Dungeons & Dragons Releases Updated Free Rules Based on 2024 ruleset

The new Free Rules for Dungeons & Dragons are now available to read on D&D Beyond. As part of today's early access launch for the new 2024 Player's Handbook, Wizards of the Coast also released the new set of Free Rules for D&D on D&D Beyond, which are intended as a compliment to the 2014 Basic Rules release. The Free Rules currently contains class rules for four classes (Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, Wizard), each with one subclass, along with a handful of species (Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, and Human), and four backgrounds (Acolyte, Criminal, Sage, and Soldier). Also included are 12 feats, 48 creature statblocks (mostly related to wild shape or familiar forms), and 320 spells.

Wizards of the Coast noted that these new Basic Rules are not the new SRD 5.2 and they will be updated with additional rules material (such as the remaining classes) once the full 2024 Player's Handbook is released later this month. The SRD 5.2 will be released once all three core rulebooks are released in 2025.

On September 17th, the Free Rules for Dungeons & Dragons will also be released on other partner VTTs in addition to D&D Beyond.

 

[clearstream]

This product is free for crying out loud, and they want it as widely distributed as possible.

It's not entirely free, strictly speaking. The price is landing on their web page.

 

[Azzy]

Oh, the 2024 rules will be out in PDF. Unfortunately, WoTC is just deciding they won't be the ones putting it out.

I'm sure it already is.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Many creatives don't like putting their work out in an easily copied format, because it encourages casual sharing of them.
It doesn't stop bootleg and pirate copies from being made, but it does mean that honest users are more likely to pay for the product. An official PDF may be casually shared around groups with no-one really thinking about it, whereas people getting a copy from a pirate site are generally fully aware that they are taking something without paying the creators for it.
That cognitive awareness adds up in terms of sales.