WeaselGuy's Index of Handbooks and Guides (3.x Ed)

[WeaselGuy]

Man, a 'master list' thread for handbooks would certainly be an epic-level undertaking at this point!

Well... Let's see what I can do.
To Do List:

• Find more guides
• Find metric for sorting
• Spoilerize categories
• Alphabetize entries
• Sort class guides by Class

Also, a HUGE thanks to everyone in this thread that has helped me work on this so far, and of course, to the authors of the various handbooks and guides linked here. Without you folks, none of this would be possible.

Spoiler: General Resource

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General Resources

• X stat to Y
• Threads from the Wizards Forums
• Thurbane's Extended Signature of 3.5 Stuff - Thurbane
• Completely Dysfunctional Handbook - nedz
• List of Feat Granting Items/Locations/Grafts - Jowgen
• Magical Locations and Affiliations
• Arsenic and Old Lace: a Guide to Poisons
• Alternative Class Features (ported from Wizards community boards)
• List of Online Prestige Classes
• Important Epic Threads Index
• Evasion Index
• Variant Class Feature Chaining
• Sources of Bonuses to Ability Scores updated
• The Prerequisite and Early Entry Handbook
• The Complete Cost Reduction Handbook by Bastian with PlzBreakMyCampaign's help
• D&D Adventures: A list of Obscure 1st Party Sources

Spoiler: Class Guides

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Class Guides

• Spoiler: Archivist

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  • Archivist Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Ardent

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  • Ardent Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Artificer

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  • Disregard Money, Acquire Buff Spells: Artificers without the Artifice - Forrestfire
  • Bargain Bin Spells for Artificers - Iskajir
  • The Unofficial Artificer Player's Guide 3.0
  • Zeroficers A guide to making tier 0 Artificers

  
  
• Spoiler: Barbarian

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  • Being Bane: Eldariel's Guide to Barbarians - Eldariel

  
  
• Spoiler: Bard

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  • Bard Handbook
  • New Bard Handbook - JoshuaD

  
  
• Spoiler: Binder

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  • Binder Handbook
  • Consolidated Binder Handbook
  • The Binder’s Summon List and Spellbook
  • The new quick vestige list - Crake

  
  
• Spoiler: Cleric

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  • The Cleric Handbook
  • Cleric Handbook
  • Handbook: Dipping Cleric 1

  
  
• Spoiler: Crusader

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  • Crusader Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Dragon Shaman

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  • Dragon Shaman Handbook - Jopustopin
  • Wayback Machine - Dragon Shaman Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Dragonfire Adept

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  • Dragonfire Adept Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Dread Necromancer

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  • Reanimated Dread Necromancer Handbook
  • New Dread Necromancer Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Druid

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  • Being Everything: Eggynack's Comprehensive Druid Handbook - Eggynack

  
  
• Spoiler: Duskblade

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  • Duskblade Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Factotum

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  • Getting the Facts Straight: A Factotum Handbook - Gildedragon

  
  
• Spoiler: Fiend of Possession

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  • Fiend of Possession

  
  
• Spoiler: Fighter

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  • The Fighter's Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Healer

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  • Healer Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Hexer

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  • The Hexer Handbook - Saintheart

  
  
• Spoiler: Incarnate

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  • Incarnate Handbook
  • Soulmeld List by Class and Slot

  
  
• Spoiler: Ironsoul Forgemaster

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  • Soul and Steel: A Guide to the Ironsoul Forgemaster (WIP, PEACH)
  • Soulmeld List by Class and Slot

  
  
• Spoiler: Knight

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  • Person Man's Knight Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Maho-Tsukai

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  • The Maho-Tsukai Tainted Handbook - Ger. Bessa

  
  
• Spoiler: Malconvoker

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  • Mastering the Malconvoker

  
  
• Spoiler: Marshal

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  • Marshal Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Master of Many Forms

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  • Master of Many Forms Bible

  
  
• Spoiler: Meditant

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  • Zen Psionics: Mastering the Meditant

  
  
• Spoiler: Monk

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  • Beating Batman - Sir Giacomo's Guide to Monks

  
  
• Spoiler: Necromancer

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  • The Necromancer Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Ninja

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  • Ninja Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Paladin

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  • Paladin Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Planar Shepherd

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  • The Planar Shepherd Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Psion

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  • Psion Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Psychic Rogue

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  • Thinking on Your Feet: The Psychic Rogue Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Psychic Warrior

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  • Psychic Warrior Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Ranger

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  • Ranger Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Renegade Mastermaker

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  • Being a Steampunk Magitek Cyborg: A Renegade Mastermaker Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Rogue

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  • The Rogue Handbook: A Fistful of d6 - PId6

  
  
• Spoiler: Runecaster

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  • Runeblaster: A Handbook for the D&D 3.5 Runecaster

  
  
• Spoiler: Scout

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  • New Scout Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Sha'ir

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  • Trafficking with the Genies - A Sha'ir Handbook
  • Sha'ir Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Shadowcaster

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  • Pulvis Et Umbra Sumus - The Shadowcaster Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Shadowcraft Mage

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  • Shadowcraft Mage Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Shaman

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  • Shaman Handbook (Oriental Adventures)

  
  
• Spoiler: Shugenja

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  • Shugenja Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Sohei

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  • Sohei Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Sorcerer

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  • The Sorcerer's Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Spellthief

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  • Jack of All Trades - Fax Celestis Guide to Spellthieves
  • Master Spellthief (a mini-guide)

  
  
• Spoiler: Spirit Shaman

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  • Spirit Shaman Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Suel Arcanamach

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  • The Suel Arcanamach Handbook - true_shinken

  
  
• Spoiler: Swashbuckler

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  • The Swashbuckler Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Swiftblade

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  • The Swiftblade Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Swordsage

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  • Swordsage Handbook: This one'll walk the whole Way - RFLS

  
  
• Spoiler: Totemist

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  • danzibr's Totemist Handbook - danzibr
  • Soulmeld List by Class and Slot

  
  
• Spoiler: Truenamer

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  • In the Beginning Was the Word, and the Word Was Suck: A Guide to Truenamers - Zaq

  
  
• Spoiler: Warblade

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  • Elfin's Masters of the Sword - A Warblade's Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Warlock

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  • The Warlockopedia - Troacctid
  • The New Warlock Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Warmage

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  • Warmage Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Wizard

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  • Being Batman: the Logic Ninja's Guide to Wizards
  • Guide to Wizard Handbook
  • Dictum Mortuum's Wizard Handbook
  • Zarzak's Enchanter handbook
  • The Conjurer's Handbook

  
  
• Spoiler: Wu-Jen

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  • The Power of the Orient - Wu-Jen Handbook

  
  

Spoiler: Tiering

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Tiering

• DnD 3e Tiering

Spoiler: Alignments

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Alignments

• AvatarVecna's Alignment Handbook Super Thread
• The Pursuit of Happiness: a practical Guide to playing True Neutral
• Compliance Will Be Rewarded: A Guide to Lawful Evil
• To March Into Hell for a Heavenly Cause: A Lawful Good Handbook

Spoiler: Class Skills

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Class Skills

• Alternative Ways to Get New Class Skills (updated)
• Survival Skill Survival Guide
• Visual Lies: A Reference for the Disguise Skill - daremetoidareyo
• The Jumplomancer
• Skills skills skills
• Disable Device
• Knowledge
• Bluff
• Survival
• Listen
• Escape Artist
• Disguise
• Appraise
• Aid Another expansions compilation

Spoiler: Specific Character Builds

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Specific Character Builds

• Famous Optimized Character Builds
• Master List of Builds
• Buffsader (ToB/Gish/Party Support)
• The Utility Belt (Psionics/Stealth/Utility)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless War Mind (ToB/Psionics/Melee Damage)
• The Melding Pot (Incarnum/Utility)
• That’s So Raven (Gish/Ranged/Debuff)
• Dancing in the Dark (ToB/Stealth/Lock-down)
• Gladys Knight and the Pips (Arcane/Face/Utility)
• Zen in the Art of Archery
• I Choose You! (Divine/Summmoning)
• Cold World (Divine/Summmoning/Lockdown)
• Holy Roller and His Holy Boulders (Ranged/Wild Shape/Exalted)
• Big Brother is Watching (Scrying/Arcane/Party Support)
• The White Elephant (Arcane/Debuff/BFC)
• Tales from the Crypt (Halloween special)
• Switchblade Suzie (Melee/ToB/damage)
• Legend of the Drunken Master (Melee/Charge/ToB)
• The Shadow Uncaster (Theurge/Stealth/Utility)
• Dazed and Confused (Melee/Lockdown/Debuff)
• *bamf* (Melee/Lockdown/ToB)
• Tenebriated (Binding/Divine/Face)
• Bob the Builder (Infusions/Utility/Buffing)
• Army of Darkness (Necromancer/ToB)
• Cutting Room Floor: The Happiest SADiest (Cha-SAD gish)
• Cutting Room Floor: Burn, Baby, Burn (Warmage optimization)
• Cutting Room Floor: Bad Touch (Dread necromancer gish/debuffer)
• Cutting Room Floor: Stomp the Yard (Trample optimization)
• Dark Side of the Moon (Stealth/monk/unkillable)
• Dahlver-Nah, Bro (ToB/binding/melee tank)
• Ghost Riding the Whip (Optimize a... car?)
• The Wolverine (Tashalatora/Shifter/Melee)
• Fear and Loathing in Celestia (Bard/Archery/Fear/Rainbows)
• How to Win Friends and Influence People (arcane/social/early entry)
• The Sleepless Beauty (Sleep optimization)

Spoiler: Magic

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Magic

• The 3.5 Caster Classes Index
• Metamagic and You: A Thesis
• Ways to Expand a Spell List
• Raising Caster Level list from the old WoTC forum
• Raising Caster Level (Updated on GitP)
• Archive of the Transmutation spell handbook, as suggested by Trentmonk, by CantripN
• Tsuyoshi's Guide to Divination Spells for Wizards, as suggested by Trentmonk
• Magic Items in the Dhamon Saga, not a handbook, but worth archiving
• Complete list of Possible Familiars
• Prestige Classes with Independent Spell Progression - Elric VIII
• WotC Psionic Support books
• Spells that save you from taking feats or investing skill points
• Minor Creation and You: A Small Guide
• About Cantrips/Prestidigitations
• Increasing Spell DC - Mini Handbook
• [Guide] Bases creatures that makes a good skeleton (or My Friend Skully Handbook)
• A Guide to Staying Dead
• Complete (Su) List - For Shapechange
• 3.5 Forms for Alter Self
• The EVEN MORE Complete Polymorph Thread 3.5
• List of all prestige classes that progress spellcasting
• Extended list of familiars in D&D 3.5
• Spell Slot Recovery Handbook 3.5
• Spoiler: Summoning

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  • Summoning Handbook
  • Legal 3.5 Summonable Monster List
  • The Summoner's Desk Reference
  • Practical Demonkeeping
  • Ways to boost Summon Elemental
  • Planar Binding and You
  • Rising Above (A Summoner's Guide to the Upper Planes)
  • LOES: Spamming and Summoning Elementals from Level 1

  
  

Spoiler: Items & Weapons

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Items & Weapons

• A Hand of Staves: A 3.5 resource for the Quarterstaff
• A Subtle Knife: A 3.5 resource for the Dagger
• A Bar Sinister: A 3.5 resource for the Bastard Sword and Katana
• A Ballad for John Henry: A 3.5 resource for the Warhammer
• Lists of Stuff
• Lists of Necessary Magic Items - Ernir
• Budget Armor Calculator
• Special Materials Index
• Shax's Indespensible Haversack - Darrin
• 'Bunko's bargain basement'
• Fill That Slot!
• Finessable Weapons!
• The 3.5 Armor & Shield Thread
• Magical Plants and Where to Find them
• Growing Threats: The Dark Garden
  

Spoiler: Melee

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Melee

• [3.X] Person Man's Guide to Melee Combos
• Ways to get Pounce or Free Movement
• The TWF OffHandbook - Darrin
• My Guides to Various Weapons in 3.5 - Saintheart
• Martial Arts Styles
• Person Man's Guide to Shields
• Hulkamania is runnin' wild (a grappling handbook)
• Inlindl School: A Mini-Guide

Spoiler: Gish

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Gish

• The Gish Handbook - Kazyan

Spoiler: Archery

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Archery

• Toxophilite - The Archery Handbook - Yuukale
• The Completed Archery Handbook

Spoiler: Feats

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Feats

• Multiclassing Feats
• Races with Bonus Feats
• The World in One Feat: A Shape Soulmeld Handbook
• The Best Feats of 3.5, by Grod_The_Giant
• Exotic Practice of Feat Binding

Spoiler: Races/Monsters Guides

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Races/Monsters Guides

• Master Race List
• Lists of Every Playable Monster by ECL - unseenmage
• The Dragon Handbook - WhamBamSam
• The Fey Compendium - HeadlessMermaid
• Urpriest's Monstrous Monster Handbook
• Monster Manual VI - Online Monsters
• 3.5 DM's Guide to Using and Improving Monsters
• Uncle Kitty's Guide to Template Based Shenanigans
• Monsters with innate spellcasting
• Planetouched Races - Lesser is Better
• +0 LA Non-Humanoids
• The (Mini) Kobold Handbook
• Monster Compendium for the maligned, forgotten & misunderstood monsters
• The Shifter Handbook - NeoSeraphi

Spoiler: Concept Guides

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Concept Guides

• Chronos's Unalliterative Skillmonkey Guide
• A Proper Guide to Scouting - JaronK
• Mechonomicon
• The Mechanomicon (A list of constructs with commentary)
• The Basketweaver's Handbook
• Caedrus' Art of War vol 1. Fear Handbook - herrhauptmann
• For Massive Damage!: A Critical Hit Handbook
• The 3.5 Critical Hit Handbook
• GoogleDocs "The Critical Hit Handbook"

Spoiler: System Design & Philosophy

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System Design & Philosophy

• Why Each Class is In Its Tier (2019 Update) - Community project, headed by Troacctid, Eggynack, and Heavyfuel.
• Bekeleven's Monkday Guide to Monks - bekeleven - This one more of a guide on why Monks are a less than optimal choice for pretty much every occasion.

Spoiler: Campaign Guides

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Campaign Guides

• Red Hand of Doom Handbook for DMs - Saintheart
• The 3.5 Age of Worms Handbook for DMs - Major Spoilers! - PEACH!

Spoiler: Worldbuilding/Encounter Design

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Worldbuilding/Encounter Design Guides

• Building a World, part 1: Purpose and Style - Rich Burlew
• Worldbuilding through Optimization - ExLibrisMortis
• Designing Prestige Classes 1 - Ruben Smith-Zempel
• Designing Prestige Classes 2 - Ruben Smith-Zempel
• Guide to Homebrewing - Fax Celestis
• Guilds/Organizations list
• The Commoner Handbook
• A guide to free D&D

[WeaselGuy]

Reserved #1

[WeaselGuy]

Reserved #2? I don't think I'll need it, but better safe than sorry. If y'all have ideas or links or whatever, post them below :)

[loky1109]

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...-to-Truenamers

[WeaselGuy]

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...-to-Truenamers

added

if anyone else has some, throw em out, otherwise it's a crapton of googling for me until I get burned out lol

[Oniyoru]

• The Gish Handbook by Kazyan
• Swordsage Handbook: This one'll walk the whole Way by RFLS
• Getting the Facts Straight: A Factotum Handbook by Gildedragon
• The Fey Compendium by HeadlessMermaid

_____________________________
EDIT

• Chronos's Unalliterative Skillmonkey Guide
• Lists of Necessary Magic Items by Ernir (I know there's and amazing one for Utility Belt with both mundane and magic, but I cant find it, but found this one instead)
• Completely Dysfunctional Handbook by nedz (cause...why not?)
• List of Feat Granting Items/Locations/Grafts by Jowgen
• [3.X] Person Man's Guide to Melee Combos (A handbook with more handbook links on post #2)

[Fero]

The Mechinomicon: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=18109.0

[Menzath]

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...chery-Handbook

An archery handbook that also has links to 5 other archery or archer related handbooks.

[Kurald Galain]

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...e-to-the-Magus

Most recent version of X To Y: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...h.d40eivnp4zp7

[pabelfly]

The thread should be divided into sections for ease of reading. Like, class handbooks, general handbooks, magic handbooks, etc.

A few suggestions:

General Resources
Lists of Stuff - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?454553
X stat to Y - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...tat-to-Y-bonus

Tiering
DnD 3e Tiering https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...r-2019-update!
Pathfinder Tiering https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...finder-Edition

Class Skills
Alternative Ways to Get New Class Skills - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...w-Class-skills

Magic
Metamagic and You: A Thesis - https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=972.0
Ways to Expand a Spell List: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?646021

Melee
Melee Combos - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...o-Melee-Combos
Ways to get Pounce or Free Movement - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...-Free-Movement

Feats
Multiclassing Feats - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?210550
Races with Bonus Feats - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ts-Cheat-Sheet

[Arcanist]

I have a collection of bookmarks for stuff I find that interest me.
Raising Caster Level list from the old WoTC forum; Not currently a handbook, but someone should get around to making a Caster level boosting list or handbook.
Archive of the Transmutation spell handbook, as suggested by Trentmonk, by CantripN
Tsuyoshi's Guide to Divination Spells for Wizards, as suggested by Trentmonk
Zarzak's Enchanter handbook
Magic Items in the Dhamon Saga, not a handbook, but worth archiving

[Oniyoru]

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...e-to-the-Magus

I think PF should be tagged to be in a proper different list.

[Paragon]

The previous location of that Handbook Index give you a good number of them

Binder Handbook

Shadowcraft Mage Handbook

Guide to Wizard Handbook

Magical Locations and Affiliations

Complete list of Possible Familiars

Archivist Handbook

Budget Armor Calculator

Master Race List

Special Index Materials

[Razade]

A suggestion, instead of hosting them here, why not make a wiki or some other place that you can manage on your own in case those threads are purged? That does happen here from time to time.

[Rebel7284]

I found this thread extremely helpful in the past:
https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?401132

[Beni-Kujaku]

To WeaselGuy: In the case of classes, putting the name of the class in the beginning (like Warlock: the Warlockopedia) would make looking through it much easier. To organize them, something like "classes/other handbooks/lists" and in the classes, probably by source (Core/Psionic/Initiator/ToM/Incarnum/other) then alphabetically in each category.


Monk: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...Guide-to-Monks
Because it needed to be said, Monk (2): https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...Guide-to-Monks
Cleric (1): https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...leric-Handbook
Sha'ir (1): https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ha-ir-Handbook

Warblade: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ade-s-Handbook
Swordsage: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...-Way-WIP-PEACH

Shadowcaster: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...aster-Handbook
Dread Necromancer: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ancer-Handbook
Dread Necromancer (2): https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ancer-Handbook

Incarnate: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...-Handbook-2017
Totemist: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...emist-Handbook
Wu Jen: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...u-Jen-Handbook
Spellthief: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...o-Spellthieves
Factotum: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ok-(WIP-PEACH)
Scout: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...Scout-Handbook


Non-GitP:

Ranger: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=8684.0
Bard (1): https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=8686.0
Bard (2): http://www.joshuad.net/new-bard-handbook/
Fighter: http://dictummortuum.blogspot.com/20...k-general.html
Paladin: https://rpgbot.net/dnd35/characters/classes/paladin/
Cleric (2): https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=1238.0

Psychic Warrior: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=1542.0
Psion: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=5343.0
Ardent: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=1319.0

Knight: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...night-Handbook
Crusader: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=2645.0
Marshal: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=3475.0

Healer: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=8757.0
Warmage (archive): https://web.archive.org/web/20160307...p?topic=2816.0
Dragonfire Adept: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=15686.0

Shugenja: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=1199.0
Sohei: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=18142.0
Ninja: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=2823.0
Spirit Shaman: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=8710.0
Sha'ir (2): https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=849.0

Other:
Poisons: Arsenic and Old Lace: a Guide to Poisons: https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=2714.0
Necromancer : The Necromancer Handbook: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ancer-Handbook

[MinimanMidget]

Two that I use all the time:

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...lmeld-Handbook

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...k-vestige-list

[daremetoidareyo]

My signature has skill guides

[Saintheart]

My signature contains links to my handbooks:

- Red Hand of Doom Handbook
- Critical Hit Handbook
- Runecaster Handbook
- Handbook for 3.5 DMs using and improving monsters

Also not sure if they really qualify, but there's also my guides that are weapon-focused: the links are in my extended sig, which is at this post: https://forums.giantitp.com/showsing...&postcount=220


... in fact the Long Signature thread generally might be worth trawling for forgotten handbooks and links too ...

[RSGA]

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...amach-Handbook

At times it may make me want to do an expansion of it, but here's one for a prestige class.

[Maat Mons]

Searching "handbook" on this subforum, I found these:
The 3.5 Age of Worms Handbook for DMs - Major Spoilers! - PEACH!
Increasing Spell DC - Mini Handbook



Searching "guide" on this subforum, I found these:
[Guide] Bases creatures that makes a good skeleton (or My Friend Skully Handbook)
[PF] Optimization Guides Compendium
Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus
(Spheres of Power) Full Caster Dipping Guide
[PF] Oradin Mini-Guide. Or, How to be a Healbot, minus the 'bot'
Survival Skill Survival Guide
A Useful Guide for Kineticist Use

[PoeticallyPsyco]

For the magic school of conjuration (stuff available to wizards only):
The Conjurer's Handbook

On dipping cleric for an otherwise non-cleric build (this one's from the min-max forums, but thought I'd include it for completeness' sake):
Handbook: Dipping Cleric 1

[Dalmosh]

Fiend of Possession

https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=4354.0

[Morof Stonehands]

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?444354

Alternate Class Features

[bekeleven]

Monk: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...Guide-to-Monks

As happy as I am that people are still reading my Monkday post in the year of our lord 2023, that guide is

(1) not really a guide about how to play monks or anything; it's a guide on why monks suck, and refutations of common pro-monk arguments. In other words, rather than being a tool for players, it's more of a... persuasive essay.

(2) somewhat a product of the trends and forces that were prevalent on the forum when it was written. I haven't seen many mentions of "monkday" in the last few years, and I like to think that guide played a part.


Anyway. As for guides I've written, I've done a few Q&As, build writeups, and book deep dives, but the only thing I feel counts as a full optimization tool is And Stay Out: A Guide To Staying Dead (For The Other Guy). It's all about methods you can use to defeat resurrection magic.

But if you're looking for more posts in the "persuasive essay" sphere I've written one on the tier system, one about screwing mundanes, and a few others.

A handbook index would need some organization to be useful. Every concept touches every other concept, so categories are fluid, and might sometimes had to go by feel. Nonetheless, here's an example sorting system, along with a few guides to demonstrate what I would place in each category:

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1: High-level, Meta, and World concepts. This section would mostly be related to concepts that come up before the dice get rolled.

1a. System design and philosophy. Certain guides about why mundanes are bad would belong here. That's mostly system-level problems. If you're including a monkday guide, it might belong here rather than in the class section. It's also where you can explain whatever tier system best fits your bias. This is also where I'd place the 9 alignment guidebooks, for the record.

Why Each Class is In Its Tier (2019 Update) - Community project, headed by Troacctid, Eggynack, and Heavyfuel.
Compliance Will Be Rewarded: A Guide to Lawful Evil - Red Fel

1b. Guides to existing campaigns and encounters. Some of the most efficient GMing bang for your buck. Reader Beware, spoilers lurk in these waters.

Red Hand of Doom Handbook for DMs - Saintheart

1c. Guides to worldbuilding. I could see Rich Burlew's old worldbuilding essays appearing here.

Building a World, part 1: Purpose and Style - Rich Burlew
Worldbuilding through Optimization - ExLibrisMortis

1d. Guides to encounter design. Every GM needs to know the nuts and bolts of not killing their party by accident. These things should be intentional.

GM's Guide to Creating Challenging Encounters - Alexander Augunas (PF)
Encounter Design - ThatOneGM (System Agnostic)

1e. Homebrew. You could include primers on how to create, balance, and format homebrew. Almost every GM changes some rules. Know them before you break them, and know how to break them. Obviously, don't include homebrew itself, that way lies madness.

Designing Prestige Classes 1 - Ruben Smith-Zempel (2)
Guide to Homebrewing - Fax Celestis

2: Character Building and Play. This is where most of the guides live.

2a. Race Guides. They're not too common, but yes, some people have written ways to get the most out of obscure races, or how to find races that fit certain characters, etc.

Urpriest's Monstrous Monster Handbook

2b. Class Guides. (2b1: Base; 2b2: Prestige.) This is where most of the handbooks floating around live. Classes are the most fertile quanta of character building so they get the most attention. You don't build "a human," you build "a wizard." Here's where we learn how to build said wizard.

Being Batman: the Logic Ninja's Guide to Wizards

2c. Character Concepts This might be an overextension, so solicit further feedback and use your own judgement. But I feel like there are some non-class-specific guides to stuff like "I want to play a thief" or "I want to play a manipulator." This section includes all of your non-class-specific "how to build a character to do a thing." Now, skill optimization and what not is all well and good. The slippery slope comes from section 2c2: Specific builds. You might have to omit that because an index of D&D3 specific character builds might consume the multiverse.

A Proper Guide to Scouting - JaronK
Visual Lies: A Reference for the Disguise Skill - daremetoidareyo

2d. Items. Lists of useful items; necessary items; obscure items; bags and haversacks aplenty. A lot of people like to make lists of all the cool stuff they've found. Most of them forget the travel cloak.

Shax's Indespensible Haversack - Darrin

2e. Magic. Since we're in lists now, the breadth of D&D3 content requires yet more sacrifices. Here you could include basically anything that's "list of spells where X." Underleveled spells, cleric domains (unless that's under classes?), Spell combos that break everything (unless that's under 2c1: concept building?), what have you.

Prestige Classes with Independent Spell Progression - Elric VIII
Bargain Bin Spells for Artificers - Iskajir (Does this belong under Class-Artificer? Or Character Concepts - Crafting? I'd rather stick it here where archivists can find it but categories are both friend an enemy to understanding.)


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Does this organization make sense? Is a "magic" category unnecessary, given the other categories? Did I miss anything huge?

[Troacctid]

Some of the stuff in my signature is more "resources" than "handbooks" but it probably still qualifies.

[ahyangyi]

I think PF should be tagged to be in a proper different list.

Seconded, though I also think that the 3e index should contain a link to the pf index, and vice versa.

(Obviously it would be even better if both threads become sticky)

[WeaselGuy]

I've not had a good last couple of days, but I'm happy to see all the support! I'll get these added in, and work on some formatting too! Thanks everybody!

[WeaselGuy]

~snip~

Massively helpful, thank you. Also, thanks to so many others for their contributions here. All so far (I think) has been added, with the exception of Pathfinder stuff.

[loky1109]

Something more. Maybe overlaps with already existent.

https://forums.giantitp.com/showsing...42&postcount=7 - WotC Psionic Support books
https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?332087 - Guilds/Organizations list

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?598494 - List of Online Prestige Classes
https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...d-a-Spell-List - Ways to Expand a Spell List
https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...-Threads-Index - Important Epic Threads Index