What changed for weapons in the 2024 D&D rules
This compares the mechanical fields — the ones that change how something behaves at the table. It deliberately does not report that the wording changed: the 2024 SRD rewrote almost every spell description into a new format, so “the text is different” is true of nearly everything and tells you nothing.
A field is skipped where either edition leaves it blank, because that is a gap in the source data rather than a change to the game.
Weapons that changed (29)
Compared on: Damage, Damage type, Properties, Kind.
| Weapon | What | 2014 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battleaxe | Properties | Versatile | Topple, Versatile |
| Blowgun | Properties | Ammunition, Loading | Ammunition, Loading, Vex |
| Club | Properties | Light | Light, Slow |
| Dagger | Properties | Finesse, Light, Thrown | Finesse, Light, Nick, Thrown |
| Dart | Properties | Finesse, Thrown | Finesse, Thrown, Vex |
| Glaive | Properties | Reach, Two-Handed | Graze, Heavy, Reach, Two-Handed |
| Greataxe | Properties | Two-Handed | Cleave, Heavy, Two-Handed |
| Greatclub | Properties | Two-Handed | Push, Two-Handed |
| Greatsword | Properties | Two-Handed | Graze, Heavy, Two-Handed |
| Halberd | Properties | Reach, Two-Handed | Cleave, Heavy, Reach, Two-Handed |
| Handaxe | Properties | Light | Light, Thrown, Vex |
| Javelin | Properties | Thrown | Slow, Thrown |
| Lance | Damage | 1d12 | 1d10 |
| Properties | Special (Lance), Reach | Heavy, Reach, Topple, Two-Handed | |
| Light Hammer | Properties | Light, Thrown | Light, Nick, Thrown |
| Longbow | Properties | Ammunition, Two-Handed | Ammunition, Heavy, Slow, Two-Handed |
| Longsword | Properties | Versatile | Sap, Versatile |
| Maul | Properties | Two-Handed | Heavy, Topple, Two-Handed |
| Pike | Properties | Reach, Two-Handed | Heavy, Push, Reach, Two-Handed |
| Quarterstaff | Properties | Versatile | Topple, Versatile |
| Rapier | Properties | Finesse | Finesse, Vex |
| Scimitar | Properties | Finesse, Light | Finesse, Light, Nick |
| Shortbow | Properties | Ammunition, Two-Handed | Ammunition, Two-Handed, Vex |
| Shortsword | Damage type | Slashing | Piercing |
| Properties | Finesse, Light | Finesse, Light, Vex | |
| Sickle | Properties | Light | Light, Nick |
| Sling | Properties | Ammunition | Ammunition, Slow |
| Spear | Properties | Thrown, Versatile | Sap, Thrown, Versatile |
| Trident | Damage | 1d6 | 1d8 |
| Properties | Two-Handed, Thrown, Versatile | Thrown, Topple, Versatile | |
| Warhammer | Properties | Versatile | Push, Versatile |
| Whip | Properties | Reach | Finesse, Reach, Slow |
New in 2024 (5)
In 2014 but not 2024 (4)
Absent from the 2024 SRD. That is not the same as removed from the game — the SRD is a subset of what the books publish.