Hydra & Bonus Strikes

By cavie, in Battlelore

Posted this on BGG and didn't get many responses - any official word from FFG?

Is the hydra really immune to bonus strikes?

On the back of the card it reads under Critical Hits: None, creature is only hit on its banner color.

That would make it so bonus strikes do not hit it, at least according to that line.

But on both the Ogre and the Troll cards there is clear instruction about bonus strikes - the Troll's card says that it is Immune to them and the Ogre's card lists Resistance (immune to bonus strikes).

Is this an oversight on the print of the Hydra's card?

No, it's not an oversight. The (more or less obvious, IMO) reason for this is that the Hydra has a sort of hitpoint system: Three necks, with heads attached. It rolls its number of current heads+1d, and only adds a neck piece with two heads is 1) it rolls a lore and 2) it is already missing a neck piece.

Making it vulnerable to both Blue Helmets AND SoS would make it far too easy to kill. It's already entirely possible to kill a Hydra with one roll - just 3 Blues, enough to kill a Blue Banner mounted unit or the Troll - and so the immunity to SoS is really just a balancing mechanic. Giving it a fighting chance, and all.

I'll never forget the Epic Battle between my Hydra and my wife's Cleric hero - she cut off all its heads with one attack and won the battle :)

Sorry, I'm a double-post fiend.

Remember, whatever's printed on the cards is what goes in the game. The cards don't have a uniform way of communicating information, much to my occasional consternation, but they are always complete and concise.

What you're saying making sense awayputurwpn. I started having my doubts when the hydra was dominating for quite some time and then started pondering the fact that the Troll does NOT hit on bonus strikes.

That led me to start thinking, 'well, maybe it should have had a line about immune to bonus strikes'.

Thanks for you response. happy.gif