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Player's Handbook

January 01, 1970

The Player's Handbook (spelled Players Handbook in first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D)) is the name given to one of the core rulebooks in every edition of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). It does not contain the complete set of rules for the game, and only includes rules for use by players of the game. Additional rules, for use by Dungeon Masters (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.

Players Handbook
Cover
AuthorGary Gygax
Cover artistDavid A. Trampier
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreRole-playing game
PublisherTSR, Inc.
Publication date
June 1978
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages128
ISBN0-935696-01-6
OCLC13498304
794 19
LC ClassGV1469.62.D84 G94 1980

Since the first edition,[1] 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.[2] Both the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Player's Handbook give advice, tips, and suggestions for various styles of play.[3] For most editions of D&D, The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual make up the core rulebooks.[4]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons edit

The first Players Handbook was released in June 1978 as a 128-page hardcover.[5][6] It was written by Gary Gygax and edited by Mike Carr, who also wrote the foreword. The original cover art was by D.A. Trampier,[5] who also provided interior illustrations along with David C. Sutherland III.[7] In this edition, the game rules were divided between the Players Handbook and the Dungeon Masters Guide, which was printed later.[1] 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 open-ended nature of the new rules mandated that for game campaigns to be run successfully they would now need a referee or Dungeon Master.[8]

The Players Handbook contained the information that players needed for playing the standard character classes: cleric, druid, fighter, ranger, paladin, magic-user, illusionist, thief, assassin, and monk.[5] The book also included information on non-human races, such as dwarves, elves, and halflings, as well as character abilities, equipment such as armor and weapons, descriptions of spells, and optional rules to add psionics to the game.[5]

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."[1] 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."[1]

In 1983, TSR changed the cover art of the Players Handbook, although the interior contents remained the same.[6] This printing featured cover art by Jeff Easley.[5] Printings with this cover also bear an orange spine that fits in with other Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books.[9]

Numerous foreign editions of the Players Handbook were published, including versions for the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Germany.[10] Games Workshop (U.K.) published a softcover version also in 1978.[5]

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.[6]

In 1999, a paperback reprint of the first edition was released.[11]

In 2012, Wizards of the Coast released a new printing of the original book, billed as the "1st Edition Premium Player's Handbook", as part of a set of limited-edition reprints of the original 1st Edition core rulebooks: the Monster Manual, Player's Handbook, and Dungeon Master's Guide. These premium versions of the original AD&D rulebooks were reprinted with the original art and content, but feature a new cover design. Purchase of the reprinted Player's Handbook helped support the Gygax Memorial Fund—established to immortalize Gary Gygax with a memorial statue in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.[12][13]

Scott Taylor for Black Gate in 2014 listed the 1st edition AD&D Player's Handbook by David Trampier as #1 in The Top 10 TSR Cover Paintings of All Time.[14]

Scott Taylor of Black Gate listed the Player's Handbook as #5 on the list of "Top 10 'Orange Spine' AD&D Hardcovers By Jeff Easley, saying "you aren't going to top Trampier's version, but nonetheless, for many players who didn't start D&D in the 1980s, THIS is their Players Handbook, and many of us have imagined this fantastic fight as we sat around a gaming table."[15]

Reviews edit

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition edit

Player's Handbook, 2nd edition
AuthorDavid "Zeb" Cook
Cover artistJeff Easley
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreRole-playing game
PublisherTSR, Inc.
Publication date
1989
Media typePrint
Pages246
ISBN0-88038-716-5

The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Player's Handbook was a 256-page hardcover book written by David "Zeb" Cook and released in 1989.[5][18][19] The original cover art is by Jeff Easley, and the book featured eight full-page illustrations in color,[5] 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 designed to be compatible with 1st edition rules, but the information in the book was streamlined and clarified.[5] The book contained the information on how to play the standard character classes organized in categories consisting of warriors (fighters, paladins, and rangers), wizards (mages and specialist wizards such as illusionists), priests (clerics, with guidelines for variance by mythos, including the druid as an example), and rogues (thieves and bards); while most character classes remained similar to their versions in the 1st edition rules, the bard was regularized to function more like the other classes, and the assassin and monk were removed.[5] TSR, Inc. also removed some races from the game, such as half-orcs,[20] although some of these were added back into the game in supplements, such as The Complete Book of Humanoids.[21]

It was in the Player's Option - Spells & Magic book for the second edition that the artificier was first introduced, as a specialist choice for magic users specifically.[22] A set of optional rules for proficiencies was added, to represent skills, and sections detailing role-playing, combat, magic, time and movement, equipment, and spell descriptions were all expanded from the original book.[5] 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.

In 1995, a new version of the 2nd edition Player's Handbook was released as part of TSR's 25th anniversary.[19] The book was revised, becoming sixty-four pages larger,[23] mainly due to layout changes and new artwork.[24] A new foreword in this edition specifically stated that the book was not Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition.[23]

The 2nd edition Player's Handbook was reproduced as a premium reprint on May 21, 2013.[25][26]

Reception edit

In the May 1989 edition of Games International, James Wallis called the 2nd edition "an improvement over the original", but concluded that it was "a step forward for the game, but a very small step." Wallis felt that the many improvements called for by the "archaic mechanics" and "hugely overly-complex" rules had not been addressed, and that the game still provided "a terrible introduction to role-playing." He concluded that the designer "lacked the vision to see what could have been done with the material", and gave the book a below-average rating of 2 out of 5, saying, "AD&D may be the biggest selling rolegame of all time, but like the IBM PC, that doesn't mean that it isn't thoroughly obsolete and to be avoided."[27]

The 2nd edition Player's Handbook was an Origins and Gamer's Choice award winner.[5] 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".[5]

Stephan Wieck reviewed the Player's Handbook within a broader review of the 2nd Edition rules in a 1989 issue of White Wolf.[28] He saw the revised rules as a clear improvement.[28] He noted that its "interior is laid out very well and is graphically attractive" with a helpful color scheme.[28]

Reviews edit

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition edit

Player's Handbook, 3rd edition
AuthorsMonte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams
Cover artistHenry Higgenbotham
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreRole-playing game
PublisherWizards of the Coast
Publication date
August 10, 2000
Media typePrint
Pages302
ISBN978-0-7869-1550-7

The third edition, published August 10, 2000,[31] (with the Player's Handbook debuting at that year's Gen Con,[8] in August 2000[32]) 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.[33] Tweet is credited with the book's design. Cover art is by Henry Higginbotham, with interior art by Lars Grant-West, Scott Fischer, John Foster, Todd Lockwood, David Martin, Arnie Swekel, and Sam Wood. The 3rd edition Player's Handbook also saw the return of half-orcs and monks to the core rules set,[31] along with some all-new classes.[31]

The reviewer from Pyramid commented on the release of third edition, stating: "There's a lot to like about Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition as seen in the Player's Handbook. The new artwork is gorgeous and evocative, and in the 286 pages of the main rulebook there's a lot of well-written and tightly packed rules."[34] Another reviewer wrote a response to the first review.[35] A third reviewer felt that the design team "smoothed out the rough edges from Advanced Dungeons & Dragon 2nd Edition and added tons of new goodies to make D&D 3rd Edition the best combat-oriented RPG you can buy".[36]

In July 2003, the rules were revised again to version 3.5 based on two years of player feedback.[37] Revisions to the Player's Handbook included the classes becoming more balanced against each other.[37] When asked about the changes from the prior Player's Handbook release, Skip Williams said "I think they range from the almost invisible (unless it affects your character directly) to the pretty radical," while Andy Collins replied "Well, I don't think I'd call any of the changes "radical." Even though some characters will undergo some significant changes, the aim is for the character to still feel like the same character, only with more interesting and balanced options."[38] Andy Collins is credited for the Player's Handbook 3.5 revision. Cover art is by Henry Higginbotham, with interior art by Lars Grant-West, Scott Fischer, John Foster, Jeremy Jarvis, Todd Lockwood, David Martin, Wayne Reynolds, Arnie Swekel, and Sam Wood.

May 2006 saw the release of the Player's Handbook II, designed to follow up the standard Player's Handbook.[39] This book was designed by David Noonan. It contains four new classes, along with new spells, feats, and new role-playing options.[40] Its cover pays homage to the 1st edition Player's Handbook.[31]

The 3.5 edition Player's Handbook was reproduced as a premium reprint on September 18, 2012.[41]

Reviews edit

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition edit

Player's Handbook, 4th edition
AuthorsRob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, James Wyatt
Cover artistWayne Reynolds (front), Dan Scott (back)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreRole-playing game
PublisherWizards of the Coast
Publication date
June 6, 2008
Media typePrint
Pages320
ISBN0-7869-4867-1

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,[45] 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.[46][47][48] The Fourth Edition Player's Handbook was designed by Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt. The front cover illustration was by Wayne Reynolds and the back cover illustration was by Dan Scott, with interior illustrations by Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai, Matt Cavotta, Eric Deschamps, Wayne England, David Griffith, Ralph Horsley, Howard Lyon, Raven Mimura, Lee Moyer, William O'Connor, Steve Prescott, Dan Scott, Anne Stokes, Franz Vohwinkel, and Eva Widermann.

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,[49] was released on March 17, 2009.[49] 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.[50] The book reached No. 28 on USA Today's bestseller list the week of March 26, 2009 and No. 14 on the Wall Street Journal's non-fiction bestseller list a week later.[51][52]

A third book in the series, Player's Handbook 3, subtitled Psionic, Divine and Primal Heroes, was released on March 16, 2010. Retrieved on 2011-02-20. The book was designed by Mike Mearls, Bruce R. Cordell, and Robert J. Schwalb, and featured cover art by Michael Komarck and interior art by Ralph Beisner, Eric Belisle, Kerem Beyit, Wayne England, Jason A. Engle, Carl Frank, Randy Gallegos, Adam Gillespie, Ralph Horsley, Roberto Marchesi, Jake Masbruch, Jim Nelson, William O'Connor, Hector Ortiz, Shane Nitzche, Wayne Reynolds, Chris Seaman, John Stanko, Matias Tapia, Beth Trott, Francis Tsai, Eva Widermann, Sam Wood, Ben Wootten, and Kieran Yanner. It includes six classes: ardent, battlemind, monk, psion, runepriest, and seeker,[53][54][55] along with four races: wilden,[56] the minotaur, githzerai,[57] and shardminds. The PHB3 also includes new multi-classing rules for hybrid characters.[58]

Reviews edit

  • Pyramid, Steve Jackson Games
  • Pyramid, Steve Jackson Games

Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition edit

Player's Handbook, 5th edition
AuthorWizards RPG Team
Cover artistTyler Jacobson
PublisherWizards of the Coast
Publication date
August 19, 2014
Pages320
ISBN978-0-7869-6560-1

The fifth edition Player's Handbook was released on August 19, 2014.[59] The Player's Handbook contains the basic rules of the 5e system, the base classes and races, and character customization options.[60]

Reception edit

In Publishers Weekly's "Best-selling Books Week Ending September 1, 2014", Player's Handbook was #1 in "Hardcover Nonfiction" and sold 22,090 units.[61] It remained in the top 25 for four weeks.[62][63][64] The Player's Handbook was the top selling book at Amazon on its release day.[65]

The 5th edition Player's Handbook won the 2015 Origins Award for Best Role Playing Game and Fan Favorite Role Playing Game.[66] The book won three 2015 gold ENnie Awards, "Best Game", "Best Rules", "Product of the Year", and one silver award for "Best Writing" by Jeremy Crawford, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, and Bruce R. Cordell.[67]

Chuck Francisco of mania.com commented: "While it was an easily accessible system, 4e left a lukewarm feeling with my gaming group. There was something too generic and uninteresting about player characters which pervaded the system, especially in the wake of 3.5e (which some felt provided too many options so as to be confusing). In the process, 4e characters lost an indescribable crunchy feeling, but I'm pleased to say that it's been brought back for the newest installment of this venerated table top series."[68]

Andrew Zimmerman Jones of Black Gate comments on the 5th edition Player's Handbook: "Their rules light approach make it a natural system for old fans to bring new players into the hobby, but even with this initial offering there are enough customization options to keep old school gamers happy playing with it."[69]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Turnbull, Don (December 1978 – January 1979). "Open Box: Players Handbook". White Dwarf (review). No. 10. Games Workshop. p. 17.
  2. ^ Turnbull, Don (April–May 1979). "A Dip Into the Players Handbook". White Dwarf (analysis and critique). No. 12. Games Workshop. pp. 24–25.
  3. ^ Pulsipher, Lewis (April–May 1981). "An Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons, Part II". White Dwarf (overview). No. 24. Games Workshop. pp. 10–11.
  4. ^ Livingstone, Ian (August–September 1979). "White Dwarf Interviews Gary Gygax". White Dwarf (interview). No. 14. Games Workshop. pp. 23–24.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. pp. 84–85. ISBN 0-87975-653-5.
  6. ^ a b c Players Handbook at acaeum.com. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  7. ^ Gygax, Gary (1978). Player's Handbook. TSR. ISBN 0-935696-01-6.
  8. ^ a b . Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-10-02. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  9. ^ RPGnet d20 RPG Game Index: AD&D First Edition Players Handbook (1983 TSR edition). Retrieved on November 22, 2008.
  10. ^ PHB Foreign at acaeum.com. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  11. ^ Fogens, M. (August 1999). "Classic AD&D books are back". InQuest Gamer. No. 52. Wizard Entertainment. p. 20.
  12. ^ . January 21, 2012. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  13. ^ "Art of the Genre: The Old School Renaissance – Black Gate". 28 August 2012.
  14. ^ "Art of the Genre: The Top 10 TSR Cover Paintings of All Time – Black Gate". 17 September 2014.
  15. ^ "Art of the Genre: Top 10 'Orange Spine' AD&D Hardcovers by Jeff Easley – Black Gate". 14 September 2016.
  16. ^ https://archive.org/details/casus-belli-005/page/20/mode/2up
  17. ^ "Têtes d'affiche | Article | RPGGeek". rpggeek.com.
  18. ^ AD&D Player's Handbook, 2nd Ed. (1989) 2008-12-14 at the Wayback Machine at the Pen & Paper RPG Database. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  19. ^ a b . Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2005-08-20.
  20. ^ To Be Orc Not To Be from RPGnet. Retrieved on November 22, 2008.
  21. ^ Slavicsek, Bill. The Complete Book of Humanoids (TSR, 1993)
  22. ^ Baird, Scott (2019-12-25), Dungeons & Dragons: Everything You Need To Know About The Artificer, The Gamer, retrieved 2022-07-18
  23. ^ a b DataBase: AD&D Player's Handbook, 2nd Ed. Revised (1995) at lyberty.com. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  24. ^ AD&D Player's Handbook, 2nd Ed. Revised (1995) 2008-12-15 at the Wayback Machine at the Pen & Paper RPG Database. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  25. ^ . Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  26. ^ "My Youth Was Delivered Yesterday: AD&D 2nd Edition Re-Released – Black Gate". 29 May 2013.
  27. ^ Wallis, James (May 1989). "Role-Playing Games". Games International. No. 5. pp. 40–41.
  28. ^ a b c Wieck, Stephan (August–September 1989). "Overview: AD&D 2nd Edition Rules". White Wolf. No. 17. p. 16.
  29. ^ "Magia I Miecz 1995 10". October 1995.
  30. ^ "Jeux & stratégie 58". May 1989.
  31. ^ a b c d . Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  32. ^ . wizards.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2002.
  33. ^ "Profiles: Monte Cook". Dragon. No. #275. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast. September 2000. pp. 10, 12, 14.
  34. ^ "Pyramid: Pyramid Review: Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition". www.sjgames.com.
  35. ^ "Pyramid: Pyramid Review, Take 2: Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition". www.sjgames.com.
  36. ^ "Pyramid: Pyramid Review, Take 3: Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition". www.sjgames.com.
  37. ^ a b . Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  38. ^ Ryan, Michael (July 4, 2003). . Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 11, 2003. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  39. ^ . Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  40. ^ Noonan, David. Player's Handbook II (Wizards of the Coast, 2006).
  41. ^ . Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  42. ^ "The SF Site Featured Review: Urban Arcana". www.sfsite.com.
  43. ^ .
  44. ^ .
  45. ^ . Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  46. ^ "EN World – Morrus' D&D / 4th Edition / d20 News – View Single Post – Corebooks in June!: News from the Alliance Retailer Summit".
  47. ^ "EN World – Morrus' D&D / 4th Edition / d20 News – View Single Post – Corebooks in June!: News from the Alliance Retailer Summit".
  48. ^ Slavicsek, Bill. "Ampersand: Exciting News!", Dragon Magazine, Published 2007-10-19, Wizards of the Coast
  49. ^ a b Crawford, Jeremy; Mearls, Mike; Wyatt, James. . Player's Handbook 2. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on June 30, 2008. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  50. ^ Crawford, Jeremy; Mearls, Mike; Wyatt, James. (PDF). Player's Handbook 2 excerpts. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  51. ^ . USA Today. The Associated Press. March 26, 2009. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  52. ^ . Wall Street Journal. The Associated Press. April 2, 2009. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  53. ^ Heinsoo, Rob. (2009-11-05) . Wizards.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  54. ^ Cordell, Bruce R.. (2009-07-07) . Wizards.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  55. ^ Schwalb, Robert J.. (2009-10-06) . Wizards.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  56. ^ Wyatt, James. (2009-04-24) . Wizards.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  57. ^ . Wizards.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  58. ^ . Wizards.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.
  59. ^ "Player's Handbook | Dungeons & Dragons". D&D Official | Dungeons & Dragons.
  60. ^ "Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook 5th Edition: Character Options & Rules Overview – Black Gate". 31 August 2014.
  61. ^ "Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists | Back Issue 09/01/2014". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  62. ^ "Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists | Back Issue 09/08/2014". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  63. ^ "Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists | Back Issue 09/15/2014". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  64. ^ "Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists | Back Issue 09/22/2014". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  65. ^ "Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook Now on Sale – Black Gate". 22 August 2014.
  66. ^ "2015 Origins Award Winners".
  67. ^ . ENNIE Awards. 2015-08-12. Archived from the original on 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  68. ^ . August 15, 2014. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015.
  69. ^ "Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook 5th Edition: Character Options & Rules Overview – Black Gate". blackgate.com. 31 August 2014.

Further reading edit

January 01, 1970
player, handbook, spelled, players, handbook, first, edition, advanced, dungeons, dragons, name, given, core, rulebooks, every, edition, fantasy, role, playing, game, dungeons, dragons, does, contain, complete, rules, game, only, includes, rules, players, game. The Player s Handbook spelled Players Handbook in first edition Advanced Dungeons amp Dragons AD amp D is the name given to one of the core rulebooks in every edition of the fantasy role playing game Dungeons amp Dragons D amp D It does not contain the complete set of rules for the game and only includes rules for use by players of the game Additional rules for use by Dungeon Masters 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 Players HandbookCoverAuthorGary GygaxCover artistDavid A TrampierCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreRole playing gamePublisherTSR Inc Publication dateJune 1978Media typePrint Hardcover Pages128ISBN0 935696 01 6OCLC13498304Dewey Decimal794 19LC ClassGV1469 62 D84 G94 1980 Since the first edition 1 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 2 Both the Dungeon Master s Guide and the Player s Handbook give advice tips and suggestions for various styles of play 3 For most editions of D amp D The Player s Handbook Dungeon Master s Guide and Monster Manual make up the core rulebooks 4 Contents 1 Advanced Dungeons amp Dragons 1 1 Reviews 2 Advanced Dungeons amp Dragons 2nd edition 2 1 Reception 2 2 Reviews 3 Dungeons amp Dragons 3rd edition 3 1 Reviews 4 Dungeons amp Dragons 4th edition 4 1 Reviews 5 Dungeons amp Dragons 5th edition 5 1 Reception 6 See also 7 References 8 Further readingAdvanced Dungeons amp Dragons editThe first Players Handbook was released in June 1978 as a 128 page hardcover 5 6 It was written by Gary Gygax and edited by Mike Carr who also wrote the foreword The original cover art was by D A Trampier 5 who also provided interior illustrations along with David C Sutherland III 7 In this edition the game rules were divided between the Players Handbook and the Dungeon Masters Guide which was printed later 1 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 open ended nature of the new rules mandated that for game campaigns to be run successfully they would now need a referee or Dungeon Master 8 The Players Handbook contained the information that players needed for playing the standard character classes cleric druid fighter ranger paladin magic user illusionist thief assassin and monk 5 The book also included information on non human races such as dwarves elves and halflings as well as character abilities equipment such as armor and weapons descriptions of spells and optional rules to add psionics to the game 5 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 1 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 1 In 1983 TSR changed the cover art of the Players Handbook although the interior contents remained the same 6 This printing featured cover art by Jeff Easley 5 Printings with this cover also bear an orange spine that fits in with other Advanced Dungeons amp Dragons books 9 Numerous foreign editions of the Players Handbook were published including versions for the United Kingdom Australia France and Germany 10 Games Workshop U K published a softcover version also in 1978 5 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 6 In 1999 a paperback reprint of the first edition was released 11 In 2012 Wizards of the Coast released a new printing of the original book billed as the 1st Edition Premium Player s Handbook as part of a set of limited edition reprints of the original 1st Edition core rulebooks the Monster Manual Player s Handbook and Dungeon Master s Guide These premium versions of the original AD amp D rulebooks were reprinted with the original art and content but feature a new cover design Purchase of the reprinted Player s Handbook helped support the Gygax Memorial Fund established to immortalize Gary Gygax with a memorial statue in Lake Geneva Wisconsin 12 13 Scott Taylor for Black Gate in 2014 listed the 1st edition AD amp D Player s Handbook by David Trampier as 1 in The Top 10 TSR Cover Paintings of All Time 14 Scott Taylor of Black Gate listed the Player s Handbook as 5 on the list of Top 10 Orange Spine AD amp D Hardcovers By Jeff Easley saying you aren t going to top Trampier s version but nonetheless for many players who didn t start D amp D in the 1980s THIS is their Players Handbook and many of us have imagined this fantastic fight as we sat around a gaming table 15 Reviews edit Casus Belli Issue 5 Sep 1981 16 Casus Belli 34 Aug 1986 17 Advanced Dungeons amp Dragons 2nd edition editPlayer s Handbook 2nd editionAuthorDavid Zeb CookCover artistJeff EasleyCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreRole playing gamePublisherTSR Inc Publication date1989Media typePrintPages246ISBN0 88038 716 5 The Advanced Dungeons amp Dragons 2nd edition Player s Handbook was a 256 page hardcover book written by David Zeb Cook and released in 1989 5 18 19 The original cover art is by Jeff Easley and the book featured eight full page illustrations in color 5 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 designed to be compatible with 1st edition rules but the information in the book was streamlined and clarified 5 The book contained the information on how to play the standard character classes organized in categories consisting of warriors fighters paladins and rangers wizards mages and specialist wizards such as illusionists priests clerics with guidelines for variance by mythos including the druid as an example and rogues thieves and bards while most character classes remained similar to their versions in the 1st edition rules the bard was regularized to function more like the other classes and the assassin and monk were removed 5 TSR Inc also removed some races from the game such as half orcs 20 although some of these were added back into the game in supplements such as The Complete Book of Humanoids 21 It was in the Player s Option Spells amp Magic book for the second edition that the artificier was first introduced as a specialist choice for magic users specifically 22 A set of optional rules for proficiencies was added to represent skills and sections detailing role playing combat magic time and movement equipment and spell descriptions were all expanded from the original book 5 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 In 1995 a new version of the 2nd edition Player s Handbook was released as part of TSR s 25th anniversary 19 The book was revised becoming sixty four pages larger 23 mainly due to layout changes and new artwork 24 A new foreword in this edition specifically stated that the book was not Advanced Dungeons amp Dragons 3rd edition 23 The 2nd edition Player s Handbook was reproduced as a premium reprint on May 21 2013 25 26 Reception edit In the May 1989 edition of Games International James Wallis called the 2nd edition an improvement over the original but concluded that it was a step forward for the game but a very small step Wallis felt that the many improvements called for by the archaic mechanics and hugely overly complex rules had not been addressed and that the game still provided a terrible introduction to role playing He concluded that the designer lacked the vision to see what could have been done with the material and gave the book a below average rating of 2 out of 5 saying AD amp D may be the biggest selling rolegame of all time but like the IBM PC that doesn t mean that it isn t thoroughly obsolete and to be avoided 27 The 2nd edition Player s Handbook was an Origins and Gamer s Choice award winner 5 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 5 Stephan Wieck reviewed the Player s Handbook within a broader review of the 2nd Edition rules in a 1989 issue of White Wolf 28 He saw the revised rules as a clear improvement 28 He noted that its interior is laid out very well and is graphically attractive with a helpful color scheme 28 Reviews edit Magia i Miecz 22 October 1995 Polish 29 Jeux amp Strategie 58 30 Dungeons amp Dragons 3rd edition editPlayer s Handbook 3rd editionAuthorsMonte Cook Jonathan Tweet Skip WilliamsCover artistHenry HiggenbothamCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreRole playing gamePublisherWizards of the CoastPublication dateAugust 10 2000Media typePrintPages302ISBN978 0 7869 1550 7 The third edition published August 10 2000 31 with the Player s Handbook debuting at that year s Gen Con 8 in August 2000 32 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 33 Tweet is credited with the book s design Cover art is by Henry Higginbotham with interior art by Lars Grant West Scott Fischer John Foster Todd Lockwood David Martin Arnie Swekel and Sam Wood The 3rd edition Player s Handbook also saw the return of half orcs and monks to the core rules set 31 along with some all new classes 31 The reviewer from Pyramid commented on the release of third edition stating There s a lot to like about Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition as seen in the Player s Handbook The new artwork is gorgeous and evocative and in the 286 pages of the main rulebook there s a lot of well written and tightly packed rules 34 Another reviewer wrote a response to the first review 35 A third reviewer felt that the design team smoothed out the rough edges from Advanced Dungeons amp Dragon 2nd Edition and added tons of new goodies to make D amp D 3rd Edition the best combat oriented RPG you can buy 36 In July 2003 the rules were revised again to version 3 5 based on two years of player feedback 37 Revisions to the Player s Handbook included the classes becoming more balanced against each other 37 When asked about the changes from the prior Player s Handbook release Skip Williams said I think they range from the almost invisible unless it affects your character directly to the pretty radical while Andy Collins replied Well I don t think I d call any of the changes radical Even though some characters will undergo some significant changes the aim is for the character to still feel like the same character only with more interesting and balanced options 38 Andy Collins is credited for the Player s Handbook 3 5 revision Cover art is by Henry Higginbotham with interior art by Lars Grant West Scott Fischer John Foster Jeremy Jarvis Todd Lockwood David Martin Wayne Reynolds Arnie Swekel and Sam Wood May 2006 saw the release of the Player s Handbook II designed to follow up the standard Player s Handbook 39 This book was designed by David Noonan It contains four new classes along with new spells feats and new role playing options 40 Its cover pays homage to the 1st edition Player s Handbook 31 The 3 5 edition Player s Handbook was reproduced as a premium reprint on September 18 2012 41 Reviews edit SF Site 42 Envoyer 53 43 Envoyer 44 Dungeons amp Dragons 4th edition editPlayer s Handbook 4th editionAuthorsRob Heinsoo Andy Collins James WyattCover artistWayne Reynolds front Dan Scott back CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreRole playing gamePublisherWizards of the CoastPublication dateJune 6 2008Media typePrintPages320ISBN0 7869 4867 1 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 45 but the date changed after customer feedback revealed a majority preference among D amp D customers to have all three core rulebooks released in the same month 46 47 48 The Fourth Edition Player s Handbook was designed by Rob Heinsoo Andy Collins and James Wyatt The front cover illustration was by Wayne Reynolds and the back cover illustration was by Dan Scott with interior illustrations by Zoltan Boros amp Gabor Szikszai Matt Cavotta Eric Deschamps Wayne England David Griffith Ralph Horsley Howard Lyon Raven Mimura Lee Moyer William O Connor Steve Prescott Dan Scott Anne Stokes Franz Vohwinkel and Eva Widermann 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 49 was released on March 17 2009 49 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 50 The book reached No 28 on USA Today s bestseller list the week of March 26 2009 and No 14 on the Wall Street Journal s non fiction bestseller list a week later 51 52 A third book in the series Player s Handbook 3 subtitled Psionic Divine and Primal Heroes was released on March 16 2010 Retrieved on 2011 02 20 The book was designed by Mike Mearls Bruce R Cordell and Robert J Schwalb and featured cover art by Michael Komarck and interior art by Ralph Beisner Eric Belisle Kerem Beyit Wayne England Jason A Engle Carl Frank Randy Gallegos Adam Gillespie Ralph Horsley Roberto Marchesi Jake Masbruch Jim Nelson William O Connor Hector Ortiz Shane Nitzche Wayne Reynolds Chris Seaman John Stanko Matias Tapia Beth Trott Francis Tsai Eva Widermann Sam Wood Ben Wootten and Kieran Yanner It includes six classes ardent battlemind monk psion runepriest and seeker 53 54 55 along with four races wilden 56 the minotaur githzerai 57 and shardminds The PHB3 also includes new multi classing rules for hybrid characters 58 Reviews edit Pyramid Steve Jackson Games Pyramid Steve Jackson GamesDungeons amp Dragons 5th edition editPlayer s Handbook 5th editionAuthorWizards RPG TeamCover artistTyler JacobsonPublisherWizards of the CoastPublication dateAugust 19 2014Pages320ISBN978 0 7869 6560 1 The fifth edition Player s Handbook was released on August 19 2014 59 The Player s Handbook contains the basic rules of the 5e system the base classes and races and character customization options 60 Reception edit In Publishers Weekly s Best selling Books Week Ending September 1 2014 Player s Handbook was 1 in Hardcover Nonfiction and sold 22 090 units 61 It remained in the top 25 for four weeks 62 63 64 The Player s Handbook was the top selling book at Amazon on its release day 65 The 5th edition Player s Handbook won the 2015 Origins Award for Best Role Playing Game and Fan Favorite Role Playing Game 66 The book won three 2015 gold ENnie Awards Best Game Best Rules Product of the Year and one silver award for Best Writing by Jeremy Crawford James Wyatt Robert J Schwalb and Bruce R Cordell 67 Chuck Francisco of mania com commented While it was an easily accessible system 4e left a lukewarm feeling with my gaming group There was something too generic and uninteresting about player characters which pervaded the system especially in the wake of 3 5e which some felt provided too many options so as to be confusing In the process 4e characters lost an indescribable crunchy feeling but I m pleased to say that it s been brought back for the newest installment of this venerated table top series 68 Andrew Zimmerman Jones of Black Gate comments on the 5th edition Player s Handbook Their rules light approach make it a natural system for old fans to bring new players into the hobby but even with this initial offering there are enough customization options to keep old school gamers happy playing with it 69 See also edit nbsp Dungeons amp Dragons portal Editions of Dungeons amp Dragons List of alternate Dungeons amp Dragons classesReferences edit a b c d Turnbull Don December 1978 January 1979 Open Box Players Handbook White Dwarf review No 10 Games Workshop p 17 Turnbull Don April May 1979 A Dip Into the Players Handbook White Dwarf analysis and critique No 12 Games Workshop pp 24 25 Pulsipher Lewis April May 1981 An Introduction to Dungeons amp Dragons Part II White Dwarf overview No 24 Games Workshop pp 10 11 Livingstone Ian August September 1979 White Dwarf Interviews Gary Gygax White Dwarf interview No 14 Games Workshop pp 23 24 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Schick Lawrence 1991 Heroic Worlds A History and Guide to Role Playing Games Prometheus Books pp 84 85 ISBN 0 87975 653 5 a b c Players Handbook at acaeum com Retrieved November 22 2008 Gygax Gary 1978 Player s Handbook TSR ISBN 0 935696 01 6 a b Dungeons amp Dragons FAQ Wizards of the Coast Archived from the original on 2008 10 02 Retrieved 2008 10 03 RPGnet d20 RPG Game Index AD amp D First Edition Players Handbook 1983 TSR edition Retrieved on November 22 2008 PHB Foreign at acaeum com Retrieved November 22 2008 Fogens M August 1999 Classic AD amp D books are back InQuest Gamer No 52 Wizard Entertainment p 20 Dungeons amp Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page Product 1st Edition Premium Player s Handbook January 21 2012 Archived from the original on January 21 2012 Retrieved February 13 2023 Art of the Genre The Old School Renaissance Black Gate 28 August 2012 Art of the Genre The Top 10 TSR Cover Paintings of All Time Black Gate 17 September 2014 Art of the Genre Top 10 Orange Spine AD amp D Hardcovers by Jeff Easley Black Gate 14 September 2016 https archive org details casus belli 005 page 20 mode 2up Tetes d affiche Article RPGGeek rpggeek com AD amp D Player s Handbook 2nd Ed 1989 Archived 2008 12 14 at the Wayback Machine at the Pen amp Paper RPG Database Retrieved November 22 2008 a b The History of TSR Wizards of the Coast Archived from the original on 2008 09 24 Retrieved 2005 08 20 To Be Orc Not To Be from RPGnet Retrieved on November 22 2008 Slavicsek Bill The Complete Book of Humanoids TSR 1993 Baird Scott 2019 12 25 Dungeons amp Dragons Everything You Need To Know About The Artificer The Gamer retrieved 2022 07 18 a b DataBase AD amp D Player s Handbook 2nd Ed Revised 1995 at lyberty com Retrieved November 23 2008 AD amp D Player s Handbook 2nd Ed Revised 1995 Archived 2008 12 15 at the Wayback Machine at the Pen amp Paper RPG Database Retrieved November 23 2008 Player s Handbook Wizards of the Coast Archived from the original on January 25 2013 Retrieved June 24 2013 My Youth Was Delivered Yesterday AD amp D 2nd Edition Re Released Black Gate 29 May 2013 Wallis James May 1989 Role Playing Games Games International No 5 pp 40 41 a b c Wieck Stephan August September 1989 Overview AD amp D 2nd Edition Rules White Wolf No 17 p 16 Magia I Miecz 1995 10 October 1995 Jeux amp strategie 58 May 1989 a b c d D amp D Alumni A Look Back at Player s Handbooks Retrieved November 23 2008 WotC Product Library Player s Handbook wizards com Archived from the original on April 13 2002 Profiles Monte Cook Dragon No 275 Renton Washington Wizards of the Coast September 2000 pp 10 12 14 Pyramid Pyramid Review Dungeons amp Dragons 3rd Edition www sjgames com Pyramid Pyramid Review Take 2 Dungeons amp Dragons 3rd Edition www sjgames com Pyramid Pyramid Review Take 3 Dungeons amp Dragons 3rd Edition www sjgames com a b Dungeons amp Dragons 2003 Core Rulebook Revisions FAQ Retrieved November 24 2008 Ryan Michael July 4 2003 Product Spotlight D amp D 3 5 Wizards of the Coast Archived from the original on August 11 2003 Retrieved August 11 2013 3rd edition Player s Handbook II product page Retrieved November 24 2008 Noonan David Player s Handbook II Wizards of the Coast 2006 3 5 Edition Premium Player s Handbook Wizards of the Coast Archived from the original on August 30 2012 Retrieved June 24 2013 The SF Site Featured Review Urban Arcana www sfsite com D amp D Player s Handbook 3 te Edition D amp D Spieler Set Ampersand Exciting News Retrieved November 24 2008 EN World Morrus D amp D 4th Edition d20 News View Single Post Corebooks in June News from the Alliance Retailer Summit EN World Morrus D amp D 4th Edition d20 News View Single Post Corebooks in June News from the Alliance Retailer Summit Slavicsek Bill Ampersand Exciting News Dragon Magazine Published 2007 10 19 Wizards of the Coast Wizards com a b Crawford Jeremy Mearls Mike Wyatt James Contents Player s Handbook 2 Wizards of the Coast Archived from the original on June 30 2008 Retrieved 2011 10 05 Crawford Jeremy Mearls Mike Wyatt James Contents PDF Player s Handbook 2 excerpts Wizards of the Coast Archived from the original PDF on June 2 2009 Retrieved 2009 03 06 BC Best sellers Books USA Today USA Today The Associated Press March 26 2009 Archived from the original on March 28 2015 Retrieved May 29 2013 BC Best sellers Books WSJ Wall Street Journal The Associated Press April 2 2009 Archived from the original on March 28 2015 Retrieved May 29 2013 Heinsoo Rob 2009 11 05 Dungeons amp Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page Article Playtest Player s Handbook 3 The Monk Wizards com Retrieved on 2011 02 20 Cordell Bruce R 2009 07 07 Dungeons amp Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page Article Debut Player s Handbook 3 The Psion Wizards com Retrieved on 2011 02 20 Schwalb Robert J 2009 10 06 Dungeons amp Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page Article The Seeker Wizards com Retrieved on 2011 02 20 Wyatt James 2009 04 24 Dungeons amp Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page Article Playtest Player s Handbook 3 The Wilden Wizards com Retrieved on 2011 02 20 Dungeons amp Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page Article Debut Player s Handbook 3 Githzerai Wizards com Retrieved on 2011 02 20 Dungeons amp Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page Article Playtest Player s Handbook 3 Hybrid Characters Wizards com Retrieved on 2011 02 20 Player s Handbook Dungeons amp Dragons D amp D Official Dungeons amp Dragons Dungeons amp Dragons Player s Handbook 5th Edition Character Options amp Rules Overview Black Gate 31 August 2014 Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists Back Issue 09 01 2014 Publishers Weekly Retrieved 2020 06 21 Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists Back Issue 09 08 2014 Publishers Weekly Retrieved 2020 06 21 Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists Back Issue 09 15 2014 Publishers Weekly Retrieved 2020 06 21 Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists Back Issue 09 22 2014 Publishers Weekly Retrieved 2020 06 21 Dungeons amp Dragons Player s Handbook Now on Sale Black Gate 22 August 2014 2015 Origins Award Winners 2015 ENnie Award Winners ENNIE Awards 2015 08 12 Archived from the original on 2019 03 08 Retrieved 2020 06 21 Dungeons amp Dragons 5th Edition Player s Handbook Review August 15 2014 Archived from the original on March 25 2015 Dungeons amp Dragons Player s Handbook 5th Edition Character Options amp Rules Overview Black Gate blackgate com 31 August 2014 Further reading edit Sage Advice Dragon 148 Sage Advice Dragon 149 Sage Advice Dragon 157 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Player 27s Handbook amp oldid 1209618775, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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