Red Hand of Doom questions (Part 1 spoilers)

[brehobit]

OK,
I'm running the RHoD. We started at 1st level and the party is now 5th level (one 4th level). In another thread I've been asking about hydras in general. But what I'd like to know is how your party (as player or DM) handled the hydra in part 1.

It seems to me that this is a crazy hard fight. 6 attacks at +8 d10+3 is nasty. If the hydra manages to close on the bridge OR the party goes down to the ruined wagon I don't see how they stay out of hand-to-hand. And once the hydra closes to being next to you, you can't escape without eating 6 attacks. I don't think 5th (6th) level characters can really deal with this.

So I want to know what others have done with this encounter....

Mark

 

[Mark CMG]

That encounter supplied the first character death and nearly two others.

 

[Pbartender]

So I want to know what others have done with this encounter....

We left the wagon alone, since there wasn't any good reason to mess with it, but the hydra surfaced as we crossed the bridge.

While still on our horses, we retreated a ways up the road and fired a volley of spells and arrows, which had little effect due to the fast healing... so we ran away and left it alone.

 

[Nebulous]

"And brave Sir Robin ran away...!"

No, really, running is a great tactic. As DM, you might want to use the scenario to scare the crap out of the PC's, even if they do approach the wagon. Give them the chance to flee, and only sock it to them if the tank for some reason thinks he can take on a Huge monster by himself. You might even want to reiterate several times how deadly hydras are known to be, particularly if someone makes a Knowledge check.

 

[SgtHulka]

We left the wagon alone, since there wasn't any good reason to mess with it...

Um...obvious treasure?

The Hydra was mostly submerged, so we thought it was just some stupid giant snake, so our dwarven fighter charged.

Six AoO's later, one of which was a crit, and he was lying face-down in three feet of water, unconscious and one round away from drowning, with muddy terrain preventing any sort of tumbling to avoid AoO's and no way to get to him without further deaths in the party.

The terrain involved in that encounter makes it particularly difficult; much better to get attacked on the bridge imho.

 

[Mouseferatu]

We were attacked as we crossed the bridge--or rather, I was, since I'd gone ahead, with the rest of the party waiting by the bridge.

I might well have died from AoOs in the first round, but the DM rolled terribly (and yes, it was rolled in the open; no fudging). After that point, I was already in close. I tore into it (I'm playing a heavy fighter-type, specifically a Bo9S crusader), and the wizard blasted it from a distance. It was dead in something like three rounds.

 

[Frostmarrow]

~They ran all the way home...~

 

[brehobit]

We were attacked as we crossed the bridge--or rather, I was, since I'd gone ahead, with the rest of the party waiting by the bridge.

I might well have died from AoO's in the first round, but the DM rolled terribly (and yes, it was rolled in the open; no fudging). After that point, I was already in close. I tore into it (I'm playing a heavy fighter-type, specifically a Bo9S crusader), and the wizard blaseted it from a distance. It was dead in something like three rounds.

Wow. ~66 hit points and fast healing 16 means you guys must have dealt out around 100 points of damage in 3 rounds. I'm pretty sure though the hydra would kill at any one of my PCs in 3 rounds of attacks (Best AC is like 20, the warlock with DR 4/cold iron and an AC of 18 might be able to make it 3 rounds).

Humm... No heavy armor fighters, no "real" casters makes things difficult I guess.

Thanks to all!

Mark

 

[Mouseferatu]

Humm... No heavy armor fighters, no "real" casters makes things difficult I guess.

Umm... Yes. Yes it does.

 

[Pbartender]

Um...obvious treasure?

How so?

The wagon was described to us as being turned over and sunk into the mud about 30 feet or so from the road. It weather-beaten, water-logged, and covered in swamp muck... obviously very old. Our assuption was that the wagon was likely already looted long, long ago either by whoever crashed the wagon, or whoever was the first traveler (or bandit) to pass by after it had crashed.

And all that besides, we have a lot more important things to get done -- like scouting out Skull Gorge Bridge and maybe knock it out to delay the oncoming horde -- than slogging about in the mud, sifting for a few stray silver pieces.