D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal #1: "Everything You Need To Know!"

Each day this week, Wizards of the Coast will be releasing a new live-streamed preview video based on the upcoming Player's Handbook. The first is entitled Everything You Need To Know and you can watch it live below (or, if you missed it, you should be able to watch it from the start afterwards). The video focuses on weapon mastery and character origins.

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There will be new videos on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week, focusing on the Fighter, the Paladin, and the Barbarian, with (presumably) more in the coming weeks.

 

[Chaosmancer]

SO
MUCH
AWESOME
ART!!!

 

[EzekielRaiden]

It never was a PHB2, it always was a replacement for the 2014 PHB

I have no further interest in discussing this beyond saying that that wasn't the boosters' party line during the play test period. It was framed and discussed as purely an alternate slate, and both official and unofficial sources spoke of smoothly mixing and matching the parts. Now it's "you can bring stuff forward if you really want to, but this is the game now, the old stuff is deprecated."

Of course, that is what I always knew it would be. But it's nice that folks are finally agreeing that 5.5e does, in fact, replace 5e in exactly the way 3.5e replaced 3e. Something numerous people on this very board repeatedly insisted was not true.

 

[mamba]

You know, aside from WotC now flat out stating this book replaces the old book

it always did

and is minimally compatible.

where did they say that? They said you use a 2014 char or a 2024 char and both can be in the same game, sounds like what we knew / expected all along

 

[KYRON45]

In my experience, player culture in 5E is such that there are only benefits, never consequences or penalties. Once something is gained, it can never be lost or taken away. If it's a negative that's not in the book or on the sheet or in the PC's background, it doesn't exist. If it's a positive, regardless of whether it's written down anywhere, it should be assumed to exist.

So unless the player writes conditions into their patron pact, there are none. If the referee imposes any, they are breaking the social contract. If the referee tries to impose conditions up front, say in session 0, the referee is trying to home brew the game and the vast majority of players will either opt out of the home-brew warlock or simply not play rather than have any kind of restrictions place on their play.

I believe the common phrase is tyranny of fun. In short: anything that's not fun should be removed. Not sure what's left would be fun though.

We play with different people. I've never played with people that didnt want as much customization or "homebrew" as possible for their character. Back in my day before i was yelling at kids to get off my lawn and shaking my fist at the clouds; players and the DM worked together to make their PC as special (i.e. awesome) as possible.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Does anyone know if the Warlock still gets 3 attacks per Attack action at 11th level with Thirsting Blade? This was a question my actual 5e DM had, whether that would fly in 5.5e, so if anyone's caught wind of it...

That would require the Hex Blade making the cut for the core PHB, which does not appear to be the case.

List here:

 

[EzekielRaiden]

That would require the Hex Blade making the cut for the core PHB, which does not appear to be the case.

List here:

The play test deleted the Hexblade patron and put its key feature (use Cha for melee attacks) into the Blade Pact itself.

 

[overgeeked]

That would require the Hex Blade making the cut for the core PHB, which does not appear to be the case.

List here:

There’s also paid previews across D&D-tube. Weapon mastery, great old one warlock, and assassin rogue were three videos I spotted. Pack Tactics. Treantmonk. And a few others.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Sounds like they walked back the freeform Background rules a bit. They're talking about them a lot more as if they were fixed packages, although ones with some choices involved. Not sure how I feel about that, or if freeform is still an official option.

Yeah, this worries me as well. I'm hoping that the free-form is still there in the front, and they just focused on the part that is easier to talk about and show art for.

 

[overgeeked]

We play with different people. I've never played with people that didnt want as much customization or "homebrew" as possible for their character. Back in my day before i was yelling at kids to get off my lawn and shaking my fist at the clouds; players and the DM worked together to make their PC as special (i.e. awesome) as possible.

Yes, as long as the home brew is positives without conditions or consequences or downside. That was my point.

 

[Sir Brennen]

The play test deleted the Hexblade patron and put its key feature (use Cha for melee attacks) into the Blade Pact itself.

Do we know if the Blade Pact is in the PHB?