Editing Hydra (section)

==D&D==
The hydra has been around in [[Dungeons & Dragons]] literally since the beginning, having appeared in the Basic Set in 1977 and then going on to appear in the 1981 and 1983 Expert Sets, the 1991 Rules Cyclopedia, and then every Monster Manual from 1st through to 5th. Whilst various details have changed across the editions, the core has remained; hydras are quadrupedal, wingless [[dragon]]-kin who possess multiple heads on long, serpentine necks. They can regenerate, and favor swampy environments.

Traditional variants of the hydra include the flame-spewing Pyrohydra, and the frost-spewing Cryohydra. They also have a nasty habit of punching outside of their CR.  Their regeneration is very strong and they make a large number of attacks per round. In 3rd edition especially, their rules were created to allow fighters with Cleave and elemental spellcasters to feel stronger, and characters without those abilities to be a strait disadvantage.  Similarly, nearly any template put on them made them even more dangerous. Results could include Zombie, where the hydra's pseudo-pounce and very strange version of regeneration (that's technically not lost like the normal kind) negating the templates main weakness making hydras (especially pyrohydras, who can't have their heads permanently severed as zombies) a favorite of necromancer PCs. The Monster of Legend template can also make them literally unkillable short of a Wish spell.

[[Birthright]]'s take on the monster, which, like all such Birthright monsters is a unique creature rather than a whole race, is particularly nightmarish.  Once a simple crocodile that, depending on who you believe, either chowed down on the wrong body or was corrupted to its present purpose by Azrai himself, the Hydra is now ringed by several severed-but-still-semiconscious heads of various heroes and heroines who've tried to destroy it over the years, only to be devoured and subjected to bloodtheft.  It's not a super-smart macro-level threat like a lot of other awnsheigh, but it's got a lot of powers up its sleeve from all the heroes it's absorbed over the centuries, and no one knows how to destroy it permanently.

===Gallery===
<gallery>
Hydra ODD3.png|Original D&D
Hydra 1e.png|1e
Hydra MCV1.jpg|2e
Hydra MM 2e.png
Hydra 3e.jpg|3e
Hydra 4e.jpg|4e
Hydra 5e.png|5e
Hydra B1.png|Pathfinder
</gallery>