What armour can I make from the hydra's body parts
The hydra's hide isn't particularly resilient, but most things where snake skin or reptile skin can be used hydra can be used to great effect. It's main reason to be used is if properly harvested and treated it even self heals to a marginal degree. And i don't mean that scratches buff out, i mean it will literally mend itself. This process is difficult and shouldn't be tried by a novice, and i don't know enough to even give a run down on how it works.
the easiest treasure to get from a hydra would be its venom. They're all typically a neurotoxin, and all generally very fatal to just about everything. Meaning if you're not interested in too great a trophy you can use it to kill damn near anything. It works great. Just be careful in handling it.
Generally speaking, are hydras mindless murder machines, or is there any evidence of some sort of intelligence or motivation behind their actions?
Similarly, what generally prompts an attack? Is it a territory protection thing like hippos, a predatory instinct like birds of prey, or are they just assholes like cats?
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valhalla13013 Dark Shield Perceives the GodsRegistered Userregular
Hydra are cool and all, but these dang Sahuagin keep coming ashore at night. I think the light in the lighthouse attracts them. I need a thread about them.
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UnbrokenEvaHIGH ON THE WIREBUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered Userregular
Still covering that .2% We have the Fey-Gorger Hydra.
This one measures in a comparably puny 5000km. Don't let the size fool you however, the emergence of one of these is rated as a Titan Level event. And considering the next largest hydra is maybe a kilometre long, why the Fey-Gorger is feared is pretty easily apparent.
The Fey-Georger Hydra is luckily an alien being, coming from the same realm of existence as the other fey being, and even there is considered a massive threat. As such it is impossible to say how many heads these creatures have naturally, as they always seem to cross over in an agitated state, and with wildly varying numbers of heads, currently three have been recorded, one had as few as nine heads, another as many as twenty seven. As well, they buck the trend of large size means less fatal venom. As their venom seems to be potent enough to dissolve a human in seconds.
Luckily as extra-planar beings, means to combat them are many, as most magics able to bind and expel such things are commonly available, enough in a large spell formation can shunt an emerging Fey-Gorger Hydra away. Or once here, able to eject them from earth with enough force present. With it being fey typical fey killing weapons have effect however, due to the scale, they are not recommended.
If you suspect a Fey-Gorger Hydra is appearing in your area, call fucking everyone, and just keep calling until enough people show up to deal with it. A single one of these could dominate an entire continent in a week, they need to be removed immediately.
what if I just call one bald dude, who is a hero for fun?
I spend way too much time playing the 2006 game Titan Quest just so I could fight the Hydra in Legendary mode. Once I finally killed it I felt let down. Still though, it was a pretty good Diablo knock-off.
DisruptedCapitalist on
"Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
Generally speaking, are hydras mindless murder machines, or is there any evidence of some sort of intelligence or motivation behind their actions?
Similarly, what generally prompts an attack? Is it a territory protection thing like hippos, a predatory instinct like birds of prey, or are they just assholes like cats?
Excellent questions!
Hydras on a whole vary quite a bit. Your bog standard hydra however is about as smart as most snakes. Clever, but not intelligent. Many know when you back off because they're losing, or set up ambushes and the like, but you can't reason with them so much, they after all still an animal. They mostly are just hunting for food and you happen to be there. However, some seem to be driven by something else entirely. It doesn't seem to be a species thing either, as it doesn't seem to be consistent. Best we figure is due to their general resilience, and ability to move generally undetected other worldly creatures will enthrall them to act on their will. To what end, I can't say.
The typical reason fro attack seems to be hunting. Hydras seem to have a near limitless hunger at times, however so simply finding a resting one doesn't mean its not hunting, it was probably waiting in ambush. The only time they seem to attack based on territory is when there are young in their nests. since their territory can extend up to ten kilometres outside of whatever lake they're holed up in, it is very lucky that hydras do not breed very often. If there is a mating pair of hydras in your area, stick to heavily populated places, they are less likely to attack there as they seem to be smart enough to treat it like many animals might a bee hive.
Hydra are cool and all, but these dang Sahuagin keep coming ashore at night. I think the light in the lighthouse attracts them. I need a thread about them.
I don't have any notes prepared but if you'd like i can throw together something in a bit.
Still covering that .2% We have the Fey-Gorger Hydra.
This one measures in a comparably puny 5000km. Don't let the size fool you however, the emergence of one of these is rated as a Titan Level event. And considering the next largest hydra is maybe a kilometre long, why the Fey-Gorger is feared is pretty easily apparent.
The Fey-Georger Hydra is luckily an alien being, coming from the same realm of existence as the other fey being, and even there is considered a massive threat. As such it is impossible to say how many heads these creatures have naturally, as they always seem to cross over in an agitated state, and with wildly varying numbers of heads, currently three have been recorded, one had as few as nine heads, another as many as twenty seven. As well, they buck the trend of large size means less fatal venom. As their venom seems to be potent enough to dissolve a human in seconds.
Luckily as extra-planar beings, means to combat them are many, as most magics able to bind and expel such things are commonly available, enough in a large spell formation can shunt an emerging Fey-Gorger Hydra away. Or once here, able to eject them from earth with enough force present. With it being fey typical fey killing weapons have effect however, due to the scale, they are not recommended.
If you suspect a Fey-Gorger Hydra is appearing in your area, call fucking everyone, and just keep calling until enough people show up to deal with it. A single one of these could dominate an entire continent in a week, they need to be removed immediately.
what if I just call one bald dude, who is a hero for fun?
I would rather put my faith in King, our Greatest Hero.
Is a hydra's ability to regrow heads and limbs magical or physiological in nature?
If it's magical what, if any, limits are there to its regeneration and do the magically regenerated limbs contain the nutrients one would expect? Could starving villages solve their issues by trapping a hydra and using it as a renewable food source?
If it's physiological could someone tire a hydra to death by forcing it to use its stored up energy by rapidly regrowing limbs repeatedly?
Is a hydra's ability to regrow heads and limbs magical or physiological in nature?
If it's magical what, if any, limits are there to its regeneration and do the magically regenerated limbs contain the nutrients one would expect? Could starving villages solve their issues by trapping a hydra and using it as a renewable food source?
If it's physiological could someone tire a hydra to death by forcing it to use its stored up energy by rapidly regrowing limbs repeatedly?
The fast and dirty answer is that it's considerably both. It's ability to grow back so quickly is somewhat supernatural but it's base ability to do so is not. In an area devoid of any and all magic it would still be bale to regrow its heads, but instead of taking minutes it might take days. This is part of why using a hydra as a food source is not really worth the investment.
As far tiring a hydra to death, it is possible, but not as easy as one might hope. Due to the supernatural aspects of the hydra, they are capable of not spending the energy to regrow a proper replacement. Typically in a fight it will regrow lesser heads. These tend to be smaller, weaker, often with less developed senses, and might not even be venomous depending on how hard you're pushing it and how many heads it has left. This is especially true in hydras that regrow multiple heads from one loss. It is more important to defend the remaining heads than it is to replace them with full fledged ones. These heads are often discarded later to be replaced when it has fed later.
Add to this that hydras are typically gluttons, and can eat near endlessly in between periods of rest and you have a creature that can fight for days before getting too tired to reform heads. and even then smater ones would instead play dead so that it can reform later when someoen wishing to kill it isn't around. This would be an excellent time to strike as it won't defend itself and even if it moves to you can get in there before it can regrow a single head.
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StraightziHere we may reign secure, and in my choice,To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered Userregular
Dear Monster Guide,
Have there been any studies done with regards to an individual hydra head's ability to recognize other heads as being a part of itself as opposed to a part of another hydra? Would that head be able to recognize that the head next to it in fact belongs to a different hydra, or would it assume to be another head of the same parent body? Relatedly, how do hydra do around mirrors and other highly reflective surfaces?
No, each head doesn't have a complete brain. Its brain is largely there to process information faster and make specific decisions. As well it seems to act as a back up int he event the main brain is damaged the body has cell tissue to regrow brain cells insuring that even if one head is intact the hydra is basically unkillable.
do hydras generally serve a meaningful role in their local ecology or are they regarded as an invasive species
Due to the longevity of hydras, it is hard to say for sure. Most ecosystems that include a hydra have included a hydra for generations and we don't really have any data to compare it to. It could be that the hydra's rest period is to allow animals to reproduce and they sweep in to to reduce numbers and instigate that the best survive, but I think that's attributing too much to the hydra. More likely they are invasive, but nature has managed to balance itself against the hydra's presence.
There is no real desire to attempt to intrude a hydra to a new ecosystem to actually study this, as it seems needlessly reckless.
Have there been any studies done with regards to an individual hydra head's ability to recognize other heads as being a part of itself as opposed to a part of another hydra? Would that head be able to recognize that the head next to it in fact belongs to a different hydra, or would it assume to be another head of the same parent body? Relatedly, how do hydra do around mirrors and other highly reflective surfaces?
The hydra heads can recognize each other fairly easily as far as we can tell. Each head is controlled by a main brain in the core of its body, so any delay would be as slow as reflex. This is why it is difficult to to get a hydra to strike itself, it would be roughly as hard as tricking a martial artist into punching them self. And just as amusing. Also, we figure they can feel each other, as they share a central nervous system, so it would be like misidentifying your own hand, as long as it is attached, you can probably find your own hand.
As far as mirrors, there hasn't been a lot of testing with that. It would likely attempt to attack it, discover there's no scent, and operate from that. or just last out and break the mirror. It is impossible to say for sure at this time. it is worth noting that reflective water doesn't seem to phase them to any degree, but that is probably due to endless familiarity.
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StraightziHere we may reign secure, and in my choice,To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered Userregular
Theoretically speaking, could the freshly severed and well preserved head of one hydra be transplanted onto the body of another?
Obviously in other species, a head transplant would be unthinkable, but given the regenerative properties of the hydra, would it be able to heal from such an operation? Would that head fully assimilate into its new host body, or would it be treated as a foreign invader, either consciously (being attacked by any of the other heads) or unconsciously (transplant rejection as we are used to it with other species leading to it withering and dying)? Would the transplanted head retain some measure of its own intelligence and autonomy, or would it be overpowered by the primary brain and central nervous system?
Theoretically speaking, could the freshly severed and well preserved head of one hydra be transplanted onto the body of another?
Obviously in other species, a head transplant would be unthinkable, but given the regenerative properties of the hydra, would it be able to heal from such an operation? Would that head fully assimilate into its new host body, or would it be treated as a foreign invader, either consciously (being attacked by any of the other heads) or unconsciously (transplant rejection as we are used to it with other species leading to it withering and dying)? Would the transplanted head retain some measure of its own intelligence and autonomy, or would it be overpowered by the primary brain and central nervous system?
That, is an interesting question. I don't really have a clean answer!
Provided they're genetically comparable, you know say working with in a similar guideline we use for human organ transplants, it could theoretically work if the host body didn't immediately reject it.
From what we know, a lot of the brain power in each head is generally there to ensure fluid and instantaneous movement of all the appendages, giving a hydra a very fast and adaptable pattern of attacks. there is very little in the way of personality and individuality in a head. So, in all likely hood a head would just assimilate into the greater hydra and be discarded when the hydra felt it was in a safe enough place to do so. If it's a fully developed head however, it might not and just accept the transplant.
Now, taking this to a logical extreme, it could work like the few tests where we did a troll head transplant. Now I'm not a doctor or a scientist, i was there in the event the troll when berserk and the test had to be aborted, but effectively putting an intact hydra head onto a damaged hydra body where the core brain needs to be repaired, it could be made into an effective clone of the transplanted head. Since the brain is generally directing the regrowth process, and the core brain attempting to repair itself first it would look to whatever intact brain it has, and if there is only the transplant it would take from that, making an effective splice. Granted, hydras are a bit more genetically stable than trolls, which is why hydra S-blooded people don't tend to happen (they usually just get blood poisoning). but given the right environment, one could make a hybrid hydra.
Hydra are cool and all, but these dang Sahuagin keep coming ashore at night. I think the light in the lighthouse attracts them. I need a thread about them.
Alright, so I've been going over notes we have on Sahuagin, kind grouping in other fish people races because they seem to cover some general threads.
Now some things of general note, they don't seem to live at the sea bottom, or at least not in the real dark depths. So while more durable than your common human, most human killing weapons should work. Sword, shotgun, you know, work with what you have.
It is important to figure out why they are there however. They're an intelligent species, making contact with them might be advisable as a first step if they haven't killed anyone yet. they might speak the local language to a degree, perhaps try to pen a dialog. However, don't show up alone, show up armed, and talk from a place of authority, near as they know you're speaking on behalf of the land king, it's important for them you aren't to be fucked with. they might not be a raiding party, they might be a recovery party or a scouting party, those can be dealt with peacefully.
if they are leaving tracks to the light house, investigate it during the day, see if there's any kind of lair being built, then, build a barricade along the path in a palce you can defend, have five or six other people with you, assuming you're American having guns would be a good idea, if not, bring the deadliest weapons your nation allows you to carry. the best set up would be low lighting, with flood lamps secured and pointed in their direction in the event this goes hostile, if it does hit the lights, this will blind and stun them and then just go ham. They should retreat, and from there either attempt to negotiate, or escalate. if it's the second, getting the local authority actually involved would be a good idea. Even if they don't believe you, just do your best to get more people there. if they move for peace talks, then have a deal in mind. and fight for it.
However, if they are building a lair int he light house, it's probably best to burn that fucker down, do not let them get a foot hold on the land. that would be bad for everyone.
A small but fearsome hunter, the three headed fresh water hydra is likely the smallest of the species, coming in a meagre ten meters and sporting a modest three heads. It is however fortunate that they seem to be the most common. Their diet consists mostly of aqua animals, but they will also happily devour anything else near them.
Their venom, however is considered to be among the worst. And Adult's is said to be comparable to a bite from a bullet ant, and leads to death within an hour. The Juvenile's aren't as dire, but considering it is being compared to literally the worst pain imaginable and near intimidate death it is a cold comfort. Anti-venom exist, but none are perfect and most people seem changed by the experience. Getting bit is best avoided.
When dealing with a Three Headed Fresh Water Hydra it is important that they will typically go into full defence after losing a single head, and typically its replacements will continue to be venomous until it is nearing its end. It is well aware that the venom is its most deadly feature, and it would rather have two blind heads than a non-venomous one. It also replaces them at a single volume, hence the name, unlike others where it might temporarily have more heads, these will typically always have three, barring a recent fight or very effecting cauterization.
They do not consume the bones of land based prey typically, as such that is one of the easiest signs for detecting the presence of a Three Headed Fresh Water Hydra. Chiefly if there is an acidic smell of the body, and it has not been touched by scavengers. As they both can still smell the venom, and were probably also eaten by the hydra. Barring that, a sudden decline in the fish population is a possible sign of a hydra being active in the area, outside of the normal tracks of large beasts, and any found moulting of such a creature.
What does a hydra do if you blind its heads (by for example using greek fire)?
"The western world sips from a poisonous cocktail: Polarisation, populism, protectionism and post-truth"
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
What does a hydra do if you blind its heads (by for example using greek fire)?
That seems like something with a lot of factors, such as how late into the fight it is, did you actually blind all of it's heads permanently, and the likes.
More than just the head grows back on a hydra, so if you simply gouged out its eyes during the fight they will grow back, if you burned them into uselessness, they might self harm to get new eyes growing quicker, as fire and acid tend to mess with their regenerative process like that of a troll. If it's early enough into a fight it might just sever a head to intimidate as well regrow usable eyes. If one seeks to blind a hydra during combat, repeatable temporary measures might actually be more effective long term, or best saved until late into the fight so that the hydra might be nearing too tired to quickly regrow missing parts.
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Tommy2Handswhat is this where am iRegistered Userregular
The Reef Finned Hydra is a small salt water hydra, measuring in around twelve meters at adulthood. Named for both it's most common habitat, the coral reef, and the jagged and colourful fins along its body, it is rather awe-inspiring for its size. At young ages, they tend to be dully coloured and camouflaged, but was they mature their need for such diminishes and their colours become more garish and pronounced as they are one of the few to not practice ambush hunting, and solely rely on the full out charge the moment it spots prey. The number of heads vary by individual, though most are born with four those born with up to seven aren't unheard of and they are a rare example of hydras cultivating extra fully grown heads. Why they do this and others do not is hard to say. It should be noted that decapitation does lead to the growth or two replacement heads.
The Reef-Finned Hydra's venom is notoriously fatal. Even in juveniles surviving first contact with a bite is slim without proper planning and a supply of antivenom. Luckily it is far less painful than the previous hydra's. Thank goodness for small mercies. nerve death happens at such a rate that some don't even remember the pain from the bite, though this also means small bites go unnoticed leaving them to die some thirty minutes later from a wound they never even noticed. In addition to this their secondary defence is their sharp fins. While forced to fight on land they have been known to cut themselves on the fins to coat them in venom making a tricky situation into a deadly one. They are also able to expel their venom as a poisonous gas, however, this is far less deadly it should not be ignored as full exposure is still deadly.
Due to the nature of their venom and the jagged sharp fins, proper protection is a must as is proper medical support. Due to their duplicitous method of head regrowth and variable amount of heads, when it will switch to defensive fighting is hard to predict so relying on the two fifths method is a must. Like the Three headed freshwater hydra they rely on their venom above all else and will gladly produce two blind heads with venom than ones without, unless it down to only a few heads with vision. They are also not too proud to retreat, a good sign that this is about to happen is them expelling thick clouds of poison. Above water this is a clear sign it is going to retreat, though in the water this simply to cloud the water to come at a new angle.
Tracking a Reef-Finned Hydra is difficult as they typically feed only in their lair, dragging kills back before eating. This leads to the safest method being following trails of recently missing things to see if they all lead to the water. If they do, then you're probably on the right track. The one good thing is that in the water they are less prone to attack, not wanting their lair to be discovered they will typically not attack close to it unless provoked, so strangely, swimming above this hydra might be the safest place to be.
I am observing certain mythical creatures for a project, purely from a standpoint borne from curiosity and willingness to depict these beings in their natural habitat. What can you tell me of hydras' courting habits? Also what of their young, are they born with multiple heads as well? Or is that more of a genetic trait that slowly becomes more apparent over time?
If one were to breed a hydra with another creature of legendary status, which monster would be most cost effective and prove the most deadly to adventurers delving to deeply into my vast underground holdings?
I am observing certain mythical creatures for a project, purely from a standpoint borne from curiosity and willingness to depict these beings in their natural habitat. What can you tell me of hydras' courting habits? Also what of their young, are they born with multiple heads as well? Or is that more of a genetic trait that slowly becomes more apparent over time?
Admittedly we don't know much about the hydra's courting process, or at the very least I don't. We do know that the mating pair don't stick together for more than a few years, probably until the clutch is hatched and the young can fend on their own some. As for their young, it is known that they are born typically with about as many heads as they ever will. Some more exotic kinds might develop more, but that is often through combat and just actually being able to grow two full sized heads int he place of one, though typically those two don't grow double after that and seem to only grow a solitary replacement. Why that is however is currently unknown. Balance maybe?
If one were to breed a hydra with another creature of legendary status, which monster would be most cost effective and prove the most deadly to adventurers delving to deeply into my vast underground holdings?
-Lord Wrathbone of the Killdeep
Dear Wrathbone,
To my knowledge, hydras aren't like some dragons that are able to breed with damn near anything, they are bound to conventional nature for at least this. So, i would say, a dragon? not a very intelligent one, maybe the eastern Europe planes dragon? they're about the size of a bus, can mate with anything, trainable like a dog, shoots hell fire. it's a pretty good standard dragon. add in some extra heads and seom nevom, boom you got yourself a spicy creature.
For those that would rather not try to actually kill a hydra in melee (given that it's larger, stronger and nastier than most humans), how useful are ranged weapons? Say giant arbalests and siege ballistas?
"The western world sips from a poisonous cocktail: Polarisation, populism, protectionism and post-truth"
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
For those that would rather not try to actually kill a hydra in melee (given that it's larger, stronger and nastier than most humans), how useful are ranged weapons? Say giant arbalests and siege ballistas?
I'm going to guess "not as effective as airstrikes".
For those that would rather not try to actually kill a hydra in melee (given that it's larger, stronger and nastier than most humans), how useful are ranged weapons? Say giant arbalests and siege ballistas?
Ranged weapons have some pretty good uses in fighting a hydra, even without getting into siege weapons. Long bows, large cross bows, rifles, atlatls, all could be used to puncture the brain rendering it basically useless forcing ti to either self harm or retreat. Siege weapons can be used to rip apart the main body attempting to end it quickly. So while we tend to focus on melee weapons, ranged weapons aren't without their use.
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The hydra's hide isn't particularly resilient, but most things where snake skin or reptile skin can be used hydra can be used to great effect. It's main reason to be used is if properly harvested and treated it even self heals to a marginal degree. And i don't mean that scratches buff out, i mean it will literally mend itself. This process is difficult and shouldn't be tried by a novice, and i don't know enough to even give a run down on how it works.
the easiest treasure to get from a hydra would be its venom. They're all typically a neurotoxin, and all generally very fatal to just about everything. Meaning if you're not interested in too great a trophy you can use it to kill damn near anything. It works great. Just be careful in handling it.
Similarly, what generally prompts an attack? Is it a territory protection thing like hippos, a predatory instinct like birds of prey, or are they just assholes like cats?
what if I just call one bald dude, who is a hero for fun?
Excellent questions!
Hydras on a whole vary quite a bit. Your bog standard hydra however is about as smart as most snakes. Clever, but not intelligent. Many know when you back off because they're losing, or set up ambushes and the like, but you can't reason with them so much, they after all still an animal. They mostly are just hunting for food and you happen to be there. However, some seem to be driven by something else entirely. It doesn't seem to be a species thing either, as it doesn't seem to be consistent. Best we figure is due to their general resilience, and ability to move generally undetected other worldly creatures will enthrall them to act on their will. To what end, I can't say.
The typical reason fro attack seems to be hunting. Hydras seem to have a near limitless hunger at times, however so simply finding a resting one doesn't mean its not hunting, it was probably waiting in ambush. The only time they seem to attack based on territory is when there are young in their nests. since their territory can extend up to ten kilometres outside of whatever lake they're holed up in, it is very lucky that hydras do not breed very often. If there is a mating pair of hydras in your area, stick to heavily populated places, they are less likely to attack there as they seem to be smart enough to treat it like many animals might a bee hive.
I don't have any notes prepared but if you'd like i can throw together something in a bit.
I would rather put my faith in King, our Greatest Hero.
Is a hydra's ability to regrow heads and limbs magical or physiological in nature?
If it's magical what, if any, limits are there to its regeneration and do the magically regenerated limbs contain the nutrients one would expect? Could starving villages solve their issues by trapping a hydra and using it as a renewable food source?
If it's physiological could someone tire a hydra to death by forcing it to use its stored up energy by rapidly regrowing limbs repeatedly?
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Do hydras get smarter as they regrow more heads?
The fast and dirty answer is that it's considerably both. It's ability to grow back so quickly is somewhat supernatural but it's base ability to do so is not. In an area devoid of any and all magic it would still be bale to regrow its heads, but instead of taking minutes it might take days. This is part of why using a hydra as a food source is not really worth the investment.
As far tiring a hydra to death, it is possible, but not as easy as one might hope. Due to the supernatural aspects of the hydra, they are capable of not spending the energy to regrow a proper replacement. Typically in a fight it will regrow lesser heads. These tend to be smaller, weaker, often with less developed senses, and might not even be venomous depending on how hard you're pushing it and how many heads it has left. This is especially true in hydras that regrow multiple heads from one loss. It is more important to defend the remaining heads than it is to replace them with full fledged ones. These heads are often discarded later to be replaced when it has fed later.
Add to this that hydras are typically gluttons, and can eat near endlessly in between periods of rest and you have a creature that can fight for days before getting too tired to reform heads. and even then smater ones would instead play dead so that it can reform later when someoen wishing to kill it isn't around. This would be an excellent time to strike as it won't defend itself and even if it moves to you can get in there before it can regrow a single head.
Have there been any studies done with regards to an individual hydra head's ability to recognize other heads as being a part of itself as opposed to a part of another hydra? Would that head be able to recognize that the head next to it in fact belongs to a different hydra, or would it assume to be another head of the same parent body? Relatedly, how do hydra do around mirrors and other highly reflective surfaces?
No, each head doesn't have a complete brain. Its brain is largely there to process information faster and make specific decisions. As well it seems to act as a back up int he event the main brain is damaged the body has cell tissue to regrow brain cells insuring that even if one head is intact the hydra is basically unkillable.
Due to the longevity of hydras, it is hard to say for sure. Most ecosystems that include a hydra have included a hydra for generations and we don't really have any data to compare it to. It could be that the hydra's rest period is to allow animals to reproduce and they sweep in to to reduce numbers and instigate that the best survive, but I think that's attributing too much to the hydra. More likely they are invasive, but nature has managed to balance itself against the hydra's presence.
There is no real desire to attempt to intrude a hydra to a new ecosystem to actually study this, as it seems needlessly reckless.
The hydra heads can recognize each other fairly easily as far as we can tell. Each head is controlled by a main brain in the core of its body, so any delay would be as slow as reflex. This is why it is difficult to to get a hydra to strike itself, it would be roughly as hard as tricking a martial artist into punching them self. And just as amusing. Also, we figure they can feel each other, as they share a central nervous system, so it would be like misidentifying your own hand, as long as it is attached, you can probably find your own hand.
As far as mirrors, there hasn't been a lot of testing with that. It would likely attempt to attack it, discover there's no scent, and operate from that. or just last out and break the mirror. It is impossible to say for sure at this time. it is worth noting that reflective water doesn't seem to phase them to any degree, but that is probably due to endless familiarity.
Obviously in other species, a head transplant would be unthinkable, but given the regenerative properties of the hydra, would it be able to heal from such an operation? Would that head fully assimilate into its new host body, or would it be treated as a foreign invader, either consciously (being attacked by any of the other heads) or unconsciously (transplant rejection as we are used to it with other species leading to it withering and dying)? Would the transplanted head retain some measure of its own intelligence and autonomy, or would it be overpowered by the primary brain and central nervous system?
That, is an interesting question. I don't really have a clean answer!
Provided they're genetically comparable, you know say working with in a similar guideline we use for human organ transplants, it could theoretically work if the host body didn't immediately reject it.
From what we know, a lot of the brain power in each head is generally there to ensure fluid and instantaneous movement of all the appendages, giving a hydra a very fast and adaptable pattern of attacks. there is very little in the way of personality and individuality in a head. So, in all likely hood a head would just assimilate into the greater hydra and be discarded when the hydra felt it was in a safe enough place to do so. If it's a fully developed head however, it might not and just accept the transplant.
Now, taking this to a logical extreme, it could work like the few tests where we did a troll head transplant. Now I'm not a doctor or a scientist, i was there in the event the troll when berserk and the test had to be aborted, but effectively putting an intact hydra head onto a damaged hydra body where the core brain needs to be repaired, it could be made into an effective clone of the transplanted head. Since the brain is generally directing the regrowth process, and the core brain attempting to repair itself first it would look to whatever intact brain it has, and if there is only the transplant it would take from that, making an effective splice. Granted, hydras are a bit more genetically stable than trolls, which is why hydra S-blooded people don't tend to happen (they usually just get blood poisoning). but given the right environment, one could make a hybrid hydra.
Alright, so I've been going over notes we have on Sahuagin, kind grouping in other fish people races because they seem to cover some general threads.
Now some things of general note, they don't seem to live at the sea bottom, or at least not in the real dark depths. So while more durable than your common human, most human killing weapons should work. Sword, shotgun, you know, work with what you have.
It is important to figure out why they are there however. They're an intelligent species, making contact with them might be advisable as a first step if they haven't killed anyone yet. they might speak the local language to a degree, perhaps try to pen a dialog. However, don't show up alone, show up armed, and talk from a place of authority, near as they know you're speaking on behalf of the land king, it's important for them you aren't to be fucked with. they might not be a raiding party, they might be a recovery party or a scouting party, those can be dealt with peacefully.
if they are leaving tracks to the light house, investigate it during the day, see if there's any kind of lair being built, then, build a barricade along the path in a palce you can defend, have five or six other people with you, assuming you're American having guns would be a good idea, if not, bring the deadliest weapons your nation allows you to carry. the best set up would be low lighting, with flood lamps secured and pointed in their direction in the event this goes hostile, if it does hit the lights, this will blind and stun them and then just go ham. They should retreat, and from there either attempt to negotiate, or escalate. if it's the second, getting the local authority actually involved would be a good idea. Even if they don't believe you, just do your best to get more people there. if they move for peace talks, then have a deal in mind. and fight for it.
However, if they are building a lair int he light house, it's probably best to burn that fucker down, do not let them get a foot hold on the land. that would be bad for everyone.
A small but fearsome hunter, the three headed fresh water hydra is likely the smallest of the species, coming in a meagre ten meters and sporting a modest three heads. It is however fortunate that they seem to be the most common. Their diet consists mostly of aqua animals, but they will also happily devour anything else near them.
Their venom, however is considered to be among the worst. And Adult's is said to be comparable to a bite from a bullet ant, and leads to death within an hour. The Juvenile's aren't as dire, but considering it is being compared to literally the worst pain imaginable and near intimidate death it is a cold comfort. Anti-venom exist, but none are perfect and most people seem changed by the experience. Getting bit is best avoided.
When dealing with a Three Headed Fresh Water Hydra it is important that they will typically go into full defence after losing a single head, and typically its replacements will continue to be venomous until it is nearing its end. It is well aware that the venom is its most deadly feature, and it would rather have two blind heads than a non-venomous one. It also replaces them at a single volume, hence the name, unlike others where it might temporarily have more heads, these will typically always have three, barring a recent fight or very effecting cauterization.
They do not consume the bones of land based prey typically, as such that is one of the easiest signs for detecting the presence of a Three Headed Fresh Water Hydra. Chiefly if there is an acidic smell of the body, and it has not been touched by scavengers. As they both can still smell the venom, and were probably also eaten by the hydra. Barring that, a sudden decline in the fish population is a possible sign of a hydra being active in the area, outside of the normal tracks of large beasts, and any found moulting of such a creature.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
That seems like something with a lot of factors, such as how late into the fight it is, did you actually blind all of it's heads permanently, and the likes.
More than just the head grows back on a hydra, so if you simply gouged out its eyes during the fight they will grow back, if you burned them into uselessness, they might self harm to get new eyes growing quicker, as fire and acid tend to mess with their regenerative process like that of a troll. If it's early enough into a fight it might just sever a head to intimidate as well regrow usable eyes. If one seeks to blind a hydra during combat, repeatable temporary measures might actually be more effective long term, or best saved until late into the fight so that the hydra might be nearing too tired to quickly regrow missing parts.
Asking for a friend
Yes @Al_wat they can. however, they're reptilian amphibians, so, i'm not sure there's a lot to work with there?
Don't Kink Shame
The Reef Finned Hydra is a small salt water hydra, measuring in around twelve meters at adulthood. Named for both it's most common habitat, the coral reef, and the jagged and colourful fins along its body, it is rather awe-inspiring for its size. At young ages, they tend to be dully coloured and camouflaged, but was they mature their need for such diminishes and their colours become more garish and pronounced as they are one of the few to not practice ambush hunting, and solely rely on the full out charge the moment it spots prey. The number of heads vary by individual, though most are born with four those born with up to seven aren't unheard of and they are a rare example of hydras cultivating extra fully grown heads. Why they do this and others do not is hard to say. It should be noted that decapitation does lead to the growth or two replacement heads.
The Reef-Finned Hydra's venom is notoriously fatal. Even in juveniles surviving first contact with a bite is slim without proper planning and a supply of antivenom. Luckily it is far less painful than the previous hydra's. Thank goodness for small mercies. nerve death happens at such a rate that some don't even remember the pain from the bite, though this also means small bites go unnoticed leaving them to die some thirty minutes later from a wound they never even noticed. In addition to this their secondary defence is their sharp fins. While forced to fight on land they have been known to cut themselves on the fins to coat them in venom making a tricky situation into a deadly one. They are also able to expel their venom as a poisonous gas, however, this is far less deadly it should not be ignored as full exposure is still deadly.
Due to the nature of their venom and the jagged sharp fins, proper protection is a must as is proper medical support. Due to their duplicitous method of head regrowth and variable amount of heads, when it will switch to defensive fighting is hard to predict so relying on the two fifths method is a must. Like the Three headed freshwater hydra they rely on their venom above all else and will gladly produce two blind heads with venom than ones without, unless it down to only a few heads with vision. They are also not too proud to retreat, a good sign that this is about to happen is them expelling thick clouds of poison. Above water this is a clear sign it is going to retreat, though in the water this simply to cloud the water to come at a new angle.
Tracking a Reef-Finned Hydra is difficult as they typically feed only in their lair, dragging kills back before eating. This leads to the safest method being following trails of recently missing things to see if they all lead to the water. If they do, then you're probably on the right track. The one good thing is that in the water they are less prone to attack, not wanting their lair to be discovered they will typically not attack close to it unless provoked, so strangely, swimming above this hydra might be the safest place to be.
that was actually pretty harsh;
there is plenty to work with in the hydra genital department
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
i kind of assumed they had like gecko dorks, or snake bits. I'm not really a biologist, or very interested in monster sex.
I just know where to put the stuff to make the things happened.
Hopefully unrelated: I'm single :winky:
What would you consider to be the perfect date with a hydra?
I am observing certain mythical creatures for a project, purely from a standpoint borne from curiosity and willingness to depict these beings in their natural habitat. What can you tell me of hydras' courting habits? Also what of their young, are they born with multiple heads as well? Or is that more of a genetic trait that slowly becomes more apparent over time?
-Lord Wrathbone of the Killdeep
I'm asking for a friend
(my friend is a hydra)
Admittedly we don't know much about the hydra's courting process, or at the very least I don't. We do know that the mating pair don't stick together for more than a few years, probably until the clutch is hatched and the young can fend on their own some. As for their young, it is known that they are born typically with about as many heads as they ever will. Some more exotic kinds might develop more, but that is often through combat and just actually being able to grow two full sized heads int he place of one, though typically those two don't grow double after that and seem to only grow a solitary replacement. Why that is however is currently unknown. Balance maybe?
Dear Wrathbone,
To my knowledge, hydras aren't like some dragons that are able to breed with damn near anything, they are bound to conventional nature for at least this. So, i would say, a dragon? not a very intelligent one, maybe the eastern Europe planes dragon? they're about the size of a bus, can mate with anything, trainable like a dog, shoots hell fire. it's a pretty good standard dragon. add in some extra heads and seom nevom, boom you got yourself a spicy creature.
No, no they can't. one is a reptile, the other is a human to my knowledge that doesn't work.
Now if we could kindly move past hydra fucking I would very much appreciate it.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
I'm going to guess "not as effective as airstrikes".
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Ranged weapons have some pretty good uses in fighting a hydra, even without getting into siege weapons. Long bows, large cross bows, rifles, atlatls, all could be used to puncture the brain rendering it basically useless forcing ti to either self harm or retreat. Siege weapons can be used to rip apart the main body attempting to end it quickly. So while we tend to focus on melee weapons, ranged weapons aren't without their use.