MM2 Excerpt: Heroslayer Hydra

[Mentat55]

Monster Manual 2 Excerpts: Heroslayer Hydra

Quick summary: level 20 solo brute, has the Lernaen hydra vibe with growing new heads, and has x4 hit points.

Still pretty vanilla, like the other hydras, but growing new heads as the fight progresses (it eventually has 8 heads) and doing extra damage against creatures that mark it could make it play better than it reads.

It would have been cool if it could also grow a head each time it suffers a critical hit -- but maybe with 776 hp, you would expect too many crits and then somewhat crazy damage output.

 

[Scribble]

Maybe that would be too "swingy?" This way you know how many heads the thing will get in the battle.

Plus since each head it has can make an attack, can you imagine if a "lucky streak" resulted in like 10 new heads?

 

[Shroomy]

I really liked the heroslayer power. It puts a lot of pressure on the defenders, which should make for a tactically interesting combat (and woe is anyone with a careless bard in the party!).

 

[Hellzon]

Okay, so the Heroslayer is the big one in the illustration (5 heads, the smaller one has 4).

Also, "582, 388, and 194" hitpoints? Sure, it's the bloodied value, and the upper and lower quartile, but it still looks like a hassle to remember in combat.

Any guesses to what the small one is? Pale gray color scheme implies a Cryohydra, maybe?

 

[Shroomy]

Any guesses to what the small one is? Pale gray color scheme implies a Cryohydra, maybe?

I thought it was supposed to be a razor hydra. That's the other kind mentioned in the lore section.

 

[chaotix42]

The MM2 is just burrowing into my brain more and more with every excerpt, inspiring a ferocious desire in me unlike any 4e product yet. I must have this book.

Like, now.

 

[Hellzon]

I thought it was supposed to be a razor hydra. That's the other kind mentioned in the lore section.

Lore section? What lore section?
Oh that one. Yeah, probably a razor hydra. Didn't expect them to pass up an opportunity to use Yet Another Elemental Template Beast

 

[Starsunder]

Man im really digging the MM2 monsters so far. All of the monsters seem to be really tough encounters. I mean, that hydra, if it attacked the same pc with all 5 heads (not counting if it had more), would do 5d10+50 points of damage! More if that pc is a defender that has marked the hydra.

Nasty stuff. Bring on Demogorgon!

 

[MrAlgothi]

Very cool, however this thing is meant to destroy my main character.. With all-around vision and a power that recharges after a critical hit, my Rogue-Daggermaster is going to HATE fighting this thing. Seeing how it can avoid stuns and dazes, it looks like the blind status is the only real way to get combat advantage on this thing... Yikes.

 

[blargney the second]

More damage against the guy who marked it? Ouch. That thing is scary.