Hag
GM's Eyes Only
Spoilers. This page is written for the GM, and players who read on will learn things their characters don't know.
The female Ice-Troll: a settled, spider-farming witch-matriarch bound to the White Widow, who regenerates as well as any male. Made for Tir Hathar; see The Northern Reaches.
What it is. The females of the Ice-Trolls, with the Yeti as the males. Hags live in small hamlets of six to twenty: farmsteads, not fortresses. They keep ice-sheep, farm spiders (see Fuzzy Giant Spider), raise rabbits to release back into the forest, and keep Ettercaps through a mix of a lesser charm and genuine care. The males pass through to trade and to father children, and the hamlet raises the children together.
Hag magic. Every hag has some taste of the White Widow's power by birthright. Real spellcasting means an ongoing bargain with her. Hags are where the forbidden Unbound tradition actually lives: binding, Geas-bargains, and soul-price wishes. Their power doesn't depend on schools or temples, so the Long War's damage never touched it.
Worth finding? A hamlet doesn't move, so it's easier to find than a yeti band. But a lone hag regenerates as well as a male, and she's a spellcaster on top of it. Rooting one out for whatever's on her land is rarely worth the cost.
Fae-blooded. The Ice-Trolls carry Unseelie Fae blood, as the Elves carry Seelie.
Stats¶
First draft, built from WWN's baseline stat lines.
| HD | AC | Atk | Dmg | Shock | Move | ML | Inst | Skill | Save | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hag | 6 | 14 | +6 x2 | 1d8 | 2/13 | 30' | 10 | 2 | +2 | 12+ |
| Elder hag | 8 | 14 | +8 x2 | 1d8 | 2/13 | 30' | 11 | 2 | +3 | 11+ |
- Regeneration. It regains 3 hit points at the start of each of its turns. Damage from fire or acid doesn't regenerate. Dropped to 0 hit points by anything else, it isn't dead: it gets back up 1d6 hours later with 1 hit point unless the body is burned or dissolved.
- Hag magic. A hag casts as a 4th-level caster and an elder hag as an 8th-level caster, from the Unbound list and other curses, bindings, and weather-work. An elder hag who has struck a deep enough bargain can cast The Binding Word (see Unbound).
- Lesser charm. Once per day, one creature she speaks with for a few minutes makes a Mental save or regards her as a trusted friend for a week. It doesn't make anyone act against their nature. This is how hamlets keep their Ettercaps.
- Bargain. Her magic is at its strongest when she's making a deal. A bargain struck with a hag binds both sides, as the Binding Word does, and breaking it brings the White Widow's attention.
- Cold-built. Immune to ordinary cold.
Still open: playtesting the numbers, and which spells a hag actually knows. Suggested, not settled: their Fae blood gives them what it gives the Elves, +2 to saves against magic and a weakness to iron.