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Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. The optional rules are probably the best thing to happen to 5e so far. They expanded the capabilities of class customization instead of just only giving new subclasses.
The feats and magic item options are great tool!
An item that fixes one of the main issues with the sorcerer? Thank you!
Feats for to make slashing, bludgeoning and piercing damage different from each outside the handful of monsters that might be venerable or resistant to one of them? Yes!
Tasha's will always be ALL-THE-ESSENTIALS at my table.
On one hand I want to enter so bad, and on the other there is this : "https://gleam.io/" I really don't want to be spammed any more than I already am... After visiting that website I think I need a shower.
On one hand, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything's optional rules and updated classes are some of the best we've seen from WotC. It's a hard book to criticize, seeing as it's given players things we've been wanting to see for a while (or have briefly thought about but kind of brushed off because what can ya do). This is a book that's particularly great for players.
On the other hand, Xanathar's Guide to Everything provides FANTASTIC character building tools in its latter third, strong DM tools in the middle and some really great classes (rangers got some MAJOR love with Gloom Stalker and Horizon Walker). Xanathar has some great commentary, and genuinely has be either laughing or rolling my eyes. A very clever framing device from our favorite Beholder.
Overall, I think I'd have to go with TCoE if I had to choose one book to use with the PHB for the rest of my life just because of all the rule improvements that have been made, but between these two books you should have all the essentials.
Honestly, I really like the dungeon master's guide for all the inspiration and extra rules it gives - I recently read it cover to cover and I gained a lot of info I wouldn't otherwise have.
My personal favorite is Dungeon of the Mad Mage. It returns to the roots of D&D in a classic dungeon crawl while bringing in tons of lore. The built in option for places to build your own areas onto the included maps and the lvl 1-20 allows players to explore their characters and builds while DMs can incorporate world building and options that aren't usually present within pre written adventure books. It's the perfect playground for homebrewing at different levels with an ample mix of diplomatic interactions with factions, a variety of monsters that lots of campaigns don't get to mix and an omniscient caster to pester the party throughout.
I know this is an extremely basic answer, but the Elemental Evil Player's Companion. Not only does it give almost every class more exciting spells to play around with, but the new races is also a great way to show newer players that DND can be way more than the average elf/human/orc Tolkien-esque fantasy world.
It is genius in its simplicity, adds so much to the basics of almost all spellcasters, 7 new races with a ton of cool abilities and most importantly it is free, which is a great price for people who are on the fence about playing DND.
No Campaign runs without Xanathar's Guide to everything, really essential for my game sessions! It gives the clueless players really good ideas how to flesh out their characters and that makes every group unique, i encourage all of my players to really look into it and create a character they really like to play, even if they don't choose the powerhouse classes oder multiclass options.
Xanathars Guide is ALL-THE-ESSENTIALS in my dungeons!
Monsters are one of the most interesting and essential parts of DnD, and that's one of the reasons I like Volo's Guide to Monsters. Here are some more reasons I like this book:
It has immersive lore about monsters and ways to make monsters in your campaigns more interesting.
Fantastic races that are much different and more unique than the typical elves and dwarves.
Unique stat blocks for NPCs, new monsters, and variants of already existing monsters.
This book is great for bringing your monsters beyond the basics, brilliantly written and is ALL-THE-ESSENTIALS for DMs like me.
Of the non-core books, I would say that Volo's Guide to Monsters is probably my favourite, as it brought a fair amount of stat-blocks into the game, several ancestral abilities for PCs and NPCs, plus a bunch of monster lore that's genuinely interesting to read and incorporate.
Explorers Guide to Wildemount. Honestly, the Heroic Chronicler is my favorite dnd feature. It creates randomized characters or NPCS with naturally occurring backstories and built in rivals and ally’s throughout the world. Recently rolled up a regional villain who came with three naturally occurring story hooks for my party. Will they ever see him? That’s up to them, but it took me less then 10 minutes to create a fully fleshed out mini villain with a variety of allies and rivals to interact with the party. Want to apply it to other settings besides Exandria? Skip the first two tables that determine hometown and keep the rest and you are golden.
As a DM, my favorite books are definitely the Monster Manual, Volo's Guide to Monsters, and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. Seeing all the different creatures I can use and getting inspiration for various combat and social encounters is so much fun. I'm also really looking forward to Fizban's Treasury of Dragons to see what awesome new things I can discover about dragons to include in my setting.
As a player, however, I love Xanathar's Guide to Everything for the subclass options, Volo's Guide to Monsters for the monstrous player race options, and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything for the custom lineage and subclass options.
I own a copy of almost every physical 5th Edition book that has come out, so it really is hard to choose just a single book. For me, ALL-THE-ESSENTIALS means having all the books possible. But that's just my #DDBStyle
I'll go with Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, the new Dunamancy magic it's great and the possibility to run your game in another "plane of existence" gives my players something new and fresh to mess with!
ALL-THE-ESSENTIALS
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. The optional rules are probably the best thing to happen to 5e so far. They expanded the capabilities of class customization instead of just only giving new subclasses.
The feats and magic item options are great tool!
An item that fixes one of the main issues with the sorcerer? Thank you!
Feats for to make slashing, bludgeoning and piercing damage different from each outside the handful of monsters that might be venerable or resistant to one of them? Yes!
Tasha's will always be ALL-THE-ESSENTIALS at my table.
#DDBStyle
On one hand I want to enter so bad, and on the other there is this : "https://gleam.io/" I really don't want to be spammed any more than I already am... After visiting that website I think I need a shower.
The Players Handbook
#DDBStyle
Cry HAVOC! and let slip the mustelids of war...
I'm having a bit of trouble choosing, honestly.
On one hand, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything's optional rules and updated classes are some of the best we've seen from WotC. It's a hard book to criticize, seeing as it's given players things we've been wanting to see for a while (or have briefly thought about but kind of brushed off because what can ya do). This is a book that's particularly great for players.
On the other hand, Xanathar's Guide to Everything provides FANTASTIC character building tools in its latter third, strong DM tools in the middle and some really great classes (rangers got some MAJOR love with Gloom Stalker and Horizon Walker). Xanathar has some great commentary, and genuinely has be either laughing or rolling my eyes. A very clever framing device from our favorite Beholder.
Overall, I think I'd have to go with TCoE if I had to choose one book to use with the PHB for the rest of my life just because of all the rule improvements that have been made, but between these two books you should have all the essentials.
Choose my gender as your Great Old One warlock patron x
Monster Manuals. As the old saying goes, the enemy of my enemy could be my friendly NPC.
Or one could use a random monster as their character in an adventure, adding a new twist and different challenge to role-play various elements.
Monster Manuals ALL-THE-ESSENTIALS for your unique #DDBStyle !
Honestly, I really like the dungeon master's guide for all the inspiration and extra rules it gives - I recently read it cover to cover and I gained a lot of info I wouldn't otherwise have.
XGtE and then TCoE for all the fresh looks at older concepts. GGtR for inspiration and the Order domain.
My personal favorite is Dungeon of the Mad Mage. It returns to the roots of D&D in a classic dungeon crawl while bringing in tons of lore. The built in option for places to build your own areas onto the included maps and the lvl 1-20 allows players to explore their characters and builds while DMs can incorporate world building and options that aren't usually present within pre written adventure books. It's the perfect playground for homebrewing at different levels with an ample mix of diplomatic interactions with factions, a variety of monsters that lots of campaigns don't get to mix and an omniscient caster to pester the party throughout.
As an almost-forever DM, my go-to book is probably "Volo's Guide to Monsters".
#DDBStyle
I know this is an extremely basic answer, but the Elemental Evil Player's Companion. Not only does it give almost every class more exciting spells to play around with, but the new races is also a great way to show newer players that DND can be way more than the average elf/human/orc Tolkien-esque fantasy world.
It is genius in its simplicity, adds so much to the basics of almost all spellcasters, 7 new races with a ton of cool abilities and most importantly it is free, which is a great price for people who are on the fence about playing DND.
Y
so if you only enter 1 code at a time you can't enter anymore? you have to do them all at once?
Also Tasha's.
I’d endlessly drown myself reading Ghosts of Saltmarsh. What an amazing and immersive book you guys made !
#DDBStyle
No Campaign runs without Xanathar's Guide to everything, really essential for my game sessions! It gives the clueless players really good ideas how to flesh out their characters and that makes every group unique, i encourage all of my players to really look into it and create a character they really like to play, even if they don't choose the powerhouse classes oder multiclass options.
Xanathars Guide is ALL-THE-ESSENTIALS in my dungeons!
That's my #DDBStyle
Monsters are one of the most interesting and essential parts of DnD, and that's one of the reasons I like Volo's Guide to Monsters. Here are some more reasons I like this book:
It has immersive lore about monsters and ways to make monsters in your campaigns more interesting.
Fantastic races that are much different and more unique than the typical elves and dwarves.
Unique stat blocks for NPCs, new monsters, and variants of already existing monsters.
This book is great for bringing your monsters beyond the basics, brilliantly written and is ALL-THE-ESSENTIALS for DMs like me.
#DDBStyle
i really enjoyed Volo's Guide to Monsters.
It added a bunch of my most beloved races to the game and a lot 'new' monsters to stumble across.
Not to mention all the juicy lore and stuff.
Volo is ALL-THE-ESSENTIALS really makes an adventure heart go wild.
Of the non-core books, I would say that Volo's Guide to Monsters is probably my favourite, as it brought a fair amount of stat-blocks into the game, several ancestral abilities for PCs and NPCs, plus a bunch of monster lore that's genuinely interesting to read and incorporate.
#DDBStyle
Futuaris nisi irrisius ridebus.
Explorers Guide to Wildemount. Honestly, the Heroic Chronicler is my favorite dnd feature. It creates randomized characters or NPCS with naturally occurring backstories and built in rivals and ally’s throughout the world. Recently rolled up a regional villain who came with three naturally occurring story hooks for my party. Will they ever see him? That’s up to them, but it took me less then 10 minutes to create a fully fleshed out mini villain with a variety of allies and rivals to interact with the party. Want to apply it to other settings besides Exandria? Skip the first two tables that determine hometown and keep the rest and you are golden.
As a DM, my favorite books are definitely the Monster Manual, Volo's Guide to Monsters, and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. Seeing all the different creatures I can use and getting inspiration for various combat and social encounters is so much fun. I'm also really looking forward to Fizban's Treasury of Dragons to see what awesome new things I can discover about dragons to include in my setting.
As a player, however, I love Xanathar's Guide to Everything for the subclass options, Volo's Guide to Monsters for the monstrous player race options, and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything for the custom lineage and subclass options.
I own a copy of almost every physical 5th Edition book that has come out, so it really is hard to choose just a single book. For me, ALL-THE-ESSENTIALS means having all the books possible. But that's just my #DDBStyle
I'll go with Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, the new Dunamancy magic it's great and the possibility to run your game in another "plane of existence" gives my players something new and fresh to mess with!
Also the Players handbook it clearly a must. =)