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.

​

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.

 

[Remathilis]

No one role prayed the Blade as a patron anyway.

I did, but that's because I based my hexblade after Sigfierd/Nightmare from Soul Calibur...

 

[Zaukrie]

I assume we wait until we have the final books (or at least have a very strong idea of the actual rules in the final books) to determine how much work is needed to make 2014 options work with 2024. My guess is that it will vary subclass to subclass. For example, I don't imagine it will be hard to retro-fit the remaining four wizard subclasses back by using the four we get as template, but retrofitting cleric domains will take more effort as domains having extra proficiencies and divine strike/potent cantrip were moved to the base class. Now, none of that is going to be exceptionally hard for any DM who is used to homebrewing or using 3pp material, but its a bit much to ask of a DM who is not adept under the hood. I suspect most of the people here will be able to make use of any '14 era option with a bit of elbow grease, so if your half-elf transmuter wants some 2024 love, it should be possible to convert them, but it won't be with the same love the revised options have.

And as stated, the DM's Guild will have 300 products day 1 converting everything missing to 2024, at least until WotC releases the next 24' compatible Everything Guide.

I mean, I'm working on backgrounds and species right now....so, ya, DMGUILD will be FLUSH with stuff.

 

[Gradine]

Unless the warlock comes with eldritch blast and agonizing blast as default, there's more room for error with the Warlock, which presents them as equal with fire bolt and casting Bane once per long rest. Pick a crappy invocation, you're stuck with it until you level, compared to a spell that is fixed after a nap.

I'm no sure what character creation has, at all, to do with "complexity", outside the number of choices to make, of which the starting Wizard still has plenty more than the Warlock, and certainly some of which will be more generally effective than others.

I'm not really understanding how "complexity" is meaning anything other than "complexity in play", of which wizard is objectively more complex than the warlock. It doesn't really have anything to do with any sort of "player skill" nonsense or the supposed prevalence of <gags> "trap" options.

 

[Yaarel]

It's 3

I say +2½ because, if I could choose between +2 or Advantage, I would definitely choose Advantage. But if I could choose between a +3 and Advantage, I would definitely choose +3.

In the context of Inspiration, which is an infrequent, player-directed alteration of the story, +3 is fair to add to a Spell DC.

 

[Stormonu]

I don't know whether to be sad or glad about the Swashbuckler rogue. I like having a swashbuckler, but I think it should either be part of a Fighter variant class or subclass of an entirely new class

Does seem like it should be under fighter, but when combining sneak attack (precise strike) + 3 or more attacks, that'll take some careful balancing. Or going another route.

 

[Mistwell]

I say +2½ because, if I could choose between +2 or Advantage, I would definitely choose Advantage. But if I could choose between a +3 and Advantage, I would definitely choose +3.

In the context of Inspiration, which is an infrequent, player-directed alteration of the story, +3 is fair to add to a Spell DC.

I mean, he's showing the math. Advantage is about +3, not about +2.5.

 

[Minigiant]

I did, but that's because I based my hexblade after Sigfierd/Nightmare from Soul Calibur...

That's what everyone does. So many Soul Edge clones. But RP of the sword patron usually only lasts 5 minutes.

 

[TiQuinn]

What’s ironic to me is that the only actual inaccuracy is their statement that the new book really shouldn’t be used with the older material.

That’s purely a statement about possible concerns with balance; there’s no actual rules incompatibility that would prevent a player from playing a 2024 species and background with a 2014 class and a Tasha’s subclass.

The only thing that requires a “house rule” is saying that you can get a stat boost from a background or a race, but not both. And if they have a sidebar discussing already released species, it probably wouldn’t even be a house rule.

Backwards compatibility has always been a fig leaf to keep people from showing up to release day and conventions with torches and pitchforks. Once the books are in hand, the vast majority of players will use the new rules.

 

[OB1]

5e switching from 4e attacks to saves instead, was a design decision. Math is the comparable either way.

The switch to saves sometimes has consequences that suck.

Including this 2024 Inspiration.

Inspiration must be more fair for caster players.

Being able to reroll 8d6 for a fireball when your first roll totaled 20 is pretty powerful. Could easily result in another 20-30 total damage being done.

 

[Zaukrie]

Being able to reroll 8d6 for a fireball when your first roll totaled 20 is pretty powerful. Could easily result in another 20-30 total damage being done.

Not sure you get to re-roll all 8 dice......but I could be wrong.