4e book suggestions for christmas?

[Gamerlord]

Well Christmas is coming up, so any one who plays 4e know what 4e books I should grab? I usually ask for a mixture of 3.5 and 4e, and am reasonably certain what 3.5 books I will try to get, any 4e fans know any 4e supplements I should get? I have the core books and the PHB2.

[Kurald Galain]

Depends.

If you're the DM and think you need advice on DM'ing, the DMG2.
If you're the DM and think you need inspiration for campaigns, whichever setting book sounds most appealing to you.
If you're the DM and think you need inspiration for giving out loot, AV or AV2.
If you're a player, the [Arcane Martial Divine or Primal] Power book.

[Gamerlord]

I don't need advice on DMing.

I would like more monsters, or at least a good adventure.

Sometimes I play as a player.

I play ebberon in 3.5.

More loot= good.

[pasko77]

I don't need advice on DMing.

I would like more monsters, or at least a good adventure.

Sometimes I play as a player.

I play ebberon in 3.5.

More loot= good.

Well, Eberron is also 4.0 now. You can ask for the setting book.

[Gamerlord]

Nice, any other books I should nab?

[Inyssius Tor]

A one-month subscription to DDI will give you...

...the latest version of the Monster Builder, which also happens to contain every 4e monster yet published (sans most of the fluff, admittedly).

...the latest version of the Character Builder, which also happens to contain every single race, class, feat, power, background, piece of equipment, and magic item extant in 4e up to this point.

...the last eighteen or nineteen issues of Dragon and Dungeon magazine, in .pdf format. (It's good stuff, and actually quite balanced these days! Though the adventures aren't as good now, I'm told.)

...as well as a few other things which expire when the subscription does, but the above three items can be downloaded and kept indefinitely. In fact, the Character Builder can be downloaded five times, so you could pass it around to your whole group.

For the one month, it costs ten dollars.

Pretty good deal, no?

[Gamerlord]

I meant a book or adventure, not a subscription.
Besides, I don't want to read a PDF, I want something in my hands.

[AslanCross]

For 4E, you could get Monster Manual 2 in addition to the Eberron setting (not sure if they have both the Player's Guide and Campaign Guide out; I've only seen the Player's Guide).

What are you planning on getting for 3.5?

[Gamerlord]

The MM3, just ordered the MM2 so that should arrive by the end of the month... Maybe the MGC because it seems so cheap at the moment.

Maybe the FC1 as well.

[AslanCross]

MM3 is definitely a good choice. I was surprised to see it for sale in a gaming store when I went to Singapore last April, so I bought that, Red Hand of Doom, and Magic Item Compendium immediately.

If you don't have them yet and want to expand your 3.5 Eberron collection, I recommend Races of Eberron (lots of decent options that make lousy classes like soulknife and monk more playable), as well as Magic of Eberron (the grafts are quite interesting, and I really like the Renegade Mastermaker PrC).

[Inyssius Tor]

I meant a book or adventure, not a subscription.
Besides, I don't want to read a PDF, I want something in my hands.

Okay. I'm just saying, it's a lot of stuff for not a lot of money.

The Monster Manual 2 is quite good.

The Eberron Player's Guide contains some stuff that isn't in the Campaign Guide, like dragonmarks and the Artificer and the other Eberron races. Other than that, though, a lot of it is basically just stuff from the Campaign Guide reprinted with some of the details taken out (stuff that isn't actually common knowledge in Eberron, like the Xen'drik cataclysm and Kaius's secret and so on).

Open Grave and the Draconomicons I and II (for chromatic and metallic dragons respectively) have a lot of undead/draconic monsters, some fluff, a handful of artifacts, and a bunch of short location-based mini-adventures in each book. They might be worth a look if you really like dragons or undead.

If you like one power source more than the others, getting the _____ Power book for that power source (Primal Power for druids, shamans, barbarians, and wardens, for instance) will about double your options for any character which uses that power source, providing a whole lot of feats and powers and one or two new builds for each class (in Primal Power: swarm and summoner druids, eagle-spirit and world-speaker shamans, two-weapon and thunderborn barbarians, and life-spirit and storm wardens). As well as some other stuff--Arcane Power has familiars, Divine Power has domains and some god-related fluff, and Primal Power has a whole bunch of fluff with plot hooks in.

[Yakk]

More loot: The Adventures Vault books contain little but loot.

Creatures: MM3. Open Grave. Draconomicon 1 and 2.

Adventures: Dungeon Delve contains a bunch of mini-dungeons, which are not adventures, but rather settings you can inject into an adventure.

Eberonn Campaign and Player's Guide (for 4e).

DMG2 contains advice on DMing, as well as mechanics for things like "knock the chandelier down", companion characters, revised skill challenge rules, alternatives to magic items for player rewards, etc etc.

[Tiki Snakes]

If you don't want to get a Subscription, especially if you have no plans on really ever getting a subscription, I can recommend looking into the Dragon Magazine Annual.

It has lots of tasty stuff in there, especially for players admittedly. Plus it's an actual book, so there's that, too. :)

[Mando Knight]

(in Primal Power: swarm and summoner druids,

Bee-shooting dog. That is all.

[Mr. Mud]

Bee-shooting dog. That is all.

Beat me too it!

Damn you for reading the OOC faster than I did Mano, damn you.

[jmbrown]

Adventurer's Vault 2 was released recently. IMO the "magic/item/whatever compendium" books are the best D&D products in the line outside of the core books.

[Grey Watcher]

Bee-shooting dog. That is all.

Or what? You'll release the dogs? Or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouths so when they bark they shoot bees at you?

Sorry, had to get that out of my system.

[Mando Knight]

It could also be a gorilla firing locusts out of its arms. Or a hive of bees coalescing into a panther. Or something else ludicrous and vermin-related.

[Sipex]

A bit early to be asking for the MM3 I think...what with it coming out in June next year.

Go for the MM2

[Gamerlord]

I mean the 3.5 MM3.

[Inyssius Tor]

I should clarify, re: DDI, in case I wasn't very clear--the value isn't the actual subscription, the online magazines and so on. Never mind that stuff. The point is the Character Builder, which doesn't go away after you stop paying. And which, again, contains most of the material in the Adventurer's Vault, all four Power books, parts of the PHB3, et cetera.

Not to argue with "I want something in my hands", mind you. I've got to agree with that myself. I'm just, y'know, clarifying here.

[kc0bbq]

As a DM resource, Open Grave my favorite. It's a fantastic 4e supplement.

[Mr. Mud]

Chromatic Draconomicon is great, if you're a DM. If not, I'd suggest getting one of the Powers (I like Martail Power, but I know some others dislike it. I don't have Primal (yet) but it sounds damn awesome). Divine is alright, and Arcane is great.)

Also, Forgotten Realms, both DM and Player's Guide are nice. The Swordmage itself is probably enough to get it. While Ebberon has Changeling, Warforged, AND Artificer, I still liked FR loads better.

[Guinea Anubis]

As a player this is my list and yes its in order
PH2
adventurer's vault
martial power
divine power
arcane power
primal power
adventurer's vault 2

As A DM I have another list thats tacked on to the player one
MM2
Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons
Draconomicon 2: Metallic Dragons
Open Grave
Dungeon Delve

[Baerdog7]

As a DM resource, Open Grave my favorite. It's a fantastic 4e supplement.

I have to second this. I can't wait for Dark Sun to come out next spring so I can find a way to use Open Grave in a Dark Sun campaign.

Also as a DM, I highly recommend both Adventurer's Vaults, the MM2, and the DMG2. You might not think you need any advice for DMing, but the DMG2 is still a great resource and may give you ideas you hadn't even thought about.

[FoE]

What the world needs is more animals shooting bees out of their mouths. You could make a whole goddamn Monster Manual out of that; you just take old monsters and add bee-vomiting.

I too can testify to the greatness of the DMG2. And get the new DM screen. It's not tall enough, but my gods does it have a lot of tables.

[vicente408]

Bee-shooting dog. That is all.

Say what now?

[FoE]

Say what now?

Holy s***. O_O

[Asbestos]

Beat me too it!

Damn you for reading the OOC faster than I did Mano, damn you.

Thieves!!!
And it was Simpson inspired, though the MTG thing gives a great visual to go along with the idea.


That's got to be a +Awesome bonus to Intimidate checks right?