Discussion New 2024 Player's Handbook

[Dungeon Master]

As probably anyone who keeps up with any D&D channels on YouTube has probably heard by now, as they've pushed early copies of it out to every big content creator out there, there will be a new updated 2024 handbook releasing September 17th. The other books in the trifecta are due out a bit later than that, which is going to be a bugger for those of us who DM at all.

RELEASE DATES:

• 2024 Player's Handbook – 17 September 2024
• 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide – 12 November 2024
• 2024 Monster Manual – 18 February 2024

But we're still getting some sneak-peaks at what they're going to be releasing in the upcoming year, even if we have a long wait for some of it. I'm going to try to detail everything I can find regarding the new 2024 Player's Handbook changes, and anyone who finds something else of note is welcome to pitch in.

Most of this is going to be info dumps from the D&DBeyond articles they're releasing, but I'll try to format them to be a bit more digestible.

I will preface that it doesn't seem like the benefits for preordering any of these are worth a damn, not least of all because they're pushing the digital and physical copies in a bundle... But no one likely needs both.

When you preorder the Digital & Physical Core Rulebook Bundle, you'll not only save $60 on your purchase but receive free shipping and unlock the following exclusive digital bonuses: the Dragons of D&D digital art book; the D&D Beyond Gold digital dice set; and the 50th anniversary Gold Dragon mini releasing with the closed beta of the upcoming 3D VTT

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1. Class updates.

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1. Barbarian​
2. Fighter​
3. Paladin​
4. Rogue​

Article:

2024 Barbarian vs. 2014 Barbarian: What's New

Everyone's favorite tank has been hitting the gym and is even more buff in the 2024 Player's Handbook. You'll find the new Barbarian is harder to take down, has a more persistent Rage, and is more strategic when it comes to trading off defense for offense.

In this article, we'll cover the key changes to the 2024 Barbarian you'll find in the new Player's Handbook. If there's a feature we don't cover, such as Extra Attack, it remains unchanged or only saw minor tweaks.

Rage — Level 1

You can't be the Hulk of your adventuring party without a persistent, nigh uncontrollable Rage. The 2024 Player's Handbook makes it easy to keep your Rage rolling by allowing you to expend a Bonus Action to maintain your Rage. Your Rage is also extended if you force an enemy to make a saving throw.

Previously, you would have to make a weapon attack or take damage to continue raging, but if you're taking your turn to do something mundane, such as climbing a ladder, you don't want to have to expend another usage of Rage once you get to the top.

You now also regain one use of Rage when you finish a Short Rest, making it more likely you'll have this key Barbarian feature available when you roll Initiative.

Weapon Mastery — Level 1

Find more ways to crush, slash, and generally pulverize your enemies with the new Weapon Mastery feature! At level 1, you can choose two Simple or Martial Melee weapons and access their mastery properties. The number of mastery properties you can access at a given time increases as you level up, and they can be swapped out at the end of each Long Rest.

Just because we know how much Barbarians love chopping things up, it's suggested to learn the Greataxe and Handaxe mastery properties, which are listed below:

• Greataxe (Cleave): The only thing better than chopping one enemy in half is chopping two enemies in half! With Cleave, whenever you hit a creature, you can make a second attack at another creature within 5 feet of the original target and within your reach. If you hit, you deal your weapon's damage dice but not your ability score modifier (you do add your Rage bonus damage, though!)
• Handaxe (Vex): The Handaxe's mastery property, Vex, makes it easier for you to land a follow up attack. When you hit a creature with a Handaxe, you'll have Advantage on the next attack roll you make against that creature before the end of your next turn. This is a great way to enable Brutal Strike once you get it at level 9, so keep your Handaxes handy.

Danger Sense — Level 2

The Barbarian's Spidey-Sense has been given a buff! Previously, you'd have to be able to hear or see a Fireball streaking toward you in order to get Advantage on your subsequent Dexterity saving throw. Now, you can dodge effectively even when Blinded or Deafened.

Barbarian Subclass — Level 3

Barbarian subclasses in the 2024 Player's Handbook include the Path of the Berserker, Path of the Wild Heart, Path of the World Tree, and Path of the Zealot. The Path of the World Tree is an entirely new subclass, while the rest got updated to improve gameplay.

• Path of the Berserker: The biggest change to the Path of the Berserker is the adjustments to Frenzy. Now, instead of giving you an extra Bonus Action attack, you get additional damage on your first hit each turn. The extra damage is represented by a number of d6s equal to your Rage bonus damage. You also don't gain levels of Exhaustion for using this ability. Other than that, Intimidating Presence and Retaliation have swapped places, with Intimidating Presence now affecting multiple creates and the Frightened lasting up to 1 minute without your need to spend your action extending the duration. Mindless Rage now also ends the Charmed or Frightened condition instead of suspending it.
• Path of the Wild Heart (formerly Path of the Totem Warrior): The Path of the Wild Heart has seen some significant improvements to its flexibility. Now, you can change the animals that you draw primal power from more easily, and they've been balanced to make choosing feel more strategic. Instead of choosing an animal at level 3 and sticking with it through your campaign, you can swap out benefits from your level 3 and 14 abilities each time you Rage. The more passive abilities you gain at level 6 can be changed out whenever you finish a Long Rest.
• Path of the World Tree (New): With this subclass, you can dish out Temporary Hit Points, shift enemies around the battlefield, increase your reach and the versatility of your Weapon Mastery properties, and, as the subclass's capstone, teleport around the battlefield with your allies.
• Path of the Zealot: Originally introduced in Xanathar's Guide to Everything, this radiant subclass has had a glow-up. Its Warrior of the Gods feature now helps you stay alive by giving you a pool of healing dice you can roll as a Bonus Action, rather than making it easier to bring you back from the dead. This is also reflected in the Rage of the Gods feature, which replaces Rage Beyond Death and gives you a Fly Speed, damage resistances, and the ability to expend a use of your Rage to prevent you and your comrades from dropping to 0 Hit Points.

Primal Knowledge — Level 3

Make your Barbarian more useful when they're not crushing skulls! Primal Knowledge gives you an extra skill proficiency from the Barbarian's list and the ability to replace certain skill ability modifiers with your Strength modifier when your Rage is active.

The skills include Acrobatics, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth, and Survival. This means that you can now fly into a Rage and use your fury to sneak into places, perceive things more easily, and do complex calisthenics. Talk about an all-terrain Rage!

Instinctive Pounce — Level 7

When you gain this ability, you can move up to half your Speed as part of the same Bonus Action you take to enter a Rage. This is an excellent way to ensure you're in the front ranks when you clash with enemy forces.

Brutal Strike — Level 9

This ability replaces the 2014 Barbarian's Brutal Critical in favor of a more strategic use of your Barbarian's resources. Using Brutal Strike, you can forgo Advantage on one of your Strength-based attacks in exchange for more damage and a selection of debuffs you can impose on your enemies. The Advanatage could be gained through Reckless Attack, or it could be enabled by attacking a Prone enemy. The only condition is that you can't have Disadvantage on the roll as well.

If you gamble correctly and still manage to hit with your attack, you get an extra 1d10 damage and can choose either:

• Forceful Blow: Send your target flying 15 feet away from you, then you can follow up and move half your Speed towards your target without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
• Hamstring Blow: Reduce your target's Speed by 15 feet until the start of your next turn. Despite (usually) having two hamstrings, a creature can only suffer from one Hamstring Blow at a time.

Both options can be incredibly useful in specific situations. Forceful Blow is great for sending enemies off cliffs or into environmental hazards (just maybe don't follow them in afterward). It can also be used to knock an enemy away from one of your less tanky party members.

Hamstring Blow, on the other hand, can be crucial for locking down fast targets and keeping them within reach until you can finish them off.

Who would've thought attacking with reckless abandon could be so strategic?

Relentless Rage — Level 11

We heard you liked tanky builds, so we made your tanky build even more tanky. Previously, when you succeeded in a Constitution saving throw after getting knocked to 0 Hit Points, this ability would bring you back up to 1 Hit Point.

Now, you go back up to twice your Barbarian level. Seeing as you don't lose your Rage until you get Incapacitated, you effectively have twice that many Hit Points (thanks to damage resistances).

Tack on the fact that this continues to happen until you fail your Constitution saving throw after dropping to 0 Hit Points, and this means you could trigger this ability multiple times per Long Rest, resulting in dozens of extra Hit Points.

This will effectively make you the Black Knight from Monty Python, able to shrug off a normally fatal injury with a casual, "Tis but a scratch."

Improved Brutal Strike — Level 13

Get even more recklessly strategic! Now, you can choose from two additional options when you hit a creature using Brutal Strike:

• Staggering Blow: Force your target to have Disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes and it can't make Opportunity Attacks until the start of your next turn. Perfect for diving out of the way and letting your Wizard light them up with a big spell.
• Sundering Blow: If you have a martial buddy fighting alongside you, this is a great way to team up. When you hit a creature with this ability, the next attack made against it by another creature has +5 to hit. Essentially, you're trading off Advantage to give your buddy Advantage!

Persistent Rage — Level 15

Previously, this feature made the Barbarian's Rage impossible to end early, short of knocking them Unconscious. In the updated version, you still get these benefits, and your Rage lasts for 10 minutes, without you needing to extend it in any way.

If that wasn't enough, you now regain all uses of Rage when you roll Initiative. This only triggers once per Long Rest, but a full 50 minutes of Raging should get you to the next time you're able to kick your feet up and relax.

Improved Brutal Strike — Level 17

This improvement to your Brutal Strike doubles the damage dealt from 1d10 to 2d10 and also allows you to inflict two different Brutal Strike effects each time you hit.

This allows you to combo effects, like sending an enemy flying into a Blade Barrier with Disadvantage on their Dexterity saving throw. Or, perhaps you hit a creature with a thrown Handaxe and use Forceful Blow to send them 15 feet away and Hamstring Blow to reduce their Speed by 15 feet. Then, step back a couple of feet and ready your next Handaxe.

Epic Boon — Level 19

Epic Boons are a new type of feat introduced in the revised core ruleset and that are level-locked. At level 19, the Barbarian gets their choice of one of the twelve Epic Boon feats found in the 2024 Player's Handbook.

The following Epic Boon is a recommended option for the Barbarian:

• Boon of Irresistible Offense: This boon of epic proportions starts by allowing you to increase your Strength or Dexterity by 1 up to a maximum of 30. You also get the ability to overcome resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage with your attacks. Finally, when you roll a 20 on the die for an attack roll, you get to deal damage equal to the ability score that you used to make the attack. Which will likely be at least 25 when you gain access to Primal Champion at level 20. Now that's a Critical Hit!

Source: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1750-2024-barbarian-vs-2014-barbarian-whats-new

Article:

2024 Fighter vs. 2014 Fighter: What's New

The Fighter remains an unbreakable bulwark of combat prowess in the 2024 Player's Handbook. With the ability to use Second Wind to do more than heal, Weapon Mastery to control the battlefield, and updated subclasses, the Fighter is more of a master-at-arms than ever.

In this article, we'll cover the key changes to the 2024 Fighter you'll find in the 2024 Player's Handbook. If there's a feature we don't cover, such as Extra Attack, it remains unchanged or only saw minor tweaks (don't worry, your Fighter can still attack four times per action at level 20).

Fighting Style — Level 1

Fighting Style options have remained mostly the same, with a couple tweaks to make them streamlined and more effective. The most significant change is that the options from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything have been included, and all of these features are now considered feats with a prerequisite that requires the Fighting Style feature to be picked up.

At level 1, you get to choose one of these feats as part of the Fighter's Fighting Style feature. Every time you gain a Fighter level, you can swap out your choice in case you get tired of protecting your glass-cannon Wizard and want to swing a two-handed weapon instead!

Second Wind — Level 1

Second Wind starts at two uses and increases as you level up. Each Short Rest, you regain one expended use of the feature. On a Long Rest, you regain all expended uses. Thanks to Tactical Mind and Tactical Shift, this resource has also been made effective even when you're not on the edge of death!

Weapon Mastery — Level 1

Customize your kit with the new Weapon Mastery feature! Choose any weapons that you'd like to access the mastery properties of, for example, the Greatsword, Flail, and Javelin from one of your starting equipment options, and you'll get access to:

• Greatsword (Graze): With the Greatsword's mastery property, Graze, you damage enemies even if you miss them with attacks! The damage is equal to the ability score modifier used to make the attack, so make sure to pump your Strength to make even those misses hurt!
• Flail (Sap): Sap gives creatures that you hit Disadvantage on their next attack roll. Combined with your high AC, this will make you an annoying thorn (or flail) in your enemies' sides!
• Javelin (Slow): Need to keep a bit of distance between you and your foe? The Javelin's Slow property reduces your target's Speed by 10 feet until your next turn when you hit. This will allow you to get out of dodge or allow an ally to create some much-needed space.

Tactical Mind — Level 2

When you fail an ability check, you can expend a use of Second Wind to gain 1d10 to add to the roll. Plus, your Second Wind usage isn't expended if you still fail. Who said jocks can't be smart?

Fighter Subclass — Level 3

Fighter subclasses in the 2024 Player's Handbook include the Battle Master, Champion, Eldritch Knight, and Psi Warrior. The Champion saw the most extensive updates, whereas the Battle Master, Eldritch Knight, and the Psi Warrior saw slight tweaks to improve gameplay.

• Battle Master: The number of Superiority Dice and maneuvers you receive are the same, as is the scaling of your Superiority Dice. Maneuvers have been brought over from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, and some have been tweaked slightly. There was a change to Know Your Enemy, which removes the 1-minute observation condition and only reveals Immunities, Resistances, and Vulnerabilities. Also, level 15 Relentless Presence now allows you to use a free d8 instead of spending your regular Superiority Dice for maneuvers once a turn.
• Champion: The Champion is still all about Critical Hits, with some added bonuses. Remarkable Athlete has been brought to level 3 and now gives you Advantage on Initiative rolls and Strength (Athletics) checks. You also get access to a new feature at level 10 called Heroic Warrior, which gives you Heroic Inspiration whenever you start your turn without it.
• Eldritch Knight: The Eldritch Knight remains mostly the same, with some small changes to War Magic and Improved War Magic. Instead of getting to attack once as a Bonus Action when you cast a cantrip as an action, you can simply replace an attack with a cantrip. This allows you to intermix your magic and attacks more effectively, especially when you get Two Extra Attacks at level 11. Improved War Magic follows this trend but requires you to forgo two attacks to cast a level 1 or level 2 spell.
• Psi Warrior: Introduced in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the Psi Warrior is mainly unchanged.

Tactical Shift— Level 5

If your caster buddy is getting pummeled across the battlefield but you can't risk an Opportunity Attack to get to them, all you need to do is use Second Wind as a Bonus Action. With Tactical Shift, using your Second Wind allows you to move up to half your Speed as part of the Bonus Action, and you don't provoke Opportunity Attacks.

Once you're out of your foe's reach, you can use the rest of your movement to get where you need to go!

Indomitable — Level 9

This feature now lives up to its name. When you fail a saving throw, you can reroll with a bonus equal to your Fighter level. You heard that right. By the time you get this feature, that will be plus 9 to your rerolls. Eventually, you'll be able to add 20 to your roll.

Now, if that won't help you avoid a lich's Dominate Monster, maybe you shouldn't have taken a 6 in Wisdom.

Tactical Master — Level 9

Dial up your mastery over weapons! When you attack with a weapon you've chosen as part of your Weapon Mastery feature, you can swap out the mastery properties for Push, Sap, or Slow.

We've already covered Push and Sap under our Weapon Mastery section, so here's a breakdown of how Push works:

• Push: When you hit a creature, push it 10 feet away in a straight line. No ability check (or saving throw on the pushed creature's part) required.

Swapping out mastery properties on the move is incredible for your versatility and will allow you to capitalize on strategic decisions.

If you're standing at the edge of a cliff, this will let you swap out your Greatsword's potential Graze for a much more devastating Push off said cliff, adding more strategy than ever to a Fighter's arsenal.

Studied Attacks — Level 13

We all hate whiffing on attacks, but this new ability does a lot to make sure you're at least not whiffing twice in a row.

If you make an attack against a creature and miss, you get Advantage on your next weapon attack against the same creature until the end of your next turn.

So, whenever you miss your first attack and Critical Hit on your second because of Advantage, you can say, "That first one was for research!"

Epic Boon — Level 19

Epic Boons are a new type of feat introduced in the revised core ruleset and that are level-locked. At level 19, the Fighter gets their choice of one of the twelve Epic Boon feats found in the 2024 Player's Handbook.

The following Epic Boon is a recommended option for the Fighter:

• Boon of the Combat Prowess: Increase one ability score by 1 to a maximum of 30. Also, whenever you miss an attack roll, you can hit instead. Once you use the ability, you can't use it again until the start of your next turn.

Source: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1746-2024-fighter-vs-2014-fighter-whats-new

Article:

2024 Paladin vs. 2014 Paladin: What's New

Ever the stalwart warrior of divine power, the Paladin returns in the 2024 Player's Handbook with a new yet still familiar arsenal at their disposal. Lay on Hands and their signature smite features appear once more, but with a new look and refined wording alongside new features such as Faithful Steed and Weapon Mastery. Oh, and you can now smite with your fists!

In this article we'll cover the highlights of the 2024 Paladin that you'll find in the pages of the new Player's Handbook. If you don't see a feature covered, such as Aura of Protection, that means it is unchanged from the 2014 Paladin, or only saw very minor changes.

Lay on Hands — Level 1

Formerly an action to use, the Paladin's Lay on Hands now only requires a Bonus Action, granting the class more versatility with options on their turn. This is a theme you'll see throughout the class, as many features have been changed from an action to a Bonus Action.

Additionally, while Lay on Hands no longer removes diseases, it can cure the Poisoned condition and can now be used on Constructs and Undead.

Spellcasting — Level 1

A big change from the 2014 Paladin is that the spellcasting feature is now accessible from level 1, with the number of spells you can prepare now a fixed number listed in the Paladin table. This opens up a lot more options for level 1 Paladins, especially given the new and improved smite spells.

Weapon Mastery — Level 1

Your first level of Paladin gets even more exciting with the addition of the Weapon Mastery feature, which grants access to a suite of special rules for the weapons you wield. You can select two weapons that you're proficient with and unlock their mastery properties, and each Long Rest you can choose to change which two weapons this feature applies to.

To highlight this new option for Paladins, let's take a look at the mastery properties for a signature Paladin weapon, the Longsword:

• Longsword (Sap): Any character wielding a Longsword while it's their selected Weapon Mastery armament will be able to use the Sap trait. When you successfully hit a creature with an attack using a weapon with the Sap trait, its next attack made before the start of your next turn has Disadvantage.

Fighting Style — Level 2

Fighting Styles have been adjusted now to be a special subtype of feat that any class can choose from if they have the Fighting Style class feature. Paladins can pick one of these feats, or alternatively, they can choose the Blessed Warrior option, which grants them two Cleric cantrips.

Paladin's Smite — Level 2

Previously a dedicated feature in the 2014 Paladin and formerly known as Divine Smite, the level 2 Paladin Smite feature on the 2024 Paladin works a bit differently. Instead of granting you a smite feature directly, it gives you the Divine Smite spell as a permanently prepared spell.

This new spell works much like the 2014 Divine Smite class feature, with a couple of key differences. First, it can now be used on Unarmed Strikes, which is a relief for Paladins who want to sock monsters with a divine punch to the face. Second, it now requires a Bonus Action to use, but that Bonus Action can be taken immediately after you hit a creature with an attack roll, bringing it mostly in line with the original Divine Smite's mechanics.

Paladin Subclass— Level 3

All four subclasses for the 2024 Paladin are returning options, but each one has had a small glow-up. All three 2014 Player's Handbook subclasses return in new and improved form, with a fourth option familiar to anyone that has read Mythic Odysseys of Theros or Tasha's Cauldron of Everything: the Oath of Glory.

• Oath of Devotion: Paladins who swear an Oath of Devotion will find their features lasting longer as Sacred Weapon and Holy Nimbus each now last 10 minutes instead of 1 minute. In addition to its longer duration, Holy Nimbus can also be used again by spending a level 5 spell slot, rather than just being once per Long Rest. They also have a new feature that replaces Purity of Spirit in the form of Smite of Protection, which grants cover to you and your allies within your aura when you cast Divine Smite. Finally, Oath of Devotion Paladins gets tweaked spells in the form of Shield of Faith and Aid, replacing Sanctuary and Lesser Restoration, respectively.
• Oath of Glory: Oath of Glory has had its Aura of Alacrity feature improved. Previously, it had a 5-foot radius, now it uses your Aura of Protection to determine who it affects. This use of Aura of Protection is something else you'll see recurring throughout the 2024 Paladin and its subclasses, meaning better synergy between your class features. Oath of Glory Paladins can also enjoy a 1-hour duration on Peerless Athlete and access to a brand new Oath Spell called Yolande's Regal Presence.
• Oath of the Ancients: One of the biggest upgrades to Oath of Ancients is to Undying Sentinel. Where the 2014 Oath of the Ancients Paladin would simply go to 1 Hit Point instead of 0, the 2024 version instantly regains a number of Hit Points equal to three times your Paladin level. Nature's Wrath also now affects each creature of your choice within 15 feet, and your targets must make a Strength saving throw instead of getting to choose between making a Strength or Dexterity saving throw. Elder Champion has also seen some love, now requiring a Bonus Action instead of an action, and can be refreshed with a level 5 spell slot.
• Oath of Vengeance: Carrying on the trend, Oath of Vengeance receives an action economy boost with Vow of Enmity no longer requiring an action and instead can be applied when you attack. It also has an increased range and can be transferred when the current target of your vow is reduced to 0 Hit Points. Relentless Avenger and Avenging Angel have also had boosts, with the former reducing the target's Speed to 0 and the latter being able to be refreshed with a level 5 spell slot.

Faithful Steed — Level 5

Paladins now always have a faithful steed on hand with the Find Steed spell always prepared from level 5 onwards. This feature also grants a single free casting of the spell once per day so you can summon your Otherworldly Steed. That's right, your mount has had an upgrade too, with a brand new bespoke stat block for the 2024 Find Steed spell. The Otherworldly Steed is much better suited for combat and can even regain Hit Points whenever you receive magical healing.

Abjure Foes — Level 9

This new Paladin feature allows you to spend your Channel Divinity to target a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier and force them to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature is Frightened by you, and, while Frightened this way, is limited to only moving, taking an action, or a Bonus Action on their turn. It's a very powerful way to control the battlefield, so if your idea of a Paladin features a control aspect, the 2024 version has you covered.

Restoring Touch — Level 14

Another new feature for the 2024 Paladin, Restoring Touch gives you an alternate use for your Lay on Hands points. You can now choose to remove one condition from a list of options and can even do this for multiple conditions if you spend enough Hit Points.

Epic Boon — Level 19

Previously a special reward found in the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide, Epic Boons have made their way over to the 2024 Player's Handbook as a new type of feat with the prerequisite of being level 19+. While Paladins can take any Epic Boon, the recommended pick is the Boon of Truesight, which we'll look at here:

• Boon of Truesight, Epic Boon Feat (Prerequisite: Level 19): Increase one of your ability scores by 1 up to a maximum of 30 and you gain Truesight out to a radius of 60 feet.

Source: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1749-2024-paladin-vs-2014-paladin-whats-new

Article:

2024 Rogue vs. 2014 Rogue: What's New

The Rogue remains a cunning, hard-hitting sneak in the 2024 Player's Handbook, with Sneak Attack remaining a staple and still offering the same damage and progression as its 2014 counterpart. But the class now gains new ways to spend Sneak Attack damage die, access to Weapon Mastery, and updated subclasses, notably the Assassin and Thief.

Below, we cover key changes to the 2024 Rogue you'll find in the new Player's Handbook. If there's a feature we don't cover, such as Cunning Action, that means it remains unchanged or saw minor changes.

Weapon Mastery — Level 1

In addition to the Rogue's typical suite of features at level 1, you gain access to the new Weapon Mastery feature from the get-go. Each Long Rest, you'll choose two weapons you're proficient with and for which you want access to their mastery properties.

As an example of how mastery properties work, let's look at the mastery properties for two iconic Rogue weapons, the Dagger and the Shortbow.

• Dagger (Nick): The Dagger's mastery property, Nick, grants you an extra attack on your Attack action if you're using a weapon with the Light property. This is in lieu of the extra attack you can typically make with a Light weapon using your Bonus Action. Handy if you need to use your Bonus Action for Cunning Action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide.
• Shortbow (Vex): The Shortbow's mastery property, Vex, makes it easier for you to land an attack on the following turn. When you hit a creature with your Shortbow, you'll have Advantage on the next attack roll you make against that creature before the end of your next turn.

Thieves' Cant — Level 1

Rogues are famous for learning Thieves' Cant, a unique kind of language that allows you to speak and understand codes. But your time spent in the underground world means you've likely crossed paths and worked with all manner of people and creatures. To reflect this, the Thieves' Cant feature not only grants you Thieves' Cant but an additional language proficiency.

Rogue Subclass — Level 3

Rogue subclasses in the 2024 Player's Handbook include the Arcane Trickster, Assassin, Soulknife, and Thief. The Assassin and Thief saw the biggest updates, whereas the Arcane Trickster and the Soulknife saw slight tweaks to improve gameplay.

• Arcane Trickster: Magically-inclined Rogues can now swap out a cantrip each time they level up, giving you greater flexibility in your build. Versatile Trickster has also been changed so that when you use the Trip option of Cunning Strike on one enemy, you can target an additional creature within 5 feet of your Mage Hand.
• Assassin: You can now more easily trigger Assassinate and Death Strike but the damage has been reduced, you're more adept at poisoning and impersonating others, and you can move after using Steady Aim, supporting hit-and-run builds.
• Soulknife: Introduced in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the Soulknife is largely unchanged. Your Psychic Blades now have a range of 60/120 instead of 60/-, and they have the Vex mastery property.
• Thief: The updated Thief can activate magic items as a Bonus Action and have a unique Cunning Strike option called Stealth Attack that allows you to remain hidden after attacking. Use Magic Device saw the most changes. It now offers you an additional attunement slot, grants a chance to activate magic items without expending charges, and allows you to use Spell Scrolls, no matter your class or spellcasting prowess.

Steady Aim — Level 3

Steady Aim was introduced in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything as an optional class feature that gives the Rogue a reliable way to gain Advantage to trigger Sneak Attack. In the 2024 Player's Handbook, it is now a standard feature of the class.

Cunning Strike — Level 5

The most exciting new tool in the Rogue's kit is Cunning Strike. It offers you new ways of utilizing Sneak Attack to cripple enemies or just safely maneuver around the battlefield.

When you deal Sneak Attack damage, you can choose to forgo one or more Sneak Attack damage die to add a Cunning Strike effect to your attack. The DC of your Cunning Strike effects scales off of your Dexterity.

At level 5, you'll choose up to one of the following Cunning Strike options when you land a Sneak Attack:

• Poison (Cost: 1d6): Put your Poisoner's Kit to good use! With this option, your target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be Poisoned for 1 minute. They can repeat this save at the end of each of their turns.
• Trip (Cost: 1d6): Stick 'em with the pointy end and watch them fall (Prone, that is) on a failed Dexterity saving throw. Just make sure your target is Large or smaller before choosing this option.
• Withdraw (Cost: 1d6): Hit-and-run with the Withdraw option. It lets you move up to half your Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks after attacking.

At higher levels, you'll get additional Cunning Strike options and even get to add two effects to a single Sneak Attack!

Reliable Talent — Level 7

"I rolled a 2, but it's a 37."

Reliable Talent all but guarantees you'll be good at your choice skills, whether that's sneaking around unlocking every door and chest, or just befriending the neighborhood cats. You'll recognize the feature from the 2014 Player's Handbook. However, where the Rogue previously gained this feature at level 11, they now gain it at level 7.

Improved Cunning Strike — Level 11

By level 11, you're swimming in Sneak Attack damage die. With Improved Cunning Strike, you can put them to good use by stacking each Sneak Attack with two Cunning Strike options instead of one.

Devious Strikes — Level 14

Devious Strikes expands the Rogue's arsenal of Cunning Strike options with a host of nasty (read: awesome) effects. The following are added to your list of Cunning Strike options:

• Daze (Cost: 2d6): Who says a support build can't also deal damage? If your target fails a Constitution saving throw, they'll only get to move or take an action or Bonus Action on their next turn. Frustrating for Dungeon Masters but fantastic for your party.
• Knock Out (Cost: 6d6): Bonk an enemy on the head and render them Unconscious for 1 minute if they fail a Constitution saving throw. They'll repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, but chances are when they wake up, you'll have already stolen whatever it was you needed and bounced.
• Obscure (Cost: 3d6): Who needs to slink into the shadow when you can just blind your target? With this Cunning Strike option, your target will need to make a Dexterity saving throw or be Blinded until the end of its next turn.

Blindsense — Level 14

Blindsense is not a feature of the 2024 Rogue. Instead, the class gains Devious Strikes and an upgrade to Slippery Mind at level 15.

Slippery Mind — Level 15

Slippery Mind has received an upgrade. Now your Rogue is cunning not just in tongue but in mind. You gain proficiency in Wisdom and Charisma saving throws, instead of just Wisdom saving throws.

Epic Boon — Level 19

Epic Boons are a new type of feat introduced in the revised core ruleset and that are level-locked. At level 19, the Rogue gets their choice of one of the twelve Epic Boon feats found in the 2024 Player's Handbook.

The following Epic Boon is a recommended option for the Rogue:

• Boon of the Night Spirit: Increase one ability score by 1, up to a maximum of 30. While in Dim Light or Darkness, you have Resistance to all damage except Psychic and Radiant and, as a Bonus Action, you can gain the Invisible condition.

Alternatively, you can pick another, non-Epic Boon feat, at this level.

Stroke of Luck — Level 20

The Rogue's capstone feature gets two upgrades in the 2024 Player's Handbook:

• You can now use Stroke of Luck on saving throws.
• When you fail a D20 Test, it turns your roll into a 20. This means a missed attack roll becomes a Critical Hit.

The capstone feature still functions the same with ability checks and still recharges on a Short or Long Rest.

Source: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1752-2024-rogue-vs-2014-rogue-whats-new

2. Weapon mastery.

​

Article:

What is Weapon Mastery?

Weapon Mastery is a class feature shared between some martial classes that reflects their specialization with certain types of weapons.

Each weapon in the Equipment section of the 2024 Player's Handbook lists a mastery property in addition to the weapon's regular properties. If the weapon meets the requirements in your class's Weapon Mastery feature, you can learn its mastery property and use it in combat.

But learning a mastery property isn't permanent. If you stumble across a shiny new +1 Longsword and want to learn its mastery properties instead, don't worry! During a Long Rest, you can practice weapon drills and swap out one of your weapon choices at the end of the rest.

The number of mastery properties you can learn is specified in your class's version of the Weapon Mastery feature. Rogues, rangers, and paladins can only access two mastery properties at a time, whereas barbarians and fighters start with two and three, respectively, and eventually gain access to more mastery properties, as detailed in their Features table.

At level 1, Barbarians, Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, and Rogues get access to the mastery properties for certain types of weapons, as listed below:

• Barbarian: Simple and Martial Melee weapons
• Fighter: Simple and Martial weapons
• Paladin: Based on weapon proficiencies (Simple and Martial weapons)
• Ranger: Based on weapon proficiencies (Simple and Martial weapons)
• Rogue: Based on weapon proficiencies (Simple and Martial weapons with the Finesse or Light property)

Mastering Weapon Mastery
Some subclasses allow you to access more mastery properties. For example, the Soulknife Rogue can use the Vex mastery property with their Psychic Blades and it doesn't count toward their learned Weapon Mastery limit.

How to Use Weapon Mastery Properties

If you're wielding a weapon and have learned its mastery property, you'll be able to use that mastery property every turn when you make an attack with the weapon.

Different mastery properties have different triggers. For example, Cleave requires you to hit a creature with a melee attack roll while Graze triggers when you miss a creature with an attack roll.

Unlike some abilities, there's no limit to how many times mastery properties can be used per Short or Long Rest, so go nuts!

Cleave
Example Weapon: Greataxe

If you'll be wading into the thick of battle, you'll want to consider grabbing a weapon with the Cleave property.

These heavy weapons can slash through opponents. If you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can make a second attack against a creature within 5 feet that is also within your reach. When you hit with the second attack, you can roll your weapon's damage, but you don't add your ability modifier unless it's negative.

This is excellent in combination with the Halberd, which has Reach and Cleave, allowing you to Cleave into enemies in an extended range.

Graze
Example Weapon: Greatsword

Graze is an excellent way to increase the consistency of your weapon damage.

If you miss a creature with your weapon, you deal damage equal to the ability modifier you used to make the roll. This pairs well with abilities that allow you to make a lot of attacks, like the Fighter's Extra Attacks features or the Polearm Master or Sentinel feats.

It just goes to show that when a weapon is big enough, you don't really need to aim where you're swinging.

Nick
Example Weapon: Dagger

To explain the Nick property, we should briefly cover that being able to attack twice while dual-wielding Light weapons has subtly changed in the 2024 Player's Handbook. Instead of being covered under Melee Attacks, the rules for dual-wielding Light weapons are covered under the Light weapon property.

It still functions the same way: When you make an attack with a weapon that has the Light property, you can use a Bonus Action to make one attack with a different Light weapon you're wielding.

The Nick mastery property allows you to make the additional attack you receive from wielding two Light weapons as part of the initial attack action.

Keep in mind that this doesn't mean you can make a third attack as a Bonus Action, as the Light property specifies you only get one extra attack. But, while it may not pump your damage, this frees up your Bonus Action to use class/species abilities, such as the Rogue's Cunning Action, while still getting an additional attack in.

Push
Example Weapon: Greatclub

Sometimes giving an enemy a simple shove off a cliff or into a pit of lava is all you need to win an otherwise tough encounter! The Push mastery property allows you to launch a creature you hit 10 feet straight away from you without a save.

Not only is this great when combined with environmental hazards, it's also great for escaping Opportunity Attacks. If you or a less tanky party member are being harassed by an enemy, you can push the enemy 10 feet away, which can allow you to create the space needed to escape unscathed.

Keep in mind that you can only push enemies Large or smaller, so don't go getting stuck next to an Adult Black Dragon.

Sap
Example Weapon: Mace

If your job is to distract the enemies for long enough to let your blaster caster friends deal with them, Sap is a solid choice.

When you hit an enemy with an attack, this mastery property inflicts Disadvantage on your target's next attack roll before the start of your next turn.

So, for heavily armored, tanky builds, your enemies will be so focused on trying to take you out that they won't even see the Fireball coming.

Slow
Example Weapon: Light Crossbow

This mastery property is excellent for fast builds that like to flit across the battlefield. When you hit a creature and deal damage, you can reduce its Speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.

This combos excellently with the Light Crossbow, allowing you to take shots, damage your opponents, and then move to just out of range of their reduced Speed. Rinse and repeat until they look like a pin cushion.

It's important to note that a creature's Speed can't be reduced by more than 10 feet with this property, so don't expect to stand still, hit your enemy three times, and not get caught.

Topple
Example Weapon: Maul

This mastery property is for all those builds that love to wail on their enemies with multiple melee attacks.

When you hit a creature, you can force it to make a Constitution saving throw or fall Prone. The DC for this save is 8 plus the ability modifier used to make the attack plus your Proficiency Bonus.

So, a level 5 Fighter with a Maul could knock their opponent Prone with their first attack, then use their second attack and Action Surge to make multiple attacks with Advantage.

Just remember attacking Prone enemies outside of 5 feet actually gives the attacker Disadvantage on their attack roll. So only use this ability if you or another melee-minded party member can take advantage of it.

Vex
Example Weapon: Shortsword

Having a weapon with Vex feels like a superior swordsman dancing around their opponent, striking at openings until the battle is won.

When you hit a creature and deal damage, this mastery property gives you Advantage on your next attack roll before the end of your next turn. This is an excellent way for Rogues to all but guarantee a Sneak Attack hit on their next turn.

Source: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1742-your-guide-to-weapon-mastery-in-the-2024-players

3. Species updates.

4. Background updates.

5. Feat updates.

6. Monster updates.

7. Spell updates.

​

 

[Kutshort Yes]

So would we need to do anything on DnDB with this or just wait until our characters level up?

 

[Dungeon Master]

So would we need to do anything on DnDB with this or just wait until our characters level up?

I'm not 100%, but I'm guessing once they officially release everything you'll gain access to the changed/new features immediately.

At least in MMORPGs like WoW, when they redo classes and change things significantly, they forcefully refund all the skill points and stuff and make you respec. I'd imagine you'll get a notice on loading your character profile that X has changed, and probably have options for redoing your sheet.

It might have some "DM discretion" component, but I wouldn't expect any decent DM to make you stick with old mechanics unless they're really resistant to learning new mechanics themselves, which is kind of antithetical to being a DM.

 

[Dungeon Master]

Some of the caster changes just dropped on D&DBeyond. Warlock and Wizard so far.

Article:

2024 Warlock vs. 2014 Warlock: What's New

If there's one thing a Warlock knows, it's how to make a bargain. While Warlocks received some pretty noticeable changes in the 2024 Player's Handbook, the Warlocks must have made sure their patrons were part of the negotiating committee. Warlocks' powerful patron magic has been shifted around, allowing you to access certain powers earlier and pack a more pronounced punch when you do. The 2024 Warlock also comes with an impressive and robust amount of customization by treating your Eldritch Invocations as an even larger smorgasbord of options than before.

Below, we cover key changes to the 2024 Warlock you'll find in the new Player's Handbook. If there's a feature we don't cover, such as Pact Magic, that means it remains unchanged or saw minor changes.

Eldritch Invocations — Level 1

One of the first noticeable changes to the 2024 Warlock is that you get access to your first Eldritch Invocation at Warlock level 1 now instead of level 2. Overall, Eldritch Invocations have received a major overhaul, with key changes including several quality-of-life updates. Let's take a look at some of the big shifts.

Pact Boons Are Now Eldritch Invocations

In the 2014 Warlock, your Pact Boon, such as Pact of the Blade, Pact of the Tome, or Pact of the Chain, was a separate feature bestowed at level 3. In the 2024 Warlock, the Pact Boon feature is gone, and these pacts are now options you can choose as part of your Eldritch Invocations. In the 2014 Warlock, further improvements to your Pact Boon were accessible via invocations, such as Gift of the Protectors, Investment of the Chain Master, and Thirsting Blade. So rolling Pact Boons entirely into Eldritch Invocations simplifies the structure while preserving the mechanics.

There are two really important and beneficial aspects to this shift. First, you no longer have to choose between them. All three of the former Pact Boon options can be selected as you level up and gain access to more invocations. So, you could have a pact weapon via Pact of the Blade, a familiar via Pact of the Chain, and a Book of Shadows from Pact of the Tome.

Second, while some Eldritch Invocations do carry prerequisite levels, such as Agonizing Blast, which requires you to be a level 2+ Warlock, the former Pact Boon invocations do not. This means you can select from a familiar, Book of Shadows, or pact weapon as early as level 1. The 2014 Player's Handbook had these features arrive at level 3, so you're getting them 2 levels earlier for the 2024 Warlock.

More Eldritch Invocations

Seeing as you get an invocation at level 1, and the progression has been expedited, 2024 Warlocks will have access to more invocations than their 2014 counterpart, maxing out at 10 when they hit level 18.

As with the older version of the Warlock, whenever you gain a Warlock level, you can replace one invocation with another as long as it isn't a prerequisite for another invocation that you have.

Some Eldritch Invocations Can Be Repeated

Popular Eldritch Invocations for Warlocks like Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast are still here but with a couple of big changes.

First, they are no longer limited to Eldritch Blast. Instead, you choose one of your known Warlock cantrips that deals damage, and now you can add your Charisma modifier to that damage roll. So now you can boost damage for Toll the Dead or Thunderclap with Agonizing Blast if that suits your Warlock build better than Eldritch Blast. Note, however, that Repelling Blast is restricted to cantrips that deal damage via an attack roll.

Next, you can select these invocations multiple times when adding new Eldritch Invocations. So if you're trying to build a cantrip powerhouse, you could add Agonizing Blast or Repelling Blast to multiple cantrips. But of course, you still can use it for Eldritch Blast because, let's face it, if you're a Warlock, you're probably going to want to.

Spell Slots? Who Needs 'em?

With the exception of Eldritch Smite, which deals a significant amount of damage and gives an enemy the Prone condition, none of the 2024 Player's Handbook Eldritch Invocations carry the "using a Warlock spell slot" description. You still have spell slots for your Pact Magic, but they largely no longer fuel the invocations you get from your patron. Instead, your Eldritch Invocations feel like a wholly separate power branch unique to the Warlock class.

The customization allowed via these changes to invocations makes the 2024 Warlock feel more like someone who has pored over contracts with their patron and selected the powers best suited to them.

Magical Cunning — Level 2

The Warlock's Pact Magic and spell slot progression works the same way for the 2024 Warlock as it did for 2014. You also can still recover expended spell slots at the end of a Short or Long Rest. Magical Cunning gives you another way to recover your Warlock spell slots, however. Now, once per Long Rest, you can use this feature to spend 1 minute on a ritual that restores half of your maximum spell slots, rounded up.

The Eldritch Master feature granted at level 20 still allows you to regain all of your Pact Magic spell slots, but flavor-wise, it is now considered a more powerful version of this level 2 feature.

Warlock Subclass — Level 3

At level 3, your 2024 Warlock gains their subclass. While Warlocks used to get their subclass at level 1, this brings the Warlock in line with the other class options in the 2024 Player's Handbook, which will make it easier for a party of players to manage their levels and for a DM to keep track of player advancement.

The Archfey, Fiend, and Great Old One Patrons all received substantial overhauls, updates to their always-prepared spell lists, quality-of-life changes, and tweaks that bring them more in line with their flavor concepts.

• Archfey Patron: The Archfey Patron subclass leans more into the Feywild nature of your patron. Misty Step is added to your prepared spell list, and many of the features of this subclass give you extra uses of the spell, along with healing bonuses and damage effects on enemies when you use it. Beguiling Defenses has also been updated to reduce damage you take and inflict damage with a Reaction.
• Celestial Patron: Celestial Resilience now also grants Temporary Hit Points when you finish your Magical Cunning ritual or complete a Short or Long Rest.
• Fiend Patron: Dark One's Blessing now also grants you Temporary Hit Points if someone else reduces an enemy to 0 Hit Points within 10 feet of you. Instead of once per Long Rest, you can use Dark One's Own Luck a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier and use Hurl Through Hell again by expending a Pact Magic spell slot.
• Great Old One Patron: The Great One One Patron has received the biggest changes to any of the 2024 Warlock subclasses and now is much more heavily focused on the Lovecraftian, eldritch horror elements of it. The features of this subclass now are heavily centered on using your patron's powers to curse your enemies with Hex, break their minds with Psychic damage, and even unleash aberrant horrors on the battlefield.

Contact Patron — Level 9

The 2024 Player's Handbook has a brand new feature for Warlocks that ties directly into your role as the recipient of power from a patron. Starting at level 9, every 2024 Warlock has the ability to reach out and contact their patron directly once per Long Rest. This feature grants you the spell Contact Other Plane as an always-prepared spell. You can use the spell once per day to contact your patron without expending a spell slot, and you automatically succeed on the Intelligence saving throw required to complete the spell. So, go ahead and ask your patron if you can have cake for dinner. You deserve it.

Mystic Arcanum — Level 11

Mystic Arcanum functions and progresses the same as it did for the 2014 Warlock with one extra benefit. Whenever you gain a Warlock level beyond 11, you may replace one of your arcanum spells with another of the same level. This was a choice under the optional feature Eldritch Versatility in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, which is now part of the base Warlock class.

Epic Boon — Level 19

Epic Boons are a new type of feat introduced in the revised core ruleset, that all carry a prerequisite of level 19+ to access. A level 19 Warlock has access to one Epic Boon of their choice or another feat they qualify for. There are twelve Epic Boons found in the 2024 Player's Handbook.

The following is the recommended Epic Boon for a 2024 Warlock:

• Boon of Fate: Increase one ability score of 1 to a maximum of 30. When you or another creature within 60 feet of you succeeds or fails on a D20 Test, you can roll 2d4 and add or subtract the result from the d20 roll. Once you use this feat, you can't use it again until you complete a Short Rest, a Long Rest, or roll for Initiative.

Source: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1756-2024-warlock-vs-2014-warlock-whats-new

Article:

2024 Wizard vs. 2014 Wizard: What's New

Masters of the arcane arts, scholars of the esoteric, and delvers of eldritch secrets, the Wizard class wields the forces of magic with greater poise and prowess in the 2024 Player's Handbook. Ten years of study have paid off as we look at the changes and tweaks made to one of the most iconic classes of Dungeons & Dragons.

Below, we cover key changes to the 2024 Wizard you'll find in the new Player's Handbook. If you don't see a feature covered, such as Signature Spells, that means it is unchanged from the 2014 Wizard, or only saw very minor changes.

Spellcasting — Level 1

The Wizard's Spellcasting feature hasn't seen a huge number of changes but has certainly received some quality-of-life improvements. The most immediate difference you'll notice is that Wizards no longer use their Intelligence modifier plus Wizard level to determine their number of prepared spells, instead referring to a fixed value listed in the Wizard table.

Pulling a page from Igwilv's spellbook, the Cantrip Formulas optional class feature from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything is now a core spellcasting feature. Also, spellbooks receive a bit of love, with more defined properties, the ability to be used as a Spellcasting Focus, and are now impossible to read by anyone but you without the use of Identify.

Lastly, Ritual Caster is no longer included in the Spellcasting feature. Instead, spells with a Ritual tag can be cast as a Ritual as long as they're prepared.

Ritual Adept— Level 1

The 2024 Wizard still gets special treatment in the Ritual department, as seen in their other level 1 feature, Ritual Adept. As long as a spell with the Ritual tag is in your spellbook and you read the spell from your spellbook, you can cast it as a Ritual without needing to prepare it.

Scholar — Level 2

The 2024 Wizard has become much more multidisciplinary and can gain Expertise in one of the following skills that they're proficient in: Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, or Religion.

Wizard Subclass— Level 3

Wizards now pick their subclass at level 3. But, an extra level of study has paid off! Their Savant features now allow them access to two free level 1 or level 2 spells of their associated school rather than a reduction of cost and time when copying new spells. Additionally, thanks to the new Savant feature, they get to add a spell from their chosen school to their spellbook each time they unlock a new level of spell slot in the Wizard class.

• Abjurer: Formerly the School of Abjuration, you'll notice that the Abjurer's signature Arcane Ward feature has had its language clarified, and you can refill it directly as a Bonus Action by expending a spell slot. At level 10, Abjurer Wizards get a new feature called Spell Breaker granting them Counterspell and Dispel Magic as always prepared spells, the latter being able to be cast as a Bonus Action. But the real standout of this feature is that if you use either spell and fail, no spell slot is consumed!
• Diviner: The Diviner subclass doesn't see many changes from its previous incarnation as the School of Divination, other than some refinements to The Third Eye. The feature now explicitly uses a Bonus Action, and the Darkvision feature has increased its range to 120 feet. The See Invisibility option now allows you to cast the See Invisibility spell without using a spell slot, and Ethereal Sight has been removed.
• Evoker: The most explosive Wizard subclass has seen Potent Cantrip and Sculpt Spells swap places, with the former now applying half damage on missed spell attacks as well as successful saving throws against your cantrips. Beyond this, the subclass is largely unchanged from the 2014 Wizard's School of Evocation.
• Illusionist: Despite a multitude of improvements, the first you'll notice is Improved Illusion, which replaces Improved Minor Illusion. This allows you to ignore Verbal components for Illusion spells and increases the range of certain spells. At level 6, Illusionists get the new Phantasmal Creatures feature which grants Summon Beast and Summon Fey as always prepared spells. These can be cast as Illusion spells, which summons a modified version of the creature, and also allows a free casting of each once per Long Rest. Finally, Illusory Self can be restored by expending a level 2+ spell slot without requiring any action.

Memorize Spell — Level 5

A new level 5 feature, Wizards can now swap out one prepared spell for one in their spellbook whenever they take a Short Rest.

Spell Mastery — Level 18

Spell Mastery sees a few minor changes, starting with the limitation that the chosen spells must have a casting time of one action, and you can only swap one spell at a time rather than both. However, the chosen spells now count as always prepared and can be swapped out on a Long Rest rather than requiring 8 hours of dedicated study.

Epic Boon — Level 19

Previously a special reward found in the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide, Epic Boons have made their way over to the 2024 Player's Handbook as a new type of feat with the prerequisite of being level 19+. While Wizards can take any of the twelve Epic Boons, the recommended pick is the Boon of Spell Recall, which we'll look at here:

• Boon of Spell Recall: Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma ability score by 1 up to a maximum of 30, and when you cast a spell using a level 1-4 spell slot, roll 1d4. If you roll the spell's level, the slot isn't expended.

Source: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1753-2024-wizard-vs-2014-wizard-whats-new

 

[Zesty Zapcrackle]

No love for the artificer?

 

[Dungeon Master]

No love for the artificer?

They're releasing a few at a time so might just not have gotten to it yet. Or because the artificer is relatively new compared to the others, they won't.

 

[Dungeon Master]

Welp...

Article:

Dungeons and Dragons is getting a rules update in late 2024, with the revised Player's Handbook to be the first among these to be released. However, its trove of player options will go without one class that has become beloved by Dungeons and Dragons' fanbase.

A great deal has already been revealed about the changes coming in D&D 2024, with previews coming from every direction. Not only are videos being released almost every day on D&D's YouTube channel, content that has slowly unveiled the major strokes of class revisions, but content creators in the TTRPG community have been showing off some exclusive sneak peeks. Reworked subclasses, updated species options, and entirely new character choices (like the Sphinx of Wonder familiar and the Path of the World Tree Barbarian subclass) are being made public at a rapid pace as WOTC picks up its drive for preorders.

This immensity of hype for the first of D&D 2024's revised rulebooks has also doubled down something that was already confirmed. The new Player's Handbook will feature the same 12 classes that were in the 2014 version—meaning that the one officially published extra class, the Artificer, will be excluded. First published for D&D 5e in Eberron: Rising from the Last War and later in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the artificer and its steampunk-adjacent theming has won the heart of many a player. Of course, it will still be playable in D&D 2024 thanks to backward compatibility, but its lack of presence in D&D 2024 is nonetheless tragic.

The Artificer has roots all the way back in 1996, but the class itself was more properly introduced in D&D 3e. Tied closely to the Eberron setting, a trend that continued in both the fourth and fifth editions, the artificer embraced Eberron's sci-fi inspirations (even if the setting is not strictly science fiction). Nonetheless, the class has adapted to typical D&D fantasy; the artificer has been interpreted as an alchemist, a creator of magic items, a clockwork engineer, and much more.

Though the class' tinkering gameplay may not gel well with the more Tolkien-inspired high fantasy worldbuilding of many settings, the artificer has always found its way into D&D regardless. In D&D 5e in particular, it invites a level of customization equivalent to the warlock, making use of a system similar to the latter's invocations. Its integration with magic items, constructs, and the often-sidelined firearms mechanics make the class both fun and flavorful, one that many players find a breath of fresh air.

Despite this wild popularity, the artificer has been the only non-PHB class published by WOTC after 2014. There were attempts for another new class with D&D 5e's Mystic, but that class never left the realm of playtests. This is in stark contrast to the smorgasbord of classes other editions received after their respective PHBs hit shelves, as well as the demand evident from the sheer quantity of third-party classes.

Lead designer Chris Perkins signaled that this was not without intention, mentioning in an interview with GamesRadar that he 'would put a strong case forward that we could actually do with fewer classes in the core game'. This was argued on the basis that classes like the barbarian and warlock aren't too distinct in archetype from the fighter and the wizard respectively, at least to someone first perusing the list of classes, and could easily become subclasses. While there's certainly value in condensing and simplifying, there is still demand for more full classes that do things that could not be contained within an iteration of an existing class. Luckily, though the artificer isn't getting a D&D 2024 revision, it shouldn't be too hard for dungeon masters to let players integrate the existing class with any new rules.

Source: https://gamerant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-new-players-handbook-no-artificer-class-bad/

tl;dr - no new artificer

I'll of course work out how to let you continue to play it as is, but it won't be included in the new PHB.

 

[Zesty Zapcrackle]

 

[Magni Kragtail]

Wasn't planning on rebuying updated versions of all the shit I already own anyway, but I don't understand why the artificer of all things seems to be left out so much. It seems so unique compared to other classes. I get not wanting certain levels of technology in your world, but there's nothing stopping a DM from banning the class from their game.

 

[Dungeon Master]

Wasn't planning on rebuying updated versions of all the shit I already own anyway, but I don't understand why the artificer of all things seems to be left out so much. It seems so unique compared to other classes. I get not wanting certain levels of technology in your world, but there's nothing stopping a DM from banning the class from their game.

I'm not even sure that I'll buy them, and I have markedly poor impulse control when it comes to new D&D shit. It just smacks of Hasbro trying to take the DLC video game path and milk everything they can out of players.

The fact that one pre-order bonus is a digital dragon for a VTT that doesn't exist yet is just... Bullshit.

I'd say the Artificer being left out only makes sense in the context that it was added as an expansion class in a non-core book, but... That's still not really a reason to exclude it. It's got to be that someone at WotC doesn't like the concept of a class being able to make whatever they want magic item wise...

Ooooor... Thinking of the DLC thing, they're probably going to want to charge people to purchase items, and having a class that can make them isn't conducive to that.

 

[Dungeon Master]

Article:

As confirmed by Jeremy Crawford at the DnD panel at Gen Con 2024, the Artificer class won't be a part of the 2024 Player's Handbook, which will instead opt for the same 12 base classes as 5e. Expanding on why the class won't be available, Crawford stated that "Artificer in some ways didn't pass the task of being something universal to all DnD worlds," going on to explain that the developers felt that the class was somewhat too niche to fit into the default handbook. Crawford also made clear, however, that Artificer will be officially reintroduced in the future, saying that there are "fun new things in store for Artificer."

Source: https://screenrant.com/dnd-2024-players-handbook-artificer-class-dungeons-dragons/

Basically what I thought, artificer doesn't jive with every D&D setting so they're not including it in the base rules. It'll get an updated variant later from another source book.

I must say, I'm not really all that excited about the new handbook, if only because it's so transparent how Hasbro is pushing to digitize everything and just wants to maximize profit from D&D. The staggering of the releases is literally to offset them by financial earnings quarter, so they can bring in revenue across a wider period and look better to their shareholders. The fact that they're publishing printed books at all is just another cash-grab, as they're driving everything onto DNDBeyond anyway to try to force more players into a subscription in order to keep everything in the cloud. While I dig the site and how easy it makes playing it online, I'm definitely against the core attempt to take D&D away from being a pen & paper game and instead push it towards video-game DLC territory.

This video does a pretty good job of explaining why Hasbro are the BBEG.