When Wizards of the Coast released their 2024 update to Dungeons & Dragons, many in the tabletop community asked, “What comes next?” For those of us seeking more freedom, representation, and affordability at the table, the answer may not come from corporate sources at all.

That’s where Free5e comes in.

Free5e isn’t another patch or house rule set. It’s a community-built, rules-compatible system rooted in the 5e mechanics we already love, only now, made radically more open, inclusive, and affordable. It’s not from WotC. It’s from the D&D community. It’s not for stockholders. It’s for everyone everywhere.

Imagine a future where the entire tabletop experience — from character creation to spellcasting to building adventures — is available at no cost, fully editable, and designed to reflect a broad spectrum of lived experiences. That’s not a fantasy. That’s Free5e.

A Tabletop Game for a Better World

Free5e is published under an open Creative Commons license (CC-BY), which means you can download the complete core rules for free, print them, share them, adapt them, and build your own content with no legal hoops or copyright worries. And if you prefer physical books, we’re making them available in November 2025 at cost so your budget doesn’t gatekeep your ability to play.

This isn’t just a ruleset — it’s a movement. And it’s already changing the game.

Real and Fantasy Accessibility

Accessibility in Free5e means more than readable fonts, braille, or screen reader support — though it includes that, too. It means character options that reflect neurodivergent and disabled experiences without falling into outdated tropes. It means reducing barriers, whether physical, financial, or social, so that more people can experience the full richness of tabletop storytelling. For good.

Customization Options That Based on YOU

With the Free5e GM book funded, we’re offering limited customization slots where you can rename iconic magic items and spells that originally bore names tied to WotC-owned characters. If you’ve ever wanted your character’s legacy embedded into a spellbook or your campaign’s archmage canonized in the rules, now’s your chance.

We’re also commissioning black-and-white illustrations throughout both the Player and GM books, and you can commission custom art to fill specific rule sections. That includes everything from player-facing abilities (like Strength or Wisdom) to magical gear like the Immovable Rod or Holy Avenger to entire GM-facing sections like Wilderness Travel or Session Zero checklists. Want your wizard as the illustration for the Staff of the Magi? This is how you make that happen.

Use Your Pre-Order for Gifts and So Much More

Yes, these books make fantastic gifts for players, new GMs, or youth groups—but you can do so much more:

• Use the art options to immortalize a campaign moment
• Memorialize a player or other loved one who was taken from your party too soon
• Support students, after-school programs, or incarcerated gamers
• Establish a loved one as an iconic character in the hobby, then use the art for a tattoo
• Give educators and therapists a ruleset they can freely adapt
• Give a holiday or birthday gift that they will proudly talk about for the rest of their lives

Get In Before June 16

Pre-orders close June 16. After that, your chance to grab custom naming rights or custom art entries in the GM Handbook disappears. Every pre-order directly reduces the funding goal for the next release—the Free5e monster book—bringing us one step closer to a fully open, fully customizable 5e-compatible system.

More Than a Game

The next era of Dungeons and Dragons-compatible gaming doesn’t belong to any one publisher. It belongs to all of us. Free5e represents a shift in how we think about rulesets—not as products, but as shared resources we can build, shape, and improve together.

This isn’t just about saving money or making tweaks. It’s about reshaping the hobby into something more equitable and welcoming. If that’s the game you want to be playing, then Free5e is the next edition you’ve been waiting for.