Desert Hydra

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Desert Hydra Skorne Gargantuan Warbeast

With five huge heads independently biting and spitting acid at its foes, the Desert Hydra is one of the most devastating warbeasts the Skorne Empire has ever captured and conditioned for war. Each head can release a focused spray of highly corrosive acid or snatch up opponents to be devoured by its gaping, hellish jaws. Flesh hooks protruding from beneath armored plates keep the beast maddened with pain, spurring it to further carnage even after suffering multiple decapitations.

Basic Info

Desert Hydra
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Huge SPD 5 STR 14 MAT 6 RAT 6 M.A. N/A DEF 10 ARM 19 CMD 6 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY 4 THRS 8 HP 52 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 2 UNIT SIZE N/A COST 34 N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Warbeast - All warbeasts share a huge stack of special rules. The short version is they're big, furious, and beat stuff up pretty good. Click here for a newbie-friendly recap, or click here for the full rules.

Gargantuan - Gargantuans are mega-warbeasts, even bigger and stompier. They use nearly all the same rules as normal warbeasts but with a few alterations. These changes are summarized here or can be read in full here.

Abilities

• Pathfinder
• Circular Vision - Models never gain a back strike bonus against this model.
• Multiple Heads [5] - This model can make 5 initial attacks each Combat Action, using any combination of ranged or melee attacks. This model loses one initial attack for each of its aspects that are currently crippled. This model cannot be forced to buy additional ranged attacks.
• Regeneration [d3+3] - This model can be forced to remove d3+3 damage points once per activation. This model cannot use Regeneration during an activation it runs.
• Snacking - When this model boxes a living model with a melee attack, it can choose to RFP the boxed model. When it does, this model can remove d3 damage points.

Weapons

Acid Spray(s)
		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		SP 8			(★)			-			14
(★) Variable ROF, refer to the Multiple Head rule. Damage Type: Corrosion Continuous Corrosion
Bite(s) (★)
		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				4				18
(★) Variable number of attacks, refer to the Multiple Head rule. Critical Grievous Wounds - On a critical hit, a model hit by this weapon loses Tough and cannot have damage removed from it for one round.

Animus

	COST	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
Sandstorm	2	SELF	(★)	-	Round	No
When an enemy model targets a model in the spellcaster's command range with a ranged attack with a RNG greater than 8", the attack suffers –3 RNG to a minimum of 8".

Theme Forces

• Disciples of Agony
• Masters of War
• The Exalted
• Winds of Death

Recent Changes

No changes since 2021.10

Thoughts on the Desert Hydra

Desert Hydra in a nutshell

The Desert Hydra is a wrecking ball that costs more than two heavy warbeasts, but moves fast, hits hard, shoots a lot, and has an animus that as a spell is better than many that appear on warcasters & warlocks. In essence the Desert Hydra does what any good gargantuan should do: threaten most of the table while supporting your own army's delivery. If it has a weakness, it is the same weakness all huge bases share, they can be seen through anything and don't scale well into dedicated efforts to destroy them. It's a lot of points for a lot of beast and there's nothing wrong with that.

It’s animus and the animus of the Basilisk Krea is the main way to make sure it gets into the action, offsetting it’s rather conservative, HP, armour and defence. In terms of fury use this is expensive, but at least the rest of the force reap the benefits also.

Combos & Synergies

• Paingiver Beast Handlers provide fury management and make it an effective melee warbeast when it needs to engage by buffing its STR and providing a free charge.
• the Desert Hydra scale extremely well with buffs of all stripes, so casters specialized in buffing warbeasts can get a lot of mileage out of the Hydra. That including speed buffing warlocks like Xerxis2 or Morghoul1 ; damage-enhancing one like Morghoul2 or Makeda3 ; or resilience-enhancing warlocks like Zaadesh2 or Zaal1.
  • the only one who does all this in 1 package is Xekaar
• Its animus work on minions, and provide a very different effect than the usual armor or defense stacking that Skorne warlocks tend to do.
• The Hydra can spray straight though Croak Raiders without hurting them.
• Supreme Aptimus Zaal can make ample use of this warbeast if he can afford the points. A Huge base to hide behind is not a hindrance to casting, and being able to utilize the feat for Ancestral Rage tokens while also taking advantage of Inviolable Resolve stacked with either a Basilisk Krea animus or gnawing pain from an Agonizer massively extends his viability.
• The Cyclops Shaman is an obvious piece to include with the Hydra. Early on, it lets you use all the fury on the Hydra aggressively, while the Shaman Sandstorms. Later on, he can copy animii like Rush
• The Hydra loves mass debuffs that cover big sections of the board, such as those provided by the Hermit of Hengehold or Morghoul2's Mortality.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• The statistics on the hydra are all at the point where they become really good once buffed but aren't special else. In other word, the hydra want quite a lot of support.
  • In particular, the Hydra is relatively fragile baseline, and its healing abilities can only be used if it survive a turn. Agonizer and Basilisk Krea help a lot here.
  • You probably also often want access to Rush or to another speed enhancer, as threat 10" is somewhat light but threat 12" begin to be a real problem to your opponents
• the Mammoth can pay back its points cost much easier due to its range advantage, admittedly at the cost of the support animus.
• Most colossals and gargants like to stay behind and shoot to be brought to the frontline once big threats to it have been neutered. The Hydra cannot do that because it's short ranged, and consequently put itself in danger more often and quicker than most gargants.
• Disciples of Agony means that Skorne is extremely lush with hard-hitting heavies. There are too many combinations to list of pairs of heavies which compare to the Hydra in melee output, but don't put so many points into a single model.
• Unlike something like a Blightbringer, the Hydra cannot be used as just a support stick. Include it only if your list make good use of a melee colossal.

Tricks & Tips

• As a huge-based model, the Hydra is immune to Grievous Wounds. Watch out for effects that prevent healing but are not Grievous Wounds. Things like Entropic Aura/Entropic Force, the Vulcan's Miasma of Death, Mortality such as seen on Morghoul2, or the Greylord Escort's Fell Curse.
• The Hydra has an excellent animus, well worth casting from either your warlock or a Cyclops Shaman.
• You can walk and make 5 breaths, or charge and make 4 breaths, to reach to a model who is behind a bunch of other. It's a way to put the last lousy point of damage on a caster; it doesn't hit hard, but it reaches very far away.
• You can heal a startling amount of damage in a turn. An average of five damage from the regen plus two from each infantry model you snack (and then there's the Paingiver Beast Handlers using their Medicate ability). It's not quite a Mountain King, but it's close.

Other

Trivia

• The rules were released in Hordes: Devastation (2015), but the actual model wasn't released until 2017.01
• This model was only ever released in the new hard plastic (HIPs). A mold defect means that the left side of three of the heads is missing the flesh hooks. Much moaning was heard from the skorne community.
• Nonetheless, it's one of the prettiest models in the skorne line. Also a lot of work to paint.

Other Skorne models

Skorne Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warlocks	Hexeris1 - Hexeris2 - Jalaam1 - Makeda1 - Makeda2 - Makeda3 - Mordikaar1 - Morghoul1 - Morghoul2 - Morghoul3 - Naaresh1 - Rasheth1 - Xekaar1 - Xerxis1 - Xerxis2 - Zaal1 - Zaal2 - Zaadesh2
Lessers & Attachments	Aptimus Marketh (Warlock attachment) - Zaadesh1 (Lesser Warlock) - Makeda0 (Lesser Warlock)
Lesser	Agonizer - Aradus Scarab - Reptile Hounds - The Terrorizer
Light	Basilisk Drake - Basilisk Krea - Cyclops Brute - Cyclops Raider - Cyclops Savage - Cyclops Shaman - Razor Worm
Heavy	Aradus Sentinel - Aradus Soldier - Archidon - Chiron - Bronzeback Titan - Despoiler - Molik Karn - Rhinodon - Tiberion - Titan Cannoneer - Titan Gladiator - Titan Sentry
Gargantuans	Desert Hydra - Mammoth
Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units	Cataphract Arcuarii - Cataphract Cetrati - Cataphract Incindiarii - Immortals - Legends of Halaak - Nihilators - Paingiver Beast Handlers - Paingiver Bloodrunners - Praetorian Ferox - Praetorian Karax - Praetorian Keltarii - Praetorian Swordsmen - Tyrant Commander & Standard Bearer - Venator Catapult Crew - Venator Flayer Cannon Crew - Venator Reivers - Venator Slingers
Solos	Abidan the Keeper - Ancestral Guardian - Aptimus Marketh - Extoller Novitiate - Extoller Soulward - Hakaar the Destroyer - Immortal Vessel - Makeda0 - Mortitheurge Willbreaker - Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor - Paingiver Task Master - Tyrant Rhadeim - Venator Dakar - Void Spirit - Zaadesh1
Battle Engines	Siege Animantarax - Supreme Guardian
Theme Forces
Disciples of Agony - Masters of War - The Exalted - Winds of Death
Minions
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Skorne Minion
This index was last updated: 2021.11

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Corrosion      (Edit) If you deploy in corrosion hazard terrain (Acid Pool), then you get corroded before the game starts. Deploying a model in a hazard counts as being "put into play" in the hazard. Being put into play counts as "entering". When you enter a hazard, you trigger the hazard. A weapon can inflict continuous corrosion without itself being a corrosion damage weapon (for example, the Acidic Touch animus). In this case, the attack can hurt models with Immunity: Corrosion it just won't apply the continuous effect.

Rules Clarification : Grievous Wounds      (Edit) GW prevents "repairs" as well as "heals". It does not stop a warlock transferring damage, or stop the wounded model from being able to 'heal' someone else. Does not affect models with the Massive rule.

Rules Clarification : Gargantuan      (Edit) Warroom 2017 bug: Gargantuan's have their animus labelled as "spells". Despite this, it's an animus and as such the warlock can cast it. This is a known bug. (Staff Comment) 2020 bug: The animus doesn't show up at all. You'll have to go to the official card database instead. Refer to the Gargantuan article for a recap of their rules. Huge Base (Edit) You can draw LOS from your Left arc to a target in your Right arc (and vice versa). See also this diagram Huge-based models get bonus distance if they do a Power Attack: Slam or Power Attack: Power Strike. But this bonus doesn't apply to slams triggered by normal attacks (such as Critical Smite or the Hurricane's Thunder Charge ability). Also, simply being on a huge base triggers a bunch of rules scattered throughout the rulebook, click to read them.   [Show/Hide] From the 2020.02 edition of the core rules (Edit) Fields of Fire Page 37 A huge-based model’s front arc is marked on its base. Its front arc is further divided into two 90° fields of fire. These fields of fire determine which models a huge-based model can target with its weapons, depending on the location of those weapons. Weapons located on a huge-based model’s left side (L) can be used to target only models in its left field of fire, and weapons located on its right side (R) can be used to target only models in its right field of fire. Weapons with locations “S,” “H,” or “—” can be used to target models in either field of fire. If any part of a model’s base is on the line separating the left and right fields of fire, the model is considered to be in both fields of fire. Concealment, Cover, LOS Page 49 Concealment & Cover - Huge-based models never gain the DEF bonuses from concealment or cover. Page 60 Clouds - Cloud effects do not block line of sight to huge-based models. Page 87 Forests - Forests do not block line of sight to huge-based models. Huge-Based models in melee Page 54 - Huge-based models never gain the Target in Melee DEF bonus. Page 65 - Combined Ranged Attacks cannot target a model in melee unless it has a huge base.

Rules Clarification:  : Warbeast      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

See also the Warbeast page for a recap of the core warbeast rules. Forcing If an ability doesn't specify how much it costs to force, it costs 1. (Infernal Ruling) Animi A single Animus can be on several models at the same time. (Infernal Ruling) Unlike in Mk2, in Mk3 if a model has an animus on it from any source and then another animus is cast on that model, it will lose the first instance of an animus and will be replaced by the second. It does not matter if either the first animus or the second animus is from a warlock or warbeast. (Infernal Ruling) An animi cast by a warlock is an animi and a spell. (Infernal Ruling) Transferring Damage If both the warlock and the warbeast are damaged by the same attack (such as an AOE), then you need to apply the 'normal' damage to the warbeast before the transferred damage. This distinction can be important when you're working out who/what actually destroyed the beast. (Infernal Ruling) Frenzy (Edit) You cannot trigger optional abilities (such as Cleave or Sprint). (Infernal Ruling) You must trigger compulsory abilities (such as Consume) ... except for compulsory abilities that also generate an extra attack (such as Berserk). In that case, you don't get the Berserk attack. (Infernal Ruling) A warbeast may not make an Assault shot as part of a Frenzy activation. If the closest target to a warbeast resolving a Frenzy cannot be charged, then the warbeast will forfeit movement and action (as per the rules of having to charge and not being able to). (Infernal Ruling) If a frenzying warbeast can't reach its charge target (because the charge lane is blocked by terrain, etc) then it will make a failed charge and end its activation. (Locked thread) If a frenzying warbeast has two melee weapons with the same POW, it can choose which one to use. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Pathfinder      (Edit) Pathfinder (Edit) - Pathfinder does not apply to involuntary movement (pushes & slams). (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Circular Vision      (Edit) This only prevents the normal bonus afforded from back strikes. It does not prevent things such as Backstab, which simply requires being in the rear arc.

Rules Clarification : Multiple Heads      (Edit) When you stack this ability with Black Spot, the free attacks can be either melee or ranged regardless of what type the other attacks you've made are. (Infernal Ruling) When you charge, the clause "can make any combination of melee and ranged attacks" has a bit of a weird interaction with the charging rule "must make a melee attack vs the charge target". This is further compounded by the fact that one Multihead model is a Gunfighter (Typhon) which has its own issues with charging. Desert Hydra When it charges it can make 4 spray attacks (out of its 5 heads) and must make 1 melee attack, barring crippled aspects. The ranged attacks can occur before or after this melee attack. If the charge target is destroyed or otherwise removed before the melee attack, the Desert Hydra still cannot use that attack to make a 5th spray, it must be a melee attack. (Infernal Ruling) Typhon The Gunfighter rule lets Typhon use all his heads to make ranged attacks, but places restrictions on what his initial ranged attacks can target. When a Gunfighter model charges, its initial ranged attack(s) can only target models in its own melee range. Bought ranged attacks, if any, can target anyone in melee or, if they're all dead, anyone at all. See the Gunfighter article for a more detailed explanation.

Rules Clarification : Regeneration - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Snacking      (Edit) You can use Snacking to RFP your target even if you're at full health. (Locked thread) Snacking occurs at boxed, and thus: Doesn't prevent abilities that trigger at disabled (such as Tough, Self-Sacrifice, etc). Might prevent abilities that trigger at boxed, depending on who the active player is and whose model the ability triggered on. Refer the 'Triggers' section (pg 10 of the pdf) Does prevent abilties that trigger at destroyed (such as collecting soul tokens, etc) You can snack friendly models. You may choose where each individual point of healing goes. If you kill multiple models with a single attack (such as trampling over them) then you get to heal once for each model killed.

Rules Clarification : Windstorm and/or Sandstorm and/or Fleeting Storm     (Edit) Range Modifiers (Weapons) (Edit) If a weapon puts down a template "within X inches" (such as Covering Fire) then you can't change that, because it's not a RNG. (Infernal Ruling) If a weapon's RNG is reduced to zero, it cannot be used to make attacks. Refer to 'Weapon Statistics', page 19 of the core rulebook. If a weapon has RNG = CTRL then you can't add or subtract to that range, because CTRL is not a number. (Infernal Ruling) Gunfighter vs RNG modifiers (Edit) Unlike what most people might tell you, Gunfighter doesn't have a "range", it just lets the model make ranged attacks while in melee. The gun's actual RNG is unaffected though, until you put something like Windstorm (-5 RNG) on it. Then what happens is: If the gun is RNG 7, Windstorm will reduce it to 2". Thus it won't affect any Gunfighter attacks. If the gun is RNG 6, Windstorm will reduce it to 1". Thus you can only make Gunfighter attacks vs models within 1" (if you can - charging Gunfighters may be more limited). If the gun is RNG 5, Windstorm will reduce it to 0". Thus you can't make any attacks as per 'Weapon Statistics' (page 19 of the core rulebook). (Infernal Ruling) See also Range Modifiers (Spells)