Player's Handbook
Encyclopedia
The Player's Handbook is a book of rules for the fantasy
role-playing game
Dungeons & Dragons
(D&D). It does not contain the complete set of rules, but only those for use by players of the game. Additional rules, for use by Dungeon Master
s (DMs), who referee
the game, can be found in the Dungeon Master's Guide
. Many optional rules, such as those governing extremely high-level players, and some of the more obscure spells, are found in other sources.
Since the 1st edition, the Player's Handbook has contained tables and rules for creating characters, lists of the abilities of the different character classes
, the properties and costs of equipment, descriptions of spells that magic-using character classes (such as wizards
or clerics
) can cast, and numerous other rules governing gameplay. Both the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Player's Handbook give advice, tips, and suggestions for various styles of play. The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide
, and Monster Manual
make up the core D&D rulebooks.
and edited by Mike Carr, who also wrote the foreword. The original cover art was by D.A. Trampier
, who also provided interior illustrations along with David C. Sutherland III
. In this edition, the game rules were divided between the Players Handbook and the Dungeon Masters Guide, which was printed later. Later editions of the game moved the bulk of the game rules to the Player's Handbook, leaving information needed chiefly by the DM in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The new rules were so open-ended that game campaigns required a referee or Dungeon Master
.
The Players Handbook contained the information needed to play the standard character classes
: clerics
(including druids
), fighters
(including rangers
and paladins
), magic-users
(including illusionists), thieves
(including assassins
), and monks
. The book also included information on non-human races, such as dwarves
, elves
, and halflings
, character abilities, armor and weapons, spell descriptions, and optional rules for psionics.
The original Players Handbook was reviewed by Don Turnbull in issue No. 10 of White Dwarf
, who gave the book a rating of 10 out of 10. Turnbull noted, "I don't think I have ever seen a product sell so quickly as did the Handbook when it first appeared on the Games Workshop
stand at Dragonmeet", a British role-playing game convention; after the convention, he studied the book and concluded that "whereas the original rules
are ambiguous and muddled, the Handbook is a detailed and coherent game-system, and very sophisticated." Turnbull felt a bit of apprehension at the amount of time it would require to digest all the new material, but concluded by saying "I said of the Monster Manual
that it was TSR's most impressive publication to date; that is no longer true—this accolade must belong to the Handbook which is nothing short of a triumph."
In 1983, TSR changed the cover art of the Players Handbook, although the interior contents remained the same. This printing featured cover art by Jeff Easley
. Printings with this cover also bear an orange spine that fits in with other Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books.
Numerous foreign editions of the Players Handbook were published, including versions for the UK, Australia
, France
, and Germany
. Games Workshop
(U.K.) published a softcover version also in 1978.
Dealers continued to place orders for the 1st edition Players Handbook even after 2nd edition was released, causing the final printing to be in July 1990, a year after the release of 2nd edition.
and released in 1989. The original cover art is by Jeff Easley
, and the book featured eight full-page color illustrations, as well as other interior illustrations by Douglas Chaffee
, Larry Elmore
, Craig Farley, John and Laura Lakey
, Erik Olson, Jack Pennington, Jeff Butler
, Jeff Easley, Jean E. Martin, and Dave Sutherland
.
The Player's Handbook for 2nd edition was compatible with 1st edition rules, but was streamlined and clarified. The book included information on how to play the standard character classes: warriors (including fighters, paladins, and rangers), wizards (including mages and specialist wizards such as illusionists, priests (clerics and guidelines for variance by mythos, including the druid as an example), and rogues (including thieves and bards
); while most character classes remained about the same as in the 1st edition rules, the bard was regularized, and the assassin and monk were dropped. TSR Inc. also removed some races from the game, such as half-orcs, although some of these were added back into the game in supplements, such as The Complete Book of Humanoids
. Optional rules for skills, known as proficiencies, were added, and sections describing role-playing, combat, magic, time and movement, equipment, and spell descriptions were all expanded. The book included major changes regarding character classes, races, and magic, and incorporated many new rules that had been published in supplements such as Unearthed Arcana
and Dragonlance Adventures
.
The 2nd edition Player's Handbook was an Origins and Gamer's Choice award winner. Lawrence Schick, in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, called the book "a vast improvement" over the 1st edition book; he noted that the monk character class had been "banished to Oriental Adventures
where it belongs", but commented that the spell descriptions "have positively bloated to over 100 pages".
In 1995, a new version of the 2nd edition Player's Handbook was released as part of TSR's 25th anniversary; the book was revised, becoming sixty-four pages larger, mainly due to layout changes and new artwork. A new foreword in this edition specifically stated that the book was not Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition.
) represented a major overhaul of the game, including the adoption of the d20 system
. The third edition also dropped the word Advanced from the title, as the publisher decided to publish only one version of the game instead of both basic and advanced versions.
Monte Cook
, Jonathan Tweet
, and Skip Williams
all contributed to the 3rd edition Players Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide
, and Monster Manual
, and then each designer wrote one of the books based on those contributions. The 3rd edition Player's Handbook also saw the return of half-orcs and monks to the core rules set, along with some all-new classes.
In July 2003, the rules were revised again to version 3.5 based on two years of player feedback. Revisions to the Player's Handbook included the classes becoming more balanced against each other.
May 2006 saw the release of the Player's Handbook II, designed to follow-up the standard Player's Handbook. It contains four new classes, along with new spells, feats, and new role-playing options. Its cover pays homage to the 1st edition Player's Handbook.
The first Player's Handbook includes eight classes: cleric, fighter, paladin, ranger, rogue, warlock, warlord, and wizard, and eight races: dragonborn, dwarf, eladrin, elf, human, half-elf, halfling, and tiefling. The warlock and warlord classes, and the dragonborn and tiefling races, represented new additions to the core rules, while the book left out previous core elements such as the monk and bard classes and the gnome and half-orc races. Wizards of the Coast emphasized that those elements would be coming in subsequent Player's Handbooks and would be considered to be as central to the game as those in the first book.
The 4th edition Player's Handbook 2, subtitled Arcane, Divine and Primal Heroes, was released on March 17, 2009. The Player's Handbook 2 includes eight classes: the avenger, barbarian
, bard, druid, invoker, shaman
, sorcerer
, and warden, and five races: the deva
, gnome
, goliath, half-orc
, and shifter.
A third book in the series, Player's Handbook 3, subtitled Psionic, Divine and Primal Heroes, was released on March 16, 2010. It includes six classes: ardent, battlemind, monk, psion, runepriest, and seeker, along with four races: wilden, the minotaur
, githzerai
, and shardminds. The PHB3 also includes new multi-classing rules for hybrid characters.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
(D&D). It does not contain the complete set of rules, but only those for use by players of the game. Additional rules, for use by Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
s (DMs), who referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
the game, can be found in the Dungeon Master's Guide
Dungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
. Many optional rules, such as those governing extremely high-level players, and some of the more obscure spells, are found in other sources.
Since the 1st edition, the Player's Handbook has contained tables and rules for creating characters, lists of the abilities of the different character classes
Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by his or her chosen class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes in order to...
, the properties and costs of equipment, descriptions of spells that magic-using character classes (such as wizards
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
or clerics
Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
) can cast, and numerous other rules governing gameplay. Both the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Player's Handbook give advice, tips, and suggestions for various styles of play. The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide
Dungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
, and Monster Manual
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
make up the core D&D rulebooks.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
The first true Players Handbook was released in June, 1978 as a 128-page hardcover. It was written by Gary GygaxGary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
and edited by Mike Carr, who also wrote the foreword. The original cover art was by D.A. Trampier
David A. Trampier
Dave A. Trampier is a former artist and writer who worked on some of the earliest editions of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and was the creator of the Wormy comic strip that ran in Dragon magazine...
, who also provided interior illustrations along with David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III was an early Dungeons & Dragons artist. Sutherland was a prolific artist and his work heavily influenced the early development of Dungeons & Dragons.-Early life and inspiration:...
. In this edition, the game rules were divided between the Players Handbook and the Dungeon Masters Guide, which was printed later. Later editions of the game moved the bulk of the game rules to the Player's Handbook, leaving information needed chiefly by the DM in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The new rules were so open-ended that game campaigns required a referee or Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
.
The Players Handbook contained the information needed to play the standard character classes
Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by his or her chosen class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes in order to...
: clerics
Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
(including druids
Druid (Dungeons & Dragons)
The druid is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Druids wield nature-themed magic. Prior to 4th edition, they gain divine magic from being at one with nature, or from one of several patron gods of the wild, while in 4th edition, they gain primal magic...
), fighters
Fighter (Dungeons & Dragons)
The fighter is one of the standard playable character classes in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A fighter is a versatile, weapons-oriented warrior who fights using skill, strategy and tactics....
(including rangers
Ranger (Dungeons & Dragons)
The ranger is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. They are protectors of nature, skilled woodsmen, and often live reclusive lives as hermits....
and paladins
Paladin (Dungeons & Dragons)
The paladin is one of the standard playable character classes in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The paladin is a holy knight, crusading in the name of good and order, and is a divine spellcaster...
), magic-users
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
(including illusionists), thieves
Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)
The rogue or thief is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks...
(including assassins
Assassin (Dungeons & Dragons)
The assassin is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It first appeared in 1975 in the Blackmoor supplement, as a thief sub-class. It next appeared in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons again as a thief sub-class...
), and monks
Monk (Dungeons & Dragons)
The monk is a playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A D&D monk is a fantasy martial artist, specializing in unarmed combat.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
. The book also included information on non-human races, such as dwarves
Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...
, elves
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
, and halflings
Halfling (Dungeons & Dragons)
The halfling is a fictional race found in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Halflings are similar to humans except about half the size...
, character abilities, armor and weapons, spell descriptions, and optional rules for psionics.
The original Players Handbook was reviewed by Don Turnbull in issue No. 10 of White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
, who gave the book a rating of 10 out of 10. Turnbull noted, "I don't think I have ever seen a product sell so quickly as did the Handbook when it first appeared on the Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
stand at Dragonmeet", a British role-playing game convention; after the convention, he studied the book and concluded that "whereas the original rules
Dungeons & Dragons (1974)
The original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson was published by TSR, Inc. in 1974. It initially included the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
are ambiguous and muddled, the Handbook is a detailed and coherent game-system, and very sophisticated." Turnbull felt a bit of apprehension at the amount of time it would require to digest all the new material, but concluded by saying "I said of the Monster Manual
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
that it was TSR's most impressive publication to date; that is no longer true—this accolade must belong to the Handbook which is nothing short of a triumph."
In 1983, TSR changed the cover art of the Players Handbook, although the interior contents remained the same. This printing featured cover art by Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta.-Early life:...
. Printings with this cover also bear an orange spine that fits in with other Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books.
Numerous foreign editions of the Players Handbook were published, including versions for the UK, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
(U.K.) published a softcover version also in 1978.
Dealers continued to place orders for the 1st edition Players Handbook even after 2nd edition was released, causing the final printing to be in July 1990, a year after the release of 2nd edition.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition
The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Player's Handbook was a 256-page hardcover book written by David "Zeb" CookDavid Cook (game designer)
David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years.-Early life:...
and released in 1989. The original cover art is by Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta.-Early life:...
, and the book featured eight full-page color illustrations, as well as other interior illustrations by Douglas Chaffee
Douglas Chaffee
Douglas Stewart Chaffee was an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games.-Career:Douglas Chaffee has worked for TSR on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, and the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game.Chaffee has also worked as head of IBM's Art Department, has done paintings...
, Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, and the comic strip series SnarfQuest...
, Craig Farley, John and Laura Lakey
John and Laura Lakey
-Biography:John and Laura Lakey are a husband and wife team of illustrators. While each of them has produced solo artwork, they more commonly work together.-Works:...
, Erik Olson, Jack Pennington, Jeff Butler
Jeff Butler
Jeff Butler is an American illustrator and comic book artist. Butler worked with the art department of TSR, Inc...
, Jeff Easley, Jean E. Martin, and Dave Sutherland
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III was an early Dungeons & Dragons artist. Sutherland was a prolific artist and his work heavily influenced the early development of Dungeons & Dragons.-Early life and inspiration:...
.
The Player's Handbook for 2nd edition was compatible with 1st edition rules, but was streamlined and clarified. The book included information on how to play the standard character classes: warriors (including fighters, paladins, and rangers), wizards (including mages and specialist wizards such as illusionists, priests (clerics and guidelines for variance by mythos, including the druid as an example), and rogues (including thieves and bards
Bard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The bard is a standard playable character class in many editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The bard class is versatile, capable of combat and of magic . Bards use their artistic talents to induce magical effects...
); while most character classes remained about the same as in the 1st edition rules, the bard was regularized, and the assassin and monk were dropped. TSR Inc. also removed some races from the game, such as half-orcs, although some of these were added back into the game in supplements, such as The Complete Book of Humanoids
Complete Book of Humanoids
The Complete Book of Humanoids is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was written by Bill Slavicsek for TSR, in 1993....
. Optional rules for skills, known as proficiencies, were added, and sections describing role-playing, combat, magic, time and movement, equipment, and spell descriptions were all expanded. The book included major changes regarding character classes, races, and magic, and incorporated many new rules that had been published in supplements such as Unearthed Arcana
Unearthed Arcana
Unearthed Arcana is the title shared by two hardback books published for different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
and Dragonlance Adventures
Dragonlance Adventures
Dragonlance Adventures is a 128-page hardcover book for the Dragonlance campaign setting for the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:...
.
The 2nd edition Player's Handbook was an Origins and Gamer's Choice award winner. Lawrence Schick, in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, called the book "a vast improvement" over the 1st edition book; he noted that the monk character class had been "banished to Oriental Adventures
Oriental Adventures
Oriental Adventures is the title shared by two hardback rulebooks published for different versions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
where it belongs", but commented that the spell descriptions "have positively bloated to over 100 pages".
In 1995, a new version of the 2nd edition Player's Handbook was released as part of TSR's 25th anniversary; the book was revised, becoming sixty-four pages larger, mainly due to layout changes and new artwork. A new foreword in this edition specifically stated that the book was not Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition.
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition
The third edition, published August 10, 2000, (with the Player's Handbook first debuting at that year's Gen ConGen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
) represented a major overhaul of the game, including the adoption of the d20 system
D20 System
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
. The third edition also dropped the word Advanced from the title, as the publisher decided to publish only one version of the game instead of both basic and advanced versions.
Monte Cook
Monte Cook
Monte Cook is a professional table-top role-playing game designer and writer. He is married to Sue Weinlein Cook.-Roleplaying:Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, working primarily on role-playing games. Much of his early work was for Iron Crown Enterprises as an editor and writer...
, Jonathan Tweet
Jonathan Tweet
Jonathan Tweet is a game designer who has been involved in the development of the role-playing games Ars Magica, Everway, Over the Edge, Talislanta and the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons, as well as the Collectible Miniatures Game Dreamblade.-Early life:Jonathan Tweet started playing D&D in...
, and Skip Williams
Skip Williams
Ralph Williams, almost always referred to as Skip Williams, is an American game designer. He is married to Penny Williams, who is also involved with the games industry...
all contributed to the 3rd edition Players Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide
Dungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
, and Monster Manual
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
, and then each designer wrote one of the books based on those contributions. The 3rd edition Player's Handbook also saw the return of half-orcs and monks to the core rules set, along with some all-new classes.
In July 2003, the rules were revised again to version 3.5 based on two years of player feedback. Revisions to the Player's Handbook included the classes becoming more balanced against each other.
May 2006 saw the release of the Player's Handbook II, designed to follow-up the standard Player's Handbook. It contains four new classes, along with new spells, feats, and new role-playing options. Its cover pays homage to the 1st edition Player's Handbook.
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition
On June 6, 2008, the Fourth Edition Player's Handbook, subtitled Arcane, Divine and Martial Heroes, was released. It was originally announced that the 4th edition's three core rulebooks would be released over a three month period, but the date changed after customer feedback revealed a majority preference among D&D customers to have all three core rulebooks released in the same month.The first Player's Handbook includes eight classes: cleric, fighter, paladin, ranger, rogue, warlock, warlord, and wizard, and eight races: dragonborn, dwarf, eladrin, elf, human, half-elf, halfling, and tiefling. The warlock and warlord classes, and the dragonborn and tiefling races, represented new additions to the core rules, while the book left out previous core elements such as the monk and bard classes and the gnome and half-orc races. Wizards of the Coast emphasized that those elements would be coming in subsequent Player's Handbooks and would be considered to be as central to the game as those in the first book.
The 4th edition Player's Handbook 2, subtitled Arcane, Divine and Primal Heroes, was released on March 17, 2009. The Player's Handbook 2 includes eight classes: the avenger, barbarian
Barbarian (Dungeons & Dragons)
The barbarian is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Creative origins:The barbarian is based on Robert E...
, bard, druid, invoker, shaman
Shaman (Dungeons & Dragons)
The shaman is an alternate playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Dungeons & Dragons :The Orcs of Thar covers orcish shamans...
, sorcerer
Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)
The sorcerer is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A sorcerer is weak in melee combat, but a master of arcane magic, the most generally powerful form of D&D magic. Sorcerers' magical ability is innate rather than studied...
, and warden, and five races: the deva
Aasimar
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, aasimar are a fictional race of humanoid creatures who are descended from celestials, angels and other creatures of good alignment...
, gnome
Gnome (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, gnomes are one of the core races available for play as player characters. Some speculate that they are closely related to dwarves; however, gnomes are more tolerant of other races and of magic, and are skilled with illusions...
, goliath, half-orc
Half-orc
The half-orc is a creature born to mixed orc and human parentage in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The half-orc is a playable race for D&D player characters. Half-orcs are typically born in wild frontiers where human and orc tribes come into contact. Half-orcs are between six and seven...
, and shifter.
A third book in the series, Player's Handbook 3, subtitled Psionic, Divine and Primal Heroes, was released on March 16, 2010. It includes six classes: ardent, battlemind, monk, psion, runepriest, and seeker, along with four races: wilden, the minotaur
Minotaur (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, minotaurs are a race of monstrous humanoids, resembling bull-human hybrids. Many minotaurs worship the demon lord Baphomet.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
, githzerai
Githzerai
The githzerai are a fictional race of creatures in the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons.Githzerai are extraplanar humanoid creatures that reside on the Plane of Limbo.-Publication history:...
, and shardminds. The PHB3 also includes new multi-classing rules for hybrid characters.
See also
- Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by his or her chosen class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes in order to...
- Editions of Dungeons & DragonsEditions of Dungeons & DragonsSeveral different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of Dungeons & Dragons , Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the game...
- List of alternate Dungeons & Dragons classes
Further reading
- Review: AD&D Second Edition Player's Handbook, White Wolf #17 (1989)
- "Sage Advice", DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#148. - "Sage Advice", DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#149. - "Sage Advice", DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#157.