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<blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 3287258" data-attributes="member: 3146">This is the version I favor. Hydras could have been written much better, but the first version doesn't seem consistent with the rules to me and any version that gives the hydra a full attack on every AoO makes it (IMO) too strong.As for how to deal with a hydra without it simply being a dull episode of &quot;how many arrows did we use while flying out of its reach and entangling it so it can't find cover,&quot; ray of enfeeblement, is probably the single best way to deal with it. It doesn't just knock the damage bonus down, it also nerfs the hydra's already mediocre attack bonus. Six attacks that will hit 50% of the time for an average of 7.5 damage is 21.5 damage per round. If, instead, those six attacks hit 40% of the time for an average of 5.5 damage, its expected damage per round is around 13.2. Drop Combat Expertise or a ray of exhaustion on top of that and the hydra is pretty much neutered.On another note, when calculating the Hydra's attack bonus vs. a sunder, remember that the hydra's head is a natural weapon which is considered a light weapon for disarming or sundering. Thus, assuming it has a +8 attack bonus to begin with, it's only rolling at +12 vs. the sunder. A character with Improved Sunder and a +8 attack bonus (pretty easy to come by, even at 3rd level (16 str, weapon focus, masterwork weapon, +3 BAB= +8 attack) will be rolling the sunder attempt at +12 with a one-handed weapon. Given a two-handed weapon, the character will be rolling the sunder attempt at +16. That's not bad odds, but it doesn't make up for being in melee with a non-nerfed hydra in the first place (which is the real problem with hydras being a &quot;reward&quot; for characters with Improved Sunder--they don't actually work out to have much of an advantage over characters without it, and in order to get that advantage, they need to be in one of the worst tactical positions possible).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Elder-Basilisk, post: 3287258, member: 3146"] This is the version I favor. Hydras could have been written much better, but the first version doesn't seem consistent with the rules to me and any version that gives the hydra a full attack on every AoO makes it (IMO) too strong. As for how to deal with a hydra without it simply being a dull episode of "how many arrows did we use while flying out of its reach and entangling it so it can't find cover," ray of enfeeblement, is probably the single best way to deal with it. It doesn't just knock the damage bonus down, it also nerfs the hydra's already mediocre attack bonus. Six attacks that will hit 50% of the time for an average of 7.5 damage is 21.5 damage per round. If, instead, those six attacks hit 40% of the time for an average of 5.5 damage, its expected damage per round is around 13.2. Drop Combat Expertise or a ray of exhaustion on top of that and the hydra is pretty much neutered. On another note, when calculating the Hydra's attack bonus vs. a sunder, remember that the hydra's head is a natural weapon which is considered a light weapon for disarming or sundering. Thus, assuming it has a +8 attack bonus to begin with, it's only rolling at +12 vs. the sunder. A character with Improved Sunder and a +8 attack bonus (pretty easy to come by, even at 3rd level (16 str, weapon focus, masterwork weapon, +3 BAB= +8 attack) will be rolling the sunder attempt at +12 with a one-handed weapon. Given a two-handed weapon, the character will be rolling the sunder attempt at +16. That's not bad odds, but it doesn't make up for being in melee with a non-nerfed hydra in the first place (which is the real problem with hydras being a "reward" for characters with Improved Sunder--they don't actually work out to have much of an advantage over characters without it, and in order to get that advantage, they need to be in one of the worst tactical positions possible). [/QUOTE]

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