Player's Handbook 2nd edition

The Player's Handbook 2nd edition, also known as Players Handbook, is the Player's Handbook for the 2 edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
==Description==
The Player's Handbook 2nd edition was designed to maintain compatibility with the rules of the 1 edition, while simultaneously streamlining and clarifying the content presented within. This edition categorizes the standard character classes into four broad groups: warriors (encompassing fighters, paladins, and rangers), wizards (inclusive of mages and specialist wizards like illusionists), priests (clerics, alongside guidelines for variations influenced by different mythologies, with druids presented as a prime example), and rogues (thieves and bards). While the majority of character classes retained similarities to their counterparts in the 1 edition, notable adjustments were made to the bard class to align more closely with the standardized class structure, and the assassin and monk classes were omitted from this edition.
TSR, Inc. also opted to exclude certain races from the 2 edition, including half-orcs, reflecting a shift in the game's racial options. However, some of these races were reintroduced in subsequent supplemental materials, such as The Complete Book of Humanoids, ensuring players retained access to a wide range of character creation choices. This evolution in the game's mechanics and options refined and enhanced the player experience, balancing the preservation of familiar elements with the introduction of streamlined processes and clarified rules.
In 1995, coinciding with TSR's 25th anniversary, an updated version of the Player's Handbook 2nd edition was published. This revised edition was expanded by sixty-four pages, primarily to alterations in the layout and the incorporation of new artwork. Furthermore, this edition included a new foreword clarifying that the book should not be considered as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 3 edition, thereby setting expectations regarding its content and purpose within the continuity of the game's editions.
The Player's Handbook 2nd edition was reissued in a premium reprint on May 21, 2013.
==Contents==
* Welcome to the 2nd Edition AD&D Game
* The Real Basics
* Glossary
* Chapter 1: Player Characters Ability Scores
* Chapter 2: Player Character Races
* Chapter 3: Player Character Classes
* Chapter 4: Alignment
* Chapter 5: Proficiencies (Optional)
* Chapter 6: Money and Equipment
* Chapter 7: Magic
* Chapter 8: Experience
* Chapter 9: Combat
* Chapter 10: Treasure
* Chapter 11: Encounters
* Chapter 12: NPCs
* Chapter 13: Vision and Light
* Chapter 14: Time and Movement
* Appendix 1: Spell Lists
* Appendix 2: Notes on Spells
* Appendix 3: Wizard Spells
* Appendix 4: Priest Spells
* Appendix 5: Wizard Spells by School
* Appendix 6: Priest Spells by Sphere
* Appendix 7: Spell Index
* Appendix 8: Compiled Character Generation Tables
* Index
The Player's Handbook 2nd edition also includes 67 tables.
==Gallery==
Player's Handbook 2nd edition Back Cover.jpg|Back Cover
Player's Handbook 2nd edition Premium Cover.jpg|Premium Edition Cover
Player's Handbook 2nd edition Premium Back Cover.jpg|Premium Edition Back Cover
==Credits==
* 2nd Edition Design: David “Zeb” Cook
* Development: Steve Winter and Jon Pickens
* Playtest Coordination: Jon Pickens
* Editing: Mike Breault
* Proofreading: Jean Black, Curtis Smith, and James Ward
* Typesetting: Kim Janke, Linda Bakk, Betty Elmore, and Angie Lokotz
* Graphic Design: Linda Bakk
* Cover Illustration: Jeff Easley
* Interior Color Illustrations: Douglas Chaffee, Larry Elmore, Craig Farley, John & Laura Lakey, Erik Olson, and Jack Pennington
* Interior Black & White Illustrations: Jeff Butler, Douglas Chaffee, Jeff Easley, John & Laura Lakey, Jean E. Martin, Dave Sutherland
* Keylinings: Colleen O'Malley and Paul Hanchette
==Awards==
* Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules of 1989
==Appendix==
===See Also===
* Images from Player's Handbook 2nd edition
===External Links===
* RPGGeek
Category:Sourcebooks
Category:2nd edition sourcebooks
Category:Works by David Cook
Category:Published in 1989
Category:Books