D&D 5e (2024) vs 2014: What Changed, Rule by Rule

The 2024 rules aren't a sixth edition: this is still D&D 5e. The d20, Advantage and Disadvantage, the Proficiency Bonus and the six abilities are all where you left them. What changes is a lot of what happens when you build a character and when you fight, and that's where anyone coming from the 2014 book can end up playing a rule that no longer exists.

Here are the differences that matter at the table, one by one, each linked to the full rule in the Compendium.

The differences at a glance

	5e 2014	5e 2024
Character origin	Race and subrace	Species and background
Starting ability increases	From your race	From your background: +2 and +1, or +1 to three abilities
Feat at level 1	Variant human only	Everyone, from the background
Fighting styles	Class features	Feats
Subclass	Level 1 to 3, depending on the class	Level 3 for every class
Weapons	Damage and properties	Plus a mastery property, for martial classes
Inspiration	Advantage on one roll	Reroll any die
Exhaustion	Six levels, each with a different effect	−2 to d20 Tests and −5 feet of Speed per level
Grapple and shove	Contested Athletics check	Unarmed Strike, with a saving throw from the target
Surprise	You lose your first turn	Disadvantage on your Initiative roll
Spells in one turn	Special bonus action rule	Only one spell slot per turn
Level 19	Ability Score Improvement or a feat	An Epic Boon

Species instead of races

"Race" becomes "species", but the real change isn't the name: your species no longer raises your ability scores. It only gives its traits, such as Darkvision, a resistance or the Dragonborn's Breath Weapon. The increases come from your background instead, so no species and class combination starts behind: a halfling barbarian can have the same Strength as a goliath barbarian.

The SRD has nine species: Dragonborn, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Goliath, Halfling, Human, Orc and Tiefling. Goliath and Orc join the core species, while half-elf and half-orc are gone.

Humans no longer get +1 to every ability. Instead they get an extra feat through Versatile and Heroic Inspiration after every Long Rest through Resourceful.

Your background sets your scores and your feat

In 2014 a background was mostly flavor: two skills, some tools, a story feature. In 2024 it's the choice that weighs most on your numbers.

Every background lists three abilities: increase one by 2 and another by 1, or all three by 1, never above 20. It then gives you an Origin feat, two skills, a tool and starting equipment (or 50 GP instead). The Acolyte, for example, offers Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma, the Magic Initiate feat for clerics, and the Insight and Religion skills.

The practical advice: pick your background with your abilities in mind, not just your story. The SRD has four: Acolyte, Criminal, Sage and Soldier.

Feats from level 1

In 2014 feats were an optional rule, and only the variant human had one at level 1. In 2024 every character starts with one, and feats come in four families:

Origin, at level 1 from your background: Alert, Magic Initiate, Savage Attacker and Skilled.
General, from level 4. Ability Score Improvement is now a feat in this family too, next to feats like Grappler.
Fighting Style, which used to be class features: Archery, Defense, Great Weapon Fighting and Two-Weapon Fighting.
Epic Boons, at level 19, such as Boon of Fate.

Weapon Mastery

This is the change that reshapes martial combat the most. Barbarians, Fighters, Paladins, Rangers and Rogues get the Weapon Mastery feature at level 1: they pick some weapons and use their mastery property. Each weapon has exactly one, and there are eight:

Mastery	A weapon that has it	What it does, in short
Cleave	Greataxe	On a hit, you also attack a second creature nearby
Graze	Greatsword	Even on a miss, you deal damage equal to your modifier
Nick	Dagger	The Light weapon's extra attack becomes part of the Attack action
Sap	Longsword	The target has Disadvantage on its next attack roll
Slow	Javelin	The target loses 10 feet of Speed until the start of your next turn
Topple	Maul	The target makes a Constitution save or falls Prone
Push	Warhammer	You push the target 10 feet away
Vex	Rapier	You have Advantage on your next attack against that target

The upshot: your choice of weapon matters more than its damage dice. A greatsword and a maul deal the same damage, but one hurts even when you miss and the other knocks your enemy down.

Classes: what changes for everyone

Every class picks its subclass at level 3. In 2014 clerics, sorcerers and warlocks chose at level 1, druids and wizards at level 2.
**At level 19 every class gets an Epic Boon** instead of the last Ability Score Improvement.
Paladins: Divine Smite is now a spell, cast as a Bonus Action right after you hit, so at most once per turn. Paladin's Smite keeps it always prepared and lets you cast it once per Long Rest without a spell slot.
Rangers: Favored Enemy keeps Hunter's Mark always prepared, with a few free castings every Long Rest.
Clerics and Druids pick an order at level 1, Divine Order and Primal Order, which leans them toward fighting or toward magic.
Warlocks get Eldritch Invocations at level 1 instead of level 2.
Fighters and Rogues gain new ways to use their features, such as Tactical Mind and Cunning Strike, which turns some of your Sneak Attack dice into an effect.

Combat: grappling, surprise, Exhaustion

Grappling and shoving are no longer contested checks. They're two options of the Unarmed Strike, next to the one that deals damage. The target makes a Strength or Dexterity saving throw, its choice, against DC 8 + your Strength modifier + your Proficiency Bonus. If it fails a grapple it's Grappled: its Speed is 0 and it has Disadvantage on attacks against anyone other than you. If it fails a shove you push it 5 feet away or knock it Prone.

Surprise no longer costs you a turn. A surprised combatant has Disadvantage on the Initiative roll, then plays normally.

**Exhaustion** is much simpler. Each level subtracts 2 from every d20 Test, meaning ability checks, attack rolls and saving throws, and 5 feet from your Speed. You die at level 6, and each Long Rest removes one level.

There's also a new word to know: a creature is Bloodied when it has half its Hit Points or fewer. Plenty of effects trigger right then.

Spells: one slot per turn

The old bonus action spell rule is gone. In its place there's a simpler one: on a turn, you can expend only one spell slot. A Healing Word as a Bonus Action and a cantrip as your action is fine, while two spells that each spend a slot on the same turn are not.

The Cast a Spell action becomes the Magic action, which also covers activating magic items and magical features.

Heroic Inspiration and new actions

Heroic Inspiration replaces Inspiration. It no longer grants Advantage: you spend it after rolling any die, to reroll it, and you keep the new result. If you already have it and gain it again, you can give it to a companion who doesn't.

The new actions include Influence, to sway a creature, and Study, to recall or work something out. Utilize replaces Use an Object.

For the GM: monsters

Stat blocks have been reorganized, and Initiative is now printed in the stat block: a modifier to roll and a fixed score, if you'd rather not roll. Every SRD 5.2 monster is in the Compendium.

Can I mix 2014 and 2024 rules?

The 2024 rules are designed to stay compatible with 5e: the published adventures still run with the new book. For characters, it's best if the table picks one version of the core rules. If one player uses the 2014 Exhaustion and another uses the 2024 one, the argument will come at the worst possible moment.

Build a character with the 2024 rules

RollCamp's character creator and level-up already follow all of this: the background that sets your scores, the Origin feat, Weapon Mastery, the subclass at level 3. Both are free. Create your character: before every choice, you see how it would change your sheet.