Magic resistance. Black Agatha has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects. Black Agatha cannot be put to sleep by magical means.
Legendary resistance (3/day). If Black Agatha fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead.
Coven Soul (1/day). As an action, Black Agatha can use the power of her devoured sister’s spirits to create two copies of herself. The copies have the same statistics, but half of Black Agatha’s current hit points at the time she uses the ability. Each copy has access to the same spells and abilities that Agatha has herself, but share
Agatha’s spell slots between them. The copies act on their own initiative.
Spellcasting. Black Agatha is a 16th level spellcaster that uses Charisma as her spell casting ability. Her (spell save DC 20, +12 to hit with spell attacks). Black Agatha has the following spells prepared:
At will: bestow curse, ray of sickness, disguise self, etherealness
1st level (4 slots): sleep, command, thunderwave, bane
2nd level (3 slots): hold person, locate object, invisibility
3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, lightning bolt, animate dead
4th level (3 slots): phantasmal killer, polymorph, blight
5th level (2 slots): contact other plane, scrying, contagion
6th level (1 slots): eyebite, disintegrate
7th level (1 slots): plane shift, regenerate
8th level (1 slots): maddening darkness
Multiattack. Black Agatha makes two attacks per turn, casts a spell and uses one attack or uses her Coven Soul ability.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage and the target must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or be grappled by Black Agatha.
Rend. One target creature that is already grappled by Black Agatha must succeed on DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, they take 31 (8d8 +5) points of slashing damage as Black Agatha tears attempts to tear them apart, or half as much on a successful save, and the target is no longer grappled. If the target drops to 0 hit points as a result of this damage, they suffer a disabling wound as Agatha tears off one of their limbs.
Flood of Nightmares. One target creature within 30 feet must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, they take 30(10d6) points of psychic damage as Black Agatha fills their mind with horrible visions of potential futures, or half as much on a successful save.
Black Agatha can take three legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Black Agatha regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
Claw Attack. Black Agatha makes a claw attack.
Step Through the Ethereal. Black Agatha steps into the ethereal plane, disappearing from her current location and reappearing in an unoccupied space up to 30 feet away. She does not need to be able to see the space and can pass through solid objects. If she ends this movement inside a solid object, she is immediately ejected to the nearest unoccupied space and takes 1d6 force damage for each five feet moved in this way.
Weird Magic (2 actions). Black Agatha uses one of the weird magic items on her person. When you use this ability, choose from one of the following spells. Each spell can only be cast once: fog cloud, chain lightning, cone of cold, cure wounds, darkness, dominate person, dominate monster, grasping vine, evard’s black tentacles, shatter, slow, vitriolic sphere, watery sphere
Description
“Ohhh,” said the hag, tapping one long, iron fingernail against her bulbous chin as she stared down at the twin girls. “How quaint. I too used to have sisters of my own, if you can believe it. Two of them.” She paused, smiling in fond remembrance. “Until I ate them. First I sipped their souls away, then devoured their hearts and their eyes, their spleens and their livers. Next I carved and ate their meat and when it was gone I crunched the bones too.” She sighed, remembering for a long moment. “Now, let’s see your fingernails. I recently gave away one of mine and could use a replacement.”
I must confess that when I first heard the tales of Black Agatha, the hag of the Murkmidden, I laughed them off as nothing but stories. The evil witch lurking in the swamp, ready to devour your soul. It all seemed too predictable. Yet as I collect more stories of the witch and witness the utter terror with which A LL Fey regard her, I can't help but think that at least some of the stories must contain some grain of truth.
—Gimble
Black Agatha is a hag of exceptional age who lives deep in the Murkmidden atop a small hill that stands like an island amidst the swampy surroundings. Her home is made from a hollowed out tree topped with a giant sized skull that serves as a roof. Like all hags, she loves to make bargains, but equally enjoys offering tainted gifts which she knows will bring about the ruin of the receiver, an act that she has become famous for after offering a young Ildrael a glimpse of the future. Millenia ago, Agatha had two sisters, whom she devoured and absorbed into herself, giving her the ability to split into three equally powerful copies.
Black Agatha has appeared on many planes throughout the multiverse, offering her tainted gifts. She also employs a number of warlocks to gather souls on her behalf, offering them a portion of her own power in exchange for their service. Unbeknownst to these warlocks, this gift too is tainted, slowly morphing them and their astral bodies into those of hags.
(All credit goes to David Markiwsky, author of Gimble's Guide to the Feywild)
Lair and Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Black Agatha takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; Black Agatha can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
• Ethereal nightmares accost all creatures within the lair. Each hostile creature must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw, taking 4d6 psychic damage on a failed save or half as much on a success.
• Roots grow up out of the ground in a 10 foot by 10 foot area. All creatures in the area must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone and restrained by the roots. As an action, a restrained creature can make a DC 20 Strength saving throw to end the effect.
• A gust of wicked wind, 60 feet long and 20 feet wide whips through the lair. All creatures within the area of effect must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be pushed 20 feet in the direction of the wind and be knocked prone. On a successful save, they move 10 feet and are not knocked prone.
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