D&D Beyond brings back a la carte purchases in the form of Starter Packs

D&D Beyond is returning to piecemeal purchases in the form of new Starter Packs that allow for access to class rules, as well as a limited number of subclasses and species rules. The new Starter Packs, available for all 12 core classes, and now available for sale on D&D Beyond. Each Starter Pack comes with character rules for a specific core class, three subclasses (the three from the Player's Handbook that are not available via the Basic Rules), and two species from Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. Also included are seven feats, including several general feats.

D&D Beyond originally had a la carte purchases in which users could individually purchase subclasses, spells, or even monsters for a modest fee. Wizards of the Coast removed this site feature in 2024, meaning that a user needed to purchase an entire rulebook if they wanted to access to any single bit of content from that rulebook. While these Starter Packs aren't quite the same as true a la carte purchases, this does mark the first time in years where individual chunks of content have been available at a lower price point for users.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

One of the things I liked most about the third edition was the large number of new playable races/species they introduced.

It seems that WotC now prefers to test the potential brand power of each new playable species. Ardlings and glitchlings deserve an opportunity but we have to can agree what could make them cool and interesting. Glitchlings are like a redesign of modrons who can wear ordinary clothing and armours for bipedal humanoids. I imagine ardlings like celestial "furries" with special traits like feather crests, runic marks on skins, horns, pearls or jewels on the front..

Glithclings are like a mixture of construct and planetouched. Ardlings need more work with the lore because they can't be only aasimars with an animal head.

I miss spikers because they are planetouched with an infernal touch but they aren't the superpopular tielflings. I would retouch the trait about the spiked skin. I also miss bairaurs and mephlings.

* Now I doubt if the future class will be the mystic with power points or the psion with spirit spells.

* I love my collection of 3.5 books but you can't imagine the special feeling when I saw the 1989 cover of the Player Handbook. It was really inspiring. Let's say it has the glamour of the vintage touch.

* Has really any body dared to play with a (teenage) ninja tortle?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Missing one class and two species in these packs might suggest that, at one point, that there was going to be an artificer pack that included the genasi and aasimar, but it got squashed. Otherwise, they could have easily distributed those two species into other packs.

 

[Remathilis]

Missing one class and two species in these packs might suggest that, at one point, that there was going to be an artificer pack that included the genasi and aasimar, but it got squashed. Otherwise, they could have easily distributed those two species into other packs.

The issue would be that that pack would come with a full class, five subclasses and five species (again, genasi isn't a single species but a set of four, much like how shadar-kai, sea elf and eladrin are all separate from each other and the PHB elf). Which might work if there are no feats or backgrounds, but I still think it's too rich for a $5 pack.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The issue would be that that pack would come with a full class, five subclasses and five species (again, genasi isn't a single species but a set of four, much like how shadar-kai, sea elf and eladrin are all separate from each other and the PHB elf). Which might work if there are no feats or backgrounds, but I still think it's too rich for a $5 pack.

Oh, there are good reasons to not have an artificer pack, for sure, and there are challenges with the genasi. But I think when they were dividing up the species initially, that might have been the plan. At the very least, they could have put the aasimar somewhere else -- the paladin seems the obvious choice -- but didn't.

 

[saviirkad]

I love genasi, but make i wish that they would go back to the 4e idea of them being planetouched rather than descended from genies.

5e has both, you could be a descendant of an elemental genie or you could have been planetouched by the elemental planes in some way. Just like the aasimar and tieflings.

Personally I prefer planetouched, or descended from the planetouched.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

5e has both, you could be a descendant of an elemental genie or you could have been planetouched by the elemental planes in some way. Just like the aasimar and tieflings.

Personally I prefer planetouched, or descended from the planetouched.

Eh, not like 4e. I use planetouched as shorthand but it absolutely isnt the same.

In 4e they are a species, not occasional oddities caused by some guy living near an elemental node or making babies with a Djinn. They are from the elemental chaos (which iirc still exists as a borderland between elemental planes but i could be wrong) and they have family trees that are just "air genasi" going back a hundred generations.

It is a completely different vibe, and i frankly hate the 5e version as anything more than an optional alternative origin for individuals.

 

[darjr]

Dunno if this was mentioned up thread, if so sorry for the drive by.

Apparently all spells for a class have been added, I have not verified this myself.

 

[saviirkad]

Eh, not like 4e. I use planetouched as shorthand but it absolutely isnt the same.

In 4e they are a species, not occasional oddities caused by some guy living near an elemental node or making babies with a Djinn. They are from the elemental chaos (which iirc still exists as a borderland between elemental planes but i could be wrong) and they have family trees that are just "air genasi" going back a hundred generations.

It is a completely different vibe, and i frankly hate the 5e version as anything more than an optional alternative origin for individuals.

Fair, I get having a preference both for X and against Y.

For myself, I like having the ability to be both a one-off individual and from a larger community so the X + Y thing works for me.

 

[Sulicius]

Subclass specific spells were not included in these packs, but after receiving feedback on this, the DDB team has included them. Nice!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Oh, there are good reasons to not have an artificer pack, for sure, and there are challenges with the genasi. But I think when they were dividing up the species initially, that might have been the plan. At the very least, they could have put the aasimar somewhere else -- the paladin seems the obvious choice -- but didn't.

The aasimar in MotM is not the current aasimar. Therefore it's not eligible. The point of using MotM is that these species would otherwise be retired. I stand by my view that Genasi will appear in an upcoming publication (Arcana Unleashed/DLC/adventure). We already have a revamped fire genasi with the numbers filed off.

As for artificer, I suspect that will be released after the Ravenloft book. Probably with extra fanfare. It will only include three subclasses though, you will still need to buy the books for the full set.