Violet Dragon (hope none exist yet)
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Frequency | very rare |
| # Appear | 1-3 (usually 1) |
| % In Lair | 15% |
| Treasure Type | see Note 1 & 2 |
| Alignment | Chaotic Neutral |
| Climate/Terrain | prefer vast wilds and woods, sometimes jungle |
| HD | 4-6 |
| Size | L (20' long base) |
| AC | -4 base |
| Magic Resistance | var. |
| No. Attacks | 3 or 1 (claw/claw/bite or claw/claw/breath or special) |
| Claw Damage | d6 |
| Biting Damage | 3d6 |
| Breath Weapon Damage | var. |
| Move | 15" running, 30" flight |
| Special Defenses | none |
| Special Attacks | breath weapon + possible magic use |
Description
Age Table
| Age | Body Lgt | Tail Lgt | AC | Breath | Spells (Wizard) | MR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-4' | - | -1 | - | - | 0% |
| 2 | 5-8' | - | -2 | d6 | 1 | 0% |
| 3 | 9-15' | - | -3 | 2d6 | 2 1 | 10% |
| 4 | 16-23' | - | -4 | 3d6 | 2 2 1 | 20% |
| 5 | 24-30' | - | -5 | 5d6 | 2 2 2 1 | 30% |
| 6 | 31-35' | - | -6 | 8d6 | 3 2 2 2 1 | 40% |
| 7 | 36-40' | - | -7 | 12d6 | 3 3 2 2 2 1 | 50% |
| 8 | 41-45' | - | -8 | 17d6 | 5 3 3 2 2 2 1 | 50% |
| 9 | 46-50' | - | -9 | 23d6 | 5 5 3 3 2 2 2 1 | 50% |
| 10 | 51-55' | - | -10 | 31d6 | 5 5 5 3 3 2 2 2 1 | 50% |
| 11 | 56-60' | - | -11* | 39d6 | 5 5 5 5 3 3 2 2 2 | 50% |
| 12 | 61-65' | - | -12* | 48d6 | 5 5 5 5 5 3 3 2 2 | 50% |
* under some rules, this may be simply a -10
The violet dragon is one of the smallest of the chromatic dragons, and is smaller than any metallics (that I've seen ;). It is also possibly the fastest, on ground and air, with the exception of the white and gold dragons, both of whom fly at phenomenal rates.
Violet dragons are also among the weakest of dragons physically, and tend to be more philosophical and thoughtful in nature. This is not to say that they won't squish those foolish enough to irritate them, but it does mean they're less likely to be irritated by those who are powerful or who agree with their philosophies.
Unlike its brethren, Violet dragons rarely settle down with a pile of treasure and a batch of young. Indeed, they most commonly prefer to travel through the wildernesses untainted by the humanoid societies. The violet dragon is primarily a loner, viewing the individual as the strongest unit, and the right unit, for good or ill. Violet dragons are also not as affected by their pride, though they fall prey to it often - but they are more concerned with their philosophies than their invulnerable hides, menacing reputations, and other such common approahces to the ego. Get them started on their pet subject, however..
Violet dragons are vicious, swift fighters, preferring the claw and tooth method to the slower and less personal breath weapon (which they save for those situations that really need it). In fact, in a combat, 75% of the time they won't resort to breath weapons unless obviously outmatched! In most cases, they will use what spells they have available to their advantage but save foes for tooth and claw.
The breath weapon of a violet is a stream of blue flame, approximately 12" long, and 1" wide. It will pass around small object and continue (a small object being man sized or smaller). Note that as a Very Young dragon, a Violet has no breath weapon whatsoever - this is due to the long developmental period. During the Very Young stage, a Violet dragon is not very intelligent, is unable to speak, and can really be considered little more than a large, fast, and well armored lizard with an odd hue.
Violet dragons are incredibly intelligent (13-16), and are often mages (there is a 60% chance of being able to cast spells). The number of spells listed by each age is the number able to cast - not the number known. Violet dragons able to cast spells almost always have spellbooks.
The Violet dragon is a sleek, snake-like creature, with large oval scales covering sides and back and more rectangular plates underneath. The scales are very smooth, and broken only by the four slender legs. The legs are distinctly mammalian (not spread apart like a lizard's). The head is snake-like as well, with viper fangs extending down (no venom). The Violet dragon is a deep purple hue along the sides and back, and head and legs, with the undersides being a pale, creamy violet.
Notes
Note 1: Violet dragons have little in the way of treasure, usually collecting a modest number of gems which they keep tucked away in an inner cheek. However, they have excellent taste in what they take - any gem they possess will begin at 50% above base value (DMG 1st ed., p. 26), and any item they have collected will be magical in nature. Those Violets who have settled down and collected a treasure will still maintain only a modest amount, but it will be considerably larger than that of those who are still travelling. Use the following chart (as per MM I, 1st ed.).
| Treasure | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1000s of Gold | d4 (65%) |
| 100s of Platinum | d2 (45%) |
| Gems | d20 (90%) (d10 for the travelling dragon) |
| Magic | Any 3 Miscellaneous Magic worth 3000 xp or more, any 2 others (no potions or scrolls, however) (any 2 Misc. over 3000 xp for the travelling dragon) |
Note 2: The magic items of Violet dragons are almost always of the highest quality, as Violets rarely keep anything less than the best they can find. Indeed, the older a Violet is, the better the items are likely to be, as it finds new, better items and discards the old. The following chart of ages and item notes should give an idea:
| Age | Item Notes |
|---|---|
| Very young | no treasure |
| Young | unlikely to have more than a few gems, maybe a low level item (800 xp or less) |
| Sub-adult | a few low level items, OR one really good one (around 1200 xp) |
| Young adult | one or two really good items |
| Adult | a few high quality magic items (around 2000-2500 xp) |
| Old | as per the settled down chart (this is the age where most Violets begin to settle down) |
| Very old | items around the 8000+ xp range, possibly several. |
| Ancient | no item below 8000+ unless it's the highest xp possible for the item type. Any swords possessed will be of the special variety (personality and abilities, etc.). OR it is possible for an Ancient Violet of extreme age (as in the oldest Violet in the world or whatever) to have an artifact and a few items at the Very Old status. |
Note that regardless of age (except Very Young and Young), the number of gold, platinum, and gems will probably stay the same - Violets simply don't hoard the way other dragons do. They prefer to have a few pretty pieces to look at, and enough coin (if settled down) to run through their fingers.
Also note that I used the AD*D MM I first edition ages - I couldn't find the equivalent under the 1-12 ages used for the Net Monster Manual.