Alignment has been a subject of much controversy in modernDungeons & Dragons, and the 2025Monster Manualis making a couple of potentially smart tweaks. As a way to categorize the moral inclinations of an individual or species, alignment can be a helpful tool for players and dungeon masters to determine how characters and creatures behave. At the same time,broad applications of alignmentpresent a simplified worldview, and recent books have made changes like placing the qualifier “typically” in front of creature alignments.
In aD&Dpress briefing, game directorJeremy Crawford confirmed that the “typically” qualifier is being dropped in the 2025Monster Manual. The book will instead opt to explain the complexities of alignment early on and then leave the understanding of its flexibility to the DM’s discretion. The other big change is anincreased emphasis on Neutral charactersto return to the old-school idea of Neutral as a “whatever” category, encouraging DMs to push anyone marked as Neutral in any direction.
D&D’s Alignment Tweaks Are Minor But Interesting
Same Philosophy, Different Approach
Leaving"typically" in the past doesn’t indicate an overall shift in philosophy or have a huge effect on theMonster Manual, but it does show thatthe new books aren’t dead set on keeping changesif they don’t prove to be worthwhile. Although the inclusion was theoretically a nice way to signal to DMs thatspecies don’t have to be monolithicin nature, it also became a repetitive appendage.
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Applying Neutral more liberally is likewise a relatively minor change, but it might be a better way to encourage a flexible approach to characterization.It remains to be seen just how often the alignment will show up throughout the 2025Monster Manual, but it should be significantly more frequent than in the 2014 books, particularly when it comes to human characters.
Our Take: The 2025 Monster Manual Is Making The Right Call
Some Things Just Make Sense
I’m not one for sticking strictly to alignment, but I still think theshift in the 2025Monster Manual’s approachmakes a lot of sense.I’ve never needed a “typically” qualifier to guide my willingness to experiment, and if the book’s introductory material does a good job of explaining alignment and what to do with it, that could ultimately be a much better source of inspiration.
I’m also hopeful for the renewed emphasis on Neutral as an option. The alignment is perhaps too frequently painted as a categorization for those without any strong inclinations, butthe most interesting characters often have tendencies toward good and evilin equal measures, and Neutral is a good invitation to explore those possibilities. Tweaks to alignment may not be the most important aspect of theDungeons & Dragons2025Monster Manual, but it’s nonetheless interesting to get a glimpse into the ideas behind the book’s approach.
