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PURPLE DRAGONS BY SIZEOverall Body Neck Tail Body Standing Maximum MinimumSize Length Length Length Length Width Height Wingspan Wingspan WeightMedium 16 ft. 7 ft. 4 ft. 5 ft. 3 ft. 4 ft. 24 ft. 12 ft. 320 lb.Large 31 ft. 13 ft. 7 ft. 11 ft. 5 ft. 7 ft. 36 ft. 18 ft. 2,500 lb.Huge 55 ft. 20 ft. 14 ft. 21 ft. 8 ft. 12 ft. 60 ft. 30 ft. 20,000 lb.Gargantuan 85 ft. 28 ft. 22 ft. 35 ft. 10 ft. 16 ft. 80 ft. 40 ft. 160,000 lb.leads deeper into the earth. Purple dragons relish thediscovery of places never before trod upon by sentientcreatures—or at least not visited for ages.A purple dragon might negotiate with people whooffer information about undiscovered locations deepin the earth, but only if the dragon believes that itsnegotiators can provide more maps and informationin the long term than it can obtain by dispatching ordominating them immediately. If such a negotiationsucceeds, a purple dragon can prove a reasonableshort-term ally. In fact, purple dragons have alliedwith disparate groups of drow many times over thecenturies. Purples have also allied with undead,sometimes laying clutches of eggs with wraiths orshadows nearby to watch over the hatcheries.Purple dragons favor prey caught in sunless seasand subterranean rivers. They consume blind albinofish caught en masse but especially like to seasontheir diets with kuo-toas and aboleths. In a pinch, apurple dragon will hunt down living creatures of anyother kind.soil. Accustomed to the ways of the sound-distortingdepths, a deep dragon can catch the sound of themerest cave cricket skittering up a wall on the far sideof a vast cavern.Purple dragons never venture from the deeprecesses of the earth except, on occasion, to emergein the Shadowfell. Some deep dragons take residencein the sunless realm, especially where rifts existbetween worldly caverns and Shadowfell regions.Because purple dragons like to explore, they canstray from their permanent lairs for great lengths oftime. Older purples with sufficient resources seekscrolls of Linked Portal and similar rituals that allowthem to travel quickly between their lairs and thefrontiers of their subterranean expeditions.A purple dragon’s permanent lair is a honeycombof rocky hollows connected by narrow, winding tunnels.Many tunnels lead to dead ends or traps andrequire real feats of exploration (a complexity 3 skillchallenge) for anyone new to the lair to find a waythrough. Sometimes purple dragons make their lairsCHROMATIC DRAGONS IN DETAILWhen a purple dragon must fight for food orinformation, it attempts to spy upon its intendedtargets long enough to learn something useful beforeannouncing itself. It might even let the targets of itsobservation go on their way. If hungry enough, feelingterritorial, or wanting to play, however, a purpledragon takes its quarry by surprise if possible.Purple dragons keep to the peripheries of cavernsduring fights. They especially like to lurk near boltholes,in case events turn against them. Ideally, adragon suborns one or more targets each round withits dominating gaze, seeding chaos and fear in theranks of its foes.Lairs and TerrainPurple dragons live in caves, caverns, subterraneanvaults, and other Underdark regions, where theyremain safe from sunlight, which harms them. Theycan hear distant noises transmitted through rock andin the structures of previous Underdark residents,if the chambers and connecting hallways are elaborateenough for the dragons’ taste.Favored TreasurePurple dragons like wealth as much as any otherdragon, but their favorite items are rare maps andcartographic tools, especially tools with magicalenhancements. Purple dragons also prize itemsthat allow them to withstand the effects of warmregions, which they encounter more often as theypenetrate deeper into the Underdark.Life CyclePurple dragon eggs incubate for approximately twentyfivemonths, the first eight inside the female dragon.An average clutch numbers about six, and about half ofthe eggs hatch into healthy wyrmlings. Purple dragonsCHAPTER 1 | Dragon Lore39