Recommended 3/3.5 material

[breno]

Hi,

After reviewing the status of RL in 4E and seeing that despite several months since the release of the FoS RL 4E pamphlet there are still very few mentions of actual 4E campaigns I've decided to run mine using 3.5E

I've made ahold of quite a sizeable collection of RL material (both 2 and 3E) and now I'm looking for other 3/3.5 material which can enhance my game.

I've seen mentions of the Book of Vile Darkness, Heroes of Horror, the Midnight campaign... Are there any others?

Thanks!

[The Giamarga]

Here's an older thread on recommendations of non-WoTC books for RL.

Here are a few old threads about d20 sales, in which you will find some discussion of what's good for Ravenloft:
Green Ronin d20 sale (some of these are still availabel at paizo for real cheap! Can't beat $2 for a real book, it's cheaper than most pdfs!)
Goodman games 3E pdf sale

The review section on this site has a subactegory of "Wizards of the Coast Books" and "Other D20 books" which should yield a few interesting hints.

Here are two threads about Midnight: D20 Midnight, and Ravenloft vs midnight.

And here's a great thread on ENworld about little known d20 gems and another one on the top100 3E era books though not necessarily pertaining to Ravenloft.

[The Giamarga]

That said I would focus on the actual Ravenloft books first and foremost. If you run out of 3E RL books, get the 2E ones. These provide the best Ravenloft value.

You can of course incorporate stuff from the different WotC books, such as Complete Arcane, Divine etc. , as is often done in the PbP on these boards. Heroes of Horror and Sandstorm have been incorporated in a PbP featuring an expedition to Har Akir for example. Even Cityscape, Libris Mortis, the Draconomicon and the Races of xxx books can have a place in RL. But none of these are very Ravenlofty except perhaps HoH.

[The Giamarga]

A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe (Expeditious Retreat) is held to be a great book by many.

D20 Toolbox is a very useful book of tables for generating random stuff. The old 3.0 version is available for very cheap on ebay.

Hollowfaust is a highly praised setting book that describes a city of undead in the Scarred Lands setting.

Spiros Blaak is a small setting where lycanthropes have a significant impact on the history and "modern day" governments in the region. (Available for $ 2 at paizo!)

[The Giamarga]

The Grand OGL wiki is a slowly growing collection of OGL material available online.

[Pale]

I suppose this is as good of a thread to ask the question in as any...

I'm struggling to find a good ruleset to use. I did most of my playing in 2, and very nearly skipped 3 and 3.5. I've looked at 4, but I confess I haven't given it enough of a chance - thus far, it seems like it's a table-top mmorpg with a raiding bent and an unhealthy fixation on models, instead of gameplay and story. I spent a lot of time with White Wolf's works, Palladium, some table-top wargames, and a few others.

I've never liked DnD's methods of magic (spells per day, in particular, prefer will-fueled abilities and hermetic rituals), and I really want to move away from magic in the broad sense, focusing more on a Renaissance or Victorian setting - where magic isn't widespread. I haven't found a good mix yet that will allow a solid array of non-combat skills (alchemy, medicine, etc) and a useful "replacement" to divine healing magic in combat. I'd like to tell more of a mystery story, rather than just having the PCs pause to reload.

I've looked at the new SRD, and I've been pretty disappointed. Right now, though, I'm looking for a place that is simple enough to start from, but where I am not going to be locked into using mechanics that are either cumbersome or ill-fitting.

[Archedius]

I've defaulted to using Midnight's channeled magic system- it is has a lower power level than normal dnd and is more flexible.

If you can find it- I'd highly recommend Torn Asunder: Critical hits by Bastion Press.

[Dion of the Fraternity]

I suppose this is as good of a thread to ask the question in as any...

I've never liked DnD's methods of magic (spells per day, in particular, prefer will-fueled abilities and hermetic rituals), and I really want to move away from magic in the broad sense, focusing more on a Renaissance or Victorian setting - where magic isn't widespread. I haven't found a good mix yet that will allow a solid array of non-combat skills (alchemy, medicine, etc) and a useful "replacement" to divine healing magic in combat. I'd like to tell more of a mystery story, rather than just having the PCs pause to reload.

As I have done so many times before, I suggest using the New World of Darkness system. If you want to stay away from most supernatural elements, I suggest using only the World of Darkness rulebook (the most basic NWoD accessory). It needs tweaking, especially when it comes to adjusting contemporary tech to Victorian/Renaissance conventions (you can buy the "Requiem for Rome" accessory for this option); but other than that you're okay with NWoD.

[breno]

Thanks for the suggestions.

So far I've also identified the following as potential helps-to-have:

- Libris Mortis
- Heroes of Horror
- Hollowfaust: City of Necromancers
- Fiendish Codex I & II (to pair up with the VrG to Fiends and the Kargatane's Children of the Night: Demons)
- Open Grave (sans 4E specific rules)

[HuManBing]

I suppose this is as good of a thread to ask the question in as any...

I'm struggling to find a good ruleset to use.

I had the same concerns you did. DnD is a good system for high-flying fantasy heroes that fit the various narrowly defined classes. But for Gothic Horror I looked elsewhere.

The World of Darkness rules are good. Call of Cthulhu rules could also lend itself well to a Ravenloftish milieu.

If you're willing to do more work in setting the background flavor, GURPS and Warhammer both could work too.

I ultimately settled on GURPS, but that's motivated in part because I like the game engine's customizability for different genres. (I'm currently DMing a post apocalyptic scifi game using GURPS rules, and I'm working on Ravenloft in GURPS as well.) Its main flaw is also in its versatility - GURPS does a load of different things in a generic way, so it won't be the flat-out best system for a given genre. It will however be the last system you'll need to buy if you want a system that can be adapted to a load of different things.

Oh, I've heard good things about Amazing Engine as well (a failed TSR system intended to be like GURPS, back in the days of 2nd ed). Specifically the "For Faerie, Queen, and Country" add on is apparently good for the Gothic time period.

[The Giamarga]

If you DM 3.5, you owe it to yourself to buy SORD. This book claims that it'll shave 10-15 minutes off of each combat encounter, and it's incredible layout and easy-to-use format makes it live up to that boast. It really is a DM's best friend. Also, if you prefer Pathfinder (Beta) instead, check out it's counterpart for that, SORD Plus 1.0.

I've also got to recommend Kitsunemori. This book is the single best d20 setting/sourcebook for fantasy-inspired Japan. I can't endorse it enough. But DO NOT buy this from Dog Soul Publishing (over at RPGNow)! They have not paid the authors for their incredible work!

from this thread

[Pale]

I had the same concerns you did. DnD is a good system for high-flying fantasy heroes that fit the various narrowly defined classes. But for Gothic Horror I looked elsewhere.

This is exactly my dilemma.

I'm very familiar with the original White Wolf lines. I haven't had a chance to leaf through the newer kick-start of the World of Darkness, mostly because I'm a little annoyed by the whole shake-up. Petty, I know.

I'm familiar enough with Warhammer, but the sheer volume of classes kind of put me off. Still, I like their world-setting. Had some good fun with their tabletop stuff, too. I haven't had a chance to really sit down with the Call of Cthulhu - I used to have one of the Chaosium books, but I've just got a d20 adaptation now. How about Deadlands? Do you find that system useful at all?

Giamarga, is RPGNow! tied to Dog Soul at all? I don't like the idea of a company not paying their authors.

[Nevermorrow]

I know I'm bumping an old thread again, but I'd like to add my $0.02. If you're interested in a more thematic yet limited magic system, you might try to find an old White Wolf book in the Mage: The Ascension line called "Sorcerer". A friend of mine had the revised edition and I loved that book. I'm going to have to get a new copy on Amazon or eBay for myself. If you want magic to be less overwhelmingly powerful while making magic feel like magic, you can't do much better than Sorcerer. You'll just have to make a chart to limit it by level for your game.

[Lucius]

"Echoes from the Past: The Slarecian Legacy"

It´s a sourcebook for Scarred Lands, and in my opinion fits RL perfectly. The Slarecians are perfect for adventures or campaigns in the Shadow Rift.