D&D (2024) 2024 Core rule book changes

[Yaarel]

They announced that in February (details below), and confirmed the final 9 Species lineup at the content creator summit.

Wizards axes DnD Ardling race from future Player’s Handbook

The D&D Ardling has survived several rounds of One DnD playtesting, but Wizards of the Coast has confirmed it won’t be in the 2024 Player’s Handbook

www.wargamer.com

Thanks for getting that link. I missed this one.

 

[Oofta]

It is just deprived of any mechanical meaning and any lore codification. Nothing against opening all combinations, but by taking away defaults there is nothing to latch on, so they have removed it in any way that matters.

I never said I agreed with the change or the reasoning behind it. There will still be half-orcs and half-elves in my campaign, just like there always has been.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

It is just deprived of any mechanical meaning and any lore codification. Nothing against opening all combinations, but by taking away defaults there is nothing to latch on, so they have removed it in any way that matters.

I know this topic can be charged. But I disagree that it matters to have specific half-elves and half-orcs as unique rules objects that are called out.

I am a person that wants more diverse mixed-heritage options, but does not like the idea of a 3rd-party voice/narrator/writer grouping mixed-heritage peoples into "half"-anything. That's the only problem. They are whole individuals who as a character, individually choose if they want to identify as "half"-something, or utilize some other descriptor that is natural to their personal culture or sensibilities.

If there was a rules object called a "Half-orc" what does that even mean to a new player? Half-what? Can the other half of a half-orc be tiefling? If so, do they use the half-orc rules? Of course not. That naming convention doesn't work in a paradigm of dozens of mixed-orc possibilities. It is also untenable to invent new names for mixed races in the PH, not only because there are hundreds of pairings to have to invent, but also those naming conventions are not multiversal, rather are individually campaign-specific. We should not call all elf/dwarf hybrids "Dwelfs" or all elf/human hybrids "Khoravar" because those should be campaign-specific if the table wants to do that.

The baseline naming convention should be campaign-neutral and be able to convey any species combination. I'm thinking a descriptor like "Mixed" and the use of the two most prevalent species heritages that the character embodies. Some of the below descriptor options are better than others (I don't like Hybrid, to be honest), but I'll use some combos to show examples in use:

• Mixed Human/Orc
• Dwarf/Elf Descendant
• Tiefling/Aasimar Hybrid (hybrid sounds like a scientific design choice)
• Triton/Simic Hybrid Hybrid (nahhh)
• Dragonborn/Goliath Bloodlines
• Elf/Kender Parentage (but not all parents are blood)

 

[OldSchoolGamerGirl]

I think this is the first time that this has been confirmed about the 2014 rules

Everything written inside the original 5th edition books is still valid, still legal to play.

I can't wait until a player decided to use the most powerful version of each spell... and class

 

[Micah Sweet]

I know this topic can be charged. But I disagree that it matters to have specific half-elves and half-orcs as unique rules objects that are called out.

I am a person that wants more diverse mixed-heritage options, but does not like the idea of a 3rd-party voice/narrator/writer grouping mixed-heritage peoples into "half"-anything. That's the only problem. They are whole individuals who as a character, individually choose if they want to identify as "half"-something, or utilize some other descriptor that is natural to their personal culture or sensibilities.

If there was a rules object called a "Half-orc" what does that even mean to a new player? Half-what? Can the other half of a half-orc be tiefling? If so, do they use the half-orc rules? Of course not. That naming convention doesn't work in a paradigm of dozens of mixed-orc possibilities. It is also untenable to invent new names for mixed races in the PH, not only because there are hundreds of pairings to have to invent, but also those naming conventions are not multiversal, rather are individually campaign-specific. We should not call all elf/dwarf hybrids "Dwelfs" or all elf/human hybrids "Khoravar" because those should be campaign-specific if the table wants to do that.

The baseline naming convention should be campaign-neutral and be able to convey any species combination. I'm thinking a descriptor like "Mixed" and the use of the two most prevalent species heritages that the character embodies. Some of the below descriptor options are better than others (I don't like Hybrid, to be honest), but I'll use some combos to show examples in use:

• Mixed Human/Orc
• Dwarf/Elf Descendant
• Tiefling/Aasimar Hybrid (hybrid sounds like a scientific design choice)
• Triton/Simic Hybrid Hybrid (nahhh)
• Dragonborn/Goliath Bloodlines
• Elf/Kender Parentage (but not all parents are blood)

All you can really say, to be fair, is that is doesn't matter to you. Clearly it matters to others.

 

[OB1]

I can't wait until a player decided to use the most powerful version of each spell... and class

I'm fairly certain the official rule will be that if you use a 2014 class, you also use 2014 feats, backgrounds and spells, and a 2024 class uses 2024 feats, backgrounds and spells. Tasha's and Xanthar's options will be available to both.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

All you can really say, to be fair, is that is doesn't matter to you. Clearly it matters to others.

And I gave a clear, articulatable example on why utilizing "half" doesn't work. To a new player, what is a half-orc? Does that entry cover any variation of half-orc? Like if their other "half" was goblin? No? Then it doesn't work. Whatever descriptor they land on has to be clear and self-evident in the name itself.

For another example, what if one parent was human but the other was a half-orc? Is the character still "half"? Technically, no, they are not. Do we call them a Quarter-Orc? No. Of course, as a PC they can call themselves whatever they want, but we're talking what should be in the rulebook.

If the defense of a rule is "that's the way it has always been" that alone is never a good enough reason to keep said rule. It has to pass all the other smell tests. If the designers agree there is something rotten about an old rule, and the only defense is "that is the way it has always been", then they have an obligation to consider throwing it out and refreshing things.

 

[Micah Sweet]

And I gave a clear, articulatable example on why utilizing "half" doesn't work. To a new player, what is a half-orc? Does that entry cover any variation of half-orc? Like if their other "half" was goblin? No? Then it doesn't work. Whatever descriptor they land on has to be clear and self-evident in the name itself.

For another example, what if one parent was human but the other was a half-orc? Is the character still "half"? Technically, no, they are not. Do we call them a Quarter-Orc? No. Of course, as a PC they can call themselves whatever they want, but we're talking what should be in the rulebook.

If the defense of a rule is "that's the way it has always been" that alone is never a good enough reason to keep said rule. It has to pass all the other smell tests. If the designers agree there is something rotten about an old rule, and the only defense is "that is the way it has always been", then they have an obligation to consider throwing it out and refreshing things.

Are you expecting a huge swath of completely new to D&D folks to come swarming out of the woodwork to buy all these books? Is WotC?

 

[OldSchoolGamerGirl]

I'm fairly certain the official rule will be that if you use a 2014 class, you also use 2014 feats, backgrounds and spells, and a 2024 class uses 2024 feats, backgrounds and spells. Tasha's and Xanthar's options will be available to both.

so there are two different ways to two weapon fight at 1 table, 2 different ways fatigue effects you, seems like it will get quite confusing. ESPECIALLY when I cast 2014 Aid and someone else casts 2024Aid that are nothing alike... can they stack?

 

[Micah Sweet]

so there are two different ways to two weapon fight at 1 table, 2 different ways fatigue effects you, seems like it will get quite confusing. ESPECIALLY when I cast 2014 Aid and someone else casts 2024Aid that are nothing alike... can they stack?

Yup. There are plenty of individual rules expressions that aren't compatible with each other, and no amount of marketing spin will make them so.