Dungeons & Dragons to Update SRD in 2025

Dungeons & Dragons will update their System Reference Document shortly after the release of new Core Rulebooks.

By Christian Hoffer

Wizards of the Coast will update the System Reference Document for Dungeons & Dragons in early 2025, paving the way for third-party support for the newest version of the popular tabletop roleplaying game. Earlier this week, Wizards of the Coasts detailed plans to update the System Reference Document (commonly referred to as the SRD) with content from the upcoming 2024 and 2025 Core Rulebooks. The new version of the SRD will be released in "early 2025" shortly after the release of the new Monster Manual and will "provide revised rules at the same scope" for third-party creators to make rulebooks, adventures, and other content to support Dungeons & Dragons. As with the current version of the SRD, this new SRD will be released under a Creative Commons license.

In early 2023, it emerged that Wizards of the Coast planned to revoke and revise the Open Game License (OGL), which had been used for over 20 years as the legal framework to allow for third-party creations using Dungeons & Dragons rules that were outlined in the SRD. The planned changes to the OGL, which were seen as much more restrictive than the previous arrangement, alienated many content creators and publishers who had worked with Dungeons & Dragons, led to a grassroots campaign that attracted national attention, and ultimately led to Wizards placing the current SRD under a Creative Commons license. While Wizards of the Coast backed down from these changes, many companies moved forward with plans to release new fantasy-themed games that could potentially compete with Dungeons & Dragons.

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Wizards had previously said they would update the SRD with the planned rules changes, but provided no timeline for the update. There was a two year gap between the release of the current Fifth Edition ruleset and its related SRD, so the quick turnaround is something of a pleasant surprise provided that the new SRD doesn't include any major omissions. The release of the new SRD means that third-party content creators should be able to quickly provide additional rules support and adventures for the new revised version of 5th Edition D&D, giving players options in between "official" D&D releases by Wizards.

The 2024 Core Rulebooks for Dungeons & Dragons will be released beginning later this year, adding several new subsystems, new character-building methods, and balance changes to many classes and subclass features,

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