Aften all that time in the
northwest corner as mentioned in the first adventure log, cretin speardwarf and his two human companions went eastward in search of a night troll, then an ettin.
While it can be said the
unarmed, Karelin-impersonating night troll grappler is likely the most dangerous (night troll) for a player (particularly if unable to draw outdoors), all of them are bad for the NPCs—in general, generic night troll stats are really too high for NPCs you've recruited who haven't had enough fights to train up. Part of the issue is NPCs like to take free swings and just do stat vs stat combat. The other part is the NPC enemy always likes to focus attention on other NPCs. Somehow though, after both gave in to pain, the humans managed to live.
The ettin expedition was better. Cretin speardwarf just waited on reserve as the spearman and swordsman took down the ettin. I think it's the pain/tiredness penalties (not the giving into pain, just the feature of being hurt, getting winded, etc). Night trolls are purely mechanical and only suffer slowness when foot or leg is hit. Other semi-megabeasts suffer additional penalty. So all in all, a partial success as one of them got a good kill in.
Of course, all this like anything else was short-lived. Because there are times you just don't pay attention to the details and are functioning modestly unfocused, there are lairs you go to without really remembering why or what for. Is this your home? No. It's someone else's. Everything resembles yesteryear's DirecTV commercials.
The lair farthest east was home to a nice red H. Possible early surprise death is somehow nifty, and why not? So cretin speardwarf engages the hydra
with workable demigod stats. The human spearman is outside and won't come in. The human swordsman is a few squares behind frozen in spot and very alert. After a few exchanges, it's clear the multiple head hydra attack and speed equal death if cretin speardwarf can't get out of the cramped lair to make the most of recovery period quick attack + dodge away (best with unending space). A terrible thing happens when jumping backwards the second time to make room. Cretin speardwarf ends up swapping positions with the swordsman who is now closest to the hydra. As cretin speardwarf exits, the swordsman is torn apart. The human spearman just stands near the entrance on the surface. Instead of a good decision, he makes the fatal one and does not flee. He is torn apart and the hydra surfaces. The recovery period exchanges begin with quick attack to the upper/lower body then dodge away, until finally the bleed out can start.
It's dead about a minute later. Three lives were the cost for
some stat growth. Was it worth it? Hydras offer the best one fight stat increase for characters who opt not to grind at all. The answer appears to be yes.