D&D (2024) How D&D Beyond Will Handle Access To 2014 Rules

D&D Beyond has announced how the transition to the new 2024 edition will work on the platform, and how legacy access to the 2014 version of D&D will be implemented.

• You will still be able to access the 2014 Basic Rules and core rulebooks.
• You will still be able to make characters using the 2014 Player's Handbook.
• Existing home-brew content will not be impacted.
• These 2014 rules will be accessible and will be marked with a 'legacy' badge: classes, subclasses, species, backgrounds, feats, monsters.
• Tooltips will reflect the 2024 rules.
• Monster stat blocks will be updated to 2024.
• There will be terminology changes (Heroic Inspiration, Species, etc.)

D&D (2024) - Wizards of the Coast Backtracks on D&D Beyond and 2014 Content

Wizards of the Coast posted an overnight update stating that they are not going forward with previously released plans to require those wishing to use some 2014 content on D&D Beyond to use the Homebrew function to manually enter it. Instead, all the content including spells and magic items will...

www.enworld.org

 

[Mistwell]

Will you stop freaking out over people voicing their displeasure with corporate shenanigans?

It wasn't though, that's the thing. They were giving you free access to the updated spells - which was almost entirely appropriate errata for the old spells. Now you don't get those new versions for free, where you were going to get them for free. What is it you "won" and how was GIVING YOU THE NEW SPELLS FOR FREE "corporate shenanigans"?

I honestly think you guys played yourselves on this one. You were so outraged at the concept you didn't think through the ramifications or even the details of what you were arguing about. So now you get the old version of True Strike rather than the new version. Congratulations - you have a spell you will never use, but could have had a spell you would have used. You won?

 

[Belen]

I have yet to see someone explain why in practice they freaked out. Who here wanted the old version of True Strike and not the new version for free in their DNDBeyond usage? Raise your hand and give a brief honest explanation for why you didn't want this new errata'ed version to replace the old one.

Me.

I have no desire to change rules mid-campaign. I do not consider the sheer weight of changes errata. They are equivalent to the changes from 3e to 3.5.

I bought the new books and still want a toggle to switch between.

 

[Belen]

What was the loss of functionality in practical terms? You got access to the newer versions of the spells for free this way. Name me the newer version which isn't better than the older version in terms of any measure: quality of life, clarity, fixing errors from before, etc..

Polymorph, Command, Conjure X.

Your idea of better is not mine.

I also detest heroic inspiration and weapon masteries.

 

[Belen]

It wasn't though, that's the thing. They were giving you free access to the updated spells - which was almost entirely appropriate errata for the old spells. Now you don't get those new versions for free, where you were going to get them for free. What is it you "won" and how was GIVING YOU THE NEW SPELLS FOR FREE "corporate shenanigans"?

I honestly think you guys played yourselves on this one. You were so outraged at the concept you didn't think through the ramifications or even the details of what you were arguing about. So now you get the old version of True Strike rather than the new version. Congratulations - you have a spell you will never use, but could have had a spell you would have used. You won?

Sure.

You consider it errata. I do not. I consider it a half edition.

I bought the new books but I still want to finish my current campaign without dealing with learning new rules and everyone uses DDB and Avrae so it would have seriously borked my game.

 

[Nikosandros]

What was the loss of functionality in practical terms? You got access to the newer versions of the spells for free this way. Name me the newer version which isn't better than the older version in terms of any measure: quality of life, clarity, fixing errors from before, etc..

Unbelievable. Every time someone has a problem, someone else will arrive to explain that there is no problem. Incredibly tiresome.

The loss of functionality is the access to the 2014 spells, which are used in a 2014 campaign that is currently running and which is not switching to the new rules. It is quite simple, yes?

I'm not naming anything to you and I don't need to explain what games we play with our group.

 

[Nikosandros]

It wasn't though, that's the thing. They were giving you free access to the updated spells - which was almost entirely appropriate errata for the old spells. Now you don't get those new versions for free, where you were going to get them for free. What is it you "won" and how was GIVING YOU THE NEW SPELLS FOR FREE "corporate shenanigans"?

I honestly think you guys played yourselves on this one. You were so outraged at the concept you didn't think through the ramifications or even the details of what you were arguing about. So now you get the old version of True Strike rather than the new version. Congratulations - you have a spell you will never use, but could have had a spell you would have used. You won?

Played ourselves? What on earth are you even talking about? We got exactly what we where asking for. I'm quite pleased with the results.

 

[Nikosandros]

Also, I'm buying the 2024 rules, so I will get access to all the new elements any way...

 

[Juxtapozbliss]

They weren't. They would still have existed in the Compendium to be found. You would have just lost the tooltips and links, but the spells would still have been there under the legacy content.

Anyways, it's all moot now.

This is misleading. They would NOT have been available on character sheets unless you homebrew them.

 

[Juxtapozbliss]

Polymorph, Command, Conjure X.

Your idea of better is not mine.

I also detest heroic inspiration and weapon masteries.

Off-topic, but I'm with you, friend, on Heroic Inspiration! But I will never award Heroic Inspiration daily for being humans so my players will either never choose to be human because I took away a benefit from them--or I'll have to come up with an equal but different ability to give them. I'm an active user of Inspiration, I award it to players almost every session. It really steamed me that they turned the one tool that empowered DMs with a mechanical reward for good roleplaying and watered it down by adding it as a species benefit. Totally lame.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

It wasn't though, that's the thing. They were giving you free access to the updated spells - which was almost entirely appropriate errata for the old spells. Now you don't get those new versions for free, where you were going to get them for free. What is it you "won" and how was GIVING YOU THE NEW SPELLS FOR FREE "corporate shenanigans"?

I honestly think you guys played yourselves on this one. You were so outraged at the concept you didn't think through the ramifications or even the details of what you were arguing about. So now you get the old version of True Strike rather than the new version. Congratulations - you have a spell you will never use, but could have had a spell you would have used. You won?

I'll take that as a "no"

The updated spells are pointless to have by themselves, even if they are free. Anyone who actually wants to play D&D 2024 with D&D Beyond is going to buy the 2024 PHB and get access to the spells that way.