Monster Hunting - The Hydra

[Jack Shrapnel]

High toughness, regen, a ton of attacks, and a flaming breath weapon of doom.... oh and did I mention it moves as a skirmisher through the woods? Take on the handlers for easy CR? not so easy my friends, if you can attack Mr. Hydra, you must....

well at least it doesn't have hatred.... oh wait... it does?

So the hydra is one tough monster, and in a tournament list it is completely possible to be facing two of them, due to their relatively low point cost.

So what do we do against this beast?

As with all big nasty monsters, there's the volume of fire approach, where "quantity has a quality all it's own" (to quote Frank), however by the time you hit (it's likely running through the woods for the cover), wound, get past armor save, then regen... well small arms fire is just not that well suited... and if you're facing two (a common build in tourney dark elf lists) having to split fire means you're even less likely to bring it down... and concentrating fire leaves one unscathed. Did I mention they're not slow?

Dwarf flaming bolt throwers and flaming cannon balls are very well suited to bringing down the hydra... although most dark elf players are well aware of this and will keep the beast(s) out of line of sight til within range of engaging (and will likely be trying to tie up the warmachines early with dark riders, or block line of sight with harpies etc.)

So how have you brought the big multi-headed beast down?

What has worked?

What has failed miserably?

[thesanityassassin]

I know this doesn't help, but with my High Elves I honestly never have....They've gutted me every time I've faced one. Even ramming it with two chariots just led to a lot of successful regens, and I died.

I managed to kill one with Hammerers in a dwarf list once....just SCR and great waepons.

[Jack Shrapnel]

...well Matt, knowing what hasn't worked for someone in the past is quite helpful...

.... I find that big monsters can make a new player (or even an experienced one!) panic a bit, and when you don't have a plan for something.... well chances are it's going to wreck what plans you do have!

[LizardTau]

well i just started so i have never fought one. my plan would be to get my general on it with the blade of realities (lizardmen) each hit the enemy has to do a leadership check on its own unmodifyed leadership or die out right, my general has 4 attacks so that might work but would actually have to put it to the test.

[Edg3ofR3ason]

Well, I've had the 'displeasure' of being on the receiving end of several DE-Hydra armies wrath and have realized that there are a couple of key points that dictate one's success or failure.

The first and most important is your apponents level of experience. My dwarves have had the most success when they have been allowed to target the Hydra with a flaming bolt or drop a flaming S10 template on it from turn 1. It becomes much harder to deal with when it skulks around behind hills or through forests.
The second key point determining what resources and how much to commit to this threat. My dwarves have several options without expending all of their shotting on a single target, while my tomb kings have S2 bowman or the SSC. I haven't played DE enough with the TK to determine how to best deal with the infernal thing other than AVOIDANCE!

In counting the sucessful encounters:
- T1 S10 hit with Grudge thrower, T2 3 hits from Goblin Hewer followed by 4 hits by thunderers: result - loss of handlers causing hydra to flee
- charged hydra with unit of Ironbreakers with Lord on shieldbearers: result - hydra flees
- charged hydra with unit of Ironbreakers with Thane: result - hydra flees off table after CR
- BT + crossbows took hydra down to one wound over by T2: result - hydra spent remainer of game checking the woods for a lost nose ring.
- SSC direct hit T2 + several wounds by CoS - result: handlers gone and hydra plays 'chase my tail'

I've not played the double hydra list as yet (and no Tommy/Frank this is not an invited request to do so ) so not sure how that one would go, but I have learned that the best view of a hydra is it's tail waving goodbye!

[Jack Shrapnel]

.... well the hydra got even MORE nasty with the new rules for 8th ed. (and will be rather high on my target priority!)

1d6 thunder stomp attacks... no more +1 to shoot at it (large target no longer gives this!)... no partials anymore on the breath weapon AND can use it in close combat for multiple hits in addition to regular attacks and thunderstomp!!!!

oh, and low point cost means you can field two of them with the new % rules AND have enough for two bolt throwers too!!!! (or other such rares)