Medium Fey, Neutral Evil
- AC
- 17
- Initiative
- +1 (11)
- HP
- 82 (11d8+33)
- Speed
- 30 ft., Swim 30 ft.
| Score | Mod | Save | |
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 18 | +4 | +4 |
| DEX | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| CON | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| INT | 13 | +1 | +1 |
| WIS | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| CHA | 14 | +2 | +2 |
Traits
Amphibious. The hag can breathe air and water.
Coven Magic. While within 30 feet of at least two hag allies, the hag can cast one of the following spells, requiring no Material components, using the spell's normal casting time, and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 11): Augury, Find Familiar, Identify, Locate Object, Scrying, or Unseen Servant. The hag must finish a Long Rest before using this trait to cast that spell again.
Mimicry. The hag can mimic animal sounds and humanoid voices. A creature that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations only with a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check.
Actions
Multiattack. The hag makes two Claw attacks.
Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) Slashing damage plus 3 (1d6) Poison damage.
Spellcasting. The hag casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components and using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks):
At Will: Dancing Lights, Disguise Self (24-hour duration), Invisibility (self only, and the hag leaves no tracks while Invisible), Minor Illusion, Ray of Sickness (level 3 version)
How to run Green Hag
An allied green hag is a transaction with a fey predator. The party has agreed to her terms because no other power in the swamp will help them, and the hag has agreed to their terms because the favor amuses her. Set the contract clearly, in front of all players, and write it on a card. Hag deals are always literal and always cost more than the words say.
In a fight on the party's side, the hag is a flanker and a debuffer. She opens Invisible, repositions to within 5 ft. of an enemy caster, and drops the invisibility with two claw attacks for the surprise round equivalent. Ray of Sickness goes on the enemy's heaviest melee hitter to drain them through the Poisoned condition. If the party has two more hags in reserve from a coven setup, Coven Magic gets you Augury for "is this raid going to go well" and Scrying for free intel on the BBEG's next move. Treat that intel as the real reason the party is paying her.
The hag will not protect the party. She will not heal them, take a hit for them, or grieve them. If a PC drops in front of her, she steps over the body to keep fighting. After the deal is done, she vanishes via Invisibility and the party finds her gift waiting at their next camp, gift-wrapped in something unsettling, like a lock of their mother's hair.
Have the hag laugh once during the deal-signing. Just once, at something the players didn't realize was funny. They'll spend three sessions trying to figure out what she knew.
A green hag is a confidence game with claws. The fight is the failure state of the social encounter, and the social encounter has been running for weeks without the party knowing.
Set up the deception before initiative. Disguise Self at-will with a 24-hour duration means the hag has been the helpful old woman in the swamp village, the lost noblewoman by the road, or the kindly innkeeper for as long as your campaign needed her to be. Mimicry plus Deception +4 sells the act, and Insight DC 14 is the only crack in the armor. Players who never roll Insight on a friendly NPC walk into the fight already curse-marked. When the hag finally drops the disguise, do it mid-conversation, in the middle of the hut she invited them into, with the door behind them.
In combat, hag tactics are about denying clean rounds. Open turn one with Invisibility on herself if the party has ranged threats, then close to 5 ft. and Multiattack with two claws at +6 for 8 slashing plus 3 poison each. That's around 22 damage per round on a focus target, and at 82 HP behind AC 17 she absorbs more than the party expects. Ray of Sickness at level 3 is the spike turn: +4 to hit for 4d8 poison plus a Con save against Poisoned. Use it on the cleric the round before someone needs healing. Minor Illusion fakes a wall or a child crying outside the hut to split the party.
The retreat is the trap. At Bloodied (around 41 HP), the hag goes Invisible as a bonus action and leaves no tracks. Most parties will let her go because they think they've won. They have not. She returns the next session at full HP, having scryed (via Coven Magic if she has sisters) on which character grieves easiest. Run her ruthless with information.
Do the disguise drop with no dice. Just describe the moment her teeth change. The save comes after, when she's already in melee.
Stat block from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 © Wizards of the Coast LLC, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.