Which books do you generally allow?

[gogogome]

Do most of you allow all books? How about Dragon Magazine? Or do you ban specific books?

I've been doing a strict core + completes only, but I'm thinking maybe i should broaden my horizons, is why I ask.

[ComaVision]

I allow everything but I'm *this close* to banning Savage Species because it's terrible. I highly discourage the anthropomorphic animal races from SS.

[LentilNinja]

I allow all 1st party books, dragon magazines, etc. I just get my players to tell me what they're playing, and I trust them not to break the game

[Necroticplague]

Generally, I allow everything first or second party by default, with an 'ask me about any third party or homebrew'. Generally, I'm more inclined to say yes than no, and asking me is mostly a formality (so as to let me actually figure out how it works). Even in circumstances when I do say no, I ban by item, not by book. The fact Manipulate Form is far too powerful to exist shouldn't stop anyone who wants to be a Muckdweller from doing so.

[Malimar]

I'm pretty permissive about anything that isn't homebrew. This is partially on the logic that "core only" is the most unbalanced game and more options make lower-tier builds more viable. And it's partially on the logic that I just like to have lots of options as a player and as a DM.

Explicitly Permitted Sources

The d20 System Reference Document
Some homebrew bits and bobs I've cobbled together
Arms and Equipment Guide
Book of Exalted Deeds
Book of Vile Darkness
Central Casting: Heroes of Legend
Cityscape
Complete Adventurer
Complete Arcane
Complete Champion
Complete Divine
Complete Mage
Complete Psionic
Complete Scoundrel
Complete Warrior
Deities & Demigods
Draconomicon
Dragon Compendium
Dragon Magic
Drow of the Underdark
Dungeon Master's Guide I
Dungeon Master's Guide II
Dungeonscape
Eberron Campaign Setting
Epic Level Handbook
Expanded Psionics Handbook
Fiend Folio
Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss
Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells
Frostburn
The Giant's Articles (excluding the Polymorph rules)
Heroes of Battle
Heroes of Horror
Libris Mortis
Lords of Madness
Magic Item Compendium
Magic of Incarnum
Manual of the Planes
Miniatures Handbook
Monster Manual I
Monster Manual II
Monster Manual III
Monster Manual IV
Monster Manual V
Oriental Adventures
Planar Handbook
Player's Handbook I
Player's Handbook II
Races of Destiny
Races of Eberron
Races of Faerun
Races of Stone
Races of the Dragon
Races of the Wild
Sandstorm
Savage Species
Spell Compendium
Stormwrack
Tome of Battle - Book of Nine Swords
Tome of Horrors, Revised Edition
Tome of Magic
The Unkindness homebrew prestige class


Sources Sometimes Permitted With DM Review

Dragon Magazine
Ghostwalk
Unearthed Arcana (some elements used, some elements not used)
Weapons of Legacy
3.5e content on http://www.wizards.com
most other 3.5e Wizards of the Coast-published sources
most 3.0e Wizards of the Coast-published sources (content that hasn't been updated to 3.5 only)
some third-party sources
some Pathfinder material


Explicitly Banned Sources

http://www.dandwiki.com (use the hypertext d20 SRD instead to be sure of avoiding homebrew)
most other homebrew

[Necroticplague]

I highly discourage the anthropomorphic animal races from SS.

So do I: pretty much all of them are freaking terrible, with a small handful that are decent and one that's good.

[Florian]

Errors, lack of knowledge, typos and bad editing simply happen and are something to be expected.
Therefore, I "allow" source material only when errata, FAQs or corrected second printings show up so I don´t have to deal with dealing all that issues myself.

[AtlasSniperman]

I've got so much 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party stuff I allow that I'm just making a book of all the rules I allow and the changes I've made so I can pass it to my players and say "All of this" otherwise it's usually "almost anything from:
Core,
Complete,
MoI,
UA,
Encyclopaedia,
Slayers guide,
all Monster manuals,
just ask me before settling on something"

Which gets a little annoying so I want to have everything pre-approved and in one big file.

[Âmesang]

I rarely find myself behind the referee's screen (I barely even use a screen when I do), but I'm fairly loose when it comes to acceptable content; mostly I just require them to source it for future reference (ex. LIVING GREYHAWK® Gazetteer, p.8). I'm even inclined to allow some things (especially flavor-fluff related) from AD&D which is why I downloaded a copy of Wizards' conversion manual, even if the manual itself needs some work; the more I read up on AD&D the more interesting things I tend to find—especially if it's something dirt simple like Keraptis' flaming missiles or Keraptis' flamecone (fiery versions of magic missile and cone of cold, respectively).

When it comes to banning I'd prefer to go with a case-by-case basis instead of a blanket ban (*cough*Smogon*cough*), since I've noticed there's stuff in DRAGON that have little-to-no game benefit (ex. starlight cloth). Granted, as much as I love GREYHAWK® and the concept of regional/racial feats, I'd certainly ban Troll Blooded. :smalltongue:

[torrasque666]

Pretty much everything that's not setting specific, unless I'm running a game in said setting. If I'm using a published setting, it means I don't have the time/inclination to make my own and all the adjudication that adapting content will take.

[Troacctid]

I allow all official 3.5 books and web content. I usually prefer not to use most 3.0 or Pathfinder material--even though they're compatible and easy to convert, they're still written with a different system in mind. I don't allow Dragon stuff because it's too much of a pain in the neck to reference, although Dragon Compendium is fine.

I don't do a lot of line-item bans. My ban list is as follows:
Races: Any race or template with a level adjustment of +2 or greater
Classes: Swashbuckler, NPC classes
Feats: Epic Toughness, Greenbound Summoning, Item Familiar, Leadership, Linked Power, Persistent Spell, Precocious Apprentice

[AmberVael]

Classes: Swashbuckler

That's a peculiar one to pick out. Why Swashbuckler in particular?

[Afgncaap5]

This changes from game to game. I used to allow everything, but I found that the stories stopped being much fun and became this weird kitchen sink of fantasy premises tossed into a blender. Which is fine sometimes.

Nowadays, I tend to allow the core books, one or two books that might be significant to the campaign's story (Truenaming may not've been playtested properly, but I'm not gonna disallow it to players if I have them go to my campaign world's Echoframe Canyon or decide to incorporate bits of truenaming lore into the villain's plot), and then a couple books that individual players are allowed to access based on their character concepts, with more being allowable within reason (If a player's playing an Artificer/Diviner then they're gonna have the Eberron Campaign Setting book without question, and I'm not gonna worry about it if they want to add Magic of Eberron to it later for the extra Artificer/Action Point/Prophecy Feats, though I might not want them to dabble in the elemental binding stuff there without good reason.)

[Troacctid]

That's a peculiar one to pick out. Why Swashbuckler in particular?

It's one of several trap classes, and it's the only one I gave up on rebalancing. There's just nothing for me to work with without just writing a whole new class from scratch. So I just banned it instead and let players use the PF version.

[Beheld]

I usually allow any book that I own, or that they own, or that I can get access too. Dragon is subject to the same standard. Also homebrew.

Because material should be disallowed for one of three reasons:

1) Game distortion (stupid fluff falls here).
2) Balance concerns.
3) Not having enough time/effort to look at it.

And since we are now playing a 16 year old game, I've had time to look at everything, and new material won't take that much time. And since 3 is the only valid reason to disallow and entire book, rather than specific things in the book.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Afgncaap5
...my campaign world's Echoframe Canyon....

Okay, that name piques my interest. Tell me more.

[AmberVael]

It's one of several trap classes, and it's the only one I gave up on rebalancing. There's just nothing for me to work with without just writing a whole new class from scratch. So I just banned it instead and let players use the PF version.

Gotcha. Yeah, I can see how that would be the case since it doesn't offer much in terms of unique class abilities.

[Âmesang]

I can understand referees wanting to ban Epic Spellcasting… but Epic Toughness? :smallconfused:

[Zanos]

I can understand referees wanting to ban Epic Spellcasting… but Epic Toughness? :smallconfused:
There's some Kobold fueled cheese that lets you take it at level 1 for +30 HP.

I'd probably ban the kobold stuff instead.

[Necroticplague]

I can understand referees wanting to ban Epic Spellcasting… but Epic Toughness? :smallconfused:

Presumably for the same reason as swashbuckler: at the level you can get it, it's a trap.

[Afgncaap5]

Okay, that name piques my interest. Tell me more.

It's a cavern in my campaign world that I honestly don't have *that* much info fleshed out on, but it tends to be either the origin of or final destination for a lot of Truenaming related contraband sought by Illumians. One of the caves in the canyon wall is the place where the nymph Echo died. One end of Echoframe Canyon features the Vault of Catharandamus, and twice a month (I'm tempted to say on the New and Full Moon but that's not been hammered down in my notes yet) Painspeakers emerge from some of the caves, confused and eager to murder anyone in desperation as they try to convey their final message.

Due to some as-yet undefined curse on the land related to Echo's death, truename magic, bardic magic, and most other magical effects that relate entirely to words (power words, stilled spells with verbal components, etc.) can repeat themselves, going longer, farther, inflicting their effect multiple times, and occasionally turning into living spells (here I handwave or outright ignore the fact that you typically can't make living spells from single-target spells or effects.) The exact number of times such a spell's effect might echo would change depending on the level of the players, but either way a bard with the countersong ability would be handy. (This repetition is likely to blame for the huge number of Painspeakers; likely only three or four qualifying deaths ever happened in the canyon, but the nature of the place has caused them to inexplicably multiply. As I type this I'm realizing that a decent mid-range quest might involve tracking down the original Painspeakers that cause so many echoes of themselves to exist. I should do that in my next game.) Echo herself probably still lives on as an advanced Painspeaker, but that doesn't feel right; I might make her a Deathless variation of an advanced Painspeaker, possibly with the celestial template.

Apart from that, I don't have much info. I don't even have a defined spot for it in my campaign world yet. I sort of want it to be close to the Chaos Scar from 4e's Dungeon magazines, but that feels like too many canyon-themed magical locations too close together.

[nedz]

I don't ban things on a book basis (well maybe Serpent Kingdoms - but no one has that one). I decide to ban things based upon the style of game I want to run and the playstyles of the players. In one game nothing is banned, in another only the high end stuff.

Dragon is allowed on a case by case basis - though it rarely comes up.

[Alex12]

Currently, my group uses a file-sharing system (Copy, if anyone's curious, but since that's closing down soon, we'll find something else) where we keep PDFs of all permitted books. If it's in there, it's permitted, and we permit a lot. Speaking personally, I love the initiators and psionics, and not only do I permit them, but I encourage them.
We have a banlist of specific things (Leadership, for example) based on a combination of power and paperwork.
For Pathfinder, we use basically the same system. Also, if it's in the SRD as Paizo stuff, it's permitted unless superseded (no chained Summoner, for example), and psionics and Path of War are both permitted. I permit Ponyfinder because I got the books and looked through them, and aside from some unicorn-specific outliers (looking at you, Practiced Horn Magic, Advanced Horn Magic, and Outwitting the Divine), they're pretty balanced.

[Afgncaap5]

I don't ban things on a book basis (well maybe Serpent Kingdoms - but no one has that one). I decide to ban things based upon the style of game I want to run and the playstyles of the players. In one game nothing is banned, in another only the high end stuff.

Dragon is allowed on a case by case basis - though it rarely comes up.

I think that's the best way to do it, honestly. Figure out what your campaign's gonna look like, and custom fit the allowed material to style.

[LTwerewolf]

I started my group with specific books, not for balance but to keep the tyranny of choice down since they were new players. Since then I've opened it up to pretty much anything on a case by case basis.

[Jowgen]

I am pretty liberal in terms of WoTC sources (e.g. web article and Dragon/Dungeon mags are fine); but I do categorically ban 3rd party material (including WotC licensed 3rd party, like KoK) and anything that represents an alternate casting system (no psionics, no ToB, no Incarnum, no Shadowcasters, etc.). Beyond that, I have my own case-by-case balance bans.

[Pluto!]

Our current source list is PF Core & Bestiary, Iron Heroes, Expanded Psionics, Secrets of Pact Magic and a big pile of 3rd party monster/environmental books.

I wouldn't mind getting my hands back onto a copy of the SpC or MIC.

[Aetis]

PHB, DMG, PHB 2, CA, CAdv, CW, CC, CM, CS.

Divine Metamagic is legal. Polymorph school is banned.

[Troacctid]

I can understand referees wanting to ban Epic Spellcasting… but Epic Toughness? :smallconfused:


There's some Kobold fueled cheese that lets you take it at level 1 for +30 HP.

I'd probably ban the kobold stuff instead.

I don't require you to be epic level to take epic feats. Epic Toughness is the only epic feat that I ban, because it screws up my encounter math by giving the players too much HP at low levels. If your character has 120 HP while everyone else has 30, it's way too difficult to calibrate the monsters' damage so that they're a credible threat to you without OHKO'ing everyone else.

[sktarq]

It changes massivly from campaign to campaign depending on tone I'm aiming for, who is playing, etc but as a baseline:
Core + Completes (Psionic being setting variable) + Setting Books (So anything from Ravenloft books if we are playing in Ravenloft anything from the Forgotten Realms books if we are playing there etc) as long as it is setting appropriate (if we are a very European setting no samurai prestige classes or Wu Jen characters without DM workthough)

Which is rather strict but that is my expect-to-be-okay-list. Lots of stuff is up for consideration but may well come with limits (no certain cross classing, limits on race/class combos, etc based on setting/power/story needs):
Sandstorm/Frostburn/Stormwrack are usually in if it works with setting (usual works less w/ published)
Tome of Magic-is it setting appropriate?- Then sure
Tome of Horrors - probably in
Players Handbook II - if it fits the setting
Dracomicon/Necromicon/Aberant Book - if the entire table (and I) want to take it in such a direction then -----------------------------most of it otherwise none
Stuff from other setting books- very case by case but they are by no means banned out of hand
Dragon Magazine compendium - most of it is ok for players I trust except on races which I'm leary of
Dragon Magazine (other) - rare but it has happened
Vile Darkness/Erotic Fantasy/anything Deamon/Devil related-only for players I know and trust
Unearthed Arcana - I encourage some chapters in this book and restrict others (esp Races)
Savage Species-rarely...advanced players only unless its an "all catfolk" game or something
Tome of Battle-Nope nope nope
Races of Stone/Wild/etc -for core races most stuff is okay, for new races special cases only
Races of (World) - if we are playing in that world I'll probably be fine with it. Not of that world-probably not
Monte Cook stuff-worth asking but no promises
Homebrew stuff from elsewhere in my homebrew settings-Nope
Homebrew stuff from elsewhere in published setting-low chance but it has happened
Planar Handbook-Nope
Epic Level Handbook-Probably will never deal with it as I just don't run that kinda game but assume no

[Draconium]

Outside of core, I run on an "ask first" policy. Generally, though, I'll allow it. ToB, ToM, MoI, Dragon Mag, homebrew, almost all of it. The only exception I can think of is Complete Psionic - I like psionics in general, I just don't like what CPsi did to them - and things that are blatantly overpowered. (Note that my players tend not to use broken things like Polymorph to their full extent, so it's usually not a problem.)

[Aegis013]

Pretty much everything first party 3.5. Homebrew/3rd party on an ask-basis (because I don't know it so I want to give it a look and know kind of what to expect). Typically will allow PF/3rd part PF stuff on request too, same thing as homebrew for me.

I tend to encourage some optimization so I can run more complicated encounters or use optimization techniques to improve monsters.

[sleepyphoenixx]

I generally allow everything - official books, dragon magazine, web content and third party books and homebrew on a case-by-case basis.

My 3.5 group has been playing for years, so we need the variety. And we pretty much have all the sources between us, so that's not a problem either.
I just get them to hand in a character sheet before the first session and have them explain to me what tricks their character has, if any. If it's too much for the game in question i tell them what to change to make it fit.

[Beheld]

Outside of core, I run on an "ask first" policy.

I run ask first in Core :smallamused:

[NomGarret]

I tend toward the line-item restrictions myself. I have most books, so those are generally fair game and Dragon Mag/3pp content is usually allowed on a "let me look it over first" basis. For story reasons, I will often put in additional restrictions. Sometimes, they'll be rather limited, like "no Elves." I'll also do a themed "All Dwarves" game. Either way, I tend to steer my restrictions toward getting people to pick characters that will match the tone and story I have planned.

One thing I have done for non-story reasons is ban PHB.

[Telonius]

I allow all first-party books, with targeted bans on over (or under) powered things in each book; with the caveat that the Over-Deity Pun-Pun will act to smite anyone who tries to approach his power for anything my initial banhammer missed. For Dragon Magazine or third party book, ask first. If you want to pull off a particular concept that really isn't covered by any official source, let me know and we'll hammer out a homebrew.

[Ruethgar]

All officially licensed.

[Waazraath]

Do most of you allow all books? How about Dragon Magazine? Or do you ban specific books?

I've been doing a strict core + completes only, but I'm thinking maybe i should broaden my horizons, is why I ask.

Everything, including dragon compendium. It works fine, the most important thing is imo is that everybody is optimizing to aprox the same levels. So the wizards, druids and clerics pick uncommon, but fun and usefull, stuff, without DMM persist and fleshraker animal compenions, and the paladins and warmages optimize the hell out of their characters and use at least 5 diffferent books. That everybody is 'on the same level' (not literally, though that helps as well) is much more important then which books used.

[Melcar]

Do most of you allow all books? How about Dragon Magazine? Or do you ban specific books?

I've been doing a strict core + completes only, but I'm thinking maybe i should broaden my horizons, is why I ask.

We have different teams or parties at different levels, themes and levels of optimization. Which is dependent for the amount of books allowed. For the most part though, we allow everything official + dragon magazine. Sometimes we do not allow certain settingspecific stuff, if we play in another specific setting like Eborron vs. Forgotten Realms...

Sometimes we alllow 3rd party aswell. This in more on a case to case thing, and only if it fits the build of the fluff of the character really well.

[Optimator]

My group allows all 3.5 and most 3.0 books and the Dragon Compendium. Dragon Magazine material not in the Compendium is generally allowed on a case-by-case basis. Homebrew is often allowed but very carefully scrutinized if it's from the internet. Official Web Enhancements are encouraged as well. They're dope.

It's probably already been said, but allowing more books actually helps the weaker classes more than the strong ones so feel confident that balance won't be screwed as much as you might imagine. There are dirty combos utilizing multiple sources but those can be shot don as they come up.

Keep in mind, the most broken spells, and most of the best and worst classes are in the PHB. The other worst classes are in Complete Warrior (with the exception of Dragon Shaman and Truenamer).

[Flickerdart]

I allow all first party content. It doesn't feel like 3.5 unless you have the whole set of building blocks to play with, and for me, homebrew is entirely missing the point of the character-building game.

[Chronikoce]

I used to run core+completes but with my current campaign I took a different approach.

I said anything goes, 3.5 and pathfinder (except psionics for flavor reasons in the story). The only rule I gave them was they needed to work together and not be jerks. I am fortunate that my group is mature so they have tried to make sure that nobody is stealing the spotlight with their builds.

We have had a few issues where they wanted to try something and later we decided as a group that it was simply too strong for this party and the ability or item was changed as a result.

[gadren]

I allow pretty much everything by WotC, Paizo, and Dreamscarred, with some specific changes on a case-by-case basis. If a player wants something from a 3rd party source, they first have to explain to me how THEY think it works, and we go from there.

[erok0809]

Pretty much everything first-party is allowed for me. I do tend to look askance at Forgotten Realms stuff, simply because of the overall power level, but even that's a case-by-case banning, rather than a case-by-case allowing. In general, it's a "just ask me" thing. I'll even allow homebrew if you can tell me what you want and I can gauge the power level and make sure it's in line with the rest of the party and the universe we're playing in. In fact, I'll help you build it, so that it doesn't get ridiculous. I like my players to have fun, and want to give them the most options possible to do so.