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.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Then why are people talking about it now, if it doesn't and has never existed?

I see that this is important to you. I'm not going to pretend that I understand why this is important to you. As has been demonstrated by many, there are in-game explanations that make a lot of sense, and are easily adaptable to many... ideologies? Is that the right word in this situation? Maybe your 'world view' of your game doesn't allow for these explanations? That kind of makes it a 'you' problem though right? Even if it is a 'you' problem, I welcome your gripes!

 

[Mecheon]

One ability. Darkvision doesn't count or you have to eliminate tons of races that all have that ability. They effectively share one ability. That's minimal. Lot's of races share one ability.

The only shared abilities in the PHB are Darkvision and the idea of damage resistence. They changed it up so no races share abilities.

So, yeah, Half Elves would stick out as the only one that just uses another race's options

Elves fail. I don't want to be an elf. I want to be a half-elf with the unique half-elf abilities that go along with it. And really, you don't get to decide what is or is not exciting for other folks. I love half-elves and find them plenty exciting to play.

And even if no individual ability is unique, the combination of abilities is very unique and that is sufficient for uniqueness.

And I like Thri-Kreen and Genasi, but I understand why they don't need to be in the first book published and can wait for a later one, especially given half elves are effectively a variant on elves at this point where you lose a bunch of elfy things and gain versitile from humans in return.

The one and only thing of "power" they get is a charisma bonus, which other races also get. A charisma bonus isn't enough to exclude them.

Stat bonuses aren't a thing in One. If charisma bonus is all they can bring, then its no surprise they got dropped, even if charisma is king

5E though they've got strengths of elves and either Versitile or the half elf options which, y'know, add to the 'too close to elves'. They're not Yuan-ti levels, sure, but they're ages ahead of dragonborn

 

[Maxperson]

The only shared abilities in the PHB are Darkvision and the idea of damage resistence. They changed it up so no races share abilities.

There's more than the PHB. Powerful build. Flight. Perhaps some others.

So, yeah, Half Elves would stick out as the only one that just uses another race's options

Excellent! It's still unique and popular.

And I like Thri-Kreen and Genasi, but I understand why they don't need to be in the first book published and can wait for a later one, especially given half elves are effectively a variant on elves at this point where you lose a bunch of elfy things and gain versitile from humans in return.

Half-elves are one of the top races. Genasi are 4 beneath half-elves in popularity and thri-kreen don't even make the top 15. In fact half-elves rank above dwarves, halflings and gnomes.

Stat bonuses aren't a thing in One. If charisma bonus is all they can bring, then its no surprise they got dropped, even if charisma is king

They have abilities that are great for utility/RP, but not powerful. They aren't a powerful race.

5E though they've got strengths of elves and either Versitile or the half elf options which, y'know, add to the 'too close to elves'. They're not Yuan-ti levels, sure, but they're ages ahead of dragonborn

They aren't too close to elves. If they were no one would play them and would just play an elf.

 

[Mecheon]

There's more than the PHB. Powerful build. Flight. Perhaps some others.

Powerful Build got removed from orcs

Excellent! It's still unique and popular.

This is the starter book supposed to show you a wide variety of options to pick from, not the "Most popular choices in game's history" book. Popularity absolutely should sit to the side for a wider assortment of niches to give new players a wider option. I don't think Half Elf is really quite as distinct as Half Angel or Half Giant so I absolutely would prefer Aasimar and Goliaths remain over them as they bring something unique to the table, while half elves are defined by being half of elves

Also if I were being the cruel person trying to make more sales on an online platform? Locking half elves, a popular choice, behind a paywell? That's how you get a lot of money from folks.

Half-elves are one of the top races. Genasi are 4 beneath half-elves in popularity and thri-kreen don't even make the top 15. In fact half-elves rank above dwarves, halflings and gnomes.

They're still races that are requested when not around, and we did just spend most of 5E's lifespan requesting thri-kreen, plus an untold number of homebrew ones done up for it. Me liking a race doesn't mean it should be in the PHB, the very first book you are expected to start the game with, and races being popular also shouldn't have an impact there either.

They have abilities that are great for utility/RP, but not powerful. They aren't a powerful race.

They have a charisma buff in an edition where charisma is king, the other two stat options could be whatever, and that alone puts them in the top percentage. They are absolutely a powerful race. Go and read up on any of the forums that do class guides or the lot, they flat out say its only competition for most powerful race is Variant Human and that's because a level 1 feat is just that much more powerful

They aren't too close to elves. If they were no one would play them and would just play an elf.

No they wouldn't because they've been watered down versions of elves for the past 30+ years of this game's existence?

How are they not like elves? They've got fey ancestry, they've got a whole pack of half elfy options they can pick from that are watered down from the actual elf options, all they get from humans is Versatility, even if its stronger than the human option. They don't have anything unique to themselves. That's why they're not in the PHB and they'll appear down the line.

 

[Micah Sweet]

What do you mean it isn't that kind of question? It absolutely IS that type of question. Oaths are incredibly malleable. The 2024 rules (the ones at issue) use the phrasing "These paladins share the following tenets" for the subclasses. But that isn't an oath, those are pieces of an oath. And even then, they are the most broad versions of those things possible. In fact, if you pay attention... they tend to even overlap an awful lot.

	Devotion	Glory	Vengeance	Ancients
	Let your word be your promise	Endeavor to be known by your deeds.	Show the wicked no mercy.	Shelter life
	Protect the weak and never fear to act.	Face hardships with courage	Fight injustice and its causes.	Kindle the light of hope.
	Let your honorable deeds be an example.	Inspire others to strive for glory.	Aid those harmed by injustice	Delight in art and laughter

"Let your Honorable Deeds be an Example", "Inspire others to strive for Glory" and "Kindle the Light of Hope" are all basically the same thing at their core.

""Protect the Weak and never fear to act" "Face Hardships with Courage" and "Kindle the light of hope" are also incredibly similar.

Meanwhile, look at the literary oath supposedly taken by King Arthur's Knights, which is not only significantly longer.... but has specifics, both penalties and charges:
The king established all his knights, and bestowed on them riches and lands. He charged them never to commit outrage or murder, always to flee treason, and to give mercy to those who asked for mercy, upon pain of the forfeiture of their honor and status as a knight of King Arthur's forever more. He charged them always to help ladies, damsels, gentlewomen, and widows, and never to commit rape, upon pain of death. Also, he commanded that no man should take up a battle in a wrongful quarrel—not for love, nor for any worldly goods. So all the knights of the Round Table, both young and old, swore to uphold this oath, and every year at the high feast of Pentecost they renewed their oath.

The Oaths in the PHB are not full oaths... they are an outline sketch.

The specific Oath is of course malleable. The fact that you take take an Oath ar level 3 and that's where your power comes from isn't, but somehow where you power comes from before that is. Why is that?

 

[Scribe]

The specific Oath is of course malleable. The fact that you take take an Oath ar level 3 and that's where your power comes from isn't, but somehow where you power comes from before that is. Why is that?

The Oath being an internal power source, a dedication that is from within, is about the only way I can square it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Then they should not have holy abilities until 3rd level.

Why not? Got to start somewhere.

 

[Maxperson]

Why not? Got to start somewhere.

I agree. At 1st level along with the oath.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I agree. At 1st level along with the oath.

You are just moving the training wheels to level zero, and having them take place off camera. It makes no more sense, and misses out on a role-play opportunity.

 

[Maxperson]

You are just moving the training wheels to level zero, and having them take place off camera. It makes no more sense, and misses out on a role-play opportunity.

No, not just moving the training wheels. Moving the wheels so that the class makes better narrative sense. Right now the paladin through his belief in his oath can get divine abilities and then stop progressing at level two, then betray the oath daily and not lose his abilities. Go to level 3 which just makes the oath official and he would lose those abilities from levels 1-2. Moving the oath to level 1 stops that from happening.