Explorer's Handbook

Explorer's Handbook is a comprehensive guide for the Eberron campaign setting in Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition, published in 2005. The manual serves both Dungeon Masters and players who want to enhance their exploration-focused adventures in the world of Eberron. The book contains detailed information about various modes of travel, from mundane methods to magical transportation options specific to the Eberron setting. It includes rules for managing expeditions, dealing with environmental challenges, and navigating the unique magical terrain of the game world. The volume features extensive artwork from multiple artists including Wayne Reynolds, Anne Stokes, and Mark Tedin. The content progresses from broad concepts of exploration to specific locations and treasure rewards, providing a complete resource for adventure planning. As a sourcebook, Explorer's Handbook represents the intersection between mechanical gameplay elements and narrative world-building, offering tools that support both tactical and storytelling aspects of the roleplaying experience. The material emphasizes the distinctive pulp adventure and magical technology themes that define the Eberron setting.

Reviews indicate most D&D players found the Explorer's Handbook useful but not exceptional. Readers appreciated: - Clear rules for handling overland travel and exploration - Practical tables for weather, terrain, and navigation - New feats and equipment options for explorer characters - The wayfinder class variant Common criticisms: - Much of the content repeats information from other D&D books - Limited new mechanical content compared to other supplements - Some readers felt the price was high for the amount of unique material Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (12 ratings) RPGGeek: 6.8/10 (14 ratings) Notable reader comments: "Good reference book but nothing groundbreaking" - RPGGeek reviewer "The wayfinder is interesting but the rest feels like recycled content" - Goodreads review "Useful tables but should have been part of the DMG instead of a separate purchase" - RPGGeek comment

Player's Handbook by Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, and James Wyatt The comprehensive rules system for creating adventures in the Eberron campaign setting includes character creation, magic systems, and setting-specific mechanics.

Dungeon Master's Guide II by Jesse Decker, David Noonan, Chris Thomasson, James Jacobs, Robin D. Laws This sequel to the core rulebook provides advanced tools for campaign management, adventure design, and world-building across multiple settings.

Manual of the Planes by Jeff Grubb The guidebook details planar travel, dimensional mechanics, and the cosmology of various realms beyond the material world.

Planar Handbook by Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel This resource expands on planar adventuring with rules for planar characters, equipment, and supernatural hazards.

Sharn: City of Towers by Keith Baker, James Wyatt The sourcebook presents detailed information about the vertical metropolis of Sharn, including its districts, power groups, and adventure locations.

🎲 Rich Burlew, one of the book's authors, is also the creator of the hugely popular webcomic "Order of the Stick," which has been running since 2003 and raised over $1.2 million on Kickstarter. 🗺️ The Explorer's Handbook was one of the first D&D supplements to introduce detailed rules for airship combat and navigation, a feature that became iconic to the Eberron setting. 🌍 Eberron, the setting this book explores, was selected from over 11,000 submissions in Wizards of the Coast's Fantasy Setting Search contest in 2002. ✍️ David Noonan, co-author of the handbook, worked on over 50 D&D products and was instrumental in developing the 3.5 edition rules that this book uses. 🚂 The book includes the first comprehensive rules for the Lightning Rail, a magical train system inspired by both steampunk aesthetics and the real-world development of railroads during the industrial revolution.