The muck that passed for land in this marsh fought his every step. A thousand muddy fingers stubbornly grasped at wet boots that would soon rub the last skin from his feet. He grumbled to himself while searching for a place to rest that wouldn't sink like his last campsite. He hardly noticed when the birds fell silent, or the insects, but he felt the earth shake and this made him stop.

The silence was replaced by a low rumble and the pop of bubbles bursting on the surface of the swamp near his feet. Surprise and curiosity left him dumbfounded for a moment, staring at the growing disturbance beneath the surface. As a hissing sound growing steadily in volume joined the chorus, a quick oath to the Ti-Qorem escaped his lips.

He could now see a dark mass pushing the mud and water away as it rose. At first he thought it to be large tentacles or a writhing colony of swamp snakes. The first snake rose from the water, a large reptilian head with cruel eyes and a teethy grin. It was followed by others, attached to an enormous body that became more distinct as it shed the marsh-matter under which it had been hiding. The berserker prepared his axe and summoned the red haze that would cloud his vision, his pain, and his fear.

The power of the Ti-Qorem burst from the barbarian in a bestial roar as he charged the cursed abomination that his people knew as Hydra. The seven heads facing him now hissed and spat, darting at him from all directions. He raised his axe for a mighty blow, aiming at the spot where necks and body met.

With a two-handed slice, three heads fell from the creature, their necks severed at the trunk. The other four screamed in rage.

Dark blood poured from the wounds he had caused the Hydra, mixing in the water with the red blood that poured from his own wounds as the struggle continued. He no longer saw the swamp or heard the hissing. The red berserk rage had taken him completely and he roared as he raised his axe again. Sinuous and coordinated, the heads of the Hydra evaded his blows and kept him off balance. He tried to raise his axe again, but dagger teeth tore into his right arm, disabling him. A moment later the other jaws opened together and a sheet of red flame engulfed him completely, followed by darkness.

The Hydra and Battlestorm

The Hydra is a many-headed, serpentine creature from ancient mythology that is in some tales given the ability to regenerate, in others to breathe fire or swim in the seas. The number of heads varies as widely as the purported powers of this monster. The hydra is said to be the offspring of the monsters Typhon and Echidna in Greek folklore. Heracles defeated the Greek hydra with the help of his charioteer Iolaus and some torches. In order to defeat the hydra in Battlestorm , the new fantasy rules system from Ral Partha Publishing, you will need knowledge and preparation.

The following article will examine the standard hydra in Battlestorm : how to use it and how to abuse it. We also present for your enjoyment some hydra variants for Battlestorm based on the various tales in which this creature has appeared.

Know your Friends, Know your Enemies

The hydra is one of the most fearsome creatures to roam the battlefield, a reputation it earned in mythology. Nevertheless, even in a fabled battle where dragons and unicorns are commonplace the hydra is either an opponent to be feared or a valuable ally. In Battlestorm , any creature with a lot of Fate (think of this as a measure of damage and luck once you run out, you're dead) and high Absorption (a measure of armor) is going to be survivable. In addition, a high number of Attacks per Round and a high Damage rating will create an offensive powerhouse. The hydra has all of these things. Below we explore the strengths and the weaknesses that a knowledgeable and prepared general can exploit:

Strengths:

• 50 Fate Points, the highest in the game and representative of its regenerative abilities.
  
  
• 3d6 Absorption, on par with the weaker dragons or a good suit of plate mail.
  
  
• 7 Attacks per Round, Three higher than the next best Attacks rating in the game.
  
  
• 24 Courage and 27 Vitality, above average for monsters in its class.
  
  
• 0 Combat Error Rating makes it likely to hit.
  
  
• 3d12 Damage means it will cause harm to just about anything.
  

Weaknesses:

• 7 Footspeed, fast for infantry but this leaves it capable of being outmaneuvered by cavalry, flying creatures and faster monsters.
  
  
• 3d6 Absorption, while this is good armor it's not enough to turn back the blows of the heavy infantry and cavalry the hydra is likely to be faced with or well aimed crossbow bolts.
  
  
• 10 Evasion, while not terrible it puts the hydra in the range where less accurate heavy weapons that are likely to penetrate its armor have a good chance of striking successfully.
  
  
• 10 Dexterity gives the hydra only a 50% or lower chance to dodge most area effect attacks for half or no damage.
  
  
• 3 Intelligence means that if the hydra is out of your command range, or your general is killed, it is going to sit itself right down and wish it had a brain (and you will too!).
  
  
• 1 Leadership means that once it is engaged in combat it won't be disengaging until the combat is resolved.
  
  
• 12 Will means it doesn't have the endurance to Sprint (double move) for more than a turn or two on average and that it's susceptible to domination by non-corporeal Undead.
  
  
• No breath weapon or other projectile ability.
  

Hydra-Slayers

If you prefer to field armies that have troops instead of monsters, your best bet is to try to place your heavy hitters opposite the hydra. It will have a tough time getting away, especially if you have two units chasing it one to pin it in place, the other to slam it. The hydra will strike last against units with weapons, as it has to get through their reach to strike with its heads. However, its high fate makes it unlikely to drop in the first set of attacks. Therefore keep in mind that the pinning unit will have to be willing to take a potential 7 casualties and keep on fighting. Don't hit the hydra with small units. The list below gives the best hydra-slayers for each army:

Barbarians: Tyrants with 2-Handed Swords, Enraged Berserkers with Axes and 2-Handed Axes, Heavy Lancers

Dwarves: Folksmakt with Hammers, Stouttroopers, Warram Cavalry

Goblins: Hobgoblins with Axes/Poleaxes (great pinning troops!), Berserkers, Wolfriders w/Mace

High Elves: Irregulars w/Polearms, Regulars w/Sword and Axe

Sinepaxians: Lancer Knights, Justice Monks

Orcs: Lesser Orcs w/Morning Stars or Poleaxes, Legion of Death w/Broadsword

Undead: Dybukk (take control of the hydra!), Heavy Lancers, Skeletons w/Halberds or 2-Handed Swords.

Trolls: Rock Throwers, Heavy Infantry, Scythe-armed Light Infantry

Ogres: Heavy Assault Ogres, but most ogres will do quite well

Creatures: Acid Wyverns, Hill Giants, Minotaurs, Tree Entities, Unicorns (if you can roll high on a d30), Black Dragons, Forest Dragons, Golden Dragons and last but not least lots of charging Moose, Elk or Bison (no, really!)

Some armies have it easier than others do, but any army can take down a hydra if you come prepared. Quite a few of the troops and creatures that are great at taking down a hydra would be part of a balanced army in any scenario. Never leave home without some heavy hitters!

New Rules to Limit the Hydra

If despite all this advice you still find the hydra too tough to handle on your gaming table, here are some suggestions for hydra variants based on mythology. First, some suggested rules to limit the powers of the existing hydra (I recommend using no more than three of these at a time if you would like to keep the point cost the same):

• Hydra loses 1 Attack for every 5 Fate Points of Damage it has taken. It cannot be reduced below 1 Attack through this process.
  
  
• Hydra armor is reduced to 2d6 Absorption.
  
  
• Hydra can only direct up to 4 attacks at one target per round.
  
  
• Damage caused by Fire-based or Bangpowder-based attacks is doubled once it penetrates the Hydra's armor, reflecting the Hydra's inability to regenerate such damage.
  
  
• The Hydra starts with 10 CER. For every attack it gives up (feints, etc.) it can reduce CER on the remaining attacks by 2. (Giving a range from 7 Attacks at 10CER to 1 Attack at 2 CER).
  

Finally, here are some Hydra variants you may want to try in your battles if the plain old Hydra isn't interesting enough...