Hexmaster Pentautarch

Hexmaster Pentautarch is a Subspecies of the hydra-like Pentautarch that utilizes status ailments as opposed to elemental damage. Like its elemental relative, it has five different heads, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

Physiology
Like the original Pentautarch, Hexmaster Pentautarch is a large, hydra-like monster with five serpentine heads and a long, serpentine body with small but fully functioning limbs. However, its main body has dark red scales, a light red underbelly, and black spikes along its back, legs, and tail as opposed to the original's green and brown, and its heads have different colours as well. Like the original, its most intriguing feature is the various colours of its heads, which indicate the status effects they utilize; the purple head inflicts Poison, the orange head inflicts Paralysis, the green head inflicts Sleep, the brown head inflicts Muddy, and the pink head inflicts Confusion.

Behavior
As opposed to the standard Pentautarch, who directly challenges particularly powerful monsters with the intention of taking their territory for itself and is often found in unique areas, Hexmaster Pentautarch is usually found in common areas and prefers to keep its distance from said monsters. This is out of awareness that many of these immensely powerful monsters such as the Fatalis trio are resistant to status effects. Despite its reluctance to fight stronger opponents, it can certainly hold its own in battle, crippling prey and enemies alike with status ailments before taking them out with quick bites to the face and throat. It particularly dislikes hunters, seeing them as a greater threat to both the environment around it and itself than any of the monsters it fears, and is willing to overcome its normally cautious nature to obliterate them.

Abilities
It can harness five different status ailments in battle, with each head using the ailment that corresponds with its designated colouration, and its heads can work in unison to bleed their opponents to death. It is weaker than the original Pentautarch, but makes up for it by having stronger defenses, being more resistant to Cutting, Impact, and Shot damage overall. Like its elemental counterpart, it is a highly adaptable creature, being able to thrive in nearly any environment no matter how unstable it is.

Habitat
Pentautarch is a nomadic species, invading areas that are home to highly dangerous monsters with the intention of taking these areas for itself.

Attacks
Body Slam

Hexmaster Pentautrch rears back and shifts its body clockwise, then slams into the hunter. This attack deals medium-high damage if the hunter is struck by the main body and low damage if they are struck by the tail or one of the heads.

Snapping Charge

Hexmaster Pentautarch quickly slithers towards the hunter, heads lashing out at them from the front and sides and swinging its tail in a sweeping motion. This attack deals low damage if the hunter is hit by the main body or tail, but will inflict medium-high damage and Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Muddy, or Confusion if they are respectively bitten by the purple head, the orange head, the green head, the brown head, or the pink head.

Death of a Thousand Fangs

Hexmaster Pentautarch will raise one or more of its heads into the air, then slam them onto the hunter. Those hit by the falling heads will take low damage and become pinned. The offending head will then hold the hunter down while the other heads quickly and repeatedly bite into them, dealing low damage with every strike. Failure to escape this attack in time will cause all five heads to blast the hunter with their respective status ailments, dealing medium-high damage to the target and inflicting all their status ailments onto them.

Claw Swipe

Hexmaster Pentautarch swipes at the hunter with its claws, dealing low damage and tripping them. The main purpose of this attack is to make the hunter vulnerable so it has a chance to strike them with its stronger attacks.

Cursed Bite

One or more of the Hexmaster Pentautarch's heads will bite at the hunter with their mouths leaking drool that is the same colour they are. This attack deals low-medium damage and will inflict Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Muddy, or Confusion if used by the purple head, the orange head, the green head, the brown head, or the pink head, respectively.

Cursed Blast

One or more of the Hexmaster Pentautarch's heads will rear back, then fire a large hexed ball at the hunter. This attack deals medium-high damage and will inflict Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Muddy, or Confusion if used by the purple head, the orange head, the green head, the brown head, or the pink head, respectively.

Cursed Breath

One or more of the Hexmaster Pentautarch's heads will let out a loud roar, then fire a sweeping elemental beam. This attack deals medium-high damage and will inflict Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Muddy, or Confusion if used by the purple head, the orange head, the green head, the brown head, or the pink head, respectively.

Cursed Cataclysm

Hexmaster Pentautarch will stand in one place, then raise all of its heads upwards. The heads will form a elemental ball containing all five status ailments it uses, then either shoot it directly at the hunter or into the air. The ground-based version will let out a large explosion when it makes contact with the ground and release hexed flares from all sides while the aerial version explodes in the air and causes smaller hexed balls to rain down from the sky, also creating explosions and releasing hexed flares when they hit the ground. The hunter will take heavy damage if hit by the balls or the explosions, and will take medium-high damage if hit by the flares. Getting hit by any of these will result in the hunter becoming inflicted with all five status ailments the head utilizes.

Long Sword
Hexed Malice --> Warlock's Malice

Sword and Shield
Hexed Dark Arts --> Warlock's Dark Arts

Dual Blades
Hexed Evil Eyes --> Warlock's Evil Eyes

Insect Glaive
Hexed Summoning --> Warlock's Summoning

Light Bowgun
Hexed Ritual --> Warlock's Ritual

Heavy Bowgun
Hexed Spirit --> Warlock's Spirit

Bow
Hexed Adversity --> Warlock's Adversity

High-Rank
Defense: 310-635

Elemental Resistances:
 * Fire 0
 * Water 0
 * Thunder 0
 * Ice 0
 * Dragon +5

Skills: Status Atk +2, Status Crit, Wellness, Worrywart

G-Rank
Defense: 530-740

Elemental Resistances:
 * Fire 0
 * Water 0
 * Thunder 0
 * Ice 0
 * Dragon +5

Skills:Status Atk +2, Status Crit, Wellness, Worrywart

High-Rank
Defense: 155-400

Elemental Resistances:
 * Fire +5
 * Water +5
 * Thunder +5
 * Ice +5
 * Dragon +10

Skills: Status Atk +2, Status Crit, Wellness, Worrywart

G-Rank
Defense: 360-480

Elemental Resistances:
 * Fire +5
 * Water +5
 * Thunder +5
 * Ice +5
 * Dragon +10

Skills: Status Atk +2, Status Crit, Wellness, Worrywart

Breakable Parts
Legs x4- The legs will be scarred.

Head x5- A large scar will form across its face, and its left eye will be missing.

Tail- The tail will become severed.

Trivia

 * Hexmaster Pentautarch's name was chosen to reflect its use of status effects to wear its opponents down as opposed to direct damage.
 * When low on stamina, it will fail to use its breath attacks. It can regain stamina by feeding on corpses or the area's local Herbivores.
 * Like the regular Pentautarch, the Hexmaster Pentautarch's heads function independently from each other in battle, utilizing different attacks at different times and only joining together when initiating the Cursed Cataclysm.
 * The five Hexmaster Pentautarch heads were originally planned to be part of the original Pentautarch concept known as the Hydrautaurch, with the brown head utilizing the Earth element as well as Muddy, the green head using wind in battle instead of Sleep, and the orange head using non-elemental attacks that did more damage than the elemental attacks instead of Paralysis, but this concept was split into two different beings to keep it balanced.
 * Hexmaster Pentautarch was designed as a foil to the regular Pentautarch.
 * It utilizes status effects and higher defenses in place of the original's elemental damage and higher offensive power.
 * It is a pragmatic and fearful monster while the original is a prideful and brave monster.
 * Its heads lose their left eyes when broken while the original's heads lose their right eyes.