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]

Well, apparently the new Adventure leans really heavily into multiple Drsgons, and implements feedback from years of Starter Set purchasers. I don't think Lost Mines will be forgotten or inaccessible, though, not with stuff like the DMsGuild and Beyond at hand.

I wonder if the August Set will have new Class rules?

Agreed, Phandelver is an obvious choice for release on DM Guild. Maybe even for free.

I'd be very surprised if the new Starter Set did not have the 2024 class rules, at least up to a limited number of levels. Otherwise they'd just have to adjust the rules on their new Starter Set in a mere two years.

 

[Parmandur]

Agreed, Phandelver is an obvious choice for release on DM Guild. Maybe even for free.

I'd be very surprised if the new Starter Set did not have the 2024 class rules, at least up to a limited number of levels. Otherwise they'd just have to adjust the rules on their new Starter Set in a mere two years.

Well, the biggest open questions for the revision is, will there be Class change, and if so, how significant?

 

[JEB]

Well, the biggest open questions for the revision is, will there be Class change, and if so, how significant?

My limited guess at this point: Tasha's alternate features becoming default, all 1/short mechanics becoming PB/long, and feat levels displacing ASI levels (with ASI itself becoming a feat). But we may be surprised, they may get more ambitious; there are a lot of further changes you can make and still maintain technical compatibility. Just like 3.5 or 2E.

 

[Parmandur]

My limited guess at this point: Tasha's alternate features becoming default, all 1/short mechanics becoming PB/long, and feat levels displacing ASI levels (with ASI itself becoming a feat). But we may be surprised, they may get more ambitious; there are a lot of further changes you can make and still maintain technical compatibility. Just like 3.5 or 2E.

Yeah, I doubt ASI is going anywhere: the new Geats are additive, not replacing anything. They could, strictly speaking, replace all the Core Classes and Subclasses from the ground up and maintain compatibility, as long as the core rules framework stays the same. But welled how far they go here.

 

[JEB]

Yeah, I doubt ASI is going anywhere: the new Geats are additive, not replacing anything.

I don't doubt that ASI will remain the "easy" feat choice at the current ASI levels (rather like how Champion is the "easy" Fighter). But if they intend feats to be something everyone can take at first level in 2024, I don't see why they wouldn't encourage folks to take them at higher levels as well. In other words, a simple swap to "feat or ASI" instead of "ASI, or optionally a feat".

Again, though, this is just my guess. The new Starter Set should be telling, in any case, since it's presumably a generic setting instead of a specific one like Strixhaven or Dragonlance.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Acquisitions Inc is both a surprise, and not a surprise (I don't think it's one of their most popular books, plus there are probably licensing matters to consider).

Since WotC owns neither the Acquisition Inc nor Critical Role settings, I would expect books for both to disappear sooner, rather than later, now that WotC owns DDB. Maybe even as soon as they sell through whatever physical stock they have left and the books officially go Out of Print.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Not necessarily.

Maybe not, but I don't see any reason to think it doesn't apply in this case.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Since WotC owns neither the Acquisition Inc nor Critical Role settings, I would expect books for both to disappear sooner, rather than later, now that WotC owns DDB. Maybe even as soon as they sell through whatever physical stock they have left and the books officially go Out of Print.

I doubt the Critical Role books are going anywhere. One is a setting book they produced, and the other is an adventure. (A new one that just came out this year at that.)

 

[Parmandur]

Maybe not, but I don't see any reason to think it doesn't apply in this case.

Even if it does, dozens of complaints multiplied is not necessarily something that WotC is worrying about: they're the ones with actual data, and acting on it.

 

[JEB]

Even if it does, dozens of complaints multiplied is not necessarily something that WotC is worrying about: they're the ones with actual data, and acting on it.

Complaints are data, since they tell you that customers are dissatisfied with a decision you have made. You just have to weigh them against other data, and determine whether or not they merit action.