What would you want in a sourcebook?

[James McMurray]

adndgamer: Got tons of magic items and quite a few spells ready. As far as tips for DMing go, there's really only a few rules to good DMing:

Don't railroad
Actions should have logical repercussions
Consistincy is key
Have fun

Other than that, I don't know what I could really add to that type of book, unless I just expounded upon those things.

AFGNCAAP: I always try t have at least one nice combination of spells, magic items, and/or feats for and NPC. As for new races, I usually play in default Greyhawk (with spells and items added from other worlds at times, like Relicss and Rituals or something), so new races would be kind of odd to fit in.

Psychotic Dreamer and Razzer9: I do have tons of spells. Quite a few of them are combat oriented, but aren't just another way to deal damage. Even the ones that deal damage are more than just "do x damage" they also have some other benefit to them. There are spells however that would be useless in combat. (Such as Mark of the Deity for a cleric with the Knowledge Domain).

I'll look at the spell lists available and try to generate some ideas for Enchantment and Necromantic spells at the levels where they're missing.

Thanks again all! And feel free to keep replying!

 

[James McMurray]

Just a bump from the mists of antiquity, for those newer memeber. Hey Oren, welcome aboard! (not that I know you or anything, it just gave your name at the top of one of the pages )

 

[Shin Okada]

There are some types of supplements I am interested in.

*Adventures

Good adventures are always welcomed. Especially ones with good maps. I also like things such as hand-outs in Call of Cthulhu modules (burned-out letters, etc.)

*Data books

Have a lot of data which I can use for playing DnD. I do not want new rules. Just new data. I mean, which I do not have to learn or memorize, the things that I can use without killing current game-balance. So I like things such as creatures and magic items. I always love monster books. Especially ones with beautiful illustrations and rich articles on those monster's society, biology, psychology, etc.

*Additional rules for specific situation

Basically, I do not want no more rules. But rules which allow me to play some specific situation which is not covered by the core rule are welcomed. My current interest is, say, rules for war (including siege engine), ship combat/sailing rules, vehicle combat rules (ancient, modern, future, etc.

*Interesting and Attractive world setting

Those things are welcomed, too. But they must be very attractive and unique to let me buy them. I do not want any more "another sword and sorcery setting". Additional rules can be thrown in if that rule is for representing the uniqueness of that world. But I do not want any more "just another rules for solving magic".

IMHO, you must first decide what is the purpose of that supplement. Is that book an adventure or rule/data book used for everybody's 3e campaign? Or is that book a new world setting for 3e? Or is that book an entirely new RPG just using d20 system? You should decide it first and then decide what should be in the book.

 

[Omegium]

I support the ideas of alternative magic systems. Accurate and playable rules of how to make up and cast spells on the fly, instead of prepared packages, those would be very good.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Last session, we talket a bit about the D20 Market... It reminds us at the "New Econmoy" (that currently proves that is actually still exactly like the Old Economy, but no one wanted to believe it).

It is relatively easy to build new classes or new rules for D&D - the main work has already been done. Everybody can build a Prestige Class or an Alt.Ranger or Alt.Bard Class. They are often not bad, that`s not the problem. The problem is - here I have my rules, my classes, my new background setting, but what to do with it?

So, what I need, is an adventure. Sometimes I do even need a whole campaign. Sure, I can make some homebrew things, but that is too much work for someone who works 8 hours a day 5 days a week (and most the people I know do exactly that...).
I study computer science, and this is one of the more difficult things to study. I have other things to do besides roleplaying, but every 5 to 6 weeks its my turn to present an adventure that should last approximately 8 hours or more...

It would be perfect if I could just buy some adventures for this cool new system, but... I can`t. There are no for it. There are some for Forgotten Realms or perhaps Greyhawk (many of them, yes, but it becomes boring to always play there - and I am more a science fiction fan than a fantasy fan - I like both, but...), but for many other systems (not only D20, but unfortunately, this is D20), I don`t have them.

So, in short. Adventures are great. Well made adventures. NPC Stats is not the problem, the story, the plot (with flexiblity and not always the "hammer" method), the personalities. That`s what I - and my friends - need.

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[Arthur Tealeaf]

Now I want a product with NO RULES RELATED FLUFF!

Something to feed my mind and creativity, something to help me give the players the shivers when I describe my monsters WITHOUT depending on metagame issues ("that dragon must have 876 hp and 23 spell resistence! Help!")

I want something to inspire me and make my head pop open because it's to full of ideas! I want to inspired in the way I am when I read E.A. Poe, Tolkien or Lovecraft, but in a gaming-related way!

I want a guide to creative storytelling and adventure writing!

Yes! A guide to adventure writing, with templates for different kinds of adventures, adventure ideas, lessons in plot-weaving, map making, making good descriptions and instilling different kinds of emotions in players through in-game-events!

I wanna stop yelling now...

 

[Maldur]

I would like more Equipment.

Not weapons, no armor, just ordinairy, mundane equipment.

Some magical items would be nice but, I think there is a lack of equipment.
Auroras is still one of my favorite and well used gamebooks.

 

[1StrangeFellow]

Nothing in your list of possible responses to the question interests me in buying a book or is the primary reason why I would buy a book... the main thing that interests me is the subject matter and the quality of the treatment of that subject matter. I didn't count the number of feats in this book compared to that book or new spells in this book compared to that book. If the subject matter sucks or has been overdone, it doesn't matter if it has the coolest feat in the world. If there is a topic or focus to the book but it's written like the author was a raving idiot with no writing talent or imagination but a special gift for making really neat feats and other new rules, I won't buy it. In those cases I'll just open the book in the store, memorize that feat and then put it down on paper when I get home.

Your focus is on nuts and bolts, and based on what I've read so far on this thread's first page you haven't even decided what type of machine you're building yet. To continue with the metaphor: Pick a machine and think about how to build it before you start discussing which specific screw to use. Your question seems a bit backward to me, and does not seem to bode well for the project.

Topic, theme and focus of the book would interest me. Writing quality, depth of research and/or testing, these things would interest me. Not another skill, feat or spell. Anyone and anything d20-related can toss a feat, new monster, item or spell at me. Big frickin' deal. We're already drowning in new feats and skills.

 

[Corinth]

And now for something completely different...

How about making a historical sourcebook series? You only need 5% of the content to be OGC, so you can put the gamey bits in the back as an appendix or two. Focus upon that information that is most useful for GMs who want to set/use/crib from whatever the book's subject may be.

 

[Storminator]

RE: NPCs

We've also got quite a few NPCs in the works. Included are possible allies, possible foes, and even some that could go either way depending upon when the party meets them and under what circumstances. Every NPC developed would have at least three "snapshots": portraits of them at certain levels or CRs so they'll be easier for DMs to drop into their campaigns.

RE: Encounters

No solitary drop-in encounters have been made, but they certainly could be. What would people think about a book of encounters akin to the Book of Lairs from past editions?

Of course, the problem with "write what you know" is that I know gaming, and I can't very well introduce rules for PCs playing RPGs.

Chopped out all but the bits I want to string together...

Here's my idea: write some cool NPCs, make them encounters, and tie that in with tactics in terms of spell combos, using the lair terrain, maximizing magic item use, etc.

I think lots of DMs drop in a cool NPC, only to watch their players butcher him in a matter of moments. Some intelligent min/maxing of an NPC, combined with some clever tactics and tailored items would give your encounters the sort of added value that makes people want to buy your stuff.

I'm thinking of your Sapphire Dragon + cohort adventure as a sort of template. That was a nasty encounter, and meshed the NPC, his cohort, and the lair very well. Getting all that together as one package is worth a buck or two, a dozen such encounters is easily worth buying a $5 pdf.

Some other ideas on creating a cool high level sorcerer would be the same. Really crafting a great spell list and complementing it with the right items and feats to make a solid character is an art. It'd be worth doing.

And if you make such encounters, I have a PBeM game I could playtest them in for you.

PS