D&D (2024) Rename Purple Dragon Knight to just Dragon Knight?

[Azzy]

It looks like the Purple Dragons (both the Knights and the soldiery) would be better served as a Background, like the Knight of Solamnia Background from Dragonlance.

I'm inclined to agree.

 

[Parmandur]

It looks like the Purple Dragons (both the Knights and the soldiery) would be better served as a Background, like the Knight of Solamnia Background from Dragonlance.

Oh, I am sure that is in there, too: the Class fluff specifically talks about there being Purple Dragon army members who are not Knights with dragons.

Frankly, this Subclass is badass, and I love that it is amethyst specific.

 

[ECMO3]

What, no cochineal?

Houndstooth!

 

[ECMO3]

People are fine to name anything they want in their campaign/world. The book is coming out for FR and I am fine with specific FR names.

I get this, but the big problem IMO is "Purple Dragons" in the forgotten realms are the Knights defending Cormyr. They are humans, they don't have pet dragons and have nothing to do with Dragons other than their coat of arms and name. Associating them with pet Dragons would be like giving the U.S. Army 101st "Screaming Eagles" pet Raptors or U.S. Marine "Devil Dogs" pet hellhounds.

In other words - FR specific names are fine, but they should be tied to actual forgotten realms lore if they do that and the UA PDK doesn't.

I agree with others "Purple Dragon Knight" or even just "Purple Dragon" makes more sense as a FR background then a subclass.

 

[Moonmover]

So like.

I want a dragon-riding fighter subclass. That's great.

But the Purple Dragons Knights are already an established thing that isn't that.

Let the PDK be what they are in the lore, and make a separate subclass which is a dragon-rider....and let that subclass choose different kinds of dragons! If the premise of this subclass is that you have a dragon companion, there's no good reason said companion should have to be this new, wierd, oddly-specific dragon subspecies.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Then they should have called them Amethyst dragons, not purple dragon!!!

Purple dragons, also known as Deep dragons are a thing in D&D. Different breath, though. Leave it to WotC to confuse two different dragons for 5e.

The name doesn't actually refer to the Purple Dragons at all, it refers to an Ancient Black Dragons so old his scales started turning purple.

 

[ECMO3]

The name doesn't actually refer to the Purple Dragons at all, it refers to an Ancient Black Dragons so old his scales started turning purple.

Yes and he was killed by an early King of Cormyr if I recall and that is where the "Purple Dragons" (who are human soldiers) got their name and coat of arms.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I get this, but the big problem IMO is "Purple Dragons" in the forgotten realms are the Knights defending Cormyr. They are humans, they don't have pet dragons and have nothing to do with Dragons other than their coat of arms and name. Associating them with pet Dragons would be like giving the U.S. Army 101st "Screaming Eagles" pet Raptors or U.S. Marine "Devil Dogs" pet hellhounds.

In other words - FR specific names are fine, but they should be tied to actual forgotten realms lore if they do that and the UA PDK doesn't.

I agree with others "Purple Dragon Knight" or even just "Purple Dragon" makes more sense as a FR background then a subclass.

For the record I suspect the Marines would love pet hell hounds .

I think Purple Dragons will be a Faction.

PDK is the subclass that matches it most.

 

[ECMO3]

For the record I suspect the Marines would love pet hell hounds .

I think Purple Dragons will be a Faction.

PDK is the subclass that matches it most.

Nothing about the UA subclass matches the existing lore regarding the Purple Dragons. The old SCAG subclass did, but givng them pet Dragons is way off-brand.

WOTC could change the Lore of course (Shaddar Kai are elves!).

Ironically if I recall correctly the Purple Dragons do actually have an airborne Cavalry unit, but they ride Hippogriffs, not Dragons.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I think as far as WotC is concerned it's not up for debate as to the name, as I think the Fallbacks: Dealing With Dragons is about why the PDK aren't just a Cormyr thing and why they have an alliance with Amethyst Dragons.

Plus I think it's a Faction in the FRPG.

I think its like how when asking for a new name for races wasn't even an option (if it was it would have won easily) because WotC wasn't willing to budge on ditching the term race. They already committed to the story of it I suspect.