Guardian Hydra



''The form of the ancient dragons was said to be perfect, but their lesser descendants display odd and unsettling anatomies. The more powerful of these occult creatures can often be identified by the writhing appendages that extend from their bodies.''

CR9 Guardian Hydra - Huge Beast10 HP108 Initiative+1 Speed-20(4) AC23(T9,FF22) 10 bites+14(d10+5) Abilities21,12,20,2,10,9 Saves+12/+8/+3 SQ Reach 10, Combat Reflexes, Blindfight, fast healing 20, cold resistance 5, electricity resistance 5 Rewards - 3000 souls

The hydra can attack with all its heads at no penalty, even if it moves or charges during the round. The hydra can be killed either by severing all its heads or by slaying its body. To sever a head, an opponent must make a attack roll with a slashing weapon (the player should declare where the attack is aimed before making the roll) oppposed by the hydra's attack roll. Players get a +4 bonus for using a twohanded weapon and a -4 penalty for using a light weapon. This provokes an attack of opportunity unless the player has the improved sunder feat, or the player can ready an action to attempt to sunder a head when the creature bites at him, which does not prevent an attack of opportunity. A player can strike at the hydra’s heads from any position in which he could strike at the hydra itself, because the hydra’s head writhe and whip about in combat. Each of the hydra’s heads has ten hit points, and losing a head deals 10 damage to the body. Each time a head is severed, two new heads spring from the stump in 1d4 rounds. A hydra can never have more than twice its original number of heads. To prevent a severed head from growing back into two heads, at least 5 points of fire or acid damage must be dealt to the stump before the new heads appear. Charcoal pine resin (or similar effect) deals its energy damage to the stump in the same blow in which a head is severed. Fire or acid damage from an area effect may burn multiple stumps in addition to dealing damage to the hydra’s body (but does not actually damage heads).