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4 months ago ::
Feb 05, 2013 - 11:22PM
#1
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Date Joined:
May 12, 2009
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Dragon's-Eye View
HydraBy Jon SchindehetteThat many-headed and sometimes hard-to-kill creature known as the hydra is under examination this week! See what Jon has to say about the hydra, and give us some ideas on what you think about this pernicious creature. Talk about this column here.
Yan
Montréal, Canada
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4 months ago ::
Feb 06, 2013 - 12:59AM
#2
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Default hydras definitely have legs. This is basically a fantasy universal. Legless hydras can be a variant, but hydras definitely are four-legged creatures.
One angle regarding their heads that wasn't touched on is that I think it's important for hydras to not look as smart as dragons. Hydras have animal intelligence and neither speak nor understand languages, nor do they have strong individual personalities in the same way that dragons do. I think that they should look dumber than dragons do, and less noble.
Dwarves invented beer so they could toast to their axes. Dwarves invented axes to kill people and take their beer.
"Feel free to claim I said anything you like. How's someone going to call you out on it? Are they going to be all like, 'I know all of the things that Gary said, and that's not one of them?'"
- Gary Gygax
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4 months ago ::
Feb 06, 2013 - 1:13AM
#3
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Date Joined:
May 12, 2009
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I like Hydra as 7 headed bulky body four legged reptile-like behemoth. 
Yan
Montréal, Canada
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4 months ago ::
Feb 06, 2013 - 3:05AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Jan 29, 2005
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I think a scaled hydra might be too reminscent of Tiamat, making it too draconic, IMO. Having smooth, rubbery skin seems like a good separation to prevent too much association. Granted, if you view hydras as related to dragons (I don't), then I would agree giving it draconic-like scales.
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4 months ago ::
Feb 06, 2013 - 3:28AM
#5
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Date Joined:
Aug 22, 2007
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Lizard or snake like heads over dragonic with a little bit of a face like the Disney one.
Dinosaur like body.
Leathery skin texture.
Also I'd prefer a tiny bit of a single neck that splinters off into multple necks and heads. None of that "many necks from the shoulders" nonsense.
My full preference: a carnivorous many-headed Apatosaurus with lizard legs and thin tail.
Orzel, Halfelven son of Zel, Mystic Ranger, Bane to Dragons, Death to Undeath, Killer of Abyssals, King of the Wilds.
Constitution Based Class for Next!
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4 months ago ::
Feb 06, 2013 - 4:33AM
#6
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“ In original Greek mythology, the hydra was described as a "chthonic water beast." Through time, folks have played with those seemingly opposed concepts. Chthonic loosely means "in, under or beneath the earth," and water beast implies that it comes from the water. ” The “chthonic water beast” refers to the personification of “fresh water”. The idea is (according to a widespread Mideast concept), the Cosmic Ocean is the encircling salt water, while the Abyss is the central fresh water. The flat-earth Land Disk floats on top of the Abyss. That is why fresh water - not salt water - bubbles up from deep in the earth. It is also why the Abyss is sometimes understood as infinitely deep, the earth itself is like a cosmic floating island on top of this fresh water. So, the Hydra personifies the subterranean fresh waters of the infinitely deep Abyss. Interestingly, in Babylonian belief, Tiamat personifies the encircling salt water of the Cosmic Ocean, while her mate Abzu personifies the central fresh water of the Abyss. Across many cultures, these water bodies are conceived as cosmic-sized serpents. The Hydra is a water serpent   
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4 months ago ::
Feb 06, 2013 - 4:37AM
#7
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DRAGON: The Hydra isnt a Dragon, but is an ancestor of the Dragon. The Hydra is a primitive, violent, near-mindless brute, that kills things because they make noise.
DRAGON = SNAKE + EAGLE + LION + HORNS
HYDRA = SNAKE + FISH
NO LEGS: This is a water serpent. Even tho it is a SNAKE, as a personification of fresh water, it seems appropriate to blend FISH features with it.
(Prefer no legs, according to the Classical mythology. But if a majority vote for legs, I could live with fish-like FINS, that could possibly serve as legs, if it twisted across a rocky surface.)
BODY: Snake. But a monstrous snake. Its probably ok to take aquatic-theme fishy liberties with it.
HEAD: The Hydra doesnt look like a Dragon, but you can tell they are kinda related.
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic
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4 months ago ::
Feb 06, 2013 - 4:46AM
#8
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Date Joined:
Aug 31, 2007
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HYDRA = SNAKE + SNAKE + SNAKE + SNAKE + SNAKE + SNAKE + SNAKE + SNAKE + SNAKE + FISH
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4 months ago ::
Feb 06, 2013 - 5:16AM
#9
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Date Joined:
Jan 29, 2005
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Hmm. A nine-headed hydra with a medusa heads...just how many snakes can you fit on a single monster...?
Or a beholder head atop each neck? Maybe that is getting a little too silly?
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4 months ago ::
Feb 06, 2013 - 5:58AM
#10
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... as usual, broken images.
I more imagine them as a giant snake bouquet, rather than a multi-headed land Dragon.
I have an answer for you, it may even be the truth.
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