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Inspired by the thread why is there so much hate for 3PP. I though of making a list of good 3PP products. I think work well in that there not under or over powered. List good 3pp material you use in your games and why. Pleas feel free to add to the list. Look forward to see what other players use in there games.
My choices for some of the best 3PP material.
Super Genius Games : Loot 4 Less ( All of them are short but well though out. They add allot of low level magic items that are good but not over powering. And some of them are good for all levels of play because of there utility.)
4 Winds Fantasy Gaming : Phantasia Zoologica, Volume 1 : Cats, Dogs, & Horses (I can not count the ways I love this book. I am no longer stuck with a horse. I can now have a percheron. I am no longer stuck with a dog. I can now have a bull mastiff. Mainly just a few changes they are well with in the normal limits of animal companions. But it gives you more of a sense of haven a animal companion with out a generic stat block. )
Kobold Quarterly and Wayfinder : Both have good articles use full to most games.
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4 Winds Fantasy Gaming : Phantasia Zoologica, Volume 1 : Cats, Dogs, & Horses (I can not count the ways I love this book. I am no longer stuck with a horse. I can now have a percheron. I am no longer stuck with a dog. I can now have a bull mastiff. Mainly just a few changes they are well with in the normal limits of animal companions. But it gives you more of a sense of haven a animal companion with out a generic stat block. )
A favorite of mine as well which I highly anticipate getting in print.
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Frog God Games: Tome of Horrors Complete
More monsters than you can swing a battleaxe at.
Frog God Games: Tome of Adventure Design
If you design your own adventures, this book can be invaluable.
Dreamscarred Press: Psionics Unleashed
If you want psionics in your PFRPG games, this is the best option.
I allow some WotC stuff now and then.
But I quite enjoy most of SGG and Rite's stuff.
There's a class by Zombie Sky Press that I'm looking to try out (and once their White Necromancer comes out, two classes!)
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I will start off with things that I have actually used at the table:
Super genius games:
Loot 4 less - love it, I love the concept, and love giving out new and interesting items, that arent just potions and scrolls at low levels.
Time Thief - One of the PCs in my last game. The player loved the flavor and the mechanics, and it was an overall well balanced class that doesnt really step on anyones toes. I have never seen a class that played like it does, and is really a great addition to the game.
Dragon Rider: Also a great class. Who here can honestly say they havent wanted a character who could ride a dragon? And it is far better balanced then people seem to think. Again great concept and execution, and has added alot of fun to my game.
Feats of battle: A fair amount of good options here, many of which are sorely needed.
Ultimate Options Magus Arcana: I have used several of the arcana, and the Cabalist from this product for my Magus in a friends game. Quite fun, and the ability to expand with new arcana has made my character significantly more versatile.
Archetypes(Archery, Arcane, Divine, Martial): All of these are seeing use in my current game. A great way to add new flavor to existing classes. And unlike paizo archetypes they can be added to any class. Also as with most super genious options, there are no obvious choices (usually a good indication of balanced rules).
Enforcer: Was used for an npc gunslinger replacement in my last game, and worked very well. I like the firearms rules presented and hope we see more in this Anachronistic line from SGG.
Shadow Assasin: Saw use as an npcs in the first session of my last game. I can explain how much fun it was to use. My players immediately though the npc goblins were rogues, when they were actually shadow assasins, and they were incredibly surprised when preventing flanking didnt prevent the damage they were taking. Very good stuff a great example of a way you can get a new take on a classic concept and really add something to the game with the variety that comes with it.
4 Winds fantasy:
Strategists and tacticians: Several feats from this product were used by a fighter in my last game and he really enjoyed them.
DreamScarred Press:
Psionics Unleashed - Both the psion and the soul knife from this product will see use in my current game, one as a pc and one as the npc. Both are interesting and fun classes, and very much inline with the core classes (in my opinion ofcourse).
Frog God Games:
Tome of Horror - Massive book of monsters i can murder pcs and then bludgeon their players with. What more can you ask for?
Slumbering Tsar Saga - Massive adventure I am running currently. A lot of fun, very interesting, and really feels like a trip back into 'the old days' of my gaming career.
I am sure there is more, but these are the ones that really stick out for me, so probably the best recomendations i can give because I've used and enjoyed them.
Frog God Games: Tome of Horrors Complete
More monsters than you can swing a battleaxe at.
Just got this and I am so digging it. I can safely say this book is the reason I started seriously looking at 3PP and their content.
Also wanted to dot this thread, some great stuff here.
There's a class by Zombie Sky Press that I'm looking to try out (and once their White Necromancer comes out, two classes!)You might also want to check out the Fall issue of Kobold Quarterly (#19) when it comes out (in a few weeks, I think?) if you are interested in such a class :)
I've been working on my own version too, but I'll check that out as well!
Frog God Games: Tome of Horrors Complete
More monsters than you can swing a battleaxe at.
This sounds like a challenge...where is AM BARBARIAN when you need him?
I'm currently running Kingmaker, but still in the first book. I'm enjoying running Kingmaker because its sandbox nature and wilderness setting makes it easy to drop 3PP material in. Last session I brought out Frog God Games's "Tome of Horrors." The new monsters really livened up the random encounters. I've also incorporated Raging Swan's module "Road of the Dead." As a plug and play module, it fights perfectly in with Kingmaker as a short dungeon crawl. My PCs attempted it and ran away after the first encounter.
As the campaign continues, I plan on running Raging Swan's "Dark Oaks", a cool little module featuring lizardmen and tie that into Raging Swan's "Lizardfolk of the Dragonfang", a Tribe supplement by Mr. Radle. I've also dropped hints of hobgoblins in the area, ie, Raging Swan's "Hobgoblins of the Mailed Fist", another Tribe Supplement.
I also have Rite Publishing's "30 Haunts for Shore and Sea" and "Legendary Weapons" which are pretty cool as well, just haven't had a chance to incorporate them.
Also, a shout out to Open Design's "Tales of the Old Magreve" and "Northlands." Both provide fun locations and rules for an Eastern European/Haunted Forest/Grim's Fairy Tales and Viking campaign setting respectively. Haven't had a chance to run anything out of the books but I plan on it one of these days (so many campaign ideas, so little time).
Finally, I'm expecting a box from Paizo with a bunch of Frog God Game modules. Excited to that.
Edit: I should mention that I mostly GM now, so most of the 3PP stuff I buy is stuff for the GM to use. I highly recommend Raging Swan stuff, especially if you like that old school feel. The Tribe lines are very useful as they present a comprehensive, cohesive, and unique tribe of humanoids (gnolls, kobolds, hobgoblins to name a few) with all kinds of different stats for the tribe members, plus new feats, spells, and magic items for them. Raging Swan modules are excellent as well because they include all the relevant rule information you need to run the encounters in the module, plus scaling +1/-1 CR for each encounter.
I use Super Genius Games stuff and Open Design stuff.
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3pp stuff I have purchased
0one Games – Urban adventures, I have flipped through it but not really digested or used
4 Winds Fantasy – Luven Lightfinger’s Gear & Treasure – great resource, working on integrating it into my current Kingmaker campaign I am running
44 Productions – Names for RPG Settings – Free and I use it all of the time!
Dreamscarred Press – Psionics, I have a player running a Wilder, which is really cool, although Mind Thrust seems a little OP, don’t know if this was nerfed a bit or not, d8 instead of a d10
Frog God Games –Slumbering Tsar, I want to run this, and Tome of Horrors complete – an awesome resource. I have also just purchased the Tome of Adventure Design – have not been able to digest it though, and looking at some of their other products. I have loved everything I have purchased from them.
Goodman Games – DM Campaign Tracker – I used this as a basis to build my own
Jon Brazer Enterprises – I have purchased all of the Kingdom building supplements, a little sad that I ended up buying it twice, but I did get to support a good 3pp with twice the $s.
Open Design – Tales of the Old Margreve, I own and have not read, so no real comment on this.
Raging Swan – many of their PDFS, I really like their Villains I and II. I have been setting up future conflicts in my current campaign with these fleshed out NPCs. Plus I have read through their other ‘stuff’ and will try working to incorporate their modules as one offs in the middle of the Kingmaker campaign.
Rite Publishing – I own a ton of their stuff, all of the 101 spells, boons, grudges, coliseum morpeuon, some evocative city sites, all of their fantastic maps. I use the maps as cool site locations for some of the larger encounters in Kingmaker, easy to translate over, I love all of the spells, some of my NPCs will use them, and have offered them up to the players, the boons and grudges was a cool idea that will come in handy as the PCs level up and will interact more on a scale that facilitates these types of interactions, and I plan on using the clock tower as a one off in the campaign and put the rogue’s gallery tavern into their capital city of their Kingdom.
Super Genius Game – I bought the Time thief and was looking forward to using it as a player, but it didn’t pan out that way, so waiting to be used. Plus nice artwork in the product.
Spes Magna Games – Making craft work, I need to digest these and see if they will work well in the Kingmaker setting.
I also own other assundry products from various 3pp, but not enough or like enough to mention here.
So to boil it down my top three are:
Frog God Games – I will pretty much buy everything they put out, and I am working on collecting all of the back stuff I don’t already own.
Rite Publishing – I own a lot of their products and have been very happy with what I have purchased
Raging Swan - Great products and eagerly await more
And 4th place would be Dreamscarred Press with their Psionic stuff
Cheers,
James
Dreamscarred Press – Psionics, I have a player running a Wilder, which is really cool, although Mind Thrust seems a little OP, don’t know if this was nerfed a bit or not, d8 instead of a d10
If you're running it as d8 damage, that's a nerfed version. The RAW is d10 - same as 3.5. Because it's save to negate, instead of save for half :)
Back on topic.
I've picked up Kobold Quarterly... although since most of my characters are psionic in nature, there's not a lot out there to pick from. I've checked out Super Genius Games's Feats of Psionic Might - just waiting for a chance to use it in a game... but I don't get to game as much as I'd like.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Given that our Pen and Paper play group only uses Core Pathfinder RPG Material (Core, APG, UM, UC & Bestiaries) it's kind of hard for me to use the huge library of 3PP material that I own.
Thankfully I have a couple of PbPs that allow me to utilise them. :)
I am a massive fan of Purple Duck Games products and own them all (and will get them all again if they were to come out as hard copies).
Currently I am playing a Medusa in one PbP and I plan on running Purple Mountain when it is released later this month, incorporating the Legendary Items series of products (currently 4 volumes, with 5 due out next week) ito the game.
I honestly can't sing the praises of PDG enough. :D
I really like and buy all of Super Genius Games material as it is released, although I have yet to get the chance to use any. :(
I would also recommend Rite Publishing products as well, although issues of late are beginning to turn me away from their products. :/
Our general house rule is that if it is on d20pfsrd.com, we have access to it. How much is being used by our group, I'm honestly not sure.
I know 4WFG - Strategists and Tacticians, SGG-Feats of Battle, Artificer from Tome of Secrets (highly modified). We also are using Stormwrack, because we are perpetually at sea and Tome of Battle without the level stacking rules.
For my impending campaign, I'm using a mixture of 3PP material from 3.0/3.5 days and Pathfinder compatible including, but not limited to the following publishers:
Necromancer Games
Malhavoc Press
Green Ronin
Margaret Weis Pub.
Spes Magna Games
Super Genius Games
Open Design
0one Games
Louis Porter Jr Games
Scheduled for appearance:
Frog God Games
Fantasy Flight Games
Headless Hydra
Raging Swan Press
The Game Mechanics
4WFG
Wizards of the Coast
Rite Publishing
Tricky Owlbear
others?
Basically, if it fits the aesthetic I am trying to achieve, then it gets used, cherry picked where necessary to fill a niche.
zombie sky press
super genius guides
rite publishing
open design
the only 4 things every player needs!
the best being the time thief/time warden and dragonrider from SGG
(I have play these classes over and over it just a blast really!!!)
Guys--try Splinters of Faith; seriously, try Splinters of Faith. Buy the pdf of 1-2 from my site. If I am not right--I'll refund your money.Can't refund a Paizo.com purchase.
Bill
Gary and Jeff did a fantastic job on this series.
Hmm, I like this sales style...