The world’s greatest roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons, has issued a brand new, 377-page Player’s Handbook 2024 with streamlined rules.

The hardcover, full-color book is beautifully designed with gorgeous end pages and museum-quality art. In the introduction, both DMs and players are provided with an overview how to use the book and what’s changed since the 2014 version. Many of the changes–easier character creation, enhanced classes, upgraded weapons, new and enhanced spells, are clearly elements that have been refreshed for playability and ease-of-use.

Chapter one is devoted to a basic rules overview with examples highlighting abilities, skills, proficiency bonuses, and actions to both clarify and reveal what dice to roll and when. Social Interaction, Exploration, Combat, Damage and Healing, and Conditions also get callouts to spell out how these important aspects of roleplaying function in the game.

Players find a step-by-step process to build characters in chapter two. Each step during character creation corresponds to a numbered space on the character sheet, removing the guesswork from “where” a specific number or word is supposed to go. To help facilitate choices, the “A Balanced Party” sidebar clearly states that the game was designed to accommodate the classic, balanced party: Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard. If those options don’t interest the group, there are recommended substitutions. For example, you might swap the Wizard with a Bard, Sorcerer, or Warlock.

Throughout this book, the 2024 Player’s Handbook continually reinforces that Dungeons & Dragons is a “team effort” where everyone’s pitching in to have a good time and contribute to the fun. In Step 4: Choose an Alignment, the full swath of Alignments and what they might mean, including personality traits, are provided, but the text suggests that it’s important to speak to the DM before making an evil character. This is an aspect of the game that adds some complications to the team spirit, because a Chaotic Good (CG) creature “acts as their conscience directs with little regard for what others expect.” This has the potential for setting up conflict with a Lawful Good (LG) character who “endeavors to do the right thing as expected by society.” No matter the team’s composition, player perspectives can lead to conflict in some groups; hopefully addressing common problems like conflicts between perspectives will be part of the upcoming Dungeon Master’s Guide 2024. Also included in the comprehensive character creation chapter is detailed information about advancement, starting at higher levels, and multiclassing–plus gaining a Tiny trinket packed with narrative potential.

In chapter three, each character class receives a detailed, illustrated treatment. The core classes are as follows: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard. Eight pages are devoted to each class providing players with core traits and the option to specialize or multiclass. Additionally, every level’s mechanical benefits are spelled out–there’s no calculations or guesswork involved. Finally, the class overview ends with subclasses like the Barbarian’s Path of the Wildheart to commune with the natural world, the Bard’s fey-inspired College of Glamour, and the Druid’s Circle of the Stars. Classes that have the ability to spell cast possess tables and, when applicable, class-specific spells to enhance gameplay. The Fighter class, for example, allows players to be a Battle Master, Champion, Eldritch Knight, or Psi Warrior–four, very different takes on a basic concept.

Once your class is selected, Chapter 4: Character Origins fleshes out who players want to play by emphasizing their role in the “world.” Likely due to the expansiveness of the setting, there isn’t a lot of location-based information, but there are more targeted details to built a character’s backstory and culture. Ten backgrounds help place “what” the characters are doing in the world even before they pick up a sword, axe, bow, or staff. Following this, players choose from one of ten species: Aasimar, Dragonborn, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Goliath, Halfling, Human, Orc, and Tiefling. Within these sections, players find some context for the species and their variants. The offering of playable species are interesting, because in the spirit of teamwork the darker-themed options are intended to possess either Neutral or Good alignments. This approach can lead to great roleplaying opportunities–a Tiefling who’s mischievous or one who’s desperate to be a hero despite their appearances. There’s a lot of potential for great gaming moments, and it’d be interesting to see this approach in an upcoming supplement devoted to new materials that flesh out the species and their role in Dungeons & Dragons–especially with the inclusion of the Celestial-touched Aasimar, too. The one aspect that is missing from this approach is where the characters come from. Though there are brief mentions of where their communities are likely to be found, the concept of home is missing from character creation. This is a missed opportunity to ground new players in the game, because “home” is a deep well for narrative potential and opportunities, especially if players share the same home or survived conflicts between two settlements.

Chapter five is devoted to Feats that players can choose independent of their class. The Feats are broken out by category because there are prerequisites to choosing them. Of all the chapters, this selection of options seemed too few: only the Origin and Fighting-level Feats are accessible for players who start at level one.

Tools and Equipment and how each ties to checks is found in chapter six. For example, the Cook’s Utensils (1 GP) on page 220 and requires a Wisdom check to use. When you trigger the Utilize action, you can improve the food’s flavor (DC 10) or detect spoiled or poisoned food (DC 15). You can also use the utensils to Craft rations, too. Weight–a whopping 8 lbs–is also noted, and figures into Encumbrance (pg. 363) or how much you can carry. Equipment also includes information about other, purchasable items for accommodations, spellcrafting, and travel.

Chapter 7: Spells includes over a hundred pages devoted to magic. Spells are listed in alphabetical order by name and not by type of spell. They’re then further described by the level and applicable class. To find a class-specific list of spells, the player must flip back to Chapter 3, and then find the appropriate spell in alphabetical order. This choice, to alphabetize the spells over the spread of a hundred pages, does require flipping back and forth between chapters during character creation. There is a lot of information to manage and the class-specific spell placement in Chapter 3 reduces the utility rather than enchances it. This is easy to do in a hardcover book, but more challenging in a digital version for those who favor virtual tabletop. Unfortunately, there are no tables of cantrips or spells based on level or school with page references, either. Some players, especially people who don’t have the spells memorized, may find it challenging to flip back and forth to better understand their spellcaster.

Following spells, Appendix A: The Multiverse offers and overview of the realms of Dungeons and Dragons with an excellent illustration on page 345 that clearly displays how the planes and realms fit together. Appendix B covers Creatures and offers stat blocks for a select number.

The Player’s Handbook 2024 ends with Appendix C: Rules Glossary and an index; the alphabetized glossary clearly explains in detail what each term means and how it works in game. Players should note how broader terms are broken out. For example, if you’re searching for Influence you’ll find it under Action in a table. (Actions are Attach, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Hide, Influence, Magic, Ready, Search, Study, or Utilize.) Then, to read how to Influence, you’ll flip to “I”. This methodology reduces the speed to find a term, because players who want to refresh their memory can directly flip to that term.

Overall, the new Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook 2024 is a gorgeous supplement that was thoughtfully written and designed. The supplement is priced at $49.99, and fits both the quality and the material. The writing is clear, the design choices are intentional, and a lot of care was taken to produce this new edition. If anything, the PHB 2024 continues to highlight the need for new, rather than updated, material that draws both new and existing players deeper into the lore for their characters and game.

Ultimately, the Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook 2024 is an essential purchase for anyone who’s interested in D&D.

The Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook 2024 was reviewed by Allie Brooks. This post contains affiliate links.

Tags | DnD, dnd5e, dungeons & dragons, wotc