The world’s most played fantasy TTRPG, Dungeons and Dragons, has had its core rules updated and made available to the public under Creative Commons. (A system that allows the ‘for free’ distributions of an otherwise copyrighted work.
You can find the full System Reference Document v5.2.1 here.
Since the year 2000, the core rules of Dungeons and Dragons have been available under some form of open agreement. This has vastly aided the popularity of the game, allowing creators to generate content for the game and fill the market with D&D-themed products.
The new SRD is extensive and over 364 pages long. SRD 5.2 expands on existing content with additional spells, feats, monsters, and equipment. More than enough to create new and exciting worlds, adventures and the like for a D&D game. (If you’re thinking you could use this to run your games, well you certainly could. However, the full books are very good and contain tonnes of good advice. The Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide and Player’s Handbook are all worth owning and using if you’re going to play D&D. The SRD is nice, but nothing beats the actual core books.
You can download the latest SRD and its FAQ here.
(A previous version of this news piece was released on April 22nd2025. We have updated and republished as the SRD document was updated on May 1st 2025).
