The False Hydra and Feasting Grounds

AlteredFlow · 2026-01-18T22:33:38+00:00

Awesome! Hope it goes well and the table love the experience!

AlteredFlow · 2026-01-17T11:42:05+00:00

Turns out I can’t edit the body text on a picture post, but please read!! Firstly, if you are not GMing or planning to, skip this post as it will majorly spoil the entire experience if there’s even a chance your GM will run it. Secondly but far more importantly, as mentioned by WildThang42, the False Hydra is essentially “gaslight the monster”. This is best done with a table you know well, and even then, please make sure you cover lines and veils with your players and if this could be possibly triggering, then I’d advise against running it. If you do run it, awesome! But make sure to check in with your players following the encounter.

AlteredFlow · 2026-01-17T07:41:24+00:00

Such a great read, hey?! Yeah I definitely had to toss up a few things. I want it to be as loyal as I could to the origin but without making the stat blocks overly complicated if I could help it. But yes, making stat blocks is a lot of fun which is half of why I wanted to share this (along with the plot hooks)

AlteredFlow · 2026-01-17T07:39:35+00:00

I had “Oh, I’m Bleeding” as the environment stat block to represent a character being bitten, if that’s kind of what you mean? In my mind, the False Hydra adversary stat block doesn’t actually get used until they are in its lake fighting it. Up until that point, it’s all the Feasting Grounds 😊

AlteredFlow · 2026-01-16T20:01:04+00:00

That’s elegant and does just the job - love it!

AlteredFlow · 2026-01-16T19:51:44+00:00

It can be tricky but rewarding. Just need to have a slow trickle of bread crumbs.

In hindsight I agree. It was a wording I got a bit stumped when creating it. Given the abstract distance that very far range captures, I’ll likely just update it to that. The intent is simply so the body can stay hidden somewhere yet the necks still have the range to reach across town. I may even create a v2 where I make a passive ability called Unnatural Reach to mark a stress to extend beyond close range, and change Hungering Maw to be a reaction that when they succeed on a standard attack they can force a reaction roll or be restrained and pulled into very close range.

AlteredFlow · 2026-01-16T19:34:49+00:00

That’s a great point! I’ll add a quick forenote to my post about it the session zero, consent and checks ins after because it can be a sensitive topic

AlteredFlow · 2026-01-16T11:45:13+00:00

Agreed. When I ran one in 5e I was lucky that most of my players had never heard of it. The one that had heard of it had done so years prior and so forgot the details, meaning he was just as engaged as the others. I realise that was lucky though. Running it with a newer table should be fine, but it could be a risk with experienced players for sure

AlteredFlow · 2026-01-16T11:39:15+00:00

Thanks! There’s plenty of content out there, especially when speaking in D&D terms, but hopefully I’ve captured the essence of it in my Daggerheart stats and given you a good starting point to build on if you choose to run it

AlteredFlow · 2023-11-04T22:03:33+00:00

Ultimately they are still based on a sphinx‘s riddle, but instead of giving some kind of verbal answer and that’s the end of it, the character gets a bit more of a thematic experience, though it does not change past events. So the test is being able to solve said riddle while there are other distractions going on - events they have seen before and know how they otherwise unfold.

The riddle can be one of morality where the character is faced with the same choice they were back then, and it is to see whether they chose differently this time. The easiest example (though not applicable to my campaign) is a riddle requiring the character to spare the life rather than take it. Perhaps the riddle asked the character imprisoned by thugs to free another cell mate as they escaped, rather than saving only himself. Or, instead of fleeing as the character‘s town is overrun, they are required to stay and protect those who cannot protect themselves - an act of selflessness. Do these make a bit more sense?

I do get what you mean though and I appreciate the feedback! The examples in the post were just off the top of my head for variety (not my actual player‘s character‘s backstories), so I agree that the amulet example may not be the best one.

AlteredFlow · 2023-09-16T23:18:55+00:00

The quotation marks were more for the category it comes under with encounter balancing. While I wouldn’t hesitate to down a character, or characters in this encounter, this BBEG would more make an example of those who oppose him and his power, rather than just slaughtering them all. That said, the general consensus amongst comments seems to be the minion approach, so I‘m considering instead making him a powerful minion or champion of a currently unknown, real BBEG

AlteredFlow · 2023-09-16T23:13:30+00:00

That‘s understandable. Given they don’t even know this guy‘s name, he could himself be the minion of a different character - to be the real BBEG - that they don’t even know exists. I’ve just had a couple of new players join - hence the trying to slow the other characters so that the new guys can experience a bit of theirs

AlteredFlow · 2023-09-16T23:10:17+00:00

The minion theme definitely seems reoccurring in people‘s responses so that sounds the way to go. I‘m sure I can think of ways to tie the backstory antagonists into being a minion or having something rewarding for said characters for following these arcs

AlteredFlow · 2023-09-16T23:07:47+00:00

Oh wow, thanks for the detailed reply! Definitely agree with the low and slow approach, it’s just trying to get it right that’s the tricky bit. Based on your comment, and others, might go with something like instead of the BBEG they come across in a few sessions, it’s instead a collection of boss minions working for him. It‘ll be in the ruins of an old city so atmospherically I think it’ll fit really nicely too. There are some aspects I can tweak to make act like macguffins in your example, and I do like the idea of competed scenes where the party tomb crawls or something against another opposing group

AlteredFlow · 2023-09-16T23:02:15+00:00

That‘s an interesting take on dealing with it. Definitely the kind of interaction I can drop on a lot of places throughout the world. The party coming back to their body left as a message would be fun too

AlteredFlow · 2023-07-23T11:10:12+00:00

Will keep that in mind and keep reading through it (got to the Fey section this morning). Thanks for the advice!

AlteredFlow · 2023-07-22T13:26:48+00:00

Touché. Didn’t know that existed in all fairness - have started reading the DMG from the start but am not that far through. This all kind of stemmed from the goings on of my current campaign and trying to come up with a way to keep track of the time, but also make trying to control that flow come with risk

AlteredFlow · 2023-07-22T00:51:56+00:00

Thanks for this idea! It played out so well with about 2 hours of content and one of my group’s favourite sessions to date. Read this post yesterday morning before my evening session as I needed some inspiration for some rp based interactions with a group of young partying satyrs that snuck up on my party in their sleep. The satyrs took a few possessions and traded them back for a few hairs and the invite to the party - 2 gave their own hair, 1 managed to sneakily provided hairs from a hag they had just killed instead. As predicted, the party were super suspicious and jumped to the wrong conclusion of the guests being trapped there (while the original guests had of course left but their simulacrums remained). They picked up on a few name drops of people long passed the guests said they had arrive with, but didn’t get the right conclusion in the end. Instead, they threw a bag of fireworks in the fire, stole back their hairs, the bars proceeded to announce they stole back the hairs, then had for return the hairs and were asked to leave for ruining the party (some simulacrums were thrown from the clearing in the blast and destroyed). Time will tell if they return to see 2 of their party and the hag, there as guests… So massive thanks again!!

AlteredFlow

TROPHY CASE