I'm planning on my players fighting a Green Hag at level 6, but then I realized green hags are CR 3. Is this accurate? Because i also remember hags tend to have but-loads of spells and magic items not listed in the monster manual.
A green hag has a low challenge rating... but think beyond the math. Hags are an unpredictable and timeless evil who have amassed followers, insight, and experience.
If you have access to Volo's Guide I HIGHLY recommend reading the section on hags, it's a treasure-trove of information; lair actions, minions, strange magic, etc.
The hag herself might be weak, but then again so are some of the best villains in literature and history - it's their influence that puts the adventurers in a hurt locker.
Use CR as an approximation for what to throw at the party (a filter of sorts) and then analyze each monster individually. That way you won't TPK your party with Banshees or Bodaks :)
While I agree that the supplement about the hags is great, Green Hags still are amongst the least powerful of hags, so I would not necessarily go overboard for one. This is in particular because the suggestions in Volo's increase the power a lot, and that has a much larger effect on a CR 3 Green Hag than on a CR 6 Annis or CR 7 Bheur. Some of the minions are actually more powerful than some hags, in particular. After that, you can also say that she is related to more powerful other hags, in a sisterhood of "witches" who might make a great recurring antagonist for the PCs. But the roleplaying suggestions are indeed very much worth it.
Lyxen here makes a very good point! I should have made mention that as I DM I do not do "balanced" encounters, and I change my creatures stats and abilities quite a bit.
I'm planning on my players fighting a Green Hag at level 6, but then I realized green hags are CR 3. Is this accurate? Because i also remember hags tend to have but-loads of spells and magic items not listed in the monster manual.
A coven of 3 green hags is a deadly encounter for a party of up to 5 at 6th level.
A green hag has a low challenge rating... but think beyond the math.
Hags are an unpredictable and timeless evil who have amassed followers, insight, and experience.
If you have access to Volo's Guide I HIGHLY recommend reading the section on hags, it's a treasure-trove of information; lair actions, minions, strange magic, etc.
The hag herself might be weak, but then again so are some of the best villains in literature and history - it's their influence that puts the adventurers in a hurt locker.
...cryptographic randomness!
Use CR as an approximation for what to throw at the party (a filter of sorts) and then analyze each monster individually. That way you won't TPK your party with Banshees or Bodaks :)
Lyxen here makes a very good point!
I should have made mention that as I DM I do not do "balanced" encounters, and I change my creatures stats and abilities quite a bit.
...cryptographic randomness!