Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook: Core Rulebook I v.3.5

by Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams, Monte Cook, et al.

Book Overview

Wizards of the Coast reignited and reinvigorated the roleplaying game community when it released the 3rd Edition DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game in 2000. In 2003, the core game rules were revised to include... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786928867
• ISBN13: 9780786928866
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 2.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.5" x 11.1"

Customer Reviews

Essential

The Player's Handbook is one of the core rulebooks for Dungeons and Dragons. Version 3.5 is the most in depth edition of the franchise. The player's handbook has everything a player needs to create their character and begin play.

This book got me interested in D & D again

I have not had much D & D experience. I only played the game a few times with friends when I was a kid. Now as an adult out of college I am revisiting my childhood games. I am coming from 2nd edition D & D. Let me tell you this book is a big improvement over 2nd edition. Studies have shown that gifted and bright kids tend to play D & D after you have played the game a few times you will to see why. This is not an easy game to learn. There are a lot of rules, a lot of stuff to try to remember, this is something that really discouraged me as a youth from it. Since I have always notoriously had a bad memory this game was hard for me to learn back then. I always had to look up stuff in the rulebook, because I couldn't remeber. This slowed down the game a lot. With the few games I played with friends I fudged a lot of the rules and left out a good chunk of them just to speed up game play. The new 3.5 rulebook is a blessing to me. I find it much easier to learn, since I never really learned D & D back then. A lot more easier to learn. Here are a few things I find easier with 3.5 edition. 1) Although I prefer The old 2nd edition savings throw method, the new savings throw method is a lot easier to learn. 2) Movement is a lot more logical now I think and answers so many questions I had from 2nd edition. Movement in combat in 2nd editon made no sense! You could move 120' in one round and attack! This was so unrealistic. I like the 5' system a lot better. This visually makes a lot more sense and is easier. 3)Improved minature rules! They also tied up a lot of loose ends with minatures and how to move them in this edition which helps a lot. The rulebook in 2nd edition didn't explain minatures all that well or how to move them, this book makes things more clear. 4)Hex paper. Ok in 2nd edition as a kid I was really confused how to use the hex paper and how to layout the maps. 2nd edition didn't explain this at all I don't think. This edition makes the use of hex paper a lot more clearer to the reader. 5)Available help. The internet has been a blessing in so many ways; I can now ask for help online. The online forum is the biggest blessing to me! So many questions I had about how to be a good dungeon master have been answered on those forums. I can great advice from veterans on how to construct an adventure. 6)Better written adventures. I have to say in 2nd edition the premade adventures that a player could buy were confusing. There were a lot of questions not answered and many adventures were too open ended. I find adventures published for 3.5 are a lot more clear, less confusing, and less open ended. Clearly a lot better written too, in my opinion. 7) Improved character class progression. Hey I like the way they tried to make all the classes more even. The wizard was so problematic in 2nd edition for me. This is one thing that fustrated me about the baldurs gate games; playing a wizard. Wizards started out too weak, leveled at a much slower pace

Advice For Parents

Why all kids should play Role Playing games. 1) You have to learn rules to play. 2) You have to know how to READ to play. 3) You have to be able to WRITE to play. 4) You have to learn basic MATH to play. 5) No computers are involved. 6) You play at a table with other people; in fact it's impossible to properly play any role-playing game without at least one other person. 7) Role playing games create an interactive story through player interaction and continuing story development, unlike TV, which can only give you interactivity if you vote online and watch the next show to see who is voted off. 8) Will give you something to day dream about when you're bored out of you mind at work/school. 9) Can be played by just about anyone even if you're handicapped, sick, or depressed. 10) You will learn basic acting skills as you play the character you have created and learn to put yourself into your new character. 11) You become involved in a very open friendly community of fellow gamers who almost always look past socioeconomic or racial barriers because the characters you play can be anything from playing a Human Wizard, to a strange alien Jedi Master, or even a Nasty Goblin with a heart of gold.

Worth it.

This latest version of the Player's Handbook for D & D is the best yet, and is especially accessible to the new player. In general, it makes more sense and is more intuitive than any previous version.For those who already have the orriginal 3E version, here is an extended review: Basically, in almost every way, 3.5 is MORE powerful than 3E is.Most notably, every single 3.5 character class is equal to or better in every way than its 3E counterpart is. Barbarians have better range and defense. Bards have better (even useful) musical powers and more skill points. Clerics have better spell-lists. Monks have more feats and better attacks. Druids have better abilities and their Animal companion advances like a Familiar or Special Mount. Paladins have more Smite Evils and better spell-lists. Rangers have much better abilities, and more skill points.From a quick comparison, the only significant negative effects are: Druids can no longer turn into Plants without a feat. Paladins have slightly slower Remove Disease advancement. Rangers have d8 hit-points.Other changes of note: Weapons and sizes make much more sense (good). Keen Edge and Improved Critical no longer stack (bad). Haste effects more people but does less (good for fighters, bad for spell-casters). Summon Monster and Animal Companion are slightly better while Planar Ally/Binding are weaker and Gate costs XP (closing sneaky loop-holes). Limited Wish, Miracle and Wish are clearer, and always cost XP. Time Stop and the various Teleport and Polymorph spells are more clearly explained and make more sense. There are more spells in general, including especially Mass versions of many common spells like Bull's Strength and Cure Light Wounds.Overall, it probably IS worth he 20 bucks, if you have it to spend. I personally only give it 4 out of 5 stars, because hey, you probably already DID pay 20 bucks for the original. If you don't definately join the fun and buy this book.

If it was broke, then it needed to be fixed.

I've heard all the backlash before I got a chance to review this. I heard that this update was not only not needed, but an ill concieved attempt just to boost Wizard's profits for the year. I've heard numerous people describe the evils of the D20 system. I heard it all, and needless to say, I feel that critism was unfounded.The Player's Handbook 3.5 does a fixes many of the problems of the original book. Wizards of the Coast came up with a much overdue and spectacular idea a few years ago when they opened up their game mechanics wth the open gaming license making source books for any type of character (gladiators, necromancers, and even shamans) easy to find, and it all fit together. 3rd edtion was the grandaddy that started it, and it gets an overhall.Most notably, they change 3 of the classes. The Bard finally gets more skill points (6) so that he can more resemble the "Jack of all Trades" than a low rent, underpowered mage/theif that nobody wanted to play.The Ranger, perhaps one of the most loved classes in First and Second Edition D and D was nearly unplayable in 3rd edition (past 1st level anyway.) This problem is fixed, with choices in specialization with the bow or two weapon fighting, more skill points, and increases in power more in line with the other classes. (No more playing for one favored enemy and a few cantrips you can cast at 8 level.)The Monks are no longer cookie cutters of each other, as you have choices to make along the way so that you can do things that not every other monk you'd meet would be able to do.Oh, by the way, now every race that has a special weapon (Dwarven Warhaxe) can fight with it without a feat. What an idea!!The races have minor tweaking, with changes to the Gnome, Half Elf, and Dwarf the most notable.Feats have been expanded, and some combined. Gone is Ambidextarity, which is now just "Two weapon fighting." Some of this is from the class books (Song and Silence), and some new. Cool feats that give you bonus to a few skills rather than one are a nice touch.Skills have been combined. Gone is Intuit Direction and Wilderness lore. Hello Survival, that now does both. There are more examples like this. Slight of Hand, which is better, replaces pick pocket in one example of the new skills that are listed.The combat chapter is rewritten and top notch, answering many of the questions that have come up since we first adopted 3rd edition.All in all, I think this was a much needed update, and will be imediatly adopted in our playing group. I told a few of the changes at our last session, and all of the ones who "swore" they'd never get it, were already making plans to do so. Highly Recommeded.