Available today on D&D Beyond, the 2024 D&D Free Rules provide a foundational introduction to the new 2024 core ruleset. This resource serves as a free experience for those looking to explore what the new 2024 Player's Handbook has to offer. It currently contains four classes, each with one subclass, as well as the updated rules for play found in the 2024 Player's Handbook.
Read below for more information on how this resource will be expanded, how it will coexist with the 2014 Basic Rules, and information regarding SRD 5.2.
- How the 2024 D&D Free Rules and 2014 Basic Rules Differ
- Get a Sneak Peek at the 2024 D&D Free Rules
- Where to Find the 2024 D&D Free Rules
- A Note on the Systems Reference Document (SRD 5.2)
How the 2024 D&D Free Rules and 2014 Basic Rules Differ
For years, the 2014 Basic Rules have served as an accessible entry point for players new to fifth edition D&D. We want the 2024 core ruleset to be just as accessible, but we also don’t want to take away the 2014 Basic Rules from anyone who wishes to continue enjoying the 2014 ruleset.
To that end, we’re introducing the 2024 D&D Free Rules. The 2024 D&D Free Rules will coexist with the 2014 Basic Rules in the D&D Beyond compendium and will serve as a free entry point to the revised and expanded ruleset.
The 2024 D&D Free Rules will see their full release alongside the 2024 Player’s Handbook in September. When the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide and 2024 Monster Manual later release, we will expand the 2024 D&D Free Rules with content from those books.
Like the 2014 Basic Rules, the 2024 D&D Free Rules will be accessible on D&D Beyond but be more extensive.
Get a Sneak Peek at the 2024 D&D Free Rules
We’re so excited to share the 2024 D&D Free Rules with you that we’ve released an early version containing four base classes for each of these classes! These player options are freely available under the Game Rules tab on D&D Beyond, as well as in the compendium:
- Base Classes: Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard
- Subclasses: Life Domain, Champion, Thief, and Evoker
- Species: Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, and Human
- Backgrounds: Acolyte, Criminal, Sage, and Soldier
This early version of the free rules also includes 12 feats, 48 monsters, and 320 spells.
When the 2024 Player’s Handbook sees its wide release on September 17, we’ll do a full release of the 2024 D&D Free Rules. This will include the remaining base classes—Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, and Warlock—as well as one subclass for each class. The full release will also contain more spells and feats.
Where to Find the 2024 D&D Free Rules
As of now, you can access a portion of the 2024 D&D Free Rules on D&D Beyond. On September 17, the full 2024 D&D Free Rules can be found on D&D Beyond and in other partner VTTs.
A Note on the Systems Reference Document (SRD 5.2)
The 2024 D&D Free Rules are not SRD 5.2. They are separate materials with different purposes. Where the 2024 D&D Free Rules are a free resource to play fifth edition D&D, the Systems Reference Document serves as a foundation for your fifth edition D&D-compatible creations.
SRD 5.2 will include materials from all three 2024 Core Rulebooks and will, therefore, be released after them. It will be made available under Creative Commons License.
Start Playing with the 2024 D&D Free Rules Today!
Whether you're a player looking to create a new character or a Dungeon Master prepping for their new campaign, the 2024 D&D Free Rules are the perfect springboard to get you acquainted with the new 2024 core ruleset. Start exploring what character possibilities and narratives await in the 2024 Player's Handbook today!
Michael Galvis (@michaelgalvis) is a tabletop content producer for D&D Beyond. He is a longtime Dungeon Master who enjoys horror films and all things fantasy and sci-fi. When he isn’t in the DM’s seat or rolling dice as his anxious halfling sorcerer, he’s playing Helldivers 2 and Magic: The Gathering with his partners. They live together in Los Angeles with their adorable dogs, Quentin and Eliot.
So excited! Even if the changes aren’t the best, it’s still new content to learn, explore, and play with.
that’s a win in my book!
edit: first!
So Master Tier was supposed to Access the PHB 2024 today if you bought the book. I have bought the book, however, I can only access free content in character creation?? Did I misunderstand something, or am I doing something wrong. I have turned of legacy content
Same boat. I thought we'd get access to the entire thing.
You should have access to everything. I also preordered and have the Mater Tier subscription and I can confirm I am able to see ALL 2024 content fine via the source book, character creation, can specific list pages (i.e. spells, classes, species, etc.)
Where can I find the PDF of the new rules just like you could find the 2014 rules PDF on the original dungeons & Dragons website.
I also pre-ordered, have had Master Tier for years, and when I click on any of the non "Free" content, I get redirected to the Marketplace to purchase the 2024 Players Handbook and it says, "You already own this product".
The 2024 PHB isn't showing up in my Sources either. :(
Can confirm I have access to the whole book as a master tier. Glad it’s here finally even if they made a few final decisions that I think were poor choices…. Guess they really don’t mind cantrips like resistance and blade ward never being taken and used. Not sure why they decided to go back to a full action cast on those spells but with that decision they have all but sealed those two cantrips fate yet again to forever gather dust and see no play.
I tried changing a couple of my characters to use the new options, but I noticed that a lot of my subclass options have disappeared after changing them to use the new classes, including the ones I was using before. Is that going to be fixed?
Sweet I’m so excited
Slasher feat seems to be missing in early access version at the moment.
fyi.
logging out and in again worked for getting full phb access
As of this moment, characters created with 2014 content on D&D Beyond, whether or not the user/campaign has 2024 content, are showing only the 2024 core roles. For example, the list of character actions, and the details of Unarmed Strikes.
Will it be possible to use D&D Beyond with 2014 character options and the 2014 rules showing consistently?
Just to clarify, (I know this is a bit of a dumb question)
but if I was a rogue or something and was dual wielding a short sword and dagger and attacked first with the dagger and hit, does the Knick property mean I could attack with the action with my short sword like normal than make an additional attack or does it just leave my bonus action do dash disengage or hide?
The deeper I get into messing with the character sheet the angrier I am getting because of the design choices.
1) I don't like how they are blatantly making rules around static DCs that are more easily programmed for a videogame or AI DMs.
2) they did not have to design the 2024 integration into ddb this way. They literally could have added new items, species, subclasses, etc. like they have done in the past when those things have come out in new books, but no. They are trying to do whatever they can get away with to force people into the new content to make more money off of them and lock them out in everyway except "technically" from their old content. Again, wrapping back around to trying to onboard people into the new rule set so that they will use their character creator, their vtt, their etc. etc. etc. rather than actually get to use the content from the books that people have already purchased.
It seems any homebrew you've made in ddb will have to be remade using the new 2024 content if you choose to use the new content. Also, there's inconsistencies with whether legacy spells are listed or not in the spell selection even if the spells received changes. Another issue I have seen so far is with warlock invocations. Allegedly we should be able to choose past options as long as they didn't have an updated version but those don't appear on the list to select for invocations. These are just some of the annoyances I have encountered so far.
For those who don't have the PDF, it will be very useful... :-D
you misspelled rules.
The dc was always static and their were only a few ways to change it and those dc changing thimgs still exist!
I am wondering something about the 2024 phb, i thought their would be a spy background in the 2024 phb but their wasn't, isn't that weird?
DnD 5e rules are compatible with the 2024 rules, no remaking homebrew needed.
It's the later. Nick interacts with the Light property in that it let's you do the attack as part of your Action instead of having to spend your Bonus Action, thus you cannot do then an attack as a Bonus Action because you have already triggered the Light property effect (Nick simply modified it). You can then use your bonus action for other things, yes.
Do take into accout that Dual Weilding allows you to do an attack as a Bonus action and it doesn't mention the Light property effect (only that one weapon must have the property, but not the second one), thus that attack can still be done as a Bonus action if you use Nick first.
Does that apply to the free basic 2024 rules? I have had to home brew a vanilla +1 Long Sword for some reason. I completely understand if yo have to buy the new Players Handbook to fix it. I have just been experimenting with the free stuff to see if I want to buy the new stuff.
Also I know static DC have been part of the game but I was hoping WoTC would make it easier to change the base, Things like Topple that rely on a CON save become almost impossible at higher CRs. I know people tell me that nobody plays to those levels but still, you should have some chance to topple at higher CR levels, IMHO.