Glaze my Hydra

Im playing my Theros campaign, Lv 12 now with D&D5.5 and when my Ravenloft game ends at club i might run it there. Likely to be some pro dm next year there (?). A second young woman joined our game and knew the first one and it was a very exciting time as they knew each other from school and had same slang. I wrote an obscene parody song for a player character for local bards to sing.

Hydra are classic monsters and great for more ancient games as an alternative to dragons. Hydra was a more important constellation once and affiliated with beneficial underworld snake gods bringing wisdom and fructifying powers. Guys like Ningizzida remnants of when snake gods were a big deal. 

Plenty to surprise players here with my EM0 version.

Hydra

Draconic Beast

Size                AC    HD         Att                                       Mov     Morale    

Small             +6      6d8        d4+2 heads d6+1 bite         9         8          
Medeum        +8      12d8      2d4+2 heads d8+2 bite       10        9

Huge              +10    16d8     3d4+2 heads d10+3 bite     12        10 
Collosal          +12    20d8     4d4+2 heads d12+4 bite      6         11
Guargantuan  +15    36d8     5d4+4 heads 2d8+4 bite      3         12

Hydra are multiheaded giant snakes often placed as guardians of relics or places by the gods. They may be sent to cause terror and might take a bridge, waterway, mountain pass, harbour or other choke point. Ancient armies raised them as battle mascots and bore them on flags. 

Hydra will attack with a bite per head per round and may have other offensive powers. Hydra necks allow them to reach range 1 per 5HD 

1in4 Amphibious and can stay underwater for 40 minutes, longer using a head as a snorkel
1in4 Horns or antlers can make a blunt butt attack instead of bite, medium or smaller targets save or are knocked prone
1in6 Venomous bite + poison equal to minimum bite damage, save to avoid damage
1in6 Constrictor tail damage as bite plus grapple, then crushes each round or feeds helpless target to heads the heads
1in8 Have legs and +50% Mov speed
1in8 Shed skin once a day and recover 1/3 of lost HP
1in10 Talking intelligent being, ancient and wise, knows a language per HD, may have some human features like a beard or human face
1in10 Regenerating, divide HP by heads; each time damaged equal to a share, a head is destroyed. If not damaged by fire or acid, each round recover one head and share of original HP 
1in12 Any who helps kill the hydra is cursed by the gods, save to avoid
1in12 Teeth can be used to conjure serpent-blooded human warriors with a secret ritual, after performing one task they will depart to start a colony of snake-blooded people

1in20 As regenerating but regrow two heads and HP shares per round
1in20 Winged flight for a round per HD per day at half Mov

d12 Rare Hydra Subtypes
1 Hell Hydra - requires silver or magic weapons to harm, immune to fire and take half from lightning, cold or poison. Can e banished back to hell. Might guard a hell portal or be a nmount of a devil noble. If killed leaves a sulphurous pool for a day and spirit returns to hell and cannot return to the mortal plane for a year per head

2 Zombie hydra - has undead resistances but half Mov and acts last in the round, poor intelligence often under orders to guard a location   

3 Devouring hydra - if a head rolls a natural 20 to hit can swallow a medium target. The target is restrained and takes bite damage each round from acid

4 Slime Hydra - transparent gelatin creature, invisible in water. Instead of a bite, it is a stinger which damages and grapples the target until dead, then absorbs them, melts if killed over a day

5 Shadow hydra- tainted by the nightmare realms of darkness, can teleport between shadows, invisible in darkness and requires magic weapons to hit. On death, it fades away back to the nightmare world

6 Chaos hydra - has a mutation per head, half will be minor, half will be major. If killed body melts into a bubbling pool of mutagenic slime for a day that morphs into hydra HD in grey slime monsters

7 Magi hydra - knows a spell level per HD and instinct to cast them, renew daily. Eating a roast head or brain may give the eater a one-use spell. Spells will support their duties or purpose

8 Invisible hydra - as per the improved spell but on death becomes visible

9 Plague hydra - each bite target requires a save or is infected with disease. Each round makes a special attack d4 1=cast stinking cloud with flatulent buttocks 2=vomit up swarm of flesh-eating maggots 3=plague belch any within 1 range per HD save or diseased 4=pollute water and food within 1 range per HD. On death is a diseased mass or worm-infested gore for a day, and touching it causes disease  

10 Rainbow hydra - can replace a bite with a rainbow bolt for the same damage, 1 range per HD, each head has its own colour ray with various effects such as d12 1=fire 2=cold 3=lightning, poison 4=acid 5=web 6=disease 7=charm 8=dispel magic 9=curse 10=level drain 11=paralysis 12=sleep. On death, it becomes a rainbow stretching into the heavens for a day, some say these can act as a ladder to the world tree or heavens

11 Necro hydra - undead hydra requires magic to hit, has standard undead resistances. Each bite of a living target requires a save or lose a level for a d4 hours. If all levels lost, a target becomes an undead thrall or pet of the hydra. On death, it breaks into a maggot-ridden mass of gore, for every HD a giant fly is born from the mess over a day

12 Magic eater hydra - immune to spells and magic effects and powers; if it moves into a magical area of effect, the caster must save each round to maintain the magic. On death, the body becomes crumbling glowing crystals that break down over a day. They say you can recover one charge of a magic item per hour
13 Acid blood hydra - any blow striking with a melee weapon is returned with a spray of acid, damage equals minimum bite. A save takes no damage or half if unarmed attack like claws. Non-magic weapons melt after one blow. Melts into slime on death that for a day emits poison vapour, save or take a d6 if in contact

14 Phantom hydra - a dreamlike illusory form of a spirit being, requires magic weapons or attacks to damage. May walk through non-magical solids and can be dispelled like an illusion; fades away to dreamland if its form is killed 

15 Phase hydra - can partially or fully enter the ether, frequently translucent with +4AC and magic weapons or magical damage is required to harm. Able to pass through non-magical solids. On death fades away into the thereal plane sometimes leaving a portal for a day to the ethereal plane
16 Pyro hydra - can replace a bite with a fire bolt for the same damage, 1 range per HD, also immune to fire and heat and can swim in lava. d6 damage within 3m. Burning coals left for a day after death, causing a d6 to touch

17 Aero hydra  - fly double Mov, can replace a bite with a lightning bolt for the same damage 1 range per HD, also immune to electricity or wind effects. If killed, body sparks, dehydrates and turns to dust over a day, causing a d6 to touch

18 Hydro hydra - can replace a bite with a hose of water; medium creature who fails a save falls prone, if smaller move them to the max range of the breathe. 1 range per HD, aquatic with full Mov in water and silent, can hold breath on land for 40 minutes, melts on death over a day into flammable oil

19 Ice hydra - can replace a bite with an icebolt for the same damage 1 range per HD, also immune to cold and ice and can ignore ice terrain or slipping or being slowed or frozen. d6 damage within 3m. Crumples into ice chunks then snow over a day after death, causing a d6 to touch

20 Geo hydra -  can replace a bite with an acid bolt for the same damage 1 range per HD, also immune to acid and poison and can ignore petrification. Crumples into rock chunks then sand over a day after death

d112 Hydra Adventure
1 A hydra in a shipwreck on rocks is a major shipping hazard

2 They say in the well of a ruined temple there is a holy hydra who offers divination and healing if you take its secret oath
3 A cunning hydra in the sewer is frightening people on the privy and biting them on the bum
4 A serpentine cult has a ruined temple in the swamp guarded by a hydra

5 A naked witch riding a hydra has demanded a town pay her or feel her apocalyptic wrath

6 A wizard has been kidnapping villagers and taking them to his tower guarded by a hydra

7 All the fish in a pond have gone. Also local sheep. And the shepherd

8 A wicked hydra has absorbed the souls of apprentice wizards; each head holds a separate soul, which must be freed of the beast will absorb them at midnight, then seek more victims

9 When the pipers play the pipes at Lake Gloomsporren, a hydra arises from the deep to listen

10 A hydra guards a magic fruit tree of the old gods. Perhaps if you can steal or beg for one, you can enjoy the food of the gods

11 An elemental power node is guarded by an elemental hydra, and wizards really want to get a look at the portal, so they need you to keep it busy

12 A hydra guards a relic and the gods want heroes to reclaim the item as the time is right