The 2024 Player’s Handbook hits stores
September 17, 2024The future of D&D arrives in stores today, as the 2024 Player’s Handbook is now available in stores! It’s one of the most consequential Fifth Edition releases, and there’s a lot riding on the book’s success. It represents the next evolution of the game and it was vital to get it right. D&D, after all, has never been more popular than it is today.
The game is truly global phenomenon, with millions of passionate fans around the globe.
So of course, rocking the boat by changing the rules of the game is risky. Many of the game’s new players haven’t been through an edition change…and they’ve been rocky every time. Fortunately, the 2024 Player’s Handbook is more of a refinement than a reimagining; a reinforcement, not a revolution.
If you’re new to Dungeons & Dragons, the PHB (as it’s known in short) is an essential tool for players and Dungeon Masters alike. It includes all the information you’ll need to create a unique and wonderful character, and has a robust glossary that will include a lot of the words and phrases that you’ll need as you grow in the game.
General impressions
New layout? A+! Everything is really well organized and easy to find. Like, the species are now organized alphabetically, and that is such a positive, user-friendly change. I don’t wanna say how much time I spent flipping back and forth while considering all my options.
The font seems bigger and easier to read that the previous version, which I like, and.
The art is great. I’m really enjoying the book’s visual brand quite a lot (red spine, black flame? love it! Such a nice contrast to the 2014 book.
The book is nearly 400 pages long, bigger than the previous version by about 70.
One of the biggest changes is how the book is organized. They’ve tried to streamline the learning experience and put it right up front. For example, in the previous PHB, the using ability scores section started on page 173. In 2024, it starts on page 11.
Combat started on page 189, now it starts on page 23.
In the previous edition they gave players a very brief primer on what the game is, and then dove right into the character options. Now, the rules are right up front. This is how the game works, this is what a game could look like, this is how you play, this is what you do.
It puts the character options into context in a far more accessible way. I think, it’s fair to say, most people would read the book from start to finish, so they’d dive straight into character creation first. Now they have 20-30 pages of game explanation. It’s a small change, but a really good one.
The way spells are laid out is better – the spell list is now included in the character class description section, which is handy when you’re trying to get your spell list done quickly because you were running late for your game session ’cause you had to stop for pork rinds but then you saw they’re making fresh nachos, and you figure “ten minutes can’t hurt.”
A big change
One of the biggest changes between 2014 and 2024 is the evolution of a character’s origin. That is, how their background, species (this was race in 2014) modify their ability scores.
In the 2014 book, character ability score bonuses were determined by its race. In 2021, however, the rules were loosened slightly so that any character could take an ability bonus of +2 to one score and +1 to another, or +1 to three scores. In 2024 they’ve tightened this back up again, except now, instead of ability bonuses being tied to a character’s species, they’re tied to a character’s background. They’re also limited to specific scores. For example, the Acolyte background can only apply its bonuses to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. Each background also now gets a feat.
Should you buy it?
The answer for this question usually varies. This time, however, it varies less.
The D&D team’s stated goal was that the 2024 rules would be compatible with their previously released products. Now, having read the book, I think they’ve achieved it. A Dungeon Master will need to make some fixes and updates, but it’s not like changing from Dungeons & Dragons to Cyberpunk by any means.
While it’s true the products are compatible, it would be easier to engage with the new ruleset fully, as it was designed. So if you intend to play Dungeons & Dragons, it would be optimal for you to own the 2024 rules. That goes for both players and DMs alike. After all, if you’re a forever DM, but you don’t own the PHB, how are you going to predict what ridiculously cheesy combos your players will come up with?
It’s a beautiful, thoughtful, refinement of the rules. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does smooth out some of the rough patches – and that makes for a smoother ride.
Images courtesy of Wizards of the Coast
A review copy of the 2024 Player’s Handbook was provided for this review
