Hydra

The hydra is a reptilian horror with a crocodilian body and multiple heads on long, serpentine necks. Although its heads can be severed, the hydra magically regrows them in short order. A typical specimen has five heads.

Basic Information

Ecology and Habitats

Hydras are natural swimmers, dwelling in rivers, along lakeshores, in ocean shallows, and in wetland bogs. A hydra rarely requires shelter from the elements, so it doesn't normally have a lair.

Dietary Needs and Habits

A rapacious and gluttonous monster, a hydra snatches and tears apart its prey in a frenzy of feeding. When a hydra has cleared a territory of food and driven off any creatures smart enough to avoid it, it moves on to seek its meals elsewhere. A hydra's hunger is so great that if it can't feed, it might turn against itself, its heads attacking each other as the creature eats itself alive.

Hooded Hydra by Chase Stone

Geographic Distribution

• Sagu Jungle

Planeshift Tarkir

Hooded Hydra CR: 8

Huge monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class: 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points: 172 (15d12 + 75) 15d12+75

Speed: 30 ft , swim: 30 ft

STR

20 +5

DEX

12 +1

CON

20 +5

INT

2 -4

WIS

10 +0

CHA

7 -2

Skills: Perception +6

Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16

Languages: -

Challenge Rating: 8

Hooded Hydra by Chase Stone

Hold Breath. The hydra can hold its breath for 1 hour.
Multiple Heads. The hydra has five 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.
Reactive Heads. For each head the hydra has beyond one, it gets an extra reaction that can be used only for opportunity attacks.
Wakeful. While the hydra sleeps, at least one of its heads is awake.

Actions

Multiattack. The hydra makes as many bite attacks as it has heads.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d4 + 5) piercing damage, and the target must make on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.