Dungeons & Dragons is set to unveil a plethora of new creatures in its highly anticipated 2025 Monster Manual. While I’m looking forward to the broader array of monsters, my excitement is particularly centered around the innovative NPCs that are expected. Despite the various shortcomings of the 2014 Monster Manual, it still serves as a competent bestiary. Personally, I’ve found it easy enough to populate dungeons with a variety of creatures from its entries.
However, my campaign often ventures beyond the confines of traditional dungeons, and this is where the 2014 edition starts to falter. It provides a fair selection of human opponents and NPCs, but I often reach a point where re-skinning ordinary bandits, cultists, and other powerful characters becomes tedious. The 2025 Monster Manual promises to fill this gap, especially by bringing in more intriguing options like pirates.
Pirates Are Ideal for D&D, Yet Options Are Limited
Integrating Pirates into My Campaign Took Time
My personal fondness for pirates aside, they can be some of the most engaging NPCs in a D&D campaign. Of course, they may not fit into every storyline; their arrival would certainly be surprising in a setting like Strahd’s castle. Nevertheless, when placed in a fitting context, they add a thrilling dynamic to the story.
Initially, I hesitated to incorporate pirates into my long-standing campaign because the storyline remained predominantly inland. However, once my party reached the coast, I seized the opportunity. Their introduction flowed seamlessly into the overarching narrative, featuring a group known as the Sea Princes who aimed to take over a town in response to a looming apocalyptic threat from the south. To my delight, the pirates became a beloved element, leading the party to adopt a morally gray alignment with one particularly charismatic captain.
This narrative addition has proven to be a blast in D&D, and resources like Ghosts of Saltmarsh serve as excellent inspiration. However, the mechanical options for creating pirate NPCs have been quite limited. As a result, filling pirate crews with compelling characters for combat scenarios has presented quite the challenge. I often find myself reluctant to draft stat blocks unless absolutely necessary, as many existing options require significant effort to make engaging.
D&D’s 2025 Monster Manual Emphasizes Pirates
New Pirate Variants May Address My Concerns
While the complete details of the 2025 Monster Manual’s plans remain under wraps, early indications are promising. During a recent digital press briefing I attended for Screen Rant, lead designer Jeremy Crawford hinted at “a whole new set of scallywags” , including various levels of pirates, from deckhands to captains and admirals. This lineup is designed to effectively “crew an entire pirate navy,” which is precisely what I am eager to see.
Flavor text is something I highly value, and the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide provided a wealth of this compared to the Player’s Handbook. It seems the Monster Manual is taking a similar approach, with pirates serving as an example of entries that will include flavorful descriptions. Crawford even mentioned offering tips for creating unique pirate flags for your crew.
Exploring Alternatives for Pirate TTRPG Adventures Beyond D&D
Pirate Borg: An Excellent Alternative, But Not Universally Applicable
While pirates may not be the focal point in D&D, these new additions prompt consideration of other systems suited for maritime adventures. I wholeheartedly endorse exploring alternatives like Pirate Borg, a captivating iteration of the grimdark TTRPG Mork Borg, set in a fantastical Dark Caribbean. For campaigns dedicated to pirate escapades, Pirate Borg is a fantastic option, especially for those interested in a darker, less heroic approach to gameplay.
Pirate Borg offers materials and features compatible with D&D 5e, making it a practical third-party supplement for those reluctant to dive into its unique mechanics. Nevertheless, a game doesn’t need to center around piracy to feature pirates effectively. Using Pirate Borg to enhance a heroic narrative that encounters pirates would be misguided. The enduring allure of D&D lies in its versatility, catering to a wide range of fantasy adventures with ease. Ideally, it should serve as the ultimate platform where pirates can appear naturally, and the 2025 Monster Manual may enhance that capability.
The 2025 Monster Manual May Provide Essential Rules Revisions
Pirates Could Be the Advantage Against Strong Competition
The 2024 and 2025 rules revisions for D&D are navigating a unique landscape, updating the game’s framework without introducing an entirely new edition or reverting to a former system’s name. For my personal experience, the success of this overhaul hinges on the resources I find myself eager to use as a Dungeon Master. The new books have been compelling thus far. The 2024 Player’s Handbook quickly became my go-to, and whenever I have access to a Dungeon Master’s Guide, it’s invariably the 2024 version.
However, the 2025 Monster Manual faces intense competition. Given ample space, I’m inclined to keep several bestiaries handy, and when I have to choose just one, I often lean toward third-party volumes. To secure its position as my primary go-to, the 2025 Monster Manual must excel beyond the 2014 edition as well as its rivals. If I can pick it up and effortlessly weave together a pirate crew right before my next Dungeons & Dragons session, it just might earn that distinction.
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