Hag Coven

[ZenBear]

What are some fun ways to use them? I like the idea of having one of each hag (Green, Night and Sea) but I find it hard to rationalize their being in contact ecologically. Also the difference in CR makes things restrictive in order of engagement. I particularly like the Night Hag's ability to turn people against each other and bring out their worst qualities. I think having a rescued damsel be a Night Hag in disguise would be fun, but how do you play it out?

[Specter]

I played an entire campaign surrounding hags, and the way to do this right, I believe, is to forget fighting the hags. They should be either sending hirelings/subordinates after the PCs or things they love, or harming them indirectly (like that dream ability that can throw a wrench in many plans). If the PCs are too strong to face the hags, by the end of it, put some charmed NPCs at their side, or a T-Rex, or an Oathbreaker, something like that.

[BrianDavion]

ever play Witcher 3? remember the witches of crookback bog?...

yeah THAT is how to use Hags :D

[rlc]

If the PCs are too strong to face the hags, by the end of it, put some charmed NPCs at their side, or a T-Rex, or an Oathbreaker, something like that.


Or, or you can just make a stronger hag.

[MrStabby]

Now I want to make a powerful hag to act as a warlock patron.

[BrianDavion]

Now I want to make a powerful hag to act as a warlock patron.

She was replaced but for a time the ruler of the 6th layer of Hell was a powerful Night Hag.

[JackPhoenix]

In Eberron, there are the Daughters of Sora Kell (http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/Daughters_of_Sora_Kell), they managed to create a vaguely unified nation of gnolls, harpies, ogres, minotaurs, kobolds, medusas, goblinoids and many other "monsters" through their cunning, prophetic abilities and brutal force. They are creatures of legends and nightmares.

Night Hags are also pretty influential in-setting. They are (apparently) less-scheming cousins of rakshasas and other fiends, and acted as intermediates between inhabitants of various planes, fiends and their Overlords and mortal creatures for untold millenia. They are pretty rare and mysterious, and not always outright evil.

[JellyPooga]

forget fighting the hags. They should be either sending hirelings/subordinates after the PCs or things they love, or harming them indirectly (like that dream ability that can throw a wrench in many plans).

This pretty much sums it up.

A Hag Coven as a Mastermind Villain is a powerful tool and gets around the whole ecological difference thing.

Don't forget that whilst within 30ft of each other each member of the Coven gets the spells listed under Shared Spellcasting, casting as a 12th level spellcaster. That bumps even the lowly Sea Hag up to a much greater challenge when it comes to "crunch-time". Whilst they have to share the slots, each one being able to Counterspell, for example, makes them efficient anti-spellcasters, not to mention the cheese they could accomplish with Polymorph.

When using Hags, I think it's important to play with theme; even just taking a look at the languages each speaks will reveal potential minions or thematic elements.

- The Sea Hag, for example, speaks Aquan and Giant. A Fomorian would be a perfect guardian and very in-keeping with the fey themes as well as the Sea Hags horrific appearance. For something less of a challenge, a Troll might do instead (or for more of a challenge, a tribe or family of them!). Or perhaps using the Merrow as minions for the Sea Hag, you can build in Merfolk as potential allies for the PC's.

- Green Hags have the greatest Fey connection, speaking Sylvan and (interestingly) Draconic. A Dryad, blackmailed by corruption of her tree, could be a potential double-agent (on either side!). Centaurs, Lizardfolk, even Kobolds can be used. A Wyvern makes for an interesting and challenging combat. For a really intricate plot, you could even have a Green Hag subvert or utilise the Yuan-Ti (or is it the other way around? Dum-Dum-Daaaa!).

- Night Hags, the big-sister of the Coven, has tons of potential. Demons, Devils and Yugoloths are just the tip of the iceberg. How about a benevolent King whose brothers soul is being held ransom by the Hag? The PC's work for him and slowly uncover the truth that they've been unwittingly doing the dirty work of a Night Hag all along. On the less complex and intrigue-driven side of things, give her a kennel of Death Dogs and when the PC's get done with them and ask "how much worse can it get?" throw her other kennel full of Hell Hounds at them. Maybe she's even got a cross-breeding program going. That's not even mentioning that she can speak Primordial too, opening up the door to the gamut of Elementals in the MM.

First and foremost, though, the thing to remember about Hags is that they are deceivers and manipulators. Whether it's Illusory Appearance or Change Shape, they're all capable of seeming like something they're not; with the range of languages available to them, that means they are capable of recruiting pretty much anything in the Monster Manual to their cause and they have the capability, via soul stealing, curses and scrying/their Hag Eye, to get their way; blackmail, threats and fear, not to mention the ability to kill unseen are what they're capable of without outside assistance.

Just some thoughts and suggestions. :smallwink:

[BrianDavion]

as I said earlier if you want to see how to use a Hag Coven as an effective villian, go play "Witcher 3" The Crones are basicly Hags