D&D 2024 Rules Now in Creative Commons
It’s rare these days for Dungeons & Dragons news to be purely good news—so I’m happy to share that Wizards of the Coast has taken a genuinely positive step for the community. The 2024 System Reference Document (SRD 5.2) has been released under a Creative Commons license!
This update is a major milestone. It builds on the promise Wizards made after the OGL scandal of 2023, when they released the 2014 edition’s SRD 5.1 under the same license. With this new SRD, creators now have a permanent, open foundation to work from—one that can’t be revoked. That’s huge for anyone who wants to build third-party content for D&D, or even launch their own homebrew games and settings based on 5e mechanics.
The Creative Commons 4.0 license means you can use the classes, spells, equipment, monsters, and rules from the SRD freely in your own projects, as long as you credit the license. Of course, you can’t use D&D’s brand names or unique lore, but this core mechanical framework is now locked open. This gives indie creators stability—no more worries that Wizards might suddenly change licensing terms and pull the rug out from under them.
It’s also great for players on a budget. The SRD 5.2 can be downloaded for free, giving you everything you need to run a game without spending a dime. No artwork, no extras—but the full mechanical toolkit of the game. You can use it to play, to experiment, and to create.
I’ve seen firsthand how much third-party content enriches the hobby—whether it’s new adventures, clever mechanics, or entirely new worlds to explore. With the 2024 SRD fully in Creative Commons, there’s a bright future for creative collaboration and open gaming.
For a deeper dive into how this works and why it’s important, check out the full video. I also share some thoughts on how this affects not just creators, but also players looking for more affordable or varied ways to play.
Are you planning to explore this new landscape? What kind of third-party content are you excited to see—or create? Let me know in the comments!
Cheers,
Brian