Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Nocturnal Hunters. The energy dragon has advantage on Stealth checks when flying at night. Purple dragons mostly feed on livestock, large wild animals, and any humanoid creatures foolish enough to settle near them. This behavior is fairly standard for a powerful creature like a dragon, however, an added element which makes purple dragons especially fearsome is their penchant for hunting at night. Using the color of their scales to their advantage, purple dragons are extremely difficult to see as they loom in the clouds above, preparing to strike at their prey down below.
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Breath Weapon (Recharge 5–6).
Dragon can choose between three breath weapons:
- Cone of Energy. The dragon exhales energy in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking 63 (18d6) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
- Blinding Flash. The dragon exhales burst of energy. All creatures within range 30-foot from dragon must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution save or be blinded until the end of the dragon’s next turn.
- Blade of Energy. The dragon exhales laser like blade of energy in a 90-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw, taking 66 (12d10) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Description
Among the most sadistic creatures to walk the realms, the cruelty of purple dragons seems to be without limit. Their desire to spread fear far and wide is only matched by an unchecked avarice and self importance to rival any of the other true dragons.
They are notorious for their extremely wide jaws and elongated segmented spikes which run down from the base of their skull to the tip of their tail. 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 and will continue to transition into the darkest shades of purple the longer they live.
Purple dragons have an odor reminiscent of the musky smell of ophidians.
Lair and Lair Actions
A Purple Dragon’s Lair
Purple dragons make their homes deep in the rock of mountainous areas and foothills. Their lairs are complex networks of overlapping tunnels which can run for miles depending on the size, age, and number of dragons present, but the most important thing is that their lair remains dark in order to maximize the effects of their blinding breath weapon.
Should the dragon encounter stone too hard to dig through while creating its lair, the dragon’s breath weapon can melt solid rock at a rapid rate, allowing them to forge ahead. These subterranean lairs often have numerous openings which allow the dragon to move around freely undetected by most within the bowels of the stone and dirt.
Each entrance to the purple dragon’s lair is meticulously hidden, and will usually open up near a prairie or field with ample prey.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- A tunnel collapses causing jagged fragments of hardened rock previously melted by the dragon’s plasma breath falling in a 20-foot area within 120 feet of the dragon. All creatures in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone and restrained by falling rocks, taking 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature can use an action to attempt a DC 10 Strength check to free itself or a pinned ally it can reach. This may also cause a new pathway to open up at the DM’s discretion.
- Magical darkness spreads from a point the dragon chooses within 60 feet of it, filling a 15-foot-radius sphere until the dragon dismisses it as an action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The darkness spreads around corners. A creature with darkvision can’t see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. If any of the effect’s area overlaps with an area of light created by a spell of 2nd level or lower, the spell that created the light is dispelled.
- A shadow surrounds the dragon and dragon attempts to slip away into one of the many interconnected tunnels of the lair. If no tunnel is easily accessible, it will smash a hole in a nearby wall, creating a new opening it can move through to escape into its lair. As part of this lair action, the purple dragon may attempt a stealth check to remain hidden in a shadowy tunnel.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary purple dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- A veil of darkness enshrouds the land within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. Flames sputter to stay lit and natural sunlight seems muted. All dim light is treated as darkness and creatures with darkvision are unable to see in the dark as though they did not have darkvision.
- The numerous tunnels into the ground have given rise to many strange creatures that are typically only found in deep caves and underground lairs. Basilisks, trolls, minotaurs, and other subterranean creatures are much more common than they otherwise would be. Undead creatures are also frequently present due to the purple dragon’s potential disruption to underground gravers and catacombs.
- Any creature who walks on a surface touching the ground within half a mile of the dragon’s lair and weighs at least 10 pounds can be detected as though with tremorsense by the dragon.
If the dragon dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.
When a purple dragon dies, any creature that sleeps within the vicinity ever afterward has fierce nightmares. When a deceased purple dragon experiences environmental diffusion, the result is an area where small mushrooms spring up and the dreams of sleepers are troubled. Creatures attempting to rest in such an area are afflicted with nightmares.
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