Dungeons & Dragons: How Backwards Compatibility Works in 2024 Player’s Handbook

Dungeons & Dragons: How Backwards Compatibility Works in 2024 Player's Handbook

As a long-time fan of Dungeons & Dragons, I couldn’t contain my excitement when lead rules designer Jeremy Crawford shared his insights into how backwards compatibility will work with the upcoming new Player’s Handbook. Having played this game for decades, I have accumulated quite a collection of rulebooks and supplements, so this feature is a game-changer for me.


As a seasoned Dungeons & Dragons player with years of experience under my belt, I’m always eager to learn about the latest updates and changes to the game rules. I was thrilled when Wizards of the Coast announced that they would be publishing a new Player’s Handbook for 5th edition later this year. However, I was also curious about how backwards compatibility would work with the new rulebook.

In an interview with ComicBook, Jeremy Crawford, the lead rules designer, explained the concept of backwards compatibility in D&D. He shared that elements from the latest Player’s Handbook, such as classes, subclasses, feats, and species backgrounds, can be used interchangeably with similar components in other rulebooks. However, once a new version of an element emerges, the old version is no longer valid for use. So, for instance, if you’re creating a character based on the 2024 rules, you cannot utilize the 2014 version of a subclass or feat that appears in the newer rules. The same principle applies to other elements.

In other words, Crawford explained that while the 2024 Player’s Handbook may not include certain subclasses, players can still use these optional subclasses alongside elements from the new handbook. For instance, a 2024 Wizard can combine the Necromancer subclass from an older Player’s Handbook with new material from the 2024 Player’s Handbook. This applies to any unexplored content like feats, species, or character elements not featured in the 2024 Player’s Handbook. However, anything that appears in the 2024 Player’s Handbook replaces its older counterpart to avoid conflicts at gaming tables.

The “Player’s Handbook” will provide detailed instructions for adding species and backgrounds from earlier publications. This is necessary due to changes in how ability score improvements are determined based on players’ decisions.

When it comes to the classes in the 2024 rules, they follow distinct level advancement patterns compared to the 2014 regulations. However, Crawford mentioned that the new class guidelines are drafted to accommodate the utilization of older subclasses with varying progressions. In other words, if you select an older subclass with a dissimilar level development, the new ability rules for subclasses make it explicit that you obtain all of the characteristics from any prior levels. For instance, the Wizard’s fresh 3rd level subclass ability would state that players can activate the Necromancer subclass features that would have emerged at level 2 if they choose to employ the Necromancer subclass guidelines instead.

A fresh version of the Player’s Handbook is coming out on September 17th. For additional information and modifications regarding this new Dungeons & Dragons guide, please check it out here.

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2024-07-23 19:11