Pyrohydra's breath weapon?

[busker]

I was just reading about the pyrohydra, preparing to use one in my game when I noticed that its breath weapon does 3d6 points of fire damage per head. Isn't that a little high? A six-headed pyrohydra does 18d6 for an average of 63 points of damage, can do this every d4 rounds, and is only a CR 7 monster? Doesn't that seem a little extreme? My seventh-level adventuring group can't take this kind of damage. A 7th level fighter with a 17 CON will only have a average of 64hp, to say nothing of a wizard or rogue.

It just seems a bit extreme.

-busker

 

[Epametheus]

Yes, they really can do that. Taking on a pyro/cryohydra without the appropriate protection spells is tantamount to suicide.

 

[Fauxargent]

This will encourage the warriors to try and cut off the heads - at least until they start growing back and they have 12 heads breathing

I roll the d4 for each head individually so the breaths are staggered. (Don't forget the reflex save for half. That will drop the average especially for the rogues and monks.)

 

[Nightfall]

Taking on ANY fire breathing creature with multiple heads is bad.

 

[busker]

Since the responses so far agree that a 7th level party attacking a CR 7 pyrohydra is suicide, doesn't that suggest that the CR should be higher?

-busker

 

[Sir Whiskers]

Since the responses so far agree that a 7th level party attacking a CR 7 pyrohydra is suicide, doesn't that suggest that the CR should be higher?

-busker

Not necessarily.

Does the party know that there's a pyrohydra - a fully-prepped party could easily kill it in a round or two. With the correct protection spells, they might not even take much damage.

Even if they don't know about it ahead of time, a party usually has an advantage against a single creature, even a powerful one, because they can concentrate attacks and oftentimes the bbeg only has to fail a save once. For example, in one campaign our party wizard took out a pyro- or cryo-hydra (can't remember which) with a single phantasmal killer spell.

If the party monk or rogue can draw most of the breaths on himself, then evasion should help. Otherwise, a raging barbarian might be able to take several and still be standing. Just try not to give the hydra only one target (unless that target has some reason not to fear the breath weapon, such as evasion and good reflex saves, fire resistance/immunity, etc).

If, OTOH, the hydra attacks the party by surprise, opening with a breath from each head, well... In that case, consider the encounter level to be a couple levels higher than the hydra's challenge rating and plan accordingly.

 

[Grazzt]

Since the responses so far agree that a 7th level party attacking a CR 7 pyrohydra is suicide, doesn't that suggest that the CR should be higher?

-busker

An UNPREPARED party might be facing suicide. One that is prepared (well-prepared even) won't be facing certain death.

 

[Nail]

Since the responses so far agree that a 7th level party attacking a CR 7 pyrohydra is suicide, doesn't that suggest that the CR should be higher?

-busker

Nope.

Hydras are melee combat monsters, it's true. Stand up and face one toe-to-toe, an' yer meat.

But most adventurers should know better than that.

Our group of six 7th level PC took on and took out a 10-headed cryohydra. It scared the p*** out of us when we first encountered it....and we wisely ran away. Still, it nearly killed the slow moving PC.

We regrouped, my cleric prepared the requisite energy resistance and party buff spells, and we went back. We had missile weapons, invisibility, and Will save spells ready. It took us...hmmm...three rounds? I think one of those rounds was casting spells at it as we closed...even things like doom and Fireball and such. I was even lucky enough to get close enough to cast Bestow Curse on the silly thing.

Bottom Line: The CR should not be adjusted. In fact, the CR might be a bit to high as listed.

 

[Diirk]

At 7th caster level, Resist Energy (dru/cle/sor/wiz can all cast) negates the first 20 points of fire damage of each attack for 10 mins/level. 3d6 - 20 is less than 0, so a party with advance notice can reasonably expect to take no damage from the breath weapon. Of course without advance notice, the number of applications of this spell memorized may be vastly decreased... things may not go quite as well then.

 

[Nail]

Just to be clear: 3d6 breath weapon, even multiplied by six heads, is no big deal. Resistance protects against 10 hp of energy damage per attack, so only if the PC fails his save AND the hydra rolls a higher than average damage with one of its heads will the damage get thru. The average damage from a 3d6 is 10.5 hp, remember.