Everything you need to know to convert 2014 character options to use in D&D 2024.
When D&D 2024 launched last year, we were told that it’s backwards compatible. This means that character options from the 2014 rules can still be used in games where 2024 rules are being used.
However, the 2024 rules came with fairly substantial changes, especially in the character creation department. How do you tackle ability score increases from both backgrounds and races? What about classes without a 2024 equivalent like the artificer? And how do subclasses work, especially for classes where the subclass used to kick in before level 3?
Backwards compatibility leaves a lot of questions to answer. Unfortunately, the explanations can be found in difficult to find places in the Player’s Handbook. So to make it real easy for you, I’ve created this guide to backwards compatibility in D&D 2024.
Some general conversion advice
The big thing to be aware of is if you’re playing the 2024 rules, you can use 2014 character options. But, this is only the case where that character option hasn’t already been updated with a new version.
For example, a Dwarf wizard with the sage background would use 2024 character options for each of these parts of their character because these have been updated in the 2024 rules. However, if you then opted for the necromancy subclass, because it hasn’t yet been revised for the 2024 rules, you could use the 2014 version of the subclass.
The same advice applies for things like feats, spells, magic items and all sorts of things too. You can find this addressed very briefly on p5 of the Player’s Handbook.
Using 2014 backgrounds
Backgrounds got a big update in the 2024 rules becoming much more important in character creation. Now they provide the ability score increases you used to receive from your race/species and you gain an origin feat too.
The problem you’ve got, is of the 96 official backgrounds released for the 2014 edition of 5e, only 16 have actually been converted to the 2024 rules. This means if you were hoping to play as a celebrity adventurer’s scion, a haunted one or a planar philosopher, then you don’t have an official background to use.
Fortunately, the Player’s Handbook explains exactly what to do in these cases. It’s on P38 and says if you want to use a background using the 2014 rules, you simply do 2 things:
- Increase an ability score by 2 and another by 1, or increase 3 ability scores by 1.
- And gain an origin feat (more on feats later on).
And that’s it! It’s that simple to update backgrounds to the 2024 rules.
Using 2014 races/species
You have a similar issue when it comes to species for D&D 2024. There are 61 species officially released for D&D 2014 (plus some subspecies), but only 10 have been released for D&D 2024 (so far). And there are some that we know will never be re-released (we’re looking at half species like Half-Elves and Half-Orcs here).
So what can you do if you want to play a Yuan-ti, a Kender, a Simic Hybrid or some other older species? Well the Player’s Handbook helps us out here too.
You’ll also find that advice on P38 and it simply explains that you remove any ability score improvements associated with the species and use the rest as it is.
Easy-peasy!
Using 2014 subclasses
Subclasses in D&D 2024 always kick in at level 3. However, while that’s typical in the 2014 rules, it’s not always the case. For example, clerics, warlocks, sorcerers and wizards all get their subclasses at earlier levels. But with just 45 of the 118 subclasses of D&D 2014 getting refreshed (plus 3 brand new subclasses), there’s a lot of subclass options still to be updated to the 2024 rules.
For the most part though, these are backwards compatible with 2024 classes, so if you want to play a mastermind rogue, an arcane archer fighter or a necromancy wizard, you can simply use the version from the 2014 rules.
However, where a subclass in the 2014 rules starts before 3rd level, you now only get it at level 3. Also, each subclass feature for each class states that when you gain a subclass, you gain all of its features of your current level and lower. This means that if you do decide to play the necromancy subclass, that you get necromancy savant and grim harvest at level 3 instead of level 2.
There is one additional difference to be aware of specific to clerics. At level 7, the 2024 cleric class gets blessed strike, which gives you an option of either taking divine strike or potent spellcasting. 2014 clerics were given one of these with their subclass, but 2024 clerics can choose whichever option they want as part of their class instead. To prevent double dipping on the feature, it states that if you gain this feature from a 2014 subclass, that you only gain the feature through the cleric class instead.
Using 2014 classes
This is likely to be less commonly an issue as almost all classes were updated for the 2024 rules. That is with the exception of the artificer. However, we know we’ll be getting an updated version of this class soon in the upcoming Eberron book.
As with all character options, if there’s an updated version for the 2024 rules, that’s the version you should be using. If there isn’t (like for the artificer) then you can use the 2014 version of that class instead.
Using 2014 feats
Feats in D&D 2024 are split into 4 groups; origin feats, general feats, fighting style feats and epic boon feats. The 2014 rules don’t have these distinctions, though it does have fighting styles and epic boons (which were optional in the 2014 rules) but not characterised as feats.
If a character option says you can take an origin feat, then it must be designated as an origin feat. This means that none of the 2014 feats can be taken as origin feats because none of them are designated this way, even if they’re similar to a 2024 origin feat; like eldritch adept and it’s similarity to magic initiate. If you’re able to choose a general feat, this is the equivalent of a 2014 feat and you can take one of these options instead.
The exception is where a feat already has a 2024 version. In which case, you can’t use the 2014 version.
Using 2014 spells
With 2014 spells, as with other character options, you can use these as normal as long as there isn’t a revised version already released for D&D 2024.
This means that spells like booming blade and sword burst can be used as they appear in the 2014 rules. But for something like healing word or chromatic orb, you’ll need to use the revised versions which isn’t too disappointing as they’re both improved in the 2024 rules.
And that’s everything you need to know to update 2014 character options to D&D 2024. Are there any older character options you’re keen to use alongside the 2024 rules? Let me know about them in the comments below.
Spotlight on D&D 2024
All the latest updates on what’s changing with the 2024 rules revision.
