Player's Handbook

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Player’s Handbook, 4th ed.
Author	Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, James Wyatt
Genre(s)	Role-playing game
Publisher	Wizards of the Coast
Publication date	June 2008
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	320
ISBN	0-7869-4867-1

The Player's Handbook (in previous editions of the game, 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 contains tables and rules for creating characters and lists the abilities of the different character classes, the properties and costs of equipment, a complete list 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]

[edit] Edition history

1st ed.

2nd ed.

3.5 ed.

See also: Editions of Dungeons & Dragons

The Player's Handbook has gone through several editions through the years. The original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons First Edition Players Handbook, published in 1978^[5] was written by Gary Gygax and edited by Mike Carr, who also wrote the Foreword. It divided the game rules 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 second edition, published in 1989, was the work of several authors and edited by David "Zeb" Cook^[6]. It 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 third edition, published in 2000, 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.

In 2006 Player's Handbook II was released, as part of edition "3.5".

On June 6th 2008, the Fourth Edition Players Handbook was released. The cover was released in a preview, though it may change before the release^[7]. 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.^{[8] [9] [10]}

[edit] References

• Cook, David (1989). Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Player's Handbook. TSR, Inc.. 
• Gygax, Gary (1978). Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook. TSR, Inc.. ISBN 0935696016. 
• Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds. Prometheus Books. 

[edit] External links

• A Look Back at Player's Handbooks D&D Alumni article on Official D&D site.
• Detailed information on AD&D Player's Handbook (1st Edition) including differences between printings.