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

 

[FrogReaver]

It is out there for the public to use forever, not under the control if it's creator. Like the OGL was supposed to be, but even more secure. Technically it is a license agreement, but not exactly like Disney licensing out the RPG rights to Star Wars. WotC can't take it back.

This is very important.
1. D&d 5e came first
2. A licensing agreement to use certain elements from d&d 5e came later.

Thus, using the licensing agreement is using the 5e d&d ruleset, just not in full.

 

[Imaro]

I really don’t understand why it’s so controversial to say:

5e used to refer to compatibility with the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons (2014). Today 5e means general compatibility with several 5e-based core systems and thousands of supplements, campaigns, and adventures.

I don’t think any part of that is inaccurate or diminishes the effort of the creators of D&D 2014.

It's controversial because instead of the meaning of 5e changeing organically within the majority of the community like say... jello, klenex or internet... we have a small contingent trying to impose the change when the vast majority still considers 5e to refer to D&D 5e.

 

[Micah Sweet]

This is very important.
1. D&d 5e came first
2. A licensing agreement to use certain elements from d&d 5e came later.

Thus, using the licensing agreement is using the 5e d&d ruleset, just not in full.

None of that is more important to me than the points I made. WotC's game is now a version of 5e, not all of it. That they started it is irrelevant. The ruleset has moved on and expanded.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It's controversial because instead of the meaning of 5e changeing organically within the majority of the community like say... jello, klenex or internet... we have a small contingent trying to impose the change when the vast majority still considers 5e to refer to D&D 5e.

Who says the majority even believe as you do? And even if they do, that doesn't make their opinion more valid.

 

[mamba]

So is d&d 5e compatible?

yes, D&D 5e is 5e compatible, D&D 4e is not however… was that ever in question?

 

[Micah Sweet]

yes, D&D 5e is 5e compatible, D&D 4e is not however… was that ever in question?

Apparently WotC's social status means they're above considering their version of 5e merely, "compatible".

 

[mamba]

They include material easily compatible with one another. I use ToVs luck system in all my 5e games. I think D&D 2024 has stuff easily dropped into A5E or ToV like surprise or exhaustion. A5Es system for supply and safe havens can drop right into ToV or D&D. That’s the cool bit. All these 5e compatible systems have stuff you can move from one to the other.

I am not saying they cannot be combined, but if your game has e.g. some kind of spellcasting corruption system like maybe Symbaroum has (not sure) then you can either take that over into other 5e systems, or drop it if you take Symbaroum classes and it does not fit your world.

5e is a wide tent getting wider, I would not want to say that you can mix and match everything right out of the box with zero adjustments or implications, that is really all.

 

[SlyFlourish]

Then you mean something entirely different by ‘5e’ than I do. I don’t know for a fact but I bet an overwhelming majority would find it weird saying 2014 5th edition d&d is 5e compatible.

So let's let them know that 5e means something more!

 

[mamba]

There is no 5e ruleset separate from the d&d 5e ruleset.

of course there are, the 5e SRD establishes what a 5e ruleset is

 

[SlyFlourish]

No.

D&D 2014 isn't 5e compatible? Really? Now I'm really confused.

Snark aside, I think we're stuck on the idea that either we consider 5e to be D&D or we consider D&D to be one of several 5e compatible systems. I'm in the latter camp and I think it makes the whole hobby stronger when we consider it that way. If we choose the former camp, I'll ask, why take that point of view?

What does it hurt or diminish to consider D&D 2014 and D&D 2024 5e compatible systems alongside Tales of the Valiant, Level Up Advanced 5e, and others?