D&D (2024) WotC Announces April 22 Release For 2024 System Reference Documents

The System Reference Document 5.2--the tool which helps developers create third-party content using the Dungeons & Dragons core rules engine--will be released under the Creative Commons license on April 22nd.

Additionally, Wizards of the Coast will publish a Conversion Guide for updating game content from the 2014 edition to the 2024 edition. This guide will arrive at a later date.

The Free Rules document on D&D Beyond will also be updated with new D&D Beyond Basic Rules (2024).

The older 5.1 SRD, which is based on the 2014 edition of D&D, will also remain available under both Creative Commons and the Open Game License (OGL).

More information will be available on April 22nd, when the new SRD is released.

A copy of each System Reference Document is stored independently at A5ESRD.com, which includes the 5.1 SRD, the revised 3.5 SRD, and other System Reference Documents (including the enormous A5E SRD).

 

[overgeeked]

Except anyone who uses it would still have to deal with the cc-by stuff. Dunno what that means myself.

The only requirement is including the CC-BY statement itself. Nothing is automatically released into CC-BY. But it’s effectively moot as you can include both in one document.

 

[Alzrius]

So we could simply release the 5.2 CC-BY SRD under the OGL ourselves. If someone really wanted to use the OGL for some reason.

I suspect it'd be easier/simpler/better to just retool the 5.1 material (possibly with other OGC) to more closely resemble what's in the 5.2 SRD, though we'll have to see the latter to determine how feasible that is.

 

[SlyFlourish]

So we could simply release the 5.2 CC-BY SRD under the OGL ourselves. If someone really wanted to use the OGL for some reason.

You could. I don't know why you would.

Except anyone who uses it would still have to deal with the cc-by stuff. Dunno what that means myself.

It only means you have to have the reference citation in the document. That's all.

 

[bedir than]

If you are pondering a multi-license situation consult a lawyer, hire a great layout person. Be clear what is under which license (this is basically the guidance from CC when you mix their licenses -- which is rather common).

 

[EzekielRaiden]

NGL, kinda wish that the title had been Document, singular. Because we're only getting one: the 5.2 one.

Making it plural gave me the briefest flash of hope that they'd announced more than one SRD, as in, more than one edition getting a CC SRD.

 

[abazaba]

No, they did not. 3.5 was a revision to the 3.0 rules. Not huge changes, really, but enough a conversion guide was appreciated.

I'm not sure, but I vaguely seem to recall Jeremy Crawford stating that he definitely considered it a new edition, as he personally had to rewrite all the statblocks in the monster manual. But I may be mistaken.

 

[ProfessorDetective]

Great to see.

I hope someone can pull the few good ideas from 2024 (Boon Invocations, stronger Martial Arts, a few of the new/revised spells) and backport them into their 2014 clones.

Hopefully we can all cut Wizards out of the equation as much as possible, before they pull some new bit of skullduggery.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Great to see.

I hope someone can pull the few good ideas from 2024 (Boon Invocations, stronger Martial Arts, a few of the new/revised spells) and backport them into their 2014 clones.

Hopefully we can all cut Wizards out of the equation as much as possible, before they pull some new bit of skullduggery.

Why not make something more original instead of downgrading.

You don’t even need the new SRD for your idea.

Also would prefer to keep things compatible with Wizards stuff cause I actually want new D&D stuff. Cutting them out is counterintuitive.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Why not make something more original instead of downgrading.

You don’t even need the new SRD for your idea.

Also would prefer to keep things compatible with Wizards stuff cause I actually want new D&D stuff. Cutting them out is counterintuitive.

It's counterintuitive if continuing to buy WotC product is important to you. If not, tearing out the bits you want to use in the game you want to play and leaving WotC out of it is perfectly valid.

 

[Uta-napishti]

Thanks WoTC for (apparently, on the 22nd) keeping their promise. We have to recognize when they do right by the community. Big props to the folks internally who have kept fighting for this!