Medium fey (hag), chaotic evil
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 91 (14d8 + 28)
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +3
Proficiency Bonus +6 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 (+1) | 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 12 (+1) | 13 (+1) | 16 (+3) |
Saving Throws Wis +4
Saving Throws (suggested) Wis +4, Cha +6
Skills Nature +4, Perception +4, Stealth +6, Survival +4
Damage Immunities cold
Damage Resistances (suggested) fire
Damage Vulnerabilities (suggested) acid, lightning
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Auran, Common, Giant
Challenge 7 (2900 XP)
Graystaff Magic. The hag carries a graystaff, a length of gray wood that is a focus for her inner power. She can ride the staff as if it were a broom of flying. While holding the staff, she can cast additional spells with her Innate Spellcasting trait (these spells are marked with an asterisk). If the staff is lost or destroyed, the hag must craft another, which takes a year and a day. Only a bheur hag can use a graystaff.
Ice Walk. The hag can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn’t cost her extra moment.
Innate Spellcasting. The hag’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: hold person*, ray of frost
- 3/day each: cone of cold*, ice storm*, wall of ice*
- 1/day each: control weather
Innate Spellcasting (suggested). The hag’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: cone of cold*, hold person*, ice storm*, ray of frost, wall of ice*
- 1/day each: control weather
*spell granted by the Greystaff
ACTIONS
- Multiattack (suggested). The bheur hag make two slam attacks.
- Slam (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d8 + 1) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) cold damage. Fire-based creatures (like fire elementals) or under the effect of a fire shield spell (or similar spells) take double damage from cold
- Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d8 + 1) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) cold damage.
- Maddening Feast. The hag feasts on the corpse of one enemy within 5 feet of her that died within the past minute. Each creature of the hag’s choice that is within 60 feet of her and able to see her must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of her for 1 minute. While frightened in this way, a creature is incapacitated, can’t understand what others say, can’t read, and speaks only in gibberish; the DM controls the creature’s movement, which is erratic. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the hag’s Maddening Feast for the next 24 hours.
- Maddening Feast (suggested). The hag feasts on the corpse of one enemy within that died because of her attack. Each creature of the hag’s choice that is within 60 feet of her and able to see her must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be driven insane 2d6 days unless the victim receives a lesser restoration or remove curse spell. Roll 1d10 to see how the insane character acts:
- Flee (1-5). The character flee in a random direction at maximum speed until it suffers the exhausted condition. After a long rest roll again to see what the insanity does.
- Attack (6-8). The character attacks the nearest creature, enemy or foe, until the target is killed or incapacitated, or the character is killed or incapacitated. Once the creature is killed or incapacitated, roll again to see what the insanity does.
- Catatony (9-10). The character fall unconscious for the duration of the insanity. He cannot move or speak and does not react to any stimulus.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
Bheur hags are wicked fey that embody the cold and cruel aspects of winter. They have pale, bluish skin and white hair, resembling frozen corpses. They wear ragged shawls and carry wooden staffs that enhance their ice magic. They can disguise themselves as harmless old women, but their true nature is revealed by their dark eyes and bloodstained hands. Bheur hags are also known as blue hags, white hags, or winter hags, and are based on the folklore of the Cailleach Bheur, a Scottish winter goddess.
Bheur hags are said to be the bringers of winter, capable of spreading deadly cold over a wide area. They resemble hideous, wrinkled old crones with pale blue-white skin and snow-white hair, wrapped in a tattered gray-blue shawl. They carry a gnarled gray staff taller than they are, and their voice howls of icy winds.
COMBAT
Bheur hags are formidable spellcasters that use their innate magic to manipulate the weather, create snowstorms, and freeze their enemies. They can also touch their foes with a chilling grasp that inflicts frost damage and weakens fire-based creatures. Bheur hags prefer to attack from a distance, using their staffs to fly and cast spells. They are immune to cold damage and can walk on ice without slipping. They are vulnerable to fire damage, however, and will avoid direct confrontation with fire-wielding opponents.
Bheur hags often work in covens with other hags, sharing their magic and creating a hag eye, a magical item that allows them to see through it. A coven of bheur hags can cast more powerful spells, such as cone of cold, ice storm, or wall of ice. A coven can also perform a ritual called Maddening Feast, in which they devour the corpse of a slain enemy and cause fear and madness in nearby creatures.
Some stories tell of the bheur and orglash (ice spirits) working in concert to mislead, attack, and devour travelers. No one knows whether these tales of cooperation between the blue hag and orglash are true; witnesses are unlikely to live to tell the tale.
Other legends speak of epic battles between high-ranking wychlaran (the Witches of Rashemen) and the bheur, and of the early onset of spring as a result of victory by the Witches. The Witches themselves believe that the bheur is a natural part of the land and serves a useful purpose, but they will fight the blue hag if she begins to act arbitrarily or cruelly.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
Bheur hags live in wintry lands, favoring snowy mountains and forests. They are solitary creatures that rarely interact with other beings, except to torment them or make bargains with them. Bheur hags enjoy spreading misery and despair among nearby settlements, especially during winter seasons. They use their magic to create harsh weather conditions, such as blizzards, hailstorms, or avalanches, that endanger the lives and livelihoods of the inhabitants. They also sow discord and greed among the people, tempting them to hoard resources, betray each other, or resort to cannibalism.
Bheur hags sometimes form covens with other hags for mutual benefit, but they do not trust each other and are always looking for ways to gain more power. Bheur hags have a special hatred for summer fey, such as dryads or pixies, and will try to destroy them or corrupt them with their cold magic. Bheur hags also despise dragons, especially white dragons, who compete with them for territory and resources.
As the skies turn slate-gray and snow swirls down from the sky, driven on howling winds, the Rashemaar shut their doors tightly, make certain that they have laid in enough wood and food for the winter, and cower in the terrible weather. During this time the bheur is abroad, and most Rashemaar fear her greatly.
Like the dreaded uthraki shapechanging spirits, bheur hags prefer to prey upon lone travelers, freezing them and devouring their frozen bodies. The bheur is also said to sneak into people’s homes if the doors and windows are not properly sealed, where they snatch away young children or unsuspecting residents.
No one has ever seen two blue hags together, leading to a widespread belief that there is only one bheur in all of Rashemen.
ECOLOGY
Bheur hags have a deep connection to the natural forces of winter and cold. They can sense changes in the weather and influence them with their magic. They can also communicate with animals and plants that are adapted to cold environments, such as polar bears, wolves, or evergreens. Bheur hags do not need much food or water to survive, but they enjoy eating meat, especially human flesh. They also collect bones, teeth, fur, and other trophies from their victims.
Bheur hags are immortal beings that do not age or die of natural causes. They can reproduce by stealing human infants and transforming them into new hags over the course of years. Bheur hags do not care for their offspring and will often abandon them or use them as pawns. Bheur hags have few natural predators, but they may be hunted by adventurers, heroes, or other powerful creatures that seek to end their reign of terror.
After freezing victims, the bheur dines on the icy corpses, and it is said that anyone who sees a bheur devour its victim may be struck blind or driven mad. Characters who witness such an act may be driven insane. Insane characters flee, attack anyone nearby, friend or foe, or collapse in a catatonic heap, incapable of speech or movement. The madness lasts for days unless the victim receives a lesser restoration or remove curse spell.
Some claim that the bheur themselves bring the cold, others that the cold draws the bheur.