Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player's Handbook Officially on Sale Today

The new 2024 Player's Handbook for Dungeons & Dragons is officially on sale today. While game store retailers and some D&D Beyond subscribers have had access to the new handbook for a while, the 2024 Player's Handbook is now widely available both digitally on D&D Beyond and various VTT services and through large retailers like Amazon and Target.

While the 2024 Player's Handbook isn't the start of a new edition of Dungeons & Dragons (at least, not officially), Wizards of the Coast used the new rulebook to significantly update parts of the current 5th Edition ruleset. As a result, the Player's Handbook contains new character-building rules, new spell rules, and even new rules changing or clarifying various conditions. The changes are relatively significant, although the core gameplay still feels very similar to the 2014 version of D&D 5th Edition.

Also, using the 2024 Player's Handbook does not disqualify players from using past 5th edition material. Provided that there's not a direct equivalent in the new Player's Handbook, players can use older material (such as subclasses or races) in character creation. However, if a player does use the 2024 Player's Handbook to build a character, they are expected to use all relevant 2024 rules in their campaign.

 

[GMMichael]

The Barnes and Noble blurb says it's new, improved, optimized, and streamlined. With revised character options.

Then there's a bullet, just for me, that accuses me of having trouble filling out character sheets. Rude, but at least it promises to clear up that whole, confusing, "short rest" thing.

 

[kittenhugs]

The good: monk and grapple buffs take it from a struggling MAD class for monk diehards to a very effective controller-type that would benefit any party
The bad: ranger is basically just the Tasha's alt-features version but slightly worse
The ugly: no background customization besides equipment as-written unnecessarily limits character concepts

Overall an upgrade compared to 5e2014, and slightly more of a ".5e" than 3.5e was to 3e was. Characters are going to feel less restricted mechanically and have more to do thanks for new class features, getting more free spells, equipment having more defined uses, and feats being less of an afterthought in the system. There's fewer builds that blow the game math open due to changes to divine smite, great weapon master, and sharpshooter. Many of the problems inherent to 5e and D&D's general class fantasy are still there though (mundane martials vs. supernatural casters, stuff that has been debated in chat rooms and forums for decades now). I can only hope that my players remember their weapon masteries so I don't have to.

Hard to argue that it's worth the $150 asking price for 3 new core rulebooks though (before tax!), or the even more ludicrous-sounding $90 for the digital-only versions. And this is before you factor in corporate drama that WotC and Hasbro have regularly gotten themselves into for what feels like years now. If you're comfortable playing 5e2014, you could easily wait or forego upgrading probably for a few years at least before compatibility issues in new products become a real problem, if you don't move on to a new system before then.

For people who don't wanna leave D&D though (me), it's a welcome refresh on a good edition that had been showing its age for a few years already. And for those trying to get into D&D, the rules revision is nicer to look at, a bit easier to understand, and comes with 10 years of compatible adventures behind it that will work with few changes. Perfect? No. But this is D&D we're talking about. If it was perfect we wouldn't be here discussing it.

 

[GreyLord]

How integrated are feats now with the game. I think one big concern I've heard is that it actually is more complicated than 2014 with feats now being a required part of the game rather than optional.

Would you say it's better than Kobold's Black Flag/Tales of the Valiant in how it addresses issues and what it does better over 2014 5e?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

How integrated are feats now with the game. I think one big concern I've heard is that it actually is more complicated than 2014 with feats now being a required part of the game rather than optional.

Would you say it's better than Kobold's Black Flag/Tales of the Valiant in how it addresses issues and what it does better over 2014 5e?

Well you can just always use the Ability Score Increase Feat.

 

[Mistborn]

I bought Players in a preorder in June. When should I get the redeem code?

 

[Lazybones]

I already have my copies (both hardcore and digital for Fantasy Grounds), but I stopped by a Barnes & Noble today and they did not have any out.

 

[kittenhugs]

How integrated are feats now with the game. I think one big concern I've heard is that it actually is more complicated than 2014 with feats now being a required part of the game rather than optional.

Would you say it's better than Kobold's Black Flag/Tales of the Valiant in how it addresses issues and what it does better over 2014 5e?

You're gonna start with a feat, a weaker Origin feat. Humans start with 2. General feats for 4th level onward all provide a +1 to a stat so you won't fall behind stat-wise (ASI is a general feat they can take instead and is the default choice given in the class tables). The general feats are far more balanced than they were in 2014. So yes, it is gonna be more complicated with a few extra features compared to 2014 characters. That said, you could remove general feats and force everyone to just take ASIs if you really wanted to, I guess.

 

[SteveC]

I don't think this warrants its own thread (but if others do, feel free to move this...) but you can buy the new PHB on Foundry. I haven't been able to give it a look yet, but it's available. Another option for PHB goodness.

 

[Waller]

Would you say it's better than Kobold's Black Flag/Tales of the Valiant in how it addresses issues and what it does better over 2014 5e?

ToV is basically 2014 5E with the serial numbers removed. 2024 5E is better. Level Up A5E is better than 2014 5E. 2024 5E is somewhere between the two. I'd personally rank them as:

2014 5E
ToV
2024 5E
Level Up A5E