The Dungeons & Dragons fifth version guidelines revision is right here with a brand new Participant’s Handbook. These revisions — and they’re revisions and explicitly not a brand new version — replace the fifth Version of D&D that was launched a decade in the past in 2014 to streamline the ruleset and convey it extra according to 2024’s gameplay sensibilities.
Let’s speak concerning the greatest adjustments you’ll see in 2024’s Participant’s Handbook.
5e hasn’t been changed, simply upgraded
Whereas Wizards of the Coast’s 2024 revision of D&D’s fifth version ruleset revises some mechanics and guidelines — we’ll go into extra on this under — the core recreation continues to be very a lot the identical. Consider it as an replace or a modification quite than a sixth Version. There’s nothing incompatible concerning the two variations – that was the unique intent of the “One D&D” advertising and marketing push that started in 2021. However the revised ruleset is a technique to patch 5e to make it extra up-to-date and incorporate some high quality of life enhancements from the final decade.
If something, a personality constructed with 2024’s guidelines can be higher ready for 5e adventures than one constructed beneath 2014’s guidelines.
Even up till the fifth version of D&D, selecting your character’s race decided issues like Means Rating enhancements. (Lengthy, lengthy in the past, the identical utilized to your character’s gender.) Since that’s essentialist, reductive, and, you recognize, gross, D&D has been shifting away from that for a while.
Within the 2024 guidelines revision, they’ve even achieved away with the phrase race altogether (because it’s a social assemble anyway and doesn’t even actually make sense when speaking concerning the peoples of D&D). As a substitute, D&D now makes use of the rather more correct species.
The 2024 Participant’s Handbook lists 10 species: Aasimar, Dragonborn, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Goliath, Halfling, Human, Orc, and Tiefling. That mentioned, conceptually there’s nothing about species that’s all that completely different from race in 5e. You’ll nonetheless get your motion pace, resistances, and traits from the choice. The one factor to disregard is the Means Rating changes. There’s nothing stopping you from porting over a beforehand printed 5e race as a species.
Half-races like Half-Elves and Half-Orcs don’t seem within the 2024 PHB. It’s not clear if this represents a everlasting exclusion (based mostly on the definition of species) or that they simply didn’t make the checklist for preliminary publication.
Fifth Version’s subraces are also gone. What was once subraces have been folded into the Species as issues like Lineages or environmental variations (making them, successfully, subspecies). These lineages nonetheless get the identical advantages like cantrips or a bit further motion.
Backgrounds and Origin Feats are tied to statistical data
Beginning with Tasha’s Cauldron of All the pieces’s revised method to Origins, D&D has been working to make it simpler to have your character’s private historical past mirrored by their stats. Within the 2024 guidelines revision, that’s realized by means of Backgrounds.
Backgrounds in fifth Version offered expertise, languages, and your beginning gear. Within the revised guidelines, your Background offers you an Means Rating Improve, an Origin Feat, talent proficiencies, device proficiencies, and your beginning gear. That Means Rating Improve (the identical as once you take the Means Rating Improve feat) helps you to add +1 to a few Means Scores, or +2 to at least one Means Rating and +1 to a different. The Talents you get to select from are decided by the Background and themed to that background — Farmers select from Energy, Structure, and Knowledge, for instance. (For languages, by the best way, each character begins with three recognized and Rogues and Rangers decide up extra from their Class options.)
This enhance helps you to customise your character’s background a bit extra and have it replicate of their present actuality (and their stats). Identical to species (race) above, you may nonetheless use beforehand printed 5e Backgrounds. For Backgrounds, although, you’ll must do some customization and determine your personal Talents, device proficiencies, and Origin Feat. Talking of which…
Origin Feats are tied to Background — every Background has a set Origin Feat. These feats go a bit additional to cement your character’s backstory and historical past of their stats and mechanics. And it additionally simply makes them a bit cooler to have a bit perk proper from the beginning.
Preventing Types are moved to feats
Talking of feats, feats have been reworked a bit as nicely. Most feats now have a requirement that you simply attain Stage 4 earlier than taking them — which is sensible since that’s actually the primary probability you must take them.
The Preventing Model characteristic for Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers have additionally moved to feats quite than being a part of the Class.
Weapon Mastery is a Class characteristic
Weapon Mastery is a Class characteristic (and could be offered by one feat) for Barbarians, Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, and Rogues. Every weapon has a Mastery Property that provides an additional assault or impact to your makes use of of these weapons.
We go extra into Weapon Mastery in its personal information.
Instruments and Crafting have new guidelines
In 5e, Artisan’s Instruments — like those you bought along with your Background — have been a bit nebulous, actually. D&D in 2024 has streamlined device guidelines, made them much more helpful, and offered significantly better examples of how your character would use them. Whereas 5e’s toolkits weren’t linked with a single Means, the revision’s are — and there are clearer mechanics concerned. There are additionally much more choices now, with 25 units of instruments listed within the PHB.
It’s not value it to undergo all of them right here, however let’s take a look at one for example. The 2024 PHB’s guidelines say that Carpenter’s Instruments can be utilized to pry open a crate with a DC 20 (Energy) verify. When you’ve got proficiency with Carpenter’s Instruments out of your Background, you’d add your proficiency bonus to that roll.
You may, relying in your DM (or your capacity to bully your DM), roll Expertise as a substitute of straight Means. For those who have been to roll Athletics as a substitute of simply straight Energy and also you had Athletics talent proficiency, you’d get benefit on the roll to make use of Artisan’s Instruments.
As soon as the rolls are sorted out, 2024’s revised guidelines additionally give examples of the types of issues every device package can produce — Cook dinner’s Utensils allow you to make rations, Weaver’s Instruments allow you to craft a bedroll or padded armor, or Tinker’s Instruments can be utilized to make a lantern or a pistol, for instance.
Keep in mind, although, that these are thematic descriptions of instruments and their makes use of with examples that may assist encourage your own home group. However they’re only a leaping off level, and also you and your DM ought to be happy to interpret their operate and use on the fly.
Unarmed Strike is a bit completely different
Unarmed Strikes themselves are nonetheless the identical — you roll to assault and deal (1 + your Energy modifier) factors of harm. However now, Grapple and Shove assaults at the moment are beneath the umbrella of Unarmed Strike assaults.
In 5e, grappling and shoving concerned a contest of the attacker’s Athletics versus the goal’s Athletics or Acrobatics. In 2024, making an attempt both is now a part of an Unarmed Strike. First, you must efficiently hit with an Unarmed Strike. Subsequent, you determine to both do harm or try to Grapple or Shove. Grappling or Shoving triggers a Energy or Dexterity Saving Throw from the goal towards a DC of (8 + the attacker’s STR + the attacker’s proficiency). On a failure, they’re efficiently grappled or shoved.
Cats lastly have darkvision
Possibly it’s not the largest change, however 5e’s cats didn’t initially have any particular senses. The 2024 revision lastly provides Darkvision to the fluffy little murderballs.
Inspiration is now known as Heroic Inspiration
However everyone knows nobody goes to name it that.
