[3.5] Manual of the Planes or Planar Handbook?

[theUnearther]

I read somewhere, probably on this forum, that one of these supersedes the other. So, anyone knows which is which?
And, if I read the "good" one, would it still be worth it to get the other one?

[Urpriest]

The 3.5 one (Planar Handbook) supersedes the 3.0 one (Manual of the Planes). That said, there's very little overlap in their content, and IMO Manual of the Planes is more useful, even though most of the monsters in it were updated elsewhere.

[Rubik]

Plus, Manual of the Planes is much MUCH more awesome.

[Mithril Leaf]

Plus, Manual of the Planes is much MUCH more awesome.

Hey, Planar Handbook also rocks. They're both really cool books.

[Crinias]

Manual of the Planes describes the Planes in much more detail, dedicating entire chapters. Planar Handbook concerns itself more about players in the planes, including different character options, prestige classes, gear, etc.

Both are cool but I prefer the Manual of the Planes for the writing and overall description of the planes.

[theUnearther]

Alright, thank you. I was probably going to read them both anyways, but it's always good to know which one should win if and when they overlap. So thank you very much.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Since both have a fair amount of usable content, and both are hella-cool, I'd suggest this:

MoP if you're the DM.

Planar Handbook if you're a player.

Ultimately you want them both though. Great reading.

[Ashtagon]

Just bear in mind that Planar Handbook is tainted by the misbegotten creature that is the unholy scion of a dwarf and a badger. It's written to be a player race too :smallyuk:

[Psyren]

PH has neat fluff, great races, and absolutely awful PrCs (Ardent Dilettante aside.) The ACFs for the base classes are handy though.