Friendly reminder: no rule in D&D mandates your character's alignment, and no class is restricted to certain alignments. You determine your character's moral compass.
I see discussions that refer to such rules, yet they don't exist in 5th edition D&D. #DnD
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) June 25, 2020
D&D has general rules and exceptions to those rules. For example, you choose whatever alignment you want for your character at creation (general rule). There are a few magic items and other transformative effects that might affect a character’s alignment (exceptions). Your character's alignment in D&D doesn't prescribe their behavior. Alignment describes inclinations. It's a roleplaying tool, like flaws, bonds, and ideals. If any of those tools don't serve your group's bliss, don't use them. The game's system doesn't rely on those tools. #DnD
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) June 25, 2020
Want a benevolent green dragon in your D&D campaign or a sweet werewolf candlemaker? Do it.
The rule in the Monster Manual is that the DM determines a monster's alignment. The DM plays that monster. The DM decides who that monster is in play. #DnD
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) June 25, 2020
“What about the werewolf’s curse of lycanthropy? It makes you evil like the werewolf.” The DM determines the alignment of the werewolf. For example, the werewolf you face might be a sweetheart.
The alignment in a stat block is a suggestion to the DM, nothing more. "What about the Oathbreaker? It says you have to be evil." The Oathbreaker is a paladin subclass (not a class) designed for NPCs. If your DM lets you use it, you're already being experimental, so if you want to play a kindhearted Oathbreaker, follow your bliss! #DnD— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) June 25, 2020
Even though the rules of 5th-edition D&D state that players and DMs determine alignment, the suggested alignments in our books have undeniably caused confusion. That's why future books will ditch such suggestions for player characters and reframe such things for the DM. #DnD
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) June 25, 2020
“What about demons, devils, and angels in D&D? Their alignments can’t change.” They can change. The default story makes the mythological assumptions we expect, but the Monster Manual tells the DM to change any monster’s alignment without hesitation to serve the campaign. #DnD "Why are player characters punished for changing their alignment?" There is no general system in 5th-edition D&D for changing your alignment and there are no punishments or rewards in the core rules for changing it. You can just change it.
Older editions had such rules. #DnD
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) June 25, 2020
“Why are you telling us to ignore the alignment rules in D&D?” I’m not. I’m sharing what the alignment rules have been in the Player’s Handbook & Monster Manual since 2014.
We know that those rules are insufficient and have changes coming in future products. #DnD "You've reminded us that alignment is a suggestion. Does that mean you're not changing anything about D&D peoples after all?" We are working to remove racist tropes from D&D. Alignment is only one part of that work, and alignment will be treated differently in the future. #DnD
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) June 26, 2020