D&D (2024) How D&D Beyond Will Handle Access To 2014 Rules

D&D Beyond has announced how the transition to the new 2024 edition will work on the platform, and how legacy access to the 2014 version of D&D will be implemented.

• You will still be able to access the 2014 Basic Rules and core rulebooks.
• You will still be able to make characters using the 2014 Player's Handbook.
• Existing home-brew content will not be impacted.
• These 2014 rules will be accessible and will be marked with a 'legacy' badge: classes, subclasses, species, backgrounds, feats, monsters.
• Tooltips will reflect the 2024 rules.
• Monster stat blocks will be updated to 2024.
• There will be terminology changes (Heroic Inspiration, Species, etc.)

D&D (2024) - Wizards of the Coast Backtracks on D&D Beyond and 2014 Content

Wizards of the Coast posted an overnight update stating that they are not going forward with previously released plans to require those wishing to use some 2014 content on D&D Beyond to use the Homebrew function to manually enter it. Instead, all the content including spells and magic items will...

www.enworld.org

 

[Mistwell]

Me.

I have no desire to change rules mid-campaign. I do not consider the sheer weight of changes errata. They are equivalent to the changes from 3e to 3.5.

I bought the new books and still want a toggle to switch between.

For the spells? It isn't the subclasses and such involved with this controversy.

 

[Mistwell]

Polymorph, Command, Conjure X.

Your idea of better is not mine.

I also detest heroic inspiration and weapon masteries.

Polymorph: You preferred the broken stacking of the beasts HPs on your own, rather than the temporary hit points? Huh. You're the first person I've heard say they like the old version more.

Command: Yes we have a thread on that.

Conjure X: Again, you're the first person I've heard say they liked the total mess of 8 additional monsters added under PC control to the initiative order instead of this new version.

Heroic Inspiration and Weapon Masteries are not part of this controversy.

 

[mamba]

The compendium access was fairly worthless. I doubt anyone buys content on DDB for the compendium.

since they do not offer PDFs, this is the closest thing there is, and I download the stuff so I have it offline

 

[Remathilis]

IThe compendium access was fairly worthless. I doubt anyone buys content on DDB for the compendium.

If it's worthless, D&D Beyond should give it out for free. They would lose no money on it and would gamer lots of goodwill.

Unlock the compendium for everyone without purchase if it has no value. Would you agree?

 

[Minigiant]

I have yet to see someone explain why in practice they freaked out. Who here wanted the old version of True Strike and not the new version for free in their DNDBeyond usage? Raise your hand and give a brief honest explanation for why you didn't want this new errata'ed version to replace the old one.

I could get not wanting the free back end rules.

But really fighting for the brokenly OP or underpowered versions of many spells and feats triggers my suspicion alarms.

 

[SkidAce]

I have yet to see someone explain why in practice they freaked out. Who here wanted the old version of True Strike and not the new version for free in their DNDBeyond usage? Raise your hand and give a brief honest explanation for why you didn't want this new errata'ed version to replace the old one.

Raises hand.

Because I am staying with 2014 (until this campaign is over) and do not want to deal with conflicting spell descriptions from what we have been playing with for years, until we are ready to change.

 

[SkidAce]

What was the loss of functionality in practical terms? You got access to the newer versions of the spells for free this way. Name me the newer version which isn't better than the older version in terms of any measure: quality of life, clarity, fixing errors from before, etc..

wouldn't the benefit of much of those changes be an opinion though?

 

[Mistwell]

Raises hand.

Because I am staying with 2014 (until this campaign is over) and do not want to deal with conflicting spell descriptions from what we have been playing with for years, until we are ready to change.

OK so what are your spells right now?

 

[SlyFlourish]

I have yet to see someone explain why in practice they freaked out. Who here wanted the old version of True Strike and not the new version for free in their DNDBeyond usage? Raise your hand and give a brief honest explanation for why you didn't want this new errata'ed version to replace the old one.

I doubt this will convince you but there were plenty of people who just wanted to ensure they could play the version of D&D they paid for, as it was, using the DDB character builder. I talked to many people who are mid-campaign and unsure about moving to 2024 who wanted to keep playing as they were without a forced errata.

In any case, it doesn't matter what you think. They changed their position and said they were happy to receive the feedback.

I still have lots of questions about why they didn't start this way in the beginning instead of, once again, pissing off a bunch of their customers, but that's not totally important.

None of this changes my position that if you build your game around a centralized service, you're at the whims of that service and the company controlling it.

 

[SkidAce]

OK so what are your spells right now?

The old versions from 2014.