D&D (2024) Quick Question: Beyond and One

[beancounter]

IMO, it's likely that you will have to buy the updated materials.

 

[Blue]

They have said time and time again that it "Just D&D", that it's one edition. Until MP:MM, every time a book came out that would update somethign there would be errata for all of the previous books. So unless they are lying about it being "Just D&D" then everything should be errata'd.

I wouldn't hold your breath, I think they are lying and the 2014 books will not be kept up and will be replaced. This preserves the sales of both the existing books and the new books between now and then.

As proof of intentions, they have already started sunsetting material they have published that has been redone in MP:Monsters of the Multiverse. Unlike every other change when it came out they did not errata and update the previous books.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

The big question is if it will be possible to use say, Xanathar subclasses with 2024 PHB classes on D&D Beyond. If you play on paper it seems like there will be some relatively simple steps to take to make the old material fit the new class structure (whether they will actually play well together is another question). Will D&D beyond do this kind of conversion for you automatically if you own the old books? They kinda have to if WotC wants to continue claiming than 1D&D isn't a new edition.

 

[Clint_L]

They have said time and time again that it "Just D&D", that it's one edition. Until MP:MM, every time a book came out that would update somethign there would be errata for all of the previous books. So unless they are lying about it being "Just D&D" then everything should be errata'd.

I wouldn't hold your breath, I think they are lying and the 2014 books will not be kept up and will be replaced. This preserves the sales of both the existing books and the new books between now and then.

As proof of intentions, they have already started sunsetting material they have published that has been redone in MP:Monsters of the Multiverse. Unlike every other change when it came out they did not errata and update the previous books.

"Lying" is a heavy word, and I don't think it applies here.

I think you may have a different interpretation of what WotC are doing than they do. Or I do. I don't think they ever claimed that 2014 books would not be updated and replaced by newer versions. They have been transparent that the core books will be updated in 2014, and are giving us all the test materials. What they stated is that the game will continue to be backwards compatible, which I interpret to mean that your 2014 Monster Manual and the 2024 Player's Handbook you get for your birthday in a few years will still work together. For example, you could continue your campaign and simply add in the new stuff without significant challenges - maybe a player would want to switch to the new version of the Hunter subclass or something, but the game would fundamentally play the same.

This would be different than the transition between, say 4e and 5e, where you couldn't mix and match the materials.

Going back to my last example, I think Multiverse is a de facto OneD&D book, and integrating it was not a challenge. And I agree that it would be nice if "legacy" content such as Volo's (great book) was still available, because it definitely still works. And that's the key point: your old stuff is intended to still work, so that you don't just have to rush out to buy the new books on the day they drop. I think WotC strongly wants to avoid that last situation, because they don't want to incentivize people to stop playing D&D. They would much rather you stuck with the game and occasionally added an updated book, when you felt like it.

 

[DEFCON 1]

When they release the 2024 books they could certainly still errata the 2014 one as well if there were any important rules changes that would/should/could apply to the 2014 books. But the difference this time being that the errata would just be in PDF format and not eventually incorporated into new printings of the books (like they are now), as I doubt they will reprint more copies of the 2014 books once the 2024 books get released.

So you might very well get your errata, you just won't be able to get it in hardbound form.

 

[Micah Sweet]

This has already happened; Monsters of the Multiverse is just Volo's and Mordenkainen's updated and combined. On DnDBeyond, those are now listed as "legacy" content but they still work just fine. Eventually I updated just to get access to a few new things, but it was not at all a problem to keep using the old stuff. Basically, I just got a new option, if I wanted it.

Similarly, new adventure books have been quietly updating aspects of the game, such as alignment, for awhile, without muss or fuss. I expect that this is what will happen with the new PHB, etc., as well. Everything will still work if you use the old books, or a combination of old and new books, and no one will really care except the pedants who get fussy about everything anyway.

Edit: like, I've been keeping up with the OneD&D materials, and would my game break if someone used this new version of the Ranger/Hunter while other players used classes/subclasses from the 2014 PHB? No, it would not.

WotC will care. I'm pretty sure they want you to buy their stuff, and will push as hard as they think they can get away with to encourage that result.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Well, in terms of mechanics sure. But Volos is one of my favorite 5e books. I loved the format. A more deep dive into the lore of certain monsters, with a sample lair, some new lair actions and variants, along with the standard monster list and rules on playing some of the "monsters" as PCs. All the lore stuff is gone.

I was surprised when Volo's came out that there were so many complaints about the format. For players who just want the stat blocks with minimal flavor text, Mordenkainen's is great (and I like the newer stat block format for monsters), but I'm glad I can still access Volo's on DnD Beyond and am very glad I have the physical book with the excellent alternative cover.

If they were to just remove Volos from DnD Beyond, I would have been much more bummed out than having them simply retroactively make changes to the core books and minor changes to some of the adventures to address complaints. I'm glad I still have the ability to pull up and read all the flavor text available in Volo's but am a bit saddened that those who didn't buy it will not be able to access it.

I have no issues with them marking a book as "legacy" and giving you the option to filter out "legacy" content, but why not let people buy it? It was already there and prepped. And because it is still within the family of the current "evergreen" edition, I doubt they are going to make it available in DMs Guild in PDF format like they have done with material from older editions. So it lives in a kind of limbo where you can no longer buy a digital version of it.

Anyway, this is why I buy physical copies of the books I like the most.

WotC is following the grand tradition of allowing themselves to be embarrassed by earlier work that doesn't reflect what they are currently trying to sell.

 

[TerraDave]

The big question is if it will be possible to use say, Xanathar subclasses with 2024 PHB classes on D&D Beyond. …

That is the whole point (including auto-errata). You can, so you pay, either by buying the virtual book, through a subscription, or a microtransaction.

 

[TerraDave]

Of course somehow I missed half the thread. If you get the new PHB, or relevant subscription, I think they will errata some older purchases of products declared evergreen.