All the D&D announcements from Gen Con 2024 in one place

2024-08-01

Tabletop GamingDungeons and DragonsAll the D&D announcements from Gen Con 2024 in one placeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

A gold dragon faces down a band of adventurers, alongside an image of a green dragon looking down at small figures at its feet

Because there’s so much to dig through, I’ve rounded up everything you need to know about the D&D reveals at Gen Con in digestible, bite-size chunks. That includes info on how the long-awaited ‘Project Sigil’ will work, what’s changed in next year’s Monster Manual (the core rulebook we know least about so far), a surprise hit in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, and loot details for the revised Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Want to know what’s new for one of thebest tabletop RPGs? Let’s dig in.

“Baldur’s Gate 3 lives on” in Project Sigil, the new D&D virtual tabletop

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

Digital models of Karlach, Astarion, and other adventurers stand in a dungeon in D&D Project Sigil

Wizards of the Coast has drawn back the curtain on its upcoming virtual tabletop, codenamed ‘Project Sigil.’ This is something of a cross between the 3D environments of Baldur’s Gate 3 with the functionality of D&D Beyond (interactive character sheets, clickable abilities, that sort of thing). We got a closer look at how it works for both players and Dungeon Masters during the panel, but the biggest takeaway might be thatyou can use Baldur’s Gate 3 characters to continue the party’s story.

More specifically, digital miniatures for Astarion and Karlach were shown off in Project Sigil. In fact, it was pitched as a way to go on new adventures with them.

“I think a lot of people are worried about what [Wizards of the Coast]’s going to do with BG3 characters and the story and all this stuff,” says game director Kale Stutzman. “What we’re trying to do is say, hey, why don’t you continue your Baldur’s Gate 3 story in here, use the characters however they ended up in your games?”

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

It’s unclear what we’ll get for free in Project Sigil and what will be a paid extra, but head of Project Sigil Chris Cao says that you can “easily import existing D&D Beyond maps, characters, and monsters, with built-in rules integration.” So at least your D&D content should play nicely together.

We don’t have a release date just yet, but you cansign up for a closed beta of Project Sigil that’s launching this fall. When the system does eventually come out, it’ll be available on PC, mobile, and consoles.

New Monster Manual has fixed a 10-year mistake

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

A two-page spread of a dragon in the new Monster Manual

Next year’s Monster Manual is the core rulebook we know least about, but Gen Con started to put that right. During the panel, we got a better look at some of the 500+ monsters featured within and the theme seems to be ‘more’ – there are more apex monsters, more NPCs, expanded monster families, and stat block improvements across the board. Actually, every single monster from the 2014 MM has been revisited and given something new here.

We’ve heard about the new high Challenge Rating/CR monsters before (such as the ‘Blob of Annihilation,’ an ooze that can swallow entire towns), but the expanded NPC roundup is new. Lead rules designer Jeremy Crawford noted that Wizards has “looked at every group of NPCs that we had in the 2014 Monster Manual, and came up with ways to expand [them] so that you also had options in an NPC group that were usable in the larger level range. So you’re going to see more mages, more priests, whole new NPC groups. If you ever needed ready-made pirates, we now have a whole section of pirates. If you need a bunch of ready-made performers, we’ve got you covered, along with many other NPC types. These NPCs have also been organized in with the rest of the monsters. So you can now, along with all of the other critters in the book, with the exception of the common animals, which are hanging out at the back of the book, you can now find all the other statblocks in the book alphabetically.”

Monster ‘families’ have been given a boost too. Before now, Crawford noted that vampires became less and less of a threat as players leveled up… but that’s about to change. There are now lower and higher-level vampiric creatures to do battle with, and this isn’t an isolated incident.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

A band of adventurers surrounded by a horde of skeletons

None of this eclipses the most important and world-shattering change that fixes a long-term injustice a decade in the making, though: housecats finally have darkvision in D&D.

OK, so I’m kidding about it being a crucial development. But the reason behind the change tickled me. D&D game design architect Chris Perkins takes the blame for that omission in the 2014 MM; it was apparently “because my aunt had a cat and they had to put a nightlight at the top of the stairs, because [it] kept falling down the stairs.”

Gamers have fallen in love with a surprising feature in the new Player’s Handbook

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

A split image shows fantasy heroes in a darkened tavern discussing a sealed letter, while below are players around a table

While there wasn’t a lot of content here that we haven’t seen before, the Gen Con panel offered a closer look at the changes that have been made since 2014’s rulebook – and why those tweaks were made. For example,2024 D&D Player’s Handbook nerfs one of the best Cleric spells (but that’s actually for the best). To be precise, the Cleric’s Spiritual Weapon has been turned into a Concentration spell whereas before it was a bonus action. That means you can’t combo it with the likes of Spirit Guardians and slap foes about with impunity, and according to rules lead Jeremy Crawford, this is to aid the flow of combat.

“We’ve noticed over the last decade and in a lot of our own play tests how many rounds of combat can grind to a halt when you get to the Cleric’s turn,” he says. “The Cleric takes an action then a bonus action […] and so we needed to tighten that up.”

That kind of streamlining is very much par for the course with these new rulebooks. As an example, the PHB now starts with how to play the game rather than how to make a character – a first for D&D.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

An armored woman with a shield casts a spell from her outstretched hand as other adventurers fight monsters in the background, all taken from D&D artwork in the 2024 Player’s Handbook

“We are always looking for ways to open more doors into D&D, [and] we felt one of those ways we can do that right here in the game’s main rule book is to do a better job of inviting you in right from the start,” says Crawford.

Wizards also reminded us of how much ‘new’ there is in the 2024 PHB; to be precise, 16 of the 48 subclasses are new or redesigned, there are 75 feats, and over 200 of the 375+ spells are new/redesigned. This comes alongside crafting rules, the weapon mastery system that’s been advertised for a while now, and info on a rules glossary that the team is apparently very proud of. Crawford noted that “we have had some people who, upon seeing the brand new Player’s Handbook, as excited as they were about all the new game features and new rules and new art, came up and said, you know what, I would buy this book just for this rules glossary… this glossary is going to, I think, be the backbone for a lot of groups.”

It’s not the only thing the team thinks will go down particularly well, though; True Strike has been boosted. Crawford says that it is now “delicious” because “we took it from a sort of buff spell that was almost always a trap to to something that some characters are going to cast round after round after round.”

New details on player Bastions and more thematic magic items in the Dungeon Master’s Guide

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

Greyhawk map displaying the city itself in a medieval style

A lot of emphasis was placed on player Bastions for the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide. So long as your DM is ok with it, these allow your character to have a place they can lay low between missions – it’s very much like a minigame.

“In effect, they’re like little DMs in the campaign running these sort of microcosm settings in the world that can operate while the other characters are off on adventures,” explains creative director Chris Perkins. “So a Bastion is kind of like another resource that characters have to get fun stuff – for their companions, for the party. But it doesn’t in any way, shape or form, interfere with what the character is good at. And that is going off on adventures and doing cool stuff.”

On the topic of ‘cool stuff,’ the 2024 DMG will apparently feature many printable sheets to help DMs keep track of everything from NPC details to the names of stores characters can visit. As Perkins notes, “these tracking sheets are not only in the book, but they will also be free to download on D&D Beyond so that people can assemble them and basically make their own campaign journals.” When combined with the included lore glossary that gives you the lowdown on major players or locations in the D&D multiverse, organization is the name of the game.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

Dungeons & Dragons weapons from the 2024 Player’s Handbook

Perkins then went on to discuss another first for D&D: a fully-fleshed out setting in the DMG. Players will find the OG world of Greyhawk in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, not to mention five short introductory adventures that demonstrate how to make your own D&D stories.

Finally, another noteworthy change highlighted in the panel was the book’s 100+ pages of magic items. This includes loot tables which have been divided into thematically appropriate sections like ‘religious artifacts.’ Entries in the new Monster Manual will actually point you toward the appropriate DMG loot table, all to create a more cohesive world.

For recommendations on what to play while you wait, check out our guide to thebest D&D books. As for a change of pace, don’t miss thebest board games.

More about tabletop gamingThis new indie D&D campaign setting brings Studio Ghibli and Zelda: Breath of the Wild aesthetics and worldbuilding to the tabletop RPG, and I’m already scheming hard as a DMD&D Monster Manual 2025 is going to pack a serious punch thanks to a family of monsters descended from gods, and frankly I’m terrifiedLatest26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time"See more latest►

More about tabletop gaming

This new indie D&D campaign setting brings Studio Ghibli and Zelda: Breath of the Wild aesthetics and worldbuilding to the tabletop RPG, and I’m already scheming hard as a DMD&D Monster Manual 2025 is going to pack a serious punch thanks to a family of monsters descended from gods, and frankly I’m terrified

Obojima

This new indie D&D campaign setting brings Studio Ghibli and Zelda: Breath of the Wild aesthetics and worldbuilding to the tabletop RPG, and I’m already scheming hard as a DM

A red dragon perches on a broken statue and looks out at the ruins of a burning civilization

D&D Monster Manual 2025 is going to pack a serious punch thanks to a family of monsters descended from gods, and frankly I’m terrified

Latest26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time"See more latest►

Latest

26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time”

Promo artwork for Colin McCrae Rally 2005 showing a car jumping above desert sands

26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time”

See more latest►

Most Popular

Elder Scrolls modders have released a playable part of the ambitious Project Tamriel, which aims to recreate all of the beloved RPG’s regions in Morrowind

Disney Plus' new Spider-Man show is no longer canon in the MCU because it was “not fun” to put limitations on its story

Master Chief’s absence from Halo Wars wasn’t Bungie’s fault, it was a move to make players “care about everybody else” in the RTS

One of Sonic 3’s writers threatens us with a good time in a future movie: “We gotta get Big the Cat in there in some capacity”

This nifty gadget turns any M.2 SSD into a portable drive, but it’s great for when you’re upgrading your PC too

League of Legends co-creator responds to report that Arcane was a “financial miss,” says “people think we make things like Arcane to sell skins, when in reality we sell skins to make things like Arcane”

After hours of number-crunching, one Marvel Rivals player has laid out the true meta – and Iron Fist’s ranking feels alarming

James Gunn says his DC shows will likely stick to the “one episode a week” schedule moving forward: “It affords a quality show an opportunity to be discussed”

Just two weeks after its theatrical release, Lord of the Ring: The War of Rohirrim is heading to digital

Escape the horrors of family time this holiday with Slitterhead’s first ever discount

GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis board game models and tokens laid out on a board

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

Squid Game season 2

1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

“Baldur’s Gate 3 lives on” in Project Sigil, the new D&D virtual tabletop

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

New Monster Manual has fixed a 10-year mistake

Gamers have fallen in love with a surprising feature in the new Player’s Handbook

New details on player Bastions and more thematic magic items in the Dungeon Master’s Guide

Contents