Hydra

Natural Habitat

Marsh, Caverns

Frequency

Very Rare

Number

1-3 (1)

Description

A hydra is a nine-headed snake. They are 12 to 15 feet long, and have thick green scales. Hydras also have a foul smell and venomous breath. Hydras are four-hex creatures.

Comments

Hydras are vicious, but they are not overly intelligent. They will attack anything that approaches their lair. A hydra's poison lasts even after the creature dies, and can be absorbed through the skin without a puncture

Abilities

If a hydra is hit in combat for four or more points of effective damage there is a 70% chance that one of the hydra's heads has been destroyed. Two pulses after a head is destroyed, two more grow back, and on the beginning of the next pulse after that they can attack in combat. One of the hydra's original nine heads will be immortal. This head cannot be killed, and does not regenerate like the others. Instead, if a hydra has no Endurance remaining, the head is assumed to have been cut off. If the head is cut off, it can no longer move or attack except in Close Combat. The only way to kill one of the hydra's mortal heads is to burn it while it is regenerating (a successful strike with a torch will do this). Each time a head regenerates, the Hydra gains three points of Endurance. (Note that this will occasionally mean that a hydra will have more Endurance points at the end of a battle than before). In any event, if a hydra's Endurance is ever reduced to zero or below, every head dies except the immortal one mentioned above.

Movement Rates

Crawling: 200

PS:	18-22	MD:	19-24	AG:	14-16	MA:	None	EN:	30-35	FT:	40-45
WP:	18-23	PC:	14-17	PB:	4-6	TMR:	4	NA:	Scales absorb 7 DP

Weapons

A hydra may bite with up to 6 heads without penalty. Poison occurs after effective damage. Only magic and antidotes specifically designed for hydra poison will be effective against their venom.

Bite: BC 55%, [D + 2], Melee & Close, Rank 0.

Poison: 5 DP per pulse for D10 pulses.