D&D 5E What Do You Think is the Best 5E Book for DMs So Far?

[Hexmage-EN]

5E has been around for a decade. Of the booms published in this edition, which ones resonate the most with you as a DM?

Personally, despite not being a big Ravenloft fan I have to say that it seems to me like the best book overall. You've got dark gifts to tempt players, guidelines for creating a Domain of Dread and what horror genre to design it around, the domains themselves, organizations and NPCs in the setting, a horror toolkit with setting appropriate new rules like curses and survivor companion NPCs, a short sample adventure, and finally a nice bestiary of appropriate monsters. There's just a ton of broad, DM-facing content that covers all sorts of topics applicable to the setting.

 

[Micah Sweet]

5E has been around for a decade. Of the booms published in this edition, which ones resonate the most with you as a DM?

Personally, despite not being a big Ravenloft fan I have to say that it seems to me like the best book overall. You've got dark gifts to tempt players, guidelines for creating a Domain of Dread and what horror genre to design it around, the domains themselves, organizations and NPCs in the setting, a horror toolkit with setting appropriate new rules like curses and survivor companion NPCs, a short sample adventure, and finally a nice bestiary of appropriate monsters. There's just a ton of broad, DM-facing content that covers all sorts of topics applicable to the setting.

Are you assuming 5e=WotC? Because if not my vote is for Level Up's Trials and Treasures, with special mention going to the 5e version of Green Ronin's the Book of the Righteous (mostly because it's based on the excellent 3e version).

If you are assuming WotC only, then probably the 2014 DMG. Lots of great stuff in there, poor organization or not.

 

[Stormonu]

Strangely, there hasn't been much DM-facing content for 5E that has impressed me, beyond monster books (I love bestiaries).
I'd probably have to say Xanathar's and Tasha's has had the most helpful DM information, between the expansion on Downtime activities, Traps & Riddles and Patron information.

I loathe the 5E DMG as probably the worst DMG I've ever run across. If it weren't the source of magic items, I'd have tossed it a long time ago. I'm happily looking forward to the 2024 DMG and hoping it'll live up to its previews so far.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Big fan of Theros and Ravnica as both example of different fantasy genres and workshops on factions and piety as pillars of campaign building.

Eberron also would be in that category.

 

[overgeeked]

Official books? None of them, really.

Unofficial books, loads.

 

[Quickleaf]

I think the Monster Manual and Volo’s Guide to Monsters are getting warm. They have so many fun hooks imbedded in the monster lore. Really great way to jumpstart your creativity is looking up a monster you’re interested in running, or just flipping to a random page or two.

I also use the (2014) DMG’s later chapters on homebrewing spells, monsters, and such quite a bit. They’re very sparse, but they are decent enough starting point that I notice many GMs seem to overlook.

 

[Stormonu]

I think the Monster Manual and Volo’s Guide to Monsters are getting warm. They have so many fun hooks imbedded in the monster lore. Really great way to jumpstart your creativity is looking up a monster you’re interested in running, or just flipping to a random page or two.

I also use the (2014) DMG’s later chapters on homebrewing spells, monsters, and such quite a bit. They’re very sparse, but they are decent enough starting point that I notice many GMs seem to overlook.

Sadly, they are too sparse for my liking. I've had to look elsewhere for tips & tricks on making monsters (and a LOT of trial and error self-building) and the spell advice is horribly incomplete - I've turned to this guide for spell design.

The worst part is encounter design. I had to read over it at least three times to get the basics, and I still feel unhappy with their method and designations of what is Easy, Medium, Hard and Deadly. Especially if you're not planning/getting the X number of combats per day the DM expects - too little wiggle room for properly setting up a boss fight with fully rested PCs for example, or travel encounters where the may be at tops two encounters in a day.

 

[pukunui]

The Book of Many Things is fantastic. That one gets my vote.

 

[Zardnaar]

Tome of Beasts probably.

From WotC not a lot. Xanathars maybe. Eberron and Therros were good and everything else is kinda niche or a mediocre adventure.

 

[Quickleaf]

Sadly, they are too sparse for my liking. I've had to look elsewhere for tips & tricks on making monsters (and a LOT of trial and error self-building) and the spell advice is horribly incomplete - I've turned to this guide for spell design.

The worst part is encounter design. I had to read over it at least three times to get the basics, and I still feel unhappy with their method and designations of what is Easy, Medium, Hard and Deadly. Especially if you're not planning/getting the X number of combats per day the DM expects - too little wiggle room for properly setting up a boss fight with fully rested PCs for example, or travel encounters where the may be at tops two encounters in a day.

Wow, never thought I'd see a link to Dandwiki that was actually well-thought out!

So I meant it when I said it's a starting point. We are faaaaaaaaaar past that in our GMing "careers", so it completely understandable that we'd look back at the DMG and say "pff, that does nothing for me." Most of my monster design and spell design is in another orbit entirely (for better or worse).

But as for the (2014) DMG's combat building suggestions, I am 110% in agreement. They suck. The only part of that section I found worth salvaging was the "adventuring day XP budget" – it was a fair guideline up until 9th level in my last campaign iirc.

And the issue you point out about random encounters sigh has been something D&D's team just can't update, not in 3e, 4e, or 5e as far as I remember. There are so many creative ways to handle that "one random encounter in a traveling day" issue – even the old AD&D trick with larger encounter groups in the wilderness, while no great work of the imagination, was something.