Source Books - What do you recommend?

[Panros]

Hello everyone. My name is Panros and I have never played a Forgotten Realms based PnP. *cowers away from all of the angry outbursts and boor's*

*composes himself a few moments later* Since I have never played I don't have access to those nifty source books that everyone is always talking about.

So, I just was thinking today, maybe I should just get one or two so I can expand my insight of the Forgotten Realms outside of the books that R. A. Salvatore wrote.

So, what source books would you recommend me purchasing... or stealing?

Orange

[soulfien]

Forgotten Realms Campaign Settings.

It's the best book in my opinion.

Also, try and find this at a second hand bookstore or perhaps online at Amazon.com:

Forgotten Realms Faiths and Avatars 2nd Edition.

It's the only book out there that goes indepth on the personalities of the Gods and how to properly worship each one. It even goes into vivid detail on which Gods are at War with Eachother and which ones are allies.

[ShadowCatJen]

As he said, the FRCS is the best one to go for to gain general Faerun knowledge.

Forgotten Realms Faiths and Pantheons would be another if the info in the FRCS on the gods isn't enough.

I'd also recommend Forgotten Realms Lords of Darkness. It's more DMish information, but it's got some goodies in there about the Zhentarim and other nefarious sorts. Most of which seem to plague Cormyr right now.

[Quadhund/Greenhouse]

You also left out a few other bits of info. As in, are you playing 3.0 or 3.5? And are you just looking for general info or you planning a campaign (expecting to be a dm)?

What I would recommend if you have absolutely no PnP stuff:
Player's Handbook 3.5
Dungeon Master's Guide 3.5
Monster Manual 3.5
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
Forgotten Realms Player's Guide (this gives updates to the campaign setting when they switched from 3.0 to 3.5)


That should get you started.

[Panros]

No, I don't need anything to start a PnP. Don't know how to play nor do I know any who play. I just want to learn about things. Like what exactly a koblod is, and you know, what different spells there are and their components, and just random crap like that.

I could care less about the pantheon. I don't plan on making a cleric or panzie pally anytime soon. Thanks anyway.

So just the Forgotten Realms Campaign Settings then. *shrugs* I guess I'll take a look online at prices.

[Driderman]

I suggest you try finding monsters manual, FRCS and maybe Players Handbook. That should cut it, for starters. And if you're not planning to play any PnP games I suggest you find them where they are fre. Not that I'm suggesting that you download the profilic PDF files from some sort of easily accessible torrent site, of course. Thats illegal.

[Munroe]

soulfien said:

Forgotten Realms Campaign Settings.

It's the best book in my opinion.

Also, try and find this at a second hand bookstore or perhaps online at Amazon.com:

Forgotten Realms Faiths and Avatars 2nd Edition.

It's the only book out there that goes indepth on the personalities of the Gods and how to properly worship each one. It even goes into vivid detail on which Gods are at War with Eachother and which ones are allies.

I wouldn't suggest Forgotten Realms Faiths and Avatars because as a second edition book, it wouldn't necessarily be current. Faiths and Pantheons (the 3rd edition book) is the most used book I own.

However, if you don't care about the gods, then definitely your best bets are Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (3e), Player's Guide to Faerun (3.5e), and if you want to know general stuff about monsters then the Monster Manual 3.5e. Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (FRCS) would mostly just tell you about geography, politics, world history, culture, and it has sections on the deities, the classes and races as specific to Forgotten Realms, the afterlife, and stuff like that. It has a chapter dedicated to the deities, focusing mostly on the greater deities, but for that kind of thing you'd really want F&P (Faiths and Pantheons).

For general information on orcs to balors to archons to ogres, you'd want the Monster Manual (3.5e is current version), and if you have a specific kind of monster which interests you, there are books focused on wholely on dragons (Draconomicon), the undead (Libris Mortis), and outsiders (Book of Vile Darkness, Book of Exalted Deeds, Fiendish Codexes), among others.

Fair warning though, information you read sourcebooks may not match up with the game as interpreted by your DMs. As I myself love quoting my sourcebooks, here's what one says on that subject:

From the Dungeon Master's Guide 3.5e (pg. 129):

One drawback to using a published world is that your players might read the same products that you do and might therefore know as much (or more) about the world as you do. If this happens, don't let the players dictate the world to you. ("No, I think Ravenburg is rulled by a queen....") Above all, even if it's a published product, it's your world.

That having been said, I say the best place to start if you aren't playing a tabletop game is the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. Of course that may just be because that was my first sourcebook.

As a disclaimer, I do not own Player's Guide to Faerun but I do want it. I would say FRCS is a better place to start though. FRCS has a $40 price tag, however, so you might want to browse around for a good price.

[catmage]

I recommend in addition to those above Champions of Ruin, which gives specific details on several notable evil groups, namely Cult of the Dragon, the Zhentarim, and both the Cult of Shar and the Order of the Dark Moon. And since there are all them Red Wizards running around as NPCs and PCs, Unapproachable East is suggested.

[Munroe]

catmage said:

I recommend in addition to those above Champions of Ruin, which gives specific details on several notable evil groups, namely Cult of the Dragon, the Zhentarim, and both the Cult of Shar and the Order of the Dark Moon. And since there are all them Red Wizards running around as NPCs and PCs, Unapproachable East is suggested.

However, unless you're playing a member of a secretive organization, do you really need to know too much about them?

[Manshin]

For all of the above books, look for them at any "Half Priced Books." I myself love that store. Everything is dirt cheap and you can find all kinds of ancient D&D stuff there, as well as a good supply of new stuff. I filled out my 1st edition collection for under $20 books. Got the Forgotten Realms Source and the guid to Waterdeep for $14, and $12 respectivly.

Manshin

[Panros]

Ok, so the FRCS is a definite? Roger.

Alright, I mine as well get the monster manual so I know what is what and what not. Cool.


I'm not really seeking the history of Faerun, I've read through a few time lines and if I wanted to know anything specific I know I can always ask my friendly neighborhood DM's for the information.

What does the Players Guide to Faerun cover?

And where can I learn more about things magic, such as spells and what not?

I also would like to know things like, what exactly does a beljuril do, and how are items enchanted with magic?

I think in the end I just want to know about trivial things that aren't really dictated by the history or deities of Faerun.

Bleh, I wish you could just pull out these books from a library or something....

[Retired DM Gallin]

Volo's Guide to Cormyr (which we've used countless times while building the module) is available for free download in a .pdf format from wizards of the coast, in addition to several other older books.

wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads

~Gallin

[Driderman]

torgeir said:

Ok, so the FRCS is a definite? Roger.

Alright, I mine as well get the monster manual so I know what is what and what not. Cool.


I'm not really seeking the history of Faerun, I've read through a few time lines and if I wanted to know anything specific I know I can always ask my friendly neighborhood DM's for the information.

What does the Players Guide to Faerun cover?

And where can I learn more about things magic, such as spells and what not?

I also would like to know things like, what exactly does a beljuril do, and how are items enchanted with magic?

I think in the end I just want to know about trivial things that aren't really dictated by the history or deities of Faerun.

Bleh, I wish you could just pull out these books from a library or something....

Well actually, some place you can find some of these books at a library...

Of course, with you living in the US they might be on some sort of list of unpatriotic, morally degrading or just plain heathen books or some strangeness like that and be difficult to find at your local library

As for how enchantment of items is done, I can't really think of any book that covers that except for the Dungeon Masters guide and even that's mostly technical. Like, how much gold and xp you must spend to create a certain item and which spells and feats you need to use to craft it.
All the spells you need to know about are in the Players Handbook, where you will also find a lot of useless information about races (seeing as races in the Forgotten Realms differ slightly from those in the PH due to it being different settings and all). You might also slowly become very annoyed at the fact that NWN uses the D&D 3.0 rules while the newest releases of Players Handbook and Dungeon Masters Guide are 3.5 and has different rules...
Personally, I make do with my FRCS but of course, I've played variations of Dungeons & Dragons since I was eleven so I know most of it by heart by now.

Volo's guide is a good bet too, if you can stand the insufferable bards incessant babbling...

There's a lot of interesting suggestions on what to read in this topic, but unless you want to be a walking encyclopedia on the Forgotten Realms the FRCS should cut it for you really. The rest is just extras, if I am understanding what you are looking for correctly

[AnvilX]

***
Volo's Guide to Cormyr (which we've used countless times while building the module) is available for free download in a .pdf format from wizards of the coast, in addition to several other older books.

wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads

~Gallin
***
Gallin gave a good link to DL a whole bunch of 2nd Edition books and manuals. Even though many do not pertain to Cormyr they are good references for background history for characters that originate outside of Cormyr.

I bought my FRC on Ebay for $10.00 from a merchant store. The store had a lot of D&D books for dirt-cheap. I got several Monster Manuals 3 ed for $2.50 plus s&h. I tried to find the name, but was unable. If I find it I will post it, you cannot beat this stores prices.

And of course since it is illegal like all of those torrent sites, I will not talk about the
alt-binaries-ebook- rpg news group that has all of the basic through 3.5 D&D books regularly. Or the alt.binaries.e-book.fantasy which carries all of the FR novels. Also, I was told that a free software called Xnews combines and DL’s them for you in one neat pdf package. Not like I would use anything like that. ;D

[catmage]

wolfmunroe said:

catmage said:

I recommend in addition to those above Champions of Ruin, which gives specific details on several notable evil groups, namely Cult of the Dragon, the Zhentarim, and both the Cult of Shar and the Order of the Dark Moon. And since there are all them Red Wizards running around as NPCs and PCs, Unapproachable East is suggested.

However, unless you're playing a member of a secretive organization, do you really need to know too much about them?

Considering that it gives guidelines on certain aspects like recruitment and basic guidelines for how to act within such a group, it is handy. Since there are pcs running around who are in Sharran Cults, for example, that makes it handy. The most important part to me is that it gives explainations on the multifaceted types of evil. The information that you would or would not have access to would have to be handled the same as information found any sourcebook. After all, the majority of books suggested have things the average character wouldn't know, but are still useful reads. Of course, the person who posted this isn't interested in them anyway, so it's moot.

[Munroe]

torgeir said:

Ok, so the FRCS is a definite? Roger.

Alright, I mine as well get the monster manual so I know what is what and what not. Cool.


I'm not really seeking the history of Faerun, I've read through a few time lines and if I wanted to know anything specific I know I can always ask my friendly neighborhood DM's for the information.

What does the Players Guide to Faerun cover?

And where can I learn more about things magic, such as spells and what not?

I also would like to know things like, what exactly does a beljuril do, and how are items enchanted with magic?

I think in the end I just want to know about trivial things that aren't really dictated by the history or deities of Faerun.

Bleh, I wish you could just pull out these books from a library or something....

Panros, before you invest in a Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, I would suggest going to a bookstore and looking through a copy they have for sale, even if you don't plan to buy it at retail. This way you aren't buying something without having some idea of what you're getting.

The only D&D book I ever bought without at least looking through a hard-copy first was my Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, but I had a very good idea of what I was getting. (A campaign adventure for level 6-10 characters based on the classic module that spawned a setting.)

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is one of the easier books to find in bookstores (along with the core books: Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual) so you should just go in and take a look to see if it is pretaining to the kind of things you want to know.

[Panros]

Alright, thanks for all of the tips. I gonna go check out some of these books in Walden's and the library if any are there. Hell, it's on my way to class everyday. If they have any copies I could just read up on them in between the trip.

[ShadowCatJen]

Ah, there's also the Monsters of Faerun you can check out. Has information on creatures specifically tailored for Forgotten Realms. Like the Tyrantfog Zombie, Beasts of Malar, and the Song Dragon. It also has lots of templates in the back to make some interesting undead.

[Panros]

Like a mummified vampiric hamster capable of spell casting necromantic magic that has vampiric regeneration and grows twice in size and power under a full moon?

Thanks, I am have been looking online, and they have like all of them on Amazon. I think I'm gonna check Ebay or Half.com for more prices sometime in the near future.