| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 18 | +4 | +4 |
| DEX | 15 | +2 | +2 |
| CON | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| INT | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| WIS | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| CHA | 16 | +3 | +3 |
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 14): 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.
Magic Resistance. The hag has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Soul Bag. The hag has a soul bag. While holding or carrying the bag, the hag can use its Nightmare Haunting action.
The bag has AC 15, HP 20, and Resistance to all damage. The bag turns to dust if reduced to 0 Hit Points. If the bag is destroyed, any souls the bag is holding are released. The hag can create a new bag after 7 days.
Multiattack. The hag makes two Claw attacks.
Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +7, reach 5 ft. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) Slashing damage.
Nightmare Haunting (1/Day; Requires Soul Bag). While on the Ethereal Plane, the hag casts Dream, using the same spellcasting ability as Spellcasting. Only the hag can serve as the spell’s messenger, and the target must be a creature the hag can see on the Material Plane. The spell fails and is wasted if the target is under the effect of the Protection from Evil and Good spell or within a Magic Circle spell.
If the target takes damage from the Dream spell, the target’s Hit Point maximum decreases by an amount equal to that damage. If the spell kills the target, its soul is trapped in the hag’s soul bag, and the target can’t be raised from the dead until its soul is released.
Spellcasting. The hag casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 14):
At Will: Detect Magic, Etherealness, Magic Missile (level 4 version)
2/Day Each: Phantasmal Killer, Plane Shift (self only)
Shape-Shift. The hag shape-shifts into a Small or Medium Humanoid, or it returns to its true form. Other than its size, its game statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed.
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Posted Feb 4, 2025Auntie Ethel is here for you, petal!
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Posted Feb 5, 2025Oh good, so it's ALL hags that got Coven Magic nerfed.
Tell me, why in the hell would a Hag Coven form just to be able to cast 1st and 2nd level Divination and Conjuration spells (not including Scrying)?The old Coven mechanic made it so they shared a pool of high tier spells they could all pull from. Hags are no longer scary, capable spell casters. They're just old people who can identify a wand or conjure a bat. So lame!
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Posted Feb 12, 2025I guess they wanted hags to be more of a Tier 1 foe...? It's the only way I can see the logic behind significantly weakening these iconic fey adversaries. At least the Night Hag might be ok to use at the low end of Tier 2.
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Posted Feb 14, 2025Exactly as Revenant surmised, allowing Hags access to high level spells effectively precluded DMs from using hag covens at lower levels, but at higher levels DM ran into a catch-22 in that their players can easily handle low-CR creatures with access to high level spells, making hag covens' niche very narrow. Now, hag covens are closer in challenge rating to their constituent monsters, making covens easier for DMs to use.
DMs always have the discretion to expand a monster's stat block to fit their narrative (and are, in fact, encouraged to do so). Here, hag coven spells represent thematically what covens are: ways for players to acquire knowledge and a collection of monsters that really likes putting their gnarled fingers in other peoples' business. Hags are no less iconic than before. In fact, they are more likely to appear in campaigns now.
If you want more powerful hags, then make them more powerful (Hags gather strange magic, and the lore is replete with descriptions of the various "tiers" of Hags: auntie, grandmother, etc.). Or, if you prefer, use the new Archhag! But don't feel limited because of changes to coven magic. It's not a big deal.
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Posted Feb 17, 2025so real
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Posted Mar 5, 2025Interesting that they removed the Heartstone and they just have straight Etherealness as a spell, meaning counterspell can keep the Hag trapped in place. The Heartstone made for a good quest item, because of it's ability to cure disease (though 2024 seems to have pulled away from disease in general).
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Posted Mar 6, 2025Seems like Nightmare Haunting is way stronger now? Deals more potential damage and it doesn't mention a way to restore your Max HP to normal. Anyone know if this has been touched upon anywhere? Seems unlikely for a 5e ability (even with 2024's increased deadliness)
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Posted Mar 28, 2025Long Rests now have a general rule that lets you get max HP back, but you'd have to succeed on a save against nightmare haunting at least once to start healing all your max HP back on a long rest.
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Posted May 31, 2025Ran 2 of these, a fire giant, and a gladiator against my 4 9th-level PCs the other night. It was a BRUTAL 7-round fight, and 1 hag escaped, but my players made it through alive. That said, 2 players went to 0hp a total of FIVE TIMES, and even the barbarian had ~20hp at the end of it.
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Posted Jun 8, 2025Copy-pasted. If you & revenant are gonna reflexively defend the hags & their loss of offense & utility in each comment section, at least come up with new arguments.
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Posted Jun 8, 2025One way to address the underwhelming spell selection from covens would be to give a coven lair features. Individually, hags do not impact the environment and have special actions, but the coven changes the surrounding area. This would be a mechanism that DMs could use to dial up or down the difficulty.
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Posted Aug 12, 2025Why? If an explanation is correct, then it's correct.
Also, "reflexively" isn't the right word here—it references action without conscious thought. "Reflexively" would apply to comments such as knee-jerk attacks against other commenters simply because the speaker opposes that commenter's message. For instance, if, in response to an explanation of why Hags' coven magic was changed, a commenter accuses the original commenter of reflexively defending hags (despite the fact that a full explanation was given) and demands that new "arguments" be presented (inane) rather than responding to the given explanation, then that commenter would be "reflexively" attacking the original commenter for holding a different position.
Also, "the hags & their loss of offense & utility" is an unsupported proposition. If you want to make a point, then fully explain it. Otherwise, there's no substance to your "argument."
It seems to me that you simply want Hags to be unbalanced. All I can say regarding that is woe to your players if you're a DM.