D&D 5E Official WotC 5e pdfs

[paradisebunny]

Hi all, I just stumbled across this (freely available) link for the pdf of the essentials kit rules. which I consider a GREAT version of the 5e rules, simple with all the basics covered including character creation minus some fluff. It made me wonder if there is actually some other good, fully illustrated PDFs out there that haven’t really been advertised as much? with lack of official 5e core books in pdf, this might be one of the few documents out there that completly mirror the print products. Are there others out there that I am not aware of?

 

[Nikosandros]

WotC has not published a PDF in several years. All digital products are released through D&D Beyond.

 

[ART!]

It's got somebody's name on the bottom left of the contents page, and no mention of copyright anywhere in the document that I can find.

 

[Azzy]

It's got somebody's name on the bottom left of the contents page, and no mention of copyright anywhere in the document that I can find.

That's the name of the artist who did the illustration on that page.

 

[paradisebunny]

Yeah I found it to be a very curious randomly available download. It came up when I searched for essentials kit character sheets. I just thought it was an interesting case of a 5e pdf available in the wilds from an official download page when e.g. @SlyFlourish frequently discusses the lack of any 5e material available in pdf and how it affects the accessibility and durability of the hobby

 

[paradisebunny]

WotC has not published a PDF in several years. All digital products are released through D&D Beyond.

Exactly, that’s why I thought it’s curious that this is out there and available for free. And it made me wonder what if 5e is actually out there in legitimate pdfs

 

[Bravesteel25]

Was this one of the downloads they made available during the pandemic?

 

[paradisebunny]

Was this one of the downloads they made available during the pandemic?

Oh yes, I think that’s right! The nice thing about this is that it includes the sidekick rules and two subclasses for 5 classes. What else was part of that pandemic offering? Maybe those links are also still up.

 

[J.Quondam]

It looks like a leftover from a freebie offering a few years ago. Here's an article containing active links to a couple other Essentials Kit-related PDFs using a similar URL:

Free to Download: Official D&D "Dragon of Icespire Peak"

The following download contains a special preview version of material presented in the D&D Essentials Kit, and is meant as a new group's first Dungeons & Dragons experience.

www.geeknative.com

The actual WotC freebie page itself, though, seems to just go to DDB now.

 

[Bravesteel25]

Oh yes, I think that’s right! The nice thing about this is that it includes the sidekick rules and two subclasses for 5 classes. What else was part of that pandemic offering? Maybe those links are also still up.

If I remember correctly, they offered a few adventures for a limited time through the DMs Guild. I would have to go back in my library and see if I ever downloaded them.