Pyrohydra's breath weapon?

[Nail]

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.

err...right. That's what I meant: 20 hp per attack. Right. Exactly. You can reference that info here. So with a 7th level cleric, there's no way the hydra's energy attack can harm you.

Point being, it's not the energy damage that you should be worried about. It's the AoOs from all of those heads, available twice per round. ...and yer fighters have to get past that reach somehow....

Our rogue, of course, just Tumbles.

 

[busker]

To give a little more insight into the upcoming situation, the party has figured out through clues that there is a hydra coming up, but they don't realize that it is a pyrohydra. I am just concerned that they won't manage to survive the first breath attack to regroup and change their tactics. As DM, I don't mind smacking them around a little bit with a challenge, but this encounter really seems like even one round without Resist Energy could be devastating.

-busker

 

[Hypersmurf]

It's the AoOs from all of those heads, available twice per round.

Well, there's debate as to exactly how hydras and AoOs work

-Hyp.

 

[Nail]

I am just concerned that they won't manage to survive the first breath attack to regroup and change their tactics.

Right. Understood.

Many players (if not all players) generally rush into battle on round one, then start engaging their brains at round 3. That's the way of things -- in part because they need time to get a sense for what's going on, and also in part because this is a game, and there's no real danger. "Charge!"

If you're afraid the PC might goof and stick around, spread the pain alittle. That is, have the silly thing breathe on all of the PCs - one head per PC. Also, I'm not sure how you'll handle the initial encounter. Surely such a big creature will not surprise them? Give 'em a round of "moster growling/lumbering/slithering" before combat.

 

[Nail]

Well, there's debate as to exactly how hydras and AoOs work

-Hyp.

Yup!

I've knocked around a-couple o' those threads myself.

IMC, I think I would rule that the hydra may get one AoO attempt per head per round, and may distribute them it whatever manner it wishes.....even though that's not what the rules say.

The rules probably say the hydra attacks with all of it's head on each AoO, and that the hydra gains 2 AoO attempts per round (due to its Dex 12). (shrug)

 

[Nightfall]

Best way to defeat a Pyrohydra, make him VERY cold.

 

[Nail]

Best way to defeat a Pyrohydra, make him VERY cold.

6-Headed Pyrohydra

SQ: Fast Healing 16

******
You'd better have plenty of that type of magic each round, bub.

 

[Darklone]

Arcane Trickster build level 8 or 9 with sneak attacking ray of frost. He killed that beasty alone ... and complained that a cryohydra would have been easier with scorching ray.

 

[Tazawa]

Now that everyone's on the subject of pyrohydra's breathweapons, I have a question.

Does a six-headed pyro hydra produce: a single jet of fire for 18d6 damage; or six jets of fire for 3d6 damage each?

The previous discussions seem to assume that it's six jets, but the description in the SRD would seems to indicate that it's a single jet, dealing 3d6 per head.

These reddish hydras can breathe jets of fire 10 feet high, 10 feet wide, and 20 feet long. All heads breathe once every 1d4 rounds. Each jet deals 3d6 points of fire damage per head.

How many jets are produced has a big impact, as Resist Energy is very useful against six small jets, but of much more limited use against one big one.

 

[Nail]

Parsing sentences, are we?

As the first sentence in the SRD quote says "jets" (note the plural), and the second sentence says "each jet.....per head" (note the singular), I'd say they meant: "One jet per head, for a total of 6 jets for a 6-headed pyrohydra."

The bit about "All heads breathe once every 1d4 rounds." is in there just to simplify bookkeeping, IMHO. After all, do you really want to roll randomly for each head? ..and then keep track of that? Ouch.