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]

Congrats to kobolds for finally graduating to a PHB cover. You guys have earned it. Kick those heroes' butts!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I like the art.

Though yesterday @This Effin’ GM made the rounds on Twitter singing the praised about 4e, and it got me thinking about the spines of the books. The 4e books were really cool. They had like a white/parchment colored banner for the Dungeons and Dragons logo, and then they were all color/art coded. All the monster books were green, I think the DMGs were blue... I wonder if this will follow 5e's trend of the boring black and red spine. I hope not.

I hope not. I hate the 5E spines so much. That said, for continuity in bookstores, I bet they only lightly revise it, at most.

 

[LordEntrails]

Too generic and doesn't tell a story. The sorceress has her back turned on the only enemies shown. Sure, everyone is getting ready for combat, But against whom and why?

Remember this one?

It told a story. You can totally envision the delve into the temple, the battle that was fought, and the reward that is being gained as the two pry the gems out of the idols eyes.

Or this one;

Not very well done IMO, but again, you can see the fight against the evil monster. You see the treasure (i.e. the reward) they are going for.

I can see getting away from the whole reason for adventuring being about wealth, but where is the village the party is protecting? The prince and/or princess they are rescuing? Why are they getting ready to fight? And who?

Naw, I don't like it. It doesn't spark the imagination.

 

[Arnie_Wan_Kenobi]

View attachment 362998

Assuming Sheila is there, but invisible, and Eric ran away?

 

[Shardstone]

I like framing the DMG as for Villains. It makes 5E feel more neotrad, where the DM's role is specifically to antagonize the party so they have something to feel heroic about overcoming.

 

[mamba]

I hope not. I hate the 5E spines so much. That said, for continuity in bookstores, I bet they only lightly revise it, at most.

from the article “The new Player’s Handbook (and all the rulebooks moving forward into this new era of the game) features a red book spine”

 

[LordEntrails]

Congrats to kobolds for finally graduating to an edition PHB cover. You guys have earned it. Kick those heroes' butts!

But is the kobold part of the party? Maybe since the sorceress has her back to them they are allies?

 

[Nikosandros]

Nice that the price for the core books is $50. I guess that the economies of scale allow that.

 

[Lidgar]

View attachment 362998

I really like the style of this art, and nice callback to the cartoon. Love the curious owlbear too...

 

[Meech17]

Too generic and doesn't tell a story. The sorceress has her back turned on the only enemies shown. Sure, everyone is getting ready for combat, But against whom and why?

Remember this one?
View attachment 363005
It told a story. You can totally envision the delve into the temple, the battle that was fought, and the reward that is being gained as the two pry the gems out of the idols eyes.

Or this one;
View attachment 363006
Not very well done IMO, but again, you can see the fight against the evil monster. You see the treasure (i.e. the reward) they are going for.

I can see getting away from the whole reason for adventuring being about wealth, but where is the village the party is protecting? The prince and/or princess they are rescuing? Why are they getting ready to fight? And who?

Naw, I don't like it. It doesn't spark the imagination.

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.

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