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.

 

[Older Beholder]

I really wish they would just admit that modern official D&D (at least 4e on) is just super heroes in fantasy drag. Kewl powers and four-color plots are the order of the day, unless your table works very hard to do otherwise.

What does 'four-color plots' mean?
I've never heard that figure of speech.

 

[dave2008]

I really wish they would just admit that modern official D&D (at least 4e on) is just super heroes in fantasy drag. Kewl powers and four-color plots are the order of the day, unless your table works very hard to do otherwise.

The only issue I have with this statement is that I don't think it is hard at all to play a bare-bones, low magic, low/no "kewl powers" version of D&D 5e. I personally find it the easiest edition of D&D to do that in actually.

 

[Remathilis]

What does 'four-color plots' mean?
I've never heard that figure of speech.

Its a reference to classic comic book style plots (comic books used to only be printed in four colors). Basically, the characters are heroes who never fail to save the day and the bad-guys never win.

 

[dave2008]

I run 5E without the optional feats. I provided feedback during the play-test for optional feats in 5E Revised (5ER) but could see that’s not where the revision was going. It looks like the feats at baked-in throughout 5ER. The rest of the changes are great so I’m hopeful I’ll be able to find some way to get rid of the feats in 5ER. What are your thoughts of feats in 5ER from these previews?

You can't really get rid of feats, but you could get rid of those things that were feats in 2014:

• 1st level feats: You can just remove them completely. No other change needed.
• Epic Feats: You can just remove them completely. No other change needed.
• Standard Feats (4th level +): You can just remove them completely except:
  • ASI feat. This remains unless you are getting rid of ASI's too.
  • Fighting Style Feats. The martial fighting styles have been moved to Feats. So you would need to keep these Feats or make some changes.

Basically, ban all feats except ASI and Fighting style Feats and you are good to go. No other changes needed really.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I feel like WotC seriously underestimated everything I needed to know about the 2024 PHB.

 

[dave2008]

My point is that if a player just wants kewl powers from their pact with no downsides at all, the game as written supports that mechanically where it does not not support any other way of looking at the relationship. I see this, personally, as a problem stemming from designing for simplicity and a player base that refuses to accept penalties or negatives in their power fantasy.

You can look at the Theros Piety rules that give kewl powers that, RAW, can be removed if you displease your god. Easy enough to adapt to any class really.

For example:

Earning and Losing Piety​

You increase your piety score to Athreos when you honor him or the cycle of life and death through acts such as these:

• Providing coins and overseeing burial rites for those slain during a tragedy
• Ensuring that the deeds and knowledge of someone who has died are preserved
• Slaying a Returned and its associated eidolon

Your piety score to Athreos decreases if you diminish the River Guide’s influence in the world, impede his work, or disrespect the dead through acts such as these:

• Denying a dying person their final rites
• Removing wealth from a corpse or defiling a tomb
• Aiding those who seek to escape from the Underworld, or who already have

 

[Older Beholder]

Its a reference to classic comic book style plots (comic books used to only be printed in four colors). Basically, the characters are heroes who never fail to save the day and the bad-guys never win.

That makes sense.
Thanks for that, I googled the term without much luck.

 

[mellored]

I run 5E without the optional feats. I provided feedback during the play-test for optional feats in 5E Revised (5ER) but could see that’s not where the revision was going. It looks like the feats at baked-in throughout 5ER. The rest of the changes are great so I’m hopeful I’ll be able to find some way to get rid of the feats in 5ER. What are your thoughts of feats in 5ER from these previews?

Replace backgound feats with +1 to any stat (max 17).

Regular feats are still +2, or +1/+1 (max 20).

At 19+ increase to (max 30).

 

[Older Beholder]

I also wanted to say that the use of the term 'kewl powers' sounds really condescending. Like it's meant as a subtle put down of people that enjoy a different playstyle. Which is a pretty un-kewl thing to do.

 

[Hussar]

Heh. I go the opposite way. No character is ever under my thumb as a dm. Clerics are just cabalistic wizards. They learn their spells from other clerics in their cult. If they go ahead and completely ignore their deity? No consequences from their deity.

Now their cult might be a different story.

I do wish though that warlocks had kept closer to the 3e binder lore. Would nip all this DM oversight in the bud.