Most of the changes made to the Dungeons and Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook have been for logical reasons. Rules that didn’t make sense have been thrown out, and wording has been tweaked with common sense in mind. The whole thing is more approachable and sensible than D&D has perhaps ever been. But Wizards of the Coast has still thrown some strange curveballs into the new rules.
When preparing for my 2024 Player’s Handbook review, I made extensive notes on the new rules. Most of these focused on major rules updates like DnD 2024 backgrounds and DnD classes. But I also took notes on the smallest, strangest details in the entire book – and I’ve put them into a list for your enlightenment.
From least to most ‘what the f–?’, here are the strangest changes in the 2024 Player’s Handbook:
You can’t learn rare languages anymore
Yes, okay, maybe it is a bit OP that my Wild Beyond the Witchlight character can speak Sylvan. But in my defense, it makes sense with his backstory.
Wizards of the Coast no longer seems to care, however. During character creation, it’s now only possible to know common DnD languages. Everything outside of the box or typically spoken on other planes is off the table.
Rogues can’t be experts with thieves’ tools
In fifth edition, Rogues could have expertise in thieves’ tools, but this is no longer the case. Mechanically, it kind of makes sense, since it’s now possible to have advantage on rolls made with thieves’ tools if you’re also using a skill you’re proficient in. But flavor-wise, it’s a little baffling that a DnD 2024 Rogue can only be kind of good at picking a lock.
No, grease definitely isn’t flammable
While many of the Player’s Handbook changes were inspired by Baldur’s Gate 3, grease being flammable didn’t make the cut. In the rules-as-written, this has actually always been the case – but Wizards has gone out of their way to mention it in the 2024 Player’s Handbook.
Camels have reduced carrying capacity
Camels can now only carry 450lbs of weight, rather than 480lbs. Presumably, this is so the more expensive Draft Horse (who also carries 480lbs) has a reason to exist. Still, we’re wondering what multiverse-shattering event occurred to make the entire camel species a little more feeble.
No, your Simulacrum can’t cast Simulacrum
This is another one that makes sense from the point of view of mechanics. It would be ridiculous to cast Simulacrum and create a copy of yourself, who then casts Simulacrum to make a copy of themselves, who then cast Simulacrum to make… you get the picture. But lore-wise, it is supposed to be an exact copy of you, a spellcaster who can definitely cast Simulacrum.
Hallucinatory Terrain has a hidden drug joke
Hallucinatory Terrain has a new material component – a mushroom. We thought Dungeons and Dragons was above jokes about hallucinogenics, but we were wrong. The only thing that could have made this less subtle would be a spell range of 420 feet.
If you try to contact someone with Sending, they can block you
The rules for Sending now let you contact someone you don’t know but who has been described to you. This means it’s perfectly possible to shoot that handsome Tiefling you spotted across the bar a ‘u up?’ message. Unfortunately for your love life, “upon receiving your message, a creature can block your ability to reach it again with this spell for eight hours”.
Elves don’t have body hair
According to the 2024 Player’s Handbook, “elves have pointed ears and lack facial and body hair”. This detail was semi-present in fifth edition, but a DnD Elf was said to have “little body hair” rather than none at all.
This means that Elves still have head hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. But nothing grows on their feet, legs, armpits, chests, chins, backs, and you-know-where. This doesn’t have much of a mechanical effect in-game, so I’m curious why we needed to know this detail at all. Do you think Elves get colder than everyone else during long rests?
Tieflings smell weird
The DnD 2024 Tiefling now has a distinctive smell, depending on their heritage. Abyssal Tieflings are described as having “peculiar scents”, but no extra detail is given. Infernal Tieflings are dealt the worst hand, as they apparently have “a faint odor of sulfur or smoke”. And just to remind you, sulfur smells a lot like rotten eggs.
Why does an entire species have to smell bad? We have absolutely no idea. Truth be told, it seems like a rather cruel change to make to the Tieflings, who are already mistreated and stereotyped to high heaven in canon D&D lore.
Legend Lore summons a sad trombone to bully you
Legend Lore asks you to describe a famous person, place, or object, and it’ll tell you all about that topic. However, in the new rules, the spell might decide your chosen target isn’t famous enough – and it’s going to mock you for your choices.
According to the 2024 Player’s Handbook, “If the famous thing you chose isn’t actually famous, you hear sad musical notes played on a trombone, and the spell fails”. And in case you need a reminder, the video above can show you what a sad trombone sounds like.
For more on the new Player’s Handbook, here’s how DnD tools and DnD weapon mastery work. You can also check out the three new subclasses, the Path of the World Tree Barbarian, the College of Dance Bard, and the Circle of the Sea Druid.
Source: Wargamer
