5E 50th Anniversary (2024) vs. 5E Legacy (2014)
- Derek Batting
- 1 Creating A New Campaign
- 2 Toggling Your Campaign’s Rules Version via Options
- 3 Using Only The Legacy (2014) Ruleset
- 4 Frequently Asked Questions
- 4.1 Is D&D 5E 50th-Anniversary (2024) a new ruleset?
- 4.2 Q: Can I use D&D 2024 with older D&D fifth edition content?
- 4.3 Can I Load Both Player’s Handbook Modules At Once?
- 4.4 How Do I Know Which Version of Backgrounds, Skill, Feat, Spell, etc. I Am Using?
- 4.5 How Do I Know Which Version Was Used With A Character or NPC?
- 4.6 How Do I Change a Legacy NPC to Use D&D 2024?
- 4.7 Can I Build Legacy (2014) Characters in a 2024 Campaign if the GM has 2024 Set in the Campaign Options?
- 4.8 Do you recommend building characters with both Legacy and 2024 sources?
- 5 Ask Your Question - Additional Interactive FAQ In Our Forums
Since the release of the 
Creating A New Campaign
When creating a new D&D 5e campaign from the main menu, you will choose the Dungeons and Dragons (5e) Game System (Ruleset) as you always have. Standard steps are shown below:
Click Create Campaign to get started.
Choose a name for your new campaign and type it in the NAME field.
Choose server type. We recommend Cloud for quick and easy connections.
Select whether to make your game appear in the public games section of the Join Campaign area.
For the best experience, we recommend enabling the D&D - Official Language Fonts.
Likewise, we also recommend experiencing the new core D&D 5e theme by enabling the Theme: Dungeons & Dragons theme extension.
Once you are happy with the choices you’ve made, click the Start button in the bottom-right corner to launch your new Campaign.
Use the 2024 D&D Rules as Your Default?
Once you have created your new campaign, you will be greeted with a one-time pop-up box asking if you wish to use the D&D 2024 Rules by default. You can make your choice for this campaign at this time. If you change your mind later, we will cover changing the default ruleset in the section below.
This box should show when new campaigns are created as well as when loading campaigns that were created using D&D 5e Legacy (2014).
Toggling Your Campaign’s Rules Version via Options
By clicking on Options in the upper-right corner of the Sidebar, or from the Campaign Setup that shows when your campaign starts, you can choose to toggle between Rules versions as shown in the animation below:
Open the Options menu as illustrated above.
Scroll down to the Game category and look for Game: Rules Version.
Use the left and right arrows to toggle between 2024 or Legacy (2014) versions of the rules.
This selection will now be the default ruleset for your campaign.
Using Only The Legacy (2014) Ruleset
If you wish to create a Legacy (2014) campaign that does not use the 2024 ruleset at all, simply click the No button from the default pop-up window when your campaign loads. This will set your campaign to Legacy by default.
Next, simply load only the Legacy (2014) books from the Modules → Activation window.
NOTE: If you did not purchase the D&D 5e 50th Anniversary (2024) module(s), then changing the Rules Version in Options is sufficient.
You can always load the new modules and change your campaign to the 2024 ruleset at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is D&D 5E 50th-Anniversary (2024) a new ruleset?
No. D&D 2024 support has been added to the D&D 5E ruleset as these are meant to be compatible. Despite that, there are changes to a number of areas, including but not limited to Classes, Subclasses, Items, NPCs, Feats, and Spells.
Q: Can I use D&D 2024 with older D&D fifth edition content?
Yes. You can load modules from D&D 2024 alongside the old D&D Player's Handbook (2014), Xanathar's Guide, Tasha's, and any other books or adventures that are 5E compatible. Functionally, they will behave exactly the same as before.
Can I Load Both Player’s Handbook Modules At Once?
Yes. You can load, open, and use both the D&D Player’s Handbook (2014 - WOTC5EPHBDELUXE) and the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook (2024 - WOTC50PHB) at the same time. Make sure your campaign is on Rules Version: 2024 in the Options menu per this example above, then click Modules → Activation and load both modules.
In the example below, you can see how entries are listed in the Backgrounds window, and most other windows (Class, Feat, Skill, etc.) should be listed in a similar manner.
You can choose which module to use by Group shown in the first dropdown at the top of the window. This will filter out all other entries from the other module.
When using both modules, shown as (All) in the Group field, you can mouse over the icons to the right of each entry. Roll-over text will then pop up to show you the module SKU as seen in our Store (WOTC5EPHBDELUXE or WOTC50PHB), and whether it is a Legacy Record or not. You can also sort bv module version in the Version field at the bottom of the window.
NOTE: This should remain true for other 50th-Anniversary (2024) modules such as Dungeon Masters Guide, etc., not just Player’s Handbook.
How Do I Know Which Version of Backgrounds, Skill, Feat, Spell, etc. I Am Using?
When opening an entry of any sort, be it Backgrounds, Class, Feat, Skill, Spells, etc., the entry will have the version at the bottom of the window. It will either say 2024 for the D&D 5e 50th Anniversary (2024) version, or Legacy, for the 2014 Legacy entry.
For example, as shown below, when opening a Background from the D&D Player’s Handbook (which is 2014 Legacy), it will show Legacy in the Version field at the bottom of the window.
How Do I Know Which Version Was Used With A Character or NPC?
Similar to the answer above, clicking on any of the link icons at the right of the field will open the window, and will have the Version at the bottom of the window. It will either say 2024 for the D&D 5e 50th Anniversary (2024) version, or Legacy, for the 2014 Legacy entry.
How Do I Change a Legacy NPC to Use D&D 2024?
If the source is not read-only, you can unlock the NPC and click on the Version toggle at the bottom of the window to change it from Legacy to 2024. You will see the stat blocks change to the new 2024 format. You may need to reference the original immunities, vulnerabilities, etc. and copy those values to the new combined fields for these for 2024 NPCs. Actions, Traits, etc. should work the same.
If the source is read-only, you can drag a copy of it back into the record list window for that type of record and it will create a version that has no book affiliation in the right column. Unlock that copy, click on the Version at the bottom of the window to cycle to 2024 and make any adjustments you like.
Can I Build Legacy (2014) Characters in a 2024 Campaign if the GM has 2024 Set in the Campaign Options?
Yes. If you have the Legacy modules loaded, you will see Legacy options for Class, Background, Species, etc. as shown in the animation in the example above. If a record exists in both 2024 and Legacy and you have both sources loaded at once, then you will be presented with a dropdown where you can select the source for the record. Choose Legacy options to keep your character fully compliant with the Legacy rules.
Do you recommend building characters with both Legacy and 2024 sources?
No. The recommendation from Wizards of the Coast is to use 2024 sources for a new 2024-style character or Legacy sources for a character using the older rules. Wizards of the Coast did not balance the new character options across all older sources. You can, however, mix and match those if you choose. Fantasy Grounds VTT will not prevent you from doing so and we have set it up to assist in this if you so choose.
Backgrounds: Can Characters Be Built with a 2024 Class and a Legacy Background?
Yes. In the Character Builder, you can choose a 2024 class, then choose a Legacy background. A warning will be added to the builder's Commit screen to let you know that this is not recommended. Because Legacy backgrounds did not include Ability Score Increases (ASI), and often were missing a feat, we recommend you manually adjust the abilities for your character using the Misc. section of your Character Builder.
Class: Can characters be built with a 2024 class and a Legacy Species?
Yes. In the Character Builder, you can choose a 2024 Class and a Legacy Species. A warning will be added to the Character Builder's Commit screen to let you know that this is not recommended. It will also let you know that the Ability Score Increases (ASI) for the Legacy Species will be ignored on the Abilities tab. If you really want the ASI despite this warning, you can manually adjust it using the Misc. abilities section of your character builder.
Subclass: Q: Can characters be built with a 2024 class and a Legacy Subclass?
Yes, although this is not recommended. When you choose a Class and reach level 3, you will be presented with all 2024 Subclasses as well as any Legacy Archetypes / Subclasses from Legacy modules you have loaded. We have built new 2024 versions of these subclasses for older sources that adjust the features to be given at level 3 at the earliest. Everything else remains the same about the subclass.
If you have a Legacy Subclass source that has not been converted to be compatible with 2024 Classes, you can do this yourself within Fantasy Grounds VTT by dragging the Subclass record into the Subclasses (Classes → Specializations) window to make a copy, unlocking it, and changing the Version to 2024. Adjust any feature levels you want. This will work for both official content and homebrew content.
Ask Your Question - Additional Interactive FAQ In Our Forums
If your question wasn’t addressed here, it may have been appended to the ongoing FAQ thread in our forums. Feel free to also add your own question(s) to the thread.
Link: D&D 2024 Rules Update and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)