Hecuba is a black dog familiar built around punishing enemies when Melinoe is hit. Base ability triggers a brief invincibility frame and a counter-bite dealing damage to nearby enemies whenever Melinoe takes a hit — rewarding aggressive play styles that accept some incoming damage.

On rank-up, counter-bite stun duration and damage multiplier scale up, and the final rank compresses consecutive hits into a single damage instance — effectively reducing net HP loss from multi-hit attacks.

Passive ability: defensive buff on boss room entry, reducing the impact of the first hit taken at the start of each boss encounter.

A survivability familiar for close-range fighters who naturally take hits. Best added after leveling Gale, when the main challenge shifts from offense to surviving high-Heat encounters.

Synergizes with Sister's Blade, Hephaestus toughness boons, and crowd-control effects from Demeter or Aphrodite.

Rewards aggression rather than pure damage avoidance. Less effective for cautious players who rarely get hit, but becomes a significant asset at higher Heat levels where taking some damage is unavoidable.