New D&D 2024 Player's Handbook: Jeremy Crawford Explains Backwards Compatibility!
Why Role-playing Games Stack Exchange recommends it
Role-playing Games Stack Exchange users cite it as the source for Crawford's statement that 2014 options not replaced in the 2024 Player's Handbook can still be used.
Recommended by 0 people across 0 different months, 2012 to 2026.
What it is
A Pack Tactics interview with D&D lead designer Jeremy Crawford about how the 2024 Player's Handbook works alongside the 2014 books. It covers how older books, old feats and legacy subclasses interact with the new classes, and whether half-species options are planned.
What people said
Cites RS Conley · 2012-03 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “What are the big differences among the D&D editions?”
OD&D (1974) - The original game had only three classes (Cleric, Fighter, Magic User). Cleric spells up to 5th level, Magic user spells up to 6th level. Every attack except for certain monster abilities did 1d6 damage if it hit. There wasn't a lot of difference between characters in terms of combat capabilities. Characteristics didn't have many modifiers. OD&D plus Greyhawk Supplement (1975) - The Greyhawk supplement transformed OD&D into a form of older edition D&D that is recognizable by most gamers today. Characteristics have more modifiers and exceptional strength was introduced. Variable damage dice for different weapons and creatures was introduced. The number of spell levels increased.
Cites Tarod · 2024-10 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “When playing a legacy subclass from 2014, at what level do you gain your subclass features?”
At level 3 Regarding subclasses, every class in the 2024 PHB has the following sentence at level 3: [...] A subclass is a specialization that grants you features at certain [class] levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass's features that are of your [class] level or lower. With the 2024 PHB rules, all legacy subclasses must follow this same rule. This means that everything you would have gained from the subclass before level 3 is now obtained at level 3. This is also supported by several interviews with Jeremy Crawford, Lead Designer of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, before the release of the new 2024 PHB. Here is a transcription of one of them (*). Emphasis mine:
Cites Mike · 2026-01 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “Is the rule about non-replaced 2014 features being retained in 2024 games default/RAW or optional?”
In this video [this video] Jeremy Crawford explains that features that appear in older books that are not replaced in the new books can still be used: Crawford: I'll start with options that are in the 2014 Player's Handbook. So, an important nuance about using the 2024 Player's Handbook is that it replaces game options that appear in it and in the 2014 Player's Handbook. What that means is if there's an option—a subclass, a feat, or something else—that's in 2014 but not in 2024, you can still use the 2014 version. . . . The 2024 one replaces material that is replicated from 2014, but if the thing that was in 2014 does not appear in 2024, you can still use the 2014 version. . . . Interviewer: Are