D&D (2024) The 2024 Core D&D Rulebooks Are Coming In May

21st May 2024 is the official release date!

Update--WotC has taken down the promo image and replaced it with one without a release date. See more here.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Yeah, but none of those were editions of the AD&D. They were a separate D&D game. Basic, BECMI, etc. The 2e books with new art changed next to nothing as far as rules go, so those weren't even a half edition. So we have 1e, 2e, 3e, 3.5e, 4e(maybe essentials was a .5) and 5e. And soon 5.5e.

5E isn't an edition of AD&D, so I don't understand the relevance of the word "Advanced". They were ALL versions/editions of D&D, despite the naming convention of their respective eras.

 

[Maxperson]

Not a separate game, but a different iteration of the same game. A fork in software speak. To be honest, the edition tree of D&D looks like something like this:

OD&D -> Basic (Holmes) -> Basic (B/X) -> Basic (BECMI) -> Rules Cyclopeida -> D&D3e (continues below)
------- \-> AD&D 1e -> 2e -> D&D 3e -> v3.5 -> 4e -> 4e Essentials -> 5e (2014) -> 5e (2024).

I'll buy a fork in the software, but they basic ran at the same time as advanced and was supported separately. It can't be just another edition of the game. Editions don't run concurrently, they run sequentially.

Now I base my argument of Edition based on what version of the Player Rules the game references back to. While Skills & Powers or Unearthed Arcana (1e) certainly feel like half-editions, they still build off the original PHB. Whereas 4e Essentials, while compatible with original 4e, could be played without ever touching the 4e PHB. (RC + Heroes of X + DM Kit + Monsters of Nentir = a perfectly playable 4e).

They built off of the other rules, but were not changes to the core of the game. To be a new edition or half edition, the core rules need to change. The only way that the skills and powers or 1e UA could change core rules is if the DM opted into them. That's a major difference over 3.5e or 5.5e. It's likely a major difference over essentials.

 

[Maxperson]

No, I meant that OD&D, BD&D and AD&D were "different games."

Realistically, I see at least ten editions of D&D prior to 3E.

The couldn't be the same game. They ran and were supported concurrently with AD&D and I think even 3e(not positive on that). That makes them different games or at least different forks in the "software." AD&D began with 1e and went on from there.

 

[mamba]

I'll agree on the latter, but I still think by the time Paizo even realized this product was a necessity, the OGL dust had settled.

if the dust had settled by then, then there would no longer have been a necessity

This was a product that they wanted to get out to rid themselves of Wizards taint and jump start ORC, not that they needed to make to print books in 2024.

and the reason why they wanted to rid themselves of the OGL / dependency on WotC is?

 

[Maxperson]

5E isn't an edition of AD&D, so I don't understand the relevance of the word "Advanced". They were ALL versions/editions of D&D, despite the naming convention of their respective eras.

It is. They dropped the word "advanced", but the numbering clearly marks it as AD&D, since AD&D was 1e and 2e, then came 3e which by numbering made it the next edition of "advanced."

 

[mamba]

5E isn't an edition of AD&D, so I don't understand the relevance of the word "Advanced". They were ALL versions/editions of D&D, despite the naming convention of their respective eras.

it is an evolution of AD&D, not D&D, classes and races are separate

 

[WanderingMystic]

Well, currently it's in Tasha's, and theybare taking Tasha's options as-is and putting them into the PHB, so it doesn't need an update as it stands. I do expect if they make some sort of return to Eberron, like a Xendrik slipcase set or something, they will reprint it.

I think that some of Tasha's sub classes will get all updates to bring them in line. The Beast barbarian needs it's level 3 power tinkered with with the addition of weapon mastery.

I also believe that the Artificer needs to be overhauled maybe to be more like the Warlock with just a few spell slots that refresh at a short rest. The number of spells they get per day is fine however the level you get them at makes them lackluster. Other half caster classes have more that they can do with the base class while the Artificer relies compleatly on their subclass and fall behind starting at 6th level.

 

[tetrasodium]

Yeah. The ".5" was a novelty name that appealed to computer geekery, like "2.0".


My impression is, the shift from 3.0 to 3.5 seemed at first a minor tweak, that turned out to be a big deal, that effectively forced players to repurchase all of the same books.

I expect the 2024 characters to play fine alongside 2014 characters, and in this sense everything is 5.0.

But we will see. All of us will know if 2024 turns out to be 5.0 or 5.5.


I will happily purchase the 2024 core books, because I want a rulebook with all of the updates anyway.

That's pretty true of 3.0->3.5, but there was good reason to upgrade because there were a lot of ""OMGWTF?!?!?!?!?!?!" things fixed. One of the most eyemelting ones that spring to mind were umm... cause wounds(?) that set the target's current & max HP to 1d4hp & I think there were things like a wall of whales with a summon beast type spell being silly powerful compared to shigher leveltuff like wall of stone.... Not 100% sure on that second one being 3.0 rather than some 2.0+splat or something though

 

[FitzTheRuke]

The couldn't be the same game. They ran and were supported concurrently with AD&D and I think even 3e(not positive on that). That makes them different games or at least different forks in the "software." AD&D began with 1e and went on from there.

You sure seem to be enjoying picking and choosing what's allowed to "count" and what isn't.

At any rate, the part that WotC feels is significant to them (and ultimately to us) that makes 2024 "not an edition" is that most of the previous 5e books will remain in print without needing to be updated. This is not a small thing. It's never been done before. Heck, usually all (or nearly all) the old books are out-of-print LONG before they publish a "new edition".

If anything, this time around's version of the gimmick actually helps to clarify that situation. The only books that are invalidated are the ones with the same names - and the ones that they will drop out of print.

(Presumably one of the next steps will be to do to Xanathar's and Tasha's what they did to Volo's and Mordenkanen's.) Some kind of grand subclass book.

But they won't need to update Curse of Strahd or Out of the Abyss or Tomb of Annihilation, et al. That's a change on how it's been done in the past. A big one.

 

[Maxperson]

That's pretty true of 3.0->3.5, but there was good reason to upgrade because there were a lot of ""OMGWTF?!?!?!?!?!?!" things fixed. One of the most eyemelting ones that spring to mind were umm... cause wounds(?) that set the target's current & max HP to 1d4hp & I think there were things like a wall of whales with a summon beast type spell being silly powerful compared to shigher leveltuff like wall of stone.... Not 100% sure on that second one being 3.0 rather than some 2.0+splat or something though

That would be Harm(the opposite of Heal) that set hit points to 1d4 remaining. Not maximum. So healing could bring the target back up.

And was that really worse than the 3.5 version that did 10 damage per level to a max of 150 points of damage? At the upper end sure it hit dragons harder than the 150 hit points save for half, but at the lower end that 1d8 hit point kobold was almost completely unharmed by the 6th level harm spell. The 3.5 version, though, could automatically kill anything 75 hit points or lower if you were 15th level, and up to 150 hit points if it failed the save. It was give and take.

The biggest spell change. The one that made the most difference in my opinion, was dropping the duration of the stat buffing spells from 1 hour per level to 1 minute per level. Prior to 3.5 once you hit mid levels, everyone pretty much walked around in every encounter with +4 to their prime stat and maybe dex and con as well.