own it or am not the least bit interested.

By the way -- use whatever criteria you think and explain in the comments if you desire.

I chose Wildemount, because I prefer how they present the races and such in the book. In truth it could be a toss up between Wildemount and Mordekainen's.

If you are an Exandria fan it shouldn't even be a question. Get Wildemount. If you enjoy Exandria, that's what you should get point blank.

If you are interested in lore and a world, get Wildemount.

If you don't care about that stuff, hands down it should be the other choice. You should get Mordekainen's as it gives you more monsters and races. There's not much lore or anything else, but it does have a lot more races and monsters than any other book, including races that ARE monsters that you can play (overall...I don't really go for playing the Monsters type game though many do).

One caveat though, if you already have Volo's and Xanathar's...I wouldn't get Mordekainen. It's basically just a repeat with changed stats of those two books, but not as much lore or other material in it.

Tasha's is undeniably the biggest option of the books you list. It adds so many options to the game it's basically the Unearthed Arcana of 5e...it's just called something different.

I also chose the Essentials Kit because it's a great introduction overall, and for those learning the game, it's probably has the most content but in a simplified manner making it an easy book to utilize for those just starting out.

Edit: Got confused between Wildemount and Rising from the Last War (which is the one I would put over most of the other books except Tasha's...etc).

 

[Parmandur]

I also chose the Essentials Kit because it's a great introduction overall, and for those learning the game, it's probably has the most content but in a simplified manner making it an easy book to utilize for those just starting out.

Shout out to the Essentials Kit for coming with a digital copy alongside the box.