“This is the largest player’s handbook the game has ever had. It has been rebuilt from the ground up” says Jeremy Crawford as he opens up the first video on the New 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal. In this hour long video we got an exciting taste of what is to come in the refresh for Dungeons and Dragons 5E, which has been called “OneDnD” for much of its development time. Crawford and Perkins have a lot of excitement for the upcoming book, and promise that this 2024 edition of the Player’s Handbook is going to be providing a much more streamlined and immersive way for people to get into the most popular TTRPG in the world, but is that the case? Follow along with me as I take a look at this and other videos talking about the new D&D release, give you summaries, and provide my opinions on them.

Streamlined Design and Deeper Gameplay

One of the main goals with this redesign was to streamline the game itself while providing more options for a deeper, more immersive experience at the table. This was mentioned as a key goal of the design team, who made sure to gather community feedback through the Unearthed Arcana community reviews to make this the best it could be.

A Bit of Everything

First off, I will warn you that this video does not cover just the PHB. In talking, the trio (Crawford, Perkins, and Todd Kendrick) bounce around a bit, touching on the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual. While the PHB was the focus of the release, it's clear that the new edition aims to integrate more comprehensive resources for character creation.

(EDIT: There is an updated video, cut to just the PHB specifics here)

Comprehensive Character Creation

The PHB itself will contain everything a player needs to create their characters, promising over 100 pages with over 400 spells and 75 feats (both new and old). Fighters will have access to the new Weapon Mastery features, giving them more utility in combat. The inclusion of suggested ability scores for each class will provide new players with a basis for character creation, making it easier to get started.

We also have more examples of play in the book, hopefully making it easier for newer players to understand information better. The push for character creation to be entirely contained in a single book simplifies the process of building out player characters. This means players will only need a copy of the PHB (though it was noted that certain characters, like the Circle of the Moon Druid, will need to look at the Monster Manual). The additional assistance provided by the developers is also great for helping newer players understand the game.

I really like the push for character creation to be entirely contained in a single book. I think this makes the process of building out player characters much easier, and means that players will just need a copy of the PHB (though it was noted that certain characters, like the Circle of the Moon Druid, will need to look at the Monster Manual). The additional assistance that the developers provided is also great at helping newer players understand the game, which is great.

However, I wonder how this will change with any new material released after the 2024 core books. Previously, books like Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything contained both DM and player material. Will we get supplemental information broken up, or will we have multiple books both Dungeon Masters and players will need as we continue after the 2024 refresh?

Updated and New Classes

In addition to the changes to character creation, we will also be getting revised classes fresh out of the oven from the UA playtesting. You can look at the previous Unearthed Arcana reviews here and see how the future of D&D has evolved since the initial One D&D announcement. D&D Beyond has released additional videos and posts on the updated classes, which I will touch on individually. These classes have been adjusted based on public opinion and tweaked accordingly.

In addition to the updated subclasses, we also have some brand new subclasses available, like the Circle of the Sea Druid, College of Dance Bard, and Path of the World Tree Barbarian. These new options have been presented with a range of responses, from excitement to concerns about power levels.

Overall, I am happy we are getting some adjustments on the character classes from 2014. In the time since D&D 5E came out, there have been shifts in both play style and balancing. Each additional official book has changed this balance in some way, with Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything trying to rebalance classes temporarily with the Optional Class Features. A fresh setup is necessary and appreciated. Whether or not I agree with all the changes, I will have to look at the classes and subclasses individually. I have heard from others that in some areas, we see an update that was necessary, but in other places, it feels like nothing was improved upon.

New Options: Weapon Mastery and Bonus Action Potion

Making its appearance in the 2024 PHB are some new options for characters. The goal was to improve action economy and level the playing field for characters, and some of these options seem to be doing just that.

Weapon Mastery, as some may be familiar with, provides additional effects on certain weapons. A sword may always do damage, doing a tiny bit on a miss, or a hammer may push back a foe. This ability started off in Unearthed Arcana as being Fighter-specific and eventually became something that the Fighter excelled at while other martially-centric classes could also tap into. The purpose was to even the playing field between spellcasters and martial fighters in combat, adding useful effects.

The Bonus Action Potion drinking came as a surprise to me. This is something I have seen talked about in the community nonstop, with people on both sides of this particular argument. Some like that it removes the crippling action economy from having to spend an action to take a health potion, while others feel it creates an overpowered situation for player characters.

While Weapon Mastery proves to be a great addition for all martial characters, I think it missed the mark that the original version aimed to hit: adding to the Fighter class. Weapon Mastery as an option to most martial weapon fighters is a great improvement, but it does not help with the lack of ability for the Fighter class. With bonus action potion drinking, I think it will balance out. If it becomes too overpowered, we may see enemies starting to carry potions as well.

Enhanced Rules and Organization

One of the parts of the revised material that I am most excited about is the reorganization of information in the books. Something I have always found frustrating with the 2014 core rulebooks was how the information was laid out and how hard it was to find anything. It made referencing specific rules more difficult than it should be and pushed me to rely on third-party sources and my own notes.

One of the big parts of this is the “Rules Glossary,” a centralized quick-reference section for the rules players may need to reference while playing the game. The idea is that this section should provide a single location for players looking for rules, something the previous books could have used.

“it's hard to nail down, there's a lot of things I love how information has been reorganized in the book so I can find things easier the rules glossary. I think is going to be a huge huge Boon to a lot of players having a centralized place where all the rules are very clearly and concisely defined”

Honestly, I think this is one of those features that I can safely say will be a welcome improvement. The 2014 information organization left a lot to be desired (and I have many examples in the DMG where I wanted to pull my hair out). The question will be if this does enough of a job, or if I will still need to rely on other options when it comes to looking up rules.

Conclusion

The new Player's Handbook promises a more streamlined and immersive experience for players. With revised and new options, enhanced rules and gameplay, and intentional design choices, it aims to provide everything needed for character creation in one comprehensive book. These sneak peeks give me hope, but I will wait until the launch to make my final decision. The anticipation for its release is high, and it's available for pre-order now on D&D Beyond.

A First Look at the 2024 Player's Handbook: Streamlined, Expanded, and Enhanced