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.

 

[Corinnguard]

As a GM I am expected to portray this shadowy entity without knowing who or what they actually are!.

If I was a GM and I had a player who wanted to be a warlock, I would take the player aside and discuss what kind of patron they wanted to have for their character. How engaged/distanced are they with their patron. Are they on good or bad terms with their patron. And so forth. That way, I would have an idea as to how to role-play as their patron. This approach would work if they started their pact at 1st or 3rd level.

Now easy way to sidestep the issue, and what I expect most groups ending up doing (and why I don't think this will be a big deal in practice,) is the player narratively choosing the patron at the first level, even though they mechanically only choose it at the third.

True. It could be done this way. The GM would just need to narrate why the patron waited so long to step out of the shadows and reveal themselves to their new padawan*.

* If the Force in Star Wars was some kind of patron, would this make the Jedi and Sith into Warlock/Monks with the Pact of the Blade?

 

[pemerton]

But it is not unnecessary, as it actually helps to avoid potential problems. In this instance trying to do things in the way the new rules suggest, leads to weird places and is liable to cause issues.

But will it really cause issues? I mean, here's the issue you diagnosed:

That's my biggest issue with this. As a GM I am expected to portray this shadowy entity without knowing who or what they actually are! Like, that is insane, I would outright refuse to do that!

So won't an organic solution emerge even for the inexperienced - either (i) the GM will portray the shadowy entity without knowing who they are, or (ii) will express a view to the player about who the entity is, or (iii) will ask the player who the entity is.

I'm not persuaded that there's a real problem here.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

But will it really cause issues? I mean, here's the issue you diagnosed:
So won't an organic solution emerge even for the inexperienced - either (i) the GM will portray the shadowy entity without knowing who they are, or (ii) will express a view to the player about who the entity is, or (iii) will ask the player who the entity is.

I'm not persuaded that there's a real problem here.

Does the book actually instruct the GM to do this and how to handle it? I don't think it does.

This warlock change is something I've seen many people to bring up, I think it is a real problem, albeit probably not a huge one. It however is an issue that did not exist in the previous iteration, thus a questionable choice for this supposedly improved version of the game.

 

[Imaro]

I didn't think anyone was arguing that the warlock should start already powerful, just whether they should have had to have chosen their patron at level 1 or not
A5e could have the patron selected at level 1 or level 3, and neither option would prevent it following the narrative for levels 1 and 2, it is just what it may unlock when selected and whether that makes it powerful or not.

well there were arguments that this was objectively "correct" or "good" design vs. 2024 5e being "bad" or "incorrect" design... with statements like that I assumed the entire class was considered how the warlock should have been done. If thats not the case and only the level of the patron gain is in discussion well that changes things slightly... though my argumemt would remain largely the same.

Otherwise it seems a big question to ask of Micah to really get into it, as will come down to how powerful warlock is against the other classes, and how the classes match up against the threats being faced, and whether those threats feel world level of village level as such.

No thats a different question than what Im asking... Im asking about the tier narrative and whether the class fits that description... which still hasn't been answered.

Ultimately I'm ambivalent as to whether level 1 or 3 that patron selected, but can build a case with either that slow coming into power, whether listening to whispers for a couple of levels before making a committed decision, vs making committed decision up front but taking time / experience to realise the full power of the relationship, so that across levels 1, 2 and 3 the power level across both options is the same.

Yes but you're not arguing one is bad design and the other is good design... you're saying you can see a case for both but they are just different design decisions... which is what I and many others were arguing all along.

 

[pemerton]

Does the book actually instruct the GM to do this and how to handle it? I don't think it does.

But I think something will nevertheless sort itself out. It seems unlikely the game is going to grind to a halt over this - and the easiest is probably that the GM players the patron as shadowy and unknown.

But I think the player expressing a view on who their patron is is also likely to be quite common. That would be consistent with the general idea that the player writes their PC's background.

This warlock change is something I've seen may people to bring up, I think it is a real problem, albeit probably not a huge one. It however is an issue that did not exist in the previous iteration, thus a questionable choice for this supposedly improved version of the game.

The flip side is that sub-classes take-up is uniform in level. That reduces one barrier to understanding the way the game, and PC building, work.

Which is better? I don't think it's self-evident either way.

 

[Imaro]

I do wonder... why does the DM need to roleplay the Patron at all for levels 1 and 2. If we are assuming an entirely new group (which seems to be the only case where there might be a problem with not knowing how to come to an agreement between player and DM around roleplaying the patron)... why not just follow the default narrative of an unknown entity who granted minor power... why would you need to roleplay the Patron at this point... especially as a brand new player would probably not have decided what their patron is yet. The default narrative is basically tailor made to accomodate those new to the game.

 

[Micah Sweet]

And absolutely no one in this thread is arguing against this. What's being argued is whether you should begin at level 1 as an already powerful Warlock or as one still coming into his power. My reading of the tiers of play for both 5e and A5e say it should be the later... so I'll ask for a 3rd time...

Does the design of the A5e warlock align with the narrative A5e presents for what a level 1and level 2 character represents in the default world?

Why is it so hard to get a straight answer from you on this??

To my mind it does, just as much as it does for all the other classes at level 1 and 2.

 

[Imaro]

To my mind it does, just as much as it does for all the other classes at level 1 and 2.

I get that...for me personally reading the tiers and looking at class design via the A5e srd... the narrative and mechanics don't line up. A5e imo is more like 4e where you start as s competent adventurer entrenched in your class and the apprentice narrative isn't really played out. It's not really made for zero to hero play.

 

[Imaro]

At 1st level, the warlock is still just coming into their power. They have just taken the next step by making a bargain with an otherworldly being who has revealed themselves to them and

Now, the pact between otherworldly being and warlock could have been done at 3rd level, but why would the former wait so long to seal the deal? What it's in it for the otherworldly being to do so? The last thing it wants is for its' tool to wise up and leave before the deal has been made, and with some of its' powers are already invested within in it.

To seduce, coerce or even intimidate them enough on the coming power to convince them to sign the dotted line... same reason drug dealers will offer a reduced price or even "samples" to potential customers...

If you gain your pact at level 1...this is all handwavium and it doesn't allow for any narratives where a person was tempted but chose not to make a pact with the entity... at 1st level there is no choice.

I wonder if WoTC looked at the warlock/patron relationship from the patron's point of view. Probably not.

Wait, what... My off the cuff answer would be that we arent telling the story of the patron... its the story of the Warlock.

Second... why would every patron's point of view be the same? Better yet why would most patrons even offer power when they have the power to force most mortals into servitude?

 

[Micah Sweet]

I get that...for me personally reading the tiers and looking at class design via the A5e srd... the narrative and mechanics don't line up. A5e imo is more like 4e where you start as s competent adventurer entrenched in your class and the apprentice narrative isn't really played out. It's not really made for zero to hero play.

I would be happier if it were more geared to zero to hero play, sure, and when I can I use zero-level rules to model that. But I don't let any RAW dictate play.