D&D (2024) New D&D Edition's Player’s Handbook Cover Reveal

Game Informer has revealed the cover to the 2024 Player’s Handbook.

The cover features a gold dragon behind the old-school D&D characters Strongheart the paladin, Mercion the cleric, Elkhorn the dwarf fighter, and Molliver the thief. Ringlerun the wizard is absent (then again he got his showcase on one of the 1E AD&D Player's Handbooks), but a drow mage appears to have joined the party!

 

[Parmandur]

what's with the green, is it rusting?

Yes, Bronze Dragons like water, and Bronze corrodes.

 

[OB1]

Love this cover art so much (both front and back)! Really appreciative of showing 2 full groups of brave adventurers facing deadly perils as a team. Think that's a great first image for new players to see.

 

[lyle.spade]

I like the art, but I kind of thought this too..

If I were the art director coming up with prompts and in charge of picking the cover, I'd have opted for a scrappy low level looking party. The fighter wearing a leather old fashioned football helmet and wielding a rusted, notched sword. The wizard looking horrified as their spell fizzles in their hand. The priest tying a bandage with their teeth because they're out of spell slots.. The Warlock laying unconscious on the ground, being bandaged by the priest because they were out of spell slots..

I feel like that captures D&D.. Then I'd try and get the same party depicted throughout the book, each time looking stronger and better equipped.

Great idea - it'd be original, at this point.

 

[Kurotowa]

The digital Game Informer issue is also out, with a different article that drops some additional details.

Game Informer Issue 366 – Hades II Page 16

gameinformer.mydigitalpublication.com

From the sound of it, Aasimar are in the PHB. "The classic options like humans and elves ... are joined by new included options, like the planetouched Aasimar, the hulking Goliath, and mighty Orcs."

The sample campaign setting in the DMG is indeed Greyhawk. "After very few official releases in the last couple of decades, the world of Greyhawk takes center stage. The book fleshes out Greyhawk to illustrate how to create campaign settings of your own." There's even a poster map, with the world of Greyhawk on one side and the city on the other.

For the Monster Manual, they tease expanding some of the classic monsters into "families" with more examples at different CR levels. The given example is a lower CR proto-vampire and a higher CR Nightbringer vampire.

 

[lyle.spade]

I don't know but I've been told, everything is awesome when you are part of a team.

HA. Yeah...I can see so much of their art being the result of the dreaded committee...they have a too-long meeting, everyone feels like they need to add something, and when they all think, finally, they're going to be done, someone else brings up "but what about Dragonborn??" and another hour of their lives is drained away. And in the end, we have a kitchen sink that is in no way distinct at all.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The sample campaign setting in the DMG is indeed Greyhawk. "After very few official releases in the last couple of decades, the world of Greyhawk takes center stage. The book fleshes out Greyhawk to illustrate how to create campaign settings of your own." There's even a poster map, with the world of Greyhawk on one side and the city on the other.

We have several posters here who nailed this one several months ago with their predictions. Good work, folks, now let's talk about your stock market picks.

For the Monster Manual, they tease expanding some of the classic monsters into "families" with more examples at different CR levels. The given example is a lower CR proto-vampire and a higher CR Nightbringer vampire.

More vampires is helpful, but I hope they really flesh out the staples like goblins, orcs, cultists, bandits, urban thieves etc. The 2024 MM has way too few choices for the monsters DMs will often want to use for at least 10 levels of a campaign.

 

[Lidgar]

what's with the green, is it rusting?

Algae. Or a bad sinus infection.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Game Informer's spread shows a halfling wild magic sorcerer -- WITHOUT A GIGANTIC HEAD!

I take all my concerns back, the 2024 books are a rousing success.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Like Aleena as the cover cleric would be an iconic legendary character.

 

[occam]

what's with the green, is it rusting?

Verdigris. (Not literally, of course.)