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!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

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

Aleena's dead. I thought everyone had heard.

 

[Demetrios1453]

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.

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.

They do say that they've used the same method for other creature groups, specifically stating bandits and the like.

I wonder if they're backtracking on "Everything is alphabetical now", or will this be a separate section with lists of themed monsters by CR.

 

[overgeeked]

If those are supposed to be the '80s action figures, the dwarf is Elkhorn, the armored knight is Strongheart, and the cleric might be Mercion.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Aleena's dead. I thought everyone had heard.

Bargle loving propaganda

 

[OB1]

Oh the couldn't restrain themselves and printed that "The World's Greatest Roleplaying Game" line even more prominent (an in colour to both) on the book.

As a non native English speaker I am never sure if the talk about sales numbers or quality of the game here. This fist is correct the second arrogant.

And it says something about a company that feels the need to do this. If its polite or impolite can everyone choose for themselves....

This is just marketing positioning 101. D&D has claimed 'The World's Greatest Roleplaying Game' as their core identity (they know they are the most popular, which in many minds equates with 'great').

Other RPGs then have to position their message around this. Level Up, for example uses 'Advanced 5e' to make their statement, and Pathfinder uses 'Forge Your Legend'. I wouldn't be surprised if Daggerheart went something along the line of "The Role Playing Game for Storytellers'.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

They do say that they've used the same method for other creature groups, specifically stating bandits and the like.

I saw that, but I'm specifically thinking of orcs, goblins and other traditional groups. @Nixlord built his bestiary empire on the fact that the 2014 Monster Manual offers too few choices for core monsters. Ideally, every common monster would have multiple entries over multiple level ranges.

Additionally, it does sound like WotC has been reading The Monsters Know What They're Doing and have attempted to make the monsters run a bit better in practice, which would be great as well.

While I love my third party publisher 5E books, I should never feel like my encounters run poorly because I'm just using the core Monster Manual.

 

[LordEntrails]

I think the new one tells a story just fine.

Our heroes stand atop the parapet of a keep, and they're in trouble. Gold Dragon to the rear, Red dragon ahead of them, and the legion of kobolds who worship the dragons at their flanks. They're in a tight spot, and their only hope is each other.

Or the gold dragon behind them who is actually the one who will defeat the red dragon and they are just along for the ride and maybe smack down a few kobolds? Yeah, does not make them out to be the heroes imo.

It honestly looks like the visualization of your typical "You won't believe what happened in last night's session" story.

The DMPC's saved the day? ok, yea, fun for the DM, not for the players.

People can like what they like, but people really think this cover is worse than these?

No, but it's worse than the ones I showed.

I didn't even notice the red dragon in the bottom left. Still, a rather boring piece.

Me neither. Glad to see I wasn't alone!

Against the red dragon and the kobolds that are pictured facing off with them, obviously.

What red dragon? Oh, didn't see it so I guess not obviously? I still think the kobold is an ally and that is why the sorceress has her back turned to it.

(Note that they're facing a good-aligned dragon on the front cover and appear to be riding on its back on the back cover.)

I think the gold dragon is actually supposed to be the hero, and the party are it's allies to make sure it has food on the long journey through the barren waste. They actually started with 20 PCs, but food ran low...

 

[Oofta]

What is this from? I love it

The AD&D 1E DMG. There are some other fun ones in there.

I always appreciated that they were willing to have a bit of fun with the drawings.

 

[overgeeked]

The 3e covers were my absolute favorites. They looked like in-universe tomes, and it was awesome.

The best part of 3E. The book covers.

 

[Quickleaf]

The AD&D 1E DMG. There are some other fun ones in there.
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I always appreciated that they were willing to have a bit of fun with the drawings.

I love how that same artist illustrated some of the old Wizardry CRPG booklets.

And then the current 5e spell preparation system resembles how Wizardry spellcasting worked iirc.