(Discussion) 2024 Player's Handbook | Everything You Need to Know

It's Player's Handbook preorder day! Did you catch the overview video that just went live? It's only the first video, but what do you think so far?

We'll be including the rest of today's videos (as well as any articles that pop up!) so keep an eye out for more news later!

Summary provided by our wonderful friends at ENWorld—thank you Kobold Stew!

PHB rules changes:

• Potions take a bonus to drink
• still 48 subclasses
• species and background are each half of pre-class
• backgrounds list three ability scores, choose either +1/+1/+1 or +2+1 from among these.
• creature appendix bigger; includes all the mounts and familiar/enhanced options, and druids have selection
• Circle of the Moon "will have to visit the Monster Manual" at high enough level.
• Summon spells give an option of creatures summoned (cf Tasha's)
• Soul Knife, Psi Warrior, Aberrant Sorc, GOO warlock all confirmed
• Circle of the Sea, College of Dance, Path of World Tree all confirmed.
• there is a weapon mastery pool (paralleled with Magic Initiate)
• 75 feats include background and "epic" feats at level 19; some of Tasha's feats have migrated.
• more Fighting Style options than 2014.
• inspiration not what was in playtest: now allows reroll (not advantage) to apply to any roll (incl. damage, healing).
• arrays and point buy both mentioned
• character creation chapter has table to show which backgrounds enhance which classes. (This suggests the free mix-and-match of 2014 is gone).
• guidelines for stating at 3rd level (or other levels) also provided.
• species: goliath, aasimar, and orc confirmed.
• Orc adrenaline rush now recharges on short/long rest.
• Aasimar celestial revelation not a choice: options are avialable whenever it is used.
• crafting rules for magic limited to potions and scrolls

DMG:

• adventures, bastions, campaign setting, lore glossary are the four new chapters.
• includes 5 short sample adventures
• Greyhawk material includes postermap (city and world on different sides)
• lore glossary includes mithril, adamantium.
• players run the bastion, in a "bastion turn" -- a minigame not requiring the PC to be present, but players trigger events. (Bastion turns controlled by player, e.g. for use if game night is cancelled).
• treasure section: biggest chapter.
• more common magic items and "some nostalgic delights" (like those in D&D cartoon)
• crafting magic system broader than what's in PHB
• "tracking sheets" will be downoadable: for a new NPC, to build settlements, for players on bastions, for DM to track magic items dispensed, and session planning.
• chapter 1 "the Basics" for new DMs; ch 2 "running the game"; ch 3 "the DM toolbox" traps, poisons, siege engines, NPC building, curses, hazards, that were scattered in the 2014 DMG.
• ch 3 is arranged alphabetically.

Monster Manual:

• more than 500 monsters
• over 75 new monsters. (filling in families of monsters, such as new vampires)
• NPC groups (bandits, priests, mages, performers, pirates all confirmed), being relevant over more of a campaign.
• "almost all of the art in the book is new"
• CRs of all monsters stays the same, and have been adjusted accordingly
• apex versions of some creature types filled in: colossos for constructs; ** for ooze; arch-hag for fey; elemental juggernaut.)

Does the bundle discounts not apply to these new books? Added them to cart, went to check out and noticed no discount from owning the Legendary Bundle. 

Put a ticket in with support, but curious if you/anyone here can answer that as I wait for their reply. 

Thank you for all you do.

Quote from Inumiru >>

Does the bundle discounts not apply to these new books? Added them to cart, went to check out and noticed no discount from owning the Legendary Bundle. 

Put a ticket in with support, but curious if you/anyone here can answer that as I wait for their reply. 

Thank you for all you do.

 See this post here (by the same member of staff).

Don't have a lot of time, but I thought it was a great video!  Very excited to learn more about the updated Psionic Subclasses.

Quote from Linklite >>

Quote from Inumiru >>

Does the bundle discounts not apply to these new books? Added them to cart, went to check out and noticed no discount from owning the Legendary Bundle. 

Put a ticket in with support, but curious if you/anyone here can answer that as I wait for their reply. 

Thank you for all you do.

 See this post here (by the same member of staff).

 So this is separate from the issue of discounts stacking during the sale (which I still haven't heard any word on, so let me get that out of the way now).

There are no discounts at all on the 2024 core rulebooks. That's all the information I've got right now. HEY I WAS REALLY WRONG ABOUT THAT, SORRY

Quote from LaTiaJacquise >>

Quote from Linklite >>

Quote from Inumiru >>

Does the bundle discounts not apply to these new books? Added them to cart, went to check out and noticed no discount from owning the Legendary Bundle. 

Put a ticket in with support, but curious if you/anyone here can answer that as I wait for their reply. 

Thank you for all you do.

 See this post here (by the same member of staff).

 So this is separate from the issue of discounts stacking during the sale (which I still haven't heard any word on, so let me get that out of the way now).

There are no discounts at all on the 2024 core rulebooks. That's all the information I've got right now.

 Depressing, but thank you for the information. 

From this official post:

You also get discounts on books that are added to the bundles in the future. The Sourcebook and Adventure Bundles give you 10% off future books and the Legendary Bundle gets you 15% off.

I guess the fact they removed digital bundles in its entirety means that future books can no longer be "added to the bundle" so they don't honor the 15% off.

Add it to the ever increasing list of things this new objectively worse marketplace has ruined.

Quote from LaTiaJacquise>>

Summary provided by our wonderful friends at ENWorld—thank you Kobold Stew!

PHB rules changes:

• species and background are each half of pre-class
• backgrounds list three ability scores, choose either +1/+1/+1 or +2+1 from among these.
• character creation chapter has table to show which backgrounds enhance which classes. (This suggests the free mix-and-match of 2014 is gone)

So you have given me no Incentives to pre-order these books months in advance. This is not looking good to me for 2024 rules and DNDBeyond support

Turning Legendary buyers to forever homebrewers in a single fell swoop. I dig the hustle.

EDIT: The Legendary Bundle discount not applying was an error. That, in addition to an internal misunderstanding on it created a quagmire on the forums. Both have been corrected here.

Assuming they don't do away with the home-brew system entirely for this very reason.  That and the content sharing are the next "obstacle" to our money. 

Edit: Skibidi to the old comment.

Legendary Bundle discount now working...I hope the "Subscribe to Master Tier and get early access to the 2024 core rulebooks" graphic on the dndbeyond.com main page stays valid....

When I purchased it in 2021 it said no such things of "adding" to any bundle.

Link to wayback machine.

https://web.archive.org/web/20210127222438/https://www.dndbeyond.com/marketplace/bundles/legendary-bundle

Quote from jl8e >>

Quote from LaTiaJacquise>>

Summary provided by our wonderful friends at ENWorld—thank you Kobold Stew!

PHB rules changes:

• species and background are each half of pre-class
• backgrounds list three ability scores, choose either +1/+1/+1 or +2+1 from among these.
• character creation chapter has table to show which backgrounds enhance which classes. (This suggests the free mix-and-match of 2014 is gone)

Does this mean that free-form backgrounds as the primary system from playtest is gone?

 I was wondering the same thing.  I have to believe that there is a "custom" background option.  

Question from a EU customer: The digital + physical bundle offers interesting perks for buying. But, the EU store doesn't list that bundle. Is there another way to get those perks as a EU resident? On Discord apparently they are saying the perks are indeed only for the digitial + physical bundle, but the product details of the digital bundle (which is no real bundle but rather adds three items to your cart), says that you also get the same perks as the digital + physical bundle. What gives?

* Will there be a bundle deal available on the EU store?

* How else to get the digital perks from the bundle deal? (has been adressed: buying the digital bundle gives the pre-order perks)

Quote from CrazyPitesh >>

When I purchased it in 2021 it said no such things of "adding" to any bundle.

Link to wayback machine.

https://web.archive.org/web/20210127222438/https://www.dndbeyond.com/marketplace/bundles/legendary-bundle

 And that still appears to be the case for the captures up to 14th February 2024 before the new marketplace:

You will also automatically receive a 15% discount off standard pricing for all future digital Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook and adventure book purchases on D&D Beyond!

I wonder then if Core Rulebooks are considered exempted because they're neither Sourcebooks nor Adventure books?

HOO BOY, this is one time where I'm happy to walk back my words! Legendary bundle owners should be receiving the discount on the core rulebooks, and it's an error if you are not!

Quote from Tilda_Wildbramble >>

Quote from jl8e >>

Quote from LaTiaJacquise>>

Summary provided by our wonderful friends at ENWorld—thank you Kobold Stew!

PHB rules changes:

• species and background are each half of pre-class
• backgrounds list three ability scores, choose either +1/+1/+1 or +2+1 from among these.
• character creation chapter has table to show which backgrounds enhance which classes. (This suggests the free mix-and-match of 2014 is gone)

Does this mean that free-form backgrounds as the primary system from playtest is gone?

 I was wondering the same thing.  I have to believe that there is a "custom" background option.  

 I would hope so, I really like customizing my Background to fit better with the backstory of my characters.