DnD is probably the biggest roleplaying game out there, and it has a literature list of epic proportions. So, what would it cost to buy all the books of DnD, and is it reasonable to do so? This article aims at answering all those questions and more.
The price of all 44 books on the digital app DnD Beyond is $875.13. This includes all fifth edition (5e) digital literature available at DnD Beyond. If you own one or more of these books, then the price of that/those book(s) will be subtracted from the total price. You don’t need all of the books to play the game. Get the core books and you’re good to go.
Should you buy all the books? What books are particularly relevant to get? Keep reading to find out.
Should I Buy All The DnD Books?
If you’re passionate about DnD and have some extra cash to splash, you can certainly buy all of the books. There’s a bundle at DnD Beyond (DnD’s digital app) where you can buy all of the books available for $875.13, but I would suggest only doing that if you’re very interested in reading all of the available material.
Of course, whether you should buy something or not is very subjective. It’s mostly very good material, for entertainment and for inspiration. You certainly don’t need all of them to play the game though, that’s for sure.
What Books Do You Need To Play DnD?
For a start, and if you haven’t already, you should download the DnD basic rules, which is a free web resource. This is for very new players interested in playing DnD and curious about the game’s basic rules.
Now, there are a couple of books that you probably should get if you want to play D&D – I will go over them in detail below.
1. The Player’s Handbook (PHB)
This book contains a bunch of stuff that is nice to have as a beginner player, namely:
Guidelines for player character creation, rules for combat and world exploration, character backgrounds,
gear & spell information, and much more.
This book is most helpful to clear up any initial confusion you might have over the game and kick-start your journey. I would argue that out of any book, this one is the most important to have.
Strictly speaking, it is all you really need to actually play the game. The 5e version is available at DnD Beyond and in bookstores pretty much everywhere.
2. The DnD Starter Set
The DnD starter set comes with an adventure (64 pages long), a rule book for characters level 1-5, 6 good dice, and 5 somewhat cookie-cutter characters complete with character sheets.
This set would arguably be worth it even without the characters with character sheets and the rule book, because of the very well-written adventure and the dice. It’s simply great value for what you’re getting, costing around $20 depending on where you buy it.
3. The Monster Manual (MM)
A book that details different monsters within the DnD universe, complete with stats, details, and background information. The MM is really nice to have for planning adventures and scenarios, and it helps DMs make monsters really come to life.
This book isn’t strictly necessary for players, more so for DMs, although it certainly makes for an interesting read, with very good-looking artwork.
4. The Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG)
The DMG provides a guide complete with tips and tools. The book is not obligatory when it comes to starting and finishing an adventure, but if a DM wants to introduce their own storylines, characters, or in any way depart from a set-piece adventure, then the DMG comes in very handy.
If you’re financially split between buying the DMG and any of the above books, then you should probably invest in one of the other products first. With that being said, the DMG is a core book and universally appreciated.
What Does 5e Mean In DnD?
5e is short for the 5th edition. Three editions have been released in the 2000s; 3e, 4e, and 5e. The difference between these editions can be vast in certain areas. For example, in 4e, Wizards of the Coast increased the level cap to 30 and made the game very combat-centric.
Luckily, 5e, the current edition, is very much liked and appreciated as one of the best editions of DnD ever. 5e is the only edition that is available at DnD Beyond.
How Many DnD Books Are There?
5e consists of (including books that aren’t on DnD Beyond) around 53 books, some books which are yet to be released. If you count all of the DnD books ever, there are over 350. So, collector completionists would have to have a license to print money to get all of the books.
What’s The Difference Between A Source Book And An Adventure Book?
Sourcebooks are in short, books of information. They include such things as classes for player characters, monsters, game rules, and so forth. Think about it like this: Sourcebooks are sources of reference, supplemental to your game experience.
Adventure books are prepared set-piece adventures. Adventure books include a premise, an objective for solving the premise, and a bunch of hurdles in the way of your party. Hurdles include everything from monsters to puzzles.
How Much Does It Cost To Start Playing DnD?
Here I will consider the essentials of playing the game, which means I won’t include books and materials that aren’t barebones for the DnD experience.
The Players Handbook is pretty much a must-have. It is helpful to get familiar with all things DnD – this book if any is probably the most necessary like I have mentioned above. It’s all you need to play. It costs around $25 on Amazon and $30 on DnD Beyond.
You will want to have some D20 dice, too. Either buy the starter set or just pick some up. Preferably, get one four-sided dice, one six-sided, eight-sided, ten-sided, twelve-sided, and twenty-sided. This is if you play in real life. If you’re playing online with friends, you don’t need dice, as DnD Beyond has built-in dice rolls.
So in summary, you can get away with buying the player manual for $25 and a dice set for about $5, which equals $30.
Can I Sell My DnD Books?
Yes, you can sell your DnD books. There are a couple of factors worth taking into consideration, however. The quality of the book is the biggest. If your book is in mint condition (fresh, out-of-the-box quality), then the chances of you getting a good deal for your book are increased.
Another factor to take into consideration is rareness. That is, how many copies of the book that you want to sell are published? If you want to sell a book that is mass-produced, then you will get a lower price for it.
These two factors are the most important – a book can be really old, but if the book was mass-produced and/or of bad quality, you’re still not going to get a lot of money for it.
Another question worth asking is; should I sell my DnD books? DnD Beyond is already huge, and in the future, the app is going to get rid of old edition material. If you ever want to play old edition DnD, old books are what you’re going to have to refer to.
Is DnD 5.5e Coming?
Yes, it is coming. Supposedly for the 50th anniversary of DnD, which means that we will probably see 5.5e in 2024. 5.5e isn’t officially what the next edition is going to be called, although it has been called that by fans.
So, what might this updated version of 5e mean? The core books are going to be updated among other things. The core books include PHB, DMG, and MM.
Now, 5.5e is not a new edition of DnD, but rather a revision – which means that 5.5e will act as a modified 5e. Now, each new edition or revision has the potential of splitting fans up.
Some like older editions better than newer ones, and some like the newer ones better than the old. Some players still prefer the really old editions. Over time, this fact might make it harder for players from different groups to play with each other.
We’re certainly not there yet, though, and I doubt that 5.5e will make a massive difference, plus, it’s really the only downside with 5.5e I can come up with.