Wrapped up against the cold in thick furs and a head scarf, this ugly old crone has a hooked nose, blue-tinged skin and long, clawed fingers. She trudges through the snow, leaning heavily on a gnarled staff.
Snow hags live in the cold lands of the far north, making their homes in wooden cottages amidst the trees of the taiga or in remote mountainside caves.
Evil Whispers. Snow hags enjoy posing as kindly wise women, selling herbal remedies and lucky charms. These remedies will work at first, but their efficacy soon fades, prompting the buyer to ask for something more permanent. The hag is only too willing to help but will ask for a favor in return. This might involve spreading gossip about another villager or playing a “harmless” prank on a neighbor. Slowly but surely, things escalate until everyone in the village is at each other’s throats, much to the hag’s delight.
Exiled for Ugliness. The first snow hags were daughters of the Snow Queen, fathered by a hill giant lover she denies ever knowing. Appalled by their ugliness, the Snow Queen threw her offspring into the frozen wastes where they live to this day.
Mothers of Beauty. Snow hags reproduce by stealing human infants and eating them. A year and a day after consuming the infant, the hag gives birth to a beautiful ice maiden. The magical kiss of an ice maiden freezes the heart of a mortal, putting it under her spell, but this magic can be broken by the kiss of the victim’s true love. If an ice maiden loses seven lovers in this way, she transforms into a snow hag.
Snow Hag
Medium fey, neutral evilArmor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 82 (11d8 + 33)
Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 16 (+3) | 13 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) |
Skills Arcana +3, Deception +5, Survival +4
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Damage Immunities cold
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Giant, Sylvan
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Ice Walk. The snow hag can move across icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn’t cost it extra moment.
Innate Spellcasting. The snow hag’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The snow hag can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: minor illusion, prestidigitation, ray of frost
1/day each: charm person, fog cloud, sleet storm
Actions
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing damage.
Icy Embrace (Recharge 5-6). The snow hag exhales a cloud of freezing fog in a 15-foot-radius around her. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a target takes 21 (6d6) cold damage and is restrained by ice for 1 minute. On a success, a target takes half the damage and isn’t restrained. A restrained target can make a DC 13 Strength check, shattering the ice on a success. The ice can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire and bludgeoning damage; immunity to slashing, cold, poison, and psychic damage).
Illusory Appearance. The hag covers herself and anything she is wearing or carrying with a magical illusion that makes her look like another creature of her general size and humanoid shape. The illusion ends if the hag takes a bonus action to end it or if she dies.
The changes wrought by this effect fail to hold up to physical inspection. For example, the hag could appear to have human hands, but someone touching them would feel her sharp claws. Otherwise, a creature must take an action to visually inspect the illusion and succeed on a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the hag is disguised.