What Books do I Need Starting Out as a DM?

[Mr. Zolrane]

At some point in the foreseeable future I plan on DMing. I am very new to DnD but based on my experiences thus far I feel like I would enjoy DMing more than playing (I am a writer after all, so it seems like it would suit me).

My question to you fine folks is what books would you say are essential for a DM who's just starting out?

[Kylarra]

What edition?

[sonofzeal]

None, really. Well, Monster Manual and PHB, but you can get that stuff online in the SRD. Magic items are up there too, and that's about as much as I routinely use the DMG for. You can run perfectly servicable games straight off the SRD. Beyond that, MM3 and MM5 are solid investments, then start on the same books that players go for - PHB2, Tome of Battle, Complete series, etc.

Oh, and Dungeonscape has some of the best advice for DMs that I've seen out of WotC. It also has a way better system for handling traps.

[Weezer]

Well the core three are hands down a necessity, you can't really DM without he PHB, the MM and the DMG. From there it's all down to personal preference, Frostburn/Sandstorm/Stormwrack/Cityscape are good if you want to do an arctic/desert/aquatic/urban campaign. Or you can get books that expand player/NPC options, the completes are good for that, as are PHBII, Tome of Battle and Tome of Magic. If you have a specific type of creature you like using Lords of Madness is a great source for abberations and other Things Not Meant to Be (TM) and Draconomicon is an amazing source if you want to make your dragons more interesting. Other good options are the various campaign setting books, the ones you'd choose for that are entirely based on what, if any, published setting you want to use.
Hope that was at least a little helpful.

[Leecros]

None, really. Well, Monster Manual and PHB, but you can get that stuff online in the SRD. Magic items are up there too, and that's about as much as I routinely use the DMG for. You can run perfectly servicable games straight off the SRD. Beyond that, MM3 and MM5 are solid investments, then start on the same books that players go for - PHB2, Tome of Battle, Complete series, etc.

Oh, and Dungeonscape has some of the best advice for DMs that I've seen out of WotC. It also has a way better system for handling traps.

This.

Although i do highly suggest you play a number of games to at least see how other DM's work. I did read your post about how you believe that you'll like DMing more than being a player, but i know it helped me a lot when i first started DM and i have incorporated a number of houserules and other stuff which DM's that i have had in the past have used.

Almost as important as the books is making sure you have a good group together. I'm on my second group, and we've been playing D&D together for about a year. The first time i DM'd we had a couple of jerks who treated me as an idiot and the group didn't make it past 2 nights, i was aware that i wasn't the most knowledgeable person on the mechanics of D&D, but the baby talk they used was not necessisary.

[Lord Vampyre]

Almost as important as the books is making sure you have a good group together. I'm on my second group, and we've been playing D&D together for about a year. The first time i DM'd we had a couple of jerks who treated me as an idiot and the group didn't make it past 2 nights, i was aware that i wasn't the most knowledgeable person on the mechanics of D&D, but the baby talk they used was not necessisary.

This probably more important than the books. If your playing with experienced players, then they probably have more books than you'll ever need. Your best bet is to try borrowing a few of the books from your fellow players. After you read them you'll be able to determine if you should actually buy it for the type of campaign you want to run.

[Mr. Zolrane]

What edition?

3.5

This.

Although i do highly suggest you play a number of games to at least see how other DM's work. I did read your post about how you believe that you'll like DMing more than being a player, but i know it helped me a lot when i first started DM and i have incorporated a number of houserules and other stuff which DM's that i have had in the past have used.

Almost as important as the books is making sure you have a good group together. I'm on my second group, and we've been playing D&D together for about a year. The first time i DM'd we had a couple of jerks who treated me as an idiot and the group didn't make it past 2 nights, i was aware that i wasn't the most knowledgeable person on the mechanics of D&D, but the baby talk they used was not necessisary.

Oh, I have no doubt that when I DM, it'll be houseruled up the arse. I plan on basically tearing 3.5 DnD down and rebuilding it in my image. And I'm sorry your group were toolbags, that must not have been fun

Well the core three are hands down a necessity, you can't really DM without he PHB, the MM and the DMG. From there it's all down to personal preference, Frostburn/Sandstorm/Stormwrack/Cityscape are good if you want to do an arctic/desert/aquatic/urban campaign. Or you can get books that expand player/NPC options, the completes are good for that, as are PHBII, Tome of Battle and Tome of Magic. If you have a specific type of creature you like using Lords of Madness is a great source for abberations and other Things Not Meant to Be (TM) and Draconomicon is an amazing source if you want to make your dragons more interesting. Other good options are the various campaign setting books, the ones you'd choose for that are entirely based on what, if any, published setting you want to use.
Hope that was at least a little helpful.

That helps alot, thanks. Especially the borrowing bit. I feel kind of silly for not having thought of it myself.

Thanks guys, this gives me some good jumping off points.

Also, can someone link me to a complete list of all 3.5 splatbooks?

[Lord.Sorasen]

Also, as I am a new DM as well (first session last week), I seriously suggest looking at the campaign journals posted around these forums (and most likely in other places as well.) If you are like me and don't have too many ways to witness actual campaigns, it can really help to see some examples.

You only really need the Player's Handbook and Monster Manual, but even then most if not all of that is in the SRD. The dungeon master's guide, while not needed, is a nice idea for beginners... Keep in mind though that it must be taken with a grain of salt: a lot of the advice they give isn't really too practical (on the top of my head, elite array doesn't seem to be enough for monks or paladins at all, and Challenge Rating is not at all a reliable system.)

[Dienekes]

Since I can't really add to anything said about the books (I run off of srd + Tome of Battle, and that's it) that hasn't already been said. I'll give you one piece of advice about GMing. Make sure you know what you're players want in a game. If someone's only real reason for roleplaying is to squash puny monsters under heel then a high court intrigue type game may not be the best way to go (speaking from experience here).

Best of luck to you on your GMing though. If you get the right group, and the right plot, and a lot of time on your hands to plan everything it can be the most fun you'll have in roleplaying.

[Xyk]

You don't need anything more than the core 3: Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual. The rest are kinda nice to have but can also complicate things. I have just the PHB, DMG, and Complete Adventurer on hard copy and use the SRD as my monster manual (and primarily for theoretical character building, the rest of the books I have on pdf). I've been successfully DMing for about 5 years.

[Lateral]

I just use the Internets, and I'm perfectly happy, damn it!

Seriously, you can get along perfectly well with only the online SRD and web resources. Especially, look at Warblades- they're epic win pwnage, although YMMV.

Hey, have you tried PbP?

[Lord.Sorasen]

Oh, I have no doubt that when I DM, it'll be houseruled up the arse. I plan on basically tearing 3.5 DnD down and rebuilding it in my image.

Maybe I'm wrong about this, but I wouldn't recommend this right away. D&D 3.5 is a complicated game, and more than that it's a deceptive game. You'll find as games happen that the system works very differently than it looks like it does: In particular, new players cannot at all understand why the monk isn't a very powerful class. It's even harder to see why the vow of poverty monk is not a good idea. Things like this turn up a lot. House-ruling can cause some serious issues one may not have expected (as a personal note, I almost banned meteor swarm because it looked too powerful :P)

[Mr. Zolrane]

Hey, have you tried PbP?

I've thought about it. What all would I need for that; i.e. how involved is it and what do PbP games normally look like?

Maybe I'm wrong about this, but I wouldn't recommend this right away. D&D 3.5 is a complicated game, and more than that it's a deceptive game. You'll find as games happen that the system works very differently than it looks like it does: In particular, new players cannot at all understand why the monk isn't a very powerful class. It's even harder to see why the vow of poverty monk is not a good idea. Things like this turn up a lot. House-ruling can cause some serious issues one may not have expected (as a personal note, I almost banned meteor swarm because it looked too powerful :P)

That has occurred to me. A couple things I've considered is to simply go with 4e instead: I'm told it's more streamlined (or "dumbed down" depending on who you ask) and there's simply less stuff out for it, at least right now: I'd simply have fewer dead trees to purchase for spare parts from which to construct my world.

[Flickerdart]

I've thought about it. What all would I need for that; i.e. how involved is it and what do PbP games normally look like?




That has occurred to me. A couple things I've considered is to simply go with 4e instead: I'm told it's more streamlined (or "dumbed down" depending on who you ask) and there's simply less stuff out for it, at least right now: I'd simply have fewer dead trees to purchase for spare parts from which to construct my world.

PbP takes forever. What you want to do is go on the IRC (Gamesurge, #giantitp) and run a game there.

[Lateral]

It's a lot better at roleplay than it is at combat, because people don't post in real-time. That said, the best PbPs are the ones where all of the players are committed to the game- it runs fast enough to be fun if everyone has a high post frequency. Generally, out of combat it's like a regular game but with posts, and in combat it's the same but with grids that use ASCII symbols to denote things. Look around the guides down there, look at a few IC and OOC threads for a while, and see what you think.

(I guess I kind'a have an ulterior motive here; I've been dying to play a 14th level Shaper/Constructor, but I can't find a good place to sign up.)

[Xyk]

Maybe I'm wrong about this, but I wouldn't recommend this right away. D&D 3.5 is a complicated game, and more than that it's a deceptive game. You'll find as games happen that the system works very differently than it looks like it does: In particular, new players cannot at all understand why the monk isn't a very powerful class. It's even harder to see why the vow of poverty monk is not a good idea. Things like this turn up a lot. House-ruling can cause some serious issues one may not have expected (as a personal note, I almost banned meteor swarm because it looked too powerful :P)

That's grossly exaggerated here in the playground. People make it sound as if one cannot play a monk, when I've known several monks to be enjoyable. Many wizards find themselves overshadowed to barbarians. What I'm saying is that I disagree with the above statement.

If players can't tell that the monk is not very powerful, then it doesn't matter.

[HunterOfJello]

I strongly suggest grabbing the three core books as a minimum. The Player's Handbook will be used constantly throughout all of your DMing from your first session to your last. The Dungeon Master's Guide has great resources in it for DMing, more information about the game that's left out of the PHB, and a nice list of magical items for players to get their hands on. The Monster Manual will fullfill all of your basic monster needs.


As a DM, I've found that there are some books which are great to have access to on a computer and others which are great to have on hand when playing. I've heard about people playing with only the SRD, but I wouldn't recommend doing so. The SRD has a lot of tables left out of it that become useful when playing. I also like having a few extra monster splatbooks on hand. I use the Monster Manual 3 constantly and the Fiend Folio regularly. I'll list some splatbooks that are good to own on hand and others that are good to have on a computer or as reference. The titles in bold are books that are especially useful.

List of Splatbooks that are good to have on the computer:
Complete ________ Series
Races of ______ Series
Dungeonscape (nice player info for dungeon delving)
Cityscape (nice DM info for city creation and management)
DMG 2
PHB 2
Stormwrack (for sea adventures)
Sandstorm (for desert adventures)
Frostburn (for arctic adventures)
Heroes of Horror (the Archivist base class is great)
Rules Compendium (you'll be tempted to look up obscure rules in here eventually)

List of Splatbooks that are good to have on hand:
Spell Compendium
Magic Item Compendium
Campaign Setting book of your choice (Eberron and Forgotten Realms are the two big ones)
Unearthed Arcana (for all of your alternate rules needs)

Custom Base Class books that are good to have on hand if you want to use those classes:
Tome of Battle (controversial book that introduced 3 new melee base classes which far surpass all the original melee classes)
Expanded Psionics Handbook (if you like Psionics)
Eberron Campaign Setting (includes 3 new races, and the awesome Artificer class)

Magic of Incarnum (slightly odd book with a custom magic system. some like it. some don't. not a must-buy)
Tome of Magic (introduced 3 new custom magic classes. 1 is good, 1 is okay and 1 is terrible.)


~

Concerning House Rules:

As many DMs will tell you, be weary of creating house rules. This especially applies to your first time DMing. One rule of thumb to remember is this: any rule that you give your players, they will expect to remain the same from then on. Even after being careful, I've made several house rules that I later came to regret.

I would suggest taking a look at threads of DM houserules and cherry picking examples from those before creating any rules on your own.

[The Dark Fiddler]

I'm gonna go against the grain here and say all you REALLY need is the Player's Handbook. Now don't get me wrong, the other two core books are very incredibly nice, but you don't necessarily need them. The PHB has all the rules that make the game function; skills, classes, races, etc. The DMG has... mostly magic items, and you can make those up as you go if you really wanted to. And as for the MM, if you play a humanoid-heavy campaign, you might never open it.

[RndmNumGen]

You need the content in PHB, DMG and MM, but most of the information in those books is in the SRD. I've found that I like the Miniature's Handbook for creating more expansive worlds, and Complete Adventurer is useful for building both PCs and NPCs.

I noted that you said you are a writer; one thing I should emphasize is that when you are DMing, you are not telling a story. Rather, you are creating an open world for your players to explore, one which has many characters, places, organizations, and the interactions between them which often results in many stories. If you have this great story written out involving an evil dragon king, well that's excellent, but if your players don't want anything to do with the dragon king, don't force them along. You can scatter incentives around to lead them down a certain path, but if they want to do something else, let them. It's not fun for either you or the players when the players are forced down a certain path.

[Mr. Zolrane]

You need the content in PHB, DMG and MM, but most of the information in those books is in the SRD. I've found that I like the Miniature's Handbook for creating more expansive worlds, and Complete Adventurer is useful for building both PCs and NPCs.

I noted that you said you are a writer; one thing I should emphasize is that when you are DMing, you are not telling a story. Rather, you are creating an open world for your players to explore, one which has many characters, places, organizations, and the interactions between them which often results in many stories. If you have this great story written out involving an evil dragon king, well that's excellent, but if your players don't want anything to do with the dragon king, don't force them along. You can scatter incentives around to lead them down a certain path, but if they want to do something else, let them. It's not fun for either you or the players when the players are forced down a certain path.

Thanks for more book tips. And I'm aware of how prone I might be to railroading. The world I'm building is a big world, and no matter where they choose to go, there will be something interesting to do. That said, I do require some modicum of structure or it just turns into a muddled, aimless mess (i.e. the campaign I'm currently in, but a new guy is DMing so that might change). At no point will I ever break out the "You must do XYZ", no matter how much I want them to choose XYZ. What I'm going to do (and I know this is nothing new) is make them want it. There will be other attractive options of course; I'll have contingency plans, but in general I'll gently nudge them in the direction I want them to go: In short, make 'em think it was their idea. If they realize that that was what I wanted them to do, I've done something wrong.

Or... I could be just talking out of my ass... you decide.

[Weezer]

In short, make 'em think it was their idea. If they realize that that was what I wanted them to do, I've done something wrong.

Or... I could be just talking out of my ass... you decide.

Well you've certainly described the ideal DM, it's the implementation that's hard (as I see you realize). I kind of fail at achieving it myself, but since everyone else in my group is even worse at it than I am, I still get pushed into it. The most important thing is to be able to objectively look at how you're doing, it's very easy to get trapped into blaming the PCs, to think to yourself
"They should want to do this, they have motivation xyz which is perfect for their character. Clearly they are just being contrary."
If that happens a lot, make sure you critique yourself fairly, it's more often than not the DMs fault.

Though saying that often times it is the players fault, many people seem to take sadistic joy out of making a campaign burn for the hell of it.

[RndmNumGen]

Thanks for more book tips. And I'm aware of how prone I might be to railroading. The world I'm building is a big world, and no matter where they choose to go, there will be something interesting to do. That said, I do require some modicum of structure or it just turns into a muddled, aimless mess (i.e. the campaign I'm currently in, but a new guy is DMing so that might change). At no point will I ever break out the "You must do XYZ", no matter how much I want them to choose XYZ. What I'm going to do (and I know this is nothing new) is make them want it. There will be other attractive options of course; I'll have contingency plans, but in general I'll gently nudge them in the direction I want them to go: In short, make 'em think it was their idea. If they realize that that was what I wanted them to do, I've done something wrong.

Or... I could be just talking out of my ass... you decide.

Nope, sounds like you have the right idea. I've just had the unfortunate experience of meeting some DMs who think that DMing is an opportunity to qrite a story with real people in it - of course, those real people often have goals that don't match up with the authors, which causes problems. As long as you're aware of it though, things should run fairly smoothly.

[Rob Roy]

You don't need any really. Use the online SRD and you should have almost everything you need. Besides that I've found that the Races of series and the Environmental books are a solid investment.

[Mastikator]

As a DM you don't need anyone's permission to homebrew and improvise rules. So technically, you don't need anything.
However, if you're unfamiliar with the rules, but your players aren't then it's probably wise to get the core books or the SRD. And read all the books you intend on allowing players to use.

[Lord.Sorasen]

That's grossly exaggerated here in the playground. People make it sound as if one cannot play a monk, when I've known several monks to be enjoyable. Many wizards find themselves overshadowed to barbarians. What I'm saying is that I disagree with the above statement.

If players can't tell that the monk is not very powerful, then it doesn't matter.

I happen to enjoy playing a monk. But it's just not all that powerful. It generally is exaggerated in the same way bard is (I love reading about how worthless the bard is, and was quite shocked to learn how incredible a bard can be.)

I agree with you: If the players are unaware, then there's no problem. But the issue would really be those players who pick the monk believing it will be ultra powerful, only to find it is not so.

[Yora]

Also, can someone link me to a complete list of all 3.5 splatbooks?

This one only list the titles without any further information, but it should give you an idea how much stuff there has been.

[grimbold]

the 3 core books are fine at first but slowly you have to learn about non-core things your players want to do
as you learn that stuff you gain a lot more game knowledge, your books will slowly build up over time.

[Yora]

I agree that you will need the PHB a lot. And I guess it really helps a lot if youhave the DMG at hand for the first weeks of being a gm. But the MM is really unneccessary as there's nothing in it that's not in the SRD and can be looked up online for free.
(Except for some creatures like mind flayers, beholders, and yuan-ti. They are very interesting, but you don't need them to run a game.) But if you can get it for a god price, it's really not a bad choice. But it's not a problem if you don't.

[Mr. Zolrane]

This one only list the titles without any further information, but it should give you an idea how much stuff there has been.

Holy bleep on a bleep sandwich! That's... rather a lot of books

[Curmudgeon]

Oh, I have no doubt that when I DM, it'll be houseruled up the arse. I plan on basically tearing 3.5 DnD down and rebuilding it in my image.

Then forget about the books, because having them will put you at cross-purposes to your players. If you and the players share books with printed rules in them, those players are going to (very reasonably) assume that you'll follow those rules. You're going to continually disappoint and upset them if you're changing everything as you go.