Now that Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition is over a decade old, Wizards of the Coast is giving it something of a refresh. We’re getting new Players' Handbook, DM Guide, and Monster Manual! This blog will talk a bit about what to expect with this update and touch on the Players' Handbook but keep an eye out! This is only the first in a mini-series of blogs breaking down the new era of D&D.
What is D&D 2024?
D&D 2024 is the name for the initiative from Wizards of the Coast to usher in a new generation of Dungeons and Dragons players with refreshed rules, stronger online presence, and cohesive digital product. However, it IS NOT a new edition! Everything in D&D 2024 is still 5E, it’s just been refined, revised, updated, and consolidated. Ten years is a long time and D&D has had so many books released in that span that it makes since to wrap it all up into a few large books so you don’t have to own 15+ books to have the full experience.
D&D 2024 is like updating your car from 2014 to a new 2024 car of the same make and model. Everything is the same…. it’s just been updated.
What’s Changing in the PHB?
The new edition of the Players' Handbook is roughly 80 pages larger than the 2014 version. Something to keep in mind is that the rules in the 2014 version of the 5E PHB are still valid and work with all current and future 5E content. Further, all new content will be backwards compatible with the D&D 5E modules you already own. That said, here are a few of the key features you can look forward to playing with in the new book:
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Species: D&D is moving away from the phrasing of “race” when it comes to the variety of sentient life forms in the game. Instead, the new PHB uses the term “species” to differentiate Orc from Human or Elf.
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Ancestry: Instead of having species such as Half-Elf or Half-Orc (where the ambiguous half is always human), you now get to choose your ancestry or lineage. You could play as a Gnome with an Elvish ancestry… or maybe a Dwarven ancestry or even Dragon! The removal of Half-X species options and the addition of Ancestry allows you to customize characters even further. It never made sense that only humans could be mixed anyhow. This also made room for Orc to become a playable species!
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Backgrounds: Gone are the days of picking a background to just get a couple proficiencies or items that were minimally useful. Now, your chosen background comes with an entire Feat! This adds a lot more excitement to the character creation process.
While these may seem like sweeping alterations to the edition, they’re truly more of a refinement of the previous system. It makes sense to allow more flexibility and include more dynamic options when character creating. Plus, we can now finally play as half-races that aren’t part human. Ever want to play a Dwarf with Elven ancestry? Now you can!
How and When Does the New PHB Release?
The new Players' Handbook’s early release date is Sept 3rd, 2024. We have both the normal cover and the special alternate cover available over on our website.
In addition, when you pick up your Player’s Handbook in store, you will receive your choice of a d20 with gold numbering and the D&D ampersand or a Dungeons & Dragons keychain.
Dungeons & Dragons Fest! - Find Your Party
To celebrate this amazing refresh of D&D 5E, Gamers Grove will be holding a D&D Fest! This special event involves making a character — or grabbing a pre-rolled one from staff — and using your character stats in a series of mini games.
As you enjoy the party, you’ll get to meet and mingle with all the D&D players of Huntsville to maybe find a group so you can start getting some games in with the new D&D PHB. If you’d like to go ahead and get a head start on finding a party, join us over on the Gamers Grove Discord where we have rooms set up for folks to find D&D groups and DMs.
Wrapping Up… But There’s More to Come!
That’s all for today but keep an eye out! This new approach to D&D 5E has so much to offer so we’ll be spending the next couple of weeks digging into the changes to martial classes, casting classes, and what other things you can expect. Thanks for reading and, as always, we’ll see you at the Grove.
