Yesterday, we released a Changelog detailing the upcoming updates to the D&D Beyond site. We have been listening to your feedback and want to provide some important clarifications regarding spells, magic items, and access to the 2014 Core Rulebook compendiums. We also would like to provide clarity on the partnered content we’ve brought to D&D Beyond.
2014 Rulebook Compendiums
Players will not lose access to their 2014 content in the Compendium. 2014 content will continue to be accessible on the D&D Beyond site and available for purchase after the release of the 2024 Core Rulebook. The information in them will remain unchanged, and players will not lose access to any of their 2014 content.
Free Rules
We will be releasing D&D Free Rules (2024) covering similar content as the 2014 Free Basic Rules, with more details to come pending the release of the Player’s Handbook. Players will not need to buy the 2024 Core Rulebooks to access Free Rules (2024). The Free Rules (2024) will not require an account or purchase to use or view. Content that was free in the 2014 Free Basic Rules will remain free when the D&D Free Rules (2024) are released. We will also add new Spells and Feats in the D&D Free Rules (2024).
Spells
When updated, Spell descriptions on character sheets will default to 2024 Core Rulebook descriptions. All users, regardless of whether they have purchased the 2024 Player’s Handbook, will be able to access these updated Spells for free if they previously purchased the 2014 Player’s Handbook. All 2014 versions of Spells will still be accessible in the D&D Beyond Compendium and available for players to access.
Magic Items
All users, regardless of whether they have purchased the 2024 rulebooks, will be able to access updated magic items for free if they have previously purchased the 2014 Player’s Handbook.
Only two magic items are impacted by the 2024 update, with minor changes to their text: Potion of Healing and Spell Scroll. The 2014 versions of these items will still be accessible in the D&D Beyond Compendium. We will evaluate upcoming changes to other magic items with the release of the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Partnered Content
We have been working with our partners ahead of these changes to ensure that their content will remain compatible with D&D Beyond’s updates. Our partners have made amazing content that we are proud to have on D&D Beyond, and we will continue to work to create compatibility.
Why did a WotC employee reject my home brew version of Acid Arrow after I created it with enough flavor changes to bypass the automated system?
i genuinely do think that keeping two databases is the best solution personally.
The one question I have about this theory is (and I genuinely don't know the answer) would this work and still allow people to use content easily from both? Like, I want to be able to use the new class options with older subclasses or use older classes with the new spells.
It just seems like at a certain point it might be too confusing and convoluted to keep track of and deal with for them.
There is a lot of jargon here that I'm just not familiar with or able to keep up within my tiny brain so I have a simple yes/no question;
Should I start making homebrew copies of all spells/magical items that I have available to me now so I don't lose access to these things within the character sheet?
I'm DMing my first campaign with all brand new players to D&D. None of us are experts in the current 5e mechanics but I know we all will be turned away if we can't continue in the 5e vein.
Having my content on my character sheet, and sharing the content that I purchased, in Campaigns with my other players, is the only reason I pay for a subscription.
I will be canceling my subscription as soon as this change goes live.
The only way to prevent a mass exodus of subscriptions IMO is to give us (Legacy) versions of all the things (items, spells, classes, backgrounds, ALL of it) that can still be used in character sheets.
I just don't understand the lack of transparency on WHY they are doing this. There's clearly a specific reason why only spells and magic items are affected but they haven't explained it.
Fully done in full concience to push thier 2024 down everyones throat, claiming backwards compability (where is none) hoping they can sell a rushed unfinished product that has even more problems than the prior version.
I genuinely just don’t think that’s true.
like honestly I get the desire to assume the worst… I’m not pro WotC at all, but I really don’t think that’s it.
i think much more likely is that the backend of the database was never written with the concept of being updated like this and so the spells and magic items have been saved under actual names, rather than id’s and so updates like this become a lot more problematic. That’s not me defending them because a fix is not impossible, it’s just a lot more labour intensive and instead I think they’ve chosen the option that’s easiest for THEM and decides we should all have to front the work load for them in fixing a problem they created.
like let’s look at healing word as just an example… 2014 healing word heals for less than 2024 healing word. The way the database works is that not only does the character sheet point to 2014 healing word currently, all instances that use healing word in the game point to the 2014 version, so that would include subclasses, feat, monsters who use the spell, magical items that use the spell and so on and so forth.
to maintain a functional 2014 database at this junction they would need a healing word (2014) version, which would probably be named something like “Healing Word (Legacy)”and a healing word (2024) version, that would just be called healing word (because most up to date version always takes precedence). They would then need to duplicate all entries on the database and have one version that points to the 2024 version of the spell and one that points to the 2014 version of the spell. So that would kind that say you had a cleric enemy - you would need to have a 2024 and 2014 version of both pages because the spell links inside creature page would be pointing to different version of the spell.
now replicate that for literally everything in the game.
so I know people keep saying “just add a toggle” but it really isn’t as simple as that because of how the database currently works.
...
I don't think it would be as difficult as you say to make this work. Let's break it down.
Let's assume everything is coded to refer to spells using names and not IDs.
Their database already contains the 2014 version of Healing Word under the name "Healing Word". Now Healing Word has changed in 2024 so one way or another the database needs to be touched to either add a new entry or edit the existing entry's description. From a database update perspective both are equally simple and easy.
So let's take the route less disruptive to the data, and add a new entry for "Healing Word (2024)". Note I am choosing to name the new spells "2024" for least disruption, but renaming the old spells to 2014/Legacy isn't too bad either just slightly more work to go through and update existing references, so that is also a possibility and can also be done as a second stage update as well.
So far nothing is impacted, everything existing is using the Healing Word name and refers to the 2014 version.
Ok so now the 2024 version needs to be referenced in a few places.
1. The new PHB, this is easy as it's also a new entry in their data store so nothing old is impacted.
2. Spell Search page: Since we have two entries in the database they will both appear in the spell search, with the new one clearly labeled 2024. If desired a user can filter by sourcebook already to only see 2014 or 2024 version of the spell as desired.
3. 2024 Classes, Subclasses, Feats, Species, Backgrounds: These are all new entries and therefore need to be created from scratch and can therefore be made to reference "Healing Word (2024)", again nothing old is impacted. Keep in mind they have already implemented toggles for the 2014 vs 2024 character options mentioned.
4. 2024 monsters: These are all new entries and therefore need to be created from scratch and can therefore be made to reference "Healing Word (2024)", again nothing old is impacted. Again they have already implemented toggles for 2014 vs 2024 monsters.
5. Character Sheet spells management: Since we have two entries in the database they will both appear in the spell search. As there are currently no filters in that tab, If they want to improve the user experience they can add a toggle that will filter out the 2014 or 2024 versions of Healing Word.
That's is it, this is the most basic thing they could have done which causes least disruption and makes both sets of spells available to 2014 and 2024 characters respectively. And this may seem hacky, but it should have been at least a first step in the update process, and as development continues and they get past the PHB 2024 release deadline, they could then focus on making this more robust and redesigning the site so it can support multiple versions seamlessly.
And then the entire DDB rules engine has to be updated to use all those new names appropriately. It's, presumably, not an easy lift.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by the DDB rules engine?
Sure! The set of computer code that knows what to display when and where and how to calculate dice rolls, etc.
In order for what you're proposing to actually work, there would have to be 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things, then the engine would have to know there are both 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things, then it would have to know if a character is 2014 or 2024, then it would have to be able to use that knowledge to link to and display all of the things that are flagged as 2014 or 2024 respectively. Just adding a toggle to show/hide wouldn't do anything, especially for anything outside of the basic character sheet info.
As an example, let's use a Staff of Power. If I have a 2014 character, the engine would need to know that so that it could grab a 2014 staff. The 2014 staff would need to know to link to the 2014 version of the spells. The character sheet would need to know that any dice rolls or mechanics involved needed to link to the 2014 versions, and etc. down the chain for everything connected to the character.
Right yes there would need to be 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things. But my point was that 2014 versions already exist, and they are already making 2024 versions of all the things (besides items and spells). So all the 2014 versions of things already refer to the 2014 versions of the spells. And when they created the 2024 versions of things they can point them specifically to the 2024 versions of spells. There's no need for a rules engine, it's just a series of links and references.
In your example, where there's a "Staff of Power” and "Staff of Power (2024)" the "Staff of Power" is already referencing "Fireball" and when the "Staff of Power (2024)" item is created it is instead referencing "Fireball (2024)". Again I want to point out I'm tagging the new item with 2024 for simplicity's sake, and the reverse can be done albeit with more work
By default both Staves of Power are available for a user to choose in the Inventory Management tab. Then a 2014/2024 toggle/filter can be added to the Inventory Management tab that changes what is available to choose. This is independent of what Class/Subclass/Species etc you have chosen during character creation.
Yes, the Staff of Power is referencing Fireball. What you're suggesting is that they now have to have a Staff of Power, a Staff of Power 2024, a Fireball, a Fireball 2024 and they have to plug all those things into one another and, in addition, make sure that any real mechanics tied to any of that are also versioned and linked up correctly and then they have to make sure that when your 2014 character grabs a Staff of Power, it uses the correct version with all the correct things linked up to it.
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Grant K. Smith A+, Network+, MCP x 2, BSIT/VC, MIS
Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous
I just don't understand the lack of transparency on WHY they are doing this. There's clearly a specific reason why only spells and magic items are affected but they haven't explained it.
Fully done in full concience to push thier 2024 down everyones throat, claiming backwards compability (where is none) hoping they can sell a rushed unfinished product that has even more problems than the prior version.
I genuinely just don’t think that’s true.
like honestly I get the desire to assume the worst… I’m not pro WotC at all, but I really don’t think that’s it.
i think much more likely is that the backend of the database was never written with the concept of being updated like this and so the spells and magic items have been saved under actual names, rather than id’s and so updates like this become a lot more problematic. That’s not me defending them because a fix is not impossible, it’s just a lot more labour intensive and instead I think they’ve chosen the option that’s easiest for THEM and decides we should all have to front the work load for them in fixing a problem they created.
like let’s look at healing word as just an example… 2014 healing word heals for less than 2024 healing word. The way the database works is that not only does the character sheet point to 2014 healing word currently, all instances that use healing word in the game point to the 2014 version, so that would include subclasses, feat, monsters who use the spell, magical items that use the spell and so on and so forth.
to maintain a functional 2014 database at this junction they would need a healing word (2014) version, which would probably be named something like “Healing Word (Legacy)”and a healing word (2024) version, that would just be called healing word (because most up to date version always takes precedence). They would then need to duplicate all entries on the database and have one version that points to the 2024 version of the spell and one that points to the 2014 version of the spell. So that would kind that say you had a cleric enemy - you would need to have a 2024 and 2014 version of both pages because the spell links inside creature page would be pointing to different version of the spell.
now replicate that for literally everything in the game.
so I know people keep saying “just add a toggle” but it really isn’t as simple as that because of how the database currently works.
im not saying this to defend WotC - I genuinely think that’s a THEM problem, not an US problem. They want more money, they want to sell more books, they decided to buy DnD beyond… like ultimately that’s for them to sort out while not inconveniencing us. I have no sympathy for them or this nonsense they’re trying to pull now.
what they seem to have decided instead is to just be like “screw it… we’ll just update everything as it’s easiest for us going forward and we’ll take the losses now, in the hopes that this forms a solid bedrock for the next 10 years for the new version” - I don’t think it’s trying to drive us to 2024 purchases, I think they are genuinely just ambivalent to the impact to the community now.
now their is a fix to the database, however it would probably take a lot of recoding on the backend, so that instead of using names for spell links and pages, they instead used database ID’s (which is the superior choice), but that again would mean going through every page with a link on it and completely remapping them to their new locations - which WotC clearly have no interest in doing because it’s time and labour intensive.
You seem to forget: They wouldn't need to worry about the names. They'd just need the default behavior to point to the current list, and the toggle would point to an entirely separate Legacy list. They have the Legacy tagging system in place in the site already with identically-named entries existing side by side.
Well I’ve not forgotten that… I just don’t think it’s relevant.
like this isn’t me running defence for them… have a look at how outraged I am in other posts. But I just don’t think the legacy toggle work’s in the way you’re proposing.
I can’t think of any content toggle that exists in DDB currently that isn’t just a show/hide option. So genuinely I’m asking how you think this toggle would work?
like say I’m running a 2014 adventure, I’ve got the legacy toggle turned on… I have a look, as I’m a dm, to see what spells the enemy wizard can cast and look at its spell list. In what way do you think the legacy toggle would work to ensure the spell links on the enemy stat page would link to the 2014 versions of the spells, rather than the 2024 versions?
(this isn’t me being shady either, I’m genuinely trying to understand your point)
-Add a toggle in the Character Builder that allows a person to use Legacy spells -If the toggle is on, any spell that has a Legacy version gets a checkbox in the corner of its description allowing a person to switch to the Legacy printing of the spell -Checkbox being checked means it looks at the Legacy list for the spell name instead (with Befuddlement/Feeblemind being specified in the backend for renaming reasons, same with Summon Dragon/Summon Draconic Spirit)
This would have the benefit of not having to worry about what happens with subclasses, feats, etc. because it's managed in the spell flow itself.
I just don't understand the lack of transparency on WHY they are doing this. There's clearly a specific reason why only spells and magic items are affected but they haven't explained it.
Fully done in full concience to push thier 2024 down everyones throat, claiming backwards compability (where is none) hoping they can sell a rushed unfinished product that has even more problems than the prior version.
I genuinely just don’t think that’s true.
like honestly I get the desire to assume the worst… I’m not pro WotC at all, but I really don’t think that’s it.
i think much more likely is that the backend of the database was never written with the concept of being updated like this and so the spells and magic items have been saved under actual names, rather than id’s and so updates like this become a lot more problematic. That’s not me defending them because a fix is not impossible, it’s just a lot more labour intensive and instead I think they’ve chosen the option that’s easiest for THEM and decides we should all have to front the work load for them in fixing a problem they created.
like let’s look at healing word as just an example… 2014 healing word heals for less than 2024 healing word. The way the database works is that not only does the character sheet point to 2014 healing word currently, all instances that use healing word in the game point to the 2014 version, so that would include subclasses, feat, monsters who use the spell, magical items that use the spell and so on and so forth.
to maintain a functional 2014 database at this junction they would need a healing word (2014) version, which would probably be named something like “Healing Word (Legacy)”and a healing word (2024) version, that would just be called healing word (because most up to date version always takes precedence). They would then need to duplicate all entries on the database and have one version that points to the 2024 version of the spell and one that points to the 2014 version of the spell. So that would kind that say you had a cleric enemy - you would need to have a 2024 and 2014 version of both pages because the spell links inside creature page would be pointing to different version of the spell.
now replicate that for literally everything in the game.
so I know people keep saying “just add a toggle” but it really isn’t as simple as that because of how the database currently works.
...
I don't think it would be as difficult as you say to make this work. Let's break it down.
Let's assume everything is coded to refer to spells using names and not IDs.
Their database already contains the 2014 version of Healing Word under the name "Healing Word". Now Healing Word has changed in 2024 so one way or another the database needs to be touched to either add a new entry or edit the existing entry's description. From a database update perspective both are equally simple and easy.
So let's take the route less disruptive to the data, and add a new entry for "Healing Word (2024)". Note I am choosing to name the new spells "2024" for least disruption, but renaming the old spells to 2014/Legacy isn't too bad either just slightly more work to go through and update existing references, so that is also a possibility and can also be done as a second stage update as well.
So far nothing is impacted, everything existing is using the Healing Word name and refers to the 2014 version.
Ok so now the 2024 version needs to be referenced in a few places.
1. The new PHB, this is easy as it's also a new entry in their data store so nothing old is impacted.
2. Spell Search page: Since we have two entries in the database they will both appear in the spell search, with the new one clearly labeled 2024. If desired a user can filter by sourcebook already to only see 2014 or 2024 version of the spell as desired.
3. 2024 Classes, Subclasses, Feats, Species, Backgrounds: These are all new entries and therefore need to be created from scratch and can therefore be made to reference "Healing Word (2024)", again nothing old is impacted. Keep in mind they have already implemented toggles for the 2014 vs 2024 character options mentioned.
4. 2024 monsters: These are all new entries and therefore need to be created from scratch and can therefore be made to reference "Healing Word (2024)", again nothing old is impacted. Again they have already implemented toggles for 2014 vs 2024 monsters.
5. Character Sheet spells management: Since we have two entries in the database they will both appear in the spell search. As there are currently no filters in that tab, If they want to improve the user experience they can add a toggle that will filter out the 2014 or 2024 versions of Healing Word.
That's is it, this is the most basic thing they could have done which causes least disruption and makes both sets of spells available to 2014 and 2024 characters respectively. And this may seem hacky, but it should have been at least a first step in the update process, and as development continues and they get past the PHB 2024 release deadline, they could then focus on making this more robust and redesigning the site so it can support multiple versions seamlessly.
And then the entire DDB rules engine has to be updated to use all those new names appropriately. It's, presumably, not an easy lift.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by the DDB rules engine?
Sure! The set of computer code that knows what to display when and where and how to calculate dice rolls, etc.
In order for what you're proposing to actually work, there would have to be 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things, then the engine would have to know there are both 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things, then it would have to know if a character is 2014 or 2024, then it would have to be able to use that knowledge to link to and display all of the things that are flagged as 2014 or 2024 respectively. Just adding a toggle to show/hide wouldn't do anything, especially for anything outside of the basic character sheet info.
As an example, let's use a Staff of Power. If I have a 2014 character, the engine would need to know that so that it could grab a 2014 staff. The 2014 staff would need to know to link to the 2014 version of the spells. The character sheet would need to know that any dice rolls or mechanics involved needed to link to the 2014 versions, and etc. down the chain for everything connected to the character.
Right yes there would need to be 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things. But my point was that 2014 versions already exist, and they are already making 2024 versions of all the things (besides items and spells). So all the 2014 versions of things already refer to the 2014 versions of the spells. And when they created the 2024 versions of things they can point them specifically to the 2024 versions of spells. There's no need for a rules engine, it's just a series of links and references.
In your example, where there's a "Staff of Power” and "Staff of Power (2024)" the "Staff of Power" is already referencing "Fireball" and when the "Staff of Power (2024)" item is created it is instead referencing "Fireball (2024)". Again I want to point out I'm tagging the new item with 2024 for simplicity's sake, and the reverse can be done albeit with more work
By default both Staves of Power are available for a user to choose in the Inventory Management tab. Then a 2014/2024 toggle/filter can be added to the Inventory Management tab that changes what is available to choose. This is independent of what Class/Subclass/Species etc you have chosen during character creation.
FYI, staff of power currently has the tag Basic Rules (2014)
I initially thought this was fake news to stir people up because they were clearly taking steps ahead of the release of the new to facilitate full backwards capability like they said they were.
i genuinely do think that keeping two databases is the best solution personally.
The one question I have about this theory is (and I genuinely don't know the answer) would this work and still allow people to use content easily from both? Like, I want to be able to use the new class options with older subclasses or use older classes with the new spells.
It just seems like at a certain point it might be too confusing and convoluted to keep track of and deal with for them.
No, that's what DDB is going to be come September 3rd by default. The "Classic" idea I keep harping on would only be for folks wanting to stay in 2014 land.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Grant K. Smith A+, Network+, MCP x 2, BSIT/VC, MIS
Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous
I just don't understand the lack of transparency on WHY they are doing this. There's clearly a specific reason why only spells and magic items are affected but they haven't explained it.
Fully done in full concience to push thier 2024 down everyones throat, claiming backwards compability (where is none) hoping they can sell a rushed unfinished product that has even more problems than the prior version.
I genuinely just don’t think that’s true.
like honestly I get the desire to assume the worst… I’m not pro WotC at all, but I really don’t think that’s it.
i think much more likely is that the backend of the database was never written with the concept of being updated like this and so the spells and magic items have been saved under actual names, rather than id’s and so updates like this become a lot more problematic. That’s not me defending them because a fix is not impossible, it’s just a lot more labour intensive and instead I think they’ve chosen the option that’s easiest for THEM and decides we should all have to front the work load for them in fixing a problem they created.
like let’s look at healing word as just an example… 2014 healing word heals for less than 2024 healing word. The way the database works is that not only does the character sheet point to 2014 healing word currently, all instances that use healing word in the game point to the 2014 version, so that would include subclasses, feat, monsters who use the spell, magical items that use the spell and so on and so forth.
to maintain a functional 2014 database at this junction they would need a healing word (2014) version, which would probably be named something like “Healing Word (Legacy)”and a healing word (2024) version, that would just be called healing word (because most up to date version always takes precedence). They would then need to duplicate all entries on the database and have one version that points to the 2024 version of the spell and one that points to the 2014 version of the spell. So that would kind that say you had a cleric enemy - you would need to have a 2024 and 2014 version of both pages because the spell links inside creature page would be pointing to different version of the spell.
now replicate that for literally everything in the game.
so I know people keep saying “just add a toggle” but it really isn’t as simple as that because of how the database currently works.
...
I don't think it would be as difficult as you say to make this work. Let's break it down.
Let's assume everything is coded to refer to spells using names and not IDs.
Their database already contains the 2014 version of Healing Word under the name "Healing Word". Now Healing Word has changed in 2024 so one way or another the database needs to be touched to either add a new entry or edit the existing entry's description. From a database update perspective both are equally simple and easy.
So let's take the route less disruptive to the data, and add a new entry for "Healing Word (2024)". Note I am choosing to name the new spells "2024" for least disruption, but renaming the old spells to 2014/Legacy isn't too bad either just slightly more work to go through and update existing references, so that is also a possibility and can also be done as a second stage update as well.
So far nothing is impacted, everything existing is using the Healing Word name and refers to the 2014 version.
Ok so now the 2024 version needs to be referenced in a few places.
1. The new PHB, this is easy as it's also a new entry in their data store so nothing old is impacted.
2. Spell Search page: Since we have two entries in the database they will both appear in the spell search, with the new one clearly labeled 2024. If desired a user can filter by sourcebook already to only see 2014 or 2024 version of the spell as desired.
3. 2024 Classes, Subclasses, Feats, Species, Backgrounds: These are all new entries and therefore need to be created from scratch and can therefore be made to reference "Healing Word (2024)", again nothing old is impacted. Keep in mind they have already implemented toggles for the 2014 vs 2024 character options mentioned.
4. 2024 monsters: These are all new entries and therefore need to be created from scratch and can therefore be made to reference "Healing Word (2024)", again nothing old is impacted. Again they have already implemented toggles for 2014 vs 2024 monsters.
5. Character Sheet spells management: Since we have two entries in the database they will both appear in the spell search. As there are currently no filters in that tab, If they want to improve the user experience they can add a toggle that will filter out the 2014 or 2024 versions of Healing Word.
That's is it, this is the most basic thing they could have done which causes least disruption and makes both sets of spells available to 2014 and 2024 characters respectively. And this may seem hacky, but it should have been at least a first step in the update process, and as development continues and they get past the PHB 2024 release deadline, they could then focus on making this more robust and redesigning the site so it can support multiple versions seamlessly.
And then the entire DDB rules engine has to be updated to use all those new names appropriately. It's, presumably, not an easy lift.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by the DDB rules engine?
Sure! The set of computer code that knows what to display when and where and how to calculate dice rolls, etc.
In order for what you're proposing to actually work, there would have to be 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things, then the engine would have to know there are both 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things, then it would have to know if a character is 2014 or 2024, then it would have to be able to use that knowledge to link to and display all of the things that are flagged as 2014 or 2024 respectively. Just adding a toggle to show/hide wouldn't do anything, especially for anything outside of the basic character sheet info.
As an example, let's use a Staff of Power. If I have a 2014 character, the engine would need to know that so that it could grab a 2014 staff. The 2014 staff would need to know to link to the 2014 version of the spells. The character sheet would need to know that any dice rolls or mechanics involved needed to link to the 2014 versions, and etc. down the chain for everything connected to the character.
Right yes there would need to be 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things. But my point was that 2014 versions already exist, and they are already making 2024 versions of all the things (besides items and spells). So all the 2014 versions of things already refer to the 2014 versions of the spells. And when they created the 2024 versions of things they can point them specifically to the 2024 versions of spells. There's no need for a rules engine, it's just a series of links and references.
In your example, where there's a "Staff of Power” and "Staff of Power (2024)" the "Staff of Power" is already referencing "Fireball" and when the "Staff of Power (2024)" item is created it is instead referencing "Fireball (2024)". Again I want to point out I'm tagging the new item with 2024 for simplicity's sake, and the reverse can be done albeit with more work
By default both Staves of Power are available for a user to choose in the Inventory Management tab. Then a 2014/2024 toggle/filter can be added to the Inventory Management tab that changes what is available to choose. This is independent of what Class/Subclass/Species etc you have chosen during character creation.
Yes, the Staff of Power is referencing Fireball. What you're suggesting is that they now have to have a Staff of Power, a Staff of Power 2024, a Fireball, a Fireball 2024 and they have to plug all those things into one another and, in addition, make sure that any real mechanics tied to any of that are also versioned and linked up correctly and then they have to make sure that when your 2014 character grabs a Staff of Power, it uses the correct version with all the correct things linked up to it.
That's exactly what I'm suggesting because that is basically what they are asking us to do with homebrew, when it should be their job to do the same.
That is sick and overly selfish. The only thing they see when look at us loyal consumers of their products is money and now they are showing off their true colors. After this insult, I’m goin to wait until someone else makes a website or something that remakes what they are removing against our wills. For now, I’m unsubscribing from their master teir
Anyone got any ideas for replacements for DDB? Since this service is unusable now.
Depends on what you're using D&D Beyond for and how much work you want to put in to setting up on a new platform versus trying to make the janky homebrew solution work here. Like if you're using D&D Beyond and an external VTT (with the widget to click on the D&D Beyond character sheet & roll on the external VTT), you might want to see if the character sheet tools within the VTT work better for you.
Demiplane (who brought on some D&D Beyond people like Adam Bradford early on) started as essentially the D&D Beyond for other ttrpgs and after the OGL stuff announced they would start doing 5E. I think it is still technically in open beta but you can buy 3rd party 5E products for it and get the SRD. But they're not an official licensee so you would have to manually import any official product you own.
Roll20 is doing a big update to the functionality of their standalone character sheets and compendiums; they just purchased Demiplane but said they're keeping it as separate platform from their VTT & character sheets. Roll20 is an official Wizards licensee so you have the option of paying money for sourcebooks instead of manually importing everything. Roll20 is out there marketing hard about how you won't lose functionality with them and can just pick between the 2014 & 2024 character sheets.
I like Foundry as a VTT more than Roll20 in terms of functionality & a one-time payment but I wouldn't use it as a standalone character sheet. Like Demiplane, they're not an official licensee for the 2014 core rulebooks so there's no option to pay for a bunch of stuff to be setup for you (you just get the SRD). But I think there are better guides on how to import what you own and unlike Roll20, you don't have to pay for a monthly membership to get some automation (like you need the Roll20 Pro membership for API access).
Fantasy Grounds still exists (Adam Bradford just left Demiplane for them); like Foundry, it has standalone, offline functionality and like Roll20, it is an official Wizards licensee so you can purchase sourcebooks. It seems like Fantasy Grounds has a lot of purchasable add-ons while Foundry has way more free modding options (which is super useful if you're looking to play non-D&D systems that have basically no official support).
If you're looking for just character sheets, there are more options but I'm not sure how much integration there is with various VTTs. If you're using D&D Beyond on a tablet for in-person games & just want the spell look up, physical spell cards are not terrible and while it's definitely slower than the D&D Beyond spell search feature, I'm not sure it would be slower than thumbing through the digital compendium since the individual compendiums don't have great search features. I will also flag that it is unclear when Wizards will stop selling the 2014 core rulebooks on digital platforms; when Wizards pulled Volo's Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes from D&D Beyond, they also pulled it from their digital partners like Roll20 & Fantasy Grounds.
I just don't understand the lack of transparency on WHY they are doing this. There's clearly a specific reason why only spells and magic items are affected but they haven't explained it.
Fully done in full concience to push thier 2024 down everyones throat, claiming backwards compability (where is none) hoping they can sell a rushed unfinished product that has even more problems than the prior version.
I genuinely just don’t think that’s true.
like honestly I get the desire to assume the worst… I’m not pro WotC at all, but I really don’t think that’s it.
i think much more likely is that the backend of the database was never written with the concept of being updated like this and so the spells and magic items have been saved under actual names, rather than id’s and so updates like this become a lot more problematic. That’s not me defending them because a fix is not impossible, it’s just a lot more labour intensive and instead I think they’ve chosen the option that’s easiest for THEM and decides we should all have to front the work load for them in fixing a problem they created.
like let’s look at healing word as just an example… 2014 healing word heals for less than 2024 healing word. The way the database works is that not only does the character sheet point to 2014 healing word currently, all instances that use healing word in the game point to the 2014 version, so that would include subclasses, feat, monsters who use the spell, magical items that use the spell and so on and so forth.
to maintain a functional 2014 database at this junction they would need a healing word (2014) version, which would probably be named something like “Healing Word (Legacy)”and a healing word (2024) version, that would just be called healing word (because most up to date version always takes precedence). They would then need to duplicate all entries on the database and have one version that points to the 2024 version of the spell and one that points to the 2014 version of the spell. So that would kind that say you had a cleric enemy - you would need to have a 2024 and 2014 version of both pages because the spell links inside creature page would be pointing to different version of the spell.
now replicate that for literally everything in the game.
so I know people keep saying “just add a toggle” but it really isn’t as simple as that because of how the database currently works.
...
I don't think it would be as difficult as you say to make this work. Let's break it down.
Let's assume everything is coded to refer to spells using names and not IDs.
Their database already contains the 2014 version of Healing Word under the name "Healing Word". Now Healing Word has changed in 2024 so one way or another the database needs to be touched to either add a new entry or edit the existing entry's description. From a database update perspective both are equally simple and easy.
So let's take the route less disruptive to the data, and add a new entry for "Healing Word (2024)". Note I am choosing to name the new spells "2024" for least disruption, but renaming the old spells to 2014/Legacy isn't too bad either just slightly more work to go through and update existing references, so that is also a possibility and can also be done as a second stage update as well.
So far nothing is impacted, everything existing is using the Healing Word name and refers to the 2014 version.
Ok so now the 2024 version needs to be referenced in a few places.
1. The new PHB, this is easy as it's also a new entry in their data store so nothing old is impacted.
2. Spell Search page: Since we have two entries in the database they will both appear in the spell search, with the new one clearly labeled 2024. If desired a user can filter by sourcebook already to only see 2014 or 2024 version of the spell as desired.
3. 2024 Classes, Subclasses, Feats, Species, Backgrounds: These are all new entries and therefore need to be created from scratch and can therefore be made to reference "Healing Word (2024)", again nothing old is impacted. Keep in mind they have already implemented toggles for the 2014 vs 2024 character options mentioned.
4. 2024 monsters: These are all new entries and therefore need to be created from scratch and can therefore be made to reference "Healing Word (2024)", again nothing old is impacted. Again they have already implemented toggles for 2014 vs 2024 monsters.
5. Character Sheet spells management: Since we have two entries in the database they will both appear in the spell search. As there are currently no filters in that tab, If they want to improve the user experience they can add a toggle that will filter out the 2014 or 2024 versions of Healing Word.
That's is it, this is the most basic thing they could have done which causes least disruption and makes both sets of spells available to 2014 and 2024 characters respectively. And this may seem hacky, but it should have been at least a first step in the update process, and as development continues and they get past the PHB 2024 release deadline, they could then focus on making this more robust and redesigning the site so it can support multiple versions seamlessly.
And then the entire DDB rules engine has to be updated to use all those new names appropriately. It's, presumably, not an easy lift.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by the DDB rules engine?
Sure! The set of computer code that knows what to display when and where and how to calculate dice rolls, etc.
In order for what you're proposing to actually work, there would have to be 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things, then the engine would have to know there are both 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things, then it would have to know if a character is 2014 or 2024, then it would have to be able to use that knowledge to link to and display all of the things that are flagged as 2014 or 2024 respectively. Just adding a toggle to show/hide wouldn't do anything, especially for anything outside of the basic character sheet info.
As an example, let's use a Staff of Power. If I have a 2014 character, the engine would need to know that so that it could grab a 2014 staff. The 2014 staff would need to know to link to the 2014 version of the spells. The character sheet would need to know that any dice rolls or mechanics involved needed to link to the 2014 versions, and etc. down the chain for everything connected to the character.
Right yes there would need to be 2014 and 2024 versions of all the things. But my point was that 2014 versions already exist, and they are already making 2024 versions of all the things (besides items and spells). So all the 2014 versions of things already refer to the 2014 versions of the spells. And when they created the 2024 versions of things they can point them specifically to the 2024 versions of spells. There's no need for a rules engine, it's just a series of links and references.
In your example, where there's a "Staff of Power” and "Staff of Power (2024)" the "Staff of Power" is already referencing "Fireball" and when the "Staff of Power (2024)" item is created it is instead referencing "Fireball (2024)". Again I want to point out I'm tagging the new item with 2024 for simplicity's sake, and the reverse can be done albeit with more work
By default both Staves of Power are available for a user to choose in the Inventory Management tab. Then a 2014/2024 toggle/filter can be added to the Inventory Management tab that changes what is available to choose. This is independent of what Class/Subclass/Species etc you have chosen during character creation.
Yes, the Staff of Power is referencing Fireball. What you're suggesting is that they now have to have a Staff of Power, a Staff of Power 2024, a Fireball, a Fireball 2024 and they have to plug all those things into one another and, in addition, make sure that any real mechanics tied to any of that are also versioned and linked up correctly and then they have to make sure that when your 2014 character grabs a Staff of Power, it uses the correct version with all the correct things linked up to it.
That's exactly what I'm suggesting because that is basically what they are asking us to do with homebrew, when it should be their job to do the same.
I don't disagree, I'm just trying to explain it's probably not the "easy" fix so many seem to think it is.
Grant K. Smith A+, Network+, MCP x 2, BSIT/VC, MIS
Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous
On a subscription based website I think it's unreasonable to say Hasbro do not have the resources to do something as universal in modern web design as a toggle between an old and a new text file. (They do manage to toggle just fine between historic and standard MTG cards on their other MTG services for example.)
So the question is "Does the business care enough to do it?"
If the answer is yes then I think it's reasonable for the company to ask for time.
If the answer is no then I think it's reasonable for people to be upset that a website they have been paying a subscription fee to has less filter features than a website designed by a crypto scam artist.
Wizards of the Cost you need to not mess with us like this. WHY wouldn't you just keep DNDBeyond with the 5e format - and create DNDBeyondONE - for the new stuff.
Something - or the very least - don't take EVERYTHING away - keep things with Legacy so we can access it - don't make it so we can't access the books we already paid for and the stuff we don't want changed.
Allow us to use 5e or One - just make it a toggle - do you want 5e to be your primary or One to be your primary.
You screw the people who are keeping you in business, not really very smart.
Your books aren't going anywhere. It's the character sheet-linked items that are being updated to the latest 5E rules.
We didn't pay for books.. we don't own them. We paid for the integration between those books and the DnDBeyond character sheet, and yes, they are taking that away.
There is a lot of jargon here that I'm just not familiar with or able to keep up within my tiny brain so I have a simple yes/no question;
Should I start making homebrew copies of all spells/magical items that I have available to me now so I don't lose access to these things within the character sheet?
I'm DMing my first campaign with all brand new players to D&D. None of us are experts in the current 5e mechanics but I know we all will be turned away if we can't continue in the 5e vein.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Wanting to reply to this to give you the best answer I can.
First off, sorry that all of this mess is overshadowing your first campaign and these player's first experience with the game.
Secondly, if you are intent on utilizing the 2014 versions of spells within the character sheets, then according to DnD Beyond, you will have to homebrew them yourself.
That said, the unfortunate reality of the situation here is that JUST homebrewing spells will not be enough to restore the functionality in the character sheets that are going to be lost on Sept 3rd.
From what has been discussed, it appears that if you want to use the character sheet tools in DnD Beyond as they currently are, you would have to do the following:
Homebrew every 2014 version of every spell (as mentioned above)
Homebrew every subclass that grants spells to reflect the 2014 version of said spell.
Homebrew every item that grants spells to reflect the 2014 version of said spell (which I have been informed may not be possible to do with the current Homebrew interface)
Homebrew every warlock invocation that grants spells - (these cannot be homebrewed and will not be usable on the character sheets with 2014 rules to the best of my knowledge.)
Homebrew every class that gains an expanded spell list through Tasha's expanded rules list to reflect the 2014 versions of these spells - (as far as I know these also cannot be homebrewed so will be unusable as well.)
Homebrew every monster that casts spells to reflect the 2014 version. (This is optional if you are simply referencing monster stat blocks via their sourcebooks instead of the encounter builder.)
And finally, not now, but eventually, you will need to Homebrew every mundane and magical item that is being changed with the new ruleset (the numbers of which are as of yet unknown) to reflect their 2014 versions.
As much as I dislike being forced into these new rules, I would say that if you are planning a new campaign, you may just want to re-structure it with the new version's rules in mind. For you, that would be the easiest solution to avoid most of the hassle. But if you are dead-set on using the 2014 versions of things, you can see that if things continue the way they are going, you may not really have many other options through DnD Beyond's interface.
On a subscription based website I think it's unreasonable to say Hasbro do not have the resources to do something as universal in modern web design as a toggle between an old and a new text file. (They do manage to toggle just fine between historic and standard MTG cards on their other MTG services for example.)
So the question is "Does the business care enough to do it?"
If the answer is yes then I think it's reasonable for the company to ask for time.
If the answer is no then I think it's reasonable for people to be upset that a website they have been paying a subscription fee to has less filter features than a website designed by a crypto scam artist.
Except you're forgetting that they've made the promise that the 2024 rules will be available on 9/3. So it's not as easy as asking for time either. No matter what way they go, they're messing someone up. Unless they fork the site and call it a day. #DDBClassic
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Grant K. Smith A+, Network+, MCP x 2, BSIT/VC, MIS
Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous
Wizards of the Cost you need to not mess with us like this. WHY wouldn't you just keep DNDBeyond with the 5e format - and create DNDBeyondONE - for the new stuff.
Something - or the very least - don't take EVERYTHING away - keep things with Legacy so we can access it - don't make it so we can't access the books we already paid for and the stuff we don't want changed.
Allow us to use 5e or One - just make it a toggle - do you want 5e to be your primary or One to be your primary.
You screw the people who are keeping you in business, not really very smart.
Your books aren't going anywhere. It's the character sheet-linked items that are being updated to the latest 5E rules.
We didn't pay for books.. we don't own them. We paid for the integration between those books and the DnDBeyond character sheet, and yes, they are taking that away.
I was responding to "don't make it so we can't access the books we already paid for" by stating that the books aren't going anywhere and pointing out what IS changing. No need for you to come at me here.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Grant K. Smith A+, Network+, MCP x 2, BSIT/VC, MIS
Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous
On a subscription based website I think it's unreasonable to say Hasbro do not have the resources to do something as universal in modern web design as a toggle between an old and a new text file. (They do manage to toggle just fine between historic and standard MTG cards on their other MTG services for example.)
So the question is "Does the business care enough to do it?"
If the answer is yes then I think it's reasonable for the company to ask for time.
If the answer is no then I think it's reasonable for people to be upset that a website they have been paying a subscription fee to has less filter features than a website designed by a crypto scam artist.
Except you're forgetting that they've made the promise that the 2024 rules will be available on 9/3. So it's not as easy as asking for time either. No matter what way they go, they're messing someone up. Unless they fork the site and call it a day. #DDBClassic
Sorry to be clear when I said "Reasonable to ask for time" I mean in terms of "Reasonable to ask for time to re-integrate the 2014 features more seamlessly" not "Reasonable to delay the 2024 launch"
To me the best partial short term solution (Outside of a second website) is re-adding all the spells back just as they have with third party content. Behind a button that says "Show 2014 content?" this automates the "Go add it yourself" suggestion.
Then the optimal longterm solution is a second button that says "Show 2024 content?" that once turned off will remove the display of the new content cleaning up the 2014 sheet.. But I don't think it's unreasonable at all to say this will take some months to do given somehow WotC didn't manage to see this problem coming.
I personally don't agree with the need to keep 2014 content. I think it'd be better to move on as a community. If DnDB wants to do something for those who want to keep it then that's fine, unless in inconveniences me or my playground group in anyway. That includes me having to toggle or something stupid to use the current system. 2024 should be the standard and if people want to use old stuff then any inconvenience should be on that end. However, ideally there is no inconvenience for anyone.
Be kind to one another despite you're arguments and keep your arguments about the issues not the people on the other side.
I find it to be extremely unkind of you to suggest that putting a toggle option in your character builder is an inconvenience to you on par with the rest of us being unable to play with the ruleset we purchased.
It's easy to say "be kind to each other". Try actually doing it. Show some damn empathy to the 40 pages of people devastated by this news.
Sorry you feel that way, but that's how disagreements work. You want one thing. I want another. It's not a personal attack on you or others. You want an action to be taken that benefits you or dosen't inconvenience you. I want an action to be taken benefits me or dosen't inconvenience me.
I can understand the 40 pages of people devastated by the news and I can understand that it upsets them, but it doesn't mean I have to agree.
Does that make more sense?
The difference is that we aren't denying you the ability to toggle 2024 only. We are just asking to finish our current campaigns before losing the content we purchased.
You are supporting having the 2014 rules deleted and removed from the Beyond with very short notice. Why not announce the end of 2014 support so we would have a couple months to wrap up campaigns?
I could have shorted the story arcs and power leveled my players through the rest of the campaign so they would have at least one combat per level all the way to the epic showdown at level 20 against the BBEG.
On a subscription based website I think it's unreasonable to say Hasbro do not have the resources to do something as universal in modern web design as a toggle between an old and a new text file. (They do manage to toggle just fine between historic and standard MTG cards on their other MTG services for example.)
So the question is "Does the business care enough to do it?"
If the answer is yes then I think it's reasonable for the company to ask for time.
If the answer is no then I think it's reasonable for people to be upset that a website they have been paying a subscription fee to has less filter features than a website designed by a crypto scam artist.
Except you're forgetting that they've made the promise that the 2024 rules will be available on 9/3. So it's not as easy as asking for time either. No matter what way they go, they're messing someone up. Unless they fork the site and call it a day. #DDBClassic
Sorry to be clear when I said "Reasonable to ask for time" I mean in terms of "Reasonable to ask for time to re-integrate the 2014 features more seamlessly" not "Reasonable to delay the 2024 launch"
To me the best partial short term solution (Outside of a second website) is re-adding all the spells back just as they have with third party content. Behind a button that says "Show 2014 content?" this automates the "Go add it yourself" suggestion.
Then the optimal longterm solution is a second button that says "Show 2024 content?" that once turned off will remove the display of the new content cleaning up the 2014 sheet.. But I don't think it's unreasonable at all to say this will take some months to do given somehow WotC didn't manage to see this problem coming.
Ah, my mistake. I do think they could do that fairly easily but I don't think it would solve most of the issues people are bringing up, such as links out from equipment, monsters, etc. and the changes to the rules descriptions and other tooltips in the character sheet. It would save a lot of homebrewing though, for sure.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Grant K. Smith A+, Network+, MCP x 2, BSIT/VC, MIS
Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous
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Why did a WotC employee reject my home brew version of Acid Arrow after I created it with enough flavor changes to bypass the automated system?
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/general-discussion/204164-publishing-2014-spells-and-homebrew
The one question I have about this theory is (and I genuinely don't know the answer) would this work and still allow people to use content easily from both? Like, I want to be able to use the new class options with older subclasses or use older classes with the new spells.
It just seems like at a certain point it might be too confusing and convoluted to keep track of and deal with for them.
There is a lot of jargon here that I'm just not familiar with or able to keep up within my tiny brain so I have a simple yes/no question;
Should I start making homebrew copies of all spells/magical items that I have available to me now so I don't lose access to these things within the character sheet?
I'm DMing my first campaign with all brand new players to D&D. None of us are experts in the current 5e mechanics but I know we all will be turned away if we can't continue in the 5e vein.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Si1vertheBear
Having my content on my character sheet, and sharing the content that I purchased, in Campaigns with my other players, is the only reason I pay for a subscription.
I will be canceling my subscription as soon as this change goes live.
The only way to prevent a mass exodus of subscriptions IMO is to give us (Legacy) versions of all the things (items, spells, classes, backgrounds, ALL of it) that can still be used in character sheets.
Yes, the Staff of Power is referencing Fireball. What you're suggesting is that they now have to have a Staff of Power, a Staff of Power 2024, a Fireball, a Fireball 2024 and they have to plug all those things into one another and, in addition, make sure that any real mechanics tied to any of that are also versioned and linked up correctly and then they have to make sure that when your 2014 character grabs a Staff of Power, it uses the correct version with all the correct things linked up to it.
Grant K. Smith
A+, Network+, MCP x 2, BSIT/VC, MIS
Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous
-Add a toggle in the Character Builder that allows a person to use Legacy spells
-If the toggle is on, any spell that has a Legacy version gets a checkbox in the corner of its description allowing a person to switch to the Legacy printing of the spell
-Checkbox being checked means it looks at the Legacy list for the spell name instead (with Befuddlement/Feeblemind being specified in the backend for renaming reasons, same with Summon Dragon/Summon Draconic Spirit)
This would have the benefit of not having to worry about what happens with subclasses, feats, etc. because it's managed in the spell flow itself.
FYI, staff of power currently has the tag Basic Rules (2014)
I initially thought this was fake news to stir people up because they were clearly taking steps ahead of the release of the new to facilitate full backwards capability like they said they were.
No, that's what DDB is going to be come September 3rd by default. The "Classic" idea I keep harping on would only be for folks wanting to stay in 2014 land.
Grant K. Smith
A+, Network+, MCP x 2, BSIT/VC, MIS
Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous
That's exactly what I'm suggesting because that is basically what they are asking us to do with homebrew, when it should be their job to do the same.
That is sick and overly selfish. The only thing they see when look at us loyal consumers of their products is money and now they are showing off their true colors. After this insult, I’m goin to wait until someone else makes a website or something that remakes what they are removing against our wills. For now, I’m unsubscribing from their master teir
Depends on what you're using D&D Beyond for and how much work you want to put in to setting up on a new platform versus trying to make the janky homebrew solution work here. Like if you're using D&D Beyond and an external VTT (with the widget to click on the D&D Beyond character sheet & roll on the external VTT), you might want to see if the character sheet tools within the VTT work better for you.
If you're looking for just character sheets, there are more options but I'm not sure how much integration there is with various VTTs. If you're using D&D Beyond on a tablet for in-person games & just want the spell look up, physical spell cards are not terrible and while it's definitely slower than the D&D Beyond spell search feature, I'm not sure it would be slower than thumbing through the digital compendium since the individual compendiums don't have great search features. I will also flag that it is unclear when Wizards will stop selling the 2014 core rulebooks on digital platforms; when Wizards pulled Volo's Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes from D&D Beyond, they also pulled it from their digital partners like Roll20 & Fantasy Grounds.
(Edit: fixed typos)
I don't disagree, I'm just trying to explain it's probably not the "easy" fix so many seem to think it is.
Grant K. Smith
A+, Network+, MCP x 2, BSIT/VC, MIS
Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous
Depends on what you mean by easy.
On a subscription based website I think it's unreasonable to say Hasbro do not have the resources to do something as universal in modern web design as a toggle between an old and a new text file. (They do manage to toggle just fine between historic and standard MTG cards on their other MTG services for example.)
So the question is "Does the business care enough to do it?"
If the answer is yes then I think it's reasonable for the company to ask for time.
If the answer is no then I think it's reasonable for people to be upset that a website they have been paying a subscription fee to has less filter features than a website designed by a crypto scam artist.
We didn't pay for books.. we don't own them. We paid for the integration between those books and the DnDBeyond character sheet, and yes, they are taking that away.
Get off my lawn or roll for initiative!
Wanting to reply to this to give you the best answer I can.
First off, sorry that all of this mess is overshadowing your first campaign and these player's first experience with the game.
Secondly, if you are intent on utilizing the 2014 versions of spells within the character sheets, then according to DnD Beyond, you will have to homebrew them yourself.
That said, the unfortunate reality of the situation here is that JUST homebrewing spells will not be enough to restore the functionality in the character sheets that are going to be lost on Sept 3rd.
From what has been discussed, it appears that if you want to use the character sheet tools in DnD Beyond as they currently are, you would have to do the following:
As much as I dislike being forced into these new rules, I would say that if you are planning a new campaign, you may just want to re-structure it with the new version's rules in mind. For you, that would be the easiest solution to avoid most of the hassle. But if you are dead-set on using the 2014 versions of things, you can see that if things continue the way they are going, you may not really have many other options through DnD Beyond's interface.
Except you're forgetting that they've made the promise that the 2024 rules will be available on 9/3. So it's not as easy as asking for time either. No matter what way they go, they're messing someone up. Unless they fork the site and call it a day. #DDBClassic
Grant K. Smith
A+, Network+, MCP x 2, BSIT/VC, MIS
Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous
I was responding to "don't make it so we can't access the books we already paid for" by stating that the books aren't going anywhere and pointing out what IS changing. No need for you to come at me here.
Grant K. Smith
A+, Network+, MCP x 2, BSIT/VC, MIS
Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous
Sorry to be clear when I said "Reasonable to ask for time" I mean in terms of "Reasonable to ask for time to re-integrate the 2014 features more seamlessly" not "Reasonable to delay the 2024 launch"
To me the best partial short term solution (Outside of a second website) is re-adding all the spells back just as they have with third party content. Behind a button that says "Show 2014 content?" this automates the "Go add it yourself" suggestion.
Then the optimal longterm solution is a second button that says "Show 2024 content?" that once turned off will remove the display of the new content cleaning up the 2014 sheet.. But I don't think it's unreasonable at all to say this will take some months to do given somehow WotC didn't manage to see this problem coming.
The difference is that we aren't denying you the ability to toggle 2024 only. We are just asking to finish our current campaigns before losing the content we purchased.
You are supporting having the 2014 rules deleted and removed from the Beyond with very short notice. Why not announce the end of 2014 support so we would have a couple months to wrap up campaigns?
I could have shorted the story arcs and power leveled my players through the rest of the campaign so they would have at least one combat per level all the way to the epic showdown at level 20 against the BBEG.
Ah, my mistake. I do think they could do that fairly easily but I don't think it would solve most of the issues people are bringing up, such as links out from equipment, monsters, etc. and the changes to the rules descriptions and other tooltips in the character sheet. It would save a lot of homebrewing though, for sure.
Grant K. Smith
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Software Engineer & Dungeon Master
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J. R. R. Tolkien
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" - Anonymous