6-headed Cryo Hydra of DOOOOM!

[Savage Wombat]

First time I ran into a hydra, we didn't have a problem because I hit it with Sonic Burst and stunned it. This enabled the fighters to run up to it without taking AoOs. Of course, I think I must have gotten lucky with the save, so I don't know that this is an optimal tactic.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

It occurs to me that the pyro/cryo-hydra might be one instance in which tower shields are quite effective.

Round 1: Spellcasters stay at extreme long-range, fighter-types hide behind tower shields. Hydra breathes, but all fighters have full-cover=no damage.

Round 2: Fighters rush up and each sever a head (or more with Cleave). Then set the tower shield between them and the hydra. Hydra attacks.

Round 3: If fighters have initiative, they full attack (trying to sever as many heads as possible) then set their tower shields in front of them. Hydra maybe breathes, but the tower shields=full cover=no damage.

I like it.

 

[Skaros]

It occurs to me that the pyro/cryo-hydra might be one instance in which tower shields are quite effective.

Round 1: Spellcasters stay at extreme long-range, fighter-types hide behind tower shields. Hydra breathes, but all fighters have full-cover=no damage.

Round 2: Fighters rush up and each sever a head (or more with Cleave). Then set the tower shield between them and the hydra. Hydra attacks.

Round 3: If fighters have initiative, they full attack (trying to sever as many heads as possible) then set their tower shields in front of them. Hydra maybe breathes, but the tower shields=full cover=no damage.

I like it.

Is it really a free action to move a tower shield? Not sure I fancy the "move tower shield, full attack, put tower shield back", all in one round, idea.

Skaros

 

[Someone]

Apparently you can´t attack at all if you gain cover from a tower shield. But even with that the scenary could be very well like this:

Round 1: The hidra breathes, fries the spellcaster and leaves the fighters at very low HP, if they survive at all.

Round 2: Fighters rush up, one dies because of AoO, other sever a head but the DM rules they aren´t separate creatures, so no cleave.

Round 3: Hidra kills already weakened fighter. Rogue flees.

 

[Uruush]

Thanks for the responses. What do people think a more appropriate breath damage would be for a CR7 Cryo-hydra? The party won't encounter him until after 3.5 comes out, so maybe I'll see what kind of stats the new version has.

I am considering 2d6 per head, but giving him about 100 hit points, so it's not as much a matter of "who gets initiative," and there will be some more back-and-forth - an epic battle feel.

 

[Lord Ben]

Leave it as is, but instead of all heads at once and 1d4 inbetween just have 2 heads per round breathe, and 4 attack with bite. Or 3 per round. If the battle looks close towards the end have them hold off for one round and all use bites. The PC's will hopefully get the clue that it's about to unload all 6 (or whatever) in one round and they'll try to drop it at the last moment. It should make for a nice dramatic ending.

Use flavor text to explain like some heads weren't facing that direction or some heads are waiting to blast the most wounded, etc. That should give them time enough to prepare something.