Creature: antihydra

This is a translation of a post and this other one originally published in 2013. More posts in English here.
 
Long necks that end in human heads emerge from the reptilian body of this creature. The more heads it has, the more intelligent it becomes, and it is well known that some have mastered a rudimentary form of language (it is appalling to hear all its heads speaking almost in unison) and even the secrets of magic. Although usually they don't have more than five heads that don't do anything but cry continuously and sometimes bite, while its true head, barely a beak at the end of its body, looks for flesh non-stop.

But do not fear, as the antihydra is incapable of generating heads by itself. Instead of that, it has to look for humans to tear them away with its powerful claws —fear those claws those of you that want to live!— and then attach them to its body and let a new neck grow below them.

In the meanwhile, a horrible growth also takes place on the beheaded body of its victims, if it doesn't devour them before. The bodies develop a new, ohpidian head—horrible and poisonous, and under the total control of the antihydra that "created" them. This can become a problem, as a antihydra that controls a lot of these creatures will probably also have a great number of heads, making it able to conceive more effective ways of using the victims.

Of course, if a head is chopped from the hydra, it won't grow again unless it finds a new one, thinking otherwise would be ridiculous. What is true is that, if the head is separated with a good chunk of the neck of the monster, it will still be able to act independently, and with time it will develop limbs and organs, and it will finally grow to become a new antihydra. Or so go the stories.

Diagnostic: fire. And lots.

When you meet it, the antihydra is (1d20):

1. ... just roaming.
2. ... devouring corpses after a battle.
3. ... waiting for new servants to form after a battle.
4. ... sleeping.
5. ... fighting 1d6 humanoids.
6. ... fighting 3d6 humanoids.
7. ... completely hidden.
8. ... hidden, but showing the most beautiful of its heads.
9. ... hidden, but showing the most horrible of its heads.
10. ... being captured by dark dwarves.
12. ... badly wounded. 1d3 severed heads.
13. ... on flames.
14. ... making a deal with witches.
15. ... chasing someone or something in particular.
16. ... looking for the answer to a complicated riddle.
17. ... regurgitating undigestible things: bones, armor, jewelry, etc.
18. ... looking for new heads with wild fury.
19. ... singing the most horrible song you can think of. With a chorus.
20. ... singing a song so beautiful that its hard to get near it.

Thanks for reading. Valmar Cerenor!