False Hydra
Huge abberation, chaotic evil
- Armor Class 16
- Hit Points 260 (25d10 + 125)
- Speed 5ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 20 (+5) 10 (+0) 20 (+5) 21 (+5) 19 (+4) 24 (+7)
- Condition Immunities Charmed
- Senses Blindsight 120 from each head; Passive Perception 14
- Languages Common, Deep Speech
- Challenge 14 (11,500)
Innate Spell casting. The false hydra's innate spell casting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 20). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
At will: detect thoughts
3/day: dominate monster
Legendary Resistance (3/Day) If the false hydra fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Multiple Heads The false hydra gains an additional action per turn equal to the quantity of heads it has. If the false hydra has 3 heads, it has 3 actions on it's turn (in addition to move and bonus actions). It does not gain additional move and bonus actions.
Extended Neck The false hydra's heads have a sickeningly long neck. Each head can extend several hundred feet from it's body depending on the age of the false hydra. See the below table:
Young (1-2 Heads): 120 ft. range
Adult (3-4 Heads): 240 ft. range
Mature (5-6 Heads): 480 ft. range
Elder (7 Heads): 1240 ft. range
A head can recoil into it's body or shoot out to the full range as a move action. The heads movement can provoke an attack of opportunity and all parts of the head and neck can be targeted if extended.
Grow Heads As the false hydra eats creatures, it has a cumulative chance of growing a new head. For each creature size below with an Int of 4 or higher, the false hydra has a cumulative chance to grow a new head upon consumption.
Tiny: 1%
Small: 3%
Medium: 5%
Large: 8%
If the creature has class levels, increase the chance by 2%. For example, a Small Fighter would be a cumulative 5% chance. If the false hydra then ate a Large Wizard, he would gain an additional 10% chance for a total of 15% chance to grow a head. Once a head is grown, the percent chance reduces to 0.
Legendary Actions
The false hydra can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. It can take only one legendary action at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The false hydra regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Bite The false hydra makes a bite attack.
Sonic Pulse The false hydra targets a creature within range of one of it's heads and blasts it with a cone of noise. Creatures within a 15 foot cone take 15 (5d6) sonic damage.
Actions
Bite Melee Weapon Attack: range age dependent +11 to hit,one target. Hit 23 (4d8 + 5) Piercing damage. If the target is a Huge or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 18) and takes 13 (2d8 + 5) constrict damage at the start of each of its turns until the grapple ends. The false hydra can grapple one creature per head at a time.
Engulf Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, one target. Hit 5 (1d6 + 2) The false hydra engulfs a Huge or smaller creature grappled by it. The engulfed target is blinded, restrained, and unable to breathe, and it must succeed on a DC 25 Constitution saving throw at the start of each of the false hydra's turns or take 13 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage. If the false hydra's head moves or it's body moves, the engulfed target moves with it. The false hydra can have only one creature engulfed at a time. If the target's HP drops to 0 while engulfed, or dies, it is immediately consumed. See Grow Heads.
Sonic Blast (Recharge 5–6) The false hydra let's out a vicious scream. Creatures within 60 feet of the head that screams it must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or take 32 (5d10 + 5) sonic damage and be stunned for until the end of the Hydra's next turn. On a successful save they take half damage and are not stunned.
Mindsong The false hydra sings a harrowing melody which is heard by anyone within 5 miles. Only one head needs to sing and having additional heads join the song provide no benefits. Creatures hearing the song gain gaps in their memory. If a person enters a room with a false hydra, the song will cause the person to forget the hydra was there.
This song does not alter reality, only perception. A woman who lost her husband may find it confusing to find men's clothes in her house as she recalls no husband. This effect does not work on people who are deaf, or are focused on the item the gap is intended to replace. For example, the women above may witness the hydra eating a man, and recall all of it during the event, but forget it the second she looks away.
As people are victims to the mindsong, they risk gaining split minds. The victim does not notice this but the half of the mind that can see (but not hear) may try to notify the victim of the hydra. Each half only controls half the body. The half that can not hear does not control speech. This may appear as the left hand inserting text into a note the victim is writing, or scratch letters into their chest as they sleep. Since the right brain is still impacted by the mindsong, they may never notice the letter, however the scars on their chest are harder to blank out of their mind.