The New DnD 2024 Purple Dragon Knight Fighter (Subclass Deep Dive)
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Paragons of virtue and chivalry who serve the noble kingdom of Cormyr in the Forgotten Realms, the Purple Dragon Knight (also known as the Banneret) was first introduced to DnD in 2015 in the pages of the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. The subclass was generally well received by fans, offering much of the thematic flavor of Paladins, while accessing a range of unique abilities and tapping into the combat versatility of the DnD 5e Fighter.
Now, the Purple Dragon Knight is back and pledging its loyalty to the DnD 2024 rules. In fact, it’s one of eight new subclasses that will be appearing in the upcoming Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide, with an early draft of the subclass showcased in an Unearthed Arcana playtest in January 2025. The Purple Dragon Knight, however, is virtually unrecognizable from its 2015 predecessor, with much of the focus now on a new amethsyt dragon companion that grows in size and power as you level up.
So are these purple people beaters worth playing in DnD 2024? Below, we armor up and charge into all the details.
What’s changed in the new 2024 Purple Dragon Knight?
Below are all the changes to the 2024 Purple Dragon Knight for DnD 5e. For ease of reference we’ve included the level of each feature and whether or not it’s changed from the previous 2015 Legacy Purple Knight Dragon that was featured in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide.
| Purple Dragon Knight Feature | Level | Changed from 2015? | Changes to the 2024 Purple Dragon Knight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rallying Cry | 3 | Yes | This 2015 feature has been removed. It previously allowed you to use your Second Wind to heal up to three allied creatures within 60 feet who can see and hear you, each regaining hit points equal to your Fighter level. |
| Knightly Envoy | 3 | Yes | The 2024 version lets you learn one language of your choice in addition to being able to cast the Comprehend Languages spell as a Ritual. (The 2015 version of this feature was known as “Royal Envoy” and was granted at Level 7. It gave proficiency in Persuasion – or your choice of Animal Handling, Insight, Intimation or Performance, if you already had it – and also doubled your proficiency bonus for Persuasion ability checks). |
| Purple Dragon Companion | 3 | Yes | This is a new feature for the 2024 Purple Dragon Knight. |
| Dragon Rider | 7 | No | This is a new feature for the 2024 Purple Dragon Knight. |
| Rallying Surge | 10 | No | The 2024 version of this feature lets you use your Action Surge to grant up to three allies within 30 feet the ability to use a Reaction to either make an extra attack or move up to half speed without provoking an opportunity attack. (The 2015 version of this feature was known as “Inspiring Surge” and could only be used on one ally within 60 feet, only granting the extra attack Reaction). |
| Bulwark | 15 | Yes | This 2015 feature has been removed. It previously allowed you to extend the benefit of your Indomitable feature to an ally to reroll a saving throw. |
| Amethyst Pinnacle | 15 | Yes | This is a new feature for the 2024 Purple Dragon Knight. |
| Enduring Commander | This is a new feature for the 2024 Purple Dragon Knight. |
What are the DnD 2024 Purple Dragon Knight features?
The Purple Dragon Knights are paragons of valor and leadership who partner with amethyst dragons. Such knights aspire to protect the innocent and rally fellow adventurers to the causes of justice and freedom. Although the Purple Dragons were originally founded in Cormyr, new recruits are enlisted from any realms where chivalry is in abundance, including the Silver Marches, Damara, and Chessenta.
Characters with this subclass are special among the order. Unlike most Purple Dragons, who partner with amethyst dragons who’ve already reached adulthood, a Purple Dragon Knight character psionically bonds with an amethyst dragon hatchling. This bond irrevocably transforms both dragon and knight, allowing the dragon to grow in strength alongside its partner knight.
Level 3: Knightly Envoy
You learn one language of your choice, which you choose from the language tables in the Player’s Handbook. Additionally, you can cast the Comprehend Languages spell but only as a Ritual. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
Level 3: Purple Dragon Companion
You are bonded with an amethyst dragon hatchling that serves as your purple dragon companion and uses the Purple Dragon Companion stat block. The purple dragon is Friendly to you and your allies and obeys your commands.
The Dragon in Combat. In combat, the dragon acts during your turn. It can move and use its Reaction on its own, but the only action it takes is the Dodge action unless you take a Bonus Action to command it to take an action in its stat block or some other action. If you have the Incapacitated condition, the dragon acts on its own and isn’t limited to the Dodge action.
Resurrecting the Dragon. If the dragon companion has died within the last hour, you can take a Magic action to touch the dragon and expend a use of your Second Wind. The dragon returns to life after 1 minute with all its Hit Points restored. Otherwise, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to resurrect the dragon; this ceremony can be performed as part of a Short or Long Rest.
PURPLE DRAGON COMPANION STATBLOCK
Small Dragon, Neutral
AC 13 + your Intelligence modifier
HP 4 plus four times your Fighter level (the dragon has a number of Hit Dice [d6s] equal to your Fighter level)
Speed 30 ft., Fly 30 ft., Swim 30 ft.
| MOD | SAVE | |
|---|---|---|
| Str 16 (+3) | +3 | +3 |
| Dex 16 (+3) | +3 | +3 |
| Con 12 (+1) | +1 | +1 |
| Int 8 (–1) | –1 | –1 |
| Wis 13 (+1) | +1 | +1 |
| Cha 10 (+0) | +0 | +0 |
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 11
Languages Understands the languages you know; telepathy 30 ft.
CR None (XP 0; PB equals your Proficiency Bonus)
TRAITS
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe both air and water.
Stalwart Bond. Add half your Proficiency Bonus (round down) to any ability check or saving throw the dragon makes.
ACTIONS
Rend. Melee Attack Roll: +3 plus your Intelligence modifier, reach 5 ft. Hit: 1d6 plus your Intelligence modifier Force damage.
Gravity Breath (2/Day). Constitution Saving Throw: DC 8 plus your Proficiency Bonus plus your Intelligence modifier, each creature in a 15-foot Cone. Failure: The target is either pulled up to 15 feet straight toward the dragon or pushed 15 feet straight away from the dragon (your choice).
Level 7: Dragon Rider
You and your purple dragon gain the following benefits.
Dragon Mount. The dragon grows to Medium size. You can use the dragon as a mount if you are Medium or smaller, but while you’re riding it, the dragon falls at the end of a turn if it’s airborne and the only thing holding it aloft is its Fly Speed. It takes you only 5 feet of movement to mount or dismount the dragon.
Improved Gravity Breath. The dragon’s Gravity Breath becomes a 30-foot Cone. When a creature fails its saving throw against that Gravity Breath, the creature also takes 2d6 Force damage.
Shared Second Wind. When you use your Second Wind to regain Hit Points, the dragon also regains Hit Points equal to 1d6 plus your Fighter level, and it regains one use of its Gravity Breath.
Level 10: Rallying Surge
When you use your Action Surge, you can choose up to three allies within a 30-foot Emanation originating from you. Each ally can take a Reaction to use one of the following options:
- Advance. The ally makes one attack with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike. If your purple dragon is one of the allies using Advance, the dragon can make one Rend attack.
- Retreat. The ally moves up to half its Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
Level 15: Amethyst Pinnacle
You and your purple dragon gain the following benefits.
Superior Mount. The purple dragon grows to Large size, and both its Speed and its Fly Speed increase to 40 feet. Additionally, the dragon no longer falls at the end of a turn if airborne while you’re riding it.
Tandem Attack. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forego one of your attacks to command the dragon to make one Rend attack. Alternatively, you can forego two of your attacks to command the dragon to use Gravity Breath.
Level 18: Enduring Commander
You and your purple dragon have Resistance to Force and Psychic damage.
Is the New 2024 Purple Dragon Knight worth playing?
The original Purple Dragon Knight didn’t make much of an impact when it first launched in 2015 and wasn’t ported over to any subsequent sourcebooks. So it’s not too surprising that Wizards of the Coast has essentially rebuilt the subclass from the ground up. In fact, the only thing it really has in common with its progenitor in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide is the name. Everything else has been virtually changed, with this subclass built almost entirely around the purple amethyst dragon companion. It’s a cool idea, even though it’s a little counterintuitive as in Forgotten Realms lore the Purple Dragons have nothing to do with amethyst dragons, and actually got their name from having once slain a legendary black dragon named Thauglor, who was so ancient that his scales had turned a purple hue. Still, it’s a solid built and if the idea of being able to ride a gravity-wave breathing dragon into battle gets your juices flowing, then this might be a solid built option for the new DnD 2024 Fighter
That being said, we won’t actually see the final Purple Knight Dragon until the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide launches in November 2025. In the meantime, if you want to check out Wizards of the Coast’s first stab at this revised subclass you can download it directly from the latest Unearthed Arcana playtest.
Below is also a video from the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel with DnD lead designer Makenzie De Armas. For ease of referenced, we’ve timestamped to where she discusses the new 2024 Purple Dragon.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
