Player's Handbook
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Player's Handbook, 1st edition | |
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| Author | Gary Gygax |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | David A. Trampier |
| Publisher | TSR Inc. |
| Publication date | June 1978 |
| Pages | 128 |
| ISBN | 0-935696-01-6 |
The Player's Handbook (or, in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition, the Players Handbook) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. It does not contain the complete set of rules, but only those concerning players of the game. Additional rules, concerning Dungeon Masters, 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 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 that govern gameplay[2]. Both the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Player's Handbook give advice, tips and suggestions for various styles of play.[3]
The Player's Handbook, along with the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual, make up the core rulebooks of Dungeons & Dragons.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
The first true Players Handbook was released in June, 1978.[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, 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. Later editions of the game moved the bulk of the game rules to the Player's Handbook, leaving information needed chiefly by the Dungeon Master in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The new rules were now so open-ended, that game campaigns would require a referee or Dungeon Master.[7]
In 1983, TSR changed the cover art of the Players Handbook, although the interior contents remained the same.[6] Printings with this cover also bear an orange spine that fits in with other Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books.[8]
Numerous foreign editions of the Players Handbook were published, including versions for the UK, Australia, France, and Germany.[9]
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]
[edit] Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition
| Player's Handbook, 2nd edition | |
| Author | David "Zeb" Cook |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Jeff Easley |
| Publisher | TSR Inc. |
| Publication date | 1989 |
| Pages | 246 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-88038-716-5 |
The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Player's Handbook was written by David "Zeb" Cook and released in 1989.[5][10][11] The original cover art is by Jeff Easley, with interior illustrations by Douglas Chaffee, Larry Elmore, Craig Farley, John & Laura Lakey, Erik Olson, Jack Pennington, Jeff Butler, Jeff Easley, Jean E. Martin, and Dave Sutherland. 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. TSR Inc. also removed some races and classes from the game, such as half-orcs,[12] although some of these were added back into the game in supplements, such as The Complete Book of Humanoids.[13]
In 1995, a new version of the 2nd edition Player's Handbook was released as part of TSR's 25th anniversary;[11] the book was revised and expanded by 64 pages,[14] mainly by changing the layout and adding new artwork.[15] A new forward in this edition specifically stated that the book was not Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition.[14]
[edit] Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition
| Player's Handbook, 3rd edition | |
| Author | Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Henry Higgenbotham |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast |
| Publication date | 2000 |
| Pages | 302 |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0-7869-1550-7 |
The third edition, published in 2000,[16] (with the Player's Handbook first debuting at that year's Gen Con[7]) 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 a "basic" and an "advanced" version.
This edition's Player's Handbook also saw the return of half-orcs and monks to the core rules set,[16] along with some all-new classes.[16]
In 2003, the rules were revised again to version "3.5" based upon two years of player feedback.[17] Revisions to the Player's Handbook included the classes becoming more balanced against each other.[17]
May 2006 saw the release of the Player's Handbook II, designed to follow-up the standard Player's Handbook.[18] It contains four new classes, along with new spells, feats, and new role-playing options.[19] Its cover pays homage to the 1st edition Player's Handbook.[16]
[edit] Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition
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This article or section contains information regarding scheduled, forthcoming or expected future book(s). The content may change as the book release approaches and more information becomes available. |
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| Player's Handbook, 4th edition | |
| Author | Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, James Wyatt |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Wayne Reynolds |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast |
| Publication date | June 6, 2008 |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7869-4867-1 |
On June 6, 2008, the Fourth Edition Player's Handbook, subtitled Arcane, Divine and Martial Heroes, was released. It was originally announced that 4th edition's 3 core rulebooks would be released over a three-month period,[20] 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.[21] [22][23]
The 4th edition Player's Handbook 2, subtitled Arcane, Divine and Primal Heroes,[24] was released on March 17, 2009.[24] 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.[25]
A third book in the series, Player's Handbook 3, subtitled Psionic, Divine and Primal Heroes, is in development, with a scheduled release date of March 2010. As of July 2009[update], two classes, the monk and psion, have been announced,[26][27] as well as one race, the wilden.[28] It has also been announced that the PHB3 will include new multiclassing rules for hybrid characters.[29]
[edit] See also
- Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Editions of Dungeons & Dragons
- List of alternate Dungeons & Dragons classes
[edit] References
- ^ Turnbull, Don (Dec/January 1978-1979). "Open Box: Players Handbook" (review). White Dwarf (Games Workshop) (Issue 10): 17.
- ^ Turnbull, Don (April/May 1979). "A Dip Into the Players Handbook" (analysis and critique). White Dwarf (Games Workshop) (Issue 12): 24–25.
- ^ Pulsipher, Lewis (April/May 1981). "An Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons, Part II" (overview). White Dwarf (Games Workshop) (Issue 24): 10–11.
- ^ Livingstone, Ian (Aug/September 1979). "White Dwarf Interviews Gary Gygax" (interview). White Dwarf (Games Workshop) (Issue 14): 23–24.
- ^ a b Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds. Prometheus Books.
- ^ a b c Players Handbook at acaeum.com. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "Dungeons & Dragons FAQ". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-10-03. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2FDnDArchives_FAQ.asp&date=2008-10-03. Retrieved on 2008-10-03.
- ^ RPGnet d20 RPG Game Index: AD&D First Edition Players Handbook (1983 TSR edition). Retrieved on November 22, 2008.
- ^ PHB Foreign at acaeum.com. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
- ^ AD&D Player's Handbook, 2nd Ed. (1989) at the Pen & Paper RPG Database. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "The History of TSR". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-10-04. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2FDnDArchives_History.asp&date=2008-10-04. Retrieved on 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)
- ^ a b DataBase: AD&D Player's Handbook, 2nd Ed. Revised (1995) at lyberty.com. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
- ^ AD&D Player's Handbook, 2nd Ed. Revised (1995) at the Pen & Paper RPG Database. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
- ^ a b c d D&D Alumni: A Look Back at Player's Handbooks. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
- ^ a b Dungeons & Dragons 2003 Core Rulebook Revisions FAQ. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
- ^ 3rd edition Player's Handbook II product page. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
- ^ Noonan, David. Player's Handbook II (Wizards of the Coast, 2006).
- ^ Ampersand: Exciting News!. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
- ^ EN World - Morrus' D&D / 4th Edition / d20 News - View Single Post - Corebooks in June!: News from the Alliance Retailer Summit
- ^ EN World - Morrus' D&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 [1]
- ^ a b 4th edition Player's Handbook 2 product page.
- ^ "Contents". Player's Handbook 2 excerpts. Wizards of the Coast. http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/excerpts/excerpt_ph2_toc.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-03-06.
- ^ http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20090511
- ^ http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20090707
- ^ http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20090420
- ^ http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20090406
[edit] Additional reading
- Review: AD&D Second Edition Player's Handbook, White Wolf #17 (1989)
- "Sage Advice", Dragon #148.
- "Sage Advice", Dragon #149.
- "Sage Advice", Dragon #157.
