New Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook Now Available

Ten years after the original release of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, a new core book set is coming… (+) Edition. Wizards of the Coast, LLC Three years ago, Wizards of the Coast announced #OneDnD as an effort to update and revise Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. The game has become more popular than ever, and the company took fan feedback into account and rolled out many of the changes suggested through the Unearthed Arcana public playtesting process. The fruits of this effort came to fruition this month with the release of the 2024 Player’s Handbook. September 17, 2024 remains the official release date for the book; however, the book has been in circulation prior to that date. Certain fans who preordered the book directly from D&D Beyond got early access through that platform, and many attendees of Gen Con this August had the opportunity to get an early copy at the show. Forbes3000 Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbooks Will Be At Gen Con 2024By Rob Wieland I was lucky enough to bring home an early copy of the book. We’ve had time to digest the changes, play through some options, and think about the future of Dungeons & Dragons. Releasing a new corebook is always a bit of a gamble, and with D&D’s popularity at unprecedented levels, the stakes couldn’t be higher. What’s in the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Players Handbook? The 2024 Players Handbook contains all the rules you need to play Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. The basic rules remain unchanged. When a player performs an action with their character where the outcome is uncertain, they roll a d20 modified by character elements such as skills, abilities, and special abilities. The book contains 12 classes and 4 subclasses, each allowing for 48 ready-to-use character variations. The subclasses are a mix of choices from the original Player’s Handbook, popular choices introduced in books since the Fifth Edition, and some new choices. The Barbarian, Bard, and Druid all receive new subclasses to round out their class choices. Background and race (what used to be called race) are now merged into a character’s origin. The two combine to give bonuses to character abilities and special rules for characters and feats. These are standard in this version of the rules. The book contains 10 races and 16 backgrounds. Gear and magic chapters make up the majority of the rest of the book. Fighters and other classes that use weapons have masteries that can give characters unique actions or effects on the battlefield. A character who has mastered the greataxe can Cleave another enemy if they killed a bad guy this round, while a master of the rapier can Vex a target they hit to gain advantage on their next attack roll against that enemy. Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook Impressions The 2024 Player’s Handbook marks a shift in priorities for Wizards of the Coast. This book is made to be easy for new players to play through better restructuring, clearer rules, and plenty of inspirational art. While the original intent of the 5th edition was to revive the D&D that existing fans loved, this version is made to show new fans why the game has been around for 50 years. Forbes Official First Look at the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Core Rulebook By Rob Wieland The main rules of the game occupy the first chapter, making it much easier to look things up. This is aided by an index and glossary that are much clearer to use when looking up rules terms and character abilities. The 5th edition has made the game much more accessible, but looking up specific rules from the 2014 edition could be quite a chore at times. All classes have been revised in some way. Most classes have had small tweaks made, usually to help you get to the cooler class abilities faster. With feats now fully integrated, now everyone can make choices for their characters beyond subclasses. The ranger and monk are the two classes that have changed the most. Monks now use their Martial Arts dice together with Focus Points to become unarmed combat masters. Rangers are given a spell-like ability called Hunter’s Mark, which makes them combatants who focus on ruining a specific opponent’s day in combat. The Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook is a great choice for those just getting started in the hobby. Fans who play at conventions or game stores will also want to pick up a copy to stay up to date. Check back later this year for our articles on the upcoming 2024 books, the Dungeon Master’s Guide and the Monster Manual.