Dungeons & Dragons SRD 5.2 Is Officially Live

The new System Reference Document (SRD) for Dungeons & Dragons' revised 5th Edition is officially live. The new SRD was officially released and is available for download on D&D Beyond. A FAQ detailing changes from the previous SRD was also released.

The SRD provides a version of D&D's rules that can be used and referenced in third-party material and form a framework for publishing material compatible for D&D's latest edition. The newest version of the SRD contains a mix of species, backgrounds, subclasses, and feats from the 2024 Player's Handbook, along with statblocks from the 2025 Monster Manual.

One other interesting note is that the new SRD purges references to creatures and characters classified as D&D IP. The previous SRD released under a Creative Commons license contained reference to Strahd and Orcus, both of which were removed in the new SRD. Additionally, the SRD renames the Deck of Many Things as "Mysterious Deck" and the Orb of Dragonkind as "Dragon Orb" to allow for both to be used in third-party material while not infringing upon D&D IP.

 

[Shardstone]

No Bastion rules really sucks. I would have loved to design some enhancements to the system for 3rd party. Without 3PP support IMO, Bastions will wither on the vine and not be included in future editions of the game. Shame to lose a good idea due to mid execution and no support.

 

[Morrus]

Probably not because the OGL requires you release the product into the OGL. CC does not.

You could have different parts of a product use different licenses. Like I said, trickier, but you could do it.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The only thing allowed by Strahd being mentioned is the use of his name and anything about him explicitly stated in the SRD. Anything else is still copyrighted.

Not mentioning him in 5.2 has no effect on that, it just means that people won’t read 5.2 and think that it allows them to copy-paste his statblock from CoS, which was weirdly a thing people were thinking was allowed.

 

[overgeeked]

It removes them from 5.2. I wasn't confused. You weren't confused, but people were confused if they could use Strahd in any way since his name was in 5.1.

They can use the name "Strahd" and whatever bits of lore are specifically included in the actual SRD, but using any IP not specifically included in the SRD is going to get you a visit from the Pinkertons and a gaggle of lawyers. All that lore you have in your head about Strahd was not released under the CC-BY license. Only the name "Strahd" and whatever other specific bits of lore in the SRD are free to use.

 

[Kobold Stew]

It is interesting that the SRD 5.2 is issued only under Creative Commons, sidelining the OGL. Don't know what the wider implications are, but it seems to be a creator-friendly move.

 

[Shardstone]

All the Weapon Mastery properties are included, which is good. Four backgrounds so we get 4 Origin feats. I think we get most of the Epic Boons as well. And Hex is added now too! Nice.

 

[bedir than]

From the FAQ

Can SRD 5.2 ever be revoked or changed?​

No. Once a document is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY-4.0), it is permanently available under those terms. Wizards of the Coast cannot revoke or alter SRD 5.2 or remove it from Creative Commons.

As rules evolve, we may publish future SRD versions (e.g., SRD 5.2.1, 5.3) that reflect errata or new releases. Each version will remain available and independently licensed under Creative Commons.


And as @Morrus points out, WotC also points out

Can I use both SRD 5.1 and SRD 5.2 in the same product?​

Yes. Both SRD 5.1 and 5.2 are available under the Creative Commons CC-BY-4.0 license. You are free to use content from either—or both—in your published work, as long as proper attribution is provided.

 

[overgeeked]

And the winner of best addition to the SRD goes to the first section, Rhythm of Play. Given that exact cycle is the fundamental basis of all RPGs it's nice to have one of the better encapsulations available in the CC.

 

[Nikosandros]

It is interesting that the SRD 5.2 is issued only under Creative Commons, sidelining the OGL. Don't know what the wider implications are, but it seems to be a creator-friendly move.

Why do you see it as a creator-friendly move?

 

[Alzrius]

It is interesting that the SRD 5.2 is issued only under Creative Commons, sidelining the OGL. Don't know what the wider implications are, but it seems to be a creator-friendly move.

I disagree. A creator-friendly move would have been to make it available under both licenses, so creators could choose whichever one they felt more partial toward.