Variants

[HauntWrigs]

Do you use 3rd party material? Player's guides, variant core rulebooks?

I picked up Iron Heroes, for example, and considered using some of the material there.

BONUS QUESTION: Have you ever ran Iron Heroes or Arcana Unearthed as their own stand alone? How did it go? Was it easy to gain buy in from your players?

[Curmudgeon]

No, not any more. I've used some stuff in the past for specialized settings, such as a 3rd-party seafaring supplement before Stormwrack was released.

[Blackhawk748]

I will occasionally poke around in Sword and Sorcery and Legends and Lairs. I dont use them often but they are nice when i do use them. I use Darkness and Dread occasionally as its similar to Heroes of Horror but they surprisingly have little overlap. Other ones i use are Traps and Treachery 1 and 2 as well as all the Ravenloft books.

[Bad Wolf]

I used a book called The Complete Guide to Fey, or something similar-sounding. Anyway, I found a Fey race with -2 Con and Str, with a +6 Cha bonus.

And that's how I started down the dark path of muchkinry.

[Fax Celestis]

I used a book called The Complete Guide to Fey, or something similar-sounding. Anyway, I found a Fey race with -2 Con and Str, with a +6 Cha bonus.

And that's how I started down the dark path of muchkinry.

That is one of my favorite third party books. The on-the-fly fey creation system in the back is like the holy grail of homebrewing.

To answer the question: yes. Dreamscarred Press is explicitly allowed at my table, as is Goodman Games. I make frequent and unhealthy use of The Book of Templates, and unlike many of Monte Cook's creations, feats from The Consolidated Book of Experimental Might are allowed. I also allow content from the War of the Burning Sky (EN Publishing) and Echoes of Heaven (Final Redoubt) campaigns. Other third-party and homebrewing is on a case-by-case basis, but I am more likely to amend something than I am to ban it.

[Venger]

I occasionally read third party content, like the advanced player's guide, but I rarely use content from it.

one (technically) third party book I have used stuff from is cordell's "hyperconscious." I really don't consider it 3rd party since it was written by the guy who invented 3.x psionics, all it lacks is a hasbro logo. it's got some really interesting content and gorgeous art.

[Kelb_Panthera]

I have, and occasionally use, a couple of Rokugan books. White wolf publishing, I think?

[Venger]

I have, and occasionally use, a couple of Rokugan books. White wolf publishing, I think?

alderac, actually.

[Sith_Happens]

My 3.5 group uses "Dead at -[CON] hit points" like in Pathfinder, does that count?

[Venger]

My 3.5 group uses "Dead at -[CON] hit points" like in Pathfinder, does that count?

that's a nice rule.

I also enjoy their energy drain rule where it sticks around and you can keep trying to shake it off every 24 hours. that way it still kills in combat, but doesn't ruin your life over one botched roll

[Extra Anchovies]

that's a nice rule.

I also enjoy their energy drain rule where it sticks around and you can keep trying to shake it off every 24 hours. that way it still kills in combat, but doesn't ruin your life over one botched roll

It also doesn't ever result in true level loss, only across-the-board penalties. Having to change all of your class features, and then change them back when you get that Restoration, is annoying and unnecessary.

[Venger]

It also doesn't ever result in true level loss, only across-the-board penalties. Having to change all of your class features, and then change them back when you get that Restoration, is annoying and unnecessary.

right. that's what I was referring to. I like taking that out of the equation with energy drain.

the worst part is what it does to your skillranks.

[Coidzor]

Every now and then. I know I've been interested in checking out Iron Heroes and Dragon Mech for a while now to see if there's anything I'd like to plunder from them.

[Bullet06320]

the Legends & Lairs books get a lot of use
Traps & Treachery was one of the first OGL books published and we all picked it up when it came out, the improved sneak attack feat specifically that increases sneak attack up a die
Darkness & Dread gets a lot of use for NPCs and occasional for pcs, we've made gestalt characters where 1 half had to be a class from that book to start
Wildscape has rules for non spell casting rangers, expanding their weapon styles and adding a few new ones, we are not big on spell casting rangers at my table
The Quintessential Wizard from Mongoose publishing gets used a lot, there's a variant that gives you "exploding skill points" for wizards that has been heavily abused
The Book of Erotic Fantasy gets heavy use, almost every wizard at my table usually ends up taking meataphysical spellshaper
The Book of Templates has seen its fair share of abuse too, except the hypermytopic template, that's the only thing actually banned out right, lol
The number 1 houserule at my table, is if you can find it in print in my library, it will be considered, I have everything printed by WOTC, including all the web enhancements and articles printed in binders, all of mongoose, goodman games, a large chunk of necromancer games and green ronin press, as well as bunch of other 3rd party, most of ravenloft, most of kingdoms of kalamar and I have been currently adding the dragonlance books I never got around to previously, not a big dragon lance fan, but the need for more 3rd edition material is getting hard to find so I may as well give in an add it, lol
so 3rd party sees a lot of use and a fair bit of abuse at my table

[atemu1234]

Yes, I use it quite a lot. In fact, I've spent a lot of time tracking down 3rd party stuff, and enjoy using it. I review it for balance first, of course.

[Kevingway]

The more I play, the dirtier I feel using any campaign-specific material, variants, or third-party material. I find the game much more enjoyable when I'm playing with rules that are strictly... well, rules, and I'm not breaking any boundaries by introducing feats or races or classes from books where they wouldn't necessarily exist in any other setting.

Of course, most of it depends on your DM, but I prefer building a character that I can slap onto any table and get going with. No worries about discussing anything with the DM.

[ZamielVanWeber]

Advanced Bestiary by Green Ronin sees occasional use.