Can my players use both 5e-2014 and 5e-2024 characters in the same adventure?

Question

In a newspost about the new 2024 core rules it is mentioned that the new rules are compatible with our collection of D&D adventures and supplements. But, as far as I can find, it does not say anything about compatibility with older core rules.

I want to give my players the opportunity to use the new 2024 PHB to create characters for my upcoming adventures, but also make sure the players with only the old books can still play.

Is it possible to run an adventure with characters from both 5e-2014 and 5e-2024 PHB?

Answer 1

According to Jeremy Crawford*, interviewed by Ginny D, they can. This specific part is at 8:28 of the interview video.

It absolutely will work.

Was his answer when he was asked this question. Later he explains it works when the game itself is using 2024 rules,

Because the 2014 rules, since they were written over 10 years ago, of course could not predict what we would do in 2024, but the 2024 rules can handle stuff from the past.

As we can see, one of the authors claims that game was designed to allow that.

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According to the same interview, there will be a guide how to mix options, like using old subclasses with new classes.

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* This interview was "official" in a way that it was Wizards of the Coast that contacted Ginny D with the idea of mr. Crawford speaking in their name about 2024 books. He acted as their representative, not as private person Jeremy, so it probably can be treated as more authoritative than his private tweets and posts. Of course, WotC has a recent history of making decisions and backtracking, so only future will show how it will play out.

Answer 2

Can my players use both 5e-2014 and 5e-2024 characters in the same adventure?

Yes

You can use any rules you like, regardless of what WOTC recommends. However, the 2024 PHB gives you guidance on how to use 2014 sub classes with 2024 classes. The 2024 Players Handbook explains how this works.

Is it possible to run an adventure with characters from both 5e-2014 and 5e-2024 PHB?

Again, you can do anything you like in your game, but yes, this option is supported by the 2024 rules. If I understand correctly, the guidance is to use 2024 classes with 2014 (only) subclasses, meaning the subclass progression may be different from 2014. If a subclass was replaced, then the guidance is to use 2024 version (both class and subclass).

Where might this get weird?

If you have a player that only has the 2014 rules, and the DM is using 2024 rules, the better part of the rules are identical, a few rules have minor changes and a few rules have more significant changes that may cause issues for 2014 (only) players. For example, if your player has a 2014 assassin, and you are using the 2024 rules, how hide and surprise work are completely different, so you may need to follow the guidance and update to the 2024 rules for this class and subclass.

Tools

You didn't ask, but I assume many folks are concerned about the tools, particularly the dndbeyond character builder. According to the Beyond Ruleset Changelog [UPDATE],

Players who only have access to the 2014 Player’s Handbook will maintain their character options, spells, and magical items in their character sheets. Players with access to the 2024 and 2014 digital Player’s Handbooks can select from both sources when creating new characters. Players will not need to rely on Homebrew to use their 2014 player options, including spells and magic items, as recommended in previous changelogs.

Ostensibly this means the character builder will allow you to do any of the three (use 2024 rules, use 2014 sub classes with 2024 classes, or use 2014 rules). This is all just announcements, however, so how the tools will actually work remains to be seen.

They do, however, mention the following.

We are not changing players’ current character sheets, except for relabeling and renaming. Examples include Races to Species, Inspiration to Heroic Inspiration, and Cast Spell to Magic.

Answer 3

Personal opinion: unless you are playing in an organized competition, where it is essential that players going through the same module at different tables are facing exactly the same challenges with the same resources, there is no point in playing with any specific edition of Dungeons and Dragons. Certainly not in worrying about different releases within an edition. The game master has to understand the rule book The players are seeing - if they are seeing a rulebook - in order to handle their actions correctly, but since the game master winds up deciding what succeeds and what doesn't, outside the player's view, whatever happens is good as long as it feels right to the players and advances the story.

The publishers, of course, care a great deal about the difference between editions of the game. That's their income stream. But as long as you have some consensus on how differences and disagreements will be reconciled, and most importantly everyone is having fun, it's all good. Keeping it "compatible" is it matter of good storytelling, and is largely the game Masters responsibility.

It is not uncommon to have campaigns we're characters are based on rules completely outside the "official" set. After all, that's how all those character classes and creatures and objects and spells and so on were developed in the first place; somebody invented something for some private game, folks liked it, it was refined and became known to other groups, and it eventually got adopted into the "official" system.

This is one reason I have never said I am playing AD&D even when we were using those books as references. I play d&d, or more accurately I play a fantasy role playing game which may borrow from many sources, ad&d just being the base framework we are building on top of.