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.

 

[Imaro]

If a person was tempted but chose not to make a pact with an entity, they wouldn't be a warlock. They would have chosen to become a member of a different character class instead.

That's true ...the question is whether we want to play that out... doable in 5e or we regulate it to backstory before play... doable in 5e and A5e.

What if they made the deal before they became a 1st-level warlock? They could have made the choice while they were a member of a particular background. As a result, they leave that background as a 1st-level warlock and begin adventuring in the service of their patron.

Yep and we could also start at level 3 with the same narrative in 5e.

True, but guess who gets to role-play the role of patron to the player who had decided to play a warlock? The DM. They are the ones who are going to draw the warlock player aside during an adventure and tell the player what they want to be done. As for stories, some stories are written by single person while others were written by two authors. In this case, it's the warlock and the patron.

Yes but since the patron can be a multitude of entities...with various goals, desires, behaviors, etc... there's no way to consider it generically from the patron's point of view. Instead it would be the general advice given to a DM about playing an NPC. I believe that's found in the DMG. Not hardcoded in the PHB.

They wouldn't be the same. Each patron would have their own reasons for choosing a mortal to be their servant on the Material Plane. More like they manipulate a mortal into servitude while offering the mortal power.

Exactly...and no... its not more likely that an old god would even understand how to manipulate a mortal into servitude than crush him as an annoyance... again there is no one size fits all patron motivation and that's a good thing.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Yes but since the patron can be a multitude of entities...with various goals, desires, behaviors, etc... there's no way to consider it generically from the patron's point of view. Instead it would be the general advice given to a DM about playing an NPC. I believe that's found in the DMG. Not hardcoded in the PHB.

Exactly...and no... its not more likely that an old god would even understand how to manipulate a mortal into servitude than crush him as an annoyance... again there is no one size fits all patron motivation and that's a good thing.

And this is exactly the reason why it is insane for the nature of the patron not to be known (at least to the GM) from the get go!

 

[Imaro]

And this is exactly the reason why it is insane for the nature of the patron not to be known (at least to the GM) from the get go!

Nah, if the narrative is that there is little to no interaction with the patron... until the pact is signed... then that's when the identity needs to be known to the GM and player. If the player knows beforehand which pact he will select... then so can the DM, but if the player is unsure about what patron they want there is a narrative reason to delay the choice being known. I'm failing to see the scenario in which this becomes a real problem...

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yes but since the patron can be a multitude of entities...with various goals, desires, behaviors, etc... there's no way to consider it generically from the patron's point of view. Instead it would be the general advice given to a DM about playing an NPC. I believe that's found in the DMG. Not hardcoded in the PHB.

I shouldn't have to start at level 3 to have the class fantasy promised by the game.

How is the DM supposed to role-play a mysterious voice that can't have a clear agenda or characterization because the player hasn't even chosen what kind of patron they want yet?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Nah, if the narrative is that there is little to no interaction with the patron... until the pact is signed... then that's when the identity needs to be known to the GM and player. If the player knows beforehand which pact he will select... then so can the DM, but if the player is unsure about what patron they want there is a narrative reason to delay the choice being known. I'm failing to see the scenario in which this becomes a real problem...

Where are the powers coming from if you have no contact with your patron?

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

And this is exactly the reason why it is insane for the nature of the patron not to be known (at least to the GM) from the get go!

I know others may run it differently, but I as a DM know exactly who the patron is at Level 1. In a recent campaign, so did the warlock player. My players and I have conversations about their character's background and choices, and they either already know who they worship (if a cleric or other religious character), who they make a pact with (if they want their PC to know and don't want it to be a surprise), and the nature of their sorcerous spark (again, unless they don't want their PC to know). Either way, they players have already planned their choices for their Level 3 subclasses, because levels 1 and 2 go by so quickly. Even if the player doesn't want their PC to know for roleplay purposes, the player knows.

I honestly don't understand a strict adherence to the concept of "you don't know until level 3 or later" unless the player really wants that kind of story.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

I shouldn't have to start at level 3 to have the class fantasy promised by the game.

How is the DM supposed to role-play a mysterious voice that can't have a clear agenda or characterization because the player hasn't even chosen what kind of patron they want yet?

It never works this way unless you want it to work this way, and if you run it this way, you wanted it. The rules don't say to run it this way. It's your interpretation.

Every one of my players plans their character progression and are heavily involved in their background creation and choices made.

Do you not let your players decide who their patron is at level 1, so at level 3 they finally prove to their patron they are successful and survivable, and worth giving more power?

 

[Micah Sweet]

I know others may run it differently, but I as a DM know exactly who the patron is at Level 1. In a recent campaign, so did the warlock player. My players and I have conversations about their character's background and choices, and they either already know who they worship (if a cleric or other religious character), who they make a pact with (if they want their PC to know and don't want it to be a surprise), and the nature of their sorcerous spark (again, unless they don't want their PC to know). Either way, they players have already planned their choices for their Level 3 subclasses, because levels 1 and 2 go by so quickly. Even if the player doesn't want their PC to know for roleplay purposes, the player knows.

I honestly don't understand a strict adherence to the concept of "you don't know until level 3 or later" unless the player really wants that kind of story.

Me neither. That's why I don't like not knowing being the default.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It never works this way unless you want it to work this way, and if you run it this way, you wanted it. The rules don't say to run it this way. It's your interpretation.

Every one of my players plans their character progression and are heavily involved in their background creation and choices made.

Do you not let your players decide who their patron is at level 1, so at level 3 they finally prove to their patron they are successful and survivable, and worth giving more power?

This isn't a personal issue for me or my table, it's a discussion about what I see as a fault in the default narrative and rules. Those shiny new players people worry about so much have no reason not to do what the books say.

 

[Corinnguard]

Those shiny new players people worry about so much have no reason not to do what the books say.

Is WoTC underestimating the ability of new players to read and understand the rules in the 2024 PHB? If a new player has trouble understanding a rule or two in the PHB, they can either critically think about what they mean or they can turn toward a more experienced player or the DM for help.