If a Cryohydra is an Elemental rather than a Monstrosity, shouldn't it not require air, sleep, or food, thus making Hold Breath and Wakeful redundant?

Quote from 6thLyranGuard >>

If a Cryohydra is an Elemental rather than a Monstrosity, shouldn't it not require air, sleep, or food, thus making Hold Breath and Wakeful redundant?

 

 

Beyond 20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beyond 20

 

 

 

 

 

No creature type has traits that apply to all creatures of that type. Much like azer or salamanders, cryohydra "have biological forms infused with elemental energy." It still requires certain biological functions to survive.

I like the concept of this creature, but I noticed two potential problems.   You say it is a "horrific, blubbery mammal..." which would indicate it is actually a beast.  Perhaps replacing "mammal" with "elemental" or "creature. 

Secondly, the cryohydra has seven heads, and has the following action: 

Cold Breath (Recharge 5–6). Each of the hydra's heads exhales frigid mist and shards of ice in a 30-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in a line must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures affected by the breath of multiple heads must make a saving through for each line they're caught in.

This is problematic because a creature could be targeted SEVEN times for potentially 189 (42d8) cold damage.  For this I would recommend the following change: Make the recharge to roll a d6.  If the hydra has more heads that what is rolled, ONE head can make the cold breath attack, while the others can make bite attacks.  The cryohydra cannot bite a creature that it has used its cold breath on.

Quote from PhoenixM13 >>

I like the concept of this creature, but I noticed two potential problems.   You say it is a "horrific, blubbery mammal..." which would indicate it is actually a beast.  Perhaps replacing "mammal" with "elemental" or "creature. 

Secondly, the cryohydra has seven heads, and has the following action: 

Cold Breath (Recharge 5–6). Each of the hydra's heads exhales frigid mist and shards of ice in a 30-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in a line must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures affected by the breath of multiple heads must make a saving through for each line they're caught in.

This is problematic because a creature could be targeted SEVEN times for potentially 189 (42d8) cold damage.  For this I would recommend the following change: Make the recharge to roll a d6.  If the hydra has more heads that what is rolled, ONE head can make the cold breath attack, while the others can make bite attacks.  The cryohydra cannot bite a creature that it has used its cold breath on.

Hm. That is a lot of damage...  especially if it could potentially do that *every* turn if the cryohydra is lucky with the recharge roll. An alternative, simpler solution would be to rule that that while each head can contribute to the total AoE for the breath weapon, a creature can only be affected by the cold breath once per breath attack. That way the breath weapon is still more effective with more heads, but it's never doing more than 6d8 damage to any one creature. That might take the CR down a bit, but does eliminate the 42d8 thing. 

I think both of you are misreading this or maybe I am. However, I read it is each head that is remaining breaths the ice shards for a total damage of 6d8. The beast uses all of its heads at once to do this attack dealing only 6d8 damage total thus not allowing for multi attack for the rest of the heads.

Quote from TyeDyeUnicorn >>

I think both of you are misreading this or maybe I am. However, I read it is each head that is remaining breaths the ice shards for a total damage of 6d8. The beast uses all of its heads at once to do this attack dealing only 6d8 damage total thus not allowing for multi attack for the rest of the heads.

 "Creatures affected by the breath of multiple heads must make a saving through for each line they're caught in" is the section that I was reading; it's possible I'm misinterpreting it, and multiple saving throws simply means multiple chances to fail and take the full 6d8 damage rather than having stacked iterations of 6d8 damage. However, my initial thought was that targeted creatures would be subject to the effect of "taking 27 (6d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one" for each saving throw that they have to make. I could be wrong, but that was how I interpreted it.

Quote from PhoenixM13 >>

I like the concept of this creature, but I noticed two potential problems.   You say it is a "horrific, blubbery mammal..." which would indicate it is actually a beast.  Perhaps replacing "mammal" with "elemental" or "creature. 

Secondly, the cryohydra has seven heads, and has the following action: 

Cold Breath (Recharge 5–6). Each of the hydra's heads exhales frigid mist and shards of ice in a 30-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in a line must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures affected by the breath of multiple heads must make a saving through for each line they're caught in.

This is problematic because a creature could be targeted SEVEN times for potentially 189 (42d8) cold damage.  For this I would recommend the following change: Make the recharge to roll a d6.  If the hydra has more heads that what is rolled, ONE head can make the cold breath attack, while the others can make bite attacks.  The cryohydra cannot bite a creature that it has used its cold breath on.

 That's a lot of d8's. More than a Paladin...

Quote from Kael_The_Adventurer >>

Quote from TyeDyeUnicorn >>

I think both of you are misreading this or maybe I am. However, I read it is each head that is remaining breaths the ice shards for a total damage of 6d8. The beast uses all of its heads at once to do this attack dealing only 6d8 damage total thus not allowing for multi attack for the rest of the heads.

 "Creatures affected by the breath of multiple heads must make a saving through for each line they're caught in" is the section that I was reading; it's possible I'm misinterpreting it, and multiple saving throws simply means multiple chances to fail and take the full 6d8 damage rather than having stacked iterations of 6d8 damage. However, my initial thought was that targeted creatures would be subject to the effect of "taking 27 (6d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one" for each saving throw that they have to make. I could be wrong, but that was how I interpreted it.

Quote from Kael_The_Adventurer >>

Quote from TyeDyeUnicorn >>

I think both of you are misreading this or maybe I am. However, I read it is each head that is remaining breaths the ice shards for a total damage of 6d8. The beast uses all of its heads at once to do this attack dealing only 6d8 damage total thus not allowing for multi attack for the rest of the heads.

 "Creatures affected by the breath of multiple heads must make a saving through for each line they're caught in" is the section that I was reading; it's possible I'm misinterpreting it, and multiple saving throws simply means multiple chances to fail and take the full 6d8 damage rather than having stacked iterations of 6d8 damage. However, my initial thought was that targeted creatures would be subject to the effect of "taking 27 (6d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one" for each saving throw that they have to make. I could be wrong, but that was how I interpreted it.

Quote from Kael_The_Adventurer >>

Quote from TyeDyeUnicorn >>

I think both of you are misreading this or maybe I am. However, I read it is each head that is remaining breaths the ice shards for a total damage of 6d8. The beast uses all of its heads at once to do this attack dealing only 6d8 damage total thus not allowing for multi attack for the rest of the heads.

 "Creatures affected by the breath of multiple heads must make a saving through for each line they're caught in" is the section that I was reading; it's possible I'm misinterpreting it, and multiple saving throws simply means multiple chances to fail and take the full 6d8 damage rather than having stacked iterations of 6d8 damage. However, my initial thought was that targeted creatures would be subject to the effect of "taking 27 (6d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one" for each saving throw that they have to make. I could be wrong, but that was how I interpreted it.

Quote from Kael_The_Adventurer >>

Quote from TyeDyeUnicorn >>

I think both of you are misreading this or maybe I am. However, I read it is each head that is remaining breaths the ice shards for a total damage of 6d8. The beast uses all of its heads at once to do this attack dealing only 6d8 damage total thus not allowing for multi attack for the rest of the heads.

 "Creatures affected by the breath of multiple heads must make a saving through for each line they're caught in" is the section that I was reading; it's possible I'm misinterpreting it, and multiple saving throws simply means multiple chances to fail and take the full 6d8 damage rather than having stacked iterations of 6d8 damage. However, my initial thought was that targeted creatures would be subject to the effect of "taking 27 (6d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one" for each saving throw that they have to make. I could be wrong, but that was how I interpreted it.

 Umm. I don't think so only because it does specify it does this for EACH head. It also says that each line deals 6d8 cold damage (Each creature in a {the A in this insinuates there are multiple lines} line must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.), and a creature has to make a separate save for each line, so they would stack. (Creatures affected by the breath of multiple heads must make a saving throw for each line they're caught in.)

Thanks for your comments, everyone! To address the potential intensity of the hydra's Cold Breath, I've added a caveat that will keep most characters from getting dogpiled.

"Each of the hydra's heads exhales frigid mist and shards of ice in a 30-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each one of these lines originates in a different square adjacent to the hydra, and no line can pass through a space occupied by the hydra."

Perhaps I am misunderstanding, but I am not sure this resolved the problem here. I might be missing something.

A Huge creature occupies a 3X3 square.  That means that adjacent to it, there are 5  squareson each side. In the central 3 squares, the Hydra could still target a creature with 5 lines for 20d8. Seems like a lot. But ok.

The problem is the corner squares and the spots visible to multiple sides. There, the maximum number of lines is 9 or 36d8.

I don't know the official standards for damage by CR, but that seems pretty  devastating. 

It does drive home the importance of tactics. Always face a cyrohydra from centrally adjacent.

Quote from JamesHaeck >>

Thanks for your comments, everyone! To address the potential intensity of the hydra's Cold Breath, I've added a caveat that will keep most characters from getting dogpiled.

"Each of the hydra's heads exhales frigid mist and shards of ice in a 30-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each one of these lines originates in a different square adjacent to the hydra, and no line can pass through a space occupied by the hydra."

 I also don't think this quite solves the problem, but it makes this a truly formidable adversary. Maybe just boosting that CR to reflect the enormous breath weapon damage potential would do it.

Quote from PhoenixM13 >>

I like the concept of this creature, but I noticed two potential problems.   You say it is a "horrific, blubbery mammal..." which would indicate it is actually a beast.  Perhaps replacing "mammal" with "elemental" or "creature. 

Secondly, the cryohydra has seven heads, and has the following action: 

Cold Breath (Recharge 5–6). Each of the hydra's heads exhales frigid mist and shards of ice in a 30-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in a line must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures affected by the breath of multiple heads must make a saving through for each line they're caught in.

This is problematic because a creature could be targeted SEVEN times for potentially 189 (42d8) cold damage.  For this I would recommend the following change: Make the recharge to roll a d6.  If the hydra has more heads that what is rolled, ONE head can make the cold breath attack, while the others can make bite attacks.  The cryohydra cannot bite a creature that it has used its cold breath on.

 It's called both a mammal and an amphibian, which makes even less sense.

It's a pretty devastating hydra and I like that.

However, I put this thing through a CR calculator. It's a CR 21, not a 10.

Cool. I would not want to have to fight that, though.

Quote from Sir_Spooky >>

It's a pretty devastating hydra and I like that.

However, I put this thing through a CR calculator. It's a CR 21, not a 10.

 It came out as CR 16 for me. Whatever the CR, it's obviously higher than 10.

btw, the passive perception should be 18, because the monster's perception is +8