The Snyggdra

[MadMoses]

Here's my attempt at designing a hydra-like creature that's a good boss monster for a lower level party. What do you think? Is this an okay foe for level 2 characters? Is 5 hp per head too easy? I'm debating if I should make it impossible to cut off a head with a blunt weapon, but currently I'm not convinced it's such a good idea. As always, I'm grateful for your feedback!

Snyggdra: Init +3; Atk bite +4 melee (1d8 + poison); AC 14; HD 1d8 (5 hp) per head; MV 30’; Act 1d20 per head; SP 6 heads, instant regeneration of hp, regeneration of double heads after 3 rounds, poison DC 14 or 1d4 attribute loss (each head drains a different attribute, use Fort save for physical, Will save for mental attributes); SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +2; AL C.

The snyggdra is a giant snake with 6 heads. Each head has 5 hp and can attack independently. 5 damage from a single attack is needed to sever a head, with excess damage being lost (exception: area damage can sever multiple heads). If the snyggdra receives less than 5 damage from a single attack, this damage heals immediately. A severed head is replaced by two new heads after 3 rounds. New heads cannot attack in the round they are regrowing. Regrowing of heads can be prevented by sealing the wound with fire or acid or using fire or acid based attacks in the first place.

Each head's poison causes temporary loss of a different attribute (regenerate normally at 1 single attribute point per day). This can be resisted with a DC 14 Fort save for Strength, Agility or Stamina loss or a DC 14 Will save for Intelligence, Personality or Luck loss. If any attribute is reduced to 0 by the snyggdra, the character dies. (If saved from bleeding out or if successfully recovering the body, the character recovers with 1 point in the attribute.) On a critical hit, a head does normal damage, but the poison requires a DC 18 save or one attribute point is lost permanently.

The 6 original heads contain 6 unpolished gems inside their skulls that are worth 30gp to a regular merchant. They are infused with great magic however, and each will give a permanent +1 on one of the 6 attributes if swallowed.

A character whose attributes falls below 3 is severely hampered:

Strength < 3: Cannot wield a weapon or tool heavier than a dagger. Cannot do more than damage per melee attack than their Strength value. Automatically fails all Strength checks.

Agility < 3: Misses all ranged attacks. Cannot use two tools at once (e.g. weapon and shield). Fumble range 1-3. Automatically fails all Agility checks and Reflex saves.

Stamina < 3: Needs to recover for one round after acting in the previous round. Automatically fails all Stamina checks.

Intelligence < 3: No spellcasting or use of magic items possible. Cannot read and can only barely speak in mother tongue. Automatically fails all Intelligence checks.

Personality < 3: No cleric abilities or cleric spellcasting possible. Automatically fails all Personality checks. Any attempted social interaction is a disaster. Trying to give orders to henchmen results in an immediate morale check at -5.

Luck < 3: Fumble range 1-3. Crit range of attackers is extended by 1. All kinds of mishaps occur.

[Pesky]

Snyggdra: Init +3; Atk bite +4 melee (1d8 + poison); AC 14; HD 1d8 (5 hp) per head; MV 30’; Act 1d20 per head; SP 6 heads, instant regeneration of hp, regeneration of double heads after 3 rounds, poison DC 14 or 1d4 attribute loss (each head drains a different attribute, use Fort save for physical, Will save for mental attributes); SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +2; AL C.

This looks pretty cool, MadMoses. I think 5 hp per head is sufficient given the instant regeneration. What critical table did you have in mind, M or DR? It seems like DR may be more appropriate, although nothing beats making your own crit table . What happens for the Snyggdra if it fumbles? Finally, you probably already know this (but just in case you do not), the DCC rulebook has some details about what happens when different abilities are reduced to zero (pg 96, Other Combat Rules, Ability Loss). Hope that helps!

[oncelor]

I like it!

I would try it against the party as it is. If it's too easy for them to kill it you can always announce something like "the snyggdra flies into a rage!" and then bump its stats up on the fly. If you act out the rage a little bit the party won't know you didn't have it planned all along.

[MadMoses]

you probably already know this (but just in case you do not), the DCC rulebook has some details about what happens when different abilities are reduced to zero (pg 96, Other Combat Rules, Ability Loss).

Thanks for pointing this out! I didn't remember this exactly. Looks like the RAW don't kill you when you reach an ability score of 0, just make you unconscious or otherwise useless. Do you think the Snyggdra killing someone with ability drain is too harsh? Basically as it is written now, it makes you useless when you go under 3 and kills you when reaching 0.

What critical table did you have in mind, M or DR?

Actually I didn't want to use a crit table at all, just permanent ability loss. ("On a critical hit, a head does normal damage, but the poison requires a DC 18 save or one attribute point is lost permanently.") Or is this too boring?

bump its stats up on the fly

I see where you're coming from, but I don't like to do something like this in an old-school style RPG where the player characters' lives are at stake. I'm okay with it in more story-focussed games. I'll report back how it turned out, though! I'm curious how the fight goes. I think they are pretty fucked if they don't manage to take it down in the first three rounds. ^^

[Pesky]

Thanks for pointing this out! I didn't remember this exactly. Looks like the RAW don't kill you when you reach an ability score of 0, just make you unconscious or otherwise useless. Do you think the Snyggdra killing someone with ability drain is too harsh? Basically as it is written now, it makes you useless when you go under 3 and kills you when reaching 0.

Yeah, I think killing when the ability gets to zero is too harsh, and could be construed by a player as going against the written rules. An exception would be if the zeroed ability situationally causes the PC to die, e.g., if stamina or strength went to zero while someone was swimming, then that would result in death by drowning. I guess I'd tend toward ruling that a combatant with a zero ability was "helpless", so the Snyggdra got a +1d to attack. If stamina was reduced to zero, then the fortitude save and hp penalties could be arguably severe.

Actually I didn't want to use a crit table at all, just permanent ability loss. ("On a critical hit, a head does normal damage, but the poison requires a DC 18 save or one attribute point is lost permanently.") Or is this too boring?

Sorry, I missed that originally. No I don't think it's too boring, but it seems like there should be some part of the crit that the PCs cannot save against, extra damage, automatic (temporary ability loss), etc. I think the save for permanent ability loss with a higher DC is cool and is definitely "crit worthy." Thanks for the fun read!