Search for a creature to load onto this page:
Enter a search string for a creature to view (either a partial creature name or a partial tag name):
INFO
Hydra
Who, who are you
Your magic is strange and new
Your magic is strange and new
Lifeforms originating from magical energy, using one or more natural lifeforms as a template.
Habitats
wetlands, swamp
very rare
wetlands, marsh
very rare
Size:
Huge
Type:
Magical Beast
Form:
hydra
Temper:
# App:
1 (1)
Lair:
Diet:
Combat Dice:
0
Hit Points:
0
Attack Rank:
0
Passive Defense:
0
Active Defense:
Damage Reduction:
0
Role:
brute
Ground:
120' (40')
Climb/Arboreal:
Flight:
Swim:
25
Benthic:
Burrow:
Ethereal:
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (BECMI)
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (BECMI)
Action
5 to 12
1-10 each
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (D&D 5e)
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (D&D 5e)
Action
Bite
Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) poison damage.
Action
Constrict
Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Large or smaller creature. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 19) if the hydra isn't already constricting a creature, and the target is restrained until this grapple ends.
Action
Detect
The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Action
Multiattack
The hydra makes as many attacks as it has heads plus one to constrict.
Action
Poison Breath (Recharge 5-6)
The dragon exhales poison in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that cone must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 54 (12d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Action
Summon Crab (Costs 2 Actions)
The hydra summons a karkinos.
Action
Tail
Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage.
Action
Tail Attack
The dragon makes a tail attack.
Special
Contamination
The hydra emits an aura of corruption 30 feet in every direction. Plants that aren't creatures wither in the aura, and the ground in it is difficult terrain for other creatures. Any creature that starts its turn in the aura must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or take 14 (4d6) poison damage. A creature that succeeds on the save is immune to this hydra's Contamination for 24 hours.
Special
Hold Breath
The hydra can hold its breath for 1 hour.
Special
Legendary Resistances (3/Day)
If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Special
Multiple Heads
The hydra has nine heads. While it has more than one head, the hydra has advantage on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, and knocked unconscious. Whenever the hydra takes 25 or more damage in a single turn, one of its heads dies. If all its heads die, the hydra dies. At the end of its turn, it grows two heads for each of its heads that died since its last turn, unless it has taken fire damage since its last turn. The hydra regains 10 hit points for each head regrown in this way.
Special
Reactive Heads
For each head the hydra has beyond one, it gets an extra reaction that can be used only for opportunity attacks.
Special
Wakeful
While the hydra sleeps, at least one of its heads is awake.
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (d20)
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (d20)
Action
5 bites
6 (1d8+3)
Special (Ex)
Fast Healing
Special (Ex)
Hydra Traits
Special (Ex)
Regenerate Head
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (OSE)
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (OSE)
Action
bite
5 to 12 * bite (1d10)
Special
Heads
1d8+4 heads; 1HD per head.
Special
Disabling heads
For every 8hp damage taken, one head is disabled (cannot attack).
Special
Variants
Special hydras sometimes found with venom, fiery breath, etc.
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (OSR)
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (OSR)
Special
|Fast Healing|Hydra Traits|Regenerate|Head
A hydra's fast healing ability is equal to its current number of heads (minimum fast healing 5). This fast healing applies only to damage inflicted on the hydra's body. A hydra regains hit points per round. Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, nor does it allow a creature to regrow lost body parts. Unless otherwise stated, it does not allow lost body parts to be reattached. Fast healing continues to function (even at negative hit points) until a creature dies, at which point the effects of fast healing end immediately.
Special
|Fast Healing|Hydra Traits|Regenerate|Head
A hydra can be killed by severing all of its heads or slaying its body. Any attack that is not an attempt to sever a head affects the body, including area attacks or attacks that cause piercing or bludgeoning damage. To sever a head, an opponent must make an attack with a slashing weapon targeting a head. A head is considered a separate creature with the same AC and hit points equal to the hydra's HD. To sever a head, an opponent must inflict enough damage to reduce the head's hit points to 0 or less. Severing a head deals damage to the hydra's body equal to the hydra's current HD. A hydra can't attack with a severed head, but takes no other penalties.
Special
|Fast Healing|Hydra Traits|Regenerate|Head
When a hydra's head is destroyed, two heads regrow in 1d4 rounds. A hydra cannot have more than twice its original number of heads at any one time. To prevent new heads from growing, at least 5 points of acid or fire damage must be dealt to the stump (a touch attack to hit) before they appear.
Special
|Fast Healing|Hydra Traits|Regenerate|Head
Acid or fire damage from area attacks can affect stumps and the body simultaneously. A Hydra doesn't die from losing its heads until all are cut off and the stumps seared by acid or fire.
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (Pathfinder 1e)
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (Pathfinder 1e)
Action
Feat 1
Combat Reflexes
Action
Feat 2
Iron Will
Action
Feat 3
Lightning Reflexes
Action
Melee 1
5 bites +6 (1d8+3)
Special
Fast Healing (Ex)
A hydra's fast healing ability is equal to its current number of heads (minimum fast healing 5). This fast healing applies only to damage inflicted on the hydra's body.
Special
Hydra Traits (Ex)
A hydra can be killed by severing all of its heads or slaying its body. Any attack that is not an attempt to sever a head affects the body, including area attacks or attacks that cause piercing or bludgeoning damage. To sever a head, an opponent must make a sunder attempt with a slashing weapon targeting a head. A head is considered a separate weapon with hardness 0 and hit points equal to the hydra's HD. To sever a head, an opponent must inflict enough damage to reduce the head's hit points to 0 or less. Severing a head deals damage to the hydra's body equal to the hydra's current HD. A hydra can't attack with a severed head, but takes no other penalties.
Special
Regenerate Head (Ex)
When a hydra's head is destroyed, two heads regrow in 1d4 rounds. A hydra cannot have more than twice its original number of heads at any one time. To prevent new heads from growing, at least 5 points of acid or fire damage must be dealt to the stump (a touch attack to hit) before they appear. Acid or fire damage from area attacks can affect stumps and the body simultaneously. A hydra doesn't die from losing its heads until all are cut off and the stumps seared by acid or fire.
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (Pathfinder 2e)
Actions/Abilities/Traits: (Pathfinder 2e)
Ability
Ability
A hydra can regrow a severed head using Hydra Regeneration. A creature can prevent this regrowth by dealing acid or fire damage to the stump, cauterizing it. Single-target acid or fire effects need to be targeted at a specific stump, but effects that deal splash damage or affect areas covering the hydra's whole space cauterize all stumps if they deal acid or fire damage. If the attack that severs a head deals any acid or fire damage, the stump is cauterized instantly. If all five heads are cauterized, the hydra dies.
Ability
Attack of Opportunity
Ability
Focused Assault
The hydra attacks a single target with its heads, overwhelming its foe with multiple attacks and leaving almost nowhere to dodge. The hydra Strikes with its fangs. On a successful attack, the hydra deals damage from its fangs Strike to the target, plus an additional 1d6 damage for every head it has beyond the first. Even on a failed attack, the hydra deals the damage from one fangs Strike to the target creature, though it still misses completely on a critical failure. This counts toward the hydra's multiple attack penalty as a number of attacks equal to the number of heads the hydra has.
Ability
Head Regrowth
A hydra ordinarily has five heads. A creature can attempt to sever one of the hydra's heads by specifically targeting it and dealing damage equal to the head's Hit Points. A head that is not completely severed returns to full Hit Points at the end of any creature's turn.
Ability
Hydra Regeneration
The hydra has regeneration equal to 3 x the number of heads it has. If a hydra's body is missing any heads and the remaining stumps have not been cauterized, the hydra attempts a DC 25 Fortitude save after it regains Hit Points from regeneration. On a success, one uncauterized stump regrows two heads; on a critical success, two uncauterized stumps regrow into two heads each. The hydra can never grow more than double the number of heads it ordinarily has. The hydra's regeneration only fully deactivates if all its heads are severed and all stumps are cauterized, at which point it dies.
Ability
Multiple Opportunities
A hydra gains an extra reaction per round for each of its heads beyond the first, which it can use only to make Attacks of Opportunity. It can't use more than 1 reaction on the same triggering action, even if a creature leaves several squares within its reach, and the hydra must use a different head for each Attack of Opportunity it makes. Whenever one of the hydra's heads is severed, the hydra loses 1 of its extra reactions per round.
Ability
Storm of Jaws
The hydra makes a number of Strikes up to its number of heads, each against a different target. These attacks count toward the hydra's multiple attack penalty, but the multiple attack penalty doesn't increase until after the hydra makes all its attacks.
Offense
Melee
Circumstance: combat round (melee)
fangs +16 [+11/+6] (reach 10 feet), Damage 2d6+7 piercing
Trait
Beast
A creature similar to an animal but with an Intelligence modifier of -3 or higher is usually a beast. Unlike an animal, a beast might be able to speak and reason.
Immunity
area damage
Perception
low-light vision
scent (imprecise) 30 feet
Weakness
slashing 5
What at first appeared to be multiple snakes tangled up with each other is in fact a multi-headed best, all of them connected to one large serpent body.
Hydras are reptile-like monsters with nine heads. A hydra is gray brown to dark brown, with a light yellow or tan underbelly. The eyes are amber, and the teeth are yellow-white. It is about 20 feet long and weighs about 4,000 pounds.
Deadly by Nature. Hydras are extremely poisonous, such that their blood is used in arrows to slay even more fearsome opponents. Their breath is dire enough to kill a man where he stands, but even the miasma that surrounds them can poison attackers even while the hydra sleeps.
5e SRD
Large, dragon-like creatures with multiple, serpentine heads. Sea hydras (adapted to water, with fins) also exist.
OSE