D&D (2024) The 2024 Core D&D Rulebooks Are Coming In May

21st May 2024 is the official release date!

Update--WotC has taken down the promo image and replaced it with one without a release date. See more here.

 

[Parmandur]

I was stuck at work so I didn't have time to post, but I want to say - I don't believe this thread's title.

In fact, I don't think ANY of the core books will be out May 21, 2024. VECNA, sure. PHB maybe (but I doubt it). DMG and MM, definitely not!

We'll see, but I expect to be proven right in this case.

PHB seems plausible: they have 45 of 48 Class choices locked down and in final testing now, the last UA really looks to he the last one for the PHB specifically. As they showed here, it looks like they are pretty far along in final layout, and even the options that are in Flux rules-wise might be almost ready to go page-design wise.

Based on that, late May for the PHB seems pretty doable.

 

[TerraDave]

They have removed the slides and tweets announcing the dates.

Maybe PHB and Vecna. Agree that the DMG and MM seem much less likely in May.

(If Vecna comes out early, would be interesting if they post a PDF or something through D&D beyond with updated monster stats)…

 

[TerraDave]

….speaking of which, really looking forward to a corrected MM with many of the numbers moving up.

 

[Charlaquin]

View attachment 335835
Champion fighter subclass page was shared... it's objectively better/more powerful than 2014 PHB version getting fighting style earlier & ability to give itself advantage & finally bounces back better with death saves. Writing it down...

"A Champion focuses on the development of martial prowess in a relentless pursuit of victory. Champions combine rigorous training with physical excellence to deal devastating blows, withstand peril, and garner glory. Whether in athletic contests or bloody battle, Champions strive for the crown of the victor.

Level 3: Improved Critical​

Your attack rolls with weapons and Unarmed Strikes can score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

Level 3: Remarkable Athlete​

Thanks to your athleticism, you have Advantage on Initiative rolls and Strength (Athletics) checks.
In addition, when you make a running long jump, the distance you can cover increases by a number of feet equal to your Strength modifier.

Level 7: Additional Fighting Style​

You gain another Fighting Style feat of your choice.

Level 10: Heroic Warrior​

The thrill of battle drives you toward victory. During combat, you can give yourself Heroic Advantage whenever you start your turn without it.

Level 15: Superior Critical​

Your attack rolls with weapons and Unarmed Strikes can now score a critical hit on a roll of 18-20.

Level 18: Survivor​

You attain the pinnacle of resilience in battle, gaining these benefits:

Defy Death: You have Advantage on death saving throws. Moreover, when you roll 18-20 on a death save, you gain the benefit of rolling a 20 on a death save.

Heroic Rally: At the start of each of your turns, you regain Hit Points equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier if you have no more than half of your hit points remaining. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 Hit Points."

Yep, that sure is exactly what the Champion got in playtest 7.

 

[Charlaquin]

I was stuck at work so I didn't have time to post, but I want to say - I don't believe this thread's title.

In fact, I don't think ANY of the core books will be out May 21, 2024. VECNA, sure. PHB maybe (but I doubt it). DMG and MM, definitely not!

We'll see, but I expect to be proven right in this case.

So, you think WotC is just… lying? For what purpose?

 

[Echohawk]

So, you think WotC is just… lying? For what purpose?

I don't think that was the accusation. Given that the only source of a release date (that I'm aware of) was a post subsequently withdrawn by WotC perhaps an alternative interpretation to "WotC is lying" is "The evidence suggests that the May date was erroneously published, and it seems more likely that plans are now for the core books to be released later in the year."

Personally, I think the fact that they keep making the point that the birthday year rolls over into 2025[1] might be to prepare fans for staggered release dates for the core books that spill over into early 2025.

[1] While true, the original boxed set was (reportedly) printed in late January 1974 so the birthday year doesn't extend very far into 2025!

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I'm just speculating but it's possible that the core books have been in the works for some time before they were announced, and the playtests began in regard to organization, layout and artwork. I could be wrong and only time will tell.

I think you are right about that. I just think that the idea that the PHB and the Vecna book will be out on the same day is... unlikely. It's not impossible, but I think it's far MORE likely that the image posted in the OP (tweet, was it? Or a slide from the presentation?) contains an error on the date.

My evidence is only that they have previously said that it's impossible to put the books out all at once due to overwhelming their printers. I see no reason for that to change.

And marketing-wise, I think it would be a mistake to put the PHB on the same day as Vecna. Vecna I trust to be the 21st of May, though!

 

[FitzTheRuke]

So, you think WotC is just… lying? For what purpose?

No! Not lying! They had several "typos" in their slides at PAX. I think this is just a simple cut-and-paste error.

Has anyone seen this date actually spoken of by anyone at WotC, or is it just in this single image?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Based on that, late May for the PHB seems pretty doable.

I don't doubt that it's doable, I just don't think that it's correct. We shall see.

 

[R_J_K75]

I think you are right about that. I just think that the idea that the PHB and the Vecna book will be out on the same day is... unlikely. It's not impossible, but I think it's far MORE likely that the image posted in the OP (tweet, was it? Or a slide from the presentation?) contains an error on the date.

My evidence is only that they have previously said that it's impossible to put the books out all at once due to overwhelming their printers. I see no reason for that to change.

And marketing-wise, I think it would be a mistake to put the PHB on the same day as Vecna. Vecna I trust to be the 21st of May, though!

I think deleting the post/tweet/pic whatever and not clarifying things (unless I missed it) is doing more harm than good. They should just come out and say if Vecna and the Infinite Staircase books are meant to be a bridge between the 2014 and 2024 editions or if they are going to be 2024 books and these are the dates we hope to have these out, though this could change due to circumstances beyond our control. Same with the 3 cores, we're hoping to release them in this order and with these projected time frames, again this may change. All the hints and previews that leave more questions than answers has become tiresome and off-putting to me. I'd be hard pressed to believe that they don't at least have an idea at this point, and if not then just come out and say that.