D&D books for 3.5

[Fuglen]

I have been playing D&D 3.5 for almost 3 years now, and have finally started to collect some of the books. So far I have:

Player's Handbook
Monster Manual I
Heroes of Horror
Races of the Wild
Spell Compendium
Arms and Equipment Guide



Now that I have money to buy some more, what would you guys recon be some of the best to get? I mostly GM so all books are open.

Thanks :)

[LoyalPaladin]

I would probably recommend:
-Player's Handbook II
-The Magic Item Compendium
-Book of Vile Darkness
-Book of Exalted Deeds
-The Completes (Divine, Warrior, Mage, etc.)
-Draconomicon (For funsies!)

[Magma Armor0]

Tome of battle and magic item compendiuM would be my recommendations.

[Cicciograna]

I'd go for the Tome of Battle to inject some needed juice into melee; Magic Item Compendium for a plethora of magic items ranging from the powerful to flavourful; Tome of Magic, for the Binder; Magic of Incarnum, because it's awesome.

[Red Fel]

Well, I've seen others suggest a list of priorities, that goes something like this: First Priorities: Core books, such as PHB, DMG, MIC and SPC Second Priorities: Completes Third Priorities: Mechanics expansions, such as XPH, ToB, MoI and ToM Fourth Priorities: Race and setting expansions, such as Races of *, Sandstorm, and Frostburn
The first priority category is basically mandatory. The second is highly important, the third and fourth are more optional. If you don't want to experiment with new mechanics, the third category basically disappears.

[LoyalPaladin]

Tome of battle and magic item compendiuM would be my recommendations.
I like Tome of Battle, but I left it out of my suggestions because a lot of people think it is too powerful and/or complicated. Definitely give it a read through though. Crusaders are awesome.


Fourth Priorities: Race and setting expansions, such as Races of *, Sandstorm, and Frostburn

Frostburrrrrrn! I love that book.

[Blackhawk748]

I always recommend the Completes first, so much in there is almost mandatory. After that i say grab whatever strikes your fancy. I grabbed Magic of Incarnum long before i got ToB or ToM andi have enjoyed it. Hell Psionics was the last subsytem i actually got, and people usually lead with that one.

[Fuglen]

Thanks for all the replies. Planning on getting the DMG this time as well, have been using a friends so far.

About the complete books. The ones I can see in the webshop I use (a Danish one) all say 3.X. Are they legal for 3.5 or are they from 3.0 and was just never updated?

[Red Fel]

Frostburrrrrrn! I love that book.

Both Sandstorm and Frostburn offer some really exciting new material, including races, PrCs, and spells, without having to add substantially new mechanics, the way that ToB and ToM do. It's something that's tricky to pull off, because it often feels like the devs just throw in an entirely new mechanic (look, now you can use spell points!) when they want to add new stuff, rather than just presenting the old concepts in a new way.

That's not to say new mechanics are bad - I'm a big fan of maneuvers, incarnum, and psionics - but you don't need to go to that length to get novelty. And Frostburn and Sandstorm are both excellent options for people who want to expand their campaign materials without delving into new subsystems.

Just be warned that they've got some brokenly overpowered stuff in there, too. (Looking at you, Shivering Touch.)

And doy! I forgot MoI!

[Blackhawk748]

Thanks for all the replies. Planning on getting the DMG this time as well, have been using a friends so far.

About the complete books. The ones I can see in the webshop I use (a Danish one) all say 3.X. Are they legal for 3.5 or are they from 3.0 and was just never updated?

They're 3.5 as far as i know

[Flickerdart]

I have been playing D&D 3.5 for almost 3 years now, and have finally started to collect some of the books. So far I have:

Player's Handbook
Monster Manual I
Heroes of Horror
Races of the Wild
Spell Compendium
Arms and Equipment Guide



Now that I have money to buy some more, what would you guys recon be some of the best to get? I mostly GM so all books are open.

Thanks :)
I would recommend picking up stuff from the tail end of D&D's run, since they mostly figured out what to do by that point.

Complete Champion is a great book - the Organization rules are a cool addition for DMs, and both casting and non-casting classes can make use of the Devotion feats.

Magic of Incarnum is super-cool if you feel like learning a new subsystem and like the color blue.

Psionics are awesome, but since most of the Expanded Psionics Handbook is part of the SRD and Complete Psionics is dumb, just print out the Mind's Eye articles and staple them into a book. :smallamused:

Some of the later Monster Manuals (from what I recall, III is a good one) should be useful for you. Also consider one of the books that explore enemy races - Fiend Folio, Fiendish Codex 1 or 2, Drow of the Underdark - so it's easy for you to flesh out a campaign.


About the complete books. The ones I can see in the webshop I use (a Danish one) all say 3.X. Are they legal for 3.5 or are they from 3.0 and was just never updated?
All Completes books are 3.5 - the first one, Complete Warrior, was 3.5's first splatbook. 3.0's equivalent was the "A Guidebook to X and Y" series of books - Tome and Blood, Song and Silence, etc.

[LoyalPaladin]

Hell Psionics was the last subsytem i actually got, and people usually lead with that one.
Oh yeah... psionics... I think they use points or something...


About the complete books. The ones I can see in the webshop I use (a Danish one) all say 3.X. Are they legal for 3.5 or are they from 3.0 and was just never updated?
You should be good to go. If you're truly worried, you could link the site here. I usually buy off Amazon...

[Elder_Basilisk]

1. I'd recommend the PHB 2 along with the Complete books, Magic Item Compendium, and Spell Compendium.
2. The Complete Warrior/Complete Adventurer/etc books are 3.5 The 3.0 versions were "Sword and Fist," "Tome and Blood," etc.

I'd also recommend keeping an eye on what you do allow from the books. Most of the items enhance the game but there are a few spells and a couple feats that are game-changingly powerful.

[Fuglen]

You should be good to go. If you're truly worried, you could link the site here. I usually buy off Amazon...

Boom: http://dvaergekisten.dk/#!/Complete-&-handbooks/c/9954296/offset=0&sort=nameAsc

Since I mostly DM I would love to expand with systems as Psionics etc. Sadly many of my players aren't the biggest fans of it all. I do flavour my two campaigns with stuff from the different books whenever I find some stuff I find interesting. Shivering Touch has been used against them before.

Right now one of them is close to ending, and the next one will have a lot of undeads in it. Is the book of bad lation worth getting for that?

[Blackhawk748]

Boom: http://dvaergekisten.dk/#!/Complete-&-handbooks/c/9954296/offset=0&sort=nameAsc

Since I mostly DM I would love to expand with systems as Psionics etc. Sadly many of my players aren't the biggest fans of it all. I do flavour my two campaigns with stuff from the different books whenever I find some stuff I find interesting. Shivering Touch has been used against them before.

Right now one of them is close to ending, and the next one will have a lot of undeads in it. Is the book of bad lation worth getting for that?

Oh ya Libris Mortis is great for tons of Undead, and you already have Heroes of Horror so thats good.

[Red Fel]

Right now one of them is close to ending, and the next one will have a lot of undeads in it. Is the book of bad lation worth getting for that?

The Book of Bad Latin, in my mind, is like Stormwrack: If you're doing a campaign where X1 is central to the plot, it gives you tremendous options and depth. If you don't plan to go into depth, or if the subject constitutes only a tangential element of the story, you don't miss out on much.

I will say that Libris Mortis gives us Necropolitans, which are a very interesting choice, and may become one of your more op-oriented players' go-to races. (See also: Warforged.) But while it's a great book with a lot of depth, it's really only useful if you want to go into the concept of undead, as opposed to simply using a bunch of undead monsters.

Or, to put it differently, if the plot is to unravel the tragic decline of a vampire lord and to infiltrate his court, consider Libris Mortis. If the plot is to kill a vampire, consider the Monster Manual.

1 E.g. naval for Stormwrack, undead for Libris Mortis.

[Fuglen]

Another question, how has Libris Mortis gained the title of "The Book of Bad Latin"?

[Blackhawk748]

Another question, how has Libris Mortis gained the title of "The Book of Bad Latin"?

Because in latin Libris Mortis means Dead Book, or Book Dead, cant remember which

[Flickerdart]

Another question, how has Libris Mortis gained the title of "The Book of Bad Latin"?
They wanted to write "the book of the dead" but through complicated grammar stuff what they wrote doesn't actually mean that, nor anything (the closest phrase with a meaning would be ex libris mortis - from the book of the dead).

Or something like that, I'm not a Latinician.

[kellbyb]

They wanted to write "the book of the dead" but through complicated grammar stuff what they wrote doesn't actually mean that, nor anything (the closest phrase with a meaning would be ex libris mortis - from the book of the dead).

Or something like that, I'm not a Latinician.

Actually, a sidebar on page 4 states that the title is supposed to be roughly translated as "From the Books of the Dead."

Specifically, it's supposed to be bastardized celestial written by a long-dead aasimar scholar, sourced from several older books pertaining to necromancy and the dead. One of these books is a human tome entitled The Book of the Dead, but more commonly known as the Necronomicon.

[Troacctid]

I highly recommend Frostburn. It's one of my favorite books. Loads of excellent, high-quality content, even for non-arctic campaigns. The stuff in it is well-balanced and very cool. (Yes, very, very cool.)

[Hellborn_Blight]

Tome of Battle. In 3.5, magic is basically King. But my heart belongs to melee. Tome of Battle is a love letter to those of us who love to smack goblins with maces, who enjoy a good fist fight (in armor), and who think carrying a shield shouldn't perpetually be the "unoptimized" choice.

Complete Scoundrel is another awesome book. It has some great PrCs. It has some wonderful feats. And skill tricks are an awesome concept that I wish had came earlier so it could have had expanded on further. Further more, the fluff for that book is really great. Being a proper scoundrel, of which many types are detailed, is a fantastic brand of fun that swinging a sword or casting a spell just doesn't fulfill.

[Pluto!]

If there were a set of splatbooks that I think everyone should have (not the best books or my favorite books, but the ones that lay the firmest baseline of "what we talk about when we talk about 3e"), they would be Spell Compendium, Magic Item Compendium, Player's Handbook 2, Complete Warrior and Monster Manual 3. All are very easy to slide into existing games, each has quite a bit of material that will be both relevant and useful for nearly any game, without any requisite rules to learn before understanding their contents (mostly; MIC does reference some splatbook subsystems, but that's pretty minor). You already have SpC, so I'd grab any of the other three four before going any further.

[HunterOfJello]

start:
The Magic Item Compendium

next:
MM3
PHB2

get pdf copies to make assorted a few printouts of:
everything


fun optionals that can change the game a lot:
Tome of Battle (read up on it and find out if your players want it in or out first)
Expanded Psionic Handbook
Complete Psionic

[rrwoods]

Tome of Battle is at the top of the list IMO. It provides a ton of tools for a melee character to meaningfully contribute to encounters. Without it, options for melee characters basically boil down to "how do I hit better", "how do I hit harder", and "how do I pounce".

After that, the Completes provide a ton of depth per book -- if you're looking to build out a library they will provide the most bang for your buck.

Note that I'm coming from the perspective of providing players balanced character options, not necessarily more toys for a DM to use, which is also hugely important but I don't have any experience with.

[OttoVonBigby]

Libris Mortis for sure. It may be my favorite book. Not only because I like undead, and they treated the topic well overall, but because undead are one of those things that people ask a lot of unanticipated questions about, and the book either answers them or helps YOU to answer them.

The other suggestions are all generally good, but more for your players. If you feel like they are starving for options, prioritize things like Tome of Battle. But Libris Mortis is more of a DM treat :smallbiggrin:
(Also note that there's a fair amount of errata)

[Tvtyrant]

As a DM I would suggest you get the Book of Vile Darkness and Lords of Madness, which get you rules for a lot of neat stuff like slavery, drugs, sacrifices, permanent item glyphs, etc. Remember, a hero is only as good as his foe is evil. :smallbiggrin:

[ImperatorV]

I consider ToB to be core TBH. Then again I figured out optimization very early and I don't really consider fighter a "class." It's an acf that delays your class features by two levels in exchange for feats.

[Fuglen]

Thanks for all the replies, they are great! I just had the 2nd session with my 2nd group yesterday, which was a blast.

The people I play with barely knows how to optimize at it is, they all just enjoy running around with their characters and explorer the plot. I only have one player who I have to keep a bit in check so he doesn't steal all the spotlight from everyone else, but it really isn't a problem. Regarding ToB, my players actually mostly think fighter is a really good class, and many of them won't bother learning all about stances and what not. Even in my most experienced group where ToB is allowed, no one uses it, yet they have faced monsters/NPC's and what now.

I think a lot of thise is because ALL my players, including me go to LARPs, so mostly they love a bit of combat and being able to make some characters they can't normally act/play as when we LARP :)

[rrwoods]

Throw in a ring of the diamond mind or whatever is most appropriate for the group, and let them dip their feet in the cool soothing waters of maneuvers. If they don't like it, they can sell it, it's just loot after all.

[Gandariel]

Yo, imma drop some knowledge bombs on ya.

Libris mortis means either "from the book of the dead" or "of the book of the dead". There are also a few other minor expressions.

If you want to say "the book of the dead" (as in, the book is the subject) the correct translation is "Liber mortis"

Stay in school, y'all

[lsfreak]

I'd say Magic Item Compendium for sure. Then PHB2, Complete Champion/Scoundrel/Mage (probably in that order), then Complete Warrior/Arcane. Complete Adventurer is much more forgettable than the others imo, except for the scout class, a couple feats, and maybe spellthieves. It's still still much better than Complete Psionic though, which people always seem to forget to not recommend along with all the other Completes.

Tome of Magic and Magic of Incarnum I'd normally recommend, with a caveat about complexity and reading them in a bookstore/borrowing first, but if ToB is off the table for not being straightforward enough then they probably wouldn't be worth it for your current groups.

Specifically for DM stuff, MM3 and MM5 are well-regarded, far moreso than MM2 (3.0, hilariously under- and over-CR'd monsters) and MM4 (it seems like half the book is just races from MM1 with class levels).

I'd normally recommend Expanded Psionics Handbook up with PHB2 and the Completes, but it's all available on the SRD for free. Unless you group can't function without having the book, I'd just recommend reading it there.

[Scorponok]

I'm here to give love to Miniatures Handbook. It adds a couple of tactical spells and mass army mechanics. Plus, I'm a bit of a collector of all those miniatures.

[Fuglen]

Okay, one last question. Is there some kind of list that shows what is 1st party and 3rd party etc?

[General Sajaru]

All of the books mentioned above are directly from WotC. A fairly complete listing of all D&D books can be found here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dungeons_%26_Dragons_rulebooks#Dungeons_.2 6_Dragons_3rd_edition_and_v3.5) on Wikipedia. Anything noted on that as 3rd party and anything not mentioned there is (most likely) 3rd party.

[nyjastul69]

Okay, one last question. Is there some kind of list that shows what is 1st party and 3rd party etc?

All WotC material has the 3rd edition logo prominently dispalyed. The only 3rd party, that I'm aware of, that was allowed to display the D&D logo was Kenzer's material expressly produced for their KoK setting. This was due to a licensing agreement. Due note that as a 3rd party publisher they had to let WotC vet, at least to some degree, KoK material prior to release. This is well outside the norm for a 3rd party publisher.

I dont know of a specific list of that is comprehensive of only WotC material. The logo is a very good guide however.

Due note that there are products that carry a WotC logo, such as Dragonlance, that are licensed, but not official as well. Margret Weiss Productions (DL) is the only one I'm aware of though.