2024 Player's Handbook Officially Live on D&D Beyond

The 2024 Player's Handbook has officially launched on D&D Beyond after a longer-than-expected wait. The new rulebook, which contains major revisions to the current 5th Edition ruleset for Dungeons & Dragons, is now live for "Master Tier" subscribers of the online character builder and rules compendium website, provided they pre-ordered the book. "Hero Tier" subscribers will gain access to the new Player's Handbook next week (again, provided they pre-ordered it), while the full book will be available to all subscribers starting on September 17th.

The integration of the 2024 Player's Handbook was not without hiccups, with the service initially opting to switchover the rules text for magic spells, magic items, and mundane items before reversing course after a significant uproar among some users. While D&D Beyond was supposed to be down for a four hour maintenance window this morning, assumably to "go live" with the 2024 Player's Handbook, it took an additional two hours to finish the maintenance period.

NOTE: As of 2:52 PM ET, the full suite of character building options for the 2024 Player's Handbook were not available on D&D Beyond. Users can create a Cleric, Rogue, Wizard, or Fighter character using the 2024 Basic Rules set, but all other new material is not available.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

All the peeps who said that early access was not free beta testing….

Who said that?

 

[Belen]

Who said that?

There was a thread a while back where folks were raging about not getting early access without a sub.

I made a comment that we were just going to beta test for WOTC and got dogpiled by people saying that it would never happen and DDB was not like video games.

As expected, their loyal customers are providing free beta testing right now.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I do have to compliment them on the big splash page artworks at the head of each chapter, which focus on famous NPCs of settings and the like:

Chapter 1: Raistlin, Caramon, and Kitiara from Dragonlance
Chapter 2: The characters from the D&D cartoon (minus Eric; Sheila is apparently there, but presumably using her invisibility cloak)
Chapter 3: The '80s action figures (Strongheart et. al.)
Chapter 4: Drizzt, Laeral, and Varja Safahir from the Forgotten Realms
Chapter 5: Ravenloft NPCs from VRGtR
Chapter 6: Vi escaping the Lord of Blades from Eberron.
Chapter 7: Mordenkainen, Bigby, and Jallarzi from Greyhawk.

In my opinion, they missed a great opportunity to put the Lady of Pain at the start of the Appendices, since Appendix A is about the Multiverse.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Seems Beyond is applying errata, as equipment list now shows Shield (Utilize Action to Don or Doff), which was not there in the review copies of the PHB, Giant Insect HP formula isn't bonkers now, Goliath racial power to resist being grappled actually does something now, etc.

 

[Scribe]

There was a thread a while back where folks were raging about not getting early access without a sub.

I made a comment that we were just going to beta test for WOTC and got dogpiled by people saying that it would never happen and DDB was not like video games.

As expected, their loyal customers are providing free beta testing right now.

I mean, any system with an updatable online access point, is going to be 'beta test' under certain definitions now.

We are well beyond a printed text being 'final'.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

They know it's an issue but they don't have an ETA on fixing it. There's a pretty long list of both new features and unsupported features on this post:

https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/bugs-support/204813-players-handbook-issues-and-support-thread

Some of them they say they'll fix soon, or they'll fix it but don't have ETA, and some just say they can't support it. Hide your Warlocks.

Tons of money coming in and it's still run like one guy's side project he tinkers with on lunch breaks.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Oh come on. You know that everything past your ellipsis is not going to be the case. They'll get everything that's having issues functioning as quickly as they can (some very quickly, some will inevitably take longer). Because not doing so will just have sent millions of dollars down the drain.

This is a big switch-over. And you, especially, as you've said you've personally dealt with sort of thing before, should know that issues will occur and that some leeway should be granted.

Have you SEEN the list of basic features "coming soon" since 2019? Again, you can't do basic customization, like making a custom weapon with different damage dice, masteries, etc.

 

[Belen]

Tons of money coming in and it's still run like one guy's side project he tinkers with on lunch breaks.

What incentive do they have to make improvements? Any profits they make are going to service the loan Hasbro used to buy them.

 

[Oofta]

Likely going to have my virtual group leave dndbeyond over the lack of basic support of core features of the new classes.....and a real doubt they ever fix these things. Ever.

I've created or converted a few characters now, it's not that big of a deal. For an existing PC, make a copy, delete the class, race and background. Add them back in. If an existing background doesn't work, just use the custom background.

If using a custom background at this point you still have to add the starting feat manually. View the character sheet > Features & Traits > Feats > Manage Feats. Select your feat.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm glad they're doing all this errata, but it certainly makes my fancy FLGS cover book a little less exciting to lay hands on, later this week.