Third Party 3.5 - what's out there?

[Flickerdart]

3.5 has been out of print for ages (Pathfinder, for the purposes of this thread, does not count as a thing which exists, because it's a) obvious and b) I don't like it). Everything, or nearly everything, has been endlessly built, debunked, rebunked and then homebrewed to use ToB mechanics instead of whatever it originally had. While the game is still fun, I'm looking for something new, to spice things up a bit. Hence, third party!

One 3p book I already know is good is Hyperconscious, because more psionics is always a good thing. Is there any other 3rd party stuff that's as good or better in terms of quality? None of that "-2 LA Small template" nonsense.

I've also heard Frost & Fur mentioned as a nifty supplement based around Slavic mythology, but I don't know if it is well balanced. It would be nice if someone could confirm that.

[Agent 451]

Have you seen this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13348903) thread? There isn't a lot there, so it's a quick read :smalltongue:

Were you looking for anything specifically for say melee or casters? Or just neato stuff in general?

Edit: Forgot to mention the one I actually use! Poisoncraft by Blue Devil games is a nice supplement if you want to beef up poison use within campaigns.

[Flickerdart]

New subsystems would be nice. Feats that give new options. As little retreading of old ground as possible. Melee or caster, I don't care.

[Agent 451]

I have heard that Elements of Magic Lyceian Arcana by EN Publishing is a decent magic system, but I've never even see a copy, let a lone used it.

Edit: There are a bunch of Top 5 non-wotc supplements threads floating around the web, have you looked at any of them?

[ngilop]

Everstone: Blood Legacy


ive never got to play it and only perused teh book a few years ago but i was blown away. you have no idea how fregging amazing this stuff is.

[Amoren]

Well, I like Kobold Quarterly, even if I only have one of their magazines. In that one they had new familiars, races, and I think some monster stats for dinosaurs. Stuff tends to include 3.5 and 4th Edition material, not sure if they add anything for pathfinder or not.

[Gavinfoxx]

Here's one of those top 5 threads:

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?468798-3-5-Top-5-non-WotC-D-amp-D-books

I note a few mentions of Trailblazer, which is nice.

[Suddo]

I've been having fun with this. (http://dsp-d20-srd.wikidot.com/) Its more psionic stuff.

[eggs]

Beside what I mentioned in the linked thread, here are the third-party materials I think are useful - for filling holes in WotC's product line, or for retooling balance assumptions, or just as interesting products:


Into the Green provides the woodland and rainforest-specific support (I would have killed for an It's Jungle Outside splat).
Wildscape from Fantasy Flight gives a bunch more directly environment-based support.
Thieves' World has a more fluid but limiting casting mechanic than core,
kind of bending the line between spontaneous and prepared casters.
Midnight Campaign Setting has a more limited feat-based casting system. This has some clever interactions with the campaign setting's metaplot (almost every player takes casting feats, which automatically set them in opposition to for the campaign's default magic-bogarting villains).
Green Ronin's Advanced Player's Manual has a spell mimicry-based class and a skill-based psychic ability system.
Iron Heroes has a deeper melee system. It doesn't balance with casters, but it pushes most mundane fighting classes into the T4 range and gives them all some choices to make beyond PA values.
Mythic Vista's Medieval Player's Manual book has some folkloric-based alternate magic systems, as well as Philosophical Debate and Artistic Masterpiece subsystems, if you're into that).


AEG had a long line of 3.0 supplements with very to-the-point names (War, Magic, Good, Evil, Gods, Secrets, Feats, etc.). Their balance wasn't always consistent (though rarely something a system-savvy DM couldn't recognize and fix in seconds), but each greatly expanded the support in its relevant domain.

On Frost and Fur, it's a cool sourcebook from the DM's end (some neat monsters, environment ideas, settings), but the player-oriented materials are pretty uninspired and often needlessly difficult (spell titles that use English words are apparently too easy).

[Flickerdart]

Mythic Vista's Medieval Player's Manual book has some folkloric-based alternate magic systems, as well as Philosophical Debate and Artistic Masterpiece subsystems, if you're into that).


Can you use either of those in combat, or is it just for crafting?

[Kaje]

I'm a huge fan of the Midnight and Dawnforge campaign settings.

[Lateral]

I've been having fun with this. (http://dsp-d20-srd.wikidot.com/) Its more psionic stuff.

Seconding Dreamscarred Press. DSP also wrote the Pathfinder psionics, which regardless of what you think of Pathfinder in general is really quite excellent (and frankly a million times better than most of what either Paizo or WotC could put out).

[eggs]

Can you use either of those in combat, or is it just for crafting?
The philosophy and masterpiece rules are totally singlemindedly aimed at what they say on the tin. They have their own minigames, classes and everything. :smalltongue: I have no idea why someone would play a philosopher in a Rogue/Fighter/Thaumaturge party, but I kind of get a kick out of it being an option.

[Dsurion]

Into the Green provides the woodland and rainforest-specific support (I would have killed for an It's Jungle Outside splat).Who is the publisher of this book? My google-fu is weak.

[eggs]

Who is the publisher of this book? My google-fu is weak.
Bastion. Apparently there are a couple other books in the series (Into the Blue/Black for underground and ocean environments), but TBH, Green's main strength is that its niche just hasn't been touched.