Annis Hag

(from 5th Edition Volo's Guide to Monsters - 2016):

Annis hags lair in mountains or hills. Despite being hunchbacked and hump-shouldered, they are the largest and most physically imposing of their kind, standing eight feet tall. 

Tormenting the Weak. Although annis hags can easily tear a grown man apart, they love hunting children, preferring their flesh above all others. They use the flayed skin of such victims to make supple leather, and a hag's lair often shows the signs of this industry. 

Annis hags leave tokens of their cruelty at the edges of forests and other areas they claim. In this way, they provoke fear and paranoia in nearby villages and settlements. To an annis hag, nothing is sweeter than turning a vibrant community into a place paralyzed with terror, where folk never venture out at night, strangers are met with suspicion and anger, and parents warn their children to "be good, or the annis will get you." 

Child Corrupter. When an annis feels especially cruel, she disguises herself as a kindly-looking elderly woman, approaches a child in a remote place, and gives it an iron token that it can use to confide in her. Over time, "Granny" convinces the child that it's okay to have bad thoughts and do bad deeds-starting with breaking things or wandering outside without permission, then graduating to pushing someone down the stairs or setting a house on fire. Sooner or later, the child's family and community become terrified of the "bad seed" and must face the awful decision of whether the child should be punished or exiled. 

Tribe Mother. Much in the way that they befriend children in order to corrupt them, annis hags have a tendency for adopting a group of ogres, trolls, or other loutish creatures, ruling them through brute strength, verbal abuse, and superstition. 

Covens. An annis hag that is part of a coven (see the "Hag Covens" sidebar in the Monster Manual) has a challenge rating of 8 (3,900 XP).

Iron Token. An annis hag can pull out one of her iron teeth or nails and spend 1 minute shaping and polishing it into the form of a coin, a ring, or a tiny mirror. Thereafter, any creature that holds th1s iron token can have a whispered conversation with the hag, provided the creature and the hag are on the same plane of existence and within 10 miles of each other. The holder of the token can hear only the hag's voice, not those of any other creatures or any ambient noise around the hag. Similarly, the hag can hear the holder of the token and not the noise around it. 

A hag can have up to three iron tokens active at one time. As an action, she can discern the direction and approximate distance to all of her active tokens. She can instantaneously deactivate any of her tokens at any distance (no action required), whereupon the token retains its current form but loses its magi-cal properties.

HAG LAIR ACTIONS:

If a hag is a grandmother, she gains a set of lair actions appropriate to her nature, knowledge; and history. A coven that includes a grandmother can use her lair actions as well, but the grandmother's will prevails-if one of the coven attempts this sort of action and the grandmother disapproves, nothing happens. A powerful auntie (or her coven) might also have access to lair actions like these, but only at certain times of the year or when the influence of the Feywild is strong. The following lair actions are options for grandmothers and powerful aunties. Grandmothers usually have three to five lair actions, aunties usually only one (if they have any at all). Unless otherwise noted, any lair action that requires a creature to make a saving throw uses the save DC of the hag's most powerful ability. 

Lair Actions On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the hag can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects, but can't use the same effect two rounds in a row: 

• Until initiative count 20 on the next round, the hag can pass through solid walls, doors, ceilings, and floors as if the surfaces weren't there.

• The hag targets any number of doors and windows that she can see, causing each one to either open or close as she wishes. Closed doors can be magically locked (requiring a successful DC 20 Strength check to force open) until she chooses to make them unlocked, or until she uses this lair action again to open them.

Annis Hags:

Annis hags live in mountains or hills. The terrain is easy for them to navigate because they are the most physically capable hags. Even with her hunched posture, an annis hag is as tall as an ogre. Her skin is bruise-blue or black and her claws are like rusty blades. Annis hags love tormenting the weak and fearful, and seeing others feel fear. Statistics for the annis hag appear in chapter 3 of this book.

A powerful annis hag might have the following additional lair action: 

• The hag creates a thick cloud of caustic black smoke that fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point she can see within 120 feet her. The cloud lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round. Creatures and objects in or behind the smoke are heavily obscured. A creature that enters the cloud for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 10 (3d6) acid damage.

(from 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual - 1993):

The largest and most powerful of all the hags, annis stand seven to eight feet tall. Their skin is deep blue in complexion, while their hair, teeth, and nails are glossy black. The eyes of an annis are dull green or yellow. Annis have normal infravision (60-foot range), but superior hearing and sense of smell. Annis are surprised only on a 1 on 1d10.

An annis attacks using its talons and teeth to inflict horrible wounds. In melee, annis tend to close and grapple. An annis that hits an opponent with all three of its attacks in one round has successfully grappled its opponent. Next round, all attacks by the annis are automatic hits, unless the opponent is stronger, the annis is slain, or the victim uses some magical means to escape the hag. Otherwise, the annis will continue to hold the victim in its grasp, and deliver damage with its raking talons and sharpened teeth each round until the victim is slain.

In addition to normal attacks, annis have the ability to cast fog cloud three times per day. This spell is used to confuse resistance or to delay attack by a superior foe. Annis can also change self like all hags, appearing as a tall human, ogre, or even a small giant. These spells are cast at 8th level for purposes of determining spell range, duration, etc.

The skin of an annis is iron-hard; thus edged weapons cause 1 less point of damage when they hit these hags. Conversely, blunt weapons (including morning stars) cause 1 additional point of damage against an annis.

Annis speak their own language, as well as ogre, all evil giant tongues, and some common. Some of the most intelligent annis can speak common fluently and know a smattering of various demihuman languages. Annis are believed to live for 500 years.