Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Galynea 05-21-07, 07:34 PM	First, let me say that a 8-headed hydra that is nauseated is something you don't want to watch before diner! That being said, I had that happening during my game. A player who wasn't even sure what "nauseated" meant, made a stinking cloud (I think) that forced my hydra (with lowered saves due to the warlock's sickening blast...how thematic) to forgo her attacks and everything except one move/round for 5 rounds. Sigh... But that isn't the worse. You kill an hydra by sundering it's heads. A sunder is made by opposed attack rolls... so was my hydra automatically sundered by each attack since she's not allowed attacks while nauseated? In fact, I still gave her a small bonus, just for the monster to be a lil' challenge still...but have my players found the perfect way to kill that beast? (Even if...of course...a nauseated monster is usually a dead one anyway.)
Marcus Majarra 05-21-07, 11:17 PM	The hydra still makes the opposed attack rolls as normal, despite being nauseated. Resisting an attack is not an attack, even if you're required to make an attack roll to do so.
Lilinthra 05-22-07, 12:54 PM	Would that apply for opposed grapple checks as well, like if someone attempts to grapple a nauseated or stunned creature?
Someone 05-22-07, 01:21 PM	They can still resist the grapple attempt. As Marcus said, an opposed attack roll isn't an attack in itself, its just the way the attack is resolved. Note that once grappled, a nauseated creature can't get out, as they can't make attacks or standard action to try to break the grapple.
PenderGrass 05-22-07, 04:01 PM	Actually only one head would throw up. Just like a haste spell, nauseation effects only grant one puke per creature. :dragon: ****
weasel0 05-22-07, 08:34 PM	With haste, it's one effect for the whole creature. With nauseated, it's one effect for the whole creature as well but with exception. Just because it's 1 puke doesn't mean it's 1 head. All the heads conceivably lead to the stomach so 1 puke could easily come out all the heads. It's the same with their attack. 1 attack from a hydra consists of an attack from each of the heads, but it's only 1 attack. I hate hydras!
Marcus Majarra 05-22-07, 09:30 PM	Actually only one head would throw up. Just like a haste spell, nauseation effects only grant one puke per creature. :dragon: **** I take it you also believe that only one head ingests food for the entire creature, while the others watch and drool? In any case, being nauseated in no way implies that the creature is vomiting. It's only experiencing stomach distress (as per page 300 of the DMG).
Phrennzy 05-22-07, 09:47 PM	Actually only one head would throw up. Just like a haste spell, nauseation effects only grant one puke per creature. :dragon: **** I'm assuming this was written tongue-in-cheek. A vomiting hydra would be quite a sight.
PenderGrass 05-23-07, 02:09 AM	I'm assuming this was written tongue-in-cheek. A vomiting hydra would be quite a sight. Of course it was tongue-in-cheek, or in the hydra's case it is more like: tongue-in-cheek and tongue-in-cheek and tongue-in-cheek and tongue-in-cheek and tongue-in-cheek and tongue-in-cheek and tongue-in-cheek and tongue-in-cheek and tongue-in-cheek.... :dragon: ****
weasel0 05-23-07, 02:11 AM	*sunder*.... *spurt*.... tongue-in-cheek
Millennium 05-23-07, 10:34 AM	I take it you also believe that only one head ingests food for the entire creature, while the others watch and drool? No, but despite the creature having many heads, they likely all connect to the same stomach. If we want to go all pedantic on the biology of this, the vomit reflex on such a creature would likely evolve to close off all of the esophagi but one, in order to maximize the stomach's ability to expel its contents. Otherwise you would be dividing the pressure from the stomach among multiple outlets, and it gets a lot less likely that anything would actually get out of the creature. But that's pedantic biology crap. This is fantasy. Every second-grader knows that a multiheaded creature would puke through all of them, and most would probably be willing to explain this in great detail, laughing hysterically all the while.
Galynea 05-23-07, 11:36 AM	Thank you all for those very...decisive answers ;) If I ever make an hydra again, she'll be carrying Pepto-Bismol. It's boring playing a creature that can't attack! And thanks about the tip for nauseated vs. grapple...I'll have to make a snake with a poison that causes nausea, followed by a constrict. Nasty!
Someone 05-23-07, 12:40 PM	Well, you know how it is- one head starts puking, which induces another head to start puking, which makes the first head puke again, which makes another two heads start puking... pretty soon they're all retching. If you think that's bad, imagine a puking cryohydra- its like off-color slushies.
Phrennzy 05-23-07, 01:28 PM	No, but despite the creature having many heads, they likely all connect to the same stomach. If we want to go all pedantic on the biology of this, the vomit reflex on such a creature would likely evolve to close off all of the esophagi but one, in order to maximize the stomach's ability to expel its contents. Otherwise you would be dividing the pressure from the stomach among multiple outlets, and it gets a lot less likely that anything would actually get out of the creature. But that's pedantic biology crap. This is fantasy. Every second-grader knows that a multiheaded creature would puke through all of them, and most would probably be willing to explain this in great detail, laughing hysterically all the while. This bit you have written should be in the DMG under the heading of "Realism vs D&D". It is perfect. I :love: you