Dungeons and Dragons Rules Supplement
This book list contains the supplementary rule books that enhance playing Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition as well as recommendations for libraries wanting to add the game to their collection.
Title List | Links | Library Recommendations
 Tome of Treasures  |
Tome of Treasures (Roleplaying Game Rules Supplement)Author: Bonner, Logan; Bernstein, Eytan; Liquette, Kolja Raven and Stephens, Owen K. C. |
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Possibly formerly titled: Adventurer’s Vault: A Guide to Weapons, Equipment, and Treasure for Your Character. This is the title listed in Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble but I think it will be published as Tome of Treasures. This supplement for the Dungeons and Dragons game presents hundreds of magic items, weapons, tools, and other useful items for your D&D character. Whether you’re a player looking for a new piece of equipment or a Dungeon Master stocking a dragon’s hoard, this book has exactly what you need. The book features a mix of classic items updated to the 4th Edition rules and brand-new items never before seen in Dungeons and Dragons. |
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 Martial Power  |
Martial Power (Roleplaying Game Rules Supplement)Author: Heinsoo, Rob; Logue, Nicolas; Noonan, David; and Sims, Chris |
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This tome focuses on the martial heroes: characters who rely on their combat talents and keen wits for survival. It provides new archetypal builds for the fighter, ranger, rogue, and warlord classes, including new character powers, feats, paragon paths, and epic destinies. Martial Power is the first of a line of player-friendly supplements offering hundreds of new options for Dungeons and Dragons characters. |
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 Draconomicon I  |
Draconomicon I: Chromatic Dragons (Roleplaying Game Rules Supplement)Author: Cordell, Bruce; Marmell, Ari; and Schwalb, Robert J. |
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All about the most popular monsters of Dungeons and Dragons — the dragons! Draconomicon I: Chromatic Dragons describes several varieties of dragons, including red, blue, green, black, and white dragons, as well as three completely new chromatic dragons. This sourcebook gives details of each dragon’s powers, tactics, myths, lairs, servitors, and more. In addition, this book provides new information about draconic nations (such as Arkhosia) and organizations, and how chromatic dragons fit into the D&D game. Wide-ranging story and campaign elements in the book give DMs ready-to-play material that is easily incorporated into a gane, including adventure hooks, quests, and pregenerated treasure hoards. |
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 Manual of the Planes  |
Manual of the Planes (Roleplaying Game Rules Supplement)Author: Baker, Richard; Heinsoo, Rob; and Wyatt, James |
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If you seek to stem this tide of chaos at its source, follow my lead — I set out for the dreaded Abyss on the morrow. The planes have always been a place of great mystery and danger in the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game, and the new array of planes debuting in 4th Edition continue that grand tradition. Home to gods and devils, demons and genies, fey and titans, these strange dimensions offer unlimited adventure opportunities for Dungeon Masters and their players. Manual of the Planes explores the many planes introduced in the 4th Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide. This useful travel guide also comes in handy for players seeking to battle demons, devils, elementals, and other iconic Dungeons and Dragons monsters native to the planes. |
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Summary:
Title List:
1. Tome of Treasures
2. Martial Power
3. Draconomicon I: Chromatic Dragons
4. Manual of the Planes
Weblinks List:
Dungeons and Dragons Website
Library Recommendations: June 2008
At this writing, none of these books are available for inspection yet. However, going on past history (I’ve collected previous Dungeons and Dragons editions) I will make a tentative recommendation until I can view the product myself.
Tome of Treasures — This product is troubling because it is featured in Amazon and Barnes and Noble under another title. However, I am going with the title used on the Wizards of the Coast website 2008 product line-up. This product is useful for two reasons. First one way players are rewarded is in the acquisition of treasure, but stash after stash of gold pieces can be boring. This book will help a DM vary the rewards. Second, it also serves as a guide to equipment that players might want to buy for their characters. As a former DM, having such guides helps players who might not be well versed in Medieval technology choose an appropriate weapon, tool or garment. I expect this will be a good rule supplement for all libraries.
Martial Power — This product will probably be an expansion on the rules for fighting in general and fighter types in particular. As a general rule, these books tend to offer a lot of flavor to experienced gamers and overwhelm the novices. Furthermore, in past editions, books that expanded rules for a class tended to have a few elements that were later found to be unbalanced. Big libraries might want to pick this up but small and medium libraries should wait to see the reviews.
Draconomicon I: Chromatic Dragons — If this were a book on all dragons, I might recommend it for larger libraries. I cannot recommend it because it only covers one type of dragon, with additional books to be published in the following years. The Monster Manual has many dragons already. I expect this book will add a few new dragons and talk about the life, the treasure, the culture and the magic of chromatic dragons, but it’s not necessary or widely useful.
Manual of the Planes — I have a weakness for this book. It allows a DM to move the game off of the campaign world and into many fantastic worlds of gods and sometimes of concepts, elements and ideas. Some of the most fascinating monsters come from other planes. It’s not for beginners but if you have experienced gamers looking for dangerous places where the rules are changed, then this is the product for them. I recommend it for medium to large libraries.
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