Fear Aura. Any creature hostile to the Cruel Hydra that starts its turn within 20ft of it must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw unless the Cruel Hydra is Incapacitated. On a failed save, the creature is Frightened until the start of its next turn. If a creature’s saving throw is successful, the creature is immune to the Cruel Hydra’s Fear Aura for the next 24 hours.
Acidic Blood. Each time the Cruel Hydra takes damage, its blood rains on all creatures within 5ft of it, dealing 3(1d6) acid damage.
Amphibious. The Cruel Hydra can breathe both air and water.
Ceaseless Hunger. Each time the Cruel Hydra damages a creature with its Bite attack, it heals itself by an amount equal to its proficiency bonus.
Limited Magic Immunity. The Cruel Hydra is immune to spells of 5th level or lower unless it wishes to be affected. It has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The Cruel Hydra’s weapon attacks are magical.
Multiple Heads. The Cruel Hydra has six heads. While it has more than one head, it has advantage on saving throws against being Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Frightened, Stunned, and knocked Unconscious.
Whenever the Cruel Hydra takes 25 or more damage on a single turn, one of its heads dies. If all of its heads die, the hydra dies.
At the end of its turn, the Cruel Hydra grows two heads for each of its heads that died since its last turn, unless it has taken fire damage. The Cruel Hydra regains 10 hit points for each head regrown in this way.
Reactive Heads. For each head the Cruel Hydra has beyond one, it gets an extra reaction that can only be used for opportunity attacks.
Multiattack: The Cruel Hydra makes as many Bite attacks as it has heads. It can replace up to 2 Bite attacks with a Gunk Shot attack.
Bite: Melee weapon attack, +11 to hit, reach 10ft, one target. Hit 11(1d10+6) piercing damage plus 7(2d6) poison damage.
Gunk Shot: Ranged weapon attack, +11 to hit, range 30/120ft, one target. Hit 13(3d8) poison damage and the target must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be Blinded until the end of their next turn.
Toxic Gas(Recharge 6): The Cruel Hydra exhales toxic purple gas in a 30ft radius around itself. Each creature in that area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 45(10d8) poison damage on a failed save, and half as much on a successful one.
Endless Assault. When the Cruel Hydra makes an attack against a creature, another one of its heads can attack the same target or a target in range.
Description
Unlike Sand Hydras and their other Rhymorran relatives that dwell on the Forgotten Isle, Cruel Hydras are masters of, as their name states, cruelty. They kill for sport and enjoy prolonging pain and suffering as long as possible, seemingly waiting for their prey to beg for death. Afterward, it tears it apart with its six heads. They have deep purple scales with a tan underbelly, and each of their heads is similar to a snake's. They dwell on coasts and swamps and are much better swimmers than normal hydras due to their especially long and finlike tails. The worst part of them, however, is their ability to extrude toxic gas around themselves to disorient prey that put up too much of a fight. This toxic gas is similar in color to the Wyvern Monarch's, only it has a very different effect. Rhymorrans who have been able to get a sample of both gases have determined that although the effects are different, Cruel Hydras and Wyvern Monarchs are very distantly, but nonetheless, related.
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