Player's Handbook 2nd edition

This article is about the first 2nd-edition version. For other versions, see Player's Handbook (disambiguation).

The Player's Handbook 2nd edition, also known as Players Handbook, is the Player's Handbook for the 2^nd edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

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This newly revised, expanded, and updated version of the AD&D^® game provides everything players need to enter a world of fantastic role-playing adventure. For intermediate through advanced players, ages 10 and up.

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This is the indispensable encyclopedia of fantasy role-playing and also the perfect companion to the referee's 2nd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide. Everything players need is here: how to determine a character's Strength, Wisdom, Charisma, and other abilities; the differences among the various fantasy races, from elves and halflings to dwarves, gnomes and others; complete rules for character improvement; the most advantageous mapping and combat procedures; and much more, all in this easy-to-use, revised version of the classic role-playing rulebook. With this 2nd Edition, the best-selling role-playing game in history gets even better!

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Description[]

The Player's Handbook 2nd edition was designed to maintain compatibility with the rules of the 1^st edition, while simultaneously streamlining and clarifying the content presented within. This edition categorizes the standard character classes into four broad groups: warriors (encompassing fighters, paladins, and rangers), wizards (inclusive of mages and specialist wizards like illusionists), priests (clerics, alongside guidelines for variations influenced by different mythologies, with druids presented as a prime example), and rogues (thieves and bards). While the majority of character classes retained similarities to their counterparts in the 1^st edition, notable adjustments were made to the bard class to align more closely with the standardized class structure, and the assassin and monk classes were omitted from this edition.

TSR, Inc. also opted to exclude certain races from the 2^nd edition, including half-orcs, reflecting a shift in the game's racial options. However, some of these races were reintroduced in subsequent supplemental materials, such as The Complete Book of Humanoids, ensuring players retained access to a wide range of character creation choices. This evolution in the game's mechanics and options refined and enhanced the player experience, balancing the preservation of familiar elements with the introduction of streamlined processes and clarified rules.

In 1995, coinciding with TSR's 25th anniversary, an updated version of the Player's Handbook 2nd edition was published. This revised edition was expanded by sixty-four pages, primarily to alterations in the layout and the incorporation of new artwork. Furthermore, this edition included a new foreword clarifying that the book should not be considered as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 3^rd edition, thereby setting expectations regarding its content and purpose within the continuity of the game's editions.

The Player's Handbook 2nd edition was reissued in a premium reprint on May 21, 2013.

Contents[]

Welcome to the 2nd Edition AD&D Game
The Real Basics
Glossary
Chapter 1: Player Characters Ability Scores
Chapter 2: Player Character Races
Chapter 3: Player Character Classes
Chapter 4: Alignment
Chapter 5: Proficiencies (Optional)
Chapter 6: Money and Equipment
Chapter 7: Magic
Chapter 8: Experience
Chapter 9: Combat
Chapter 10: Treasure
Chapter 11: Encounters
Chapter 12: NPCs
Chapter 13: Vision and Light
Chapter 14: Time and Movement
Appendix 1: Spell Lists
Appendix 2: Notes on Spells
Appendix 3: Wizard Spells
Appendix 4: Priest Spells
Appendix 5: Wizard Spells by School
Appendix 6: Priest Spells by Sphere
Appendix 7: Spell Index
Appendix 8: Compiled Character Generation Tables
Index

The Player's Handbook 2nd edition also includes 67 tables.

Gallery[]

Credits[]

2nd Edition Design: David “Zeb” Cook
Development: Steve Winter and Jon Pickens
Playtest Coordination: Jon Pickens
Editing: Mike Breault
Proofreading: Jean Black, Curtis Smith, and James Ward
Typesetting: Kim Janke, Linda Bakk, Betty Elmore, and Angie Lokotz
Graphic Design: Linda Bakk
Cover Illustration: Jeff Easley
Interior Color Illustrations: Douglas Chaffee, Larry Elmore, Craig Farley, John & Laura Lakey, Erik Olson, and Jack Pennington
Interior Black & White Illustrations: Jeff Butler, Douglas Chaffee, Jeff Easley, John & Laura Lakey, Jean E. Martin, Dave Sutherland
Keylinings: Colleen O'Malley and Paul Hanchette

Awards[]

Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules of 1989

Appendix[]

External Links[]

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.

RPGGeek

Core Sourcebooks
5^th edition
Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master's Guide • Monster Manual
4^th edition
Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master's Guide • Monster Manual
v.3.5
Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master's Guide • Monster Manual
3^rd edition
Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master's Guide • Monster Manual
2^nd edition
Player's Handbook • Player's Handbook (revised) • Dungeon Master's Guide • Dungeon Master Guide (revised) • Monstrous Manual
1^st edition
Player's Handbook • Dungeon Masters Guide • Monster Manual