D&D (2024) Wizards of the Coast Backtracks on D&D Beyond and 2014 Content

Wizards of the Coast posted an overnight update stating that they are not going forward with previously released plans to require those wishing to use some 2014 content on D&D Beyond to use the Homebrew function to manually enter it. Instead, all the content including spells and magic items will be included. From the update:

D&D (2024) - How D&D Beyond Will Handle Access To 2014 Rules

D&D Beyond has announced how the transition to the new 2024 edition will work on the platform, and how legacy access to the 2014 version of D&D will be implemented. You will still be able to access the 2014 Basic Rules and core rulebooks. You will still be able to make characters using the 2014...

www.enworld.org

Last week we released a Changelog detailing how players would experience the 2024 Core Rulebooks on D&D Beyond. We heard your feedback loud and clear and thank you for speaking up.

Our excitement around the 2024 Core Rulebooks led us to view these planned updates as welcome improvements and free upgrades to existing content. We misjudged the impact of this change, and we agree that you should be free to choose your own way to play. Taking your feedback to heart, here’s what we’re going to do:

Players who only have access to the 2014 Player’s Handbook will maintain their character options, spells, and magical items in their character sheets. Players with access to the 2024 and 2014 digital Player’s Handbooks can select from both sources when creating new characters. Players will not need to rely on Homebrew to use their 2014 player options, including spells and magic items, as recommended in previous changelogs.

Please Note:

Players will continue to have access to their free, shared, and purchased items on D&D Beyond, with the ability to use previously acquired player options when creating characters and using character sheets.

We are not changing players’ current character sheets, except for relabeling and renaming. Examples include Races to Species, Inspiration to Heroic Inspiration, and Cast Spell to Magic.

We’re dedicated to making D&D Beyond the ultimate digital toolset for Dungeons & Dragons, continuously enhancing the platform to ensure you can create, customize, and play your game just as you envision it. From your first one-shot to multi-year campaigns and everything in between, we're grateful to be on this journey with you.

- The D&D Studio

 

[SteveC]

this has nothing to do with compatibility though, the problem is purely DDB specific / a business decision

It has everything to do with compatibility. If you are pushing into the online world, which everyone is saying is WotC's plan, and you are touting compatibility in your ramp-up to the launch, being able to still use the old material after launch is entirely expected. Otherwise, you weren't telling the truth the whole time.

The idea that 5.5E was going to be just an extension of 5E is something WotC has been telling us since they announced the 2024 books. I'd say this was either a huge failure to manage the project or was intended all along. I expect this was a decision made by management who knew nothing about the player base and that it was intentional. I have 100% no proof behind that, but it definitely seems like a management decision. And that's entirely my opinion, your milage may vary.

I use Foundry for my VTT, and they have released Tasha's as a product. After 5.5E launches, you will be able to buy the new PHB but still use all of the stuff from Tasha's, just like you can use the pre-remaster content for PF2.

I find it interesting that the Foundry team decided not to release the 2014 PHB as a module and that was controversial. They didn't release it entirely because of this reason: they'd have to support two PHBs going forward.

 

[Velderan]

Ah, ok... and is it an automated character sheet... as in even if I am not playing on a VTT it allows me to toggle armor and weapons on or off, roll for checks, subtract or add equipment in real time, automate feats, tooltips, full description dropdowns, etc.

EDIT: I'm just trying to understand if we are comparing apples to apples or apples to oranges here.

It seems pretty close, but to be fair I have never tried to actually play off of Pathbuilder while I have played quite a bit of 5e using DDB and Roll20 with the Beyond20 Chrome extension. Pathbuilder does allow you to click buttons on it to roll checks and such like you can with the DDB character sheet.

The Foundry character sheets are pretty good, so there doesn’t seem to be much community demand for a Chrome extension to bridge the two platforms. As @SteveC said most people just import and play within Foundry.

 

[TiQuinn]

I kind of have to laugh at this "heroic task" of integrating 5E options with 5.5E. For one thing, WotC has been touting compatibility between the two editions for the entire time we're been talking about it. This isn't something that snuck up on them.

This is why I was having a hard time with the "they're not different versions" argument. Of course, they are different versions. You have two spells that have different variables - they are different versions. Backwards compatibility really relies on the people at the table to largely ignore or hand wave those differences. But in a tool like D&D Beyond, those differences become pronounced.

But the other reason I laugh is because I play Pathfinder 2, and it's been going through a remaster as you likely have heard. I think most of the online community uses Pathbuilder to make characters. Pathbuilder is made by one guy. The remaster made hundreds of changes in two waves. Sometimes things were renamed. Sometimes they were rebalanced. Sometimes they were removed in favor of completely different abilities. The one guy had everything deployed a couple of days after launch. And when I go to Pathbuilder to create a character there's a checkbox for legacy content so I can see older stuff. One guy.

This somehow came as a surprise to the team of people working on this at WotC? Why did someone put out all these rakes in the yard?

It could be:

1) They really thought that people would see this as getting free stuff, and they really thought most people would want to move to 5.5.
2) There's something seriously kludgey in the backend of D&D Beyond that legit doesn't make adding the spells for two versions easy, and they were hoping they wouldn't have to add the old ones in. But now they do because the backlash is worse for them. So there's a very good chance they're adding bad code on top of bad code, and something's not getting fixed.

 

[Velderan]

I find it interesting that the Foundry team decided not to release the 2014 PHB as a module and that was controversial. They didn't release it entirely because of this reason: they'd have to support two PHBs going forward.

Which is interesting to me because there is a Foundry module for PF2e pre-remaster. I'm not using it, but as I understand you install the base PF2e rules and then layer on top a module to add in the OGL material that was removed/renamed. They could have done something similar with the 5e 2014/2024 rules if they wanted, I'm guessing they just didn't see the demand to be worth the effort since official 5e support is relatively new to them.

 

[SteveC]

Ah, ok... and is it an automated character sheet... as in even if I am not playing on a VTT it allows me to toggle armor and weapons on or off, roll for checks, subtract or add equipment in real time, automate feats, tooltips, full description dropdowns, etc.

EDIT: I'm just trying to understand if we are comparing apples to apples or apples to oranges here.

Don't worry, if you don't have experience with it, you have questions. Pathbuilder is a complete character builder. It has all the rules, but then Paizo releases all the rules for free. You can build a character, reference rules, and use it to play at the table. When I play PF Society games (basically Adventures League for Pathfinder) I print a character sheet but also bring my tablet with me. I reference everything for my character there. It allows me to do things like apply conditions to my character, track damage, track bonuses and penalties ... manage the character for the game. It actually has a tool that you can use to share with the GM so they can jointly manage your character. I still use dice, but it could handle that, too. And this is one guy making it.

 

[Minigiant]

I kind of have to laugh at this "heroic task" of integrating 5E options with 5.5E. For one thing, WotC has been touting compatibility between the two editions for the entire time we're been talking about it. This isn't something that snuck up on them

It's not the heroic task of integratng 5.5e

It's the heroic task of updating the character builder of D&D beyond.

Apparently for years D&D Beyond internals was a freaking mess before WOTC bought it.

I think when 6e does happen, they will just abandon it.

 

[Velderan]

Don't worry, if you don't have experience with it, you have questions. Pathbuilder is a complete character builder. It has all the rules, but then Paizo releases all the rules for free. You can build a character, reference rules, and use it to play at the table. When I play PF Society games (basically Adventures League for Pathfinder) I print a character sheet but also bring my tablet with me. I reference everything for my character there. It allows me to do things like apply conditions to my character, track damage, track bonuses and penalties ... manage the character for the game. It actually has a tool that you can use to share with the GM so they can jointly manage your character. I still use dice, but it could handle that, too. And this is one guy making it.

The thing with the developer is he announced in advance what his plans were to support the new rules, was blown up with pushback because people were worried about having to buy a 2nd app, and went back to the drawing board to figure out how to make the 1 app support both player bases. There was a bit of a delay in him having everything ready to go, but he definitely communicated his intent well in advance and kept open communications through his Patreon during the process. It's definitely easier to make decisions and pivot when you're a 1 man operation, so on that aspect it's not an apples to apples comparison.

 

[Imaro]

Don't worry, if you don't have experience with it, you have questions. Pathbuilder is a complete character builder. It has all the rules, but then Paizo releases all the rules for free. You can build a character, reference rules, and use it to play at the table. When I play PF Society games (basically Adventures League for Pathfinder) I print a character sheet but also bring my tablet with me. I reference everything for my character there. It allows me to do things like apply conditions to my character, track damage, track bonuses and penalties ... manage the character for the game. It actually has a tool that you can use to share with the GM so they can jointly manage your character. I still use dice, but it could handle that, too. And this is one guy making it.

Thanks, I think I'll check this out... I have the PF2e corebook but it just felt too rules heavy for my players... with a tool like this though I might give it a try.

 

[g00se99994]

Thanks, I think I'll check this out... I have the PF2e corebook but it just felt too rules heavy for my players... with a tool like this though I might give it a try.

I will warn you. Once you use Pathbuilder it will permanently warp your expectations when looking at other character sheet generators. It's that good LOL.

 

[mamba]

It has everything to do with compatibility.

no it doesn’t, we are talking about whether the old version or the new version of a spell is available in the char builder, and whether the user can decide which it is. That is a matter of technology, not rules compatibility.

The idea that 5.5E was going to be just an extension of 5E is something WotC has been telling us since they announced the 2024 books.

and that is how DDB implemented it, with the caveat that they do not always give you a choice of which to use, ie you would always have the 2024 spells

I use Foundry for my VTT, and they have released Tasha's as a product. After 5.5E launches, you will be able to buy the new PHB but still use all of the stuff from Tasha's, just like you can use the pre-remaster content for PF2.

that is true for DDB as well, except potentially some spells in the char builder

This is still comparing apples and oranges though, WotC said 2014 and 2024 are compatible, and they are. How well the two mix in any given VTT is not a matter of the rules