Why are Night Hags CR 5, when Annis are CR 6?

[Segev]

Night Hags have more hp, the same AC, generally better stats (except Strength), more Resistances (albeit their physical weapon resistance is pierced by silver as well as magic, vs. the Annis only being pierced by magic...but I think magic weapons are actually more common than silver ones, in practice), and better spells and disguise abilities. About the only solid advantage Annis have is speed (40 ft. vs. 30 ft. for the Night Hag), because size Large isn't useful when your attacks don't have Reach for it.

Am I missing something, or were these CRs just unusually poorly done, even considering the normal disdain people tend to have for WotC's ability to assign those values?

[GeistInMachine]

Annis Hags have over three times the DPR with a 3 hit Multiattack at +8 avg 15 damage

Night hags only have a +7 13 avg damage single attack

[Contrast]

They're very different creatures in terms of what about them is threatening.

Did you miss that the Annis has 3 attacks a round?

Edit - ninjad

[Fable Wright]

Also the Annis Hag hug is truly devastating.

A crit from the hug brought a ranger from full to dying instantly, and the hug is unbelievably strong in conjunction with Haste. When one hit can do 18d6+10 over 2 rounds, you know the monster isn't messing around.

[MaxWilson]

Annis Hags have over three times the DPR with a 3 hit Multiattack at +8 avg 15 damage

Night hags only have a +7 13 avg damage single attack

Annis Hag attack is even worse than that in fact, because it inflicts additional damage at the start of each of the hag's turns, with no action cost for her. If an Annis Hag hits you with the hug, you take 9d6+5 (36) immediately and another 9d6+5 (36) at the start of her next turn, and if she wants to she can let go of you and inflict another 72 points of damage to you every single round, if she hits.

The Annis Hag has an effectively-72-HP attack which can also be used as an opportunity attack, in case the Annis wants to e.g. Dodge for more durability instead of attacking.

[Segev]

Annis Hags have over three times the DPR with a 3 hit Multiattack at +8 avg 15 damage

Night hags only have a +7 13 avg damage single attack


They're very different creatures in terms of what about them is threatening.

Did you miss that the Annis has 3 attacks a round?

Edit - ninjad

I did, indeed, fail to take that into account. I had noticed it, but hadn't really processed it.

So she does significantly more DPR than the Night Hag; that makes sense for a higher CR, given how 5e tends to rate CRs. Much more focused on actual danger-to-the-party.

Good to know the hug is so devastating, too; when I read it and compared it to normal multiattack, I was puzzled why one would use it.

[MaxWilson]

Good to know the hug is so devastating, too; when I read it and compared it to normal multiattack, I was puzzled why one would use it.

Don't forget that an Annis can grab a Small-sized PC in a hug and crush it for enormous auto-damage each round while still moving 40' (or Dashing 80' total). Even if they don't Dash away they still Dodge.

Now consider that they can also cast Disguise Self to look medium-sized.

Scenario: two Quicklings attack the party and then zip away down a corridor or inside a cave. PCs give chase down the tunnel while Quicklings continue to menace them. A teenage boy with a rusty sword bars the way, too frightened to speak but unwilling to let them pass. PCs ignore the boy and push past, pursuing the Quicklings. Boy watches helplessly while the fighter and paladin pass by, but when the wizard passes, suddenly the Annis Hag (who is not a teenage boy after all) grabs the squishy wizard in a crushing opportunity attack hug and runs 20'-40' in the other direction, away from the fighter and paladin. The cleric maybe gets an opportunity attack in, but the fighter and paladin are out of position and the Quicklings now come zipping back in to engage the Fighter and Paladin, while the Annis continues to run away with the wizard.

Adjusted XP cost: 5400 XP (same as two Trolls), theoretically Medium difficulty for an 8th level party, though you'd probably want to call it a Hard because the Annis is starting with a situational advantage (already set up in ambush position).

Moral: don't be a squishy wizard in 5E if you can help it. Be a heavily-armored tanky wizard who will simply Shield away the Annis's opportunity attack, with high probability (80-90%). : )

[Crgaston]

Straight up nasty tactics

Dude. That is fantastic.

[Finback]

Annis - are they okay?
Are they okay?
Are they okay annis?

</musical theatrics>

[JackPhoenix]

Now consider that they can also cast Disguise Self to look medium-sized.

They can't. They can make themselves look up to one feet shorter, but 7' is still too big to pass for medium creature, and that's with the hunchback.

[MaxWilson]

They can't. They can make themselves look up to one feet shorter, but 7' is still too big to pass for medium creature, and that's with the hunchback.

According to the Annis Hag stat block, they can indeed. It's not a standard Disguise Self spell.

[ShikomeKidoMi]

Besides cheese like hugging someone, letting go, and rehugging them, Hug is also good against high AC opponents*, at least ones that aren't good at Athletics or Acrobatics, because while it's less likely to hit per round than three attacks from a multi-attack, once it does hit, their AC no longer matters and the Hag can just keep a grip on them for auto-damage.

*Obviously, Annis Hags would prefer not to attack high-AC opponents in the first place, but sometimes circumstances force it.