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

 

[Remathilis]

I don’t know what other areas that impacts, and I’m not interested in buying something just for the sake of stripping it down for parts. More likely I’ll stick with 5e and add little bits like spells or the changes to surprise in.

I'm told lots of people enjoy stripping down D&D for parts: banning classes, removing spells, rewriting the magic system, etc. still to each their own.

 

[TiQuinn]

I'm told lots of people enjoy stripping down D&D for parts: banning classes, removing spells, rewriting the magic system, etc. still to each their own.

Not my thing. For one, I don’t want to hand out a big ol writeup to players of changes and errata that get to that level of detail. I’d rather start from a stable place and make minor changes, or say “No Ravnica” or “No Eberron”.

 

[SlyFlourish]

No it's the 5th edition of D&D which WotC owns and has allowed others the ability to reference parts of in their games...

Simple question, is a Mind Flayer part of 5e is a Beholder? Are they part of what's allowed by the 5e SRD and/or creative commons? Why not if WotC doesn't own 5e?

They are not in 5e. They’re in D&D. WOTC doesn’t own any part of the A5e SRD which is 100% 5e.

 

[SlyFlourish]

5e stands for what? Fifth edition. Fifth edition of what? There are no other editions of Level Up or Tales of the Valiant. 5e stands for fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons.

I made my case here that the term "5e" became something new during the course of the past ten years and certainly in the last two. Yes, 5e once meant the "5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons", but now it can mean something else.

I argue the term "5e" now acts as a stand-alone term defining compatibility between thousands of different 5e RPG products from hundreds of different publishers.

But since the OGL debacle, people have tried to push this narrative that 5e is more than D&D and thus can survive without it. Much like how you can google something on Bing or Duck Duck Go.

The alternative to "pushing this narrative" is to give more credit to WOTC than is due when it comes to this hobby. If 5e == D&D, that omits all other 5e products that are not D&D – many of which are excellent products and, I argue, superior to those published by WOTC.

If your goal is to push the narrative that WOTC controls all of 5e instead of recognizing that 5e is a huge umbrella of products under which D&D 2014 and D&D 2024 are just two lines of many – well, I'm not going to get behind it, and I don't think its healthy for the hobby or a healthy view from GMs. You're tying your happiness with the hobby to the whims of a corporation with no obligation other than to make money from you.

That's why I think its important to separate 5e from D&D and to recognize that 5e is now its own TTRPG platform upon which anyone can, and many have, built outstanding compatible products with one another.

I can't stop people from handing over their hold on the hobby to Hasbro if that's what they want to do. Hopefully I can show some people another way to think about it.

 

[Imaro]

What are you talking about? 5e became more than an edition of D&D when non-WotC people starting writing for it (so upon release), but it was also still a version of D&D.

This has happened with all editions of D&D... it doesn't fundamentally change what they are.

 

[Imaro]

They are not in 5e. They’re in D&D. WOTC doesn’t own any part of the A5e SRD which is 100% 5e.

No its in 5e, 4e, 3e, and so on.

The A5e SRD is 100% the A5e SRD... Otherwise you wouldn't make a distinction between it and 5e.

 

[MockingBird]

For me, a refresh would have been fixing up what needed to be fixed and leaving the rest alone. Many of the new subsystems could have been optional rules, not core. Instead, we’re seeing a whole bunch of significant changes.

I agree with you. I wish weapon masteries had been optional but the default appears to be core. There's a few other things too. Thanks for the reply.

 

[bedir than]

I argue the term "5e" now acts as a stand-alone term defining compatibility between thousands of different 5e RPG products from hundreds of different publishers.

Repeating for emphasis.

 

[Minigiant]

Repeating for emphasis.

And that's why this version of 5e isn't a refresh.

There is too much demand for additional rules.

Few people come to 5e, learn it, and want the same or less.

Simple and basic is for new players. Once they become experienced, new player products aren't attractive to them.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I made my case here that the term "5e" became something new during the course of the past ten years and certainly in the last two. Yes, 5e once meant the "5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons", but now it can mean something else.

I argue the term "5e" now acts as a stand-alone term defining compatibility between thousands of different 5e RPG products from hundreds of different publishers.



The alternative to "pushing this narrative" is to give more credit to WOTC than is due when it comes to this hobby. If 5e == D&D, that omits all other 5e products that are not D&D – many of which are excellent products and, I argue, superior to those published by WOTC.

If your goal is to push the narrative that WOTC controls all of 5e instead of recognizing that 5e is a huge umbrella of products under which D&D 2014 and D&D 2024 are just two lines of many – well, I'm not going to get behind it, and I don't think its healthy for the hobby or a healthy view from GMs. You're tying your happiness with the hobby to the whims of a corporation with no obligation other than to make money from you.

That's why I think its important to separate 5e from D&D and to recognize that 5e is now its own TTRPG platform upon which anyone can, and many have, built outstanding compatible products with one another.

I can't stop people from handing over their hold on the hobby to Hasbro if that's what they want to do. Hopefully I can show some people another way to think about it.

If I go and purchase a new sound system for my Toyota Corolla, does that make it a Toyota sound system? It is not only compatible with my vehicle, but superior to the factory version, so is the manufacturer of that after-market product a Toyota manufacturer? A Corolla Manufacturer?

If I go and purchase an Alienware hard drive that is compatible with my Dell laptop.... are they a Dell manufacturer? If I acknowledge that a Dell laptop with an Alienware hardrive, an Intel Graphics Card, and whatever other after-market products I want to put into my computer was made by Dell am I giving Dell too much power over Dell laptops?

We don't feel the need to say "Corolla is more than Toyota" or anything like that for literally any other product that we can modify with after-market parts and changes. I like a lot of 3rd Party products, I own quite a few of them, but I don't see any value or even truth in calling 5e "larger than DnD" just because I can use Grimhollow Subclasses to fight Flee! Mortals monsters in an adventure written by Pointy Hat Studios doesn't mean that 5e isn't DnD and isn't a WoTC product, because none of those other things would exist without WoTC's 5e as a base.