D&D 5E D&D Beyond Will Delist Two Books On May 17th

D&D Beyond will be permanently removing Volo’s Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes on May 17th in favor of the upcoming Monsters of the Multiverse book, which largely compiles and updates that material.

As per the D&D Beyond FAQ for Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse:

Can I still buy Volo’s Guide to Monsters or Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes on D&D Beyond?
Starting on May 16, you can acquire the streamlined and up-to-date creatures and character race options, as well as a plethora of exciting new content, by purchasing Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. On May 17, Volo's Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes will be discontinued from our digital marketplace.

If you already own these two books you will still have access to your purchases and any characters or encounters you built with them. They won’t be removed from your purchased sourcebooks. Therefore, if you want the "fluff" and tables in those two tomes in D&D Beyond, you need to purchase them soon.

This is the first time books have been wholesale delisted from the D&D Beyond Platform rather than updated (much like physical book reprints are with errata and changes).

There’s no word from WotC on whether physical books will be discontinued and be allowed to sell out.

 

[Parmandur]

I don't think so. Orcs are going to go the same lazy way they did with the PH races in the MM. Generic statblocks in the back of the book that they tell you can reflavor as any race.

Keep it up guys. I'm sure there's more content you can cut out if you try.

The NPC statblocks are pretty fantastic, yes.

 

[Guest 7034872]

God bless hard copies (the only copies I buy).

 

[Micah Sweet]

I am honestly somewhat fuzzy on what they changed, since I started playing after 3.5 dropped and we used stuff from both Editions without much care. Though we did spend a lot of time trying to figure out how grappling worked every time it came up.

I don't think the 2024 changes will be as dramatic as those, though, since I think we've seen most of the big ones already that do nothing to break "full compatibility." Short rests going away may be a possible decent sized change, but they also just may keep them but remove powers from being associated with them and make them hit Die only affairs. I expect an overhaul of Feats and Classes to some extent, but nothing that would prevent a 2014 monster stat block from being useable.

That's my point. 3.0 statblocks were usable in 3.5 too, but everybody (even WotC eventually) saw that as a new edition.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The NPC statblocks are pretty fantastic, yes.

They are, but they are probably going to start gutting the humanoid section of the MM and tell you to use those statblocks for them too. No matter how good they are, that is a big subtraction.

 

[Parmandur]

That's my point. 3.0 statblocks were usable in 3.5 too, but everybody (even WotC eventually) saw that as a new edition.

Yes, and? I expect a new Edition in 2024, just that it will be "fully compatible" in a normal understanding of that phrase.

 

[Parmandur]

They are, but they are probably going to start gutting the humanoid section of the MM and tell you to use those statblocks for them too. No matter how good they are, that is a big subtraction.

So they can add more of them with their own flavor, that can be modded as needed.

 

[Micah Sweet]

So they can add more of them with their own flavor, that can be modded as needed.

Why would they add anything? How does that simplfy things for their legions of newbie players?

 

[jasper]

as for Adventure League as a DM I don't do a hard check on character sheets. So if old kobold and new kobold are adventuring together I will hardly notice. But even the current season 11 changes, have really made some modules seriously out of date. Current season allows

The following books can be used to create your pc. Players Handbook, Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, Sword Coast Adventure’s Guide, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, The Wild Beyond Witchlight, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, Elemental Evil Player’s Companion, Tortles from Tortle Package and Locathah from Locathah Rising and other selected adventures. Eberron and Ravenloft Mist Hunters have separate rules.Next week I will be editing the above paragraph for my AL handout.

Lots of the tier 1 modules don't take flying into account. Those modules are now slightly easier with flying pcs. Spell jammer will be an official book and more than likely straight AL league.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

maybeee all the time when wotc personnel kept saying "evergreen edition" or words to that effect.

I mean DC told me superman was really dead in the 90's...and bruce waynes back was snapped... and the XMEN got thrown into a perm age of apocalypse...

oh and don't worry the JLA is dead now too. none of them ever came back.

Yeah I take the 'evergreen edition' with the same pound of salt that I take the 'back compatable' and every other spin'

 

[Parmandur]

Why would they add anything? How does that simplfy things for their legions of newbie players?

I mean add more NPC stat blocks.