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.

 

[JEB]

More information on "Legacy Content", BTW: Legacy Content (Thanks, @Leatherhead!)

 

[doctorbadwolf]

right now today I can not take a PHB+ tasha rogue to a table running just PHB without it messing up the math (I can aim for advantage).

if (as I susspect) the 2024 PHB has the PHB+Tasha rogue in it... that already breaks, just that 1 feature. AIM.

That is simply not true. Getting advantage a little more at the cost of not moving and using a bonus action will not do anything significant to the game’s math.

now as I look at races it looks to me like no race gets +2 to 2 stats. The Mt Dwarf in the 2014 PHB does. if (as I susspect) the 2024 PHB has what we have seen in new books and UA that all races get +2 to any 1 stat and +1 to another, the Mt Dwarf breaks the math.

It does no such thing. Mountain Dwarf works fine in a post-Tasha’s game. It’s +1 to a stat. It’s not actually a big deal.

However if I walk up to a table in 2025 with my level 3 Mt Dwarf rogue 2/fighter 1 from the 2014 PHB i would be VERY suprised to not be told to update.

None of these examples are remotely incompatible. There would be no reason to ask you to “update”.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Interesting example, considering that the MOTM Deep Gnome largely integrates Svirfneblin Magic into the base race; the only benefit to a MOTM Deep Gnome would be the once-per-day Blindness/Deafness and Blur. So you could certainly make this choice, but it wouldn't be a very good one, and it's also clearly not one you're expected to be making under MOTM design guidelines.

Wholly irrelevant. You get a free casting if the spells, so the feat is not actually losing any power, and even if it did, making a feat a little less optimized doesn’t represent an incompatibility.

That's a good example.

Thanks!

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Interesting example, considering that the MOTM Deep Gnome largely integrates Svirfneblin Magic into the base race; the only benefit to a MOTM Deep Gnome would be the once-per-day Blindness/Deafness and Blur. So you could certainly make this choice, but it wouldn't be a very good one, and it's also clearly not one you're expected to be making under MOTM design guidelines.

Correct, it's also a good example that being optimal, and being compatible have nothing to do with each other.

 

[Parmandur]

Getting advantage a little more at the cost of not moving and using a bonus action will not do anything significant to the game’s math.

It's honestly just making the core design assumpof the Class more clear. Any table running Rogues as intended won't see any difference in the aggregate.

 

[JEB]

Wholly irrelevant. You get a free casting if the spells, so the feat is not actually losing any power, and even if it did, making a feat a little less optimized doesn’t represent an incompatibility.

You get unlimited casting of Nondetection, which is superior to the MOTM deep gnome, but the once-per-day casting of Disguise Self is completely wasted. Better to choose a feat that doesn't overlap with existing racial traits.

In any case, I didn't say it was an incompatibility, I said it was a suboptimal choice. And also one the designers clearly don't intend you to take anymore, since otherwise they wouldn't have merged half those features into the base race.

(As a sidenote, I'd be surprised if racial feats survive into 2024 edition, considering the above change.)

 

[Maxperson]

You don't seem to get it. The new core is being made with compatibly in mind.

So the company that told us that 3.5 would be backwards compatible with 3e has told us that 5.5 will be backwards compatible with 5e? Yeah. Fool me once...

 

[CleverNickName]

now as I look at races it looks to me like no race gets +2 to 2 stats. The Mt Dwarf in the 2014 PHB does. if (as I susspect) the 2024 PHB has what we have seen in new books and UA that all races get +2 to any 1 stat and +1 to another, the Mt Dwarf breaks the math.

if there are MORE changed (I susspect to background and spells and class at least) it may be worse. However if I walk up to a table in 2025 with my level 3 Mt Dwarf rogue 2/fighter 1 from the 2014 PHB i would be VERY suprised to not be told to update.

This is Dungeons & Dragons, not a M:tG tournament. Unless your playstyle and group dynamic is very different from mine, your DM is also a friend of yours...not a random tourney judge that was assigned to your game table, and they won't be going through a pregame checklist. You aren't going to "be told" that your character isn't table legal, or that you're breaking any rules.

In 2024, if you're still playing that same Mountain Dwarf, you are probably still playing with that same DM as well. You can just have a conversation with your pal about that "math breaking" plus one to Strength from 2+ years ago.

 

[Parmandur]

So the company that told us that 3.5 would be backwards compatible with 3e has told us that 5.5 will be backwards compatible with 5e? Yeah. Fool me once...

Well, I learned the game in a everything goes 3E/3.5 Mashup environment. They were more compatible than people often allow.

But this time, they are showing their work. We have the new Race rules, and the new Monster rules. They are compatible.

 

[Parmandur]

This is Dungeons & Dragons, not a M:tG tournament. Unless your playstyle and group dynamic is very different from mine, your DM is also a friend of yours...not a random tourney judge that was assigned to your game table, and they won't be going through a pregame checklist. You aren't going to "be told" that your character isn't table legal, or that you're breaking any rules.

In 2024, if you're still playing that same Mountain Dwarf, you are probably still playing with that same DM as well. You can just have a conversation with your pal about that "math breaking" plus one to Strength from 2+ years ago.

I mean, I guess some people play that way? Still doesn't mean the rules aren't compatible if some tandomis trying to apply a false division because....Reasons.