Matthew Morris
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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If you're playing in Eberron, I strongly recommend Races of Eberron. I also recommend the Expanded Psionics Handbook.
3rd parry, I recommend Untapped Potential if you get the XPH. And of course Paizo products FTW.
All of this is assuming you plan to stick with 3.5 for a few years. If not then hold off until 4x comes out and evaluate which edition you want.
| mevers |
I can strongly recommend Book of Nine Swords: tome of Battle, and the Players Handbook 2. These are two books I will never regret buying, even once I go to 4th (which looks likely in a couple of years).
You will hear people calling the ToB unbalanced. Well, compared to the Fighter, it is. But the fighter sucks as far as balance is concerned, and ToB take the melee classes and give them some much needed punch. Now they can almost keep up with the spellcasters into the mid - high levels.
PHB2 presents some great new options for existing base classes, and some cool new ones (my favourite being the Beguiler). A great book.
| TwiceBorn |
I have the PHB, DMG, Monster Manuel, Complete Warrior, Complete Adventurer, Completer Arcane, Complete Scoundrel, Ebberon Campaign Setting.
I can get one or two more books. What should I get? Or what would you get?
What is a good book that tells me about more races?
Although I usually DM/play a magic-light game, I think WotC's Tome of Magic is by far one of the best books they've put out. The three classes and magic systems introduced therein are full of flavour and are quite different from standard wizards and sorcers. The book has a fairly dark feel overall, and the art is top notch.
I've been disappointed by the WotC race books, so I wouldn't recommend any of them. I don't play Eberron or FR, though, so I can't comment on the setting-specific race books.
If you are a DM, I would lean towards the DMG II, there are some pretty good things in there. Unearthed Arcana is another one of my favourites -- it's a good tool kit full of interesting optional rules. You probably won't use all of them, but it's likely that you'll find something that you do like.
Otherwise, for overall handiness at the table (whether you're a player or DM), I would go with the Rules Compendium.
I found the Spell Compendium quite useful, as well.
For more info on races, you may want to check out the PDFs available from the Green Ronin website. If you'd like to know more about humanoid races, then Mongoose's Slayer's Compendium (which includes details on the culture of hobgoblins, bugbears, gnolls, trolls, orcs, etc.) arguably is your best buy, if you can still get a hold of it.
| Thraxus |
Its gotten mixed reviews, but I really liked Lords of Madness.
I will swear by Lords of Madness, but then the mindflayers and the far realm when the main bad guys in my Planescape campaign.
Along with Heroes of Horror, you can find a number of ideas for "things man was not meant to know" style games.
Timitius
Wayfinder, PaizoCon Founder
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I don't have a LOT of D&D books, but your collection looks quite similar to mine. Weird.
I would recommend the "Player's Handbook II" and the "Rules Compendium" for sure.
As for the third, I feel obliged to make that one an Eberron book. I picked up "Dragonmarked", and really like the extra options and powers, and the extra background given of the Houses. I mean, dragonmarks are supposed to be pretty important in Eberron, but the ECS just doesn't convey that sense at all. Instead, dragonmarks are kind of lame. I kept thinking, "I passed up <insert better feat here> for THIS?" "Dragonmarked" makes dragonmarks less lame, more cool. Or, at least, more useful.
| mevers |
Two more I should add. Both the Magic Item Compendium and Spell Compendium are really great additions to any long term 3.5 game. MIC is full of great, interesting, new, flavorful magic items, and Spell Compendium is great for having all the spells in one place.
The only non-core, non-eberron books I own are PHB2, MIC, SC, ToB, and Complete Champion. I am pleased with all of them, but really only bought CC because I am currently playing a cleric (and often seem to get stuck playing the divine casters). I can thoroughly recommend all of them as fine additions to any DnD library.
| Dungeon Grrrl |
I thought I would fid the rules Compendium useless. now, we don't know how we played without it.
Dragon compendium, PHB II, Dragon magic, Spell compendium, Expanded psionics, Incarnum, Unearthed Arcana, Arcana Evolved, Midnight, Heroes of batle, heroes of Horror, complete mage and Complete Champion also all see a lot of use in our games ** in about the order listed.
feytharn
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With only 1 or 2 books to go I strongly recommend background material for ebberon, depending on what you like to see of the world 5 nations / sharn for expanded regional background, magic of ebberon / faiths of ebberon for a stronger "feeling" for the world (forge of war / dragonmarked might also bring more background but i couldn't read them yet).
| Sebastian Hero |
I also play (and DM) Eberron. What has added the most:
-- Lords of Madness
-- Secrets of Xendrik
Both of them have tonnes of adventure sites, inspiring
graphics and plot-hooks, and are totally built for Eberron.
You can always look up psionics online in the SRD.
Some runner-ups:
-- Spell Compendium
-- Races of Dragon (cos, you know, Eberron's a dragon)
-- Heroes of Horror (the archivist fits well in Eberron)
Moff Rimmer
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...
Sebastian has a hero? Does he even know?
If Eberron is your world I would strongly recommend the Player's Guide to Eberron long before Races of Eberron or most other books. Sharn is good, but doesn't deal that much with races. I also felt that Player's Guide to Faerun was also a great book with options for player races. And personally I also like Unapproachable East for race options.
If you are not necessarily looking for races, then I too would suggest PHB II, Magic Item Compendium and the Spell Compendium.