Cauterizing hydras


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Slime Squisher

Posts: 392

Joined: Sunday, 11th September 2016, 17:21

Post Monday, 15th February 2021, 08:07

Cauterizing hydras

Minor internal consistency issue:

Ignite Blood demonspawn mutation causes enemy blood to burst into flame when cut.
Hydras have blood, and bleed when cut.
This triggers ignite blood, as one would expect.
Cutting off a hydra head with a fire brand cauterizes the wound, preventing new heads from growing in its place.

Logically, then, it follows from these interactions that igniting hydra blood by cutting off a head would likewise cauterize the wound and prevent head growth, but this does not happen. So, this sets up players to expect to be able to decapitate hydras when they have Ignite Blood and a slashing weapon, only to be in for a very unpleasant surprise when they realize they can't.

I suppose, similarly, one would expect a hydra engulfed in flame might experience the cauterizing effect as well, though it makes more sense that it might not, because in this scenario the fire isn't originating from the decapitation wound like it is in the Ignite Blood scenario.

Ziggurat Zagger

Posts: 5382

Joined: Friday, 25th November 2011, 07:36

Post Wednesday, 17th February 2021, 00:28

Re: Cauterizing hydras

To cauterize a wound, you have to burn the *flesh* which was wounded. Ignite blood just ignites the blood as has left the body (otherwise you'd be able to just nuke their blood without having to hit them first).

Ziggurat Zagger

Posts: 6454

Joined: Tuesday, 30th October 2012, 19:06

Post Wednesday, 17th February 2021, 20:42

Re: Cauterizing hydras

Relatedly: should hydras auto-cauterize if they're standing in a cloud of flame, or are currently burning from sticky flame? :)
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Slime Squisher

Posts: 392

Joined: Sunday, 11th September 2016, 17:21

Post Thursday, 18th February 2021, 02:39

Re: Cauterizing hydras

But, when blood leaves a body, it's abnormal for it to not have contact with the flesh at the point of exit. Pretty much the only case I can think of would be when it's extracted with a syringe.

Shoals Surfer

Posts: 305

Joined: Friday, 13th December 2019, 01:33

Post Thursday, 18th February 2021, 04:17

Re: Cauterizing hydras

But it could ignite only after it leaves the body. (Otherwise it would be effectively a universal passive sticky flame, which it's not.)

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