D&D (2024) 2024 Core rule book changes

[Lanefan]

“Race,” like human, half-orc, or elf, is now known as “species” and players will pick this after the character class.

Two things of real significance there:

1. Half-orc? Typo from the reporter, or are half-orcs in fact still in the game?

2. Picking class first and species second is a reversal of the previous order, and a clear indication that species is intended to be less of a mechanical differentiator than is class.

Don't much care about 1; if they do take 'em out it's not that hard to put 'em back in if so desired.

Point 2 bothers me, though, as I much prefer one's choice of species have a bearing on what class(es) the character will best be suited for.

More magic items than the 2014 DMG, a glossary, an expanded appendix of maps, player handouts, and more

All 2014 monsters are back along with new foes, including monsters with high Challenge Ratings like a CR 20 ooze and an Arch-Hag.

The 2024 Manual won’t have any CR changes to existing monsters.

All stat blocks will be updated to make them easier to use and to add some “spice.”

These four points are all good news.

 

[The Myopic Sniper]

There goes my idea for an expanded backgrounds book for DMsGuild.

I mean how many can there be? One could get silly and have an elf soldier that is different than a dwarf soldier I guess. They could also be pushing all the non-core race things on us as well, such as a cat-person entertainer that is different than a rabbit-person entertainer.

It is probably just 12 actual background and then a suggestion of feat for whatever you take as your starting class.

Or it could be 24 backgrounds and then you roll d6 for a slight variation in skills or feat.

I am pretty sure either way that the long 2014 style backgrounds with a long set of tables of personalities, ideals, bonds etc are gone. Though they are probably not going to be as terse as Pathfinder 2 backgrounds unless they opt for actually having 144 backgrounds in which case they will probably be organized in such a way that you can roll 2 d12s in succession to figure out what you get if you want the dice to pick for you.

 

[Remathilis]

1. Half-orc? Typo from the reporter, or are half-orcs in fact still in the game?
...

Point 2 bothers me, though, as I much prefer one's choice of species have a bearing on what class(es) the character will best be suited for..

1. Yeah, emphasis mine. I don't know if they meant orc or if half-races somehow returned.

2. This doesn't bother me in the slightest. I couldn't tell you the last time I designed a character and didn't pick class first. Even in halcyon days, I always thought "what race synergizes with wizard?" Rather than "what class pairs well with elf?"

 

[Stormonu]

Interesting with the extra page space in the PHB they didn’t choose to pull in the Artificer, for a nice baker’s dozen.

 

[The Myopic Sniper]

The confirmed 9 races combined with 16 backgrounds also equals 144 origin options. That may be where that number comes from.

 

[Umbran]

1. Half-orc? Typo from the reporter, or are half-orcs in fact still in the game?

1. Yeah, emphasis mine. I don't know if they meant orc or if half-races somehow returned.

Note that if you can play a character with one parent who was an orc, they can be "still in the game" while not having a separate, detailed species for half-orcs.

 

[Zaukrie]

The confirmed 9 races combined with 16 backgrounds also equals 144 origin options. That may be where that number comes from.

Seem likely.....

 

[Remathilis]

Note that if you can play a character with one parent who was an orc, they can be "still in the game" while not having a separate, detailed species for half-orcs.

Granted, but to call out specifically seemed odd.

 

[bedir than]

The confirmed 9 races combined with 16 backgrounds also equals 144 origin options. That may be where that number comes from.

My plans are back on the table!

 

[Parmandur]

The confirmed 9 races combined with 16 backgrounds also equals 144 origin options. That may be where that number comes from.

16 Level 1 Feats, perhaps?