Hydra

[ironhorse123]

Yes I searched this topic and found some units called the Hydra although none were like the oen I am making. Sorry I was about to finish and sccidentally pushed a button and deleted all the stuff I wrote ( a lot of writing).

Deep in the tunnels of Greece lies a deadly creature. This creature known as the Hydra has many heads and will one day conquer all of Greece.

Hydra: Beast Unit

Description: The Hydra is a tall lanky unit with grren scales and a long neck. It has big feet and long body. It looks like a big giraffe. It has big eyes.

HP: 55
Attack: 20
Armor: 0 Its flesh is not strong enough to hold off a strong attack
Movement Range: 3 Spaces
Example:H=Hydra M=Where the Hydra can move X=Exmpty Space
XXXMXXX
XXMMMXX
XMMMMMX
MMMHMMM
XMMMMMX
XXMMMXX
XXXMXXX

Attack Range: The Hydra can attack 2 spaces in front, beside, and behind it. It can attack 1 in 1 turn.
H=Hydra A=Where the Hydra can attack X=Empty Space
XXAXX
XAAAX
AAHAA
XAAAX
XXAXX
It can only attack on of the above spaces.
Blocking: 30% Front (15% Sides)
Turn Recovery: 2 Attack and 1 Movement

Special Abilitys: The Hydra can gain heads. Everytime the Hydra kills a unit it gains one head. Each extra head it has gives it 5 more attack. So if it has 2 heads it has a 25 attack and so on.
Example:
The Hydra attacks a scout from behind and kills it.The Hydra immediatly gains 1 head and 5 attack. If it kills another unit it gains a 3rd head and 30 attack. The Hydra does not gain heads from killing shrubs.

Tactics for The Hydra:
The Hydra should be used to finish off units. Its best placement would be in the 2nd or 3rd row, so it can move up and kill a weakened unit. You want the Hydra to have as many heads as it can get. It can be a good end game unit if you power it up by killing other units. You must watch out because it has very little blocking and no armor. So keep it in safe areas so it won't take much damage.

Asked Questions:


Changes will be made in orange.

Comments are welcome!

[legacy67]

Funny, I actually had a Hydra unit I was thinking of making, hadn't done the originality research yet but all I can say is that it was a VERY different idea.

With your version, you seem to be worried about it being killed easily, but 55 hp is not easy to kill, even with no armor. I'm not a fan of units that get better when you kill a unit with them, mostly because there is the very strong possibility that you don't get kill shots and they don't get better.

Honestly, what you have here is just another melee unit. There is nothing tactically speaking that separates this unit from another. There is no role that this unit fulfills that isn't fulfilled by the other melee units.

[ironhorse123]

If you play tactically though it can be used very well. It can gain more heads and stuff.

[legacy67]

Yes it can, but again, what if it doesn't gain those heads? I would just blast the hell out of this thing early so it's not around late in the game. If you wanted to ensur that it was aroound late in the game, which is the best time for it as you said, you would probably have to avoid some of those kill shots.

Basically, what role would this unit play that is not already done better by a knight? I would have a knight over this in the gross majority of setups. As a melee unit, it is not very effective with a wait of 3. Once it got into the fray, it would be dead very quickly. (I know I said earlier that its not that easy to kill, which is true if you keep this only for defense, but to utilize the heads effectively, it would need to be played offensively).

[ironhorse123]

Ok so what changes would you make to make this a effective unit do you think?

P.S. Its turn recovery is 2 not 3.

[legacy67]

An overall change to it's offensive makeup. Look, as a melee unit, even 2 is a long wait. This unit could often be hit or even paralyzed or poisoned before it has a chance to do any damage, and definately before it has the chance to get a kill. I see it being very easy to avoid getting a unit killed by this thing, and if te unit is placed in a way that makes it get an early kill, a little bit of focus on the Hydra will do it in.

I noticed you made it just strong enough to avoid 3 shot kills from scouts, very sneaky. If this unit was strong enough to get the kill shot on even a semi-regular basis, it would be too strong. With kills it is at 30 damage, then it can start getting one-hit kills. Eventually that ball gets rolling into all one-hit kills.

Think of this, you have a weak unit, so you kill it with your own hydra to get the bonus. I know I would sacrafice an ailing DSM or pyro for this.

Basically, if this unit starts to build ANY momentum it is unstopable. You could easily have a unit that does 35 damage per hit very early in the game.

Every game, this unit will either be useless, or it will become the deciding factor because it becomes too strong.

My objections before were about the fact that on face value, it does not play a unique tactial role. As a melee unit, it does what any other unit does. But once you start getting kills, this becomes very unbalanced in the blink of an eye.

[ironhorse123]

Alright another unit fail..... :p Thanks for all your time Legacy.

[ent__89]

I would say to keep trying at the ideas, but this one, while good, does not fit into the game very well, but then again you can never be 100% sure.....

The major flaw i see is this being abused by fugon turtles because, correct me if i am wrong, but dont the bushes actually count as "units"? If so then just lay waste to bushes early and you will be next-to unstopable in just a few turns......

The unit also seems a little to RPG for my liking, and since i play here because it is the only turn based strategy game i play religiously, i would probrebly not use it....but thats just me :bigsmile:

[ironhorse123]

I edited it, so it doesn't gain heads from killing shrubs.

[Lord_Maximus]

must ... feed... hydra!

suicide anyone?

legacy pretty much said all that needs to be said on this one I think

[Forest_Archer]

Hmm.. there are a couple Hydras already, why make another?

Sorry, Ironhorse, but this unit is very similar to this older hydra (http://www.tacticsarena.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17232&highlight=Hydra), made by Seraph_Knight.

[ironhorse123]

I searched Hydra and I did view that unit. I made this because that one's heads involved HP where this one involves kills. I know it is sort've the same, but I tried to make mine different.

[Seraph_Knight]

Mmmmm.... The taste of originality