The Player's Handbook (PHB) for D&D 5e is being released in August. The Dungeon Master's Guide and the Monster Manual are being released a few months after, however. Can a group run a successful campaign with only the PHB? What would they be missing out on?
[RPG] Is the Player’s Handbook sufficient to run a campaign
booksdnd-5e
Related Solutions
Large parts of the DMG and MM are now available via the open Systems Reference Document (SRD), which is a free to download 400+ page PDF. There are some sites that have organized this document into a Wiki format which will make it even easier to find the stuff you need.
For example, the Curse of Strahd features a special magic weapon. That weapon is not in the book, but is available in the SRD.
sunblade
Things like Werewolves and Vampire Spawn are also available in the SRD. Overall you should have all of the required material available via the CoS + the SRD.
As an extra note, digital versions of the maps are available for purchase from the artist, Mike Schley. These maps include "player-friendly" and "grid-free" versions which are a step beyond just "scanning the book". There are also some free B&W maps of the region available for free.
Also note that the a quest covering the first 3 levels of CoS was released for free by Wizards. The Death House can be downloaded as a 12-page PDF. Again, larger maps are available from the source above.
UPDATE: I manually walked through the book to double-check for magic items not in the SRD. Here's a list of what I found:
- Elixir of Health (available in PotA supplement)
- Potion of Invulnerability (also available in PotA supplement)
- Daern's Instant Fortress is available as Instant Fortress in SRD
- Rod of the Pact Keeper is not available in any open supplement that I can find. If you substitute with a Wand of the War Mage you should satisfy a similar spot in the party without a major change.
The answer can be found on page 2 of all books under the heading On the Cover accompanied by the full image of the cover.
The PHB reads:
In this fiery scene illustrated by Tyler Jacobson, the fire giant King Snurre, suffering no fools to live, calls his hell hounds to join him in confronting unwelcome guests in his home.
The monster on the cover is a Fire Giant (MM p.154) accompanied by Hell Hounds (MM p.182).
King Snurre is…
the final antagonist in the classic Against the Giants modules. Originally used as tournament modules, they were published in 3 parts (G1, G2 and G3) in 1978 and then together (as G1-3) in 1981. The AD&D module G1-3 is available at DMs Guild and a 5E conversion is part of Tales from the Yawning Portal. Versions were also published for other editions of AD&D and D&D.
The DMG reads:
Tyler Jacobson illustrates the arch lich Acererak as he raises an army of undead and prepares to unleash it on an unsuspecting world.
The monster on the cover is a Lich (MM p.202).
Acerak is…
the antagonist of the even-more-classic Tomb of Horrors module. Also originally a tournament, it was first published as S1 in 1978. Like G1-3, it is available at DMs Guild and part of Tales from the Yawning Portal.
Acerak has been mentioned in many, many adventures over the last 30 years. Most recently, he is (perhaps) the power behind the Tomb of Annihilation. Maybe. So much contradictory information has been written that it can't all be true. Can it?
The MM reads:
Raymond Swan land illustrates the Xanathar ambushing explorers in the darkest depths of Undermountain, proving that the beholder crime lord's interests run deep beneath the city of Waterdeep.
The monster on the cover is a Beholder (MM p.28).
Xanathar the beholder is…
the leader of the Xanathar Thieves' Guild in Skullport, as described in many sourcebooks and modules. The 5E book Xanathar's Guide to Everything is said to be based on his research and knowledge.
Best Answer
Head designer Mike Mearls has tweeted
To what extent this is true in practice remains to be seen! To me, the last point suggests they might have some basic resources available online for free, which might include a small amount of monsters.
And indeed, they have now announced "Basic D&D". The key quote:
They will also update Basic to keep it compatible with released adventures: