D&D (2024) WotC Fireside Chat: Revised 2024 Player’s Handbook

In this video about the upcoming revised Player’s Handnook, WotC’s Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins reveal a few new tidbits.

• The books are near final and almost ready to go to print
• Psionic subclasses such as the Soulknife and Psi Warrior will appear in the core books
• Named spells have art depicting their creators.
• There are new species in the PHB.

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[Faolyn]

Again, vague terms allow us to talk past each other.

A normal man, born of normal parents, cannot cleave a mountain in twain, no matter how hard he trains or how many orcs he kills. He needs something to separate him from the normal folk, the common farmers and NPCs. You can call that whatever you want,

It can be called "having reached a really high level." I don't think anyone is expecting that a low-level fighter can cleave mountains. But at "Epic Level" levels? Why not?

Sure, 5e doesn't have Epic Levels... yet. But they may some day.

I want them (or someone, hint hint Level Up team) to bring back Immortal Levels from BECMI.

 

[Reynard]

You're avoiding the point. Gandalf was possibly the most powerful wizard in Middle Earth and who was seen to cast at most third level spells,

EDIT: I was over the line and am stepping back.

 

[Morrus]

Anyone that peddles this "Gandalf is only 5th level" stuff is actively lying to make a point.

Calm down, please. Let's swap "actively lying" for "disagreeing with me", eh?

 

[tetrasodium]

A mortal human born of mortal parents cannot cleave a mountain in two because that sort of deed in myth is performed by children of gods (demigods) and those who become them. Members of the trautha de(sp?)∆ Various pantheons and celestial beings like sun wukong who do those sorts of things are NOT mortals at that point even if they started as mortals

∆a Celtic kinda sorta pantheon I think

 

[Yaarel]

Magic pervades the D&D setting, like atoms and photons pervade reallife.

In this context, the terms "mundane" and "supernatural" become meaningless.

More meaningful terms are "ordinary" versus "extraordinary".

The rule of thumb is, if something is ordinary in reallife, then it is also ordinary in the D&D setting.

If something is extraordinary in reallife, highly unusual, remarkable powerful, or impossible, then it is also extraordinary in the D&D setting.

With this rule of thumb in mind, within the D&D setting, it is also possible to talk about "ordinary magic" versus "extraordinary magic". Magical phenomena that are impossible yet comparable to things that happen in reallife count as ordinary. Eberron gives a sense of what this looks like. Settings that magically mimic reallife, like an animated book that moreorless resembles a tv screen, or a weapon that resembles a fiery explosion, are within the realm of ordinary.

How much magic and the genres of magic vary from region to region, but all of it is within the scale of ordinary magic.

The Common levels 1 thru 4 and Uncommon levels 5 thru 8 represent the ordinary experiences within the D&D setting.

Any higher tier − Rare levels 9 thru 12, Very Rare levels 13 thru 16, and Unique beings of levels 17 thru 20 − are Rare and rarer. Most people in the D&D setting never encounter this magnitude of magic during their lifetimes.

 

[Yaarel]

Thinking in tiers:

• Levels 1 thru 4: Apprentices (adult college students about age 20 and up)
• Levels 5 thru 8: Professionals

• Levels 9 thru 12: Masters (reallife olympic world record holders and most versions of Batman)
• Levels 13 thru 16: Grandmasters (standard superheroes, such as Fantastic Four)

• Levels 17 thru 20: Legends (the most powerful superheroes, such as Storm and Superman)
• Levels 21 thru 24: Epics


Game of Thrones mostly has main characters who are Apprentices with a few remarkable Professionals. This is medievalesque with a hint of magic.

The Tolkien movies mostly have the main characters be Professionals with a few remarkable Masters. For example, Legolas reads as Batman to me. I see Gandalf himself as Legend tier, level 20, but he is a special case and is "holding back" for ethical reasons relating to free will.

Likewise, the D&D movie, Honor among Thieves, has the main characters officially be the Professional tier, levels 5 thru 8 (namely +3 Proficiency), and this feels about right. But we also see glimpses of superhero characters, such as the Red Wizard herself who is Grandmaster Levels 13 thru 16 (+5 Proficiency) and even Elminster who I assume is Epic at this point.

The default D&D setting officially includes the superhero genre, but its characters tend to be rare.

 

[Older Beholder]

All this talk of Gandalf has reminded me of something that was sent to me recently by a friend...

 

[Faolyn]

If that's just how D&D works, why did 3e and 3.5e and PF all define extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like? Shouldn't those have all been the same thing, since it's just part of the world? What about all the power sources in 4e? Why were they differentiated?

3e did it to clarify 2e. Because let's face it, AD&D had very little consistency about much of anything. An ability could be magical in one monster entry and nonmagical in the next. Two spells could technically similar but have very different effects. WotC wanted 3e to be much more organized and clear about what did what.

3x and PF copied 3e.

 

[Remathilis]

It can be called "having reached a really high level." I don't think anyone is expecting that a low-level fighter can cleave mountains. But at "Epic Level" levels? Why not?

Sure, 5e doesn't have Epic Levels... yet. But they may some day.

I want them (or someone, hint hint Level Up team) to bring back Immortal Levels from BECMI.

So we're talking 21st level/past the PHB level play then.

Thats... fine? IDK. I've never used real high-level rules despite getting a character who was close to 20th twice. And since we're now talking theoretical expansion beyond the levels the game currently has, I will not bother further with that. I was worried mountain splitting came prior to 20.

 

[Yaarel]

It can be called "having reached a really high level." I don't think anyone is expecting that a low-level fighter can cleave mountains. But at "Epic Level" levels? Why not?

Sure, 5e doesn't have Epic Levels... yet. But they may some day.

I want them (or someone, hint hint Level Up team) to bring back Immortal Levels from BECMI.

If in the estimation of a DM, it is ok to use the Wish spell to cleave a mountain, then it is probably ok to let a Fighter cleave a mountain at the Legend tier, levels 17 thru 20.

In any case, Epic levels 21 up exist in the 5e 2014 DMs Guide. Instead of a class level, each Epic level gains a feat.

A crazy Strength test such including cleave mountain is probably ok as a new Epic feat with say 21 or higher Strength score.