Dungeons and Dragons just confirmed an updated SRD featuring the new rules from the 2024 core rulebooks is coming shortly after the revision is complete. Fans can expect SRD 5.2 to arrive shortly after the revised Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual releases in February 2025.

The Systems Reference Document, or SRD, is the guide that contains the core rules to enable players to play Dungeons and Dragons. Protected by the Creative Commons license, it is this document that allows fans to create, share, and sell their own homebrew Dungeons and Dragons material using the game’s rules without fear of legal action. It is also irrevocable, meaning works made using it are safe forever.

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SRD 5.1 currently covers 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons as it stands, but the rules updates it is working on for its 10-year anniversary would not be covered by this document. Luckily, Dungeons and Dragons is releasing a new SRD document that includes these revised core rules. Once the Monster Manual – the third and final Dungeons and Dragons core rulebook revision – releases on February 18, 2025, SRD 5.2 will follow within weeks, making most of the core rules freely available for players to use in their campaigns and homebrew projects.

What Is the Dungeons and Dragons SRD?

• The Systems Reference Document contains the core rules of Dungeons and Dragons, protected by Creative Commons.
• SRD 5.2 will include most game information from the 2024 Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual.
• Lore information about the Forgotten Realms setting, characters, and other trademarked content will not be included.
• The new SRD will be available within a few weeks after the new Monster Manual, currently planned for release on February 18, 2025.

The new SRD will be localized in the other languages supported by Dungeons and Dragons after their accompanying books are released. Additionally, this document will not replace SRD 5.1, which will still be available for use. Lastly, Dungeons and Dragons still plans to release previous editions’ SRDs into Creative Commons, but it is focusing on the 2024 rules revision document first.

This announcement did not come as a huge surprise, as Dungeons and Dragons confirmed its plans to do so in response to the public outcry after the OGL controversies of 2023. That said, Dungeons and Dragons fans are happy to see Wizards of the Coast following through on its promise, and are glad to see the document will be released swiftly, rather than years later as it was with SRD 5.1. All things considered, this new SRD is great for both the health and public regard for Dungeons and Dragons.

Dungeons and Dragons

Created by Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game in which players craft their own worlds and band together to take on adventures through mysterious realms outlined in companion materials. One of the best role-playing games ever made, it has been adapted into a variety of video games and other media.

Franchise

Dungeons & Dragons

Original Release Date

1974-00-00

Publisher

Wizards of the Coast

Designer

E. Gary Gygax , Dave Arneson