D&D (2024) New D&D Edition's Player’s Handbook Cover Reveal

Game Informer has revealed the cover to the 2024 Player’s Handbook.

The cover features a gold dragon behind the old-school D&D characters Strongheart the paladin, Mercion the cleric, Elkhorn the dwarf fighter, and Molliver the thief. Ringlerun the wizard is absent (then again he got his showcase on one of the 1E AD&D Player's Handbooks), but a drow mage appears to have joined the party!

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

Well, gotta start working on building that character recognition somewhere! Better 50 years late than never.

WotC owns Baldurs Gate 3's IP and people are literally going insane over Astarion and Shadowheart. They have all these talented writers like Larian or Bob Salvatore creating characters for them and they're like... "No, Yoldanda B. Elf, that's what gets peoples' blood pumping"

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

WotC owns Baldurs Gate 3's IP

WotC's pen and paper arm seems extremely ambivalent about Baldur's Gate 3, for whatever reason. I would be flabbergasted if we got to see my girlfriend Lae'zel in the 2024 books.

 

[Parmandur]

WotC owns Baldurs Gate 3's IP and people are literally going insane over Astarion and Shadowheart. They have all these talented writers like Larian or Bob Salvatore creating characters for them and they're like... "No, Yoldanda B. Elf, that's what gets peoples' blood pumping"

Baldur's Gate 3 was not a big hit when the art order would have been written.

 

[OB1]

Monsters are the primary IP for D&D. Characters are for players. The fact that the PCs on the cover are IP is more of an easter egg. The important thing is to inspire new players and show them what the game they are picking up is all about.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

Love it.

 

[Stormonu]

Oh? What did I miss?

Nothing nefarious, but the armor has been changed (normally, he has chain mail on the arms instead of the blue padded armor; the shoulder protection is different and his armor is not seamless around the chest/stomach). He's also normally depicted with the face plate up and it really stands out he's the only one whose face is covered.

It was why I thought it was a the cavalier from the 2E PHB instead of Strongheart at first.

(The 2E PHB cover, BTW, is probably the most "WTF how is this D&D and not some historical RPG?" - there is NOTHING that stands out as fantasy on that cover).

The latest artwork for his figure boxed set

Spoiler

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

Baldur's Gate 3 was not a big hit when the art order would have been written.

The game had been doing gangbusters for years as an early access title, it didn't really "come out" in 2023. Hell WotC greenlit an entire MTG set about the game years before it came out; they could've used some of the art from those cards.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Monsters are the primary IP for D&D. Characters are for players.

That was true. But as they shift towards being a movies and TV brand, they're going to need to do more than say "hey, look, it's an umber hulk!" While I'd see a movie about an umber hulk, I'm probably a minority -- they need characters.

 

[Burnside]

View attachment 362998

I like this one waaaaaay better than the cover.

 

[Mercador]

Only a brief description: "the new alternate Player’s Handbook depicts a gorgeous scene of elves and a sinuous gold dragon, all printed in a gold foil treatment."

I don't need it but I know I'll get it nonetheless. I guess I love collecting those books.