- For another creature called purple dragon, see deep dragon. For other uses, see purple dragon at the Forgotten Realms Wiki.
The purple dragon, also called energy dragon, is a species of chromatic dragon. Purple dragons are often thought to be hybrids of red dragons and blue dragons.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Purple dragons are large, formidable creatures. They possess long, lean bodies. They have scales that run from deep purple to midnight black. Two long, white horns sprout above its hateful red eyes, while long, black, curved spikes run from the base of its skull down to the tip of its tail. The purple dragon's dark scales allow it to blend in with the night sky.
At birth, a purple dragon's scales are indigo. As the dragon matures, the scales become larger, thicker, harder, and darker. Adult dragons are completely violet, growing darker until they are nearly black at Great Wyrm age.
Personality and alignment[]
Purple dragons are described as deeply, sadistically evil. They delight in spreading fear far and wide, combining raids for food with outright destruction and mayhem. They are the scourge of the prairies and farmlands, all the more terrifying because they are night hunters. They are almost always of Lawful Evil alignment. Purple dragons fancy themselves the lords of all dragonkind. Arrogant, haughty, and domineering, they actively seek out other dragons, both metallic and chromatic, to defeat in battle. The purple dragon's arrogance is well earned. Among the chromatic dragons, only the reds rival their strength and size.
Abilities and traits[]
Supernatural abilities[]
Purple dragons can use spell-like abilities. They can use gust of wind 3 times a day and can do this from a young age. When they are juvenile, they can perform pyrotechnics, heat metal in adulthood, fire shield at maturity (however once per day), suggestion when they are considered ancient, and wall of force when they ascend to a great wyrm.
Combat[]
A purple dragon prefers to attack with its claw/claw/bite routine. Its claws and teeth are serrated, leaving jagged tears in the flesh that take twice as long to heal. Powerful enemies are first struck by their breath weapon before being engaged in physical combat. In general, purple dragons relish battle and go looking for it. If confronted with an unexpected situation, however, they are intelligent enough to back off and reconsider.
Purple dragons prefer to strike at night, as they can use their natural coloration to sweep down upon an opponent with a surprise attack. Purple dragons bring the full weight of their intellects to bear against their enemies. Like a master chess player, a purple dragon waits for the perfect time to strike. It never fights unless it does so from an advantageous position, and a purple dragon is typically patient and smart enough to abandon an attack that proves fruitless or unexpectedly difficult. Many of these beasts favor magic items and spells that allow them to spy on potential targets, the better to prepare a cunning plan.
Breath weapon[]
A purple dragon's breath weapon is composed of pure magical energy, formed from a deadly combination of the lightning and fire of its blue and red parents. The dragon's breath can take on three different forms of attack: as a cone of searing energy, a burst of blinding power, or a deadly blade of pure energy.
In its cone form, the purple dragon's breath weapon deals about as much damage as other dragons, although the magical energy it exudes makes the breath much deadlier than the usual dragon. Creatures have to be dexterous to avoid maximum damage.
In its burst form, the dragon's energy manifests as a blinding flash. All creatures that were within the ability's radius must be incredibly hardy or will be permanently blinded.
In the breath weapon's final form, the dragon forms a blade of energy that is used to slash through its enemies. The dragon uses the blade as a weapon within its normal melee reach. It gains iterative attacks with this weapon as per its base attack bonus, but never more than four such attacks. The blade ignores all physical barriers, allowing the dragon to make close-ranged attacks to strike its foes, including those within claw's reach. Again, creatures have to be dexterous to avoid suffering on the receiving end of this attack. Because of the energy nature of the blade, the dragon does not utilize its strength to dictate any additional damage. The dragon usually uses this attack in addition to its other physical attacks, although it cannot use a bite in the same round it attacks with its blade, as the blade of breath comes from its mouth. When the dragon is finished attacking, the blade dissipates.
Purple dragons use the cone form against a small number of very dangerous enemies, such as adventurers. The cloudburst form is used against a large number of moderately dangerous enemies, such as a detachment of archers. Focusing the energy into a blade shape produces the greatest effect against one very powerful opponent, such as another dragon. Moreover, the searing hole burned straight through the target does not heal by normal means, so badly had the body around the wound is burned and shocked. Cure disease has to be cast upon each wound before natural healing may begin. If the attacking purple dragon is fortunate in unleashing its attack with maximum accuracy, an opponent's limbs are severed as if struck by a sword of sharpness. The energy's sudden brilliance, in any of its shaped forms, is eye-searing, causing anything within a 120-degree arc in front of the dragon's head to be struck blind. During daylight, blindness lasts two melee rounds per age category of the dragon. In twilight or by torchlight, three rounds per age category, and if the dragon is encountered at night, four rounds per age category. The blindness is temporary. If the victim must be returned to sight immediately, such as to fight without penalty, blindness can be ended immediately by the use of cure blindness.
Ecology[]
Life cycle[]
Diet[]
Purple dragons are mostly meat-eaters, feeding on herd animals, farm animals, and inhabitants of lonely settlements. They hunt at night, their dark wings blending into the night sky. If possible they will hunt during thunderstorms, which they can anticipate with predict weather, as they enjoy the crash of thunder and the whip of rain, which mask their approach and have already frightened or unnerved those below. If necessary, they can consume tuberous vegetables (potatoes, onions, carrots) if no meat is available, although this makes their temper even shorter.
Environment[]
Purple dragons are found in deep caves that open onto prairies, plains, and low foothills. Until the mating time, they are solitary creatures like most dragons. Both parents will participate equally in raising the young, but the purple male is the primary hunter, being more violent and cruel. Purple dragons will sometimes ally with evil humans or hill-dwelling creatures, protecting them in exchange for servitude and information. Purple dragons are generally haughty, however, and rarely consider other evil creatures, even other evil dragon subspecies, worth negotiating with.
Lair[]
Purple dragons prefer to live in dark underground places where the blinding effects of their breath weapon are at their height. Often they will dig their lair if none exists naturally. Should they encounter rock too hard to dig through, their breath weapon can burn up to 10 feet of stone at a time, getting the dragon past the obstacle and into easier digging again.
Society and culture[]
Purple dragons are among the most intelligent of all dragons. Their overwhelming personalities and keen intellects drive them to conquer those unfortunate enough to cross their paths. Purple dragons frequently come to rule small kingdoms of men and dwarves. They defeat their enemies in battle and then use their great charisma and skill at handling others to forge a new state from the ashes of the old. The canny purple dragons use their understanding of humanoid nature, grasp of economics, and political acumen to turn all but the most fanatical of their enemies into at least grudging followers. When forced to choose between utter annihilation and a prosperous, if perhaps iron-fisted rule under a dragon, must folk choose the dragon's rule.
Organization[]
Enemies[]
Purple dragons generally have no natural enemies once past the first age of life. Verbeeg and hill giants sometimes hunt Hatchlings in the foothills, and ankheg will prey on Hatchlings in the prairie. Purple parents will painfully slay any such creatures found in their lairs. Sometimes purple dragons encounter copper dragons in the foothills, and the coppers are fortunate to escape intact. On very rare occasions, purple dragons may meet gold dragons while airborne, and such is the arrogant ferocity of the purple dragon that it may challenge a gold dragon of equal size rather than attempting to flee. Usually, the gold dragon will win an even fight like this but not always.
Language[]
Treasure[]
History[]
Recent history[]
Publication history[]
AD&D 2nd edition[]
The purple dragon originally appeared in The Missing Dragon, Dragon #65 (Sep 1982), by Richard Alan Lloyd. The article added the yellow, orange, and purple dragons to complement the game's original chromatics.
A revised version of Lloyd's article appeared in The Return of The Missing Dragons, Dragon #248 (Jun 1998), giving the yellow, orange, and purple dragons the alternative names of salt dragons, sodium dragons, and energy dragons.
D&D 3rd edition[]
The purple dragon once again appears in a revised version of Lloyd's article, in Dragon Compendium Volume 1 (2005), p.197-199.
D&D 4th edition[]
The purple dragon does not appear in this edition, although the name is used for the deep dragon, appearing in Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons (2008).
Creative origins[]
The purple dragon was an original invention for the Dragon #65 article, for the specific purpose of creating dragons matching the secondary colors of the color wheel.
Reception and influence[]
In a reader's letter in Dragon #67 (Nov 1982), Lenard Lakofka criticized the article The Missing Dragons for the speculativeness of its lore, and using hit location rules which do not ordinarily appear in AD&D.
In Dragon #148 (Aug 1989), editor Roger E. Moore asked contributors to stop submitting variant color dragons like the purple dragon.
References[]
| True dragons | |
|---|---|
| Metallic dragons | Gold • Silver • Bronze • Copper • Brass • Mercury • Mithral • Nickel • Orium • Platinum |
| Ferrous dragons | Chromium • Cobalt • Electrum • Iron • Nickel • Steel • Tungsten |
| Chromatic dragons | Black • White • Blue • Green • Red • Brown • Gray • Orange • Pink • Purple • Deep • Rainbow • Salt • Yellow |
| Gem dragons | Amber • Amethyst • Beljuril • Emerald • Jacinth • Jade • Moonstone • Sapphire • Pearl • Topaz • Crystal • Obsidian • Ruby |
| Lung dragons | Chiang lung ⟨River dragon⟩ • Li lung ⟨Earth dragon⟩ • Lung wang ⟨Sea dragon⟩ • Pan lung ⟨Coiled dragon⟩ • Shen lung ⟨Spirit dragon⟩ • T'ien lung ⟨Celestial dragon⟩ • Tun mi lung ⟨Typhoon dragon⟩ • Yu lung ⟨Carp dragon⟩ |
| Planar dragons | Adamantine • Arboreal • Astral • Axial • Battle • Beast • Blazewyrm • Blight • Chaos • Chole • Concordant • Deathmask • Ectoplasmic • Elysian • Ethereal • Frostforged wyrm • Gloom • Hellfire wyrm • Howling • Mirage • Oceanus • Pact • Pyroclastic • Radiant • Rust • Shadow • Styx • Tarterian • Wretch |
| Arcane dragons | Hex • Tome |
| Spelljamming dragons | Moon/lunar • Star/celestial • Sun/solar |
| Epic dragons | Force • Prismatic • Time |
| Catastrophic dragons | Avalanche • Blizzard • Earthquake • Tornado • Typhoon • Wildfire • Volcanic |
| Miscellaneous true dragons | Abyssal drake • Albino wyrm • Aquatic • Cerilian • Cloud • Cobra • Coin • Dzalmus • Greyhawk • Hawkdragon • Incarnum • Jabberwock • Mist • Night • Paper • Phase • Rattelyr • Sand • Scintillating • Sea • Song • Stellar • Stone • Sunwyrm • Vishap |
| Dragon psychoses | Nameless • Ravening • Riddled • Spellhoarding • Wandering |
| Draconic transformations | Air • Ascendant • Brainstealer • Hidecarved • Elder brain |
| Lesser dragons | |
| Elemental drakes | Air • Earth • Fire • Water • Ice • Magma • Ooze • Smoke |
| Felldrakes | Crested • Horned • Spitting • Spiked |
| Greater drakes | Arsalon • Barautha ⟨Spitting drake⟩ • Ermalkankari ⟨Stone drake⟩ • Kavainus • Mardallond ⟨Mead drake⟩ • Retchenbeast • Rivilithis • Trilligarg ⟨Chameleon drake⟩ • Vallochar ⟨Web drake⟩ • Vandalraug |
| Miscellaneous drakes | Ambush • Black firedrake • Crystal • Demon • Glacierdrak • Gravewyrm • Dragonne • Guard • Faerie • Mind • Portal • Rage • Shadow • Space • Storm • Vulture • Wyvern |
| Dragonets | Amphitere • Common dragonet • Crow's-nest • Draken • Faerie • Firedrake • Geyser • Ice Lizard • Kodragon • Minidragon • Mole • Pavillion • Pseudodragon |
| Landwyrms | Desert • Forest • Hill • Jungle • Mountain • Plains • Swamp • Tundra • Underdark |
| Linnorms | Corpse tearer • Dread • Flame • Forest • Frost • Gray • Land • Rain • Sea • Swamp • Stygian |
| Wurms | Cave • Forest • Grassland • Hill • Lava • Mountain • River • Sand • Sea • Storm • Swamp • Tundra |
| Miscellaneous lesser dragons | Dragon eel • Dragon tortoise • Dragon turtle • Dragonnel • Dweomervore • Hatori (Tylor) • Ibrandlin • Rock wyrm • Scalamagdrion • Sea serpent • Sea wyrm • Ssvaklor • Sunwyrm • Velroc • Wyvern |
| Related creatures | |
| Dragonbloods | Draconic creature • Dragonborn of Bahamut • Dragonspawn • Half-dragon (Drow-dragon (shadow) • Drow-dragon (deep)) • Kobold (Dragonwrought • Urd) • Weredragon • Zar'ithra • Zekyl |
| Hybrid monsters | Dracimera • Dracolisk • Mantidrake • Wyvern drake |
| Undead dragons | Dracolich • Dragonwight • Ghast • Ghost • Ghostly • Ghoul • Guardian • Hoarder • Mummy • Skeletal • Spectre • Rathrea • Vampiric • Wight • Wrath • Zombie |
| Miscellaneous related creatures | Abishai • Dracon • Draconian • Dracohydra • Dracosphinx • Dracotaur • Dragonborn • Dragonkin • Fire dragon • Fume drake • Gargouille • Hai Riyo • Krolli • Lesser Cetus • Mantidrake • Pleuda • Sirrush • Ssvaklor • Vishap • Ukuyatangi ⟨Jungle Hydra⟩ |