D&D 5E D&D Beyond Will Delist Two Books On May 17th

D&D Beyond will be permanently removing Volo’s Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes on May 17th in favor of the upcoming Monsters of the Multiverse book, which largely compiles and updates that material.

As per the D&D Beyond FAQ for Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse:

Can I still buy Volo’s Guide to Monsters or Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes on D&D Beyond?
Starting on May 16, you can acquire the streamlined and up-to-date creatures and character race options, as well as a plethora of exciting new content, by purchasing Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. On May 17, Volo's Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes will be discontinued from our digital marketplace.

If you already own these two books you will still have access to your purchases and any characters or encounters you built with them. They won’t be removed from your purchased sourcebooks. Therefore, if you want the "fluff" and tables in those two tomes in D&D Beyond, you need to purchase them soon.

This is the first time books have been wholesale delisted from the D&D Beyond Platform rather than updated (much like physical book reprints are with errata and changes).

There’s no word from WotC on whether physical books will be discontinued and be allowed to sell out.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Yeah, but AL is just some random DM as far as actual compatibility goes.

No, WotC is The Head DM for AL and anyone running AL games has to follow the Head DM's rules. Table variation happens, but it is only supposed to be on judgement calls, not on arguments between two different versions of a rule or spell or class or race. I was involved with AL play for the first few years of 5E, so I speak from experience.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Honestly, even if one concedes for sake of argument that it is totally a new edition, your argument still holds based on the data at hand.

True.

 

[Parmandur]

No, WotC is The Head DM for AL and anyone running AL games has to follow the Head DM's rules. Table variation happens, but it is only supposed to be on judgement calls, not on arguments between two different versions of a rule or spell or class or race. I was involved with AL play for the first few years of 5E, so I speak from experience.

No, AL mods are not the collective hive mind of WotC, and AL rules are not binding in the game rules. It's essentially one large houserule set.

 

[Retreater]

Bravo, bravo... the level of satire packed into this is both astonishing and brilliant. I went from being horrified by you as a person, spouse, and DM to laughing hysterically at the rapidly escalating absurdity of it all... What a ride, 10/10, would read again.

My wife wants to frame this post and put it in our game room. Thank you.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

no one (except maybe you) are talking about a single table... not me for sure.

but again compatible also isn't 'cause wotc said they would'

compatible is what happens in the wild not at A table but at most tables.

if 80% of tables... wait that's way too high... 40%, nope thats less then half but still pretty good 25% that's 1 in 4... okay if 19% of all games run useing D&D 5e as published in 2014 (plus or minus some supplement errata/add ons) allowed you to walk in put your Level Up fighter on the table and let you play it, that would arguable be compatible in any meaningful way. If that orginal 80% allowed it we would most likely all include it in talk here, at cons (and that's at 80% not 100%) anywhere else you talk D&D.

now having said that I bet there is a higher then 1% of tables that WOULD allow a 3rd party fighter class (maybe even up to that 19% but I doubt it) and of those that would let one or more 3rd parties fighters in I bet Level UP gets a good showing... but even 40% of 19% (and I would have to be sold with some pretty good info to think it is 40% of 3rd party or that 19% of tables allow 3rd party) it would not be.


it's like someone selling you a brand new 8 track and telling you it is 100% compatible with millions of 8 track players made over decades, then getting it home to find you can't buy an 8 track and you don't own one and no one you know owns one... the statement in theory at a technical level isn't exactly a lie but if you can't use it, it is 0% compatible for you.

The number of DMs/Tables that use the rules have nothing, absolutely nothing, completely absolutely nothing, utterly completely absolutely nothing to do with compatibility.

Here, I have just right now created a new race. Flippies, they are humanoids with chihuahua heads, they are small humanoids with the Keen Smell trait, and can jump higher then normal. They have the other normal floating bonuses.

This new race I just created is 100% compatible with 5e's rules. It does not matter if no one lets me use it in a game, it's still compatible.

 

[Micah Sweet]

My wife wants to frame this post and put it in our game room. Thank you.

What post?

 

[BookTenTiger]

The number of DMs/Tables that use the rules have nothing, absolutely nothing, completely absolutely nothing, utterly completely absolutely nothing to do with compatibility.

Here, I have just right now created a new race. Flippies, they are humanoids with chihuahua heads, they are small humanoids with the Keen Smell trait, and can jump higher then normal. They have the other normal floating bonuses.

This new race I just created is 100% compatible with 5e's rules. It does not matter if no one lets me use it in a game, it's still compatible.

At my table, players can only play Flippies. So now every PHB is incompatible! Thanks a lot!!!

 

[Micah Sweet]

The number of DMs/Tables that use the rules have nothing, absolutely nothing, completely absolutely nothing, utterly completely absolutely nothing to do with compatibility.

Here, I have just right now created a new race. Flippies, they are humanoids with chihuahua heads, they are small humanoids with the Keen Smell trait, and can jump higher then normal. They have the other normal floating bonuses.

This new race I just created is 100% compatible with 5e's rules. It does not matter if no one lets me use it in a game, it's still compatible.

See, I really think that insisting compatibility has nothing to do with anything except math is just providing an "out" for WotC when the new books come out and they receive the inevitable complaints. If the presentation changes enough, it will be seen as a new edition no matter what WotC says, and the birth of a new edition of D&D is never smooth and easy.

 

[Parmandur]

See, I really think that insisting compatibility has nothing to do with anything except math is just providing an "out" for WotC when the new books come out and they receive the inevitable complaints. If the presentation changes enough, it will be seen as a new edition no matter what WotC says, and the birth of a new edition of D&D is never smooth and easy.

It is not "giving them an out" to understand what they mean.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It is not "giving them an out" to understand what they mean.

It is if you had a different idea of what is meant by compatible than WotC does.