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The OGL v1.0a text changes "Wizards of the Coast, Inc." to "Wizards of the Coast, LLC."
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References to specific book chapters like "See chapter 10", and positional references like "later in this chapter", are either removed or replaced with references to SRD sections.
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References to appendices are updated from an alphabetic index ("appendix A", "appendix B") to a coded index that initializes the source book ("appendix PH-A", "appendix PH-B").
- "Appendix A: Conditions" becomes "Appendix PH-A"
- "Appendix B: Fantasy-Historical Pantheons" becomes "Appendix PH-B"
- "Appendix C: The Planes of Existence" becomes "Appendix PH-C"
- "Appendix A: Miscellaneous Creatures" becomes "Appendix MM-A"
- The unindexed "Nonplayer Characters" appendix becomes "Appendix MM-B"
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Under the Elf race's alignment, these sentences are removed:
The drow are an exception; their exile has made them vicious and dangerous. Drow are more often evil than not.
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Lists of class archetypes --- such as cleric divine domains, fighter martial archetypes, and schools of magic --- that weren't included in the SRD are removed from each class.
For example, SRD 5.1 changes:
a bard college of your choice: the College of Lore or the College of Valor, both detailed at the end of the class description.
to
a bard college of your choice, such as the College of Lore.
The College of Lore was described in both versions of the SRD, but the College of Valor was described in neither.
Notably, this is not true for the Warlock class. SRD 5.1 still lists the Archfey and Great Old One but doesn't describe them, and the Pact Boon class feature removes all mentions of the Archfey and Great Old One.
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Under the Wizard's Arcane Traditions class feature, a reference to specific proper-noun schools of magic as locations, which also reference schools of magic not documented in either SRD, is edited:
SRD 5.1 changes:
In some places, these traditions are literally schools; a wizard might study at the School of Illusion while another studies across town at the School of Enchantment.
to:
In some places, these traditions are literally schools.
The SRD notably references there being eight schools of magic, and all eight appear in spell descriptions, but the SRD describes only Evocation as an Arcane Tradition.
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Under the Sorcerer's class feature of multi-targeting single-target spells, a reference to the chromatic orb spell, which is not in either version of the SRD, is removed.
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Under the Warlock's Pact Boon class feature, familiar and object examples remove references to the Archfey and Great Old One, and use only examples related to the Fiend.
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Under the "Hiding" section, several uses of "DM" are replaced with "GM".
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Several spells referenced by classes and monsters that weren't in SRD 5.0 are added in SRD 5.1:
- animal friendship
- branding smite
- compulsion
- counterspell
- druidcraft
- eldritch blast
- find familiar
- fire bolt
- goodberry
- guardian of faith
- hellish rebuke
- hunter's mark
- poison spray
- spare the dying
- vicious mockery
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These spells are also added to class lists.
- Bard: vicious mockery cantrip, animal friendship 1st level, compulsion 4th level
- Cleric: spare the dying cantrip, guardian of faith 4th level
- Druid: druidcraft cantrip, poison spray cantrip, animal friendship 1st level, goodberry 1st level
- Paladin: branding smite 2nd level
- Ranger: animal friendship 1st level, goodberry 1st level, hunter's mark 1st level
- Sorcerer: poison spray cantrip, counterspell 3rd level
- Warlock: eldritch blast cantrip, poison spray cantrip, hellish rebuke 1st level, counterspell 3rd level
- Wizard: fire bolt cantrip, poison spray cantrip, find familiar 1st level, counterspell 3rd level
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Appendix A: Conditions, renamed to Appendix PH-A, is before the "Traps" section in SRD 5.0 and moved to the appendices in SRD 5.1.
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Under Magic Items, SRD 5.1 adds attunement, wearing, wielding, and activation rules that were missing from SRD 5.0.
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Under the Bag of Tricks magic item, this line is added to the end of the second paragraph, after "corresponding to the bag's color":
The creature vanishes at the next dawn or when it is reduced to 0 hit points.
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Under the Spell Scroll magic item, the item's description is changed to enforce the spell's casting time instead of requiring only an action, and clarifies that the scroll is not lost if casting its spell is interrupted.
Specifically, the first three paragraphs are changed from:
A spell scroll bears the words of a single spell, written in a mystical cipher. If the spell is on your class's spell list, you can use an action to read the scroll and cast its spell without having to provide any of the spell's components. Otherwise, the scroll is unintelligible.
If the spell is on your class's spell list but of a higher level than you can normally cast, you must make an ability check using your spellcasting ability to determine whether you cast it successfully. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other effect.
Once the spell is cast, the words on the scroll fade, and the scroll itself crumbles to dust.
to:
A spell scroll bears the words of a single spell, written in a mystical cipher. If the spell is on your class's spell list, you can read the scroll and cast its spell without providing any material components. Otherwise, the scroll is unintelligible. Casting the spell by reading the scroll requires the spell's normal casting time. Once the spell is cast, the words on the scroll fade, and it crumbles to dust. If the casting is uninterrupted, the scroll is not lost.
If the spell is on your class's spell list but of a higher level than you can normally cast, you must make an ability check using your spellcasting ability to determine whether you cast it successfully. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other effect.
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In the "Monsters" section's description of elementals, the example of water weirds, which are in neither version of the SRD, is removed.
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In the doppleganger monster stat block, its Ambusher ability is changed to clarify that it gains advantage only in the first round of combat.
Specifically, the ability is changed from:
Ambusher. The doppelganger has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it has surprised.
to:
Ambusher. In the first round of combat, the doppelganger has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it has surprised.
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In the blink dog creature description, this line is removed:
Blink dogs harbor a long-standing hatred for other displacing creatures and attack them on sight.