Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player's Handbook

Don’t Call It a New Edition

Dungeons & Dragons, the granddaddy of all roleplaying games, turned 50 this year. It's also the 10th anniversary of 5th Edition (5e), the most successful version in D&D's history. Publisher Wizards of the Coast has no intention of replacing its best-selling edition with a completely new 6th Edition, nor do they want to release a partial upgrade like 5.5e. Instead, they’re framing D&D 2024 as a backward-compatible revision of 5e.

But that’s where it gets tricky. Think of D&D 2024 like an updated version of the same game: if you own the 2014 version of 5e or the upcoming 2024 version, you’re still playing Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition—just with differences. It’s like changing how the Queen moves in Chess—if she could also move like a Knight. It’s still Chess, but with some updated rules. As long as everyone is playing by those new rules, the game still works.

Wizards of the Coast has tweaked everything in the new Player's Handbook. Everything. If something didn’t change, that too was a deliberate decision. According to Lead Designer Jeremy Crawford, when asked if anything is different in the new book, his answer is simply: “Yes.” The 2024 Player’s Handbook is based on a redesign of the original 2014 version and also includes revised material from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (2017) and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything (2020). Thankfully, Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos didn’t make it in—so no Silvery Barbs to worry about.

So let’s dive into the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook, the first of three Core Rulebooks being released for the 50th anniversary of “The World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game.”

Design and Layout

At 384 pages, the Player’s Handbook is hefty by D&D standards. A glossy hardcover with lay-flat Smyth-sewn binding ensures durability—important for a sourcebook that will see heavy use over the next 10 to 50 years. While Wizards of the Coast would prefer you use its web platform, D&D Beyond, this is a review of a book, not web design, though the online tool is mentioned early on in the text.

By comparison, the 2014 Player’s Handbook had 320 pages. But page count can be deceiving. The 2024 edition adds 64 more pages, but this speaks to improved accessibility as well. The new book uses a larger, bolder font with higher contrast, offset against brighter white pages, making the text easier to read.

Wizards of the Coast, the largest employer of freelance and contract artists in the industry, makes that evident here. With two versions of every cover and an expanded team of 100 interior artists, the artwork is mostly new. Some smaller pieces from 5e were too good to leave behind, but the art is often bigger, bolder, and now 100 percent relevant to the text it accompanies.

Each chapter opens with a full-page art piece on the left. Each character class gets its own full-page illustration, and each subclass gets a vertical half-page. Backgrounds receive quarter-page art, which feels like widescreen desktop wallpapers—perfect for your character. Every species (formerly “race”) is depicted with a range of sizes, shapes, skin tones, and activities, either aligned with their cultural stereotypes or breaking free of them. In the old Player’s Handbook, smiles were rare unless you were a halfling or a bard—most characters had their war faces on.

In the new Player’s Handbook, far more characters are laughing or clearly enjoying themselves. At worst, they look aloof or distracted. This "hopepunk" vibe contrasts with the grimdark tone of the old-school renaissance in recent years, reinforcing D&D’s cheerful, cozy evolution of high fantasy. Players are always winning—and that’s exactly what a book called the Player’s Handbook wants you to feel.

Campaign settings used to be felt more in the text. Now, they shine through the artwork. Dragonlance is prominent, kicking off Chapter 1. The "world-traveling explorers" from the 1980s D&D cartoon are front and center in Chapter 2. Forgotten Realms characters dominate the Character Origins chapter, while Ravenloft and Eberron stand out in chapters on Feats and Equipment. Good old Greyhawk characters like Mordenkainen and Bigby prepare for planar travel in the massive chapter on spells. It’s a welcome change from the often campaign-agnostic style of past Player’s Handbooks. There’s 50 years of D&D to celebrate, and it’s delightful that this book acknowledges that.

I’m disappointed that the only mention of Dark Sun is in the trademark fine print. It’s further proof that Wizards of the Coast is unwilling—or unable—to revisit a setting filled with brutal and challenging themes of freedom, rebellion, and survival. They’ve chosen to sit on the trademark throughout all of 5e. Please enjoy your hopepunk, I guess.

Character Creation and Customization

The new Player’s Handbook rearranges some chapters to improve the flow. Playing the Game is now Chapter 1, instead of Chapter 7. Even within the Creating a Character section, the order has been adjusted. It’s no longer Race, Class, and Ability Scores; now it’s Class first, followed by Race and Ability Scores (though the terminology is slightly different). Older editions of D&D had you build toward the class you wanted. In this new version, class is prioritized as the most significant decision about your character—even if it feels backward at first. After all, in real life, we’re born a certain race, then choose our “class” later in life. Most of us aren’t preordained to be a wizard before we’re even born.

Regardless, this new arrangement makes sense. D&D has evolved beyond the days when dwarves, halflings, and gnomes couldn’t use magic or when elves couldn’t become high-level fighters like humans. Nowadays, race (or species, the term used in D&D 2024) doesn’t limit your choice of character class. Any species can access magic, and any species can hit level 20—as long as your Dungeon Master has the endurance to handle it. Species is more than a cosmetic choice, though. Dragonborn still have a breath weapon, Halfling Luck persists, and Humans wake up with Heroic Inspiration—handy, since it more than makes up for the fact that Humans (and Goliaths) are the only species without darkvision.

That said, species traits may take a backseat to other considerations now. Bonuses to ability scores—Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma—are no longer tied to species but to backgrounds. So, the Sorcerer in your party won’t pick Half-Elf solely for the +2 Charisma. Instead, they’ll choose from a variety of backgrounds that still let them assign the +2 to Charisma. There are seven backgrounds that do this: Acolyte, Charlatan, Entertainer, Guide, Hermit, Merchant, Noble, and Wayfarer. Now, players who always pick Half-Elf for their Sorcerers can try something different.

This change is fantastic. It makes more sense for my character to have a +2 to Charisma because they grew up as a Charlatan or Entertainer—not because their parents were a human and an elf. Why would being a Half-Elf, Orc, Dwarf, or Aasimar inherently affect whether I’m charming or tactless, humorous or humorless, as Charisma implies? It shouldn’t.

Inclusivity and Accessibility

Species no longer affect ability scores, and there are no more half-species. Half-Elves and Half-Orcs are gone. These half-species likely originated from The Lord of the Rings, which is why they appeared in D&D in the first place. However, as Designer Jeremy Crawford has mentioned in the past, Wizards of the Coast is uncomfortable with the term “half-breed” due to its negative connotations. While this change was made to promote inclusivity, it led to some misunderstandings.

As someone of mixed heritage, I’m personally saddened by their removal. But I also questioned why half-elves and half-orcs were the only “half-” choices. There’s no reason Aasimar and Tieflings couldn’t have offspring, or Gnomes and Dragonborn, or, yes, Humans and Elves. Despite these possibilities, the online discourse surrounding the removal of half-species wasn’t favorable. In response, Wizards of the Coast quietly removed them, without offering any guidance on homebrewing half-species characters.

The language throughout the book remains gender-neutral and inclusive. Instead of using He, Him, She, and Her, the text opts for They. Traditionally gendered roles, such as Wizard (instead of Witch), don’t concern themselves with binary or nonbinary distinctions. The artwork also reflects this inclusivity, featuring gender-fluid characters in traditionally male or female roles. There’s a noticeable increase in depictions of Brown and Black characters, who are often portrayed as White in fantasy fiction. The cover itself shows Yolande, a Black Elf (not a Dark Elf). The Cleric could easily be one of my Filipina aunties. You’ll find Middle Eastern Gloom Stalkers, Black Hunters, and Meso-American Sorcerers. There’s even a Ravenloft character in a wheelchair. While White and racially ambiguous characters still appear, the diverse representation is striking and plentiful—enough to make this feel like a new edition entirely.

Core Rule Updates

The Player’s Handbook has always had one main purpose: character creation. Unfortunately, it’s still a lengthy and complex process, and the power creep and additional layers of complexity haven’t been reduced. There’s no section detailing the differences between D&D 5e and D&D 2024. That’s understandable, as nearly everything has changed. Including old rules alongside the new ones would’ve doubled the book’s length. However, after playing 5e for a decade, players might recite old rules out of habit rather than checking the updates in the new Player’s Handbook.

One notable change is that all subclasses are now chosen at 3rd level. Previously, some classes made these decisions earlier. For instance, Clerics selected their Divine Domain, Sorcerers chose their Sorcerous Origin, and Warlocks picked their Otherworldly Patron at 1st level, while Druids did so at 2nd level. Now, all subclasses are selected at 3rd level.

The same 12 core classes return: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard. However, to ensure each class has exactly four subclasses, some new options have been introduced:

The Barbarian’s Path of the World Tree taps into the multiverse, while the Bard’s College of Dance harmonizes with the cosmos. The Druid’s Circle of the Sea embraces tides and storms, and Warlocks now have The Archfey Patron, which Jeremy Crawford describes as “basically a new subclass.” Meanwhile, the Warrior of the Elements Monk and the Beast Master Ranger have been almost entirely redesigned. Even classes and subclasses that saw fewer changes have still been adjusted in some way, with hopes that nothing important was compromised.

The most significant battlefield addition is Weapon Mastery. Every martial class (except Monks but including Rogues) gains Weapon Mastery at 1st level. This unlocks the new Mastery column on the weapon chart. There are eight different Mastery Properties, and each weapon has one. These properties have a big impact. In my Dragonlance campaign, a Knight of Solamnia with polearm mastery now adds the Graze property to his glaive. When he misses an attack, he deals damage equal to his ability modifier (currently +5). That might not sound like much, but even 1 damage can break a mage’s spell concentration. And with D&D’s rules, where 1 Hit Point is enough to stay fully combat-effective, that 5 damage from Graze could end a fight that might otherwise drag on.

Feats have become so popular that they are no longer an optional rule. They’ve been expanded into their own chapter, and you now gain them earlier. There are four types of Feats: new Origin Feats (available at 1st level), Fighting Feats for combat, the more numerous General Feats, and Epic Boons. Epic Boons, which used to be a level 20 capstone, have been moved to level 19. A new capstone ability is granted at level 20, assuming your DM is willing to run a campaign that long. Campaigns starting at level 1 can take literal years to reach level 20. My Dragonlance players just celebrated a full year in their Shadow of the Dragon Queen campaign, and they’re only 6th level.

Along with Feats, multiclassing is no longer optional. While players can still choose to level up in their original class or another for which they meet the prerequisites, there’s no longer any suggestion that you need your DM’s permission to multiclass. However, it’s always wise to discuss significant character decisions with your DM. For example, your DM might have had a good reason for not letting you play a Drakewarden summoning a baby dragon at the start of Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. But there may come a time when multiclassing into it makes sense later in the campaign—just make sure to have that conversation.

New and Revised Spells

There are a lot of spells in D&D. Aside from the chapter listing every class and subclass, the spells section is the second-largest in the Player’s Handbook. I started playing D&D back in the ‘90s, and there was always one player in our group who played a Wizard. When rolling up fresh characters, the rest of us could finish in about an hour, but our Wizard friend always held things up. “Guys, I need to pick my spells,” he’d say, as we forcibly occupied ourselves with other ‘90s pastimes while he flipped through the enormous spell section of the AD&D 2nd Edition Player’s Handbook.

If you’re starting a campaign using only this new Player’s Handbook, you might notice some of your favorite spells are missing. This edition cherry-picks spells from the 5e PHB, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Some spells from those sources didn’t make the cut for the 2024 Core Rulebook. I’m not the only one relieved to see that Silvery Barbs from Strixhaven didn’t return—that spell has been a constant headache for DMs, much to players’ delight.

What’s changed with spells? As Jeremy Crawford would say, “Yes.” There are around 30 more spells in this Player’s Handbook compared to the last one, bringing the total to about 400—maybe 401, depending on how cross-eyed I got counting them.

Spells that heal may heal more. Spells that deal damage may now deal more damage. Some spells that didn’t require concentration now do. Ritual casting is more accessible now, though in my experience, I’ve never seen a player cast a spell as a ritual anyway.

The spell list has also been reorganized into three universal categories: Arcane, Divine, and Primal. Arcane spells are used by Wizards, Sorcerers, and Warlocks. Divine spells are for Clerics and Paladins. Primal spells belong to Druids and Rangers. And of course, the Bard, being a jack-of-all-trades, is spread across all three lists.

Combat and Mechanics

Combat itself has changed little in D&D 2024. In some cases, wording has been clarified, but core mechanics like Advantage, Disadvantage, and Opportunity Attacks remain the same. One notable clarification is that when casting a spell, you're now explicitly using the Magic Action. While this doesn’t alter gameplay, it helps clarify where spells fit into your action economy.

One welcome update is that drinking or administering a healing potion no longer requires a full Action; it now only takes a Bonus Action (something many tables, including mine, had already homebrewed).

A funny change comes with the Unconscious condition when you knock out a creature. If you reduce a creature to 0 Hit Points with a melee attack, you can instead leave it at 1 Hit Point and give it the Unconscious condition. The odd part is that this creature immediately starts a Short Rest. If left alone for an hour, it wakes up refreshed with all the benefits of a Short Rest. Amusing in certain scenarios, for sure.

There’s also a curious change with Advantage on Initiative rolls. Instead of rolling twice and taking the higher result (as you would normally do with Advantage), you roll once and add 5 to the result. That’s roughly a 25% bonus, but it’s unclear why Initiative treats Advantage differently from other rolls.

Actions like Attack, Dash, and Disengage remain straightforward, but some new action terminology is a bit awkward. For example, to read someone’s body language, you make a Wisdom (Insight) check, but this is referred to as using the Search action. It sounds strange to say you’re “searching” someone’s body language.

Similarly, when making an Intelligence (Investigation) check, you might expect to use the Search action, but instead, you use the Study action, which is slightly counterintuitive.

Monsters and Challenges

There are some notable changes to creature stat blocks in D&D 2024. First, all stat blocks are conveniently gathered in the back of the book in Appendix B, with more accompanying artwork than ever before. Previously, many creatures lacked illustrations, forcing DMs to search online for visuals. While the classic "Kill 10 Rats" trope remains, you still won’t find a picture of a rat next to its stat block—unfortunately.

One new addition is the Sphinx of Wonder, seemingly included to fill out the Lawful Good square in the alignment chart meme. But I have to admit, the Sphinx of Wonder is a delight. It looks like a universe-dark cat with a celestial symbol on its forehead, galaxy-filled wings, and a tail made of peacock feathers and fey-like Q-tips. I want one.

The Bloodied condition, resurrected from D&D 4e, seems to be making a broader comeback, likely in the D&D 2024 Monster Manual launching next year. For now, we get a taste of it with the Bloodied Fury trait added to the Boar.

Some creatures now have a Gear section in their stat blocks, found between Immunities and Senses. For instance, the Skeleton has this Gear feature, listing items like a Shortbow and Shortsword, which clarifies what equipment players can loot. This addition is helpful for situations where players try to recover weapons from creatures—like the time my players fought a Skeletal Knight equipped with an Enervating Blade. After they won, they asked if they could loot the sword. I naively agreed, and we spent 30 minutes homebrewing a balanced version, which still felt too powerful in the end. With this new feature, Wizards of the Coast has made it clearer when players can or can’t loot a creature’s gear.

The stat blocks also aim to break the "two claws and a bite" trope that many low-level beasts rely on. For example, the Black Bear’s Claw attack is now called Rend, and the Cat doesn’t Claw anymore—it Scratches. The Lion no longer Claws, it also Rends, and instead of biting, it Roars. This adds some variety to otherwise predictable monster behavior.

Oh, and for those hoping to hitch a ride on a Giant Eagle to Mordor? Sorry. They’ve been removed from the Player’s Handbook. You’ll have to ask Wizards of the Coast why.

DM Tools and Campaign Integration

The Rules Glossary in the back of the book may not be a DM tool per se, but it's invaluable for Dungeon Masters. Unlike traditional indexes, which list items in tiny print with page numbers, the Rules Glossary is large, legible, and focuses on common rules definitions that are often referenced. It seems to encapsulate key concepts that have frequently appeared on DM screens over the years.

Players will likely dive into their favorite character classes to explore changes. The Monk, for example, has received widespread praise for its improvements, though the Monk player at my table is disappointed by the loss of a feature that kept the Dungeon Master on his toes. The Sorcerer player, always feeling like the Marvel superhero of the group, is pleased that their role remains strong. The Warlock is content as the Eldritch Blast specialist but is open to exploring new options. The Wizard, despite being frequently knocked out in encounters, eagerly anticipates fully realizing their potential. However, with the robust online character-creation tools on D&D Beyond, I don’t expect my players to switch to filling out hardcopy character sheets anytime soon.

A revised Character Sheet is included in the Creating a Character chapter. It’s been condensed from three pages to two by combining the spells page with the page for appearance, backstory, features, traits, and treasure. Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws have been removed from character creation, with the focus shifting more towards Alignment. Ability Scores, Saving Throws, and Skills are now grouped together in a somewhat cluttered format, which may make character creation feel as confusing as ever.

Creating Heroic Characters

The character sheet in the book is not designed for easy copying and printing, which can be user-unfriendly. However, it does have markers throughout to guide you through the character-creation process. For example, the Level, Class, Subclass, and Armor Training boxes are all marked with a "1," indicating that these should be filled out during Step 1: Choose a Class. Similar markers are present for Steps 2 through 5. Step 5, titled "Fill In Details," may sound simple, but it takes up a significant portion of the sheet and requires filling out almost every section, making it feel like a "Draw the Rest of the Owl" scenario.

Despite these helpful markers, the character sheet ends up looking more cluttered than the 5e Player’s Handbook sheet. Following the instructions line by line can be challenging, and the book’s lack of page number references exacerbates the issue. You might find yourself jumping between chapters, unsure whether to finalize your decisions before moving on or to return to the Creating a Character chapter for additional details. The process often feels disjointed and requires frequent cross-referencing.

While the layout and design within each chapter are aesthetically pleasing, the overall character-creation process can be confusing and inefficient. It’s as if the book provides the necessary information but fails to connect the dots clearly. Instead of a smooth, guided experience, you may find yourself second-guessing and retracing your steps to ensure you haven’t missed anything.

In contrast, creating a character online with tools like D&D Beyond is significantly more streamlined. The online process is so efficient that it makes the book’s method seem overly complex. However, this review is focused on the Player’s Handbook, which, despite its improvements, still struggles with user-friendliness in character creation.

I appreciate the content and updates in this Player’s Handbook, but the character creation process remains cumbersome and could benefit from a more intuitive approach.

Overall Experience and Improvements

Change is everywhere. For example, if you’ve been using Inspiration a certain way for the past decade, you’ll need to catch up on how Heroic Inspiration works now. Miss the details, and you might overlook the return of the Bloodied condition from D&D 4e. Blink and you’ll miss the fact that you can pass through an ally’s square without it being Difficult Terrain, or that allies can now share a square if one of them is Prone. Do these changes ruin the backward compatibility between D&D 2024 and D&D 5e? Not really. As long as everyone plays by the same rules, you’re still playing the same game.

Is the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook a necessary upgrade? Not necessarily. It’s designed to be incremental, making subtle changes rather than overhauling the system. Its backward compatibility with vanilla 5e reflects this approach. The handbook clarifies some definitions, refines creature stat blocks, and offers enhanced focus and detail in its writing and artwork. Each chapter is meticulously crafted, filled with hidden details and Easter eggs for observant readers.

Character creation remains as complex as ever—something that has always been a challenge with D&D's depth. The book’s 384 pages underscore this complexity, which is unmatched by any other game manual I’ve encountered. Dungeons & Dragons is vast, intricate, and uniquely rewarding. The 2024 Player’s Handbook offers a fresh perspective, enhancing the experience without completely reinventing it.