Hydra

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Hydras are apex predators of their habitats. As reptiles, they usually lurk in swamps, rainforests, deserts, and other hot environments, but have adapted to manage in colder environments as well. Hydras are enormous lizards with long necks. While many lizards have developed the ability to regrow limbs and tails if they are chopped off, the Hydra has perfected this adaptation and can regrow its own head. In fact, each time its head is cut off, the Hydra grows two new heads in its place. To prevent a head from duplicating and regrowing, a Hydra must be damaged with fire, frost, or acid, although the type of damage needed can vary from head to head on any Hydra.

Encounter Balance

The Hydra stat block is designed to start a balanced battle with 4 heads. Starting the battle with fewer or more heads will make it respectively easier or harder to fight.

Hydra

Monster Level: 20
Huge. Abonimable, Monstrosity
STR DEX END AWR INT CHA
6 6 2 6 1 3
Ref: 16 Fort: 12 Ant: 16 Log: 11 Will: 13
Armor Rating 16 Senses Darkvision 30 ft
Hit Points 230 Traits Immutable, Iron Will, Steel Mind, Vigilant, Regen 10
Speed 40 ft
Features
Many Headed Menace. The Hydra gains one additional use of its Bite or Breath actions per turn for each head. Additionally, it has a number of Snap reactions equal to its number of heads.

Too Horrific to Die. The Hydra regenerates one lost limb at the start of each of its turns.

Elemental Vulnerability. At the end of each of the Hydra’s turns, randomly determine an element by rolling 1d3. The Hydra is Vulnerable 1 to that element until the start of its next turn. If it takes that damage before the start of its next turn, its Regen and Too Horrific to Die features do not work on its next turn.

  1. Fire
  2. Cold
  3. Corrosive

Sightokinesis. If the Hydra takes 15 physical damage in one round, it loses one head. At the start of its next turn, two heads regrow in its place so long as the Hydra can use its Regen trait. If the Hydra loses all of its heads and does not regenerate on its next turn, it dies.

Elemental Lottery. Each time the Hydra gains a head, roll to determine what kind of element it can breathe.

  1. Lightning: 60 ft line
  2. Cold: 30 ft cone
  3. Fire: 30 ft cone
  4. Corrosive: 60 ft line
Actions

The Hydra can MOVE and take ONE of the following actions.

Move. The Hydra can move up to its speed.

Bite. Reach 10 ft, Natural Weapon. +6 vs AR. Hit: 10 (1d8+6) sharp.

Breath Weapon (Recharge 6 per head). Natural Weapon. +6 vs REF of each creature in the area determined by the head’s Elemental Lottery. Hit: 10 (1d8+6) elemental (depending on the head’s Elemental Lottery).

Reactions
Snap (Heads/Round). The Hydra can Exploit.