I realized the other day that I've NEVER run an encounter with the infamous Hydra. Yes, that CR 4, 5 attacks per round, fast healing monster. Is it just me or is this thing really a CR 5 or 6 in disguise?
You could (if you wanted to) lower its threat by making it start with fewer heads. But yes, the default Hydra is too powerful for its CR.
Of course, CR is usually best used as a "ballpark figure" at best.
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To me, it's not a higher CR in disguise, just the kind of monster you have to use strategy to fight it rather than throwing yourself into its mouths.
Hydras are very slow so it's not difficult to keep away from them and even if characters fail their knowledge checks they should realize that's not wise to come close to such a big monster with so many heads.
Hydras are slow creatures without ranged attacks, damage reduction or spell resistance. A ranged focused character with clever use of the terrain can take one down by himself without too many risks. It can be tedious, but it can be done. A melee focused one, on the other hand, can better keep running for his life.
So, we have a monster who can easily defeat a kind of character while being almost ineffective against another one. Kinda balanced in my opinion.
Not to mention that at those levels everybody should be carrying a ranged weapon so all the party should be able to help in some degree.
Of course, if a cruel GM throws an encounter against a hydra in a small room where you cannot get far from it, we have a high potential for a TPK, but a clever GM should have that in mind when setting the encounter.
Also massively gimped if hit with Slow, or other effects that stagger.
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Also, Will save +3. Poor will save single creature encounters beg to be shut down by a spell. Strong on melee, definately definitely has weaknesses. Though as noted, if you use the environment it gets much nastier. Making it part of a larger encounter a few levels later also lets you balance it's strengths and weaknesses.
You could (if you wanted to) lower its threat by making it start with fewer heads. But yes, the default Hydra is too powerful for its CR.
Of course, CR is usually best used as a "ballpark figure" at best.
Every time I've encountered a hydra, the party has hit it with an alpha strike and killed the poor thing before it could act.
It can also be mostly handled by having a 26 or higher AC, something that some melee characters can have at level 3 or 4, so it doesn't even necessarily spell doom for the melee focused combatant. Still pretty scary damage output for its CR if the circumstances line up for it, though.
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That must mean that they are balanced xD