DnD 2025 Purple Dragon Knight Subclass Guide: Features, Changes, and Strategy

Beneath the spires of Cormyr, the legend of the Purple Dragon Knight once evoked images of hardy war leaders rallying their banner-men on battered battlefields. But as January 2025’s Unearthed Arcana revealed, Wizards of the Coast is about to breathe new—decidedly psionic—life into this storied Fighter subclass. Gone is the tactician waving a standard among the ranks; in their place rises the psychic dragon-knight, soul-bonded to a shimmering amethyst wyrmling, warping gravity with a glance and diving into combat astride a living legend.

This radical overhaul, spotlighted in the upcoming Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide, does more than tweak a few stat blocks: it detonates expectations. The 2015 Banneret’s understated support mechanics give way to an explosive new archetype. Now, your Purple Dragon Knight commands a dragon companion from Level 3, fusing sorcerous flair with martial steel, and wielding battlefield control powers once the exclusive domain of arcanists and warlocks.

Flavor and mechanics intertwine in this unique package. The mechanical complexity of pet management, psionic-infused attacks, and mounted combat offer an irresistibly fresh challenge for both number-crunchers and narrative dreamers. No other Fighter subclass in D&D 2024 stands atop such a striking blend of mobility, resilience, utility, and spectacle.

Yet, this is more than a mere power upgrade—it’s a bold thematic pivot. Instead of the old banner-waving archetype, the Purple Dragon Knight emerges as a psychic sentinel, astride an amethyst dragon, who shapes the tides of battle with raw psionic force. For players yearning to leave ordinary swordplay behind, and ride something wondrous into dragon-filled myth, this new take is an invitation impossible to ignore.

From Banneret to Beastmaster: A Dramatic Subclass Overhaul

The legacy Purple Dragon Knight of 2015 was a tactical specialist. Dubbed the Banneret, it revelled in understated charm: a commander, bolstering allies with Rallying Cry and Inspiring Surge, always at the frontline but rarely at center stage. While noble in concept, the subclass fell flatter than a lance against plate armor—thematic resonance couldn’t rescue underbaked mechanics from the graveyard of underplayed options.

Step into 2025, and you’re in another universe entirely. The new Purple Dragon Knight isn’t rallying the troops so much as rewriting the rules of martial subclass design. Instead of tactical callouts and second-rate healing, you get a bonded amethyst dragon companion at Level 3—a full-blown combat pet with unique scaling attacks, breath weapons that bend gravity, and psionic link mechanics that alter the very tempo of the game.

Gone are the mild-mannered support options. In their place are dynamic, eye-popping powers: your dragon becomes a mount, your attacks set up opportunity for the beast, and your entire playstyle pivots around tactical synergy and shared momentum. You haven’t just picked a new subclass; you’ve stepped into a martial reimagining that rewards boldness, skill, and creativity at every turn.

Major Differences Between 2015 Banneret and 2025 Purple Dragon Knight:

• Loss of Rallying Cry (no more basic AOE heal as you Second Wind).
• Loss of Bulwark (no more extended saving throw re-rolls for allies).
• Inspiring Surge replaced by Rallying Surge—a broader, Action-Surge-based party buff.
• Inspiring or Tactical Leader role is de-emphasized; battlefield pet replaces “tactician” keys.
• Full Dragon Companion system introduced at Level 3 (instead of “rally skills”).
• The companion grows in size, power, and versatility as you advance.
• Amethyst dragon is psychic-themed, giving pseudo-psionic flavor.
• Dragon’s Gravity Breath provides force damage and movement effects, not just damage.
• Rider gains mounted combat options and aerial mobility as early as Level 7.
• Pet resurrection: companion can return after a short rest or via spell slot ritual.
• The subclass now includes Spell/Ritual Utility (Comprehend Languages), hinting at a “knightly envoy” angle.
• Visual and narrative focus shifts from mass-combat commander to legendary beastmaster.
• Dragon’s attacks (Rend, Gravity Breath) define tactical choices each round.
• Action economy: Fighter may swap own attacks for dragon’s actions at high levels.
• Endgame powers focus on psionic/force/psychic resistance, not mass-healing or saving throw buffs.

Why such a sweeping overhaul? Simply put, the Banneret was crowded out by stronger fighter options and failed to capture either player attention or narrative excitement. Mechanical tweaks couldn’t revive it—thematic restriction left it too niche. By embracing a bonded dragon companion and handing the Fighter toolkit a mix of pet-based synergy and psionic weirdness, Wizards of the Coast found both a new mechanical identity and a chance to set hearts racing.

It’s a decision that acknowledges modern D&D’s strengths: spectacle, deep mechanical variety, and narrative agency. The new Purple Dragon Knight trades its dusty battle standards for a command of gravity and a symbiotic relationship with one of Faerûn’s greatest wonders. This is no longer the subclass you forget at 3rd level; it’s a spotlight character for DMs and players hungry for meaningful, mythic play.

Knightly Skills and Language: Your First Taste of the New Build

Beyond dragon-riding showmanship and psychic attacks, the new Purple Dragon Knight comes armored with unexpected subtleties. At Level 3, you gain “Knightly Envoy”—a humble name for a feature with outsized roleplaying possibilities. Unlike the rest of the subclass, this power whispers rather than roars.

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Mechanically, Knightly Envoy grants an extra language at 3rd level—a nod to the diplomatic roots of Purple Dragon Knighthood. But its true gift is the ability to cast Comprehend Languages once per long rest as a ritual, and eventually at will (beginning at level 13). For a Fighter, who typically measures worth in numbers of attacks or AC, this sudden leap into linguistic mastery and ancient script decryption is both thematically resonant and cleverly off-type.

These communication powers do more than open plot doors; they reinforce your place as an emissary and negotiator. Yes, you wield a psionic dragon in combat, but you can just as easily talk down a room full of highborn nobles, broker peace with planar outsiders, or decipher the cryptic warnings of ancient evils before swinging your sword.

10+ Story Uses and Campaign Scenarios for Knightly Envoy:

• Parleying with enemy factions in their native tongue to prevent bloodshed.
• Negotiating release of prisoners by deciphering written terms of surrender.
• Decoding cryptic murals in forgotten tombs—no wizard needed.
• Translating ancient maps for the party during a chase for legendary treasures.
• Brokering alliances with planar entities using planes-touched dialects.
• Unmasking secret plots by reading intercepted foreign correspondence.
• Diplomatic engagement with dragons or fey who speak obscure languages.
• Warning the city of a cataclysm after translating a prophetic dreamstone.
• Easing tension during first contact with extraplanar creatures.
• Decrypting magical runes to disarm traps or open arcane portals.
• Serving as the “face” in tense negotiations with intelligent monsters.
• Mediating between rival noble houses, using fluency in courtly idioms.

In a subclass bursting with explosive combat potential, this quiet ribbon stands apart as a testament to subtlety—you’re not just muscle, you’re a bridge between worlds. It’s a seed planted for DMs who relish giving their Fighters more than just a battlefield, and for players eager to leave a mark beyond the blade.

Taken as a whole, Knightly Envoy is that rare bit of narrative utility on a martial chassis—a gentle contrast to the subclass’s otherwise high-octane powers, and an open invitation for deeper, more memorable adventure hooks.

Bonded from Birth: The Amethyst Dragon Companion Explained

Crackling with ethereal power and shimmering with lavender scales, the Purple Dragon Companion is the defining feature of this subclass. Gained at Level 3, this mystical wymling is not a mere sidekick—it’s both battlefield ally and soul-bonded extension of the knight’s will. The dragon acts on its own initiative, following your commands, with the reliability and resilience that standard pets can only envy.

Mechanically, your dragon boasts robust combat stats for a Level 3 companion—complete with scaling HP, AC based on your proficiency, and both fly and ground movement modes (though flight unlocks later). And should disaster strike? Your draconic friend can be resurrected with a short rest or a Fighter spell slot, ensuring constant presence and narrative continuity.

This pet is less fragile than most (thanks to force damage resistance and the ability to avoid area effects), making it a mainstay of your strategy rather than an expendable liability. Not since the Beastmaster Ranger has a martial class had so robust and thematic a pet system.

Amethyst dragons are a flavor explosion: their attacks leave shimmering psychic bruises, while their Gravity Breath tosses enemies around the board with invisible force. Their unique resurrection mechanic means your companion’s loss is a setback, not a campaign-ending defeat.

Blending the best of ranger, beastmaster, and dragon-keeper fantasy, this companion elevates the Purple Dragon Knight into the pantheon of martial classes with true mechanical diversity and narrative punch.

Gravity and Force: Dragon Abilities That Scale with You

The two star powers in your dragon’s combat arsenal are Rend and Gravity Breath. Rend is a straightforward claw-and-bite combo, dealing reliable force damage—no more worrying about acid-resistant monstrosities. Gravity Breath, however, is a showstopper: unleash a cone of gravitic force that shoves or pulls creatures in its path, dealing force damage and repositioning enemies and allies alike.

This breath isn’t merely destructive; it offers a rare Fighter toolkit for battle manipulation. For the first time, a martial character can bend the front line, scatter minions, or pull a wizard out of trouble without relying on a spellcaster’s telekinesis.

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8+ Tactical Uses for Gravity Breath:

• Pushing enemy casters out of optimally buffed “safe zones.”
• Pulling a wounded ally out of melee, saving their life.
• Shoving enemies into pools of acid, lava, or spiked traps.
• Disrupting tight formations—scatter minions for area denial.
• Forcing flying enemies to land, or pushing them off balconies.
• Pulling enemies into range of an ally’s Fireball or Spirit Guardians.
• Isolating the boss by pushing minions away.
• Breaking grapples by forcibly separating aggressor and victim.
• Pulling an enemy off a captured friend or unpinning an ally.
• Creating space for high-mobility retreat or sudden pursuit.

The subclass’s gravity theme, woven through the breath attack and force damage, gives the Fighter a subtle yet compelling psionic identity—one rarely glimpsed outside of mystic classes or high-magic campaign settings. It’s part battlefield commander, part gravity-wielding knight, and wholly new to 5e Fighters.

Mount and Might: The Level 7 “Dragon Rider” Power Spike

At Level 7, your amethyst companion takes its first big leap—literally. No longer a child-sized wyrmling, the dragon grows, gains a flying speed, upgraded breath weapons, area-effect healing, and, perhaps most importantly, becomes your faithful mount. This is the moment your fantasy comes full circle: a knight astride a dragon, swooping through the clouds or leaping lines of goblinoids with a single beat of lavender wings.

Crucially, the Dragon Rider feature keeps the pet relevant in combat through improved damage scaling, new crowd-control options, and an innovative healing bond. When you use Second Wind, your drake heals too—sharing your resilience across the bond. Its upgraded size also means more battlefield presence and more license to enjoy mounted combat antithesis.

Mount functions open an entire playbook of strategies. From the freedom of three-dimensional positioning to combo outflanking and mid-air maneuvers, you’re leaping far beyond the reach of standard heavy cavalry.

10+ Combat and Healing Strategies Unique to Dragon Rider:

• Evacuate the wizard by grabbing and flying them out of danger.
• Trigger Second Wind after the dragon tanks AOE damage, healing both.
• Perform high-speed flanking runs, zooming behind enemy lines.
• Use dive attacks—gain altitude, plummet for hit-and-run force.
• Dodge traps and hazards by flying over them.
• Send the dragon on overwatch while the knight fires ranged attacks from its back.
• Exploit verticality to break line of sight and avoid enemy spells.
• Shield squishier allies by putting the dragon between them and threats.
• Use gravity breath while airborne, shifting ground-leveled foes from safety.
• Launch the classic “knight drops off dragon” move for surprise assaults.
• Leverage the bond’s twin healing to prolong both fighter and dragon survival.

Level 7 is where the subclass steps solidly into its own legend: dragon-rider stories abound, and at this point in the campaign, you’re living them. It’s a spectacular pay-off that transforms your table’s tactical playbook and seeds unforgettable moments in both combat and narrative.

Rallying Surge: Tactical Leadership Returns at Level 10

The 2015 Banneret’s core fantasy was leadership—enabling allies to act at critical moments. The new Rallying Surge, unlocked at Level 10, breathes new life into this legacy by turbo-charging the classic Fighter Action Surge into a groupwide, tactically flexible boon.

Now, when you unleash Action Surge, you and a number of allies equal to your proficiency bonus can move or take an attack instantly, and your dragon gains an extra action (such as another Rend or Gravity Breath). This isn’t a simple “help” mechanic; it’s a battlefield re-alignment, letting the party capitalize on sudden openings, disrupt enemy plans, or launch concentrated attacks at just the right moment.

Rather than restricting support to “who’s nearby,” Rallying Surge lets you redefine positioning, enable new synergies, and ensure the dragon always gets a star turn alongside you.

12+ Ways to Use Rallying Surge in Combat:

• Give an archer or caster instant reposition to avoid melee threats.
• Enable a rogue to dash and hide before the enemy can react.
• Grant your wizard a bonus move to escape grapples or nets.
• Let a grappling barbarian make another attempt mid-round.
• Dragon uses Gravity Breath again to save the party or swing a fight.
• Focus fire on a wounded enemy before it’s healed.
• Chase down a fleeing boss—everyone surges forward!
• Scatter after an AOE warning; party evades together.
• Chain-attack: you attack, then dragon finishes off a tough foe.
• Set up opportunity attacks by moving allies into striking range.
• Rescue a friend about to fall into a trap, pulling them to safety.
• Enable double-healing by triggering both Second Wind and a cleric’s heal in one round.
• Stack crowd control by surging both the knight and pet for back-to-back disables.

This feature expertly bridges the tactical DNA of Banneret with the grand, kinetic theater of the new subclass. It’s proof you can be a support engine and a showstopper—sometimes with just one glorious Action Surge.

Amethyst Pinnacle: The Ultimate Team-Up at Level 15

At Level 15, your bond reaches its zenith. Your dragon companion swells to Large size, unlocking mounted combat for most adventuring party members, and you gain “Tandem Attack.” This power lets you exchange your own attacks to let the dragon strike or use Gravity Breath in your place, creating a ballet of mutual action that places rider and dragon on equal footing.

The strategic depth mushrooms: do you rain down three classic attacks, split your action between yourself and dragon, or double up on Gravity Breath for devastating crowd control? The system invites precise calculation, but perhaps more importantly, offers scene-stealing narrative power—it’s two heroes, fighting as one.

This ultimate team-up transforms late-game Purple Dragon Knights into centerpiece heroes—capable of turning the tide of multi-enemy battles, swinging through aerial maelstroms, or breaking siege lines side by side. It’s the full realization of the dragon-knight partnership, alive and breathtaking at every table.

Your story and your tactics become inseparable—with every attack, you and your dragon speak the same thunderous language.

Enduring Commander: Simple but Effective Capstone

Level 18’s Enduring Commander ties the subclass together, granting resistance to force and psychic damage. While not the flashiest capstone in the history of D&D, it’s quietly powerful: in high-level play, these two damage types are among the most common sources of magical and psychic harm, especially from potent enemies and world-warping spells.

The effect stacks with your dragon’s own resistances, giving both of you survivability few martial characters can match. Rather than outshining earlier features, this capstone powers up your theme: psionic fortitude, impenetrable will, and tireless command in the face of arcane annihilation.

10+ Foes and Spells Where Force/Psychic Resistance Shines:

• Disintegrate (force) from liches and archmages.
• Beholders’ eye rays (telekinetic, psychic).
• Mind flayers’ Mind Blast (psychic).
• Githyanki Knights with psychic swords.
• Elder brains with multi-target psychic effects.
• Specters and wraiths wielding soul-shearing touch.
• Warlocks casting Eldritch Blast (force).
• Magic missile swarms (force).
• Aberrant horrors using psionic screams.
• Synaptic Static (psychic) and Id Insinuation spells.
• Dungeon traps employing force fields or telekinetic crushers.
• Legendary dragons with force/psychic breaths.

While some classes earn show-stopping capstones or transformation abilities, Enduring Commander quietly cements your place as one of the most physically and mentally indomitable warriors in the Forgotten Realms. You’re the rock upon which the party stands when the magic gets weird and the odds go wild.

Taken in context with your dragon’s own strengths, this feature ensures you can stay in the fight against both mundane and psychic threats long after lesser martial champions have fallen.

Final Verdict: Is the 2025 Purple Dragon Knight Worth Playing?

The 2025 update to the Purple Dragon Knight is not merely an upgrade; it’s a quantum leap in both fantasy flavor and mechanical identity. What was once a niche tactician, overshadowed by both paladins and other fighter subclasses, is now a mythic force—a psychic dragon-knight whose very existence challenges what a martial character can do at the table.

This subclass is, first and foremost, about partnership and synergy. Managing a durable, instantly memorable pet—one that levels up alongside you, flies you into combat, and fights by your side—delivers a kind of visual storytelling and agency that few fighters have ever enjoyed. Its toolkit encourages clever combo play, rewarding those who can seamlessly blend their own actions with those of their scaly partner.

The fantasy appeal is undeniable. Mounted charge at Level 7? Check. Psionic battlefield control without being a caster? Absolutely. Linguistic and diplomatic utility for roleplayers? Surprisingly, yes. Tactics, spectacle, and narrative all wrapped up in one chassis? That’s rare magic.

Granted, there may be a few lore purists who bristle at the amethyst dragon pairing, or at what they see as a departure from the “commander in shining armor” ideal. But even here, the new Purple Dragon Knight respects the heart of the original: the will to rise above the ordinary, to lead not just through orders, but through wondrous deeds, and to fuse the martial with the mythic in unforgettable ways.

If you crave dynamic power, love the fantasy of dragon-riding from Level 3 onward, or simply want a Fighter with a toolkit overflowing with flavor and flexibility, this subclass is your new gold standard. The January 2025 UA is just the testing ground; watch the public playtest, give feedback, and expect further polish before the final Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide drops.

So, is the 2025 Purple Dragon Knight worth playing? All signs point to yes, with a dragon-sized exclamation point. For players and DMs alike, it’s a breath of fresh, force-infused air—bound to become a fan favorite for years to come.