D&D (2024) D&D 2024 Player's Handbook Reviews

On Thursday August 1st, the review embargo is lifted for those who were sent an early copy of the new Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook. In this post I intend to compile a handy list of those reviews as they arrive. If you know of a review, please let me know in the comments so that I can add it! I'll be updating this list as new reviews arrive, so do check back later to see what's been added!

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Review List

• The official EN World review -- "Make no mistake, this is a new edition."
• ComicBook.com -- "Dungeons & Dragons has improved upon its current ruleset, but the ruleset still feels very familiar to 5E veterans."
• Comic Book Resources -- "From magic upgrades to easier character building, D&D's 2024 Player's Handbook is the upgrade players and DMs didn't know they needed."
• Wargamer.com -- "The 2024 Player’s Handbook is bigger and more beginner-friendly than ever before. It still feels and plays like D&D fifth edition, but numerous quality-of-life tweaks have made the game more approachable and its player options more powerful. Its execution disappoints in a handful of places, and it’s too early to tell how the new rules will impact encounter balance, but this is an optimistic start to the new Dungeons and Dragons era."
• RPGBOT -- "A lot has changed in the 2024 DnD 5e rules. In this horrendously long article, we’ve dug into everything that has changed in excruciating detail. There’s a lot here."

Video Reviews
Note, a couple of these videos have been redacted or taken down following copyright claims by WotC.

• 2024 PHB Rules Changes D&D 5.24 (Treantmonk's Temple)
• Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook 2024 Preview & Review | Key Takeaways and Comparisons with 2014 (Awesome Black)
• 10 Unexpected Changes in the D&D 5E 2024 Player's Handbook (This Effin' GM Games)
• Every Class and Subclass Change for 2024 (d4: Deep Dive)
• D&D Player's Handbook 2024 Winners & Losers! (The Character Sheet on ComicBook.com)
• 2024 Player's Handbook First Look Review (Dungeon Dudes)
• The 2024 Player's Handbook: Full Spoilers Review (DnD Shorts)
• Full Early Review! D&D 2024 Player's Handbook (JoeFudge)
• First Look at the 2024 Player's Handbook for Dungeons & Dragons (GameMasters)
• 2024 PHB Flip through (Jorphdan) [taken down]
• D&D New Player's Handbook, DM's Guide, Monster Manual, and Project Sigil Info (maturemindedgamers)
• 2024 Player's Handbook: Questions Answered! (Alphastream)
• D&D 2024 Player's Handbook Walkthrough (Sly Flourish) [redacted]

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Release timeline (i.e. when you can get it!)

• August 1st: Reviewers. Some reviewers have copies already, with their embargo lifting August 1st.
• August 1st-4th: Gen Con. There will be 3,000 copies for sale at Gen Con.
• September 3rd: US/Canada Hobby Stores. US/Canada hobby stores get it September 3rd.
• September 3rd: DDB 'Master' Pre-orders. Also on this date, D&D Beyond 'Master Subscribers' get the digital version.
• September 10th: DDB 'Hero' Pre-orders. On this date, D&D Beyond 'Hero Subscribers' get the digital version.
• September 17th: General Release. For the rest of us, the street date is September 17th.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I agree in general, but in 5e there's a ton of abilities and effects that let people re-roll or add to their rolls.

So the simplification ethos doesn't apply to PC super powers? Interesting. I guess protection from having to experience failure won out there.

 

[Kurotowa]

So, if the rogue fails (or rolls low) they can just repeat the roll until they get what they like and then they enter the castle.

Well... not really. Failing a roll means you attempted the action and either performed poorly or circumstances conspired against you. Like, if you try to bake a cake and fail, you still used all the ingredients in the attempt. You don't get to retroactively call the whole thing off before you began.

If you try to sneak into the castle and roll low, then you tried to sneak into the castle but the guards spotted you or you bumped into a couple of servants having an illicit tryst or you tripped over a guard dog. You don't get to call a mulligan until the dice are hot.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Basically it let you play the classic "rapier and dagger" combat style. That is no longer an option supported by 5e, as best I can tell. And that's a shame.

Okay, so... I may have something? I did not manage to read the first half of the PHB's Light property (because it was split over two pages, I just saw the latter half of it)... but...

Basically, Dual-Wielder now has nothing to do with the Light property: 'when you take the Attack action on your turn and attack with a weapon that has the Light property, you can make one extra attack as a bonus action later on the same turn with a different weapon, which must be a melee weapon that lacks the Two-Handed property. You don't add your ability modifier to the extra attack'.

Which means it also shouldn't be tied to its limitation of one extra attack, because this is just a bonus action feature granted by a feat, completely different. So...

You attack with a Light weapon. This fulfills the condition for both Dual-Wielder and the Light property.
You attack with a different Light Nick weapon for free, business as usual this far.
Then you attack with a battleaxe or whatever as your bonus action. This cannot benefit from TWF style at all.

So in theory you may be able to get one extra attack over 2014. You just need to switch to a different dagger in the middle.

 

[Nikosandros]

Well... not really. Failing a roll means you attempted the action and either performed poorly or circumstances conspired against you. Like, if you try to bake a cake and fail, you still used all the ingredients in the attempt. You don't get to retroactively call the whole thing off before you began.

If you try to sneak into the castle and roll low, then you tried to sneak into the castle but the guards spotted you or you bumped into a couple of servants having an illicit tryst or you tripped over a guard dog. You don't get to call a mulligan until the dice are hot.

In as system like D&D where you roll for specific tasks, I don't know what would prevent the player from changing their mind then about entering the castle. Unless you make them roll only when there is a first chance to be detected, which would make sense to me.

 

[Kurotowa]

So in theory you may be able to get one extra attack over 2014. You just need to switch to a different dagger in the middle. And you won't be primarly using your rapier until you have the Extra Attack.

I am both narratively and mechanically repulsed by any combat style that involves hot swapping weapons every turn.

 

[Mannahnin]

I am both narratively and mechanically repulsed by any combat style involves hot swapping weapons every turn.

Same.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I am both narratively and mechanically repulsed by any combat style involves hot swapping weapons every turn.

I know! It's absolutely horrendous.

If they didn't change Light property from the playtest, you can also be doing this weapon-juggling while using a shield. As dual-wielding is optional for triple-wielding.

 

[Seramus]

Yeah, definitely looks like you can Rapier + Dagger still, it's just worded so you have to Dagger once before you poke them with the Rapier.

So Rapier > Dagger > (B) Rapier.

 

[Kurotowa]

Yeah, definitely looks like you can Rapier + Dagger still, it's just worded so you have to Dagger once before you poke them with the Rapier.

So Rapier > Dagger > (B) Rapier.

Technically yes, but that's so inefficient it's criminal to suggest. You're using a Light off-hand weapon with Nick, but you're not getting the bonus attack from the Light property. You're trading a Rapier attack for a weaker Dagger attack, just so you can turn around and get a half-strength Rapier attack that doesn't add your ability modifier to damage.

There is no world where that's better than just using a rapier and the Dueling Fighting Style. Heck, with the freed up hand and feat, grab a shield and take Defensive Duelist. At least then you're a proper swashbuckler with a buckler to swash.

 

[Parmandur]

You are entitled to your opinion. If I'm reading the PHB to understand how something works and I need to refer to the glossary that's a deal breaker for me. I expect the rules to be in the text of the book. I agree it's good for referencing quickly at the table but from a standpoint of reading to learn and digest the game, make a character etc, its not IMO.

See my above reply

This doesn't make any sense to me, because the Glossary is the explanation in rhe text of how the rules work...?

Literally everyone who I've seen who has the book has praised this so far.