Reddit reviews Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (Dungeons & Dragons)
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Immersive Adventuring: This campaign sourcebook provides players and Dungeon Masters material for creating vibrant fantasy stories along the Sword Coast.New Character Options: The book offers new subclass options, such as the Purple Dragon Knight and the Swashbuckler, for many of the classes presented in the Player’s Handbook, as well as new subraces and backgrounds specific to the Forgotten Realms.Compatible with Rage of Demons storyline: Make characters for use with the Out of the Abyss adventure and fight back the influence of the demon lords in the Underdark below the Sword Coast.Insider Information: Learn the background behind locations, such as Luskan and Gracklstugh, featured in the upcoming digital RPG, Sword Coast Legends, from n-Space.
Oh boy. D&D lore is an insane mess, as there's no real canon. Each edition handles things differently. Even within a single edition there are multiple settings which handle lore very differently.
If I were you I'd pick a setting you like and start reading up on it. Forgotten Realms is, by far, the most popular setting and is the "standard" setting in 5E. Unfortunately, it's also prohibitively large. Do not feel the need to know all the lore, or even most of the lore. Just learn what interests you and what seems useful to your game.
For 5E, every published adventure except for Course of Strahd (also far) will be a great resource for Forgotten Realms. There's also a 5E book dedicated to one part of FR which is big enough to be it's own setting.
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Coast-Adventurers-Guide-Accessory/dp/0786965800
Some links:
Purchasable Materials:
Free Materials:
So for 5e there are a couple of things you can look at getting:
So the Basic Rules help out a lot, the Starter Set is basically a physical copy of the basic rules (plus some), and then the core 3 books in order of (my personal opinion of) usefulness are PHB > MM > DMG. I'd say you probably want at least everyone to have a PHB, or access if you guys continue to play.
Aside from that, most of the other 5e stuff you can pick up from wizards are modules. Modules are pre-created campaigns that have quests, items, locations, enemies (number, size, etc.) already pre-designed for you. Each of the following books has some sort of extra character information (like more subclasses, new races, etc.), but nothing is absolutely required. Generally if one person wants to play something (say, an Half-Elf Bladesinger Wizard) they should pick up the book to help build their character and to provide the GM with references to how the character works, but it's not necessary.
If you need any other help, please feel free to ask!
A few adventures came out but I think this is what you will want to buy :
http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Coast-Adventurers-Guide-Accessory/dp/0786965800/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451719103&sr=8-1&keywords=sword+coast+adventurer%27s+guide
It's from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.
The spell description can be found in a variety of places, such as here.
It's not often that I see someone that would fully benefit from the Sword Coast Adventure Guide, but you fit the bill perfectly. Especially since you want to run a homebrew moving forward.
That being said, it is 30 bucks, so I understand if you don't want to purchase it - so I'll do my best for you.
First, it's a good idea to read over the Sword Coast and Northern Sword Coast to get an idea of the area you'll likely run the immediate portion of your continuing campaign. There are three major cities that are worth knowing about: Neverwinter, Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate. Any of these three are a suitable setting for a big-city game.
The setting as a whole lends itself to a 'straight down the middle' feel when it comes to magic. It exists, is used commonly enough that adventurers will come across it - but not so much that the default setting has magical street-lamps and stuff like that. Magical items (at least in 5e) are rare and very prized by those who own them. The magic setting is perfect for whatever you want to do because it's so 'down the middle'. If you want a low-magic campaign it's easy to adjust - and the same goes for a high-fantasy concept.
The area is a melting pot of the core races minus the Drow and Dragonborn, although the latter would be more common than the former. Humans still dominate the coastal cities, but the other races are represented well.
Truly, the Sword Coast Adventure Guide will be your best resource if you're going to create a homebrew in this area and are unfamiliar with the region. Failing that, there are numerous online resources to familiarize yourself with the area. A simple Google search will point you in the right direction.
I think 5e is far better but your mileage may vary.
You can look at the Basic Rules here for free.
The buy-in for 5e is really slim. I HIGHLY suggest the Starter Set.
> You have the Core Rulebooks:
Not bad to start.
> Then there are only a few splatbooks:
The only other products are the mega-adventures. I'm out of time or I'd link em for ya but here is a list of products: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dungeons_%26_Dragons_rulebooks#Dungeons_.26_Dragons_5th_edition
The only one I think you need to BUY is Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.
[Amazon Link for Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide] (http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Coast-Adventurers-Guide-Accessory/dp/0786965800/ref=pd_sim_14_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=51yV7jtt62L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR246%2C320_&refRID=090WWMWPJCWQGMZS7FNF)
[Player's Guide for Elemental Evil] (http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/EE_PlayersCompanion.pdf) (This one has the Goliath and Genasi Races as well as many spells)
[Players Guide for Curse of Strahd] (http://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/CoS_Character_Options.pdf) (new character backgrounds for CoS)
Player's Handbook is really all you'd need as a player.
There's also the Basic Rules you can download for free to get a feel for things, but you'll want the PHB.
There's also the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide which is optional. It has some nice stuff in it, but one copy within a group is probably enough.
The newest book is the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, only $27-ish on Amazon. Assuming they already have the Player's Handbook, which is down to about $25.
Anyone got a good link for fancy dice?
Sure, originally, I had intended on providing source and citing for all entries but that proved to be more work than I was up for. Mostly because some of the source material contradicts itself and I started getting myself confused over which source I was choosing to use as definitive.
The official publications I referenced were:
Unofficial references used were:
If you know very little, you can always buy Sword Coast Adventurers' Guide. Take the time to read the customer reviews first though to see if this book contains what you are actually looking for. A lot of people bought the book expecting stuff not contained in it.
It also includes a few race variants, a few more class archetypes and a few backgrounds and 4 cantrips, all for 5e.
But the info/lore would work for any edition you play.
You need the following, if you are planning to run the most recent edition:
I recommend getting the following set in order to play a great starting adventure:
You can expand with:
The best general overview of the Realms I've found is Elminster's Forgotten Realms. It's system- and edition-neutral, and talks about many aspects of the Realms, including common festivals, education, literacy, and other elements that explain how this fantasy world is different than others. That said, the 5th Edition Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide gives you more stats and recent history, so it might be the more practical book.
That said, I recommend that you don't try to be completely true to the Realms. There's just far too much history and geography to learn if you want to be accurate. Start small and read up what you can, but feel free to shift things around as you see fit.
Looks like HOTDQ and Rise of Tiamat are also on sale for around $20:
Volo's and Xanathar's are around $30:
SCAG is $30, as is the not-yet-released Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes:
...and scrolling down the list, it seems a bunch of normally $50 adventures are also on sale around $30-34. The DMG is $32 and the Monster Manual is $34:
the PHB contains all of the base classes and races.
There are two official supplements, the Elemental Evil Player's Companion: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/elementalevil_playerscompanion
and the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (SCAG): http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Coast-Adventurers-Guide-Accessory/dp/0786965800/
The first is available online, the second is purchase-able. Neither are necessary, but check with your DM to see what's available to you to choose from.
This book, Amazon link
Currently, official resources are fairly scarce, and we won't be getting anything new for a bit, as the next book (The Curse of Strahd) won't have any new character options.
Currently, your official options are twofold:
Elemental Evil Players Companion:
This free resources adds 4 new races and a handfull of new spells.
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
Currently the most recent book, is roughly 80% setting information, but towards the back contains new race variants, background options, a handful of new cantrips, as well as new class options for the following:
If you would like, I can go more in depth on those extra class options if any one or all pique your interest.
Your unofficial options are much broader
Be sure to check out /r/UnearthedArcana, as this is the 5e Homebrew subreddit, and there's a lot of good stuff here, but it will require a lot of close monitoring by the DM to keep it fair and in-universe.
Secondly, DM's Guild is the WOTC 'marketplace' for homebrew content. It allows creators to host their stuff and set a price (or not) to purchase it. I would highly suggest looking at Matthew Mercer's Witch Hunter Class and Gunslinger Fighter Archetype (Both are "Pay what you want") as they have gone through some pretty rigorous testing and I can personally attest both are an absolute blast to play.
The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide is probably the best recent source however it isn't free. If you want something free for them to search through there is always the Forgotten Realms Wiki.
My girlfriend bought me the D&D colouring book for my birthday. It is amazing! Highly recommended if your father is artistic. Even if he isn't, it is still fun.
http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/monsters-and-heroes-realm
If your father is a DM and has a cheesex mat for drawing his maps, you can never go wrong with a new set of markers. They tend to run out in the least expected circumstances.
http://www.chessex.com/Accessories/Accessories2.htm
And of course, you can always go with rulebooks. If he has a library, I'd start by seeing which books he is missing. The following are for players of D&D, there are many adventure books as well for DMs.
Volo's Guide to Monsters: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0786966017/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1478899218&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons&dpPl=1&dpID=51yD0I7mRXL&ref=plSrch
Sword Coast Adventure's Guide: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0786965800/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=52RFJNRP5HSVN5MTMT06
Aside from this, you can always just get him random D&D knick knacks.t think geek is a good spot to start your search for any and all things nerdy.
D20 Chip Bowl: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/1d89/
Whiskey stones: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/14d6/?srp=16
Light up D20: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/deaa/?srp=10
D20 spin ring: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/iuov/?srp=54
Hope this helps spur some ideas for the holiday season. Good luck shopping!
If you're a player then I would suggest getting the Player's Handbook https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0786965606/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486601128&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=5e+players+handbook
And maybe the Sword Coast Adventurer Guide if you're playing in The Forgotten Realms setting.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0786965800/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486601212&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=sword+coast+adventurer%27s+guide&dpPl=1&dpID=51yV7jtt62L&ref=plSrch
The Book of The Righteous. A book all about Dnd pantheons, almost entirely lore, with some mechanical stuff as extras. This is probably the one I'd recommend most given the concentration of lore(plus cool pictures and stuff).
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Righteous-5E-Aaron-Loeb/dp/1934547816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526601339&sr=8-1&keywords=book+of+the+righteous+5e
The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Mostly lore about the Sword Coast, a region in the forgotten realms. It's almost all lore, with some mechanical stuff towards the end.
https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Coast-Adventurers-Guide-Accessory/dp/0786965800/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526601688&sr=1-1&keywords=sword+coast
Volo's Guide to Monsters. About half the book is the lore of certain monster races, and the other half is monster stat blocks.
https://www.amazon.com/Volos-Guide-Monsters-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966017/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526601471&sr=1-1&keywords=volos
Mordenkainen's tome of Foes. It isn't out till May 29, but it's supposed to be largely lore about the plains and various cosmic conflicts throughout time, and then several more monster stat blocks.
https://www.amazon.com/MORDENKAINENS-FOES-Accessory-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966246/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526601510&sr=1-1&keywords=mordenkainen%27s+tome+of+foes
I recommend going into a local game shop and seeing which of these they have and flipping through them to get an idea of what they're like and which ones interest you the most. Also this is only listing some of the books from the most recent edition (5e), largely because they tend to be the prettiest(design has improved significantly over time). Past editions are absolutely full of books about everything to do with anything you could want in the dnd multiverse.
Same boat, friend. I reccomend getting
https://smile.amazon.com/Sword-Coast-Adventurers-Guide-Accessory/dp/0786965800/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503322550&sr=8-1&keywords=sword+coast+adventurer%27s+guide
There are two.
Elemental evil players companion is free: http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/EE_PlayersCompanion.pdf
The other is the sword coast adventures guide (SCAG) and its in book form only from various sources. http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Coast-Adventurers-Guide-Accessory/dp/0786965800. But it's mostly campaign info for the Swoard Coast of Faerûn, with a few new subclass and subrace options, and four new cantrips.
Unless you know what books they already have it might be a bit risky getting a book, but if you do get a book I would suggest getting something not in the "big three" as someone who's really into D&D is likely to get the players handbook, monster manual, and dungeon masters guide on their own. Better to get them something they'd like but might not buy for themselves since theyre not as "essential", like Volo's Guide to Monsters, the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide or Xanathar's Guide to Everything I think. Also, any d&d player will always appreciate a new set of pretty dice, a cool bag to keep their dice in or a dice tray to roll on are also solid choices.
It's one of the new Archetypes from Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. It would probably make more sense for a higher Charisma character than your rogue though because of a few of the abilities they have. My character is a rogue/bard multiclass so it felt really fitting for her.
The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (SCAG, for short) is rad. Brief histories of the Sword Coast and other parts of Faerun by region. Profiles on the various races and classes. Couple new class archetypes and a few new spells.
Amazon has the SCAG on sale now for 31$.
https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Coast-Adventurers-Guide-Accessory/dp/0786965800/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487940243&sr=8-1&keywords=sword+coast+adventurer+guide
I also recommend Matt Forbeck's DUNGEONOLOGY book. It has a mini-setting manual on the Forgotten Realms (FR) but also has the best map of the Sword Coast in print to date.
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeonology-Ologies-Matt-Forbeck/dp/0763693537/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487940329&sr=8-1&keywords=dungeonology
You can also easily ignore the mechanics of previous editions and just focus on the flavor text in the campaign setting guides.
If you can find the 3e or 4e FR Setting Guides on eBay or Half Price Books for cheap, they are pretty useful.
The Volo's Guide to series from AD&D are boss as well; V'sG: to the North, to the Dalelands, to the Sword Coast, etc. They should all be on the DMsGuild in PDF for dirt cheap.
When all else fails, look for FR setting books written by Ed Greenwood (Volo himself); Ed is the Tolkien of the Forgotten Realms.
You can get it for less at Amazon or Jet(about $28 before coupons/discounts).
The update to the 5e lore starts with [The Sundering Series] (http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sundering_(series)). Despite its name, that series only covers a narrow fraction of the actual [event] (http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Second_Sundering), tho. It is followed by Spellstorm and Death Masks, by Ed Greenwood (updates on Waterdeep, lots of misc. lore scattered throughout the book about returned deities like Eilistraee, the Weave, etc...); and by Fire in the Blood, Ashes of Tyrants and The Devil You Know, by Erin Evans (they include updates on Azuth, Mulhorand, Unther, the Dragonborn, Asmodeus, and Tieflings--you may want to to read the rest of her series first, tho). Keep in mind that even with those books, a lot of the changes happened offscreen, and their explanation was often left as a "mystery" or handwaved as "Ao's work". The book to read to know the status quo as of the 1490s DR is the "Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide".
If you want to read the lore that brought to 4e (Spellplague), I'm afraid that in tis case too there isn't much about the Spellplague itself. The Empyrean Odyssey and Abolethic Sovereignity trilogies are all that there is, and they don't even focus on the Spellplague itself. The Haunted Lands trilogy is also pretty cool. Keep in mind that all that you'll read in those books (except the in the Haunted Lands) no longer holds true in the current Realms. Like in 5e, a lot of changes happened offscreen, and the 4e FRCS is the book to read to know the status quo in 1479 DR.
Salvatore also kept writing Drizzt, but his story is mostly self-contained and never touches anything beyond Drizztland. If you want a reading order for his books, tell me and I'll provide it.
I've been working on my own homebrew world, too, and it is very daunting! Here is what has helped me thus far:
EDIT:
But yes, as most people are saying don't plan on everything done before the game starts and improvise a lot. I am making key areas and regions and from there I will have resources to pull from as I make things up along the way.