Combat Actions for Hydras

[sdavies2720]

I've often used Hydras, and similar monsters, as climax monsters -- the monster in the final scene of the scenario, which everyone gets to fight, and which can hold its own against multiple foes.

Hydras are a good example of a monster that should work for this. With lots of heads all snapping at attackers, they can handle a lot of foes.

The question is how to handle Combat Actions? It seems to me that I have a few options. I'm leaning toward #1, but I'm curious what others think:

• 1. Give each head 2 combat actions, and allow heads to use their combat actions to bite or evade, or for the body as a whole (Evade, Run, Tail Swipe, etc).
  2. Give the whole hydra a pool of combat actions, maybe one per head plus a couple.
  3. Give the whole hydra a couple of combat actions, but one combat action can be used for all of the heads to attack.

I'll probably also come up with a new trait, something like "Sinuous Evasion" for heads: a head may Evade without giving up its next Combat Action.

Thoughts?

 

[Deleriad]

• 1. Give each head 2 combat actions, and allow heads to use their combat actions to bite or evade, or for the body as a whole (Evade, Run, Tail Swipe, etc).
  2. Give the whole hydra a pool of combat actions, maybe one per head plus a couple.
  3. Give the whole hydra a couple of combat actions, but one combat action can be used for all of the heads to attack.

I'll probably also come up with a new trait, something like "Sinuous Evasion" for heads: a head may Evade without giving up its next Combat Action.

Thoughts?

I would probably go with option 2. I would also say that chopping off a hydra's head is about the equivalent of chopping off a limb, i.e. it doesn't risk instant death.

Relatedly, I used to feel a bit odd about parrying with bite attacks and so on but realised it's a way of recreating the way someone swings at a creature but is driven back and unable to land a blow because the monster snapped at them.

If you want to up the danger level a little, I would also allow multiple heads to attack at once, rather than just 1 attack per SR. Perhaps roll a 1d4 on the hydra's turn and allow that many heads to attack.

 

[soltakss]

I'd give each head 2 Combat Actions.

If the hydra has a pool then it would have too many CAs at the start and not enough midway through the combat.

So, if you gave a hydra 6 combat actions, at the start it has 2 heads and 6 actions, chop off a head and it has 3/6, chop off two more and it has 5/6, chop off two more and it has 7/6, with effectively a wasted head.

If it had 2 CAs per head then it would start off with 1/2, then get 2/4, 3/6, 5/10 and would be really dangerous.

The loss of a head should definitely not be particularly bad for a hydra, unless all heads are severed and can't be regrown.

I'd allow all heads to attack on the same SR, to be honest. Each one would have its own Initiative roll, though, so they would effectively attack at different SRs.

Each head should have its own Evade/Dodge but the body itself is far too big to dodge effectively.

With an acidic/poisonous bite and several heads, a hydra should be dangerous enough for most PCs to handle.

 

[sdavies2720]

Thanks everyone. Interesting that I've been so brainwashed by the D&D Hydra (no regenerating heads) that I didn't even mention that I would be deviating from the original source.

I think we're in agreement that #3 is not a good option!

I think I'll stick with the 2 CA/head approach. I think the scaling issues of the CA pool (too many/too few CAs as heads get added or subtracted) could be dealt with by scaling the CAs as heads are added or subtracted -- but that just moves it closer to the CA/head model anyway.

I think these 'destination' monsters often take a little careful design work in RQ, but the end results is often much more interesting.

Steve

 

[soltakss]

The best thing about hydras is the regenerating heads.

I ran an encounter with Heidi, a proper (as in very big and very nasty) hydra whose body was in a pool. Six heads appeared and spat venomous acid at the PCs who responded with a lethal volley of multimissiled missiles, taking out every head. They cheered as the heads disappeard beneath the waters, only to complain when twelve appeard again