The Lernaean hydra - Revision history

Hordes: /* Strategy */

2026-01-18T16:45:33Z

‎Strategy

Hordes: /* Strategy */

2026-01-18T04:04:53Z

‎Strategy

Hordes: /* Strategy */

2026-01-17T22:19:23Z

‎Strategy

Hordes at 21:37, 17 January 2026

2026-01-17T21:37:43Z

Qqqqwe2: zombie lerny

2024-02-05T02:27:52Z

zombie lerny

Patrick2011b: /* Strategy */ slight rw to make it less tempting to melee with only about 20 AC

2023-12-17T22:15:43Z

‎Strategy: slight rw to make it less tempting to melee with only about 20 AC

Hordes: 1. multiple branch endings can have lerny, 2. mention hydra_factorization

2023-09-08T02:51:08Z

1. multiple branch endings can have lerny, 2. mention hydra_factorization

Hordes: /* Tips & Tricks */

2023-09-08T02:45:43Z

‎Tips & Tricks

Hordes: /* Tips & Tricks */ move phantom mirror tip up, rw weapon tip

2023-09-08T02:44:18Z

‎Tips & Tricks: move phantom mirror tip up, rw weapon tip

Hordes: /* Tips & Tricks */

2023-08-02T06:23:14Z

‎Tips & Tricks

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 ==Strategy==
 This monster ''is'' a threat, and perhaps ranks among the more dangerous monsters in the game. But to a careful, reasonably well-prepared player, it is less dangerous than it first appears:
-*Lerny is a melee-only monster that's relatively frail - despite the HP, Lerny has ''no'' AC and minimal EV, so it can be pelted by sufficiently strong ranged attacks. Even melee characters can use [[throw]]ables or [[wand]]s. It has no resistances except for poison, and it cannot see invisible.
+*Lerny is a melee-only monster that's relatively frail - despite the HP, Lerny has ''no'' AC and minimal EV, so it can be dealt with by sufficiently strong ranged attacks. Even melee characters can use [[throw]]ables or [[wand]]s. It has no resistances except for poison, and it cannot see invisible.
 *Each head checks AC/EV/SH separately, so a heavily armoured player is unlikely to die in 1-2 hits. A character with 40+ AC (generally from high [[Armour skill]] and highly enchanted armour) can expect to take on average 20-30 damage/turn from this monster. By comparison, a character with about 20 AC will take twice as much damage/turn.
 Still, Lerny can deal massive damage. In theory, it can 1-turn kill even a heavily armoured character. Great care should be taken to not let Lerny into melee range.
 ===Tackling Lerny===
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 *Lerny can't see invisible, although note that if you're in water and not flying, invisibility does not work.
-Swarming with allies generally ''doesn't'' work due to Lerny's ability to redirect leftover attacks. [[Summon Cactus Giant]] isn't effective either, as the spines will only affect a hydra once per turn. Sufficiently powerful allies like [[Malign Gateway]] can work, though.
+Swarming with allies without Inner Flame/immolation generally ''doesn't'' work due to Lerny's ability to redirect leftover attacks. [[Summon Cactus Giant]] isn't effective either, as the spines will only affect a hydra once per turn. Sufficiently powerful allies like [[Malign Gateway]] can work, though.
 ===Tips & Tricks===

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 ==Strategy==
 This monster ''is'' a threat, and perhaps ranks among the more dangerous monsters in the game. But to a careful, reasonably well-prepared player, it is less dangerous than it first appears:
-*Lerny is a melee-only monster that's relatively frail - despite the HP, Lerny has ''no'' AC and minimal EV, so it can be pelted by sufficiently strong ranged attacks. Even melee characters can use [[throw]]able or [[wand]]s. It has no resistances except for poison, and it cannot see invisible.
+*Lerny is a melee-only monster that's relatively frail - despite the HP, Lerny has ''no'' AC and minimal EV, so it can be pelted by sufficiently strong ranged attacks. Even melee characters can use [[throw]]ables or [[wand]]s. It has no resistances except for poison, and it cannot see invisible.
 *Each head checks AC/EV/SH separately, so a heavily armoured player is unlikely to die in 1-2 hits. A character with 40+ AC (generally from high [[Armour skill]] and highly enchanted armour) can expect to take on average 20-30 damage/turn from this monster. By comparison, a character with about 20 AC will take twice as much damage/turn.

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 *Each head checks AC/EV/SH separately, so a heavily armoured player is unlikely to die in 1-2 hits. A character with 40+ AC (generally from high [[Armour skill]] and highly enchanted armour) can expect to take on average 20-30 damage/turn from this monster. By comparison, a character with about 20 AC will take twice as much damage/turn.
-Still, Learny can deal massive damage. In theory, it can 1-turn kill even a heavily armoured character. Great care should be taken to not let Lerny into melee range.
+Still, Lerny can deal massive damage. In theory, it can 1-turn kill even a heavily armoured character. Great care should be taken to not let Lerny into melee range.
 ===Tackling Lerny===

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Strategy==
-This monster ''is'' a threat, and perhaps ranks among the more dangerous monsters in the game. But to a careful, reasonably well-prepared player, it is much less dangerous than it first appears:
+This monster ''is'' a threat, and perhaps ranks among the more dangerous monsters in the game. But to a careful, reasonably well-prepared player, it is less dangerous than it first appears:
-*It presents only a moderate threat to characters with very high AC; AC functions best against many small attacks, and the Lernaean Hydra is just that. A character with 40+ AC (generally from high [[Armour skill]] and highly enchanted armour) can expect to take on average 20-30 damage/turn from this monster. By comparison, a character with about 20 AC will take twice as much damage/turn.
+*Lerny is a melee-only monster that's relatively frail - despite the HP, Lerny has ''no'' AC and minimal EV, so it can be pelted by sufficiently strong ranged attacks. Even melee characters can use [[throw]]able or [[wand]]s. It has no resistances except for poison, and it cannot see invisible.
-*Low-HP spellcasters who have chosen not to train much in the way of defensive skills should rightfully be afraid. These characters will absolutely want to avoid engaging Lerny in melee, but luckily, they are also the ones best equipped to do so. Use [[flight]] to deal with the water, [[Haste]] and (careful use of) [[Swiftness]] to maintain distance,  and repeatedly pelt it with your most powerful attack spells.
+*Each head checks AC/EV/SH separately, so a heavily armoured player is unlikely to die in 1-2 hits. A character with 40+ AC (generally from high [[Armour skill]] and highly enchanted armour) can expect to take on average 20-30 damage/turn from this monster. By comparison, a character with about 20 AC will take twice as much damage/turn.
-Keep in mind that you don't ''have'' to kill every monster possible. Sure, Lerny's worth a good chunk of experience, but if you don't have a safe way to kill it, just grab the rune and go. Alternatively, you can come back after you've explored other areas and gotten stronger, since you'll only need the Swamp's rune once you're ready to open the [[Realm of Zot]].
+Still, Learny can deal massive damage. In theory, it can 1-turn kill even a heavily armoured character. Great care should be taken to not let Lerny into melee range.
-===Weaknesses===
+===Tackling Lerny===
-Lerny has several crucial weaknesses that are easily overlooked:
+*If Lerny is far away and clumped up with a bunch of monsters, a [[scroll of immolation]] + ranged attacks can be brutally effective. Ideally, haste and flight should be used in case something goes wrong. You can also use [[summon]]s, [[undead]], or other allies as immolation fodder for a similar effect.
-*It actually has fairly low HP for such a powerful unique, ''zero'' AC, and negligible EV. It is also stuck to melee. Ranged attacks can easily wear Lerny down, spellcasters are unlikely to need a source of MP recovery to kill it in one go, and it generally doesn't take long to kill. Even melee characters can use [[Throwing|throwing weapons]] and [[wand]]s to soften it up before engaging.
+*A [[phantom mirror]] can be brutally effective against Lerny. The phantom often moves first, so it's likely to kill (or severely damage) the original.
-*It has no resistances, other than poison and to [[throwing net]]s. Conjurers and elementalists of all stripes will easily be able to inflict damage on it.
+*Lerny can't see invisible, although note that if you're in water and not flying, invisibility does not work.
-*It cannot [[see invisible]] and only has animal intelligence. Not only will Lerny have difficulty tracking you down, but you'll have an easier time dodging attacks and might even be able to get off a devastating [[stab]]. Note that being in [[water]] without flight will negate most perks of invisibility.
 ===Tips & Tricks===
 *Lerny is a hydra, with the usual head-cutting mechanics:
 **Flaming edged weapons do cut off heads, but going from 27 to 26 heads doesn't make a big difference. If you have a renewable/cheap means of escape, you might be able to chip away at the head count.

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-{{version030}}
+{{version031}}
 {{monster info|the Lernaean hydra}}
 ''For a list of all reptiles, see [[list of reptiles and amphibians]].''
 ==Useful Info==
-'''The Lernaean hydra''' ("'''Lerny'''" for short) is a unique [[hydra]] with [[27]] heads. Each head can do up to 18 dmg for a total of 486, though very strongly biased around the average of 260, and reduced 27 times by [[AC]]/[[EV]] rolls. In addition, it has about twice the HP of a regular hydra, has 30 [[HD]], can knock down [[Wall#Mangrove|trees]] by simply moving through them, swims as fast as any hydra, and regenerates quickly.
+'''The Lernaean hydra''' ("'''Lerny'''" for short) is a unique [[hydra]] with [[27]] heads. Each head can do up to 18 dmg for a total of 486, though very strongly biased around the average of 260, and reduced 27 times by [[AC]]/[[EV]] rolls. In addition, it has about twice the HP of a regular hydra, has 30 [[HD]], and can knock down [[Wall#Mangrove|trees]] by simply moving through them. Other than that, it behaves exactly like a normal hydra (notably that it swims and regenerates quickly).
-Lerny can occasionally be found in [[Swamp]]:4. If Swamp hasn't generated in your game, it may very rarely appear inside a specific [[runed door]] [[vault]] ("nicolae_hydra_factorization").
+Lerny can occasionally be found in [[Swamp]]:4. If Swamp hasn't generated in your game, it may very rarely appear inside a specific [[runed door]] [[vault]] ("nicolae_hydra_factorization"). It can also appear as a [[zombie]] or [[skeleton]] in one ending.
 ==Strategy==
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 **Flaming edged weapons do cut off heads, but going from 27 to 26 heads doesn't make a big difference. If you have a renewable/cheap means of escape, you might be able to chip away at the head count.
 **Lerny is capped at 27 heads. Non-flaming edged weapons still cause the healing, but won't increase the number of heads. While a normal edged weapon will likely prove ineffective, a weapon of [[freezing]] can at least slow Lerny down (letting you escape).
 ==Trivia==
 The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra Lernaean Hydra] was a monster in Greek mythology that was killed by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules Hercules] as one of his Twelve Labors.

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 ===Tips & Tricks===
-*Flaming edged weapons still cut off heads as usual, though having 27 heads makes this less noticeable. It may help in taking out Lerny slowly, provided you have renewable or cheap methods of escape.
+*A [[phantom mirror]] can be brutally effective against Lerny. The phantom often moves first, so it's likely to kill (or severely damages) the original.
-*Considering Lerny is already maxed out at 27 heads, the only negative effect of attacking with an edged weapon is the health it regains when regrowing any heads you cut off. You probably won't be able to kill it with an edged weapon before it eats you, but a weapon of [[freezing]] might slow it down long enough for you to get some distance.
+*If there's a suitable mass of monsters of suitable distance, a [[scroll of immolation]] will easily vanquish Lerny; preferably with haste, flight, and a ranged attack able to activate a chain reaction. Alternatively, you can set off the reaction with [[summon]]s, [[undead]], or other allies, who are also affected by immolation.
-*A [[phantom mirror]] could help vanquish Lerny or greatly reduce its health. The phantom gets to move first, so it is can usually deal a large chunk of damage.
+*Lerny is a hydra, with the usual head-cutting mechanics:
-*If there's a suitable mass of monsters of suitable distance, a [[scroll of immolation]] will easily vanquish Lerny; preferably with haste, flight, and a ranged attack able to activate a chain reaction. Alternatively, you can set off the reaction with [[summon]]s or [[undead]], who are also affected by immolation.
+**Flaming edged weapons do cut off heads, but going from 27 to 26 heads doesn't make a big difference. If you have a renewable/cheap means of escape, you might be able to chip away at the head count.
 ==Trivia==
 The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra Lernaean Hydra] was a monster in Greek mythology that was killed by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules Hercules] as one of his Twelve Labors.