BOOK OF ARTIFACTS
BABA YAGA’S HUT – A Wondrous Creation of the Slavic Queen of Hags
Baba Yaga and her Hut are two fascinating elements of the Slavic folklore. Baba Yaga is a witch, or a powerful spellcaster, who can appear as a fey, a demon, an ogress, or a human. She is often feared and respected for her tremendous magical knowledge and abilities. She has also appeared in literature, movies (such as Hellboy), and even in the official Pathfinder Campaign Setting known as Golarion.
The Hut is her home, but also much more than that. It is a magical construct that walks on chicken legs, and that can change its size and shape according to Baba Yaga’s will. It is said to be “larger on the inside than the outside”, which may have inspired the idea of the Doctor Who’s TARDIS.
In this article, we will focus on the Hut and its features, but we will also mention some aspects of Baba Yaga’s personality and history. After all, she and her Hut are inseparable, and one cannot fully understand one without the other.
If you are a fan of Vecna or Strahd, you may want to think twice before challenging Baba Yaga…or maybe even three times!
BABA YAGA IN THE FOLKLORE
Baba Yaga is a character from Slavic folklore who appears in many different stories. She is usually portrayed as a witch or an ogress who lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs and can move around the forest. She flies in a mortar and uses a pestle as a rudder, and she sweeps away her tracks with a broom. She likes to eat people, especially children, but sometimes she can also help or test those who seek her out. She has a connection with nature and animals, and she guards the fountains of the water of life123
Some of the most famous stories involving Baba Yaga are:
- Vasilisa the Beautiful: This is a story similar to Cinderella, where a young girl named Vasilisa is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters. She is sent to Baba Yaga’s hut to fetch some fire, and she has to perform several impossible tasks for the witch. With the help of a magic doll given by her mother, Vasilisa succeeds and returns home with a skull full of fire that burns her enemies. Baba Yaga also gives Vasilisa some advice that helps her marry the tsar.
- The Frog Princess: This is a story where a prince named Ivan is married to a frog who is actually a princess under a curse. He tries to break the curse by burning the frog’s skin, but he only makes things worse and loses his wife. He then goes on a quest to find her, and he meets Baba Yaga along the way. She helps him by giving him some magical items and telling him where to go. Ivan eventually finds his wife and breaks the curse with the help of his brothers-in-law, who are also enchanted animals.
- Baba Yaga and the Kind-Hearted Girl: This is a story where a kind girl named Nastasya is sent by her wicked stepmother to Baba Yaga’s hut to get some needles and thread. She meets several animals and objects on her way, and she helps them with her kindness. They repay her by helping her escape from Baba Yaga, who tries to eat her. Nastasya returns home with the needles and thread, and she also brings some gifts from Baba Yaga’s hut that make her rich and happy. Her stepmother tries to do the same, but she fails and gets eaten by Baba Yaga instead.
- The Death of Koschei the Deathless: This is a story where a prince named Ivan is married to a princess named Marya Morevna, who is also a warrior. She captures and imprisons a powerful sorcerer named Koschei the Deathless, who can only be killed by breaking his magic needle. Ivan frees Koschei by accident, and Koschei kidnaps Marya. Ivan then goes on a quest to rescue her, and he meets Baba Yaga on his way. She helps him by giving him a magic horse and telling him where to find Koschei’s needle. Ivan eventually defeats Koschei and saves Marya.
- The Maiden Tsar: This is a story where a young man named Ivan is sent by his father to find the Maiden Tsar, a beautiful princess who lives in a golden castle beyond the sea. He meets three Baba Yagas on his journey, each one living in a different hut with different animals. They test his courage and kindness, and they give him some gifts and advice. Ivan finally reaches the castle of the Maiden Tsar, but he has to overcome some obstacles and enemies before he can marry her.
- The Three Brothers: This is a story where three brothers go hunting in the forest, and they each encounter Baba Yaga in her hut. The first two brothers are rude and greedy, and they try to steal from Baba Yaga or escape from her. She catches them and puts them in her oven. The third brother is polite and generous, and he helps Baba Yaga with her chores. She rewards him with some treasures and frees his brothers.
- The White Duck: This is a story where a tsar is married to a tsarina who is actually a white duck under a spell. A witch named Baba Yaga wants to marry the tsar, so she kidnaps the tsarina and turns her into a duck. She also turns the tsar’s children into cygnets. The duck and the cygnets manage to escape from Baba Yaga and return to the palace, where they reveal their true identities to the tsar. The tsar then breaks the spell and restores his family, while Baba Yaga is punished for her evil deeds.
HISTORY
Quote from the book:
“Baba Yaga was an evil sorceress of great skill, perhaps the greatest female mage who ever lived. More ruthless, farsighted, and determined than most of her counterparts, male or female, Baba Yaga spent a good number of her last years in a single-minded effort to create the Hut. Although many wizards of that time derided her as obsessed, Baba Yaga did not relent and eventually finished her finest creation. Although she seemed ancient beyond belief, the sorceress lived for a good number of years after this, travelling the countryside in her strange conveyance. Although she grew aged, Baba Yaga hinted that she had found a way to survive. Then, one day, she entered her Hut and never returned”.
BABA YAGA’S HUT – A Living and Magical Artifact
Baba Yaga’s Hut is not just a home, but also a powerful and mysterious artifact. It has many abilities and features that make it a valuable and dangerous item. Here are some of them:
The Hut can move, jump, and think on its own. It can travel across the world, or even to other planes of existence, according to the will of its owner. It can also avoid or attack enemies, and protect itself from harm. You can rest, study, and plot inside the Hut while it takes you to your next destination.
The Hut is larger on the inside than the outside. It has many rooms that can change their size and shape according to the owner’s needs. You can have a library, a laboratory, an observatory, and anything else a spellcaster may need to carry out their plans. The Hut is like a demiplane of its own, similar to Ravenloft.
The Hut can block or allow magic within its walls. Spells like teleport, summoning, and interdimensional travel do not work inside the Hut unless the owner wants them to. This means that once you enter the Hut, you may never be able to leave unless the owner lets you.
The Hut grants two major spell-like powers to its owner. These powers are randomly determined by a table in the Book of Artifacts, but you can also customize them according to your preferences and game style. The powers are activated by the owner’s command.
To use the Hut, you need to know a secret command word that only Baba Yaga knows. She may or may not share it with you, depending on her mood and motives. She is a witch who can be both good and evil, depending on the situation and the person she encounters.
The Hut also has some statistics for combat purposes, such as hit points, armor class, attack bonus, and so on. These statistics are based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition ruleset, so you may need to convert them to your preferred system. You may also want to adjust them according to your desired level of difficulty.
Baba Yaga’s Hut is a wondrous creation of the Slavic Queen of Hags. It is a living and magical artifact that can be both a friend and a foe, depending on how you approach it. It is a symbol of the wild and mysterious aspects of nature, as well as the wisdom and power of old age.
CURSES
The Hut of Baba Yaga is not just a magical artifact, but a living embodiment of the fearsome witch herself. Baba Yaga is a legendary figure in Slavic folklore, a deformed and ferocious woman who flies in a mortar, wields a pestle, and devours her victims, usually children. She is also a powerful spellcaster, who can control the forces of nature and life and death. She lives in a forest hut that stands on chicken legs and can move around at her will. Her hut is surrounded by a fence of human skulls that glow in the dark.
To deal with the Hut of Baba Yaga is to deal with the most formidable hag in history, who has outwitted and outlived countless heroes and villains. She is unpredictable and capricious, sometimes helping and sometimes harming those who seek her out. She is the guardian of the fountains of the water of life, but also the companion of Death who devours the souls of the newly dead1. She is the epitome of the wild and mysterious forces of the world, and those who dare to face her must be prepared for anything.
ADVENTURE IDEAS
The Baba Yaga’s Hut is a fascinating and versatile artifact that can be used in many different ways to create exciting and memorable scenarios for your players. Here are some possible ideas:
The players are hired by a mysterious patron to find and enter the hut, which has been spotted in a remote forest. The patron wants them to retrieve a specific item from the hut, but does not reveal what it is or why they want it. The players must deal with the hut’s defenses, such as the fence of skulls, the guardian animals, and the traps and puzzles inside. They also have to face the possibility of encountering Baba Yaga herself, who may be helpful, hostile, or indifferent to their quest.
The players are transported to the hut by a powerful magic spell or a portal. They find themselves in a strange and alien world, where the hut is their only way back home. They have to explore the world and its inhabitants, looking for clues and allies that can help them return. They also have to avoid or overcome the dangers and enemies that lurk in the world, such as monsters, cults, warlords, and rival adventurers. The hut may change its location and appearance depending on the world it visits, making it harder to find.
The players are cursed by Baba Yaga for some reason, such as offending her, stealing from her, or breaking a deal with her. The curse manifests in different ways, such as transforming them into animals, aging them rapidly, or making them sick. The only way to break the curse is to find and enter the hut, and beg for Baba Yaga’s forgiveness or bargain with her for a remedy. The players have to track down the hut, which moves around randomly and unpredictably. They also have to deal with the consequences of their curse, which may affect their abilities, relationships, and reputation.
The players are invited by Baba Yaga to visit her hut for some purpose, such as receiving a gift, a prophecy, a challenge, or a test. The invitation may be genuine or a trap, depending on Baba Yaga’s mood and intentions. The players have to decide whether to accept or decline the invitation, and what to expect from the encounter. They also have to prepare for the journey to the hut, which may involve solving riddles, passing trials, or making sacrifices. They also have to be careful of what they say or do inside the hut, as Baba Yaga may reward or punish them accordingly.
ADVENTURES WITH BABA YAGA
The Baba Yaga’s Hut is a classic and iconic artifact in the Dungeons & Dragons game, and it has been featured in several official and unofficial adventures over the years. Here are some examples of roleplaying adventures where the Baba Yaga’s Hut plays a significant role:
- S5 The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga: This is a 2nd edition adventure module for characters of levels 7-20, published by TSR in 1995. It is based on an earlier version of the same adventure that appeared in Dragon Magazine #83 in 1984. In this adventure, the players are hired by a mysterious patron to find and enter the hut, which has been spotted in a remote forest. The patron wants them to retrieve a specific item from the hut, but does not reveal what it is or why they want it. The players must deal with the hut’s defenses, such as the fence of skulls, the guardian animals, and the traps and puzzles inside. They also have to face the possibility of encountering Baba Yaga herself, who may be helpful, hostile, or indifferent to their quest.
- Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga: This is a 5th edition adventure module for characters of levels 11-16, published by Weird Dave on DMsGuild in 2021. It is inspired by the previous versions of the adventure, but also adds new elements and twists. In this adventure, the players are transported to the hut by a powerful magic spell or a portal. They find themselves in a strange and alien world, where the hut is their only way back home. They have to explore the world and its inhabitants, looking for clues and allies that can help them return. They also have to avoid or overcome the dangers and enemies that lurk in the world, such as monsters, cults, warlords, and rival adventurers. The hut may change its location and appearance depending on the world it visits, making it harder to find.
CONCLUSIONS
The Baba Yaga’s Hut is a fascinating and versatile artifact that can be used in many different ways to create exciting and memorable scenarios for your roleplaying games. The hut is not just a magical object, but a living embodiment of the fearsome witch herself, who is a legendary figure in Slavic folklore. The hut can move around at its will, changing its location and appearance depending on the world it visits. The hut is also full of traps, puzzles, and secrets, as well as the possibility of encountering Baba Yaga herself, who may be helpful, hostile, or indifferent to the adventurers. The hut is a source of mystery, danger, and wonder, and those who dare to face it must be prepared for anything.
Book of Artifacts on DrivethruRpg
