A little help to start the hobby again

[dlcdav]

I just down loaded the program, I was wondering which books should I purchase. Surely the players hand book any others though.

[SurlyDwarf]

I just down loaded the program, I was wondering which books should I purchase. Surely the players hand book any others though.

It depends heavily, I suppose, on whether you are looking to be a player or a DM. I don't want to make any assumptions... but if you're looking to be a player, the PHB is a great place to start. The Complete Adventurer is a good one that can never go wrong, After that, you need to find a game and/or a setting to play in.

You're coming at a good time. There have been a lot of games starting up here lately. Welcome back and enjoy!

[TruthRevisited]

I would tend to agree with Surly. If you plan on being a player, then the only book you NEED is the Players Handbook. Also, the Complete Adventurer is great book, but some DM's dont allow everything in book (classes and such). Overall these are the only two books that I think should be in every PLAYERS library.

If you plan on DMing (running a game) then your needs grow slightly. Definatly a DMG (Dungeon Masters Guide) and one of the Monster Manuals or Fiend Folios. Source books are nice, but not a requirement. Source books include things like Forgotten Realms Campgain Guide and things like that.

Welcome to the FG community, and back into our little past time. Hope its as fun for you as it is for me! Cheers!

TR

[gurney9999]

I wouldn't buy anything at first, unless you really want to get your hands on a bound copy of something.

I would start with an online version of the SRD. There are multiple places that have it online, including:

https://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/home.html

Otherwise I suggest buying the 3.5 Player's Handbook and DM's Guide. and use the above site to get used to how monsters and their stats work. Once you get used to them you can get the Monster Manual to fill in some gaps (for proprietary monsters owned by Wizards).

[Sigurd]

I dissagree with Gurney on this.

If you are a player you will want the players handbook. There is no replacement for flipping through its pages while you plan your char or just get used to the game again.

If there is even a 50% chance you will DM in the future you should get the box set from WOTC. Its neat, its tidy and I think you save some money over the seperate price of the books. That way you have the option.


After that slow down - you have the whole game - just not all the bells and whistles. You very likely will not want _all_ the bells and whistles or have time to read them all. Atleast if you read the boxed set you will be able to see the view from the DM's chair and as well as the players.

Thats my advice if the boxed set gives you any savings because I tend to creep back and buy the other books anyway. If the boxed set doesn't apeal or save you money buy the players, make up one char of each player race with all the classes that appeal to you. eg elf bard, human wizard, etc... Finish their stats. Compare them to what you find online and have them beat up on each other. Great way to start learning combat.


I'm sure you know all this and anyone can add to this list. Be aware one of the biggest difference between 3ed & earlier versions is a concerted attempt to make classes more equal.
1) There are point buy systems for making chars that are far more popular now than before (IMHO).
2) Everyone has the same experience threasholds.
3) Spells mostly are much shorter in duration (this is crippling to some game strategies).
4) Characters can improve their stats with a bonus point every 4 levels. In 20 levels you will increase your stats by 5.
5) Combat is way way more complex & realistic. D&D seemses to have been rewritten by Miniature Enthusiasts.


There are others but those come to mind right now.


Sigurd

Anyone want to continue my list ?

[Jozan]

I can tell you from my experience that you should only get the PHB and the DMG. I started to buy all the supplements and extra books at first, but I never read them, now I am like, why in there world did I get this stuff that I'll never read or even use?:rolleyes: I would suggest purchasing only the books that you NEED and maybe one or two that you think interesting and are sure you'll read and try to use with your characters.

[richvalle]

Yes. If you are going to be a player wait till you get into a game before you start to buy non-core books. See what the DM of that game is going to allow into his game, then you can start to expand your library.

rv

[SurlyDwarf]

I agree completely with Sigurd insofar as I respectfully disagree completely with Gurney. The online stuff such as the SRD, IMO, is to enable online interactions such as FG which is why we're all here. It is no substitute and, IMO again, a very far cry from eliminating the need for any books. Heck, I love the SRD. I can't imagine not using it (i.e. rather than using the standard D20 set) but I can not imagine using FG without a stack of books next to me. If the day comes that all of these books are fully enabled electronically, then I could see it becoming a matter of preference. But for now, it goes far beyond a simple matter of how you feel about having a tangible source of material you can hold or using the free resources. There is no comparison.

That being said, I am glad the free online stuff is there. It allows for something like FG to exist which is complemented by the library of published material that I gladly and enthusiastically maintain.

Cheers,

SD

[Sigurd]

I only mention the box set because you've already played D&D. You probably have an idea whether you're a book reader or not and you are the only one who can decide if a product is expensive or cheap for you.

By all means start with only the PHB.

I find the DMG less useful in 3.5 than in 2nd Ed. (perhaps the games a little better organized). The Monster Manual has some neat tables in the back to create your own monster & animal stats for things like horses etc....

Simply find the box set price and compare
56.67 for 3 books in set
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0786934107/ref=cm_cr_dp_pt/002-5009094-8735226?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

19.77 Players
19.77 Monster Manual
19.77 DMG

All Amazon.com new prices.

In this case there's little point in buying the box set. I don't know about your local store. If you have to pay shipping for each book the the price difference probably jumps too.


Sigurd
Whose faith in bundles is a little shaken :)

[gurney9999]

Points taken, fellas. Mainly from his title I thought he was getting back into things, and I think the srd is a good 'starting point.' I agree with everyone that the books are the 'lifeblood' of our hobby, and that they should be bought.

But if he wanted to jump in a participate as a player in an FG session, I was just pointing out that he could peruse the online srd immediately to get used to the new ruleset then move on to the sourcebooks. :)

[festivus]

Just one more argument in favor of purchasing a physical copy of PHB. While not absolutely needed, it sure is easier to say "Look on pg. 98 of the phb" when all the players have it.

Also check out d20srd.org, something I usually have up running during the game for quick rule lookups.

I am still trying to convince myself to buy the MM 3.5 edition over the 3.0 edition. The 3.0 one seems to be missing a crapload of monsters... or is that just me?