Hydra

Once again we have a readily recognizable monster that PF2e's 3-action economy does a great job of handling. The hydra's gimmick, both in its narrative recognizability and its combat applications, is its heads. Chop one off, two more grow in its place. We all know this by now.

The hydra, much like the troll, is a creature that suffers a bit for its notoriety. Yes, we all understand once you remove its head another one grows. I guarantee that at least someone at your table will know that fire or acid will stop its heads from regenerating. That might make it a little unfun, but hey, just don't make a habit of throwing regenerating monsters at your players and it won't come up too often.

The hydra will require a good amount of bookkeeping when you run it. It regenerates HP equal to 3x the number of heads it has. It also can make an Attack of Opportunity (using its reach as a Huge creature) for each head it has. It also doesn't gain heads automatically—it has to make a DC 25 Fortitude save after regenerating in order for that to happen. Using PF2e's levels of success, however, means that it can regrow from multiple head stumps with a critical success. Given its Fort bonus is +15 and the DC is 25, that will only happen on a 35, which would be a natural 20 anyway. Pretty slim chance, but pretty neat when it happens.

The hydra is a great choice for forcing your players to understand their positioning. With at least 5 and up to 10 Attacks of Opportunity, up to 11d6+7 damage against a single target using Focused Assault, and up to 10 targets with Storm of Jaws, all with the 10-foot reach of a Huge creature, the Hydra is a potent foe. Given that one of the better ways to deal with it will be using cover and maneuvering (barring acid or fire-based meta-knowledge), the battle map or theatre of the mind environment you provide for this encounter is just as important as the hydra itself.

What sort of hydra encounter do you want to make? A hydra attack on a small sloop? A desert hydra lying in wait? A hail hydra hiding in a blizzard? However you choose to have the hydra rear its ugly heads, it's sure to be memorable.

-TJ

Hook 1 (Max) - Mariner's Doom

Mariner's Doom rightly deserves its name, as countless ships along with their crews have met their untimely demise there. It is, however, an extremely tempting route, as it goes straight through a large landmass, potentially saving weeks of sailing around it. This, when accounting for the potential added treasures left by those who failed to get through, is the folly of many foolhardy captains.

The passage itself is quite narrow, as only a single vessel will fit through. That alone makes for a rather arduous journey, though things don't end there. The Doom is honeycombed with jagged edges that shine like the teeth of a hungry beast. Not only that, but the vortices within have a nasty tendency to appear out of nowhere. These things, paired with the ever-present fog that makes navigation quite difficult, take their toll on any sailor's mind. Any one of the aforementioned hazards would cause most captains to steer clear of the pass. Superstition alone is often enough, as legends say that if you traverse the pass, you can still hear and see the specters of innumerable sailors urging you to go back, which of course you cannot do upon entering.

Yet, there is something more lurking beneath the dark waters. It is in the middle of Mariner's Doom where the canal opens into a lake, surrounded by rocky cliffs and the wrecks of countless ships that tried their luck only to be met with a ghastly end.

Should you find yourself there, be it by desperation, courage, greed, or stupidity, take heed and make your peace. For once you are within the Doom's grasp, you will not escape it. The horror that has made the deep its sole domain will not suffer anyone to passers-by and it will hunt you doggedly should you make the attempt. The unnaturally still water shall stir around you as a myriad of serpentine, monstrous heads soar over, their crimson eyes burning with hatred, jet scales marked with scars, a soul-rending shriek echoing in the otherwise silent pass. If you believe in any gods, then is the time to start praying, for no one escapes the clutches of Mariner's Doom once it finds its prey.

Hook 2 (TJ) - The Terror of Anzar

The An'Zar desert is a treacherous place. It is a vast expanse of heat, sand, and banditry. The desert's most dangerous denizen, however, is the Sandspine Hydra.

To say a breed of hydra is dangerous should be no surprise. The Sandspine Hydra plays on the pre-existing dangers of a desert to great success. Burying its body under the sand, this cousin to the aquatic hydra sticks its heads up out from beneath, each imitating a cactus. When prey draws close, the hydra gives up its disguise. Each head attacks in concert, biting or launching paralytic quills to incapacitate its target.

Bandits, travelers, and caravaneers accustomed to the desert, however, have strategies to deal with it. When the hydra has its spines extended, it cannot pull its heads under the safety of the sand as easily. Even when they are retracted, the hydra has great difficulty moving backward. Given its size, this actually works against the hydra more than you would expect. Getting the jump on a Sandspine is key to taking it down.

There are rumors of a gargantuan Sandspine plaguing trade routes during Ambersun. Addled survivors report cacti in the upper double digits, all turning to tear their comrades to shreds. Researchers of Ley-Ecology at the University of An'Zar have great interest in verifying the validity of these rumors.

Hook 3 (Reece) - The King's Strait

The Old Kingdom is rife with riches ready for plundering. It has remained as such for over a thousand years for several reasons.

First, there is the ancient impenetrable wall that rims the entire island in which the kingdom resides. Those who have tried to scale the wall have failed, given it is both sheer and riddled with traps. Second, the only way into the kingdom proper is through a narrow strait full of jagged and unforgiving rocks. Sailing any large boat into the pass is exceedingly dangerous. Third, there are the guardians of the passageway to the kingdom.

This pass, known to ship captains as the King's Strait, would be far easier to navigate in a smaller ship. Unfortunately for those looking for the riches within, the entirety of the strait is absolutely infested with hydras. From sheer wall to sheer wall, the beasts seem to utilize the tumultuous waters therein as a favored spawning ground. It's impossible to say whether or not doing so was on purpose, but one may only find out by venturing within The Old Kingdom's walls...