Help dealing with Lernian Hydra

[Konebred]

Not really sure what kind of options I have. BiAs don't last long. it deals a shit ton of melee and my wands aren't powerful enough to do much before it is on me. I have killed most of the other dragons I think, can I pop an invisibility potion and sneak in and snag the rune?


char info if needed

  Code:

 Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.9.1 character file.

Gritmonger the Brawler (Demonspawn Berserker)                                          Turns: 56123, Time: 05:04:41

HP 132/132 (133) AC 25     Str 23      XL: 16   Next: 68%
MP  18/18        EV  6     Int 10      God: Trog [****..]
Gold 784         SH 13     Dex 13      Spells:  0 memorised, 17 levels left

Res.Fire  : + . .   See Invis. : .      - Unarmed
Res.Cold  : + . .   Warding    : . .  Z - +6 chain mail of Bousch {+Lev MR}
Life Prot.: . . .   Conserve   : +    j - +0 buckler
Res.Acid. : + . .   Res.Corr.  : +    T - +2 wizard hat {MR}
Res.Poison: +       Clarity    : .    E - +1 cloak {rCorr, Cons}
Res.Elec. : +       Spirit.Shd : .    b - +3 pair of gauntlets of War {Acc+3 Dam+3}
Sust.Abil.: . .     Stasis     : .    r - +1 pair of boots {Lev}
Res.Mut.  : .       Ctrl.Telep.: .    f - amulet of conservation
Res.Rott. : .       Levitation : .    P - ring of poison resistance
Saprovore : . . .   Ctrl.Flight: .    M - cursed ring "Schyeru" {rElec rF+ rC+ MR St

@: uncannily resistant to hostile enchantments, extremely unstealthy
A: horns 2, conserve scrolls, deformed body 1, magic resistance 2, sense surroundings 3, AC +2, EV -1, Str -1
a: Burn Spellbooks, Berserk, Trog's Hand, Brothers in Arms, Renounce Religion, Evoke Levitation


You are on level 1 of the Vaults.
You worship Trog.
Trog is extremely pleased with you.
You are not hungry.

You have visited 7 branches of the dungeon, and seen 40 of its levels.
You have visited 1 Labyrinth.
You have visited 2 portal chambers: ice cave, spiders nest.

You have collected 3652 gold pieces.
You have spent 2888 gold pieces at shops.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 z - the +10,+0 crossbow "Sniper" {venom, SInv}
   (You found it on level 1 of the Lair of Beasts)   
   
   It poisons the ammo it fires.
   
   
   It enhances your eyesight.
Missiles
 a - 24 bolts
 g - 23 runed bolts {god gift}
 p - a dart of dispersal
 Y - 4 +3 bolts (quivered)
Armour
 b - the +3 pair of gauntlets of War (worn) {Acc+3 Dam+3}
   (You acquired it on level 1 of the Lair of Beasts)   
   
   
   It affects your accuracy (+3).
   It affects your damage-dealing abilities (+3).
 h - a swamp dragon hide
 j - a +0 buckler (worn)
 r - a +1 pair of boots of levitation (worn)
 E - a +1 cloak of preservation (worn)
 T - a +2 wizard hat of magic resistance (worn)
 Z - the +6 chain mail of Bousch (worn) {+Lev MR}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 10 of the Dungeon)   
   
   
   It increases your resistance to enchantments.
   It lets you levitate.
Magical devices
 i - a wand of invisibility (1)
 k - a wand of teleportation {zapped: 1}
 l - a wand of cold {zapped: 4}
 X - a wand of digging (3)
Comestibles
 d - 2 chunks of yak flesh
 K - 9 meat rations
Scrolls
 e - 13 scrolls of remove curse
 m - 2 scrolls of fear
 w - a scroll of identify
 S - a scroll of teleportation
Jewellery
 f - an amulet of conservation (around neck)
 M - the cursed ring "Schyeru" (left hand) {rElec rF+ rC+ MR Str+1}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 17 of the Dungeon)   
   
   [ring of protection from cold]
   
   It affects your strength (+1).
   It protects you from fire.
   It insulates you from electricity.
   It increases your resistance to enchantments.
   It has a curse placed upon it.
 P - a ring of poison resistance (right hand)
Potions
 c - 10 potions of healing
 H - 3 potions of resistance
 N - 3 potions of speed


   Skills:
 + Level 16 Fighting
 - Level 3 Axes
 - Level 8 Crossbows
 - Level 1 Throwing
 - Level 10 Armour
 - Level 2 Dodging
 - Level 1 Stealth
 - Level 1 Stabbing
 - Level 9 Shields
 - Level 1 Traps & Doors
 - Level 20 Unarmed Combat
 - Level 1 Spellcasting
 - Level 8 Evocations


You have 17 spell levels left.
You don't know any spells.

Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (18/27)            Temple (0/1) D:4             Orc (4/4) D:7
    Elf (2/5) Orc:4          Lair (8/8) D:8           Swamp (5/5) Lair:3
 Shoals (0/5) Lair:6        Slime (0/6) Lair:8         Hive (2/2) D:15
  Vault (1/8) D:16       

Altars:
Ashenzari
Cheibriados
Makhleb
Okawaru
Trog
Vehumet

Shops:
D:5: [  D:6: ([/(=  D:8: [  D:10: [  D:17: =  Orc:1: (  Orc:3: /  Orc:4: (![=  Elf:1: (  Elf:2: (

Annotations
Lair:2 exclusion: 5 oklob plants
Swamp:2 exclusion: ice statue


                    Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You have a pair of horns on your head.
You are mostly covered in slimy green scales (AC +2, EV -1).
You are very good at protecting items from fire.
You are highly resistant to hostile enchantments.
You passively map a large area around you.
Armour fits poorly on your unusually shaped body.
You are weak (Str -1).


[njvack]

Leave the hydra alone for now. You can come back when you've cleared D and most of Vault and most of Shoals and Crypt and such, and get the rune. Maybe it'll have wandered off by then.

Or you can quaff speed, levitate, and kite it with heavily-enchanted crossbow fire. Preferably bolts with of frost, to slow it. Or read vulnerability and hit it with a paralysis/confusion wand and waste it with BiA.

But seriously: that rune isn't going anywhere.

Also: nice ring!

[Konebred]

What is the range on vulnerability? And what are the odds of that actually working. Im not planning on going back for awhile.

[XuaXua]

Pre-haste and pre-fly/levitate self. Then Scroll of Vulnerability (range is visible, I believe) and Wand of Polymorphing. See what happens.

[TehDruid]

Or you can just use slimify if you're with Jiyva.

[BlackSheep]

Won't vulnerability cancel his haste and levitation?

[XuaXua]

Won't vulnerability cancel his haste and levitation?

Not unless he... QUIET, YOU!

[Happy Corner]

Keep in mind you don't have to kill the hydra, too. Some players ninja runes away from the Hell Lords and Pan Lords, and such a tactic would be even more doable here, since Swamp:5 doesn't block teleport control. If you find a source of teleport control, you can lure the hydra away from the rune, then teleport to it and get away. Or, failing teleport control, you can try luring it to one of the stairs and using speed/haste to get away from it. Then you can go back down a different stair and possibly just walk to the rune before the hydra finds you again.

It can't see invisible, either, so your original idea of popping in invisible and stealing the rune might work, too.

[XuaXua]

It can't see invisible, either, so your original idea of popping in invisible and stealing the rune might work, too.

Just don't step in any water.

[eharper256]

The two times I dealt with it, first I was invisible and levitating and ninja'ed the rune; levitate ran out without me realising though and I then had a benny hill chase for a while, just about got away. Second time, I banished it to the abyss if I remember correctly (Lugonu).

[tormodpwns]

The one time I met the Lernaean was on a HaGl with M&F specialization. I took up a flaming scimitar (0 skill in long blades!) and with the simple Heroism + ?tele combo x5 I was able to chop of all heads.

That ring, btw, is like the hat of the alchemist in ring form.