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My group of friends and I are currently running two campaigns, I DM one. It's low key at the moment but I intend to expand and get into larger groups. And I'm wondering what good supplements to the Core Rulebooks would be worth a gander at.

I currently have the v3.0 Player's Handbook and Monster Manual, the v3.5 DM's Guide and The Draconomicon(which I bought because I'm a dragon fanwhore ).

So I ask the great all-knowing SD.net community for referals. Especially SirNitram as he seems to be more all-knowing than most other SD.netters when it comes to DnD.

EDIT: I fixed some stupid grammar mistakes.

You REALLY REALLY want the new monster manual (forget its title) with Red Caps.

Red Caps are fun.

weemadando wrote:You REALLY REALLY want the new monster manual (forget its title) with Red Caps.

Red Caps are fun.

I'll look into that.

I recomend the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and Magic of Incarnum, but if you don't wan't to deal with the new rules right away, the Complete series , Adventurer is the best, and Lords of Madness are both fun.

Psionics is pretty broken and the Complete series, particularily the Complete Warrior, can break your game. Use with caution.

I've found both Lords of Madness (which is all about abberations) and Magic of Faerun to be quite nice, but I'm a magic whore.

Imperial Overlord wrote:Psionics is pretty broken and the Complete series, particularily the Complete Warrior, can break your game. Use with caution.

I can handle broken systems well enough. One of my players is a trip spammer, I can deal with that easily enough I imagine I can handle psionics.

I've found both Lords of Madness (which is all about abberations) and Magic of Faerun to be quite nice, but I'm a magic whore.

I'm known for my magic whoring myself. I'll definately have to look into these.

lance wrote:I recomend the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and Magic of Incarnum, but if you don't wan't to deal with the new rules right away, the Complete series , Adventurer is the best, and Lords of Madness are both fun.

I like psionics and magic. What's Magic of Incarnum like?

Xess wrote: I like psionics and magic. What's Magic of Incarnum like?

Blue. Seriously.

Every single goddamn spell, name, and effect is blue.

But anyhow, Incarnum thingies are minor skill and stat bonuses that seem to be rather weak but are very easy to modify on the fly to fit situations as you see. It's to magic what a Sorcerer is to a Wizard.

Xess wrote:

Imperial Overlord wrote:Psionics is pretty broken and the Complete series, particularily the Complete Warrior, can break your game. Use with caution.

I can handle broken systems well enough. One of my players is a trip spammer, I can deal with that easily enough I imagine I can handle psionics.

I've found both Lords of Madness (which is all about abberations) and Magic of Faerun to be quite nice, but I'm a magic whore.

I'm known for my magic whoring myself. I'll definately have to look into these.

lance wrote:I recomend the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and Magic of Incarnum, but if you don't wan't to deal with the new rules right away, the Complete series , Adventurer is the best, and Lords of Madness are both fun.

I like psionics and magic. What's Magic of Incarnum like?

The rundown is you have a bunch of buffs going until you replace them, but you have a limited reserve of power to use to charge them. Like you have 10 points, an offensive buff, a movement, and a skill buff, you have enough power to fully power the movement and skill buff with 4 points, but you only have 2 left over to put into the combat buff. Next round an opponent charges you, on your turn you move 2 points from the movement buff into the offensive buff.

The Dungeon Master's Guide 2 is insanely useful for a busy DM, especially a new one (but not too new; it's always better to master the basics first). I especially love the expanded traps section.

MRDOD wrote:

Xess wrote: I like psionics and magic. What's Magic of Incarnum like?

Blue. Seriously.

Every single goddamn spell, name, and effect is blue.

But anyhow, Incarnum thingies are minor skill and stat bonuses that seem to be rather weak but are very easy to modify on the fly to fit situations as you see. It's to magic what a Sorcerer is to a Wizard.

They are not weak, but you will need to look at the list and figure out what does what. If he is maxed out on the skill effects he has more than the rogue will have, though he will need a feat that gives class skills. They can have a +8 weapon, can't hit anything with it with out other sources to bump up their attack roles due to their crap BAB. The Law Incarnate has bonuses to attack. At higher levels they get access to the most broken spell in the game, Gate. Useable once per week. They are very flexible and can fill every role except nuker. The closest class to them is the warlock. With out a doubt.

Xess wrote:

Imperial Overlord wrote:Psionics is pretty broken and the Complete series, particularily the Complete Warrior, can break your game. Use with caution.

I can handle broken systems well enough. One of my players is a trip spammer, I can deal with that easily enough I imagine I can handle psionics.

Here is a list of pretty much everything in the complete series that is broken. I might be missing something keep in mind.
Brokelist for complete series

Complete Warrior
Hulking Hurler Deals damage in the thousands via lead ball The problem is more to do with the improvised damage chart in the back of the book.
Warshaper You can grow a couple tentacles a round, and can wack people with them.
Frenzied Berserker A rage that provides an extra attack, and stacks with your barbs rage, coupled with being immortal as long as it lasts and a 4 to 1 power attack ratio, not pretty.
Shock Trooper Trade Ac for damage on a charge. Don't expect what is ever on the other end of it to be allive.

Complete Arcane
Enlightened Fist Might be broken, Monk/Wizard gestalt class gives monk unarmed damage, speed, ac boost, with 7 caster levels.
Master Transmorgasist Makes your broken polymorph spells even more broken, in exchange for 9th level spells.
Sublime Cord Don't allow this with anyclass that gives Arcane spells +1
Assay Resistance + 10 to get through SR as an auto quicken spell
Orb of... Spells No SR/ Save damage. Not to bad, just a ray with minus SR, but it does go through antimagic fields because it creates said element and propels it.
Thought Bottle Lets a wizard trade out its spells for a fresh list. Allows for free exp for item crafting, a spell in the players handbook also does this, but it is not as obvious.

Divine
Blighter Gets 9th level spells in a tenth level class and a level early.
Ur-priest Same.
Divine Metamagic Gives up turning attempts for metamagic. Mainly broke with persistant

Adventurer
Wraith Strike Quickened spell that makes all your attacks touch attacks for a round. I would just move it up to 4th level.
Leap Attack Doubles your PA bonus, Mainly problematic with other things that double your PA bonus.
Power Throw Use your strength for thrown weapon attacks. Kinda like a reverse weapon finnesse.

Xess wrote:

weemadando wrote:You REALLY REALLY want the new monster manual (forget its title) with Red Caps.

Red Caps are fun.

I'll look into that.

It's just the third of the Monster Manuals. Red Caps are hilariously cool.

If you were a fan of the Crystal Dragons(Psionic ones) or Half-Golems, pick up the second definately. Nothing else from it, though, really leapt out and said 'You must obey me.'

Books I've adored:

Draconomicon and Races of the Dragon. I'm a Dragon fanboy. Bonuses which put them here? Kobolds: In detail in the latter, and the former reworks how to make a Dragon PC, all sorted out for 3.5 rules.

Forgotten Realms: Lost Empires Of Faerun. It's my Netherese fanboyness. Includes a ton of background fluff, and great options for both players and DMs.

FR's campaign book and players guide go without saying; what I thought was becoming a stale setting with TSR's departure has been catapulted into a very dynamic and cool set of chaos. Importantly, the Players Guide covers a recap of the novels released by the time of it's printing. Hopefully something will do the same after June and the two other storylines(Year Of Rogue Dragons and Last Mythal) finish up.

If you're not into FR.. I can't help too much. It's become my stock setting. However, I can say that Swords and Sorcery's Ravenloft stuff is high quality.

Faerun has definitely been improved with the advent of 3.0. Lots of good stuff there and all sorts of improvements (Bane is back beotches, Shade, elves and dwarves on the rebound among others) and I absolutely agree with the coolness of "Lost Empires".

SirNitram wrote:

Xess wrote:

weemadando wrote:You REALLY REALLY want the new monster manual (forget its title) with Red Caps.

Red Caps are fun.

I'll look into that.

It's just the third of the Monster Manuals. Red Caps are hilariously cool.

If you were a fan of the Crystal Dragons(Psionic ones) or Half-Golems, pick up the second definately. Nothing else from it, though, really leapt out and said 'You must obey me.'

Books I've adored:

Draconomicon and Races of the Dragon. I'm a Dragon fanboy. Bonuses which put them here? Kobolds: In detail in the latter, and the former reworks how to make a Dragon PC, all sorted out for 3.5 rules.

Forgotten Realms: Lost Empires Of Faerun. It's my Netherese fanboyness. Includes a ton of background fluff, and great options for both players and DMs.

FR's campaign book and players guide go without saying; what I thought was becoming a stale setting with TSR's departure has been catapulted into a very dynamic and cool set of chaos. Importantly, the Players Guide covers a recap of the novels released by the time of it's printing. Hopefully something will do the same after June and the two other storylines(Year Of Rogue Dragons and Last Mythal) finish up.

If you're not into FR.. I can't help too much. It's become my stock setting. However, I can say that Swords and Sorcery's Ravenloft stuff is high quality.

FR rocks, it's a setting all my players and myself are familiar with. That Lost Empires book sounds kick ass.

Lost Empires does have a few magic items, spells, and prestige classes but it is mostly chock full of setting detail (principly history) and adventure ideas (based on that history). Its a great source for making the Realms seem real and having adventures that are rooted in it. And it has Netherese feats and phaerimm.

Imperial Overlord wrote:Lost Empires does have a few magic items, spells, and prestige classes but it is mostly chock full of setting detail (principly history) and adventure ideas (based on that history). Its a great source for making the Realms seem real and having adventures that are rooted in it. And it has Netherese feats and phaerimm.

There are enough magic items and spells and the like in the Core rulebooks. The setting detail is exactly the kind of stuff I'm looking for. I'm not looking for a few new spells, although those would be cool, I'm looking for ways to enhance the setting. I could do that with variant rules like psionics, make a sort of magic/psionic cold war thing going on. Be pretty cool in my mind.

Well, Lost Empires does have the patron god of psionists listed (it lists dead and mostly forgotten gods). The only powerful human psionic civilization got stomped wiped out (by the Netherese IIRC).

Oddball question:

Beyond Manual of the Planes and Planar Handbook, are there any good in-print sources still around for Planescape? Preferrably pre-Faction War? Or is all classic Planescape out of print/2nd Ed?

Brother-Captain Gaius wrote:Oddball question:

Beyond Manual of the Planes and Planar Handbook, are there any good in-print sources still around for Planescape? Preferrably pre-Faction War? Or is all classic Planescape out of print/2nd Ed?

Faction War closed up 2nd Ed, so you won't find any in print. Sorry. I can try and see if I can dig up the old sites I frequented and see if any of the folks who were maintaining Planescape on the web updated stuff for third.

There is a project to update Planescape for 3.0/3.5. I can't remember the name, but dumping "Planescape" into Google will get you to it pretty quick.

Heroes of Battle is an expansion I consider to be one of the best purchases. It enables you to run a War Campaign effectively. And the Book of Vile Darkness is pretty cool - because it just is.

What about things like Stormwrack? Are they any good or are they just expanded rules and the like not really worth the time and money?

Xess wrote:What about things like Stormwrack? Are they any good or are they just expanded rules and the like not really worth the time and money?

Depends on if you want to run stuff specifically in those enviroments. I mean, if you want to do a sprawling desert or ice wastes campaign, it can be good for alot of stuff. But otherwise? I'd not bother.

SirNitram wrote:

Xess wrote:What about things like Stormwrack? Are they any good or are they just expanded rules and the like not really worth the time and money?

Depends on if you want to run stuff specifically in those enviroments. I mean, if you want to do a sprawling desert or ice wastes campaign, it can be good for alot of stuff. But otherwise? I'd not bother.

That's what I thought.