D&D 5E (2024) D&D 2024 Is Now OFFICIALLY Called "5.5e"

Settling a debate that has lasted for over two years, the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons, which has been known by various names up until now, has finally received an official designation: D&D 5.5e.

Previously, the current ruleset was referred to as 'One D&D', before becoming 'D&D 2024'. Other variations exist, but the most common version used by fans was D&D 5.5.

The 5.5 terminology echoes the edition names used in the early 2000s for D&D 3E and D&D 3.5.

D&D Beyond has an FAQ related to the name change. In it, they say that "Earlier on, [the 2024 rules] were referred to differently. As D&D Beyond evolved and more players used both versions side by side, it became clear that “5.5e” matched how the community already talks about the game and made things easier to understand."

The terminology will be used going forward on D&D Beyond, although unlike the 3E/3.5 hardcovers, the physical book titles will not include any edition designations.

The 2014 edition of D&D is to continue to be called "5e", with the 2024 version being "5.5e". WotC says that "5.5e refers to content that uses the 2024 updated core rules, which are fully compatible with Fifth Edition."

Despite including the "e" (for "edition") WotC continues to maintain that 5.5e is not a new edition, and merely a 'rules update', or 'version'. Whether 'edition' and 'version' are synonyms or not we'll leave people to debate.

The logo at the top of the page is our own mockup to represent the news, and is not an offical rebranding.

 

[Morrus]

I also don't think that Wizards ever said 100% compatible...

Does “fully” mean “100%”? Because that’s what they say in this very FAQ.

“On D&D Beyond, 5.5e refers to content that uses the 2024 updated core rules, which are fully compatible with Fifth Edition.”

 

[saviirkad]

Does “fully” mean “100%”? Because that’s what they say in this very FAQ.

“On D&D Beyond, 5.5e refers to content that uses the 2024 updated core rules, which are fully compatible with Fifth Edition.”

I feel like it mostly boils down to whether "compatible" also means "unchanged" or not?

Like, in my experience, yes, they are fully compatible. Now, D&D Beyond as a software, that's debatable, but the ruleset itself, I've not yet encountered anything that is incompatible.

But I have come across things that become changed by their interaction with each other, with some of those changes being poorer than if you stuck with one version or the other for either conflicting element.

Like I don't know if I'm really helping myself if I took the 2024 Pact of the Blade invocation on a 2014 Warlock who already selected the 2014 version of that Pact.

 

[Charlaquin]

This. I was kinda blown away the D&D team didn't anticipate the problem created by refusing to give a clear label to the revised rules. It felt out of touch with the community. This new change feels like moving in the right direction, being at least a little more in tune with the community.

They didn’t have to call it 6e. They didn’t even have to call it 5.5e. But they needed to give it one simple, marketable, easy to say name. Heck, “One D&D” had been catching on before the OGL catastrophe soured people on it. But refusing to refer to it as anything specific was obviously never going to work for long.

 

[Starmaster]

The 2014 edition of D&D is to continue to be called "5e", with the 2024 version being "5.5e".

For simplicity, brevity, and clarity, I would have preferred if the following terminology had been adopted. I guess it's just the engineer in me speaking:

5.0e --- 2014 rules
5.5e --- 2024 rules
5e --- Any and all of 5th Edition, including 5.0e and 5.5e

 

[M.L. Martin]

I wonder if in ten years there'll be a moment where Wizards refuses to call this 5.5, much like how a few years back they wouldn't say 3.5, only "revised third."

Revised Third was the original nomenclature for the 2003 revision. "3.5" was adopted because everyone kept calling it that online even before it saw print. (This was back in the days when we had typically 8-12 months warning of new products.)

 

[Dire Bare]

It's important to publishers. For example, we have an upcoming Kickstarter with a big logo on it which says '5E'.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enworld/shortquests

As of today, that term specifically refers to the 2014 rules, not the 2024 rules. That is not our intention, and we do not want people to think that our KS is designed specifically for the 2014 rules; we will now be changing that logo.

I suppose that is the question for publishers now . . . stick to the "5E" label even if you are designing for "5.5E" or use a new "5.5E" label . . .

I worry that widespread adoption of a 5.5E label might further the idea that the two versions are not fully compatible, what happened with 3.0/3.5 . . . but I guess that is the downside of WotC's recent decision.

My preference . . . and I am not a publisher . . . would be to stick to the current 5E logos folks are using, but have some back cover copy, "Designed for the D&D 5.5E revision, but fully compatible with the original 5E rules." Or something like that. But then again, I guess that's the problem now, it's not simple enough to just throw a logo on the cover and leave it alone. I suppose this is what WotC was trying to avoid, if unsuccessfully.

Sigh. I wish the online fan community was less persnickety about revisions to the game . . . but I guess that ship sailed with the release of "Advanced D&D" back in 77.

 

[saviirkad]

Revised Third was the original nomenclature for the 2003 revision. "3.5" was adopted because everyone kept calling it that online even before it saw print. (This was back in the days when we had typically 8-12 months warning of new products.)

I had at the time assumed this was the case, but I'd had others point out that their first printing of the 3.5 PHB actually said 3.5 on the cover.

But all I know is that around 2018-2020, it was only "revised third" we were allowed to say (as an outside contractor to an outside company being told this is what the license holder says is okay).

 

[saviirkad]

They didn’t have to call it 6e. They didn’t even have to call it 5.5e. But they needed to give it one simple, marketable, easy to say name. Heck, “One D&D” had been catching on before the OGL catastrophe soured people on it. But refusing to refer to it as anything specific was obviously never going to work for long.

"One D&D" might have stuck around, but at least at the time it was just what they called the playtest. Like how the 2014 rules were playtested as "D&D Next."

I know the OGL incident coincided, but that was just happenstance.

 

[Dire Bare]

I had at the time assumed this was the case, but I'd had others point out that their first printing of the 3.5 PHB actually said 3.5 on the cover.

But all I know is that around 2018-2020, it was only "revised third" we were allowed to say (as an outside contractor to an outside company being told this is what the license holder says is okay).

Yes, the first printing did say "3.5" . . . it still started with the fan community. WotC adopted it before going to print.

 

[Belen]

It's important to publishers. For example, we have an upcoming Kickstarter with a big logo on it which says '5E'.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enworld/shortquests

As of today, that term specifically refers to the 2014 rules, not the 2024 rules. That is not our intention, and we do not want people to think that our KS is designed specifically for the 2014 rules; we will now be changing that logo.

Is it just for 5.5? I mean, if a publisher says it is made for 5.5, then I may avoid it.